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Isa Soares Tonight
Five Journalists Killed In A Horrifying Double Strike On A Gaza Hospital As Benjamin Netanyahu Remains Silent On A Ceasefire Deal; South Korea's President Visits White House; Thousands Evacuated As Dangerous Storm Kajiki Hits Vietnam; Trump Looking Forward To Meet With North Korea Leader; Lee Jae Myung Meets With Trump At WH; Putin To Visit China Next Week; Abrego Garcia Taken Into Custody By ICE; Destructive Winds Sweep Vietnam. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 25, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:10:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, five journalists killed in a horrifying
double strike on a Gaza hospital as Benjamin Netanyahu remains silent on a ceasefire deal. Meantime, Israelis prepare to take to the streets in
protest.
Plus, South Korea's President visits the White House as President continues his crime crackdown in Washington. We have all the details for you. Plus,
tens of thousands evacuated as powerful storm Kajiki hits the -- Vietnam with dangerous winds and tidal surges battering the country. We'll bring
you the latest forecast.
But first, this evening, the U.N. is accusing Israel of silencing the last remaining voices, reporting on children dying amid famine in Gaza, saying,
quote, "the world's indifference and inaction is shocking". Gaza's Health Ministry says at least 20 people were killed, including five journalists in
back-to-back Israeli strikes on a hospital in Khan Younis today.
The first strike hit the hospital's fourth floor, then as journalists' emergency rescuers and health workers rushed to the scene, Israel attacked
again. And here you can see them on a hospital balcony just before the second strike. And this video shows a doctor outside Nasser Hospital
talking about the initial strike as you can see there, when the second explosion rocked the building filling the air with smoke.
Inside the hospital, there was sheer panic as you can imagine as well. One aid worker who was there says explosions tore through the operating rooms.
He says bodies of the dead and injured were everywhere -- or one of the journalists killed today was Mariam Abu Daqqa. She had been extensively
reporting from Nasser Hospital for the "Associated Press" covering doctors' efforts to starve -- to save starving children. Reporters without borders
is calling on the world to respond.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THIBAUT BRUTTIN, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS: When and where is it going to end? Are we going to let the Israel Defense Forces
continue the repeated killing of journalists? There is international law. There are guarantees that should be granted to journalists covering
conflicts. And none of that seems to be applying.
So, we need to be very clear about the fact that none of the journalists that are allegedly terrorists are terrorists. They are professional
journalists working for legacy professional media name, like for example, "Reuters" or for example, "AP".
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, just a short time ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel deeply regrets, and I'm quoting here, "the
tragic mishap at Nasser Hospital today". It says its war is with Hamas. But earlier, an Israeli official acknowledged to CNN that the second strike
targeted rescue workers who had arrived on the scene.
I want to bring in our Jerusalem Bureau chief Oren Liebermann. Oren, good to see you. Let me start off then with what we're hearing from Prime
Minister Netanyahu, calling it tragic mishap. I mean, as we played that video there to our viewers, those double strikes separated as we saw by
just minutes. Fourteen people killed, five journalists.
The Foreign Press Association, Oren is saying it's in shock and it's outrage and is calling for an immediate explanation from the Israeli
military. The IDF has confirmed it. Has it? Who's taking responsibility here? What are you hearing?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, there's some nuance between the statements here. You read --
SOARES: Yes --
LIEBERMANN: Part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements. He called it a tragic mishap. It was the first acknowledgment we have seen
from an Israeli official today that Israel first struck the hospital, and second, killed not only journalists, but emergency workers and hospital
workers as well.
In this, the pair of strikes on the hospital itself, a short time before that, the Israeli military, the IDF had issued another statement from its
spokesman Brigadier-General Effie Defrin, and that says -- I'll read a part of this here. IDF troops carried out a strike in the area of Nasser
Hospital in Khan Younis.
We are aware of reports that harm was caused to civilians, including journalists. It goes on to say that they are obligated to conduct a
thorough and deep investigation, and insisting that Israel does not target civilians or journalists.
