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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: U.S. Targets Multiple Iranian Tankers; Russia Pummels Ukraine After U.S. Envoys Leave; Kremlin: Putin and Trump Speak After Visit by U.S. Envoys; 9/11 Records Show Officials Misled Public; U.S.-Canada Trade War Escalates After Talks Collapsed; Western Nations Sanction Israeli Settlements. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired September 08, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": 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, we are told the U.S. is now striking multiple Iranian tankers in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran fired missiles on a U.S.
warship. Russia continuing to pummel Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, killing at least five people just hours after a visit by U.S. envoys, including
President Trump's son-in-law. And New York City releases documents from the 9/11 attacks showing that city officials knew the air at ground zero was
unsafe to breathe despite telling the public otherwise.
Our top story now, the U.S. military is striking multiple Iranian tankers near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz. This according to two U.S.
officials. One of those officials says the vessels were struck in response to Iran's attempted missile attacks on a U.S. Navy warship. Tehran is now
threatening to retaliate itself by targeting oil tankers near ports in Bahrain and Kuwait.
In Europe, Russia has resumed its attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, one day after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the
country. Russian missile and drones killed at least five people in the Ukrainian capital and wounded two dozen others. This video here shows the
moment, the very moment, a Russian drone struck a building which houses the TV station, We Are Ukraine. One of its staff members says this is the
second time the office has been hit in less than three weeks. On Monday, Russian drones struck a factory in northern Ukraine as well, this one owned
by the British American Tobacco Company.
The Kremlin says the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and U.S. President Trump spoke today for about an hour to discuss what the Kremlin called
paths to Ukrainian settlement. Witkoff and Kushner have said Washington does want to resume trilateral talks.
Kristen Holmes is live at the White House. And, Kristen, much to discuss tonight in both Iran and Ukraine. Beginning on Iran, you again for another
day of the U.S. and Iran exchanging attacks here. Do White House officials believe the U.S. has this under control? Do they worry about escalation?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's certainly hard to come up with a strategy when you can't trust your enemy and your
enemy is unpredictable. And as you noted, the strikes are in response and retaliation for Iranian attempted strikes at a U.S. Navy carrier. And this
comes just days after Vice President J.D. Vance said that he didn't believe that you could call what was happening in Iran a war, citing specifically
that there was no fire being traded. Now, that had been shortly after we had seen an exchange of fire. And now, of course, we are seeing this again.
And we have to remember that the White House wants this as far away from them as possible. They understand that there's not going to be an end to
the war, but they are trying to get out of these military operations, which they have intelligence that shows isn't really helpful when it comes to
Iranians getting to the negotiating table.
But on top of that, it is a reminder to the American people when these attacks go on that they are still in a war with Iran. And this war is
deeply unpopular with Americans across the board. So, the strategy has been and has been tried by this administration, continues to be tried by this
administration, is one of economic strangulation of Iran. But they obviously at the same time cannot let any kind of attacks on U.S. ships or
any ships that are passing through the Strait of Hormuz or, as it was a week and a half ago, the Iranians trying to lay mines in the Strait of
Hormuz. They can't let that happen without any kind of retaliation. And it doesn't seem as though Iran is going to stop any time soon.
So, it does appear that there's going to be a back and forth continuously as long as Iran is going to strike ships, as long as Iran is going to play
dirty in the Strait of Hormuz by laying these mines that the United States, President Trump says they've cleared. We have no indication that Iran is
going to stop any time soon.
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SCIUTTO: Now, on Ukraine, of course, you have two high-level U.S. envoys in Kyiv over the weekend, including the president's son-in-law, Jared
Kushner. And yet, hours later, Russia strikes that very same city. I wonder, did you hear a note or a word of criticism or condemnation that
those attacks followed so swiftly after the visit of those U.S. envoys and what it means for Russia's genuine interest in peace talks?
HOLMES: Well, the question has always been, what is Russia's genuine interest? And no, we didn't hear any condemnation, particularly after these
envoys left. But the other interesting part of that is that the readout we have so far on this call between Putin and Trump has come from the Kremlin,
not from Trump himself, not from the administration kind of trying to tout what they talked about. And the reason for that might be just given the
tone that this Kremlin readout had.
And two things I want to point out to you is they said they spoke for about an hour in a mutually respectful and businesslike manner. They also called
this conversation constructive and frank. The reason I point that out is because the last time the Kremlin called a conversation constructive and
frank, President Trump was not happy with the outcome of that conversation.
And the Kremlin, again, described this as a path towards Ukrainian settlement and said Trump is interested in achieving a breakthrough during
his presidency. Those are the words they used. Trump is interested. Not everyone is interested, not the parties are interested.
