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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

Macron: France to Recognize Palestinians State in September; U.S. Pulls Negotiating Team From Ceasefire Talks; Aid Groups Warn of Famine Risk Across Gaza; Trump and Powell Clash Over Cost of Fed Renovations; U.S. Deputy AG Meets with Ghislaine Maxwell; Germany's New Digital Ministry Discusses AI Innovation; Border Battle Between Thailand and Cambodia Escalates; Deported Venezuelan Shares Experience in Salvadorian Prison; Wrestling Legend Hulk Hogan Dead at Age 71; FCC Approves Skydance Merger with Paramount. Aired 6-7 pm ET

Aired July 24, 2025 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:33]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington and you're watching THE

BRIEF.

Just ahead this hour, French President Emmanuel Macron says he will recognize a Palestinian state as starvation spreads in Gaza and now

ceasefire talks stall.

Donald Trump and Jerome Powell dispute the cost of renovations at the Federal Reserve.

And wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan has died at the age of 71.

We do begin with the war in Gaza and a bold diplomatic move as France, one of Israel's leading European partners, has announced it will recognize

Palestinian statehood. President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that he plans to make an announcement to the U.N. General Assembly in September. He also

said that peace was possible and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. However, those efforts appeared to have stalled today.

The U.S. recalled its negotiating team after the Witkoff said the latest response from Hamas showed, quote, "a lack of desire to reach a deal." The

pullout contrasts sharply with hints of optimism, which CNN had previously heard from sources. A separate official with knowledge of the talks had

characterized Hamas' response as positive. Hamas itself is rejecting Witkoff's remarks.

This happening just moments ago, a delay in a deal risk prolonging the hunger crisis now unfolding inside Gaza, where the health ministry is

warning that 900,000 children are going hungry there. Israel denies it's at fault, accuses Hamas of, quote, "engineering food shortages."

Today, thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv calling for a ceasefire and the return of all hostages taken by Hamas during the terror attack on

October 7th. That is one year, nine months and 16 days ago.

More now from CNN's Jeremy Diamond. A warning, as so often, you may find some of these images disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are no bullet holes or shrapnel wounds marking this man's body. His bears the

signs of a far more silent killer, starvation. At 41 years old, Mohammed al-Hassanat (ph) is one of at least 45 Palestinians who have died of

malnutrition in just the last week, according to the Palestinian health ministry, an entirely manmade humanitarian crisis in Gaza now reaching

unprecedented levels.

The question now is not whether starvation will claim more lives, but who will be its next victim? Most food stocks have run dry. Malnutrition cases

are skyrocketing, and there is only so much Gaza's under-resourced hospitals can do.

At one of the few soup kitchens still serving meals, the growing desperation of Gaza's population of more than two million is clear as day.

28 Western nations, more than 100 humanitarian aid organizations and top U.N. officials have all said Israeli policies are to blame for the

starvation crisis now unfolding. That's because Israel imposed a total siege of Gaza between March and May. And since then, Israeli restrictions

on the entry and distribution of aid have snowballed into an utterly avoidable disaster.

DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS: I don't know what you would call it other than starvation. And it's manmade. And that's very clear. And this is

because of blockade.

DIAMOND: Israel denies it is using starvation as a weapon, pointing to hundreds of aid trucks inside Gaza awaiting U.N. pickup. The U.N. says

Israeli authorities have repeatedly failed to authorize safe routes to pick up those stockpiles. But the reality of starvation is impossible to deny,

including for Israeli news channels, which rarely broadcast such images.

Fadia Abunamus (ph) has been in line since 6 a.m., hoping to fill a pot of lentil soup to feed the nine members of her family. We've had enough of

starvation and oppression, enough of staying in the streets like dogs, where no one looks at us, where we can't find anything for our children to

eat or drink.

[18:05:16]

Signs of hunger are everywhere in Gaza. This man collapsed while sifting through the wreckage of the latest Israeli offensive. He says he hasn't

eaten anything lately but scraps of bread. Moments later, his body gives out on him again. He's simply too weak to go on.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Joining me now is Omer Bartov, a Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University, the author of a recent piece in "The

New York Times" titled, "I'm a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It."

Mr. Bartov, thanks so much for joining.

OMER BARTOV, PROFESSOR OF HOLOCAUST & GENOCIDE STUDIES, BROWN UNIVERSITY: Thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: The U.N. definition of a genocide, as you know, is, quote, the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. In your

piece, you make the case, one, that you did not believe at the beginning of Israeli operations in Gaza that it was a genocide. Now you believe it is.