[14:15:00]
Crucially, the IDF statement does not acknowledge first that they struck the hospital itself, and that we know from the hospital, from eyewitnesses,
from journalists, from hospital workers. And second, it doesn't acknowledge the pair of strikes. They use the singular strike there. So, the Israeli
military in terms of its own investigation has, frankly, a long way to go to even catch up with Netanyahu's statement.
We did speak with an Israeli security official who was familiar with the initial details of the first inquiry into this. He said that Israeli troops
had spotted a camera on the roof of the hospital. They got authorization for a drone strike, but then it was in fact two tank shells that were fired
at the hospital. And that part was not explained why it went from a drone to tank shells.
The first shell targeted the camera, the second, minutes later, targeted emergency responders. In terms of the journalists killed in this strike, at
least, five, Mohammed Salameh, a cameraman for "Al Jazeera", Hussam Al- Masri, who worked with "Reuters", Mariam Abu Daqqa, who had -- who we had profiled and who worked with "Associated Press" and others as well as
freelance journalists Mohammad Abu Talha(ph) and Ahmed Abu Aziz(ph).
That is why you see the outrage coming not only locally, but internationally as well. The Palestinian journalist-syndicate calling this,
quote, "a heinous massacre perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces", and the Foreign Press Association in Israel and the Palestinian
territories, saying, quote, "it is among the deadliest Israeli attacks on journalists working for the international media since the Gaza war began."
According to the committee to protect journalists, before these strikes, Israel had killed 192 journalists in Gaza. That's why they accuse Israel of
silencing the voices that are telling us what's happening on the ground, especially as Israel has not allowed us or other journalists into Gaza to
report independently since the start of the war. Isa.
SOARES: Yes, it begs the question why do you even need a drone for a camera? But I know there's more questions that we have, and not very few
answers. But let me just take a moment just to talk about the days ahead here, Oren, because Israel's security cabinet is supposed to meet tomorrow.
We are seeing, meantime, growing discontent at home. We've seen large protests in Israel last week, expected to see some more this week. Can you
speak to the mood as Netanyahu prepares for the expanded military offensive? Because in the last what? Hour or so, President Trump said --
claims that the Gaza war could end in the next several weeks.
LIEBERMANN: We've heard that claim from President Donald Trump before and frankly, at no point has it turned out to be true. He also took credit for
getting the hostages out, which was a ceasefire negotiated by the Biden administration that was signed even before he came into office and then
played out over his first several weeks there.
So, even if Trump appears optimistic, there is little that we see here on the ground to be optimistic about the security cabinet is scheduled to meet
tomorrow in Israel. It's unclear if they're even going to discuss the latest ceasefire that Hamas said they agreed to a week ago, that Israel has
yet to respond to.
Meanwhile, you can feel the outrage and the anger on the streets, especially in Tel Aviv, even Hostage Square. They have been protesting last
Sunday. We saw one of the largest protests since the start of the war against the war itself, for the hostages, and frankly, in many cases,
against the government.
Another protest scheduled for tomorrow, it's unclear how big it will be. It is obviously a weeknight, and that could affect things, but it could still
turn out to be a massive protest against the government. The question, as it always is, does this register with the Israeli --
SOARES: Yes --
LIEBERMANN: Government? And so far, it doesn't appear like it has. They're not backing off at all. In fact, Trump's apparent displeasure at the strike
on the hospital probably registers more with Israel's thinking about how to conduct this war than the protests we will see tomorrow night.
SOARES: Important context there, and we'll be speaking to a hostage family on the show tomorrow, Oren, appreciate it. Thank you very much indeed. Now,
on to go to Dr. Mimi Syed; a medical doctor who was denied re-entry into Gaza just last week. She's the Emergency Department Director at the Summit
Pacific Medical Center in the U.S. state of Washington.
Doctor, welcome to the show. I'll speak to and I'll ask you in just a moment about why -- whether you know, why you were denied entry. Because
I've spoken to many doctors myself and the team over the past several months who have -- who have faced similar denials from the Israeli
government.
