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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Operation to Seize Gaza in Early Stages; Israel Calls Up 60K Reservists Ahead of Gaza City Takeover; Trump Demands the Resignation of Fed Governor Lisa Cook; U.S. Coast Bracing for Hurricane Erin; Kremlin Downplays White House Hopes for Ukraine Talks. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired August 20, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton in New York. Jim is
off today. And you are watching "The Brief."
Just ahead for us this hour, the IDF says it has launched the first steps towards taking over Gaza City. Donald Trump calls for the resignation of a
top Federal Reserve official. And the inaugural Asian basketball league begins in China showcasing some of the region's potential NBA prospects,
And we do begin in the Middle East where Israel says its planned takeover of Gaza City has now begun.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. EFFIE DEFRIN, ISRAELI MILITARY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): We will deepen the attack on Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold
of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organization. We'll intensify the strikes on the terror infrastructure above and below ground
and severe the population's dependence on Hamas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, up to a million Palestinians are expected to be displaced under the offensive. Earlier Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved up the
attack's timeline, calling up 60,000 reservists that will double the amount of reservists serving in Israel's longest war. Oren Liebermann has more now
from Jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The drums of war are pounding Gaza City. A new Israeli military operation has been targeting
the largest city in the Northern Strip, one that will require a surge of reserved soldiers to go back to fight again.
Ayshalom Zohar Sal is a reservist who documented his time in Gaza in these photographs. He says he spent more than 300 days in Gaza on four different
deployments. The last one ended one month ago.
I'm a little in shock that we're still in this thing, he says, I'm a little in shock that we're still talking about this war that was supposed to end a
long time ago. And I think if you were to ask everyone in my unit, it's hard for everyone.
The doubts, he says, began creeping in one year ago, and they've only grown. This month, Israel's security cabinet approved the occupation of
Gaza City, a major escalation that could take five months or more. Zohar Sal says he's not going back.
I think this decision is a death sentence for the hostages, he says. The government talked and said all the time that we're talking about two
missions for this war, to return the hostages and to defeat Hamas. Now, it's telling us there's only one goal, which I believe is not achievable,
to destroy Hamas. Even this won't destroy Hamas.
Amidst some of the largest protests Israel has seen since the beginning of the war, families of the hostages are calling the planned operation a
deception, an unforgivable moral, and security neglect. A recent study of reserve soldiers suggested approximately 40 percent or slightly or
significantly less motivated to serve. The military's top general warned the security cabinet of the burden on manpower, an exhausted army in a war
that won't end.
Israel's military relies on reservists to keep fighting, and the military said Wednesday that the takeover of Gaza City will require up to 60,000
more troops. Dan Halutz is the former Israeli military chief of staff.
LT. GEN. DAN HALUTZ (RET.), FORMER IDF CHIEF OF STAFF: I believe that some of them will stay home. When something is coming to an end, you feel it,
and it comes to an end.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised the intense fighting would be over by now.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Once we begin the Rafah operation, the intense phase of the fighting is weeks away from completion,
not months, weeks away from completion.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): That was February 2024. 18 months later, Netanyahu says a new operation is the fastest way to end what has long
since become Israel's longest war.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Joining me now is CNN Military Analyst Colonel Cedric Leighton. Good to see you. Listen, even the IDF, right, those in charge in the IDF
right now, at this hour, bluntly indicated that there was nothing strategic to be gained by this further offensive in Gaza. And I want to ask you now,
how much of a risk is it for the Netanyahu government to continue to be pursuing this?
[18:05:00]
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST AND U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): Well, Paula, this is a huge, huge gamble for them. And when you
look at, you know, basically the health of the Israeli army, there's several factors to consider here. First of all, you had the chief of staff
of the IDF, of the Israeli Defense Forces, warn the security cabinet, as you mentioned, you know, and say that this is something that is very, very
difficult for the army to continue to do on a basis like this.
And then, you have the reservist himself, you know, in the interview with Oren, talking about, you know, that he was -- basically didn't want to go.
And that 40 percent of these of these Israeli soldiers are either reluctant or absolutely not going to serve. And then, you have an increased rate of
suicides or attempted suicides within the IDF.
So, the IDF is basically at a breaking point here if this is not handled carefully. And if the IDF gets to that breaking point where there are too
few soldiers that can go in and actually, you know, conduct operations in places like Gaza City and you know, the surrounding areas of Gaza City,
that is going to really put at risk all of Israel's securities.
So, this is a huge gamble that you see Netanyahu conducting. And that gamble is one that I personally would not want to take if I were in his
shoes.