Tell us why your view changed.

BARTOV: Yeah, and let me just continue the sentence of the definition, which says in whole or in part, as such. And so when I started looking at

what was happening in Gaza after the Hamas attack of October 7th, within a few weeks, it was quite clear that war crimes were being committed by the

IDF as well as potentially crimes against humanity. And there had been statements by Israeli political and military leaders that indicated a

genocidal intent.

But it was not clear that this was being implemented. And over the few months after that, by spring of 2024, it became increasingly clear that

what Israel was trying to do was not, as it said, to destroy Hamas and to release the hostages, but in fact, to make Gaza uninhabitable for its

population. And that's what it is doing right now as well.

SCIUTTO: Just today, in fact, the Minister of Heritage for Israel, Amihai Eliyahu, said in an interview that the government is racing to have Gaza

wiped out. In the meantime, thank God we are wiping out this evil and wiping out the population that was educated on Mein Kampf. So, you have had

public statements to that effect, even from some members of the current government.

But what you hear, and I've interviewed many of them on this broadcast from Israeli officials, is that if Gaza were to -- if Hamas were to cede power

in Gaza, were to leave, if this terrorist group were to leave, then those operations would end. What's your response to that argument?

BARTOV: Well, you would have to believe them. There is no world in which the IDF would leave Gaza if Hamas left. In fact, negotiations were over

that. It was possible to have Hamas' leadership leave Gaza, end the war, and return the hostages. But that's not what Israel wants. What this

government wants is to take over Gaza, take over the territory, and empty it of as many of the people in it as possible.

And it claims that it's destroying Gaza because Hamas is using the population as human shields. But in fact, what the IDF is engaged in since

last summer is not a war at all. What it is engaged in is demolition of Gaza. There are bulldozers everywhere. There are tanks, there are militias.

There are viewing points on the other side of the border for people watching how the IDF and independent contractors being brought in and paid

handsomely to destroy every building that stands in Gaza so as to flatten it, as was promised initially by Israeli political leaders right after

October 7th, make it uninhabitable, if possible remove the population, and then have people move in, settlers move into it.

SCIUTTO: You cited in your piece in the "New York Times," and you've mentioned elsewhere, that the deliberate destruction of Rafah by Israeli

forces demonstrated to you that Israel's intent is to make Gaza uninhabitable. But it is true that Hamas lives and breathes among the

Palestinian people in Gaza and will often base itself behind or under or within civilian populations and even civilian buildings such as hospitals.

Could both of those things be true?

[18:10:07]

BARTOV: Yes, of course. And Israel had a right to say after October 7th that it needed to launch a military operation to destroy Hamas. But if the

military operation was -- was planned to do that, then it would not have looked the way it looks now.

So, what Israel actually engaged in was not what it said it was doing. It hasn't destroyed Hamas, it has destroyed Gaza. And the goal was really to -

- to use this opportunity of the -- of the Hamas attack on October 7th to finally solve the issue of Gaza by removing the population from it and

destroying it.

The point is that if you respond to an attack, a terrorist attack, as was launched by Hamas, and there's nothing to condone that it was a war crime

and a crime against humanity, by then deciding to perpetrate genocide on 2 million people, then you cannot claim to have the high moral ground. Then

you've actually become just like your enemy.

SCIUTTO: President Trump, U.S. President Trump, at times has said he's at least repeated the language, well, Gaza is uninhabitable, right? That

perhaps it's impossible for people to leave there. So, there's another solution. You've heard him talk about turning it into a beach resort. But

even entertained at times the idea of moving the people of Gaza out temporarily often qualified as temporarily. Do you see the U.S. President,

the U.S. government as opening the door, at least to that possibility of forcing the population out of Gaza?

BARTOV: Absolutely. Look, what President Trump said at the time when -- when he was meeting Netanyahu, he later was not entirely consistent with

that. But in Israel, and especially in government circles, this was greeted as a carte blanche. This meant that we can do it.

And when Israel broke unilaterally broke the ceasefire in March this year, it immediately began engaging precisely in that policy. And we know that

the head of the Mossad was visiting Washington and that there are debates now or negotiations over moving Palestinians to Indonesia, Libya and

Ethiopia.

SCIUTTO: You lived in Israel yourself for much of your life. You served in the IDF and you wrote that this is a painful conclusion for you to reach.

You grew up in a Zionist household.

