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Isa Soares Tonight

Major Earthquake Hits Colombia; Netanyahu Rejects U.S.-Led Gaza Peace Plan; Trump, Iran Impose New Conditions As Stalemate Deepens; Russia And Ukraine Ramp Up Aerial Attacks; UEFA, CONCACAF, AFC Letter Accuses FIFA Of "Deception"; Spain Still Committed To Cohosting World Cup With Morocco. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 10, 2026 - 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, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: A very welcome to the show, everyone. I'm Isa Soares.

Tonight, reports of at least 80 people dead, many more trapped under collapsed buildings after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocks Colombia. We'll

speaks with an aide organization on the ground for you. Then, Israeli's prime minister rejects the U.S.-led Gaza peace plan in a rare public break

with U.S. President Donald Trump. We'll bring the perspective from former Israeli justice minister, Yossi Beilin. And a pressure mounts on FIFA's

Gianni Infantino, I'll ask Portugal's foreign minister where the government stands on co-hosting the 2030 World Cup tournament. That and much more just

ahead.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

SOARES: But first tonight, we do begin, as I told you, with our breaking news and utter devastation in Colombia, following a 7.4 magnitude

earthquake. Officials report at least 74 deaths. And that number, unfortunately, I'm told, is expected to rise significantly. Have a look at

this.

And this is in Pereira, as you can see there in Colombia. Buildings collapsing into a heap of rubble, sending terrified crowds running in

search of cover. That included this four-story structure in Pereira, as you can see.

The epicenter of the quake was located 280 kilometers, or about 173 miles west of Bogota, the capital. Rescued crews now trying to find those trapped

under the mounds, of course, of debris.

Our Stefano Pozzebon has reported countless times for us from, as you well know, from Colombia. He joins us now from Rome. So, Stefano, I mean, the

numbers rising. Officials now 80 deaths. Now, what more are you hearing from authorities and officials on the ground?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest we're hearing from Bogota, Isa, is that the national government has declared a national

disaster situation that will allow, of course, the deployment of more resources to both the regions affected. For example, we know that the fire

department of Bogota is sending first responders to the cities of Cali, Pereira, and Manizales, which are the most impacted.

And, of course, there are also -- it allows -- the declaration of national disaster also allows to the government to deploy more funding to assist

these first responders. The president, by the way, Abelardo de la Espriella, is facing a very early challenge or a very early crisis in his

presidency. I think that he just assumed office last Friday. This was meant to be his first Monday on the job. And at 7:30 a.m. local time, the earth

started shaking. The ground started shaking.

And, of course, we have seen the impact of these catastrophic tremors in those cities in the western part of Colombia. It's the coffee-growing

region. It's called, amicably, the Eje Cafetero, the Axis of Coffee. And Pereira, which seems to be the city most impacted by the earthquake, is a

city of about half a million people, where, in particular, the airport has been heavily impacted, according to what we are seeing on social media and

the information we're trying to pierce together at this hour.

This, of course, will make the reconstruction and the first response even more complicated, because, of course, we know how important it is for first

responders to arrive early on the scene. Among the international response, for example, several countries, including El Salvador and Ecuador, have

said that they are standing by to send their first responders.

It's similar scenes, frankly, to what we have seen in the immediate aftermath of that devastating double earthquake that hit, Isa, Venezuela,

less than two months ago. I think it was just six weeks ago that you and I were both in Caracas to bring you that story and to bring our audience that

story. And yet, once again, the north of South America is once again hit by a devastating earthquake, Isa.

[14:05:00]

SOARES: Yes. And the epicenter was San Jose del Palmar in Choco. But interesting, you know, it felt -- it was felt also intensely in Cali, much

of my -- some of my family is based in Cali. An utter shock, as you can imagine, Stefano, or many on the streets now being worried of being inside

their apartments. And the concern is over aftershocks. Do we -- has the government addressed that? What are they telling people on the ground?

POZZEBON: The Colombian Geological Service has issued very timely alerts in the immediate aftermath of this quake. And for example, we know that they

have already recorded two major aftershocks at about 4.8 and 2.4 magnitude, respectively. Both local authorities, mostly the warnings have come and the

alerts have come from local authorities, the mayors of Cali and Manizales, both asking their fellow citizens not to move around the city.