So, even though the administration, even though President Trump continues to say that he believes that Putin wants peace, that both Putin and
Zelenskyy want this war to be over, the Kremlin's own words indicate that it is Trump who wants this war to be over and not necessarily Vladimir
Putin.
SOARES: Yes. It's always interesting to parse the words of those readouts. There can be tea leaves in there. Kristen Holmes at the White House, thanks
so much.
Well, joining me now to help interpret those words and the events of the weekend, Evelyn Farkas, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for
Russia, Ukraine and Asia, currently executive director at the McCain Institute. Evelyn, good to have you.
EVELYN FARKAS, FORMER U.S. DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR RUSSIA/UKRAINE/EURASIA: Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, first, I do want to begin with the immediacy of Russia resuming strikes on Kyiv. Really the moment that U.S. envoys left. Is that
a deliberate -- and I hate to use this kind of language, but F you to the peace process?
FARKAS: Yes.
SCIUTTO: Tell us why.
FARKAS: Yes. I mean, Vladimir Putin -- well, Jim, because Vladimir Putin is heavily into signaling. He knows that the Ukrainians will understand
what he's trying to say. And I don't know that he knows or cares whether our administration will get the signal. I think that he's communicating to
the Ukrainians that I'm coming after you and I'm not serious about peace.
SCIUTTO: Is that a message of then defiance, even dismissal of the U.S. intervention? Because President Trump often talks about how well he's
friends with Vladimir Putin. But to deliver such a message that doesn't sound very respectful.
FARKAS: Well, yes. So, it would be risky for Putin if he thought that President Trump would interpret it the way we are interpreting it as not
only, you know, an affront to Kyiv and to Ukraine, but also to the U.S. effort to broker a peace. But I think that Vladimir Putin is taking the
risk that President Trump cares so much about getting a peace almost at all costs that he's not going to be offended.
You know, for whatever reason, President Trump seems to really want to do business and to placate President Putin over, frankly, the interests of the
United States, of the International Community, of human rights and international law.
SCIUTTO: We have heard that there was progress in the meetings in Moscow and in Kyiv. Do you have a sense of what? Listen, we've heard that before.
Let's be frank. And there's been no progress. In fact, the war has escalated and expanded. What could be the root of that progress?
FARKAS: Look, Jim, I'm incredibly skeptical that there was any progress made. These parties both want to tell President Trump that progress was
made and to curry favor with the United States, because, of course, the U.S. can do damage to both Russia and Ukraine.
And right now, the U.S. is doing damage to Russia through our sanctions. And even the sanctions that we're putting on Iran could end up biting
Russia. And Ukraine, of course, needs us. They need our intelligence. They need our continued arms support and economic support from, of course, the
Europeans, mostly not us. But they want President Trump on their side. So, they're all going to say there's progress. I'm skeptical.
Having said that, you know, if we can even get some kind of ceasefire, they're talking about lowering the temperature, you know, during the
winter, some type of ceasefire. That might help. But, frankly, it's in the Ukrainian interest to keep hitting, targeting Russia back in the rear,
taking out their fuel depots, their logistics, hitting Russia economically and also militarily. Hitting some of their military installations, air
bases, et cetera.
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And for Russia, Putin, I think, is being misled, frankly, and I'll just leave it at that, by his intelligence and military commanders, because the
military effort isn't going that well for them. They're barely making any - - I'm not leaving it at that. They're barely making any, you know, advances. They're losing anywhere between 30,000 to 40,000 or more troops a
month. And they're going to have to make that up somehow. And the war is not popular in Russia anymore. I mean, it's seen as, you know, at least 50
percent of the Russians think they might not win this war.
SCIUTTO: Listen, and let's be frank, we've seen a lot of ceasefires that really haven't been ceasefires in practice, whether that be in Lebanon or
between Iran and the U.S. We'd have to see.
FARKAS: Gaza.
SCIUTTO: Yes, Gaza. Evelyn Farkas, always good to have you on. Thanks so much for joining.
FARKAS: Thanks, Jim. Great to see you.
SCIUTTO: Well, Friday, if you can believe it, will mark 25 years since the 9/11 terror attacks. And there are disturbing new revelations that New York
City officials at the time knew the air around the fallen Twin Towers, Ground Zero, was toxic and unsafe to breathe. But they repeatedly insisted
to the public the air was safe.
