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Isa Soares Tonight
Israel Moving Ahead with Controversial E1 Settlement Plan; Palestinians Urge World to Stop E1 Settlement Plan; Hamas: "Still Committed" to Ceasefire Deal; Mexican Students Retake University Entrance Exam. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Set to Return to the U.K.; The Target of a Recent Bomb Attack in Monaco Tells CNN that Rogue Ukrainian Intelligence Agents May have Been Paid to Assassinate Him; Israel Moves Forward with an Internationally-Condemned Settlement Plan in the Occupied West Bank. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 20, 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]
MAX FOSTER, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm in -- I'm Max Foster in for Isa Soares. And tonight, a move
nobody saw coming. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to return to the U.K. What we know on when Prince Harry and Meghan are expected to make
their homecoming.
Then the target of a recent bomb attack in Monaco tells CNN that rogue Ukrainian Intelligence agents may have been paid to assassinate him. We'll
bring you that exclusive report. And Israel moves forward with an internationally-condemned settlement plan in the occupied West Bank. It
could bury a two-state solution.
We'll hear from a Palestinian lawyer, that and much more just ahead. Now, it is a move that Prince Harry once called impossible. But it now seems the
Duke and Duchess of Sussex are ready to head back to the U.K.
The homecoming came as a surprise to much of the royal family. CNN understands King Charles only found out over the weekend, but he's said to
be welcoming the opportunity to see the family more often.
Questions are already arising over the decision from where they'll be living, to who it will -- who will be funding their security and most
importantly, why now? Here's more on what we know so far.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER (voice-over): It's a move nobody saw coming. Prince Harry and Meghan returning to the U.K. six years after they stepped back from
official royal duties and fell out with other members of the royal family.
Both the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex have spoken out repeatedly about the unfair treatment they believe they received in the U.K., including
tabloid intrusion and racism in the British establishment.
In April, Meghan told young people during a visit to Australia --
MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: For now, ten years, every day for ten years, I have been bullied and attacked, and I was most trolled person in
the entire world. Man or woman. I'm still here.
FOSTER: Why the couple have decided to return now is unclear. A source close to the couple only remarked how much they enjoyed their visit to the
U.K. last month. In July, King Charles hosted Harry, Meghan and their children at his private country residence in Gloucestershire.
It was the first time in four years that the King had seen the whole family. However, Harry has made several solo trips back to the U.K. since
moving to California, including after King Charles' cancer diagnosis.
(On camera): CNN understands that when the family moves over to the United Kingdom, they'll be staying in a private residence, not a royal residence,
and they won't be returning to their full-time royal roles. Where that residence will be is a mystery at this point, but the British media are
speculating it could be in the affluent Cotswolds, in the countryside in Oxfordshire.
It could be near Althorp House, which is the Spencer family ancestral home where Princess Diana, Harry's mother, is buried, or it could possibly be
near friends that they've retained here in the United Kingdom.
The other big question is about security, how that will be afforded. Prince Harry recently lost a case against the government's decision to downgrade
their taxpayer-funded security.
(Voice-over): In a "BBC" interview last year, he said the decision made it impossible for him to return to the U.K. with his family, explaining --
HENRY CHARLES ALBERT DAVID, DUKE OF SUSSEX: I can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point, no
matter how much private security I have around me. There's only so much that I can do and operate and function within the U.K. when it comes to
supporting my charities, visiting my friends, all of these things.
FOSTER: However, the couple's children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, have now been enrolled at British schools. The new school
year begins in September, meaning their move is likely to take place soon, possibly within a matter of days.
MARKLE: Are you feeling excited for your parents?
[14:05:00]
FOSTER: Once back, the couple are expected to carry on the kind of charity work they've been doing in California and outside the U.K.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Australia!
FOSTER: It's not yet clear how long they'll stay or how closely they'll coordinate with the royal household to avoid clashes in public engagements,
and how they'll be folded into private royal family events. CNN understands the king was only told on Sunday about their decision to move back.
The Sussexes may have kept their secret until now, but how much privacy they can hold once they're back in the U.K. remains to be seen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: CNN's Anna Stewart joins us here in London. We obviously had that welcome response from the king, we haven't heard anything pointedly from
the Prince and Princess of Wales. This could be a challenge for them, couldn't it?