That, of course, is to allow for first responders and emergency responders to drive in and out of the city to move more freely without creating too

much traffic, and at the same time to assessing the damage of the -- that this earthquake has made to the major buildings there.

For example, we know that the metro stations in Manizales have all been shut down waiting for an assessment. But, of course, it's once again the

feeling of those aftermath. It's -- the positive aspect, perhaps, if you want to think about it, is that this happened at the very beginning of the

day.

So, hopefully many people will have time to find a solution before the night falls down in Colombia and allow them not to spend the night on the

street, which instead is what we covered that has happened to many, many people down in Venezuela instead of two months ago. So, hopefully this can

be an element of fortitude.

SOARES: Yes, indeed. I know you'll stay across it. I am seeing, though, from the mayor's office in Cali that seven health institutions in Cali is

closed because of the structural damage, and one of those includes the hospital, the main Hospital Universitario del Valle, which had a partial

collapse. So, I know we'll stay across it in terms of what that means, of course, to the patients and whether -- and the number, hopefully not too

high or too tall on a casualty front.

I know you'll stay across it for us, Stefano. Very dire picture there in Colombia. Thank you very much indeed, Stefano Pozzebon.

Now, we're going to leave the breaking news. We'll stay abreast of it for the rest of the hour, of course, as we always do. I'm going to turn my

attention to the United States, because U.S. President Donald Trump is facing major challenges today to two of his top foreign policy priorities,

including a disarmament plan for Gaza that he's called historic breakthrough.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it's a nonstarter. He says Israel rejects the U.S. plan for Hamas to disarm and an Israeli troop

withdrawal. Mr. Netanyahu says troops won't pull back at all until after Hamas is fully disarmed. The deal also calls for an end to all strikes in

Gaza. Hamas says it remains committed to the plan, and it's calling on the U.S. to pressure Israel to accept it.

Mr. Trump also trying to regain the upper hand with Iran today, as it appears to be over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is stifling its demands,

saying it won't reopen the Strait until the U.S. ends its blockade, pays compensation for war damage and withdraws American troops from the region,

among other requirements. Mr. Trump just responded, saying he is now likewise demanding compensation from Iran for people it's killed or wounded

in conflict. He also wants Iran to pay the families of Iranians killed in anti-government protests, saying he will instruct U.S. envoys to include

these conditions in future talks. So, as you can see, there hasn't been much movement on the diplomatic front.

So, Jeremy Diamond is following a lot of these developments for us, and he joins us now. Jeremy, let me start, first of all, on the peace plan. Was

this expected, this rejection of the peace plan? Was this something that you were expecting? You know, you and I have been talking about this for

weeks now. What do you make of it?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, the Israeli prime minister had already previously made clear that he had some major

reservations about this new 15-point plan that was agreed to between the Board of Peace and Hamas with the support of the United States.

But for him to come out and so publicly reject this plan out of hand was a step much further, and one that put him, you know, very much at, you know,

cross-purposes with the president of the United States, who only 10 days before called this deal historic, and one that he called a monumental step

towards peace and security for the region.

[14:10:00]

And what the Israeli prime minister then came out and said was that he rejected this plan completely, that Israel would not withdraw any of its

troops from the Gaza Strip until Hamas is completely disarmed, and also that Israeli troops would continue to have the right to carry out strikes

in Gaza in order to protect themselves. He also said that discussions were ongoing with U.S. officials about the disagreements of this plan.

A lot of what the prime minister ultimately said about this deal seems to have been driven by political considerations, given the kind of revolt that

he had from some of the right-wing members of his government over this 15- point plan. Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, two key ministers in his government, all of this coming just a few months before these elections are

coming up, the prime minister needed to come up with a very clear political statement on this matter.

But it is important to look behind the scenes as well, because it is not such a black-and-white issue. Publicly, we have seen that Israel seems to

have stepped down many of its strikes in the Gaza Strip. We've seen a significant decrease in any Israeli attacks in Gaza over the course of the

last week. And privately, a U.S. Board of Peace official tells us that Israel is cooperating behind the scenes, again pointing to that reduction

in Israeli attacks, to new procedures within the Israeli military, which are now requiring a much higher level of approval for any strikes to be

carried out in Gaza.

SOARES: And, you know, as we see this rejection from Prime Minister Netanyahu, the same time we're seeing -- I'm not sure how you read the

developments from Iran and from the United States, because Iran's now demanding, right, the U.S. pays for war damages, U.S. now has its own

demands. Where are we, if at all, moving on the diplomacy side here?