So, I wonder what has the reaction that you've received from stating this position now, calling Israeli activities in Gaza a genocide? How have

fellow Israelis reacted to you and others in this country?

BARTOV: Well, look, I mean, I have to say that a lot of people wrote me and said and thanked me for trying to say as clearly and dispassionately as I

could, what I believed was happening there. And people feel that it's very difficult for people to recognize that, because it is a scandal. And I feel

that it is a scandal that the state of Israel that I was born and raised in, and served in the army for and was in a war for, a state that was

founded in the wake of the Holocaust as an answer to the genocide of the Jews, would now, all these decades later, be engaged in precisely the same

thing. So, there are many people who deny it because they cannot accept this truth. But we have to look at the facts.

SCIUTTO: Omer Bartov, we appreciate you joining the program and taking the time to explain your position.

BARTOV: Thank you very much.

SCIUTTO: Well, the feud between the U.S. president and the U.S. Federal Reserve on full display today as Donald Trump and Jerome Powell, the chair,

toured the Fed's currently over-budget building renovation together. The two clashed on the facts, including just how much the project will cost.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: So, we're taking a look and it looks like it's about $3.1 billion. It went up a little bit, or a lot. So, the $2.7

billion is now $3.1 billion. And --

JEROME POWELL, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: I'm not aware of that.

TRUMP: Yeah, it just came out.

POWELL: Yeah, I haven't heard that from anybody at the Fed. Arno said it was about $3.1 billion as well.

TRUMP: $3.1 billion.

POWELL: $3.2 billion. This came from us?

TRUMP: Yes. I don't know who does that.

POWELL: Oh. You're including the Martin renovation.

(CROSSTALK)

POWELL: You just added -- you just added a third building is what that is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Which happened several years ago. Some fact-checking in real time there. Despite that moment, an uncomfortable one to say the least, the

president insists there was, quote, "no tension between the two."

[18:15:13]

Joining us live from outside the Fed headquarters in Washington is CNN's Brian Todd. Brian, what is the state of this relationship? Because Trump

has been attacking the Fed chairman for months, years even, for not lowering interest rates. This whole cost overrun thing is relatively new.

And some say a political attempt to undermine him by other means. Where does it stand?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, shortly after that exchange, Trump was asked, you know, what would you do if someone working for you had

engaged in cost overruns like this for a project? And he said he would fire him. But then Trump later said to the cameras that he does not plan on

firing Jerome Powell over this matter, over this renovation of this project.

But he does seemingly intend to use this project still as a sort of political cudgel to keep swinging at Jerome Powell to make his life

miserable for as long as he can until Powell's term is up in about 10 months. Meanwhile, I can show you what a $2.5 billion renovation looks

like. I'll step away from the camera and our photojournalist Jake Shire (ph) will zoom into this building.

This is the main federal building, the Eccles Building here in Washington. You can see the construction there. You see the scaffolding on the right,

the tarps on the right. You see the blue skin waterproof window covering. And you see the air conditioning hoses going in there for the workers, plus

the cranes out there.

We also have some video that we got earlier today. We got a special tour, the media did, of the facility, where usually only construction personnel

can go. We saw workers in hazmat suits navigating the interior of the building. We saw stone cladding placed on the framework of some surfaces

inside and outside.

We also saw the original skylight over the main entrance hallway. That is being renovated as well. And we got some new information today from Fed

officials about some of the things that are driving costs up, including some new security features, Jim, including blast-resistant windows.

Those are part of security features that are being upgraded here. That is all driving the costs up of this renovation project. Another security

feature is so-called progressive collapse measures to prevent the building from collapsing all at once.

All of this is driving costs up. And Fed officials have said for weeks now that this building really had to be renovated, because these two Fed

buildings that are being renovated were completed in the 1930s, almost 100 years ago. And Fed officials say that the HVAC, the electrical grids, the

plumbing all needed renovation, and it was long overdue.

But again, the president and his allies accuse Jerome Powell of actually engaging in fraud in this project. There's no proof of that. And Powell is

denying that and defending this project very vociferously.

SCIUTTO: Listen, steps like putting in blast-proof, that's standard for federal buildings. I mean, you see that in so many places. I mean, is there

anything to this Trump-led allegation, right, that Powell himself is responsible for this? When was the funding approved and by whom?

TODD: Well, the funding was approved, I believe, in 2019. The project was at least approved around that time. And their -- you know, it's -- it's

independent funds that fund this. And it's all, according to Jerome Powell, been very above board. He's been accused by the OMB chair, Russell Vought,

of violating some construction renovation regulations here, which he has denied. There's no evidence that he has.