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This could be a massive challenge. Coming back to the U.K. will certainly mean that Prince Harry and his family will
be invited to family events, as you would expect, and that will be very difficult for the Prince of Wales and for the Princess of Wales, given
these won't be working members of the royal family, but relations are still very much strained.
Prince Harry is still estranged from his brother and, you know, Prince Harry dropped a few bombshells in his book "Spare", and also in the
interview with Oprah Winfrey, none of that's really been resolved.
So, having each other sort of in close family contact will surely be quite difficult. I think it would be given that with any family, Max.
FOSTER: In terms of what this means for the monarchy, it could be interesting, couldn't it? If you consider that, you know, Harry and William
aren't getting on well personally. They both have their causes they want to promote. They're both promoting them in the same way.
But one of them is outside the monarchy, one is inside the monarchy. Could this cause a split in terms of perception do you think?
STEWART: Like rival courts. You know, the Court of Wales, the Court of Sussex. Well, I mean, yes, the Prince Harry and Meghan won't be working
members of the royal family. That's already been made really clear, at least no time soon.
However, you know, in the public eye, as Prince Harry and Meghan go about charitable foundation events as they maybe, open things as we see them very
visibly, what really is the difference between a royal engagement and what they've already been doing, for instance, in California and what Prince
Harry does when he returns here, they will be very visible.
They'll have a bigger profile, that could be one of the reasons they are returning, of course. So, yes, I think we could see what feels like rival
courts and technically, the technicality of being a working member of the royal family. I think that might get a little bit lost in terms of the
press and how we see them.
FOSTER: How's the public going to receive this? I know that, you know, Harry and Meghan aren't very popular at the moment, but they are very --
you know, you've been out on engagements with them, they're very talented with people, aren't they?
They're good at engagements. Could they bring themselves back to popularity in the U.K. do you think?
STEWART: You know, I think I covered every public engagement, official engagement that Meghan did before the big exit from the U.K. And she was
really good at engagements and was extremely popular at the time despite what was later said in the press.
So, they are very good at those events. They can be warm, they can be very sort of affectionate with the fans, with the public. Perhaps there'll be a
return of that. But of course, since then, Prince Harry and Meghan have, you know, made clear that they didn't enjoy much of their time in the U.K.,
that they found it very difficult, that they didn't like the press intrusion.
You know, there's a lot there for the public to consider. I think it will be really interesting to see how they're welcomed back from the public, but
who knows? And who knows how much we'll really see of them?
How much of this will be, you know, private individuals, the kids are at school and we don't see them at all. How much will they want to have a
higher profile and go about charitable events? I mean, we really just -- there's so much we don't know.
Honestly, this is more surprising than the news that they were leaving the U.K. And it's raised so many more questions. Why now? What's changed? Where
are they going to live? What's the security situation? We'll be talking about this for weeks, I think, Max.
FOSTER: And you'll be back on Meghan's engagements when you didn't expect to, either. Anna Stewart, thank you very much. Now, the target of a recent
bomb attack in Monaco tells CNN that rogue Ukrainian Intelligence agents may have been paid to assassinate him in the wealthy Mediterranean tax
haven.
Vadym Lermolaiev survived the powerful blast in June, which also seriously injured his partner and child. Speaking in his first television interview
since then, he's now calling on the authorities in Kyiv to step up their investigation. Matthew Chance has this exclusive --
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a super glamorous playground for the super-rich. One of the world's tiniest
nations, Monaco promotes itself as a haven of wealth and tranquility on the picturesque shores of the Mediterranean.
But one evening in June, as a Ukrainian-born businessman walked home with his family, that carefully manicured image of security and calm were
shattered --
(EXPLOSION)
[14:10:00]
CHANCE: Plunging the principality into violence and chaos.
(On camera): Well, this is the exact place where the explosion took place. You can still see the impact of the shrapnel. The stucco plaster-work here
around the door has all fallen off. And you know, if I lift up the tarp here, you can see the marble steps and the brickwork is all -- is all
shattered.
We've also made contact with the target of the attack. And despite his grave injuries, he's agreed to speak out.
VADYM LERMOLAIEV, BUSINESSMAN (through translator): When the explosion went off, I saw my partner Anna(ph), lying on the steps with badly-injured
legs. My son was waving his bloodied arms and had burns across my whole body and was missing pieces of flesh.