But first of all, can I just get your reaction, but also what you're hearing from medical professionals on the ground in Gaza, following in this
double attack at Nasser Hospital that Oren and I were talking about, just there.
MIMI SYED, MEDICAL DOCTOR: Yes, this is absolutely horrific. You know, I was just listening to your reporter saying that Netanyahu says this is a
tragic mishap. This is absolutely untrue. This is strategic and intentional. W.H.O. workers and healthcare workers like myself are denied
for a reason. This was planned.
The foreign aid workers, the foreign doctors that are actually in the hospital were asked to leave before this airstrike. And so, that is not a
mishap. That is absolutely deliberate. This is not the first time Israel has struck a hospital.
[14:20:00]
We have this double tap bombing that happened and on live camera, they hit first responders trying to rescue the casualties. If that's not a war
crime, I don't know what is. Israel at this point has violated every single international law, and the world just keeps watching. It is absolutely
horrific and a stain on humanity in my opinion.
SOARES: Dr. Mimi, can I just ask you just -- I just want to pick up from what you said. Are you saying -- are you hearing from your contacts on the
ground, the foreign doctors working at Nasser Hospital were given the heads up to evacuate Nasser Hospital before the strike came?
SYED: Absolutely. They were told some arbitrary reason that they had to leave, and they weren't allowed to come back until the next day. So, this
is -- this is not an accident. Israel likes to say every time they strike and break a law, that this was an accident. We have seen this repeatedly
for the past two years when they killed 15 paramedics and shot their ambulance, they said the same thing, that this was a miscalculation, that
this was an accident.
This is the same narrative they use every single time they commit a crime. And we just need to see through it now.
SOARES: And for our viewers, you are in the U.S., but of course, you have gone to Gaza numerous times. You continue, from what I understand from my
team, and you can correct me here, doctor, to receive voice notes from your contacts on the ground, from even medical student, I think that you meant
it. Can you -- can you give us a sense of what they are telling you? What she's telling you?
SYED: Yes, she sent me a voice mail this morning. I mean, I woke up to about a dozen phone calls this morning after the hospital was attacked and
some voice notes of medical student that she worked with, that one of the colleagues was killed there at Nasser this morning. You know, and I saw the
director of the Emergency Department at Nasser just posted about it.
You know, a backpack of a medical student that was killed. This is just so unacceptable. You know, the medical student that I'm getting voice notes
from, that I work with so closely, when I ask her where she's going to go when she evacuates, she says there is no place to go. She's going to be
forced to go to the streets.
And we're talking about a population that has been starved for such a prolonged period of time. It's -- the healthcare workers themselves are ill
at this point and can barely take care of patients. So, we're -- we are now evacuating a starved and ill population to an amount of area of land that
is so small that it's physically impossible to fit almost 2 million people in. And not to mention the continual bombardment and dropping bombs and
guns on them.
SOARES: Can I ask about what you saw when you went to Gaza, Dr. Mimi, because you have shared -- and I have read some of this, and I've heard
some of this, some incredibly harrowing accounts of your time in Gaza and some of the patients you treated. Speak to those injuries because I heard
that -- read that one of your patients had even shots to the head. What more can you tell us about this?
SYED: Yes, we all saw it. I mean, it's not just me that reports these things when we come out after we work in Gaza. But I had 18 documented
cases of small children under the age of 12 with gunshot wounds to the head, reported to be either snipers or quadcopters by witnesses. We took
care of those kids. Those kids came in, usually dead on arrival in our Emergency Department.
And when they were salvaged for a small amount of time, we were able to take them to a CT scan, and we found bullets in their head or their neck or
their chest. This is -- and that was just me in that month that I was there at Nasser Hospital. There had been dozens of colleagues of mine that have
reported the exact same thing.
SOARES: Yes --
SYED: We would have targeting -- you know, that we would have patterns of injuries. We'd have children come in if it was one day, one hedge --
gunshot wound to the head, we would have several come in with the same type of injuries. This is not coincidental. This is not collateral damage. And
this is being done intentionally.