DIAMOND: I mean, right now, it does not seem like much progress is being made. And even President Trump, who in the past liked to kind of talk up

the extent to which the U.S. and Iran were speaking, is now saying that they are only semi-negotiating with Iran.

And instead, what we are seeing is the president kind of ramping up the list of demands on his side, in the same way that we saw Iran over the

course of the last week begin to make new demands about what would need to happen in order for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened. You're now seeing

President Trump kind of doing the same thing on his side, issuing this new list of demands in terms of payments that Iran would have to make in order

for things to begin to move forward.

It seems like we're back to a place where we've been before, Isa, as it relates to this conflict, which is which side can tolerate more economic

pain. There's no question that Iran is facing some economic difficulties, especially as the U.S.'s blockade of any Iranian ships coming to and from

its gas facilities continues. But the United States is also dealing with less traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, oil price of oil beginning to go

up again, and those midterm elections just a couple of months away. And both sides seem to be once again trying to see who can endure pain for

longer before ultimately having to buckle.

So, we're at a familiar place once again. What we seem to have stepped off from is this kind of major threats of fire and brimstone from the president

of the United States. He seems to kind of be focusing on the economic pressure as a leverage tool once again.

SOARES: Jeremy Diamond, appreciate it, Jeremy, for laying it all out for us there in Jerusalem. Well, let's stay on this story. And let's get some

perspective now from former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin. He also served as Israel's deputy foreign minister. Thank you very much, Yossi, for

joining us on the show.

Look, I want to start, if I may, where Jeremy Diamond was talking about earlier, and that is President Trump's Gaza plan. Were you at all surprised

that Prime Minister Netanyahu said he would not accept that decision to the 15-point plan?

YOSSI BEILIN, FORMER ISRAELI JUSTICE MINISTER AND FORMER ISRAELI DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: But this is not the situation. I mean, it is a very

strange situation, almost funny, although the situation, generally speaking, is far from being funny.

What Netanyahu is doing is very simple. He is implementing the 15 points, which are the implementation of the 20 points of the Trump plan from

November. But he's saying that he's not implementing it. So, in that way, usually, you know, it is the other way around. I mean, he's saying that he

is doing whatever he should do, implementing, and in reality, it doesn't happen. Now, he does implement because he wants to cater to President

Trump.

[14:15:00]

But since he's so much dependent on the extreme, extreme, extreme right in his cabinet, he's saying that he's very much against it. So, here we are.

SOARES: Right. So, that's really interesting. So, he's implementing it, but saying he doesn't back it. And he did say further on, Yossi, he said, they

have ideas, some of which are acceptable to us, and some are not. And we know how to stand up to those things, speaking about the U.S.

I mean, how then should we interpret his comments on this plan? Is he defying President Trump, or do you think President Trump can read the

politics at play here?

BEILIN: I'm not sure whether he's defying President Trump. But what I can tell you that just a few minutes ago, there was a very interesting public

opinion poll on our TV. And one of the questions was, who can really be the leader who stands up to the American president and sometimes say no to him?

Because Netanyahu's claim to fame was that he always said, I'm the only one who can say no to the American president.

So, out of the numbers were very, very low for Netanyahu. And here you can understand what is happening. He wants to say to his base, to his voters,

that he is very strong, even against his best friend, Trump. But in reality, he's acting very differently.

SOARES: Yes, look, I'm seeing also reporting from Barak Ravid --

BEILIN: Actually, if I may say that --

SOARES: Go ahead. Go ahead, Yossi. Go ahead. Go ahead, Yossi.

BEILIN: Yes. He put himself in this situation since he said in the beginning of the three last years, that he was not going to deal with the

morning after. Why doesn't he deal with the morning after? Because he doesn't have a plan for the morning after what will happen with the

Palestinians. So, now he finds himself in a very delicate political timing in a situation where he doesn't have the answers.

And then he has to somehow tell something to the American president and something very, very different to his ministers. But it doesn't work

because now we are talking about it. So, it is very exposed.

SOARES: Yes. No, indeed, indeed. Look, I was mentioning just something, a reporting I saw before I came on air, Yossi from Barak Ravid, who was

quoting a senior U.S. official. And I want to say what he says. We understand Bibi's political needs. We have no problem with it as long as he

continues to do what we ask, especially regarding restraining attacks in Gaza, which speaks to your first point, really, that he says he's not doing

it, but he's doing it.