I'm not a confrontational person. I've always tried to avoid any sharp conflicts. So, I don't understand the reason why this happened.
CHANCE: There's a suggestion in Ukraine, and there are reports in Ukraine that this assassination attempt was linked to your involvement, alleged
involvement in organized crime. How do you answer that?
LERMOLAIEV: I personally have never in my life had anything to do with that. The Monaco police also asked me if my family could be involved, which
was almost funny, as everything I own is already registered to my wife and children.
CHANCE (voice-over): But clearly, someone wanted to send a message. This is the face of the bomber, a 39-year-old single mother from Ukraine,
Anastasia Berezovska, she even recorded herself planting the device in what investigators say was part of a complex international plot they're still
trying to unravel.
(On camera): Well, these narrow, twisting streets snaking through tiny Monaco are some of the most heavily surveilled anywhere in the world. There
are more than 1,400 surveillance cameras basically watching everything anybody does.
And a police officer for every 60 residents of the principality. The bombing appears to have been carefully planned to bypass all of that tight
security.
(Voice-over): And Monaco's Police Department is now under intense pressure to understand what went wrong. "Multiple theories are being explored", the
police chief admitted, though he refused to elaborate or discuss the glaring connections with Ukraine and its security services.
But in a Kyiv court, those connections have become impossible to ignore. Two men, a serving officer with Ukrainian military Intelligence and a
former security agent now stand accused of executing Anastasia Berezovska and burying the Monaco bomber in a shallow grave after she fled home.
(GUNFIRE)
CHANCE: But the Ukrainian authorities are fighting a bitter war with Russia, it's a potentially embarrassing link that risks straining relations
with its European backers. Ukrainian military Intelligence say the suspects are just criminals.
But fueling speculation, Vadym Lermolaiev is sanctioned by Ukraine for doing business with its Russian enemies, though he's ruling out any link to
his bombing.
LERMOLAIEV: I can't imagine it had anything to do with the Ukrainian sanctions against me. Because that would mean our state is potentially
engaged in extrajudicial executions. And I just can't believe that.
CHANCE (on camera): After the bombing, you accused the Ukrainian security services of being behind it. Is that still your view?
LERMOLAIEV: That's not just my view. All the facts point to it. But I think this was a contracted hit. Someone privately hired military
Intelligence specialists who know how to do this, and they took it on for money.
CHANCE (voice-over): In both Monaco and Kyiv, investigations are now in full swing to uncover the facts, including the possible role of Ukrainian
guns for hire or rogue agents making one of the world's most glamorous enclaves feel a lot less secure.
(EXPLOSION)
[14:15:00]
CHANCE: Matthew Chance, CNN, Monaco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Another night of deadly strikes for Ukrainians, authorities say a barrage of missiles killed at least 17 people and injured dozens more in
the Kyiv region. It's yet another painful strike exposing Kyiv's dwindling anti-missile defense supplies.
In a recent CNN interview, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine only has 10 percent of the interceptor missiles it urgently needs from the U.S.
and other allies. Attacks also bled into neighboring Romania and Moldova.
Romania's Defense Ministry says two F-16 fighter jets scrambled to destroy a marine drone carrying explosives near an offshore natural gas project.
CNN's Clare Sebastian -- or Sebastian Shukla rather, has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER (on camera): Well, what we know is that the strikes have caused extensive damage across the Ukrainian capital, which
was largely the focus here. Our producers in Kyiv have told us that this attack or air-raid sirens sounded initially around 6:00 p.m. and continued
for many hours.
And that what they heard and what they saw is really catastrophic damage across the entire city. Buildings on fire, smoke rising from all corners of
the city, seemingly shrouding it in that acrid pall of gunpowder smoke.
But what we're seeing here now is just the continuation of what is now a weeks-long, if not months-long, air war between the two nations. Because
the Ukrainians, albeit on the receiving end of an attack that we've seen just tonight, have also been launching their own attacks on Moscow in
different parts of Russia too.
This reprisal situation that we're in has been seemingly continuous unabated for the time-being. Sixteen people are known to have died so far
as a result of these attacks, and the emergency services are still trying their best to recover bodies and recover survivors from the rubble as best
they can.
The Russian Ministry of Defense commenting specifically on last night's attack, have said that they launched a massive strike using high precision
weapons, and what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said today is that this particular attack had been planned for quite some time.