NEWTON: And even -- and we hear you, and certainly, we've articulated the risk here. So, what would be the best possible outcome here if you are the
Israeli government? Because many indicate that this is not, you know, a military operation, that it is in fact a political one.
LEIGHTON: Yes, it's clearly, I think, as well a political operation, at least it benefits the political side potentially more than the military
side. So, the best thing for the -- you know, assuming that they're going to carry out orders, which I think is a very accurate assumption, they are
going to move into the IDF. And if I were advising the prime minister or serving in the IDF, I would look at it in a way where we have to get a
mission done very quickly, have some immediate successes. And that's -- they're going to be a little bit hard to come by in this particular case.
But then, basically say the operation is terminated, it is time for us to move out. That would be the advice that I would give at least. If they can
do that, the political echelon, as the Israelis call it, would probably not be willing to accept those kinds of -- you know, that kind of advice. But
that is really the way it should be, because they have to do everything they can to preserve the integrity of the IDF and the failure to do that --
a failure to do that would be I think a very bad mistake for Israel.
NEWTON: And then we have the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Gazans who've already been absolutely tormented by this war. Going forward,
you know, if we take it at weeks as opposed to months, this is still incredibly difficult, is it not? To -- they're not getting the adequate
medical attention, the food aid that they need now.
LEIGHTON: Well, that's the -- that is another aspect of this huge problem, Paula. And one thing that the Israelis kind of pay lip service to, but they
don't really internalize this, as I think they should, they are responsible for the welfare of the Gaza population. You know, it's kind of, they
(INAUDIBLE), you break it, you own it. Well, in this particular case, they have definitely broken Gaza. They've, you know, made every attempt to break
Hamas in terms of its political leadership and military leadership, and they've been relatively successful at that. The problem is you cannot
completely eliminate a group like Hamas.
And this effort to go after them, like this is really going to impact the civilian population. It's going to create even more danger of disease, more
danger of famine. This is, you know, basically an unacceptable situation, you know, from a global perspective. And so, the Israelis are putting at
risk also their world standing and that is going to have a significant impact on Israel's ability to conduct all kinds of things, whether it's
military operations, diplomatic endeavors political relations with other countries. And it certainly, I think, also has a negative impact on any
possibility of establishing relations with Saudi Arabia, among other things.
NEWTON: Yes. And it is a good reminder from you that these kinds of precautions that are taken to mind the health and welfare of civilians is
codified in international law, and it is a responsibility of the Israeli government. Colonel Cedric Leighton, we will leave it there.
Now, President Trump is ramping up his attacks on the U.S. Federal Reserve and its members. He's now calling on Fed Governor Lisa Cook to resign after
an administration official accused her of potential mortgage fraud. Now, Cook was appointed by former President Joe Biden, becoming the first
African-American woman to sit on the Fed board.
[18:10:00]
Replacing her would give Trump a new opportunity to influence the Central Bank, which has so far ignored his calls for lower interest rates.
Bill Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, told CNBC why he believes Cook is unfit for office. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL PULTE, DIRECTOR, FedERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY: We alleged that she bought a condo in July of 2021, and 14 days before that, we alleged that
she took out a loan using a Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac form, stating that she had her primary residence in Michigan. 14 days later, as I said, she
went and purchased an Atlanta condo. To make it worse, she then went on to eventually list the apartment and probably is renting it out. This is a
very serious issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now. Cook responded in a statement that she has, quote, "no intention of being bullied" to step down. Now, all of this is coming as
newly released minutes from the last Fed meeting show most officials are still against cutting rates because of the concern about inflation.
Now, Fed Chair Jerome Powell could give some insight into the Fed's policy path on Friday when he delivers a closely watched speech in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming.
Now, U.S. stocks finished mostly lower amid the ongoing Fed rate cut debate. And because of new concerns over tech valuations and A.I. spending.
The S&P 500 fell for a fourth straight session now.
Kristen Holmes joins us now. You know, I want to get back to the fact that Lisa Cook is now defending herself, although she didn't specifically talk
about the allegations. If Lisa Cook doesn't resign, is the Trump administration suggesting that -- and clearly, she's not, at least from
what she said, suggesting that they will fire her.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, what they're suggesting is that they're opening an investigation and we
know that Pulte wrote a letter to the Department of Justice on August 15th with these allegations against Cook saying that she committed mortgage
fraud. So, that is the first step in all of this.