Do you think then -- how do you think he will manage this? Will he kick the can down the road until the elections in October? Of course, the U.S. has

got similar pressures, as you heard Jeremy talking about, with the midterms in November. How do you see the strategy here from Netanyahu?

BEILIN: Kicking the can down the road is actually the very profound and serious strategy of Netanyahu and of some of his predecessors. They don't

have the answer. You ask them, what are you going to do with the Palestinians? You don't want the Palestinian State. Tell us what you want.

He never says so. So, in such a situation, what can he do? Kick the can. And that is what he's doing.

SOARES: And so, in that question, then, as we look very briefly here, Yossi, as we look to the election, what, October 27 -- I think it's October

-- correct me if I'm wrong.

BEILIN: Right. No. It is true.

SOARES: Is this election, your view, a referendum? Is it a referendum on Netanyahu, or will people be voting mostly on security and war? How do you

read this election?

BEILIN: No, it's a referendum of Netanyahu. Now, it is very clear. You have the camp which still supports him, but it is much smaller than ever before.

And you have the camp which is opposing him. And it is quite promising. You have to say, if you watch the polls, you can say that it is almost

impossible for him to return to the job that he likes so much.

[14:20:00]

So, the main aim of Netanyahu is to prevent the opposition to him from actually winning the elections by whatever ideas he has. For example, if he

says that Arabs are not legitimate to be part of the future coalition, it is not because of what he thinks necessarily about the Arabs, but he wants

to already now make the future coalition illegitimate. And this is one of the things that we will have to deal with in the near future.

SOARES: Yossi, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. Thank you very much indeed, Yossi Beilin, joining us now there from Tel Aviv,

Israel.

BEILIN: Thank you for having me.

SOARES: You're very welcome, Yossi. Thank you. And still to come on the show tonight, Ukraine strikes a deadly blow deep inside Russia as the two

sides intensify attacks on energy targets. We're live for you in Moscow. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Well, at least 13 people are dead and dozens more injured following a Ukrainian drone strike deep inside Russia. Local authorities say it

happened in an area more than 1,000 kilometers east of Moscow at the site of an oil refinery. And while it's not entirely clear what was struck,

videos geolocated by CNN show flames and plumes of smoke near what appears to be an oil facility. Both Ukraine and Russia, we've been showing you

here, have been stepping up aerial attacks on one another, with the death toll among civilians rising, as we've showed you on both sides.

Our senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen joins us now from Moscow. And, Fred, I mean, I've seen some of these videos. This was a

pretty major, right, advanced oil refinery. What more are you learning about this?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly it is a very large oil and petrochemical refinery that's there in the

central part of Russia, really, Isa. And one of the things you've already pointed out that's really remarkable about this strike is that it's so far

away from Ukrainian territory. It's about 1,000 miles away from Ukraine's borders, and yet it still seems as though those drones hit that area.

[14:25:00]

Now, the Russians obviously have a very different take on this than what we've, for instance, heard from the Ukrainian side, where it appears as

though a petrochemical plant was the target of that strike. The Russians say that a hostel was among the things that was hit, that there were

several civilians, nine who were killed in that hostel alone, as you mentioned. Thirteen people, they say, in total were killed, including a

child. They also say that dozens were injured, and that some 25 people are actually still in hospital and are still being treated.

So, the Russians are calling this an act of terrorism, as they put it. And they also said, and this comes from a Russian official, that strikes like

this show that they have to continue what they still call their special military operation in Ukraine, which obviously means those combat

operations.

And you mentioned the fact that, of course, on that side as well, the casualties there mounting. There were some strikes in the Kharkiv area,

also the Sumy area. Really, over the weekend, a lot of strikes getting traded back and forth.

And I think one of the things that you're now seeing between the Ukrainians and Russians is almost a strategic warfare going in between using those

unmanned systems, like, for instance, missiles, but also drones, where the Ukrainians, of course, have been hitting a lot of those Russian critical

infrastructure facilities, but then also, for instance, online retailers that are so important for the Russian economy.

Whereas the Russians themselves over the past couple of days have also said that they've been shooting back, hitting some logistical infrastructure of

the Ukrainians, for instance, ships, for instance, docks, but also railway links, as Vladimir Putin has now actually himself nominated and appointed a

head of drone warfare for the first time for the Russian military.