Children are starving. Back in December when I was there, I was seeing children with acute malnourishment signs that I was reporting on. You know,
we have been screaming this for the past --
SOARES: Yes --
SYED: Two years, and now IPC announces a stage five famine. We're not surprised. We've been warning about this for a very long time.
SOARES: And I've been hearing from doctors about this for many months, indeed, including several who had been in Gaza just in the last, you know,
4-5 months. Can I ask you very quickly, we talked about the fact that you were denied entry into Gaza this time around. What reason were you given,
if any, at all?
SYED: No reason. We are never given any reason. We are left to speculate. What we're given is our name in red on an excel spreadsheet, saying we are
denied. There is no process to appeal it or ask questions. You know, we are carrying lifesaving skills with us. We're carrying baby formula, medical
supplies that are so desperately needed.
Our colleagues on the ground are expecting us. They know when we're coming, and they are so relieved that we're coming to provide that relief, and then
to tell them that we were denied entry for no reason given.
[14:25:00]
This is absolutely criminal, you know, and I want to read to you a quote that Eyal Zamir said after the IPC famine report was issued. He says,
"besiege them, let them die of hunger". This is a direct order from the chief of the IDF saying to his army to kill them, kill them and let them
starve. If that doesn't prove intent on what the Israeli government is doing, I don't know what does. You know, not to mention the life footage of
these crimes being committed.
SOARES: Yes, Dr. Mimi, really appreciate you taking the time, coming on the show and tell us what you saw and the conversations that you're still
having with so many physicians on the ground. Thank you, doctor, appreciate it.
SYED: Thank you.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, U.S. President Donald Trump once praised his North Korean counterpart for sending a very beautiful letter to him. Is
he ready for a second meeting with Kim Jong un. And what President Trump says he told Russia's leader in a newly revealed phone call, while
President Putin prepares for a trip to China.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, the U.S. President portrays it as a crackdown on crime. While critics believe it represents the actions of a wannabe dictator. Donald
Trump says the push for law and order will soon be expanding well beyond the streets of nations capital, where National Guard units are now armed.
A short time ago, Mr. Trump signed a flurry of executive orders including one that will allow the Pentagon to form specialized units, specifically
trained and equipped to deal with public order issues. The President once again championed the federal takeover the Washington -- of Washington D.C.
police force, and says Chicago may -- could soon see something similar. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I made the statement that next should be Chicago because, as you all know, Chicago is a killing field
right now, and they don't acknowledge it. And they say we don't need them. Freedom. He's a dictator. He's a dictator. A lot of people are saying,
maybe we like a dictator. I don't like a dictator. I'm not a dictator.
I'm a man with great common sense and a smart person. And when I see what's happening to our cities, and then you send in troops, instead of being
praised, they're saying you're trying to take over the republic. These people are sick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, the President also signed orders to end cashless bail and ban U.S. flag burning. President Trump says he looks forward to meeting once
again with North Korean leader Kim Jong un.
[14:30:02]
And Mr. Trump made these comments while hosting his South Korean counterpart, you can see there, Lee Jae Myung, at the White House today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: You want to have a meeting? I like to have a meeting. I get along great with him. I look forward to meeting with Kim
Jong Un in the appropriate future. I have a very good relationship. I understand, and I spend a lot of free time with him talking about things
that we probably aren't supposed to talk about. And you know, I just -- I get along with him really well. I think he has a country of great
potential, tremendous potential. I'd like to meet him this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, ahead of that meeting, the president seemed to question South Korea's stability, accusing that government of conducting raids on churches
and very bad things, his words. His remarks appear to allude to the impeachment of the former South Korean president, a conservative, which
critics have labeled it as politically motivated.
Our CNN Politics Senior Reporter Stephen Collinson is with us now. Stephen, good to see you. There's plenty for us to talk about. Let me start first
with that meeting with the South Korean leader. What stood out to you? I mean, I thought it was very interesting that the North Korean dictator came
up numerous times.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. And the South Korean president flattered President Trump, as all leaders that go and visit him
do, portraying him as his great peacemaker and asking him to meet with President Kim of North Korea. It seems like that's something President
Trump is really keen to do. The problem here is that during Trump's first term, he had a number of high-profile photo ops summits with Kim, but
rather like Trump's initiative with Ukraine, it wasn't followed up with concrete steps.