But then we also heard from Pulte on his Twitter today, he seemed to be posting the various bylaws on removing a governor from the Fed Board saying
that, yes, one option is that they resign, but the other option is that if there's cause, the president could remove that person. They were -- he
specifically highlighted that portion and said he believes that the president does have cause in this case.
Right now, though, these are just allegations. And of course, we want to look at the bigger picture here, which is this appears to be part of the
larger pressure campaign against Jerome Powell, the Fed chair. President Trump has been repeatedly attacking him over the last several months about
these interest rates. We also know that he just instated another loyalist to sit on the Board of Governors after what another Democratic appointee
resigned earlier this month. So, this has been an ongoing effort, not just on the behalf of President Trump, but also by his administration.
The other part of this, just keep an eye on, is we know that top officials, including the secretary of treasury, for example, have warned President
Trump that he cannot actively get rid of Powell. That it would hurt the markets very badly. But what we've seen instead is this kind of roundabout
way of trying to strong arm the board and the chair. For example, we know that this investigation has been launched into the new Fed building with
Trump's allies and advisers saying that essentially alleging that Powell is committing some sort of crime by spending too much money, too much of the
taxpayer dollars on this building. We saw Trump tore that building with Powell last month.
But this, again, is a maximum pressure campaign as they try to get these people, including Powell now, of course, Cook, to resign and they can flood
the board, they can appoint their own chair. It doesn't seem likely at this point it's going to work, at least given Cook's statement. And of course,
what we've heard from Powell, that's not going to stop them from launching an investigation. And again, trying to exert maximum pressure.
NEWTON: Kristen Holmes for us at the White House, appreciate it. Now, one of the potential candidates to succeed Jerome Powell spoke earlier with our
own Richard Quest. James Bullard, the former president of the St. Louis Fed, said he expects the Central Bank will cut rates next month and has
further room to go. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES BULLARD, FORMER PRESIDENT, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ST. LOUIS: If you take typical rules that are used and calibrate this, you would find that
you get the current policy rate a little bit higher than what you would really need to fight the remaining bit of inflation that remains above
target. So, I think that's why the committee has room. I think they'll go 25 basis points in September, and they won't make too many promises, but
that I think they'll end up going another 25 basis points in December. And then what I'm suggesting is you could continue that into next year. If the
data cooperates, you could move that up and move faster.
[18:15:00]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: So, if you do that, I mean, are you in the school of thought
that says, well, over the long-term, the 2 percent, et cetera, et cetera, or would you be in favor of changing the inflation target? Because there
comes a point if you -- let's say you lower rates by -- if you wanted up to a hundred basis points, that is certainly going to put some petrol on the
flames, as we would say. And it will make it almost impossible to get back to 2 percent in the medium-term.
BULLARD: I would definitely not change the inflation target. I think that's become an international standard. I think if the United States went
off that international standard, you would set up a period of chaos, like the 1970s where you had high and variable inflation really around the
world. It took years and years to get that under control. So, you really don't want to go back to sort anything like that.
The 2 percent target though I think can be hit and will be hit, but you want inflation to as some totes slowly and nicely into the 2 percent
target. And that's why you have a little bit of room to bring down rates toward the neutral rate, closer to neutral as inflation continues to come
down toward target.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Jared Bernstein joins me now. He is a former chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Good to see you. I do want to start
with this controversy or with Lisa Cook. I mean, the allegations are out there. There must be an investigation and yet, this is already pursued in a
way by the Trump administration as if to determine that she's guilty. She is pushing back, although she didn't address the allegations categorically.
I mean, do you believe this is as plain as it can be? It's a pressure campaign from the White House to get rid of a governor they don't like?
JARED BERNSTEIN, FORMER CHAIR, WHITE HOUSE COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS: I very much believe that, and I think that President Trump and FHFA Director
Bill Pulte, who's behind this, and other such accusations of other people they don't like, have zero credibility around these kinds of accusations.
Note that I didn't say low credibility, I said zero credibility. They are wholly motivated by a campaign to attack the Federal Reserve, in this case,
or for that matter, anyone who says anything or reports any data that they don't like.
This completely undermines any substantive case they have at hand, and this is just another example of something we should be very careful to weigh
against those kinds of actions from this administration.
NEWTON: And I do want to get to that issue of independence, right. Senator Elizabeth Warren is warning that the president and his administration, in
her words, should not weaponize the Federal government to illegally fire independent Fed Board members.
If we broaden out the aperture here a little bit, and we even take, you know, some of the firings that have happened in terms of data, right, in
the United States and the head of labor statistics there, do you believe this is gaming in the system, gaming the data in a way that is dangerous
for the United States?