The usage of ballistic missiles has become one of the major ways that both of these -- or that the Russian side is targeting Kyiv and the capital city
and other cities around Ukraine. But the dwindling supplies of Patriot missile interceptors is just the major problem that Ukraine faces right now
in enormous shortages.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: With peace talks at a standstill and Tehran showing no signs of backing down, U.S. President Donald Trump is vowing to turn up the economic
pressure on Iran. The President says the U.S. will unleash a crushing economic operation against Tehran.
He also says any country that does business with Iran will face what he calls tremendous economic consequences. Iran's Foreign Minister firing
back, calling the threat a diversion from America's own crisis of unprecedented debt.
The U.S. national debt hit a record $40 trillion this week. Let's turn to CNN White House correspondent Alayna Treene. I mean, the comparison isn't
really there, is it, Alayna? I mean, the Iranian economy is in a complete state, and this could be very harmful if America does get its allies to
gang up against it.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, I mean, the President, in this post that he issued last night, called it an economic D-
Day that he wants to try to inflict on the Iranians. And he did call on allies, as you mentioned, Max, to work together to try and isolate Iran and
specifically continue to hit their economy hard.
This is all a strategy, I can tell you that the President has kind of devised in recent days and weeks, one that is more so trying to give it a
wait-and-see approach. It's very different from the way that we know he and many of his advisors have been operating in recent months when it comes at
least, to trying to resume negotiations more directly between the two countries, rather than continuing to keep hammering this pressure in both
direct talks.
But even more so and through indirect talks, through mediators. Now, the President has been directing some of his close allies to drop and cease all
kinds of communication with the Iranians until he gives them a green light to resume.
And that is really coming back to this idea that he wants to try and choke off the Iranians economically and continue the pressure, of course, what
we're seeing in the Strait with the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, that is applied a lot of pressure.
And also, just continuing to try and create as much harm to their economy as possible. The ultimate goal, of course, being that they are weakened
enough that they have to make a substantially better deal that the U.S. is looking for.
[14:20:00]
I should note, there are some skeptics to this, and I know there are people in the President's ear who has -- have raised such skepticism to this idea
that a lot of the times the Iranians, they have been through this before.
They have been through hard economic times in the past. And sometimes that only hardens them further, particularly some of the public in Iran, hardens
them further against the United States. So, there are some splits in whether or not this is a strategy that will work, but it's by and large,
the kind of strategy that the President has been talking about for some time, and now this week, really trying to transmit more broadly and get
allies on board.
FOSTER: Alayna, thank you so much for that. Still to come tonight on the show, the trial against a woman accused of murdering her three children
nearing its end. We'll have today's witness and the group showing support for Lindsay Clancy.
And Israel is advancing a controversial settlement plan in the West Bank that critics say would kill any chance of a Palestinian state. One Israeli
minister says that's exactly the point.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Supporters of a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her children held a rally of support earlier today. The silent rally was held
outside the Plymouth courthouse. This comes as the defense is close to resting its case against Clancy.
Whether Clancy killed her children or not isn't at issue. She did. But the prosecution is trying to show premeditation in their deaths. Now, Clancy's
lawyers argue she can't be held criminally responsible because of her mental state.
They say she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and was feeling the effects of many different medications. Brynn Gingras joins us now. I'm
interested, Brynn, in what her supporters are saying, because the tone of this trial and the --
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes --
FOSTER: Talk around it is changing all the time.
GINGRAS: I mean, it really is, Max. I mean, this has completely divided conversations between women, between friends on the internet. And today was
really the first time we saw this big gathering of people wearing those pink shirts outside the courthouse, where the defense is continuing to
present its case in this trial that is starting to slowly wrap up.
But those supporters, mothers, people who have gone through postpartum symptoms themselves, all saying that they are there for Lindsay to support
Lindsay. Again, as you've said, she has been -- she's on trial for killing her three children.
[14:25:00]
There's no denying that fact in this case. Their defense, her defense arguing that she was in the throes of postpartum psychosis when this
incident happened. And it's been a case that's just been so -- you know, controversial, confusing.
Also just, you know, people can't turn away from it because it's so hard to understand why? The defense putting on its case. Like I said, they are
wrapping up -- we heard from only one witness today before court was adjourned early, and this one actually came from a chaplain that met with
Lindsay just a week after this incident happened in January 2023.