Again, the renovation of a building like these, especially buildings that are so old, cost overruns are naturally going to be part of this. There is

no evidence of fraud that anybody has reported on here. And Powell is trying to hit that home as often as he can here. But he's really kind of up

against it between Trump's attacks, Russell Vought's attacks, and the attacks of other Republicans.

SCIUTTO: 2019, of course, during Trump's first term. Brian Todd, outside the Fed, thanks so much.

TODD: All right.

SCIUTTO: U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who once served as Donald Trump's personal lawyer, met today with Jeffrey Epstein's

accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. The meeting, part of the Justice Department's efforts to address a case. The president simply wants the

world, his supporters, to drop and stop paying attention to. Maxwell's lawyer says she cooperated fully.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MARKUS, LAWYER FOR GHISLAINE MAXWELL: He took a full day and asked a lot of questions. And Ms. Maxwell answered every single question. She never

stopped. She never invoked a privilege. She never declined to answer. She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly, and to the best of her

ability. And -- and that's all the comment we're going to have today about the meeting. We don't want to comment about the substance of the meeting

for obvious reasons. And we'll go from there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:20:01]

SCIUTTO: Epstein died by suicide in custody in 2019. Maxwell currently serving 20 years in federal prison for helping him sexually abuse and

traffic young girls. Sources tell CNN that the attorney general informed Trump back in May. His name appeared in documents tied to that

investigation.

We should note the president is never accused of wrongdoing in connection with his relationship with Epstein. Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula

Reid joins me now. And I guess, Paula, very basic question I have is, why are they meeting now?

And is there any concern that Maxwell might seek or the DOJ might offer a pardon if she were to offer something in return? I mean, what is the --

what's the mutual interest here?

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So, the why now, that's because they're in the middle of really the biggest self-inflicted crisis

we've seen from President Trump in either term in office, where the attorney general thought that it was just going to resolve everything by

saying she was not, in fact, going to release any additional materials from this investigation when she had signaled that she did have that intention

to do so. And that multiple Trump allies, even the president himself in the campaign trail, they had all vowed that they were going to release more.

So, then when they released his memo about 10 days ago saying they weren't going to do that, that created a firestorm that they have been trying to

tamp down ever since with a series of moves. They've asked to unseal some grand jury material. Here you see the number two at the DOJ going down to

have this meeting. There are a lot of concerns, Jim.

I mean, let's start, first of all, with the idea of a pardon or commutation. We don't know what the Justice Department has put on the

table, what they have put on offer. But what doesn't really add up is why Maxwell would suddenly have something of value for the government.

The time to share that would have been before she was sentenced to 20 years in prison. And when you're talking about maybe making a deal with someone

like this, there's a lot of landmines here. First of all, she has credibility issues. She's been charged in the past over her truthfulness or

lack thereof over the course of these multiple investigations. And you also have to remember this is a convicted sex trafficker. And any attempt to

give her any relief is going to result in blowback from the victims at the center of this investigation.

And people who really care about these questions and the fact that the administration has not answered them, they know that. And many of them are

truly concerned about the victims. So, this is -- this is really a landmine for the Justice Department and the administration.

SCIUTTO: Paula Reid, thanks so much.

Coming up on THE BRIEF, the rapidly developing AI race and how Germany and Europe are gearing up for the challenge. Germany's digital minister joins

me right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:11]

SCIUTTO: President Trump has unveiled a new AI action plan designed to position the U.S. as the global leader in artificial intelligence. The plan

includes reducing regulations for AI development and making American hardware and software the global standard. The president says he also wants

to eliminate what he calls political bias in AI.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Once and for all, we are getting rid of woke. Is that OK? Because I know you had to hire under -- you had to hire all woke people.

I will be signing an order banning the federal government for procuring AI technology that has been infused with partisan bias or ideological agendas

such as critical race theory, which is ridiculous. And from now on, the U.S. government will deal only with AI that pursues truth, fairness and

strict impartiality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Joining me now is Karsten Wildberger. He's Germany's first ever Digital Minister. Thanks so much for joining.

KARSTEN WILDBERGER, GERMAN MINISTER FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND GOVERNMENT MODERNIZATION: Thanks for having me, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So, the fact that Germany has a Digital Minister shows that Germany, like many other countries in the world, is assessing AI and

adjusting to this new world we live in. President Macron of France told CNN earlier this year that Europe is not in the AI race today, that it's

lagging behind the U.S. and China. And I wonder, do you think that's a fair criticism?