BERNSTEIN: Unquestionably. I believe that's exactly what it is. In my first set of comments was under -- or underscoring exactly that point.
Anytime you see them going after someone who's reporting something they don't like, who's unwilling to do their bidding on interest rates don't
assume that that person is guilty of anything other than doing their job. There's no better example of that than Erika McEntarfer, who is an
exemplary commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics simply reporting the data.
These folks live in an alternative reality. And when anyone outside of that reality that is in the real reality where the rest of us live contradicts
their alternative vision of the of the world, that person gets in trouble or they get accused of a crime through weaponizing precisely the right
word, through weaponizing the agencies and the power that they have at their disposal. It's all very dangerous.
And where this has led in other countries with author authoritarian plays of this type has been very destructive to the economic system. So, we
should be very, very careful about taking any of this other than what it is.
NEWTON: And we want to talk about the consequences here. I mean, we were talking about the 1970s. You wrote last week that the '70s should -- have
ended the notion that any White House can really influence the Fed without dire consequences, right? The Fed, as you point out, yielded to pressure
from the Nixon administration, kept interest rates low, and what did we get, right? The rest is history. Abysmal record on inflation, high
unemployment, a bruising, recession.
And yet, when I listen to any of these candidates, I mean, look, we just listened to Mr. Bullard, he seems to have taken the lesson from history. Is
there anything really to be afraid of here? I mean, most of these qualify - - these candidates do seem highly qualified.
[18:20:00]
BERNSTEIN: Well, it's a matter of who Trump gets in place on the Federal Reserve and whether the -- that person is willing to do his bidding. Now,
look, the president couldn't be clearer about the messages he's sending to potential Fed nominees, if you give me the numbers I want, if you do what
I'm putting you there to do, you'll be fine. And if you don't, you'll have a problem.
So, perhaps you're right, perhaps students of history will prevail, and you're absolutely right to raise history, because the history is very clear
on this point, when you compromise the independence of the Central Bank very bad things happen to the economy, particularly in the overheating
space, which is exactly what we don't re need right now.
We already have tariffs putting upward pressure on prices. So, we really shouldn't be fooling around with Fed independence in this climate. But
Trump has been absolutely unequivocal, if you don't do his bidding, he'll come after you. So, we'll -- you know, we'll have to wait and see.
NEWTON: Mr. Bernstein, I'm interested to get your insights as to why we have not heard from corporate America about any of this. The CEOs, the
executive class has been -- the silence has been deafening, to use another cliche. Why do you think that is and do you think it's time they speak up?
BERNSTEIN: I definitely think it's time they speak up. I think they're, as you just said, and you nailed it, their silence speaks volumes. I think
they're afraid to go after Trump or to criticize Trump or to criticize the kind of decisions he's made. And it's actually, I think, a really -- a very
unfortunate fear on their part. Because I think that, ultimately, this will hurt their bottom lines.
If they can't get accurate data because the Trump administration has taken control of the data system and is churning out not accurate numbers, but
the numbers they want to see, that goes down the road of Greece or Argentina or countries that have been punished globally when global
investors don't trust the data that that country's putting out. And what do they do, creditors in that case want to higher return on their loans. And
so, interest rates have to go up. Businesses pay for this.
So, I think -- I would love to see these business leaders get some spine. I understand going after Trump is not a low stakes proposition, if you're in
the business community, he'll punch back, but now's a great time to get a little bit of courage.
NEWTON: We'll see if we hear anything from them in future. Jared Bernstein, we will live it there for now. Thanks so much.
Still ahead for us. Hurricane Erin is expected to make its closest approach to the United States mainland in just a few hours from now. We're alive
along the coast as that massive storm approaches.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:25:00]
NEWTON: North Carolina is under a state of emergency as Hurricane Erin continues to strengthen off the East Coast of the United States. Erin is
now a category 2 storm, and it's not expected to make a direct hit to the mainland, but evacuations have been ordered in parts of North Carolina's
outer bank's islands, which could be hit by dangerous storm surge. Dozens of people have already been rescued in the waters off North Carolina in
recent days because they were caught up in dangerous rip currents caused by the storm. Now, to get a better idea of the massive size of Erin, here's
what it looks like from the International Space Station.
Diane Gallagher joins me now from the outer Banks of North Carolina in the town of Nags Head. Yes, I see it there. Thankfully this is not making a
direct hit in the United States, but that's actually what got my attention. I mean, look, Diane, you guys are close to high tide there, I think. What
risk does this storm still pose to places like North Carolina?
