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Isa Soares Tonight
Israel Advances Controversial West Bank Settlement Plan; Alaskan City Prepares for Historic Summit; Weather Delays Trial of Hong Kong Media Tycoon; U.S. and Russia Prepare for Trump-Putin Summit; Taylor Swift Announces New Album. Trump Speaks at White House Ahead of Friday Meeting with Putin; Aid Groups Urge Israel to End Weaponization of Aid; Netanyahu: Israel Talking to Several Countries About Taking in Palestinians from Gaza.
Aired August 14, 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]
LYNDA KINKADE, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Oh, I'm Lynda Kinkade. President Trump is speaking at the White House right now. Let's listen in.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You have permits. You know, the federal permits are given. Those are the hard ones, and they were given
a long time ago. People can't rebuild their house because they can't get permits from the state and the city, and they ought to focus on that
because it's very upsetting.
I went there right after the fires. I walked the streets and I met a lot of great people. They want to rebuild their homes. We took care of it from the
federal standpoint, but they're not taking care of it from the city. The mayor and the governor, they're not getting their permits. They can't build
their houses.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Go ahead, please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, thank you. Do you think this summit and the incentives for peace you were putting on the table could end up
rewarding Putin for his invasion of Ukraine? And what kind of signal do you think that could potentially send to other aggressors?
TRUMP: No, I don't think it's a reward. I think that what we have is a situation that should never have started, should have never started. It
didn't start under me. And for four years, it wasn't even discussed. And I could see it was going to happen. After I left, I could see what was
happening. Everything that we did was wrong.
Everything that was done was wrong. Everybody's to blame. Putin is to blame. They're all to blame. This is a war that would have never happened.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, the other question on L.A. Mr. President, earlier today, the Washington D.C. police chief issued an executive order allowing
metropolitan police officers conducting traffic stops to notify federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement about undocumented immigrants that they
encounter.
Yet, the city has a longstanding pro-immigration policy, including allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections --
TRUMP: Which is ridiculous --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And limiting cooperation with federal immigration agencies --
TRUMP: Right --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did your administration pressure the D.C. police chief to review and repeal these policies? And will you require other cities to
rollback similar policies to avoid possible federal takeover from local law enforcement?
TRUMP: Yes, so, what you're saying is that it was a very positive thing when they stopped people. They find they're illegal, they report them, they
give them to us, et cetera. That's a very positive thing. I have heard that it just happened. That's a great step. That's a great step if they're doing
that.
Yes, I think that's going to happen all over the country. We want to stop crime. I think if the Democrats aren't strong on this issue, they won't be
able to. I think this is a bigger issue than all of the other ridiculous things that they -- like open borders. Well, open borders is bad. Open
borders has caused a lot of this problem.
Allowing millions and millions, I think 24 million people were allowed to come into our country. Many of these people from prisons, from jails, from
mental institutions. This was the Biden policy, and I don't believe it was him. He was never there before. It was the people that encircled this very
beautiful desk, the resolute desk. Radical left lunatics who were smart, but radical left. And I'm very happy to hear what you just said, because
I've heard that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Mr. President, on L.A., if I may -- if I may. The mother of a 15-year-old California boy who was briefly detained at gunpoint
in a case of mistaken identity, the LAUSD superintendent says that surveillance video shows armed agents wearing police and border patrol
insignia.
Given the National Guard, the border patrol, ICE agents, they're not trained in local policing. What specific steps are you taking to ensure
that young people are not put in harm's way with these types of operations?
TRUMP: Yes, what they are trained in is common sense, and they're very tough people, and they have great common sense. And they they're highly
trained. I heard the mayor of L.A. was saying, oh, they're not trained this way. I heard this character from -- where was he from? They talk about him
as a candidate.
He's got no chance. The governor of Maryland, I watched him this morning saying that -- saying that -- the governor of Maryland, yes. They say maybe
he'll be a President, he's not presidential temper at all. But I heard him today talking about how the National Guard or the military is not trained
in police, but they're trained in common sense, and they're trained in not allowing people to burn down buildings and bomb buildings and shoot people
and all the things.
They've done -- they've done a great job. Again, if we didn't send them -- and very importantly, if we didn't send them into Los Angeles, Los Angeles,
the rest of Los Angeles would have been burned down to the ground. When you look at Minnesota, Minneapolis, I sent them into Minneapolis because the
governor wouldn't make the call.
[14:05:00]
if I didn't do that, you wouldn't have a Minneapolis. There wouldn't be -- I don't think it would be existent today. You remember the famous scene
burning over the CNN anchor shoulder? He said, everything seems to be very peaceful, and behind him, the whole city is burning down. So, you had the
wackjob governor, who is -- who ran for vice president, who made a fool out of him.