North Korea's nuclear arsenal was bigger after Trump's first term and those contacts than it was beforehand, and it's continued to grow. So, it's
possible there could be another Trump-Kim summit, but the question will be almost as with everything I think with Donald Trump's haunted peacemaking,
is there any substance beyond the spectacle?
SOARES: Let's focus then slightly more to domestic issues, because we have seen today the president signing executive orders with a continued focus,
it seems, Stephen, on law and order or authoritarianism. I mean, it seems to be the theme of August. Talk us through those executive orders, because
there was talk as well of creating a specialized National Guard. What is that?
COLLINSON: Right. This is all about power and Trump's desire to impose his power and presidential power on cities and states that generally vote
Democrat and have voted against him in presidential elections. So, that's what we saw happening in Washington, D.C. Trump likes the performative
nature of putting Trump's -- troops on the street. It makes him look strong.
The issue though, is that it's one thing to do it in Washington, D.C., which is a federal district. There are more problems when he tries to
impose federal power on a state. As would be the case, for instance, if he was to try to send troops to Chicago, Illinois, a Democratic governor in
that state, a Democratic mayor in Chicago, trying to create a force of National Guard troops. These are reservists would be very controversial,
because in normal circumstances troops aren't used for law enforcement in the United States, there are pretty strong rules against that.
What Trump is likely to do is to declare what he calls a national emergency, as he's done on other issues, for example, tariffs, and that
would unlock emergency executive powers that would enable him to do a lot more. But I think we'd see a huge showdown between the states and the
federal government in the courts. But Trump is seeking to impose his power everywhere he can. It's all about leverage and power with his president.
SOARES: Yes. And lots of politics involved and it begs the question how performative this all is.
COLLINSON: Right.
SOARES: Stephen, good to see you. Thank you very much indeed.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
SOARES: We're going to stick with President Trump because he says he's spoken to Russian leader Vladimir Putin again about the ongoing conflict in
Ukraine. The U.S. president confirmed another direct phone conversation with President Putin, saying he's frustrated with the continued bombing
attacks by Moscow. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Every conversation I have with him is a good conversation. And then, unfortunately, a bomb is loaded up into Kyiv or someplace and then I get
very angry about it. I think we're going to get the war done. It's tough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, President Trump's comments come as Russia accuses Ukraine of launching a drone attack on Sunday on the Kursk nuclear power plant. One of
the biggest in the country. Officials say despite some damage, radiation levels were normal.
Well, one of Moscow's staunchest allies has been briefed on the U.S.- Russian summit of Ukraine. That happened earlier this month in Alaska. The Kremlin says Russian leader of Vladimir Putin talked on the phone with his
Iranian counterpart on Monday.
[14:35:00]
President Masoud Pezeshkian apparently expressed support for the ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the fighting in Ukraine with the two leaders also
discussing Iran's nuclear program. They are expected to meet in person upcoming summit in China.
And President Putin, he's also scheduled to talk with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the gathering next week. Our Frederik Pleitgen join me now
from more with Moscow. So, Fred, what do we expect then to come out of this meeting between Putin and China and the Chinese leader, or rather, what
does Putin want to accomplish here?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, I think a further strengthening of ties between Beijing and Moscow is
certainly very much in the cards. And one of the things that we have to keep in mind is that the relations between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping
between China and Russia are probably among the most important bilateral relations in the world and probably among the strongest as well.
A lot of them, of course, have to do with the personal relations between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, but a lot of them also have to do with the
fact that essentially China has become a lifeline for the Russian economy over the past three years since Russia has been conducting its so-called
special military operation in Ukraine.
And what the Russians are looking to do is further strengthen those relations and they think they're in a pretty good position to do that.