WILDBERGER: Well, I think, first of all, that Germany is now building a new ministry with a strong focus on digital and AI is a clear statement. It's

fair to say that Europe is not using the talents we have from a basic research. And I think it's time to basically also participate in technology

in a more active way. We're, of course, great customers of especially great American companies. And I think it's good for both of us to deliver growth

by also becoming part of that development in technology.

SCIUTTO: There is -- there is a criticism that you hear even from European tech companies that business have to spend so much of their time and money

complying with regulations. There's a statistic that they spend 40% of their I.T. budgets complying, in compliance. Is that an issue that you

believe needs to be addressed?

WILDBERGER: Well, that's definitely a topic that we're discussing in Europe. The heavyweight of the regulation is too much focused on the risk

side of things and not enough on the opportunity side. We're forming a view in the government in Germany. My personal view is it is the case. We're too

risk focused and not enough innovation focused. And that's a conversation we're having in Europe. And also my ministry will be part of that

conversation. And there is a review of the regulation. And we will be an active part and also advocate for making it easier and more innovation

friendly.

SCIUTTO: Now, the president, President Trump's approach, and he's been working in close coordination with U.S. technology companies, is to really

scale back AI regulation to the point, it seems, even of eliminating many of those regulations. And that worries folks. I mean, it's even folks in

the AI space, because people like Sam Altman and others have talked about the dangers here, that you need to have some, at least a box to operate

inside so that you don't allow dangerous applications to grow. So, what is the balance, right? What's the right balance there? Because I imagine you

don't want to eliminate all regulation.

WILDBERGER: No, I think, first of all, I was yesterday at the event. I'm very impressed by the leadership and the confidence that America embraces

this new technology. And that's another reason to join forces. I think the question regulation is, does it, from first principles, address important

questions like, is this true or not? Is my data safe? Or is there some bullying for how do we deal with young people?

I think these are important questions we need to address. I think the challenge in the regulation, especially in Europe, is how it's being

executed, the complexity of thinking regulation through, how do we put that in practice? I personally think that we should address over time those

important questions because they're relevant, but how can we implement them in an easier way than we've done today? And I think that's a very important

conversation to have.

SCIUTTO: As you're aware, AI, like so many other spaces, is an area of competition between the U.S. and China, and not just in terms of business,

but also in terms of national security. Do you fear that Germany and Europe will be caught in the middle of that to some degree? Or is it in Germany's

and Europe's interest to ally itself, as it were, with U.S. artificial intelligence companies, standards, et cetera?

WILDBERGER: Well, look, Germany and Europe, we are great partners of the U.S. 75% of our cloud services is serviced by great American tech

companies, and we value this partnership. And I also speak about friendship, and this relationship is very strong and should continue to be

strong from our perspective.

[18:30:10]

That said, I think our role in Europe is to also participate more actively, not just be bystander, but be an active part of it. And we will want to do

this in partnership as we have done so far. And I think it's -- it's -- we are both better off because it means we will also grow more and it's better

for both sides.

SCIUTTO: Can Germany compete in this space, do you think? Could it be a leader?

WILDBERGER: I think if I look from a basic research from the talents we have, we have great universities, we have great institutions like Max

Planck, Helmholtz or Fraunhofer, very, very powerful institutions and great, great, great young people, very hungry and innovative. And I think

we have proven in the past that we actually can innovate. And I think it's a mindset question.

SCIUTTO: Right.

WILDBERGER: And once we put that switch on, I think we can compete. But it's also competition, but it's also collaboration.

SCIUTTO: Right. Well, Karsten Wildberger, we appreciate you joining. We wish you the best of luck.

WILDBERGER: Thank you very much.

SCIUTTO: Still to come this hour, why deadly clashes are flaring up along the border between Cambodia and Thailand and how the international

community is now responding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Welcome back to THE BRIEF. I'm Jim Sciutto, and here are more international headlines we're watching today.

French President Emmanuel Macron says his country will recognize a Palestinian state in September at the U.N. He also said there is an urgent

need to end the war in Gaza. Israel's Defense Minister is condemning the move to recognize a Palestinian state as, quote, "a disgrace and a

surrender to terror."

Russian forces carried out airstrikes in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, damaging an apartment complex where parked cars there caught fire. This,

according to Ukrainian officials, at least 33 people, including four children, were injured.