DIANE GALLAGHER, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, honestly Paula, the risks are still probably a few hours ahead of us. This is just the
beginning. We can kind of walk down to the shoreline, let you see these waves. We're just beginning to see some of this angry sea right now. The
forecast is a potential of up to four feet of storm surge. And it may not sound like much, but when you are basically at sea level, it could be
deadly and definitely destructive.
You compare that with monstrous waves, also predicted to be potentially on the shoreline. And the real key here -- and you can say there's plenty of
people out on the beach taking it in. It's nice right now. It's actually breezy and beautiful. You'd never guess that we were expecting a hurricane,
a massive one at that to pass on by in a matter of hours here.
But the key is where we are. And the outer banks of North Carolina are kind of this geographic unique location in that they're barrier island chain of
them, and they're all connected by basically one highway, it's called NC 12, and that highway is of the utmost concern right now. And that is
because storm surge, just beach erosion in, general rising sea waters, hurricanes, things like that, it's taken a beaten over time.
And they are concerned because if NC 12 is washed out anywhere, broken up or simply impassable for a while because of sand and other damage, look,
people are stranded, they're stuck. There's no way on or off most of these islands without traveling on NC 12, and that is why they had mandatory
evacuations at some of the islands. They have already shut down most of NC 12 as of about five minutes ago because of over wash with water already as
high tide is coming in.
Again, it doesn't look too bad out here right now, just sort of like an angry sea. There have been some very dangerous rip currents, which we've
been experiencing for about the past couple days, and will experience likely almost into the weekend or further into the week, and that's
happening all along the Eastern Coast as well. Basically from South Carolina all the way up to New York and further into New England. There are
these no swimming bands at this point.
Now, I will say they've allowed surfers out in the water. We've seen a few of them today. The water's been a little choppy, not great surfing weather,
but there were tons of them out yesterday enjoying the waves. No swimmers. The rip currents are dangerous. The beginning of this week, we're talking
about more than 90 rescues in just one county. And so, we've seen that progress -- go down over the past few days. People trying to take it a
little more seriously.
We expect the worst of this to begin now and continue on through the night, probably topping out in the morning here. Officials say they expect it to
be pretty rough in the morning. Again, those roads are already shut down. We watched transportation officials in their construction vehicles doing
dune fortification to try and protect the road there, that NC 12 area, to prevent people from, you know, basically being washed out and stranded.
Again, they have shut that road down. Too dangerous for people to travel at this point. They have decided, and this is before we're fully in high tide
right now, not to mention what is going to happen in the morning. Paula.
NEWTON: Understood. Remarkable, right? All the way up the eastern seaboard, they're telling people, stay out of the water. Diane Gallagher
for us, appreciate it.
Now, as this unusually large hurricane, Erin, is one of the most rapidly intensifying storms in Atlantic history. Think about that. It's delivering
dangerous conditions as we just showed you along much of the U.S. East Coast, even though remember, as Diane just told us, this storm is well
offshore.
[18:30:00]
Now, the Atlantic Hurricane season's peak usually begins in mid-August, and that's certainly ringing true this year. The National Hurricane Center is
monitoring two areas for possible tropical development in the same region Erin tracked through last week.
Daniel Gilford is a climate scientist at Climate Central, a nonprofit, which studies are changing weather. And good to have you along here. So,
you know, that's the thing that really got my attention, that this is one of the fastest strengthening Atlantic hurricanes on record. So, tell us,
what does this mean for the storms to come in the months and years ahead?
DANIEL GILFORD, CLIMATE SCIENTIST, CLIMATE CENTRAL, INC.: Yes, well things are really heating up in the Atlantic this August. We are seeing record --
or sorry, we're seeing very rapidly intensifying hurricanes like we see Erin, which is intensifying over waters that are about a degree and a half
Fahrenheit, maybe up to three degrees here Fahrenheit at some parts of the ocean warmer than they are on average. So, we're seeing these extra warming
waters, which are supercharging these hurricanes, causing them to become very intense.
NEWTON: Now, this is not a problem restricted to the Atlantic, right? I mean, even in the Pacific, much research has noted that consecutive storms
have also been a problem. I mean, we just indicated that they're tracking other storms in the Atlantic right now. Why has this, you know, problem of
consecutive storms really intensified over the last few years?
GILFORD: Yes. So, when an area is struck by a storm in the first place, it, you know, obviously faces a lot of challenges and if another storm kind
of swings in right behind it, it can cause even more damage and sort of compound on the problems that an area is facing. This is really important
for areas that are very -- especially vulnerable to the storms impacts themselves.