Certainly, the Chinese have said that they're very happy about the renewed diplomacy between Washington and Moscow, and hope that the fighting in
Ukraine can come to a stop. But at the same time, the Speaker of Russian Parliament, Isa, has already been sent to Beijing, is already in talks with
Chinese officials and has also said that the two countries are going to work around trying to get rid of those or trying to work around those, what
they call illegal sanctions against the two countries.
Meaning, of course, not only sanctions, but also those potential secondary tariffs that the Trump administration has threatened for countries that
continue to buy Russian oil as long as the conflict in Ukraine is still going on.
Now, the Chinese, of course, should be -- or are quite concerned about that. The Russians, for their part, also seem quite concerned about the
potential for that as well. At the same time, they do see those opportunities of really building U.S.-Russian relations. One of the things
that we keep hearing from Moscow is that for them, the conflict in Ukraine is one of the issues that's on the table, but for them, what they want is a
real reset of U.S.-Russia relations, and certainly, going to Beijing is going to be key for Vladimir Putin as well, just to be assured that the
relations he has with China are strong and will remain that way because China has become so much more important for Russia over the past years and
vice versa as well. Isa.
SOARES: And speaking of the U.S., I mean we've heard Vice President J. D. Vance continuing, it seems, Fred, to project optimism, saying in a new
interview that that Russia's made, quote, "significant concessions," he said. Do you know what concessions these are? What are you hearing on that
front?
PLEITGEN: Well, what we've heard from members of the Trump administration, what we've also heard from members of the Putin administration, like for
instance, Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister, this past weekend, is that they say one of the main concessions that the Russians apparently have made
is acknowledging that Ukraine is going to need some security guarantees in the future if this conflict is going to come to an end.
Now, as far as those security guarantees are concerned, so far, what the Russians are projecting is that they're not in line with what the Europeans
are talking about, which essentially could be European NATO forces on the ground in Ukraine with sort of guarantees that are similar to Article 5 of
the NATO tree, which of course stipulates an attack on one is an attack on all, although it leaves open what exactly the response of other NATO
members would be.
But the Russians are saying they want a say in that. They say that they want to be part of any sort of security guarantees and they also say that
security guarantees for Ukraine cannot come at the expense of Russia's security. And so, therefore, they say that right now a meeting between
Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not as close as some of the White House may believe. Although, they have said that Vladimir Putin is open to
meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in the future. Isa.
SOARES: I'm chuckling because, you know, Russia requesting to be part of security guarantees for Ukraine is, you know, something that needs to be
laughed at. But, Fred, appreciate it as always. Thank you. We are going to take a short break. We'll be back on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:40:00]
SOARES: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has ordered the deployment of millions of militia members across the country. He says his country must
prepare to defend itself against the United States, and this comes after the Trump administration raised the U.S. bounty on Mr. Maduro, who he
claims -- it claims leads a drug cartel. Our Patrick Oppmann has the very latest for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is calling on Venezuelans to join militias to defend their country
against what he says is a possible U.S. invasion. Over the weekend, we saw long lines at listing centers where Venezuelan, some of them elderly and
with no military experience, were signing up to join these militias where they said that they would be armed if U.S. troops in the unlikely event
were to land in Venezuela.
This has all come about after the Trump administration has set a small armada of U.S. Navy vessels, destroyers, and other attack type aircraft and
landing craft to the region to combat drug trafficking, drug trafficking they say that Nicolas Maduro is in large part responsible for.
Remember that Nicolas Maduro is under indictment in the United States for drug trafficking, something he has denied that essentially according to the
U.S. government he runs a cartel of Venezuelan army officers that have sent tons of cocaine to the United States. The Trump administration also in this
month has raised a reward on Nicolas Maduro to $50 million for his capture.
The White House has made it very clear that they think that Nicolas Maduro is not the legitimate president of Venezuela and that he needs to go. But
as we have seen Maduro for the last several days, calling in Venezuelans to take up arms, to ready themselves in the unlikely event of a U.S. invasion.