[18:35:06]

As many as 50 people, including some children, are feared dead after a plane crashed in Russia's far eastern Amur region. Air traffic controllers

lost contact with the Soviet-era Antonov An-24 passenger jet while it was attempting to land. State media reports the crew did not issue any distress

calls. The plane was operated by a Siberian airline called Angara.

European and Asian leaders urging Thailand and Cambodia to de-escalate after this week's deadly violence along their border, clashes with

Cambodian troops erupted along the disputed border between the two nations. The Thai officials say at least 12 people were killed. It then launched

airstrikes against Cambodian military targets.

Each side is claiming to have acted in self-defense. They are urging civilians to leave the area.

Will Ripley looks into what's causing this rift and how each side is now framing this conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A rocket slams into a 7-Eleven near a gas station in Thailand's Sisaket province.

The Thai military says it was fired from Cambodia just miles away.

Local officials say the number of dead is expected to rise. In Thailand's nearby Surin province, gunfire, families, children scrambled. An eight-

year-old boy killed, the Thai military says. This is the deadliest day of fighting between Thailand and Cambodia in more than a decade.

A border skirmish now spiraling into a larger regional crisis, fighting up and down the border between the two countries. Thailand's military accuses

Cambodia of deploying heavy weapons into civilian areas, rocket launchers, artillery, hitting villages, homes and public buildings.

In response, Thailand sealed off all 508 miles of its border with Cambodia, raising fears of prolonged conflict. Diplomatic ties are unraveling.

Ambassadors recalled Cambodia calling for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting, accusing Thailand's far larger and better equipped army of

brutal barbaric aggression. Thai F-16s bombed Cambodian military outposts, Cambodia responding by attacking a Thai army base.

Thailand insists it's acting in self-defense. They say a Thai soldier was wounded in a landmine explosion. Cambodia claims it's only responding to

Thai provocations.

Thailand's military is more than triple the size of Cambodia's. Its air force among the most advanced in Southeast Asia. Cambodia has no fighter

jets at all.

Complicating matters, political turmoil in Thailand. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended last month for a leaked phone call with

Cambodia's ex-leader Hun Sen, a longtime ally of her father, the former Prime Minister. In the call, she called the Cambodian strongman uncle and

even appeared to criticize her own country's powerful military. That triggered anti-government protests and accusations of undermining national

sovereignty.

On the streets of Bangkok, many don't want war. They also say Thailand needs to show strength.

"I want it to end, but if we don't retaliate, they'll think we're weak," he says. Hospitals are evacuating. Civilians are dying. Thailand accuses

Cambodia of planting fresh mines at the border, in a place where stepping off the trail can cost you a limb or your life. Cambodia denies adding to

the millions of mines that already blight the region.

RIPLEY (on camera): This latest clash began near a sacred temple, one of many sites along a colonial era border drawn by France, which both

countries have laid claim to for more than a century. And with no ceasefire in sight, you have two nations, armed and angry, on a collision course

that's getting harder to reverse.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Now to Venezuela, CNN has just spoken to former soccer player Jerce Reyes, who was deported from the U.S., imprisoned in El Salvador,

before then being sent to Venezuela. He was accused by the U.S. of gang affiliation over this tattoo, which he says represents his favorite soccer

club, Real Madrid.

Stefano Pozzebon joins us now live. And I understand he's playing behind you right now as we speak here. Can you explain his journey over these last

several weeks and months?

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Yes, Jim. Well, we're witnessing here the first soccer match of this Venezuelan migrant, Jerce Reyes, who is crazy

about Real Madrid. And by the way, he played professionally in this country before deciding to find a better luck in the Northern Hemisphere and went

up towards the United States.

Well, Jerce is right there. He plays as a goalie, like his idol, Iker Casillas. And he's there.

[18:40:01]

He arrived back in Venezuela just on Saturday -- on Friday and was only able to arrive here in Machiques. We are in a very remote town in the west

of Venezuela. He arrived here on -- on Tuesday night and we were able to reach him because it takes about two days to get here. Only today we spoke

with him. And actually, what he told us is chilling.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERCE REYES, DEPORTER TO CECOT: After they shaved our heads, we had to walk about 100 feet, crouching like this. They beat us. When we got to the

cells, people were screaming. There was blood on the floor. Vomit. Then the director spoke and said, welcome to the Center for the Confinement of

Terrorism. Welcome to hell on earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: Welcome to hell on earth, Jim. That is consistent to what other Venezuelan migrants who have been recently repatriated from CECOT last week

in exchange for at least 10 U.S. nationals and permanent residents. They were able to arrive here.