So, it really seems as though the combat operations between the Ukrainians and the Russians now entering into a totally new phase that, as we've

noted, a lot of civilians already bearing the brunt of that, Isa.

SOARES: Yes. It'll be interesting to see as we get into the colder months whether anything, the tactics change, of course, because now we're seeing

aerial attacks and the front lines of the war largely stagnate, aren't they? Fred, great to see you. Really good to see you. Thank you very much

indeed.

And still to come tonight, new pressure on Gianni Infantino. Three major football federations are calling for an investigation into the failed plan

to sell off a piece of the World Cup.

And European anger over mass migration coming from Morocco. I'll talk to Portugal's foreign minister about his country's relationship with its

African neighbor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:00]

SOARES: And more news -- more now on the breaking news, I should say, happening in Colombia. At least 80 people are dead after a 7.4 magnitude

earthquake that struck the western part of the country. You're looking at live images from the city of Cali in Colombia.

Now, we know that Cali was one of the most the biggest hit. The epicenter was actually located inside the city of Cali in Colombia. But what you are

seeing unfortunately seems that I have seen what a month ago as well in neighboring Venezuela where people have been using whatever they can

whatever tools they can to recover those that have been that are stuck under the rubble and that is what we're seeing in Cali.

This is Colombia's third largest city and we know at least 20 buildings have collapsed with people trapped under the rubble. That is according to

the mayor there and there are lots of other buildings as well according to the mayor suffering from structural damage. But these are images coming to

us from Cali Colombia. We'll stay on top of course of this breaking news. More than at least 80 people now dead following that 7.4 magnitude

earthquake.

We're going to leave that for a moment and turn our attention to the world of what should I say politics and sport. A new week and new pressures for

FIFA leadership. Three major football confederations are calling for an open investigation into the now defunct plan to sell a stake in FIFA events

including the World Cup. They are accusing FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino of deception. Our World Sports Patrick Snell has the very latest

for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, it may be a new week but it seems there's still so much scrutiny upon the embattled FIFA president, Gianni

Infantino. Last week in Rabat football's world governing body acknowledged mistakes had been made and apologized for the manner in which a

controversial proposal to sell off a portion of its commercial and operational rights of the World Cup and other competitions to private

investors was sprung upon its members. That in turn followed a European football's governing body UEFA that it was prepared to boycott all FIFA

tournaments including the World Cup over the matter.

Now, FIFA is being accused of deception in Monday's open letter signed by the presidents and general secretaries of UEFA, North and Central American

and Caribbean governing body CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation who have called out FIFA and its leadership for threatening the integrity

of the game regarding its handling of the now scrapped project.

The letter reading in part, "Leadership in football is not a possession it is not about holding or demanding power to be held it is the duty of

service to the football family that entrusts it. It went on to add when trust is broken through deception when an individual places himself above

the collective that entrusted him with authority that duty has been abandoned."

Infantino does have some support though the Confederation of African Football has backed the president in recent days alongside the Argentine

and Mexican soccer associations. And with that it's right back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Thank you very much to Patrick Snell. Well in addition to the outcry over FIFA leadership there are new questions about the hosts of the

2030 World Cup. Spain says it's still committed to co-hosting with Morocco and Portugal but there has been anger directed at Morocco in recent days

over the migration crisis we brought you here in Ceuta that was, what, two weeks ago.

At least 72 people died when thousands of migrants tried to cross from Morocco into the Spanish territory. It led some in Spain and Portugal to

question whether Morocco should be allowed to co-host the cup alongside the two European nations.

So, let's stay with the story joining me now is Portugal's foreign minister Paulo Rangel. Foreign minister, really appreciate you coming on the

program. Let me start right there let me start with the World Cup. And because as we mentioned following those events that we were just talking

about in Ceuta, there have been some political parties, just for our viewers in case who have not been across this, not just in Spain, I think

Spain it was Vox and Podemos and Sumar, and then in Portugal is the LIVRE party have called for Spain and Portugal to host the tournament without

Morocco.

What is the Portuguese position foreign minister on this? Does Portugal still support Morocco co-hosting the 2030 World Cup? Let me just start with

that.

[14:35:00]

PAULO RANGEL, PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, first, let me thank you very much, Isa Soares, for the invitation. And then also to show our deep

sorrow with the victims of the earthquake in Colombia.