So, you would have had -- I saved that city, I'll tell you. I saved that city. So, the bottom line is, these are very tough people that are trained
in a thing called common sense. And they're also trained in doing what we're talking about right now. And you watch crime stop, but you wouldn't
have Los Angeles, it wouldn't be existing today. We would have had to cancel the Olympics if I let that go on.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, will you pressure Israel to allow journalists into Gaza to cover the humanitarian efforts the U.S. is
pursuing?
TRUMP: I'd like to see that happen too --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, would you pressure --
TRUMP: I would like to see it happen, I would be very fine with journalists going in. And it's a very dangerous position to be in if you're
-- as you know, if you're a journalist. But I would like to see it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And on tariffs, Brazil, Mexico and Latin America are getting closer to China. And they say it's partly because of the tariffs
you're imposing on those countries.
TRUMP: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you concerned about them getting closer to China?
TRUMP: No, not at all, I'm not concerned at all. They can do what they want. You know, none of them are doing very well. And what we're doing in
terms of economics, we're blowing everyone away, including China. We're doing better than any other country in the world right now.
Brazil has been a horrible trading partner in terms of tariffs. As you know, they charge us tremendous tariffs far more than we were charging
them. We weren't charging anything essentially. And Brazil has some very bad laws happening where they took a President and they put him in jail, or
they're trying to jail him.
And I happen to know the man, and I will tell you, I'm pretty good at people. I think he's an honest man. I think what they've done, this is an
electric -- this is really a political execution that they're trying to do with Bolsonaro. I think that's terrible. But they also treated us very
badly as trading partners for many years.
One of the worst -- one of the worst countries on earth for that. They charge tremendous tariffs, and they made it very difficult to do anything.
So, now they're being charged 50 percent tariffs and they're not happy. But that's the way it goes.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, Mr. President, on D.C. crime, sir, on D.C. crime. Are you concerned at all that some federal officers that are
helping D.C. police might be being pulled away from other high priority assignments if you --
TRUMP: Like what? Like what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Terrorism.
TRUMP: Oh, really, terrorism? They'll stop terrorism as part of what they're doing right now. No, the soldiers that we have, first of all, we
have plenty of them long beyond what they -- that you have here. We're just using a very small force. You know, in Washington D.C., they have thousands
of police. They have a lot of police.
But the police weren't allowed to do their job. We have a lot of great ones, and you have some that weren't so good, to be honest, but they
weren't allowed to do their job. But now, they are allowed to do their job. And essentially we've -- it's only two days. But you look at the numbers
already, they're dropping, and no, they're not being pulled off for anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, Mr. President, on Tulsi Gabbard --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, as you know, there were some very concerning reports about crime statistics. Police are manipulating crime
data to downplay crime in D.C. Will the administration release its own crime statistics to counter their --
TRUMP: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Misinformation? And will those individuals who are intentionally misrepresenting crime data and fudging the books, like you
said, be penalized for endangering the public?
TRUMP: They are under investigation right now. They are giving us phony crime stats just like they gave other stats in the financial world. But
they're phony crime stats. And Washington D.C. is at its worst point, and it will soon be at its best point. You're going to have a very safe --
you're going to have a crime free city.
I mean, I say that you can have virtually a crime free city. And these are strong men and -- but the criminals are strong men and women, but they're
strong men. And these are people that don't play games. We're not playing games. These are criminals we're dealing with and they treated people.
They took one of the people that worked for us the other day. You saw the beating, the pounding, ten against one, and they pounded the hell out of
him. He's lucky to be alive. He's barely -- almost killed. And we're not going to have that happening, please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tulsi Gabbard declassified more documents last night related to the Russia-gate hoax --
TRUMP: Yes, she's doing a great job by the way, that was another fake story. She's -- I'm very happy with the job she's doing. That's right. They
declassified some terrible documents talking about Democrats and what they did. Radical left lunatics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It showed that then DNI James Clapper sent out e-mails to IC officials saying that it would be a team sport to push them, the
debunked 2017 ICA report, and that it might lead them to compromise on their normal modalities. What's your reaction to the latest
declassification, and in your view, sir, what does real accountability look like for the players?
[14:10:00]
TRUMP: It's incredible what we're finding. Absolute proof of guilt, and we'll see what happens. But Clapper and Comey and that whole group of
criminals -- they're criminals. And they made it very tough. You know, they did the fake Russia, witch-hunt that lasted for two years. And I got
totally exonerated.
There was no doubt about it. They should have done it in one day, not two years. But it was a whole scheme to try and demean Trump so that I couldn't
win an election. That is a criminal group of people. They're sick people and they're criminals, and they should be taken care of.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does Putin have a strong hand tomorrow?