NEWTON: But the point is the consecutive storms are now, as I understand it, more likely, right? Just given some of the climate effects we've been
seeing.
GILFORD: So, we're definitely living in a world where climate change is changing the way that our storms are evolving, especially in the North
Atlantic Ocean, we're seeing that there are more storms that are category 4 and category 5. So, more intense storms that are occurring in the North
Atlantic Ocean. That is consistent with the fact that we're seeing much warmer sea surface temperatures in that area.
You know, we're living in a changing climate, a changed climate, and already we're seeing these supercharge storms, these category fours and
category fives become more frequent in the North Atlantic Ocean, and that can, of course, threaten communities in that area.
NEWTON: You have conducted a lot of research in this, along with your colleagues. A lot of that research has been government funded, but
substantial cuts to that funding have been announced. Have you seen the effects of these cuts and is it interfering with the research and the
monitoring of storms like Erin?
GILFORD: You know, it's critical that we continue to fund science research and fund these critical intensive studies of things like tropical cyclones,
which threaten the communities that we care about. We think it's still important that we do that. There is definitely, you know, concern that the
way that the funding sort of landscape has changed, that could be affecting the projections we're putting out there, the predictions we're putting out
there. That's something that we need to continue to carefully monitor.
It's hard to say what extent can these cuts so far have had an impact, but certainly, it's important that we continue to fund fundamental and critical
intensive predictive science so that we can make better decisions for our communities.
NEWTON: And as you said, it's the predictive science of this, because we have seen so many times of being unprepared for the weather. It really
means a loss of life, even if you can't do anything about the destruction of property. Daniel Gilford for us, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.
Now, coming up after the break, the Kremlin's downplaying hopes of direct talks between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, despite the overtures from
the White House. We'll look at what Moscow is proposing after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:35:00]
NEWTON: And welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Paula Newton. Here are the international headlines we're following today.
The first stage of an operation to seize Gaza City is now underway, that's according to an Israeli military spokesperson who says troops are now
circling and holding the outskirts. We've also learned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a shorter timeline for the siege. Israel
plans to force more than a million Palestinians in Gaza City to camps further to the south while it tries to root out Hamas.
Monster waves, some more than six meters high, are expected to pound North Carolina beaches in the coming hours. Hurricane Erin is triggering a state
of emergency and evacuation orders as it moves north. Local officials up and down North Carolina's outer banks have urged residents to evacuate with
widespread flooding expected.
Now, across Southern Japan, cameras caught the moment a fireball lit up the night sky. Experts believe the event was caused by dust particles or
asteroid fragments burning up as they entered the Earth's atmosphere. That was quite spectacular.
Now, the Kremlin appears to be openly contradicting the White House, again, playing down the prospect of a meeting between Russia's Vladimir Putin and
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The White House has insisted that plans for a bilateral meeting are in fact underway. But Russia's foreign
minister, Sergey Lavrov is again indicating that the Kremlin has not agreed to the meeting. Instead, he says, Putin supports sending more high-level
officials with talks with Ukraine. Lavrov is also pouring cold water on future security guarantees for Ukraine, for not including Russia at the
table. Here's what Russia's top diplomat had to say about today's talks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Now, we just proposed to resolve security issues, collective security without the
Russian Federation. This will not work. We've already explained more than once that Russia does not inflate its interest. We will firmly and harshly
ensure our legitimate interest. I'm confident that in the west and above all in the U.S., they understand perfectly well that seriously discussing
security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia and a path to nowhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, with Ukraine's future hanging in the balance, it's unclear when or even -- you heard the foreign minister there, or even if Russia and
Ukraine will hold direct talks. Ben Wedeman is following all of this from Eastern Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The prospect of an imminent Zelensky-Putin meeting seems to be fading with a senior Russian
official throwing cold water on White House claims Putin had agreed to one. Wednesday Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov didn't explicitly reject
the idea only saying Russia ready to raise the level of delegations. Kremlin speak for perhaps there will be a slightly more senior level of
official participation in future negotiations. But certainly, not involving the Russian president.
[18:40:00]
President Zelensky has made it clear he's ready for direct talks, but Putin has long called into question the legitimacy not only of Zelensky as
president, but also Ukraine as a sovereign state. Putin is more than happy to stroll down the red carpet with the likes of President Donald Trump, but
not the head of a state he has invaded.