He appears to only be digging in and preparing for a long standoff with the United States.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: We will stay across that story for you. While an infamous Mexican drug lord has pled guilty in a New York federal court. Ismael El Mayo
Zambada was arrested in the U.S. last year after crossing the border with a son of his ex-business partner, Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. Prosecutors says
Zambada ran the Sinaloa cartel, turning it into the largest drug trafficking operation in the world. It did more than just move heroin,
cocaine, and fentanyl, the cartel's hitman have carried out assassinations, kidnappings, and torture. Last year, Zambada pled not guilting on draft
trafficking charges. He changed his plea after prosecutors agree not to seek the death penalty.
CNN's Maria Santana is following the story from New York. So, Maria, give us a sense of what he's had to say.
MARIA SANTANA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hi, Isa. Well, he pleaded guilty to two charges here in federal court in Brooklyn in two different indictments.
One for engaging and leading a continuing criminal enterprise as an indictment that he faced here in New York, and then also on charges of
racketeering in an indictment he was facing in Texas.
[14:45:00]
That was pretty extraordinary because the judge, Judge Brian Cogan, said that in order to accept his guilty plea, he would have to admit his crimes
in open court. And so, this leader, Ismael El Mayo Zambada, who had evaded U.S. authorities for decades stood in court and openly listed all his
crimes. He said that during 50 years, he was the leader of this vast criminal network known as the Sinaloa cartel that was responsible for
transporting, distributing, selling, and importing primarily into the United States more than a million kilos of a cocaine among other drugs.
He said that he was responsible for an army of armed men in an order to maintain control of the organization, he had to order many killings and
that this group really just unleashed unspeakable violence, not only against rivals of the organization, but also innocent people. He also said
that in order to maintain the drug trade, he was -- he had to bribe police, military, and political officials in Mexico in order to allow the
organization to operate freely.
So, he said this all in open court before the judge told them that as part of the plea agreement with the government, he would be sentenced to life in
prison. It is a mandatory minimum especially for that charge of leading a criminal enterprise.
We spoke to his lawyer, Frank Perez, after the hearing, and the lawyer said that this is in no way a cooperation agreement. That he plans -- he does
not plan to speak against anybody else, any other political figures or any other associates in Mexico or anywhere else at this, a plea was just El
Mayo Zambada wanting to put this case behind him because they really saw no point in going to trial.
So, his sentencing is going to be January 13th. He will be sentenced to life in prison, according to the judge, and he will also have to forfeit
about $15 billion in assets to the U.S. government. Now, this is a big case for the U.S. government. Of course, they're touting it as a win, so big
that Attorney General Pam Bondi will be here. And in just the next few minutes, she will deliver a statement here in New York about this plea
deal. Isa.
SOARES: Maria Santana, thank you very much indeed. Maria, appreciate it.
And we have breaking news on the man at the center of President Trump's immigration crack down. A federal judge plans to order federal officials to
keep Kilmar Abrego Garcia in the U.S. while she weighs a new legal challenge. This, as the Trump administration announced their plans to
possibly, if you remember, deport him to Uganda, surrounded by a crowd of supporters. Abrego Garcia was taken into ICE custody earlier.
This after an immigration check-in and just days after being released, if you remember, from criminal detention. Minutes later, his attorney filed a
lawsuit challenging his attention and deportation and until a trial is held. So, a federal judge in the last few minutes basically saying that he
will stay in the United States while she weighs a new legal challenge. For now, we'll stay across the breaking news story, any new developments, but
for the time being, Abrego Garcia will not be going to Uganda. He will stay in the United States.
And still to come tonight, Kajiki makes landfall in Vietnam as a powerful typhoon. We're tracking the storm and where it's heading next. That's after
this.
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SOARES: Kajiki has made landfall as a typhoon on the coast of Vietnam. Before that, it brushed past China's island of Hainan. More than 40,000
people along the coast of Vietnam had to leave their homes. Residents are now dealing with powerful wind and flooding after waves gush through, as
you can see there, the streets of coastal towns.