TRUMP: Well, he came to our country and I heard CNN fake news talking about that, that was a big win for him. Normally you would say the
opposite, but they said, oh, it's a big win that he came here. Normally would say the opposite, you know, he came here. I think that President
Putin would like to see a deal.
I think if I weren't President, he would take over all of Ukraine. It's a war that should have never happened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mister --
TRUMP: If I weren't President, in my opinion, he would much rather take off, take over all of Ukraine. But I am President and he's not going to
mess around with me.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, I'm Russian, I'm Russian, Mr. President, would you support or agree to reducing NATO troops in Europe in
countries like Poland, in order to get Russia to agree to a peace deal?
TRUMP: That hasn't been put before me, and I'll think about that for later. But it has not been put before me. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is anything less than an unconditional and immediate ceasefire, a victory for the U.S.
TRUMP: Tomorrow?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
TRUMP: Well, tomorrow we'll see. I say, you know, I don't know where that comes from. It's sort of a not a good question. I would say that tomorrow,
all I want to do is set the table for the next meeting, which should happen shortly. I'd like to see it happen very quickly, very shortly after this
meeting.
I'd like to see it actually happen maybe in Alaska, where we just stay because it's so much easier. But I think that -- I think it's going to be
very interesting. We're going to find out where everybody stands and I'll know within the first two minutes, three minutes, four minutes or 5
minutes, like we tend to find out whether or not we're going to have a good meeting or a bad meeting.
And if it's a bad meeting, it will end very quickly. And if it's a good meeting, we're going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future. OK,
how about one more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. President. On the Smithsonian, I know that your administration is seeking to weed out a lot of this left-wing
span --
TRUMP: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's in the museums, but we're seeing from people like Brian Stelter or other commentators, and that they're insinuating that
you were trying to change history according to your narrative. What's your response to that? And is there anything you particularly like to do --
TRUMP: Well, we want the museums to treat our country fairly. We want the museums to talk about the history of our country in a fair manner, not in a
woke manner or in a racist manner, which is what many of them, not all of them, but many of them are doing. Our museums have an obligation to
represent what happened in our country over the years, good and bad. But what happened over the years in an accurate way. Thank you very much,
everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you press, thank you press, thank you. Thanks, guys. Headed out right here. Thank you, press. Thanks guys. You guys head
out right this way, right this way. Thanks, guys, keep --
KINKADE: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade, you've just been listening to President Trump there at the White House speaking on crime, immigration, but of
course, the major focus is tomorrow's high stakes summit in Alaska. Now, expectations are rising, both from the White House and the Kremlin as the
anticipation builds.
Donald Trump says he believes he can make a deal with Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. We're going to get to our reporter in Ukraine in just a
moment. First, I want to go to CNN's Jeff Zeleny, who joins us now from Washington. Good to have you with us, Jeff. So, Donald Trump there was
asked about whether this summit is a win, a reward for Vladimir Putin.
He said, I don't think so. He actually sounded quite defensive. Just take us through how the tone from the White House has changed with regards to
this meeting.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, he did sound defensive, but there's a reason for that, because there's no question
that President Trump simply holding this meeting is elevating Vladimir Putin back to a place where he would like to be, and that is on the world
stage, recognized by a western leader holding a summit, standing side-by- side an American president.
That is where Vladimir Putin has not been for the better part of three-and- a-half years, really even longer than that. So, it's unclear, obviously, what will come out of this if it will be a win for Putin. But going into
it, it is a win for Putin because he is having a meeting. The question here is, as the Kremlin is explaining this, Vladimir Putin is interested in
expanding the agenda of the meeting, almost trying to normalize this, if you will, talking about the economy, talking about trade, nuclear weapons.
[14:15:00]
The reality is, none of that could really happen until there is a settlement or some type of a deal with Ukraine. So, that will be a choice
and a question that President Trump will have to answer if he believes that Putin is serious about stopping the bombing campaign if they can come to
some type of agreement about what Ukraine will give up, what Putin will give up.
But the whole idea of having this meeting without a doubt, is a win for Vladimir Putin. And it's been interesting watching the President. We've
really seen this long arc and evolution. He was long, fond and friendly toward Vladimir Putin, much to the chagrin and dismay, really, of many of
his advisors.
I'm thinking back to that Helsinki Summit, and I think that is what is hanging over all of this meeting tomorrow. Of course, the circumstances
have changed and we're three-and-a-half years into the war here. But even though Trump has soured on Putin, he truly is disappointed that he was not
able to negotiate an early end to this.