She since have met with Lindsay and prayed with Lindsay, in her words, hundreds more -- 200 times since over the last few years. But she -- for
the defense gave the testimony like another witness did, that's really the crux of their argument was that, she, you know, was told to do this by
voices that she heard.
And I want you to hear some of the conversation she had with Lindsay again, a week after this incident happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEILA CAVANAUGH, CHAPLAIN, BRIGHAM & WOMEN'S HOSPITAL: But I remember vividly the first thing she said to me. Now, she had heard me for a couple
of days, we had been praying together. And so, when I went in on Tuesday, the 31st, she said to me as I held her hand to comfort her, "I am so glad
my children are safe".
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there any other conversation that you had with her?
CAVANAUGH: I replied theologically to Lindsay, and I said, Lindsay, your children are safe. They're safe in heaven with God. And I held her hand
throughout that conversation, and we prayed for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRAS: And again, this is testimony getting at the root of what the defense is arguing in this case. When the cross exam -- when the
prosecution rather, had their chance to cross-examine this witness in particular, they basically asked, you know, if this is what she was saying,
how come and all the notes that you have made with your visits, you never once said that she said this to you?
Her answer to that was, basically, we have conversations that are in a theological way, which means they're pretty much confidential. So, she
wouldn't write something like that down. But that is something that the prosecution throughout this entire case, when they have cross-examined the
defense witnesses, has asked, how come they have not heard about these voices until after the killings happened?
So, this is really getting to be very interesting. As I said, the defense wrapping up its case, likely going to call one more witness in the case
before the prosecution can rebuttal. And we do expect the closing arguments to actually happen sometime next week. Max.
FOSTER: Brynn, thank you so much. Such a tough one for the jury, isn't it, when it comes to them?
GINGRAS: Yes.
FOSTER: Still to come tonight on the show, fierce international condemnation is pouring in after Israel advanced a controversial settlement
plan for the West Bank. But words alone aren't likely to stop bulldozers from breaking ground. And that will be later this year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
FOSTER: Welcome back, I'm Max Foster. Now, the U.N. secretary general is warning of an existential threat to the possibility of a Palestinian State.
Joining strong international condemnation of Israel's decision to advance a highly controversial settlement plan that would effectively sever the
occupied West Bank in two.
Israel is now taking construction bids for housing units in an area known as E1 between East Jerusalem and the major settlement of Ma'ale Adumim.
Those bids are due just a week before Israeli elections in October, meaning construction could be in the works when voters go to the polls. Critics say
it's a clear effort to change facts on the ground now, making it difficult for any future government to reverse.
You can see why the plan is so controversial. It effectively divides the West Bank into the north and the south, making a continuous Palestinian
State pretty impossible. It also isolates East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as their capital. Britain is amongst the loudest critics
today, saying it won't stand back and accept destruction of the two-state solution.
But Israel's finance minister, who has significant control over West Bank policy, took that head-on. Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, released
this video today, saying the British mandate in the land of Israel has ended. He boasted about burying the idea of a Palestinian State and said,
we do not accept diktats from foreign countries.
The Palestinian Authority says Israel is pushing the entire region towards a dangerous and potentially uncontrollable situation. Here's what the
Palestinian U.N. ambassador told CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIYAD MANSOUR, PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: This has to be stopped. And I think that there are tools available to countries in their national
capacity and collectively in the case of Europe, and also the Arab countries and the Muslim countries, in order not to allow E1 to be
implemented, because it will sever the West Bank, north and south, not connected, and therefore make it impossible for the contiguity of the land
of the State of Palestine, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: International pressure worked in the past, forcing Israel to shelve E1 plans for decades. Our Jeremy Diamond now tells us why things are
different now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the E1 settlement project is one that right-wing Israeli politicians have sought to carry out
for years now, but it's been delayed over repeated international criticism of the project and warnings to the Israeli government. But last year, the
Israeli government finally approved the project. And now, the Israeli Housing Ministry has issued a notice inviting bids on the construction of
more than 1,200 housing units as part of this project.
Now, the Israeli government wants to create this project in order to connect Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem to Jewish settlements in the
West Bank. But from the Palestinian perspective, one of the reasons why this is so controversial is that this project would also cut off
Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, and it would also sever the major artery between the northern half of the
West Bank and the southern half of that same territory.