We've spoken with several of them and many have told us that phrase, that apparently when they arrived at CECOT, this notorious prison in El

Salvador, the manager of the prison, the director of the prison, gave them a speech and told them, welcome to hell. Well, you can imagine the scenes

of joy, the emotional scenes that we were witnessing here. The first time he was able to see his mother. The first time he was able to see his

daughter. Jerce has two young daughters. He had not seen them for 14 months.

He had left this country looking for a better future in America in April last year. He crossed into the United States illegally to claim asylum. He

handed himself in and claimed asylum in the United States in September last year, citing the economic conditions.

Venezuela has had a little bit of an economic reprisal in the last few months and years, thanks to the engagement from the White House and the

partial relief of sanctions when it comes to oil exportation. But this is still a country with chronic -- with chronic bad economic conditions and

also a country under the strict regime of an authoritarian government.

So, he claimed asylum. He was considered to be a member of a Tren de Aragua. Again, we spoke with the tattoo artist who made him that tattoo. He

told us that he made the tattoo in 2018, which is even before we heard about Tren de Aragua.

And he's now back here. He's now back in Machiques. And he told us, Jim, that he's not dreaming of ever leaving this football field ever again.

Jim.

SCIUTTO: Must be a relief to be on that football field, feeling a lot safer, I'm sure.

Stefano Pozzebon, thanks so much for joining.

POZZEBON: Sure.

SCIUTTO: Coming up after the break, the world of wrestling is mourning one of its true greats. Hulk Hogan passed away at the age of 71. We're going to

take a look back at his career.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:45:41]

SCIUTTO: One of America's best known professional wrestlers, Hulk Hogan, has died at the age of 71. Police say they responded to reports of cardiac

arrest at his home. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Hogan helped transform wrestling into a billion-dollar industry with his flamboyance and star power. Away from the ring, he starred in reality TV,

dabbled in politics as well, tearing off his shirt at the Republican National Convention to endorse Donald Trump.

"We lost a great friend today, the Hulkster," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way, strong, tough, smart, but with the

biggest heart."

Stephanie Elam looks at his career.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HULK HOGAN, PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER: Since I'm the number one in professional wrestling, everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon, man.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The legend who became Hulk Hogan was first drawn to wrestling as a fan. A young musician named Terry

Bollea, whose height and enthusiasm got noticed by the wrestlers he met.

HOGAN: And they said, man, if you can gain some weight, you get a little bit of shape, you got a little charisma there, you know, you might be able

to hit any of this.

ELAM: Bollea received his stage name, Hulk, after fellow wrestlers noticed he was bigger than Lou Ferrigno, the bodybuilder who played the Incredible

Hulk on TV.

HOGAN: We've got hundreds of thousands of Hulkamaniacs. We're going to make Woodstock look like a backyard barbecue, brother.

ELAM: Hogan was not a graceful wrestler, but he was skilled in getting the audience on his side. He became an overwhelming crowd favorite, riding a

huge wave of popularity he called Hulkamania.

HOGAN: For me, you can turn your TV on -- on some weekends and catch 10 saturating hours of Hulk Hogan or more. So, I spent a lot of time in front

of the camera.

ELAM: Hogan's pride in his work got him into legal trouble. In 1984, during a talk show appearance, comedian Richard Belzer asked Hogan to try a

wrestling move on him. Hogan put Belzer in a real sleeper hold, causing him to pass out and collapse onto the hard studio floor.

Belzer ended up with a deep cut to the back of his head. He filed a lawsuit against Hogan and the World Wrestling Federation, which was settled out of

court. But Hogan's star continued to rise, presenting himself as a healthy, family-friendly, flag-waving patriot.

HOGAN: Train, say your prayers, eat your vitamins, be true to yourself, true to your country, be a real American.

ELAM: The peak of his wrestling career came in WrestleMania III, when he defeated Andre the Giant with a body slam.

Out of character, Hogan admitted that his level of stardom couldn't last forever.

HOGAN: They're excited as heck to see you and it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and thank God it's still happening. What if it wasn't?

ELAM: Eventually, Hogan's wrestling stardom did fade and was tarnished when he was forced in court to admit he had used steroids. Hogan tried to

rebrand himself as a reality TV star, the overprotective dad to two kids and Hogan knows best.

HOGAN: If we're dysfunctional, we're a normal dysfunctional family.