He clearly still wants to use some of his charm, and hope he falls into line. It's hard to imagine that happening. So, there are at once lowering
expectations, then in other respects, raising expectations. The President earlier saying today, he said it's a 25 percent failure rate. That means a
75 percent success rate. It's hard to imagine that's possible.
KINKADE: Really is 75 percent success rate. We will see how this plays out tomorrow. We're going to stay on this story for now. Jeff Zeleny in
Washington D.C., thanks so much. I want to go to our Nick Paton Walsh, who is in Ukraine's capital, good to see you, Nick. So, Zelenskyy has made it
clear that he doesn't trust Putin.
He thinks any talk of peace is just a bluff. Donald Trump was certainly asked about whether this is a reward for Vladimir Putin, and pointed to the
fact that he thinks the next meeting, should there be one with Zelenskyy, is going to be far more important. Just take us through the view there.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Yes, I mean, it's interesting to hear Donald Trump go in a matter of hours from hoping that
there would be a follow on meeting with President Zelenskyy and possibly Russian President Vladimir Putin, something Putin rejected back in May to
sounding in that recent press appearance like it was something that was going to happen, and that ultimately, this was a preparatory meeting
happening in Alaska that would inevitably lead to further progress.
Now, it's really hard at times to try and work out precisely what the protocol is here, if these things are arranged, if it's aspirational, it
sounds aspirational. It sounds like the U.S. President is trying to -- as Jeff was saying, simultaneously keep expectations high, as in maintain the
pressure upon Russian President Vladimir Putin, who his -- White House has said, he's there to engage with in a listening exercise, essentially to be
a passive recipient of what Putin wants to propose as a deal.
Having told his European allies that he won't be negotiating Ukrainian territory without Ukraine being there, and that he'll hold fast on the
demand for a ceasefire, kind of limiting his agency for flexibility during that meeting. It is quite hard to see how this meeting necessarily will
emerge with something that's palatable for Ukraine.
At the same time, too, we are now into multiple days of European allies expressing the same consistent position of support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy
in London seeing U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer hearing again that there will be potentially security guarantees if there is indeed some kind of
peace or even some kind of ceasefire.
But I think deep concerns here about the unpredictability of this, the constant change in the words Trump is using ahead of it, and even the
scheduling of meetings and quite what that might mean for what he emerges from that one-on-one with Putin with.
KINKADE: All right, Nick Paton Walsh for us. So, good to have you there on the ground for us in Kyiv, Ukraine, many thanks Well, still to come
tonight, Israel confirms that it is talking to several countries about resettling Palestinians from Gaza. Critics call it attempted ethnic
cleansing. Also ahead, Israel's Finance Minister announces a controversial move that he says will bury the idea of a Palestinian state. We'll have
that story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. More than 100 humanitarian groups are urging Israel to end what they call the weaponization of aid in
Gaza. They say most international aid groups have been unable to deliver a single truck of supplies since March, amid a worsening starvation crisis.
The joint statement accuses Israel of rejecting dozens of requests to deliver life-saving aid. Israel is denying that. It also denies starvation
even exists in Gaza despite U.N. experts warning that a famine is unfolding. Gaza's Health Ministry today said four more people had died from
starvation and malnutrition, bringing the total number of deaths to 239.
Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu is also confirming reports that Israel is in talks with several countries about taking in Palestinians from Gaza. A
senior Israeli official tells CNN the list includes war-ravaged nations like South Sudan, Libya and Somaliland. An Israeli delegation visited South
Sudan just yesterday.
It's no secret that Mr. Netanyahu backed by U.S. President Trump, is pushing for Palestinians to quote, "leave Gaza". Critics call it attempted
ethnic cleansing." Yesterday on this show, you heard from the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, who said Mr. Netanyahu is divorced from
reality, insisting that Palestinians are rooted in their land. But Mr. Netanyahu told Israeli channel "i24 News" that he's on a historic and
spiritual mission.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you connect to the vision?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL (through translator): Very much so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really?
NETANYAHU: Very much, this is the great Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: The Palestinian National Council is accusing Israel of creeping annexation in the West Bank after a highly controversial announcement.
Israel's Finance Minister, who has significant control over West Bank affairs, says his government is going ahead with a settlement project that
would divide the West Bank in two.
Standing and singing with settler leaders Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, said Mr. Netanyahu and President Trump both support the plan, long
referred to by critics as a doomsday scenario. The thousands of new housing units would connect Jerusalem with a major West Bank settlement, marking a
future Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem virtually impossible. Well, the Finance Minister left no doubt about the intent of his move.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEZALEL SMOTRICH, FINANCE MINISTER, ISRAEL (through translator): Whoever in the world is trying to recognize a Palestinian state today will receive
our answer on the ground, not with documents, nor with decisions or statements, but with facts. Facts of houses, facts of neighborhoods, roads,
and of more and more Jewish families building lives.