This being said I have to say that Portugal is still committed and is clearly committed with the organization of the World Cup in 2030. So, along

with Spain and Morocco there is no reason to change the plans that are already designed. And so, we will keep our engagement and our commitment

with the organization of this sports major event.

SOARES: That is very clear. Thank you, Foreign Minister, on that. Let me put to you also what I'm sure you have seen, reports coming out of the

Times right here of London that reported you probably saw, Foreign Minister, that the FIFA's, Gianni Infantino, allegedly offered Moroccan

officials the right to host the 2030 World Cup final in return for the Moroccan Football Federation's support. Have you seen, Foreign Minister,

any evidence that such an offer was made?

RANGEL: There's something that I would like to be very clear. We don't interfere in supports organizations. So, politics has its own domain and

responsibility and the FIFA, UEFA, other soccer organizations, football association organizations, they have their autonomy. And so, I never mix

politics with sports.

So, I will not comment on the organization leadership structure of FIFA organization. This is really a principle, is a matter of principle to

separate sports from politics and so I will do no remark on this.

SOARES: That is absolutely fine. I hear your position, Foreign Minister. The reason I was asking because if, of course, if this allegation was

substantiated then this questions, of course, the politics involvement in the leadership of FIFA and indeed Infantino's leadership of FIFA. But we'll

leave that there.

Let me turn if I may, Foreign Minister, to Ceuta, a story that we covered here. I remember this because I was in Lisbon at the time on holiday and I

remember the position of the Portuguese government. Portugal was one of the very few E.U. governments to publicly show solidarity with Spain during the

crisis.

Why did Portugal take such a clear position in support of Madrid and do you think that Spain was right in the way it handled the situation in Ceuta?

RANGEL: Well, I have to say that we have really to look at the situation as a very complex one. So, Portugal since the very beginning, the 31st of

July, we were informed by Spain in a very detailed manner of the evolution of the situation. We have reinforced our control of our southern borders in

sea and in land, but we knew that there is no concern or there was no concern to Schengen system.

So, both the prime minister and me and I we were very clear saying that Schengen it was not at stake. That means that by one hand there are special

controls in Ceuta and Melilla territories, and by the other hand they are in African continent and with the vigilance, with the surveillance, with

the reinforcement of the army and navy it was impossible to cross the Gibraltar Strait and so there was not a threat. So, this was the reason to

say that we were not supporting any suspension or restriction on Schengen.

Another issue that is different that's why I said that is complex is not to acknowledge that this is a very serious situation. And here, in the very

morning of the 1st of August, I informed the Irish presidency that we were totally in favor of this meeting that was claimed by the 22 countries that

signed this declaration and also, by the way, by President Sanchez.

And Portugal in our declarations to the press we always said that we also are concerned with some unilateral measures that were taken before that in

a certain way they fail this kind of movements of course. So, we are --

[14:40:00]

SOARES: So, Foreign Minister, let me ask you this.

RANGEL: Yes, please.

SOARES: Sorry to interrupt because we are running out of time and I do want to get your thoughts on this. Because you mentioned the 22 member states

who signed that letter criticizing Spain's handling of the crisis. Your position is very clear.

But I did see Prime Minister Maloni and her Danish counterpart today calling for a tougher European response. And, you know, Maloni put this on

her Facebook page. You can see it there on our screens. She's describing uncontrolled immigration, talking about the response. I wonder whether you

agree with them that Europe needs to fundamentally change its approach to migration. And border control, I should say.

RANGEL: Well, yes, I have to say that we have really to be, and we have really released a press note on this occasion saying that the defense of

borders has to be very, very firm and has to be reinforced. So, probably the kind of language that is used in this communication of the two prime

ministers, I wouldn't use this kind of language in these exact terms.

But the concern that they want to face is a true one. We have really to have a better regulation and a better defense of our European borders, and

especially also of the southern borders. I have to also say that something that nobody said and that we also should say in favor of Morocco is that

the pressure of migration in the southern borders of Morocco is very high and Morocco handles quite well this pressure.

So, they have an important role controlling the flows of migrants coming from Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa. And this is sometimes forgotten, and it

was really forgotten during this crisis. And so, we also have to see that they are under huge pressure, and until now they have been able to control

reasonably the situation. But I fully agree that we have to look at these issues, and probably the response of Europe has to be stronger than it used

to be.