ELAM: But that family image was rocked after his long-time marriage ended and a video later leaked online showed him having sex with a married woman.

Hogan sued the website Gawker for invasion of privacy. The case ultimately bankrupted Gawker and ended with a $31 million settlement for Hogan.

HOGAN: I think we made history today because I think we protected a lot of people from maybe going through what I went through.

ELAM: In the ring, on TV, or even in the courts, Hulk Hogan was a compelling entertainer who fulfilled the celebrity dream he had for

himself.

HOGAN: When it's in your blood, you'll do about anything to make it and get the job done.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:51:51]

SCIUTTO: The popular animated TV show South Park kicked off its 27th season this week, well, with a bang, by mocking Donald Trump. South Park showed

the president in bed with Satan, as well as in a number of other compromising situations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Epstein list? Are we still talking about that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you on the list or not? It's weird that whenever it comes up, you just tell everyone to relax.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not telling everyone to relax. Relax, huh?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: The White House hitting back, calling South Park, quote, "a fourth-rate show that hasn't been relevant for over 20 years." Showrunners

Trey Parker and Matt Stone also poked fun at their own parent company, Paramount, despite just inking a $1.5 billion deal with Paramount for more

South Park episodes. This just in to CNN.

The FCC has now approved the $8 billion merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media. It took months to get the green light facing allegations at

times of political interference.

Joining me now, CNN Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter. Brian, good to have you. So, the deal is through, and as you know better than me, there was a

lot of speculation that to get that deal through, well, that explains some of the decisions we've seen at Paramount. The pressure on CBS, on 60

Minutes, Stephen Colbert's exit. So, I wonder, I mean, is South Park in trouble now?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Right. Even though Paramount is a beleaguered media company, the fact that it's been in the news every

day this week because of its various programs speaks to its continued enduring influence, right? South Park is on Comedy Central, a part of

Paramount.

"The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central. "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert is on CBS, part of Paramount. And "60 Minutes," the storied

news magazine that President Trump has been trying to punish in recent months through a legally dubious lawsuit, all of it is part of Paramount.

And all of it may fit into this merger puzzle that has been in front of us for months. Now, officially, the government says that it has nothing to do

with content, does not review content, that that's not what the process is about. And Paramount says the same thing.

But so many observers, Jim, in recent months have been concerned about this prospect of Trump's own personal views ultimately impacting this merger

review process. He was in a legal war with "60 Minutes." He was publicly critical of Stephen Colbert. And so now, just in the last few days, we've

seen Colbert canceled. We've seen the new owners of Paramount reach a bunch of compromises or concessions with the government. And in the last hour,

the government said, yes, we're going to bless this deal. You can go ahead and merge.

So, with billions of dollars on the line, we're going to see these two media companies merge. Now, there will be new owners in charge of

Paramount. And we will see what happens to brands like South Park.

For now, by the way, I think that cartoon is safe for the following reason. It's very popular on streaming. People love to watch it on demand. It's

been around for decades. So, the fact that the creators of South Park decided to target Trump so harshly, so personally, it really is yet another

one of these tests we're seeing in the United States right now.

[18:55:00]

Look, a year ago, that would have just been silly humor. But now it's an act of bravery to stand up to the American president, given his campaign of

retribution. And ultimately, it's a test for how much room there is for dissent, for satire, for criticism of Trump on American television.

SCIUTTO: I mean, this is a big test, right? Because it regardless of what Trump says, fourth rate show, whatever, it still makes money and it makes

money in the space that all these companies want to make money, which is in streaming. So, I mean, I suppose the question is, is that money enough to

allow space for the kind of satire we saw in the last 24 hours?

STELTER: And it's something that's, I think, going to keep media reporters like yours truly very busy, because we're seeing these tests happen over

and over again, not just at CBS, but at other media companies as well. The first major media company to settle with Trump was Disney, the owner of

ABC. That settlement came last December, and it's proven to be a playbook for others, like Paramount and Meta, and in some ways, big law firms and

universities as well. We continue to see some institutions cripple under the pressure, while we see other institutions stand very tall.

SCIUTTO: Yeah.

STELTER: Paramount might say it's actually figured out a good way through this, because it has been able to reach a small settlement with Trump and

get its merger approved. It would probably say it's worth it financially, but many others would disagree, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Well, we'll see if there are more South Park episodes like that to come. Brian Stelter, thanks so much.

And thanks so much for your company today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching THE BRIEF. Please do stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END