[14:25:00]
They will speak of the false Palestinian dream. We will continue to build a fulfilling Jewish reality. This reality definitively buries the idea of a
Palestinian state simply because there is nothing to recognize and no one to recognize.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, joining us now is Daniel Seidemann; he's the founder of the Israeli non-governmental organization Terrestrial Jerusalem. Good to have
you with us.
DANIEL SEIDEMANN, FOUNDER, TERRESTRIAL JERUSALEM: Good evening from Jerusalem.
KINKADE: So, you have often emphasized the importance of legal accountability in settlement expansion. So, I want to get your response to
what's happening right now and how this move challenges the international legal frameworks that currently exist.
SEIDEMANN: Now, we've been monitoring E1 since 1996, and since then, every American President until Trump, Clinton, Obama, Bush, every major European
leader had no illusions about E1, what E1 was about. E1 was about driving a wedge through the West Bank, dismembering it, fracturing it, and making the
creation of a viable, contiguous Palestinian state impossible.
It would also detach or seal east Jerusalem from its hinterlands in the West Bank, preventing a Palestinian capital there. As a result of that,
every one of these leaders have consistently told Israel, don't dare. This is a red line. You want E1? Great, negotiate it. You are not to do it
unilaterally. And each time every Israeli Prime Minister, including Netanyahu, has backed down.
This became the quintessential redline which could not be crossed. Today, this is an act of unprecedented defiance. It's an indication that Netanyahu
and Israel under Netanyahu is unshackled. It is acting in defiance of international law, but also is turning a deaf ear to Israel's closest
allies in Europe and in North America.
As a result of that, we are witnessing an unprecedented challenge to the very possibility of a two-state solution. France and Saudi Arabia have
initiative to reboot the two-state solution. There's been a recent event in New York, the two-state solution is in tatters. It lacks credibility,
allowing E1 to proceed at the very time when there's an international effort to revive the credibility of the two-state solution will have a
devastating impact. And if Netanyahu can get away with E1, he can get away with anything.
KINKADE: And as you often highlight the settlements now, cover 42 percent of the West Bank. And even though Palestinians outnumber settlers 5 to 1,
they face significant restrictions, right. Just take us through the further impact on the human cost of an expansion.
SEIDEMANN: Well, you know, I have -- listening to your broadcast earlier on the devastating humanitarian situation in Gaza, and then you proceeded
to the prospect of a mass dislocation and displacement, perhaps ethnic cleansing, we're witnessing unprecedented surges in settler violence,
driving Palestinian villagers out of their homes.
We're also witnessing an unprecedented challenge collapse of the status quo at the temple mount Al-Aqsa. These are not unrelated. And they add up to a
very specific calculus, and that calculus is dismantling the Palestinian national project in a way that will leave Israel with exclusive hegemony of
all of the land of Israel, Palestine, to the west of the Jordan River.
That will be devastating to the Palestinians. It will also be devastating to Israel. It will condemn Israel to a perpetual apartheid reality. It is
imperative for Palestinians and Israelis to end occupation if Israel doesn't end occupation, occupation will be the end of us, and E1 will make
the end of occupation almost impossible.
KINKADE: And Daniel, just quickly, your reaction to reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu is having discussions to relocate Palestinians from
Gaza.
SEIDEMANN: No, had you asked me even a year ago after the outbreak of this war, that we would be confronting the prospect of mass dislocation, mass
displacement, I would have said, you know, you're fantasizing. But in Netanyahu's Israel, the unthinkable of ethnic cleansing has become
thinkable. The thinkable has become possible. And this is under serious consideration. Netanyahu is leading Israel into dark places we never
thought would be possible in the past.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Daniel Seidemann, appreciate your time, your analysis. Thanks very much for joining us.
SEIDEMANN: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, still to come tonight, a make-or-break moment for the U.S. president's legacy. We're going to look at the expectations being set for
the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, including the possibility of a nuclear arms deal.
Plus, Anchorage makes final preparations for the major summit. I'm going to speak to a local journalist about the how that city is coping.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Hello. I'm Lynda Kinkade. We want to return now to the high stakes Alaska summit between U.S. President Trump and Russian President
Putin. For the first time in almost a decade, Mr. Putin will once again step on U.S. soil. Ukraine and many of its European allies argue the White
House is handing him a victory on the global stage by giving him a meeting with President Trump without the presence of the Ukrainian president,
Zelenskyy.
President Putin is praising the Trump administration, calling its efforts to stop the conflict in Ukraine energetic and sincere. The Kremlin is also
looking to strike a nuclear arms deal between Moscow and Washington.