And in doing so, it would threaten the possibility of establishing a contiguous Palestinian State in the West Bank with East Jerusalem as its
capital. And that is exactly the goal of some far-right Israeli politicians like the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who said that the
Palestinian State is being erased from the table, not with slogans, but with actions.
[14:35:00]
Now, this is already drawing fierce criticism from the International Community, including from the British foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, who
said, quote, "This Israeli government's publication of a tender for the E1 settlement project is an unacceptable and destructive act. The Israeli
government must halt E1 plans immediately, retract the tender and stop all settlement expansion."
Now, not only the United Kingdom, but also a number of other European countries have threatened sanctions for any companies that would
participate in the building of this project. And they've also threatened diplomatic action against Israel for moving forward with this project, one
that, of course, will be keeping a very close eye on.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Our next guest says it's clear that Israel is trying to steal as much Palestinian land as possible before the upcoming elections. Human
rights attorney, Diana Buttu, is a former legal advisor to the PLO. I mean, it does almost feel inevitable that this is going to happen. How can it be
stopped?
DIANA BUTTU, HUMAN RIGHTS ATTORNEY: That's a great question, and it's entirely preventable. All that the International Community has to do is
impose sanctions on Israel. These settlements are not just preventing the establishment of the Palestinian State, they're actually illegal. They're
illegal under international law and they're considered to be war crimes.
And so, the fact that we've been seeing this so brazenly happening for now, 59 years with the International Community just wringing its hands and
pretending that they can't do anything is laughable. They do have that power. They can impose sanctions on Israel. They can take diplomatic action
against Israel. They can stop the companies from operating in Israel and so on.
But so far, all that they've done is issue these condemnations. And in the end, the Israeli government keeps moving on ahead because they have yet to
see a red light from any government around the world.
FOSTER: I'm just looking at a statement that I got today from European leaders, they're saying many of the similar things that you're saying,
urging the government of Israel to attract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank. But you're saying these
words are meaningless, without action, right? Because we've seen some Israeli cabinet ministers dismissing the U.K.'s comments anyway, as
irrelevant.
BUTTU: Absolutely. I think it's important to put this in context. Over the course of the past three years, Israel has built more than 50,000 housing
units. We're now talking about close to 1 million Israeli settlers who are living illegally inside the West Bank. Every major human rights
organization around the world has labeled this apartheid because there are two different legal systems. And every country around the world has
recognized that these settlements are illegal.
The fact that it continues to be done and it continues to be done very openly, Israel's not being shy about it, shows that they're actually saying
to the International Community, see, your words mean absolutely nothing. We're going to continue ahead.
And so, the International Community does have that power. They have the power to withhold funds. They have the power to cut off trade. Europe is
Israel's largest trading partner. They have that ability to impose sanctions, but they're choosing not to. And so, when they choose not to,
the Israeli government takes their choosing not to as a green light to continue to go ahead and to build and expand.
The Israelis can handle the criticism. They won't be able to handle sanctions. They won't be able to handle off cutting off of trade.
FOSTER: You have conversations, don't you, with these representatives in European governments? I mean, tell us why they're not doing it when they
have such strong words to say.
BUTTU: They try to behave as though they don't have the ability to do so. They're often looking for the United States to take the lead. They talked
to me about having to have a common European policy. But all that that does is lead to a race to the bottom. Common European policy has existed when it
comes to Russia. Common European policy exists when it comes to other issues as well. But somehow, magically, when it comes to Israel, they can't
seem to agree that these settlements, which all of them agree are illegal and all of them agree are war crimes. They can't seem to agree on a policy
there.
The big issue is that they're waiting for the United States. And as we've seen, the United States is not going to stop Israel. The ambassador himself
believes in the settlement project. And in addition to not stopping it, it's the Americans who've been funding very much most of this and giving it
the diplomatic support.
[14:40:00]
So, we're in a situation where, well, on the one hand, these diplomats tell us that they want to see a Palestinian State, that they're opposed to these
settlements. On the other hand, they're still waiting for the United States to do something. And we all know that the United States is not going to do
anything.