While Monday, European leaders left Washington seemingly satisfied with the consensus they had reached with American officials on the broad outlines of
post-peace agreement security guarantees, Lavrov made it clear there's no point in discussing those guarantees without direct Russian involvement,
and he accused European leaders of aggressively trying to change the position of President Trump after his friendly summit with Putin in Alaska.
All the while the war goes on Wednesday, the commander of the Ukrainian army toured the eastern front, reporting back that his troops remain on the
defensive as Russia pushes ahead with its summer offensive.
I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Eastern Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, amid the diplomatic moves, more lives are being lost on the battlefield. Ukrainian officials say the latest Russian attacks killed at
least five civilians, three of them in the Eastern Donetsk region. Joining me now is Jim Townsend. He's a former deputy assistant secretary of defense
for European and NATO policy. He's also an adjunct senior fellow at the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.
I want to welcome you to the program. And I will be blunt here, on both the war front and the diplomatic front, Russia is winning. So, what do you see
unfolding in the coming weeks as Russia very successfully, I have to say, stalls for time?
JIM TOWNSEND, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR EUROPEAN AND NATO POLICY AND ADJUNCT SENIOR FELLOW, TRANSATLANTIC SECURITY PROGRAM,
CNAS: Well, that's a very good point. And I think the administration's trying to figure out just what makes sense in terms of next steps.
Obviously, the president wants to meet very quickly either with Putin or in a trilateral basis, but the Russians are saying, we've got to do staff work
first. There's got to be something for the leaders to actually talk about instead of having a meeting like at Alaska where there was a lot of vague
talk and some of it's been misunderstood, it sounds like. And so, I think we're going to see more slow down by Putin, which is fine by him because he
thinks he's winning on the battlefield.
NEWTON: So, none of this is lost on Europe obviously. They went into these meetings understanding that, you know, Vladimir Putin was likely just
stalling for time. At what point, if ever, will these European allies declare, look, enough is enough. We will back Ukraine as never before, and
convince Russia and Putin that the cost of prosecuting this war, you know, is going to go up by the months. Do they have the capacity or the will to
do that, do you think?
TOWNSEND: I think they have the will, for most of Europe has the will to do this. The capacity is a bit light right now, but it's growing. So, what
Putin should take away from this is that the Europeans aren't going anywhere and they're going to be getting stronger and their support is
going to be getting stronger as well.
So, the Europeans are going to stay engaged, not just with Ukraine, by themselves, working through the European Union, working through NATO, but
they want to stay engaged with Trump too. They are trying to make sure that they are not mistakes made or decisions made about Europe's future. If
they're not at the table, they don't have a voice at the table or at least a voice in the White House to talk to the president about their concerns
about their security. So, they're not going to disengage from the transatlantic relationship either.
NEWTON: Understood. Now, I do want to ask you what you make of China's moves here, or lack of moves, except for buying oil from Russia and
continuing to get closer to Russia. You know, the longer this war goes on, it does seem to me that the more geopolitics tilts in favor of China.
TOWNSEND: I think you're right. As Russia has to deal with war and the economic fallout from war, as well as the deaths and the -- being on a
military footing in terms of their economy, that makes them much more subservient to China and concerning help, economic help, whether it's China
buying Russian oil or China helping Russia exploit national natural minerals and oil and this type of thing up in the Arctic, they need Chinese
help there. So, suddenly, China is really playing the heavy hand with Russia and I think they like being there.
And so, we'll see about the United States, though the U.S.-China relationship, where we would sure like to see China pull back from this
assistance to Russia and their close relationship.
NEWTON: Yes, we will see because, you know, President Trump has in fact you know, imposed tariffs on India, but not China so far. Jim Townsend, we
will leave it there. Thanks so much.
[18:45:00]
Now, a father now in a detention center after being arrested by U.S. federal agents, his brother tased. Now, his daughter is talking to CNN
about why she feels her family is being targeted like never before.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: Here in the United States, a video of federal immigration agents violently arresting two undocumented brothers from Mexico has gone viral.
Video shows an agent tasing one of the men repeatedly, even when he is already on the ground. His niece is now speaking with CNN. More from our
Maria Santana.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't do that. You can't do that.
MARIA SANTANA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was the chaotic scene in Norfolk, Connecticut Friday as federal agents surrounded a red truck and
arrested two brothers from Mexico.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you looking for? What are you looking for?
SANTANA (voice-over): 42-year-old Leonel Chavez, who was in the driver's seat, took this video and can be heard pleading for answers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of the car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Leonel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of the car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you looking for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You under arrest.