[14:35:00]
Well, I want to bring in now Fred Pleitgen, who is keeping a close eye on this summit and joins us now live from Moscow. Great to see you, Fred. So,
it's interesting seeing the Russian media characterizing this as a major diplomatic win for Putin. We heard from Donald Trump at the top of this
hour being questioned about whether this a win, a reward for Putin, which he denied. How is this all being perceived there?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think for the Russians, they believe that there's a lot of risk, but also a lot
of opportunity in all of this. I mean, you can tell by some of the images that have come out from the Kremlin and also Vladimir Putin himself,
obviously going on camera in that meeting earlier today and speaking to some of his top cabinet officials, that it is a very important one for the
Russians.
And you already outlined some of the things that the Russians have been talking about. Vladimir Putin, when he made his remarks about the U.S.
president and the -- and President Trump's administration, he said that there seemed to be sincere efforts trying to work towards a broader longer-
term agreement that could bring peace. That seems to indicate one of the things that the Russians have been saying for a while is that they're not
in favor of an immediate ceasefire, but rather longer-term negotiations toward a wider deal. Of course, the fighting would continue during the time
that that is being negotiated. And that's something that's been criticized by people, for instance, in the Trump administration but that's the stance
that the Russians seem to have.
So, Vladimir Putin definitely taking this meeting very seriously. And you could see also in the room by the fact that he had his top cabinet
officials there, including his defense minister, who of course is a very important person in Vladimir Putin's inner circle, that the Russians are
taking this very seriously.
At the same time, I did speak earlier today with one of the members of the Russian delegation who's currently on his way to Alaska about some of the
threats that have been coming from the Trump administration, like for instance, severe consequences if no progress is made. Here's what he had to
say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: President Trump has threatened severe consequences if there's no movement towards a ceasefire. What's Russia hoping to get out of this
meeting?
KIRILL DMITRIEV, SENIOR RUSSIAN NEGOTIATOR: Well, I think dialogue is very important and I think it's a very positive meeting for the world because
during Biden administration, no dialogue was happening. So, I think it's very important to hear Russian position directly and lots of
misunderstandings, misinformation about the Russian position. And it's also a chance to sort of reset if the meeting goes well, U.S.-Russia relations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: So, a reset in U.S.-Russias relations certainly seems to be what the Russians are gunning for. They do understand that, of course, President
Trump's patience, as President Trump said himself, is wearing thin as far as the conflict in Ukraine is concerned. Nevertheless, the Russians do
believe that they could set those relations on a broader footing if this meeting does indeed go well.
One of the other things that the Russians have sort of been telegraphing as well, Lynda, is that in light of the fact that they have been making
somewhat accelerated gains in the east of Ukraine, they believe that that also gives Vladimir Putin a stronger hand as he makes his way towards
Alaska to meet with President Trump on Friday. Lynda.
KINKADE: Fred, as you pointed out, you know, President Trump has threatened severe consequences if there isn't a deal, but hasn't it really
out outlined key objectives as to what would make this summit a success, what the goal is. The Kremlin -- is the Kremlin expecting any sort of
documents or agreements to emerge from this summit?
PLEITGEN: No, I don't think that they are. I think what the Kremlin also - - like President Trump also believes that this what President Trump, I think, recently called a feel out summit, to see where the other side is
and to see how things can move forward. I think for the Russians initially if the meeting doesn't go completely bad and the two go apart without any
sort of press conference and President Trump does put in place those secondary sanctions that he's been talking about, then for the Russians, it
certainly could be a successful meeting.
I think, for them, they are keen to have Vladimir Putin sit down with President Trump. I think they believe that Vladimir Putin can convince
President Trump of the Russian position, and certainly, they also believe that, in general, President Trump has a friendly view towards the Russian
leader, Vladimir Putin, and towards improved relations with Russia as well.
So, I think going into this meeting there is quite a positive mood here. But as far as documents are concerned, there's very little of substance
that we've been getting from the Russian side as to what they actually want to do, what they actually expect out of the summit and what we sort of the
benchmark for the Russians to call this summit a success in their view.
It really seems as though the two leaders are getting together, they're going to talk to one another and see what possible ways are forward to not
only, of course, find Ukraine to have that be a success and to have peace in Ukraine, but then also, of course, towards better relations in general.
That's what the Russians really are gunning for, a reset as they put it, of U.S.-Russia relations. Of course, sanctions relief is among that, but then
also, in general, in the future agreements as far as economics are concerned.
And by the way, first and foremost, the Russians are saying possibly in the Arctic because, of course, that's where a lot of the natural resources are
in the United States, but in Russia as well. Lynda.