FOSTER: OK. Diana Buttu, as ever, thank you for joining us on the program. Coming up next hour, we'll get the perspective from Peter Lerner, a former
IDF spokesperson. He says everything must be judged through the lens of domestic Israeli politics, especially ahead of October's election. Stay
tuned for that conversation in around 40 minutes from now.
Hamas official, Basem Naim, says the group is, quote, "still committed to the ceasefire deal in Gaza." He spoke exclusively to CNN's chief
international anchor, Christiane Amanpour. But things have stalled since Israel rejected the latest U.S.-backed peace plan for the enclave. U.S.
envoy Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas in Egypt on Sunday and met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu the following day in Israel.
Kushner later said some progress could come as early as the next 30 to 90 days. And here's what Naim told CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BASEM NAIM, MEMBER, HAMAS POLITICAL BUREAU: We still committed to the deal. We are still looking forward that the mediators and the Board of
Peace headed by President Trump to make it happen. We are still ready to continue this way to change or to give our people a chance on the ground to
revive their life and to reach the minimum of calm, stability and peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Still to come tonight on the show, if you are looking to rent a Paris apartment, well, that'd be nice in a nice building at a cheap price.
Make sure if you look up, it could still come the teeny tiny places up top now trending.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Well, for some apartment hunters in Paris, bigger doesn't always mean better. It's all about location. And at the very top of some buildings
are the tiniest apartments originally built to house domestic servants. But current tenants are drawn by the affordable rents, as CNN's Saskya
Vandoorne reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANATOLY NOVIKOV, STUDENT: So, yes, the entrance here, that's the small, like, entrance area.
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are some of the smallest apartments you'll find in Paris. Some measure less
than 100 square feet.
NOVIKOV: A private shower.
VANDOORNE: Wow. Can you open both doors at the same time?
[14:45:00]
NOVIKOV: I've never tried, but I guess you could. Ish.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): They're called chambre de bonne, maids' rooms, hidden at the top of some of Paris's grandest buildings. Built for domestic
servants, they were notoriously cold, with toilets often shared between tenants.
As of 2022, there were still more than 90,000 of these tiny apartments across Paris.
NOVIKOV: The view from the rooftop is just amazing. Like, you see pretty much every big Parisian monument.
My friends commented that, like, oh my gosh, you're going to have a depression in, like, one month's time, because it's so tiny. Like, it's a
prison cell. And technically, I guess prison cells are bigger.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): Anatoly is an engineering student who's called this place home for the past year. He pays about $800 a month in rent,
expensive by the square foot, but still cheaper than most Parisian apartments.
NOVIKOV: It's not a sacrifice. It's a trade-off. In engineering, you don't have good solutions. You only have trade-offs. So yes.
VANDOORNE: What's the trade-off here?
NOVIKOV: The space for the location, pretty much.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): And there's another price to pay for living in central Paris: lots and lots of stairs.
VANDOORNE: You do this every day.
GLADYS MAGNAN, STUDENT: It's terrible. I know. It's a sport (ph).
VANDOORNE: Lovely to meet you.
MAGNAN: Lovely to meet you, too.
VANDOORNE: I need a minute.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): This is Gladys, and she lives right at the top, on the seventh floor. Unlike in the 19th Century, when the problem was the
cold, today, it's relentless heat waves turning these tiny apartments into furnaces, with temperatures climbing above 40 Celsius. That's more than 104
Fahrenheit.
MAGNAN: I was also taking like ice during the night. All the ice next to me.
VANDOORNE: Like a pillow.
MAGNAN: Yes, exactly. That was terrible. And also, I slept to my sister's house, so that was better. To my friend's house.
VANDOORNE: So, you actually had to leave?
MAGNAN: Yes, yes.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): It's not just Parisians willing to squeeze into these tiny homes, tourists do it, too, paying as much as $140 a night to
stay in the heart of Paris. And whether they're here for a night or a year, perhaps this is part of what they're paying for.
VANDOORNE: Wow.
MAGNAN: You can see the view.
VANDOORNE: Yes. The Eiffel Tower.
MAGNAN: Yes, the Eiffel Tower.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Encouraging findings of a medical study in the fight against cancer. The drug companies Moderna and Merck are reporting promising
results from a personalized mRNA vaccine trial. This focused specifically on melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Data show that the
combination of Moderna's experimental mRNA vaccine and Merck's immunotherapy, immunotherapy Keytruda, significantly reduced the risk of
cancer returning or spreading.