SANTANA (voice-over): In a second video taken by a witness, an agent with a taser chases after his brother, Ricardo, after he appears to take off
while also being taken into custody, Ricardo Chavez falls to the ground and is tased several times before the officer gets him up and into handcuffs.
Leonel can be heard shouting in the background and is seen in handcuffs against the red truck.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to see the warrant. I want to see the warrant.
SANTANA (voice-over): For the Chavez family, these graphic images are hard to watch.
LEONELA CHAVEZ, FATHER AND UNCLE ARRESTED BY U.S. FEDERAL AGENTS: It made me feel just very angry and very disappointed in my country, and this is
how we're treating people. We're treating them like they're nobodies.
SANTANA (voice-over): 21-year-old Leonela Chavez said her family rushed to the scene after getting a frantic call from her father Leonel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife --
SANTANA (voice-over): When they arrived, all they found was his truck.
CHAVEZ: My dad's truck was just left right in the middle of the road, window smashed, glass on the floor.
SANTANA (voice-over): She says her father has lived in the United States since he was a teenager and is a father of three American-born children who
works as a stone mason owning his own business. Her uncle came to the U.S. in 2008. Both are undocumented.
[18:50:00]
CHAVEZ: I would just describe him as a hardworking family man. He was paying taxes and, you know, it was a very small company, but he was working
on, you know, ways to grow it.
SANTANA (voice-over): Leonela says her father and uncle are now being held in a Massachusetts detention center. In a statement to CNN, the Department
of Homeland Security said that ICE agents were operating in Norwalk last week, but they did not specify whether it was ICE officers who arrested the
Chavez Brothers. CNN has not found any criminal record for Ricardo Chavez in Connecticut. Court documents show Leonel Chavez has several misdemeanor
convictions, but information on each offense is in detailed in public records. Leonela now fears her father could be deported, leaving behind the
life he has built for his family.
CHAVEZ: He always told me that he wanted me to be somewhat amazing in life. He wanted me to amount to so much more than he ever could in life,
and I always held that so close to my heart.
Maria Santana, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And we'll be right back with more news in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: So, one of Sweden's most historic buildings has arrived in its new home. The 113-year-old Kiruna Church was lifted from its foundation early
Tuesday for a five-kilometer journey down a winding road. It's often voted the most beautiful wooden structure in Sweden, and one of its largest.
CNN's Muhammad Darwish has more now on that move.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOFIA LAGERLOF MAATTA, CULTURE STRATEGIST, KIRUNA MUNICIPALITY: People have been walking past this area for hundreds of years, but tomorrow
morning when they wake up, it will be totally different. There will be no church at that spot anymore.
MUHAMMAD DARWISH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is how you move a century old church across an entire city.
MAATTA: It's like a gift of architecture and art. It's not like any other church you've seen.
DARWISH (voice-over): Located in Sweden's northernmost City of Kiruna, the church moved along a three-mile purpose-built route. Preparations for the
project started more than a year ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We widened the road down to the new place from approximately nine-meter up to 24 meters.
DARWISH (voice-over): The church had been lifted onto a specialized trailer and was moved at a speed of 0.3 to 0.6 miles an hour. The move is
part of a bigger project, to relocate the city after years of digging at the world's largest underground iron ore mine has destabilized the ground.
The transformation will see nearly 6,000 residents and a third of Kiruna's buildings relocated over the next two decades.
MAATTA: It is not an easier project moving one-third of a city to another place. It's affects a lot of people. It's affects us every day, like
sometimes one road is open, the next day it's not, and we're moving and we have to see places that we have grown up to and where we have memories be
gone away or destructed.
[13:55:00]
DARWISH (voice-over): When completed, Kiruna will stand as one of the largest urban relocations in modern history. A city reborn with its church
still at its center.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And finally, for us tonight, a man in Alaska guy is scratching his head following last week's summit between presidents Trump and Putin,
because he says the Russian delegation gave him a new motorcycle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK WARREN, RECEIVED MOTORCYCLE FROM RUSSIA: It's so absolutely astronomically random that it was hard for me to understand why this
happens. Matter of fact, I still don't know why.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: So, that was Mark Warren, who says a week ago, two Russian journalists saw him riding his Euro motorcycle and asked to talk with him.
The Euro company was founded in Russia, but the bikes are now made in Kazakhstan and distributed from Washington State. Warren says he explained
to the reporters how he had trouble getting parts for the bike, and days later, he received a new motorcycle and told it was a gift from the Russian
government.
All right. I want to thank you for your company. I'm Paula Newton. That was your brief. Stay with CNN for more news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