KINKADE: We will be watching this closely tomorrow. Frederik Pleitgen for us in Moscow, appreciate it. Thank you.
Well, still to come tonight, final preparations are underway ahead of the historic Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska. I'm going to speak to a local
reporter about the challenges of organizing a summit this size.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:40:00]
KINKADE: Hello. A spike in temperatures is fueling heat waves and wildfires across Europe as we've been telling you. Take a look at this
video that came into us from Western Greece, where flames swept through a cement factory and olive tree orchids forcing mass evacuations. And in
Northern Portugal, hundreds of firefighters have been working to put out a blaze that has been burning since Saturday. Helicopters have been called to
dump water on the flames.
Now, not just residents, but livestock have been evacuated in Albania as high winds forced farmers to move their animals to nearby rivers to avoid
the blazes. The country's defense minister says, it's been a critical week as forests and farmlands burn across the country.
I want to turn now to the flooding in the U.S. State of Tennessee. The death toll there has now risen to four after emergency crews found the body
of a man who was swept away in the flood waters. The other victims include two adults and a child whose car was crushed by a falling tree.
A heroic police officer was caught on camera rescuing this woman during a flash flood on the highway. The officer picked her up and carried her on
his back, trudging knee-deep water to take her to safety.
Well bad weather has delayed the national security trial of a Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate. Jimmy Lai was supposed to appear
in court as closing arguments were set to begin today. Long seen as a thorn in the side of Beijing, the 77-year-old pleaded not guilty to multiple
charges of sedition and collusion with foreign forces. Our Kristie Lu Stout reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jimmy Lai was the media mogul who risked his fortune for Hong Kong's freedom. Now awaiting his fate
in jail, he is a flashpoint between the U.S. and China.
Before his victory in October 2024, Donald Trump, in a phone interview with Hugh Hewitt, vowed to secure Lai's release, saying he would do so, quote,
"100 percent yes." And as President Trump pledged to raise Lai's case in trade talks with China.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think talking about Jimmy Lai is a very good idea. We'll put it down or we'll put it down as part of the
negotiation.
LU STOUT (voice-over): Two people campaigning for Lai's release say that they were told U.S. officials did bring up Lai's case during the talks.
Since those talks, the U.S.-China trade truce has been extended, but China is standing firm. Its U.S. embassy spokesman saying, we strongly oppose
external forces using judicial cases as a pretext to interfere in China's internal affairs or to smear and undermine Hong Kong's rule of law.
A rabble-rousing tycoon behind a popular pro-democracy tabloid, Jimmy Lai had long been a thorn in the side of Beijing. His high-profile trial, which
began nearly two years ago, is now coming to an end. He's charged with two counts of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security,
along with a separate charge of sedition. He's pleaded not guilty.
[14:45:00]
His arrest, after a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing, which China and local leaders said restored stability to Hong Kong after
months of anti-government protests in 2019. At that time, Lai had lobbied foreign governments to apply pressure on China and made this direct appeal
to President Trump.
JIMMY LAI, FOUNDER, APPLE DAILY: Mr. President, you're the only one who can save us. If you save us and stop China's aggressions, you also save the
world.
LU STOUT (voice-over): Prosecutors say Lai's actions amount to lobbying for sanctions against Hong Kong and China, which is banned under the
national security law. His lawyers argue, he stopped doing so after the law came into effect. Lai faces a possible sentence of life in prison. And for
the 77-year-old, life would most likely mean life. Lai has already been in jail for nearly five years.
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: We're going to have much more after a very short break. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. On the eve of what could be a historic summer between President's Trump and Putin, expectations from both
sides appear to be higher. Earlier, Mr. Putin was full of praise for President Trump saying the American administration is making energetic and
sincere efforts to stop the war.
Well, my next guest is Sergei Markov, a former member of the Russian parliament who now serves as the director of the Institute of Political
Studies in Moscow. Thanks very much for your time.
I just want to ask you first, from your perspective, if there is not an agreement that comes out of the summit tomorrow, is the fact that this
meeting is happening with the U.S. president on U.S. soil a win for Putin?
SERGEI MARKOV, FORMER MEMBER OF RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT: I know the CNN already told this is a big victory of Putin and Donald Trump already strongly
criticized CNN for those. Probably I am more agree with Donald Trump.
[14:50:00]
It would be no success in negotiation why we can say about victory of Vladimir Putin? No Russia interesting to have few things. First of all, of
promoting relation between Russia and United States. I think it's not normal if our embassies cannot give visa to the people to travel to each
other, including to own families. Its crazy situation should be resolved.