Still to come tonight on the show, it was the murder case that gripped Australia. A woman accused of poisoning her in-laws with mushrooms. And
now, Erin Patterson is appealing her convictions. But the defense team argued in court, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
FOSTER: Tens of thousands of students are waiting to find out if they'll get into one of Mexico's most prestigious universities. But school
officials had to readminister the entrance exam over allegations of cheating, as Valeria Leon reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After an alleged A.I. fraud using in the admission exam, thousands of the students are now lined up to get to this
admissions test for the second time to get into the National Autonomous University in Mexico, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities
of Latin America.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I have to go through the whole process again, but I trust what I know and I used these past few days to
study and reinforce it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's not fair to everyone. Some people didn't put in the effort. So, I think it was necessary to retake the
exam.
LEON: This is the first time that the UNAM applied this test online, and after this fraud allegedly signaling students using A.I. for this first
test, the university decided to re-apply this test.
LEONARDO LOMELI, RECTOR, NATIONAL AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF MEXICO (through translator): I think it's very important to provide certainty for the
students who are about to start the school year.
LEON: And this is what the students feel of retaking the exam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It ended up creating twice as much work for the university. They should have done it in person from the
beginning and they wouldn't have had to go through this whole process.
LEON: Around 50,000 students have presented this test, the second one, for the admission to the university. And here in Mexico City, this is the
place, Palacio de los Deportes, where thousands of students and also their families, as you can see here, they are waiting for hours until their
students can present the test and finally go out. This is the last date for the students to get inside and get this test done and finally get a place
in one of the most important universities in Mexico.
Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Australia's notorious mushroom murder case back in court with prosecutors seeking a longer sentence. Erin Patterson was convicted of
using toxic death trap mushrooms in a meal she prepared for lunch guests. Three people died. CNN's Hanako Montgomery has the latest on a possible
retrial.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An Australian woman is back in court fighting to overturn her convictions for murdering three people and
attempting to murder another with poison food. Her lawyers are asking for a retrial, arguing there were serious problems with the original trial. It's
the latest chapter in one of Australia's most high-profile murder cases in recent years, and it all goes back to one fatal lunch in July 2023.
Erin Patterson, a mother of two, invited her estranged husband's parents, as well as his aunt and uncle, to lunch at her home. She served them
individual beef wellingtons, which are essentially steak with mushrooms wrapped in pastry. But the mushrooms in the meal included deadly death cap
mushrooms. Three of the four guests died in the days after that lunch, while the fourth spent weeks in hospital but survived.
Now, at her trial last year, Patterson maintained that what happened was a terrible accident, that she never intended to kill anyone. But prosecutors
argued she had deliberately poisoned her family members. The jury ultimately found her guilty of three murders and the attempted murder of
the fourth family member. She was sentenced to life in prison with a non- parole period of 33 years.
Now, fast forward to today. Her lawyers are appealing those convictions on several grounds, and they argue that some evidence should never have been
admitted, that Patterson faced an unfair cross-examination, and that an error involving the jury's hotel accommodation may have prejudiced the
outcome.
Now, at the same time, prosecutors have launched their own appeal, arguing that Patterson's sentence was actually too lenient.
[14:55:00]
So, the judges now have two appeals to consider, one that could potentially lead to a retrial, and another that could result in an even tougher
sentence. There's no date yet for a decision, but this case has once again captured huge attention in Australia and around the world.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: From arranging flowers to fighting it out in the ring, these robots can pretty much do it all. Hosted in Beijing, hundreds of tech
companies have been pitching their humanoid robots at the World Robot Conference. But this year, beyond the usual entertainment, firms focused on
balancing or displaying products that can be practical. An aging Chinese population is driving demand for automation in areas like household chores
and elder care, and companies are hoping robots like these can be the answer. Who needs a cleaner or an arranger?
Finally, before we go, check out this video showing two runaway goats walking onto a public bus in Portland, Oregon. We had to bring it to you.
After one set of doors closes, the goats rush to make it on before it's too late. Here's a closer look at them getting on from inside the bus. The
human passengers did not seem too thrilled and chased the goats off the bus before it took off.
Thank you for watching. Stay with CNN. I'll have "What We Know" after the break. Less goats.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