And in that respect, I say that substantially there is an agreement, not sometimes with the terms, the way, the communication, the formulation of

the problems, probably would not be the same by the Portuguese government, but the concern that is there is real.

SOARES: Foreign Minister, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us. Of course, important to point out, like you said, at least 72 people

died, of course, in the crossings, and that is heartbreaking indeed to report on this sort of crisis. Foreign Minister, thank you very much,

always appreciated you being on the show. Paulo Rangel, for us there in Lisbon, in Portugal, thank you.

Well, right now, emergency workers in Colombia are combing through rubble for survivors after a powerful earthquake. Ahead, the latest on the damage

as we look at these live pictures from Cali in Colombia. That is next.

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[14:45:00]

SOARES: And we return now to our breaking news. The president of Colombia, the new president of Colombia, saying moments ago at least 111 people have

died in a powerful earthquake. You're looking at live images, I believe, from Cali in Colombia.

The 7.4 magnitude quake rocked western Colombia around 7:34 or so in the morning local. Collapsing buildings and sending people running for cover.

And what you've been seeing there, people doing what they can, trying to get to those potentially at the bottom of that rubble as those buildings

collapse. This is in Cali.

Let's go to Giovanni Rizzo, who is the Colombia country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council. He was in Bogota when the quake struck and joins

us now live. Giovanni, give us a sense then of just how bad it is. I mean, I heard the president saying 111. What are you hearing from your teams on

the ground?

GIOVANNI RIZZO, COLOMBIA COUNTRY DIRECTOR, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: Yes. Thank you. It is actually a tragedy. It was a very powerful 7.4 magnitude

earthquake, which is the same strength of the Venezuelan earthquake that happened at the end of June.

So, for now, we don't really have definitive figures about confirmed fatalities, death or injured people, and also in terms of affectation. But

we hope it will not be equally devastating as the one in Venezuela. But so far, we already have on the ground, for example, our own colleague, they

have their own houses that are damaged or have collapsed. They cannot go back to it.

Also, other infrastructure, especially in the western center part of Colombia. So, the epicenter was in Choco department, but it affected more

than 16 departments in the country. All the central western area of Colombia has been affected.

In Bogota, which is fairly far, we have been significantly also noticing the movement of the earthquake. But in Pereira, especially Manizales,

Choco, Cali, the damages are visually very strong. You have health infrastructure, energy infrastructure affected, educational infrastructure

affected.

And our own colleague now, for example, they cannot go to any place because all the hotels also, no infrastructure is safe. No building now is safe.

And they have to be assessed before being able to use them again.

SOARES: Yes. In fact, on that point, Giovanni, you know, a family member in Cali showed me that. She sent me a photo of the building where she was at,

and it was cracks really everywhere. Just really speaks to the danger. The other aspect of this is also the aftershocks, and there have been some.

What kind of support organizations like yours offering on the ground in these hours? People are still in a state of shock in many ways.

RIZZO: Yes. There have been reported about 12 replicas of the earthquake, but not as strong as the first one. Now, this is the phase where the rescue

team need to come in, and they're actually trying to rescue survivors that are trapped in the building, that are trapped under the rubble.

And this is the most important phase where the civil defense, the firefighters, et cetera, the rescue team are trying to save as many lives

as possible of those who are trapped now under the rubble. Organizations like mine, we have a full disposal of authorities to provide our, to give

all our emergency capability in terms of the response.

[14:50:00]

What is needed the most in this phase is usually water, food, temporary shelter, which is a big issue, also health services. And yes, the

president, as you say, already declared the state of national disaster. A lot of help, both physical, financial will be required because the

affectation is already shown, despite we don't have a full assessment as of yet. It's only a few hours since this earthquake has hit the country, but

it's definitely already looking like a very, very devastating in terms of damages.

SOARES: It does look as we look at the photos, of course, and, you know, having covered the Venezuelan back-to-back earthquakes, the urgent, the

first few hours are the most critical. I'm sure you'll tell me as well.

Very briefly, the challenges with rescue and recovering some of these areas. Cali, you know, pretty cosmopolitan, but places the -- like Choco.

What the challenges?

RIZZO: Now, the problem is communication is not working perfectly now. Many infrastructure had been affected, and this is one point. For example, we

have seven airport that has been closed. We have several roads that have been closed because of landslide. So, we have a number now of structural

issue that are also hampering a bit the initial response.