And also, as nuclear superpowers, Russia and United States has special responsibility in the face of the whole world with nuclear security and
guarantees not moving towards a nuclear war. And of course, the (INAUDIBLE) Ukrainian crisis. Russian position is very, very simple, to peace deal with
solution of the major reasons of the war because of all repression against Russian language, Orthodox Church, and so on.
Yes, unconditional ceasefire when army will be stopped and rule -- and western country and Ukrainian regime will prepare for the next stage of the
more bloody war, no. Conditional ceasefire, meaning that Russia will have guarantee that European countries will not send their troop to Ukrainian
territories. It'll be no massive supply of armament to Ukrainian army and not massive total violent mobilization to Ukrainian army. Yes.
KINKADE: Mr. Marcov, I want to ask --
MARKOV: It's very simple thing.
KINKADE: Mr. Markov, I want to ask you, what are the benefits for Russia when it comes to discussing and negotiating territorial compromises with
the U.S. without Ukraine at the table?
MARKOV: I think that's normal, first of all, to have negotiation between Putin and Trump because both Putin and Trump want to make a peace, and
Zelenskyy is main (INAUDIBLE) of the war because if war finished, it will be reelection in Ukraine and Zelenskyy for sure will lose his power and he
will be asked why he stolen so many billion dollars and why he sent half of the million of Ukrainians to their deaths.
But also, negotiations between Putin and Trump, if they will be successful, of course Zelenskyy will be invited. As to exchange, I heard Donald Trump
formula. Territory to the peace exchange. It's some kind of on the -- for the Middle East, between Israel and Arabs, but it doesn't work for Russia
because Russia not fighting for the territories of Ukraine. Russia fighting for the duration (ph) of Ukrainian people from the current repressive
regime, for the change of regime. It should be Ukraine but not on the on Russia. That's why I think without changing of the current regime (ph),
Ukrainian cannot be stopped.
KINKADE: So, you want a leadership change. You are saying that the Ukrainian president should be blamed for sending soldiers to their death,
but we also heard plenty people saying the same thing about Russia sending soldiers to this war, to fight this war in Ukraine. We have to leave it
there. I'm afraid. I run out of time. Sergei Markov, appreciate your time. Thanks for joining us.
Well, Taylor Swift, to change the tone here, has revealed more details about her 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl," speaking on a
podcast hosted by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason early this week. The billionaire megastar talked about everything from her
relationship to life on the road during her record-breaking Eras Tour.
But everyone was waiting for Swift to drop some big news on her music, and she did indeed deliver. A new era comes with a bold new signature color,
orange. She says it reflects how her life felt when writing the new album, electric and vibrant.
Well, joining me now from Baltimore, Maryland is ntertainment journalist Segun Oduolowu. Good to see you. Great to have you with us. I can't quite
believe that during this incredible sold-out record-breaking Eras Tour that Taylor Swift was writing a new album. I mean, it just speaks to like her
creative genius. What do we know about this album?
SEGUN ODUOLOWU, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Well, this why she's a billionaire and we are not, because she has the ability to multitask in a
great many ways. We know that this her 12th album. We know that there are 12 songs.
[14:55:00]
We know that the title track, "The Life of a Showgirl," is a duet. And we know that she loves numerology, right? So, 12th album released October --
3rd of October, 10th month, third day, plus 12, 25 -- 2025. I know the Swifties are going crazy over all of this numerology. We know that orange
is the new red. She's been dropping hints and, you know, Easter eggs as she's prone to do. But releasing it on her boyfriend's podcast, the New
Heights podcast, hosted by Travis Kelce and his brother Jason, it's the first time she's ever done a podcast.
KINKADE: Yes.
ODUOLOWU: So, this just more Taylor taking over the world, really, and breaking the internet in the process.
KINKADE: And, Segun, it wasn't just news of the album, we also got some insight into her relationship. We haven't heard about the L word being
dropped.
ODUOLOWU: Yes. See, and I loved this because we live in a very cynical world where we look at celebrity relationships and countdown to when
they're going to blow up. But if anyone saw this YouTube podcast, they're hugging each other, they're comforting each other. When she talks about
buying back her masters, Travis rubbing her back. They gave little subtle hints, like Travis in the house. And I can hear him screaming or when she
got the masters, he was playing video games and then she came into the room, which implies that they're together a lot of the time.
So, for me it was like, oh, this relationship is real. It's not just something that's been manufactured, it's been going on for some time now.
They support one another. And they're fans of each other, which is really wonderful to see.
KINKADE: Yes, and everyone is eating that up, 10 million views already just on YouTube alone. We're going to leave it there. Entertainment
journalist Segun Oduolowu, good to have you with us.
And thanks so much for your company. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stay with CNN. "What We Know" with Max Foster is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