Meteorologist Allison Chinchar joins me now. So, Allison, is it still a typhoon or where is it heading next?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So, it's essentially the remnants now of a typhoon now that it's finally crossed over into land. But
before it did, take a look at some of the damage that this storm was able to cause. You can see lots of trees down, power lines, streetlights,
noticing a lot of those having come down, lots of debris out there on a lot of the roadways.
Now, here is what's left of it. Again, it has finally pushed inland across Vietnam. There's not really much convection or thunderstorms really left
with this. It's really starting to fall apart very quickly. That's what you'd like to see with storms like this. But even with that said, it hasn't
entirely gone away. So, we do still have the potential for some very heavy rainfall over the next several days, and it's been able to dump pretty
tremendous amounts of rainfall already just in the last few days.
You can see just the last 24 hours, some of those numbers are incredibly high, if you were to go back even the previous 24 hours, you'd get even
more places dealing with some pretty incredibly high amounts of rain.
Here is where the storm is expected to go over the next 24 to 48 hours. Again, it will continue to weaken as it slides very gradually to the west.
And again, as it weakens, it's just going to lose a lot of its strength. So, those winds, even though they're still gusting right now, you're really
going to see a lot of that begin to decrease here in about the next 12 to 24 hours. But rainfall is still going to be a concern.
Here's a look at the wind. Again, you can see a lot of that just kind of fading away. You still got somewhere around that 30 to 50 kilometer per
hour range expected likely in the next six to 12 hours, but then you really start to see those winds drop back off once we get in about the next 12
hours.
Here's a look at the forecast. Again, you can kind of see it kind of gets pulled into a lot of the other surrounding moisture. So, the storm itself
isn't really going to produce a tremendous amount of rain, but it's still going to be a lot, especially knowing that there's going to be -- it's on
top of what's already fallen.
Here's where the highest point is going to be. Where you see that --
SOARES: Allison, apologies to interrupt. I think we've lost your microphone or there's some bad connection. Appreciate the update though. I know you'll
keep across the very latest on the remnants of Typhoon Kajiki. Thank you very much.
But finally, tonight, baby elephants orphaned by poaching are getting a second chance at the life they deserve. They're being housed and cared for
by sanctuary in Zimbabwe until they reach about three years old. Isabel Rosales explained how rescuers are rearing them before they return to the
wild. Look at this.
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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Excited for their next meal, these elephant calves are taken care of day after day at the wildest
life animal sanctuary in Zimbabwe. These calves are orphans, the sanctuary says, because their parents died in human wildlife conflicts, like poaching
and car collisions.
Established in 2013, the Zen Nursery became a vital part of the sanctuary and the first elephant nursery in the country, nurturing young and
vulnerable orphans until they're about three years old.
Here, they're able to play, stay well-nourished and roam free in the bush, shielded from any harm that might come their way in the wild. The founder
of the sanctuary, Roxy Danckwerts, says, while they're difficult to hand raise, she's potentially saving them from a difficult introduction to life.
[14:55:00]
ROXY DANCKWERTS, FOUNDER, WILD IS LIFE: They're persecuted in many ways, and I wanted to try and highlight that within Zimbabwe to just create
awareness and just get people to really care.
ROSALES (voice-over): In the nursery, the elephants gradually acquire survival skills to live in the wild and are eventually introduced into a
conservation area to join herds. Danckwerts hopes to do more than just save the animals, but also return them to the wild.
DANCKWERTS: People didn't really believe that elephants could be rescued and rewilded, and I was very insistent that we rewild these Ellies (ph)
that we don't, you know, keep them in captivity. Captivity is not great for elephant.
ROSALES (voice-over): Praised for their work by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Each day, wildest life gives these Ellies (ph) someone to
count on to help them grow until it's time to head back into the wild.
LUCKMORE SUFULI, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE: We've managed to rescue over 50 elephants, and I thought we are
proud to be part of this achievement.
ROSALES (voice-over): Isabel Rosales, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: My favorite animals. And that does it for tonight. Thanks very much for your company. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with Max Foster is
next.
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