Obviously, the local actor, those who are there in the, in the place, they are the first to respond and they are responding an agency like, like NRC

and other. We are coordinating among all to make sure that we can, we can also support those local actors who are now responding because they are,

they are, they are on the ground.

In our case, yes, apart from this initial need, there will also be a bit of need for psychological first aid, for education in emergency, many schools

have been closed. And also -- yes, and also cash transfer to alleviate a bit the suffering at the very beginning.

SOARES: Giovanni, thank you very much. Indeed. We'll stay across this breaking news. I appreciate you coming on the show. Giovanni Rizzo, the

country director for the Norwegian refugee council. We're going to take a short break. We'll see you on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Well, nearly 30 years after his death in Las Vegas, a former rival will stand trial in the murder of hip-hop icon, Tupac Shakur.

[14:55:00]

Jury selection is now underway in the case against 63-year-old Duane Davis. Prosecutors allege the former gang member organized a shooting outside the

MGM Grand in 1996, allegedly in retaliation for a fight between Tupac's entourage Davis' nephew. Davis has pleaded not guilty. Jury selection is

expected to take a few days. And we'll have much more on this story, of course, for you in the next hour.

And parts of Europe will be treated to a rare Celestial event on Wednesday. Actually, I have to pause. I'm just going to pause on that for just a

second because I understand president Trump's at the Oval Office. He's speaking. Is he there? Can we -- let me show me those images? We have him.

Let's listen.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Services. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., my friend, and did a fantastic job. I'm proud of you. Give me get one at very powerful

handy. Strong guy, by the way.

Thanks as well to director of the NIH, Jay Bhattacharya. Deputy assistant to the president of domestic policy, Dr. Heidi Overton. Our MAHA moms and

including Jamie Franklin is with us today. A very special person. And also, the medical experts and professionals who have worked very hard on getting

this to happen this day to come for long and far too long, long period of time. America's recommended more childhood vaccines than any peer nation

and even twice as many doses as some European countries. And even more than that.

In many cases, we were requiring 72 jabs for a beautiful, healthy, lovely, delicate little children, including giving the hepatitis B shot to infants

and newborns on top of many other vaccinations. The hepatitis B shouldn't be given until they are 14 or 15 years old. They were given early.

Effective immediately. My administration is recognizing gold standard childhood vaccine recommendations for only 11 core vaccinations against the

most serious and dangerous diseases, along with the MMR, which hopefully will be split up. You have the MMR, we wanted in three separate

vaccinations, given at separate times together. They could be a possibility. They're quite lethal and separately. It looks like they are

not at all lethal, but just very effective. So, the MMR, we want to have separate visits, separate times.

The vaccine being broken into three separate single doses and vaccines being administered in separate visits. For example, at one year, you should

have five separate visits for vaccines rather than getting them all in the same day.

And I saw this early on and I've seen proof of it where they have a vaccination. It looks like the size of a bottle of soda poured into a

little child's body. And bad things happen in many cases -- too many cases, because this is an explosion. This is an epidemic. So, at year one, you

should have five separate visits for vaccines rather than giving them all in the same day.

Very importantly, vaccinations for hepatitis B, COVID-19, and influenza among others are no longer recommended for all children. In addition, this

executive order directs the attorney general to advance legal challenges against states that violate children's rights to religious or medical

vaccination exemptions -- for the exemptions.

Other countries with high vaccination rates without mandates for school. Now, what we do is you have other countries have very high vaccination

rates and they have not had, and they don't have the without mandates for school. Parents can still choose to give their children all of the

vaccinations if they wish. It's up to the parents. We're making recommendations that are strong, but it's up to the parents if they wish,

and they will be covered by insurance.

However, this updated recommendation finally aligns the United States with other advanced and developed nations around the world. More importantly, it

aligns us with common sense and knowledge.

Decades ago, children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today. And those times people were much healthier. And of course,

the high rates of autism now observed did not exist. So, there's a reason for such epidemic rates of autism. And we're going to bring it back to much

closer to where it was.

Well, we do not know exactly what the cause is with respect to autism. It is essential to our research efforts that we have the very best vaccine

recommendations in the entire world. So, we're reducing them. We're changing it to visits over a period of a year, a year and a half. So, they

get 20 percent of what they would have gotten in one big shot.

END