New York City today released 170,000 pages of previously undisclosed documents, including air quality reports and contamination records. Some of
those records show that asbestos in a building near Ground Zero, 10 months after the attack, the asbestos was found there.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says more people have died from illnesses related to 9/11 than the nearly 3,000 killed on that day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-NY): People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air. And then
when they began to contend with the symptoms of the illnesses that followed, the government that had not hesitated to send them into harm's
way was nowhere to be found.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: You see Jon Stewart next to him there. He's been an outspoken advocate for this. My next guest reported from Ground Zero for weeks after
9/11. Lukas Alpert came down later then with thyroid cancer. He just wrote a searing article about this in New York Magazine titled "The Other Victims
of 9/11." He writes, quote, "25 years after the attack, tens of thousands of people like me have been diagnosed with serious illness."
Lukas Alpert joins me now. Lukas, it's good to have you. And I just wonder, seeing these documents released now, not only corroborating that the air
was unsafe to breathe, but also indicating officials knew and didn't tell the public, yourself included, about it. What's your reaction to seeing
that?
LUKAS ALPERT, MANAGING EDITOR, THE DAILY CATCH AND AUTHOR, "THE OTHER VICTIMS OF 9/11" IN NEW YORK MAGAZINE: You know, I would say that in the
25 years that have passed, I think what came out today is something that anyone who's really been connected to this largely knew for many years,
that, you know, the air was far worse than officials let on in the initial weeks and months after the attack.
I mean, the data just proves it. You can see how many people are in the health program now. It's tens of thousands of people have gotten sick. So,
-- and there have been many studies to show that rates of many serious diseases are quite high among this population. So, I think what came out
today just, you know, reinforces what we have long known, was that, you know, what we were being told in the initial aftermath of the attack was
incorrect, to put it, you know, politely. You know, and that there was information at the time that maybe made it clear that what they were saying
was not accurate.
SCIUTTO: Yes. In your reporting, you said that there are many more people who were affected by that air and didn't know it. Are there still people in
that category who might not know that conditions they're experiencing today were tied to what they breathed in in the weeks after the attacks?
ALPERT: Oh, for sure. I mean, the CDC has estimated that they're probably in what is considered the exposure zone, that there are as many as 400,000
people who were exposed to that air. Currently in the program, it's about 154,000. So, you know, there's some ways to go to catch up to that figure.
I mean, people who were in this -- you know, run this program said that, you know, there's no way to really know how big this thing's going to get.
And the exposure zone, of course, was, you know, set up by the program, you know, which was authorized by Congress, you know, limits the -- there's a
line, you know, if it's south of Houston Street, you're in the exposure zone. If it's north, you're not.
SCIUTTO: Right.
ALPERT: But, you know, air didn't stop at Houston Street. I mean, it went all over the place. And so, I think, you know, it's going to be -- you
know, we'll never really know the full extent of it. In terms of what -- you know, will be determinable, no, I don't think we're quite anywhere near
the end of this.
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SCIUTTO: What would accountability look like to you and to other victims and other victims' families? Because, of course, so many of those victims
are no longer around.
ALPERT: I mean, I think, you know, everyone's going to have a different opinion about this. I -- you know after many years of dealing with this,
you know, look back, and I do appreciate at the time, you know, the chaos that was going on in Lower Manhattan at that time. There was very little,
you know, benchmarks for which to gauge, you know, the -- what would be an appropriate exposure level. There really had never been anything quite like
this. The area involved, the amount of different toxins that were in the air, how to deal with this.
Yes. I wish, you know, that they had been more clear, you know, that the science had been more appropriately followed. You know, it probably
wouldn't have helped me. I had to go there. I was working as a journalist. I was on site for weeks. That was just my job. There were a lot of people
like me, first responders, people who were on the pile. That was just what we were doing.
But I think for the people who are maybe more incidentally impacted by this, you know, people that the program refers to as survivors, which are
people who lived in the area, worked in the area, went to school in the area, if they had known, maybe they would not have returned as quickly as
they did. You know, so, I mean, I think that -- yes, I think a lot of people have a good right to be angry. But, you know, it's 25 years later. I
don't know what we do about it.
SCIUTTO: Yes. I mean, listen, a lot of them, as you note, were children living in the area. But before we go, are there individuals that you hold
responsible for this in leadership positions who knew but didn't let you know?
ALPERT: Well, the two names that always come up when you talk to people about this are Christine Todd Whitman, who was the head of the EPA, who put
out very, you know, unabashed statements saying everything is fine. You can return to work, return to your homes. And Rudy Giuliani, who largely echoed
that. He had sort of made some statements to the effect that, you know, if you're on the pile, you should wear masks. Maybe some acknowledgment that
there were issues. But those are the two names that I think come up the most.
You know, obviously, there are EPA scientists. I mean, we don't know who they are. But those are the public faces of this issue. Christine Todd
Whitman has spoken -- she spoke to me for this story. She, you know, said that she did the best she could with the information she had available to
her. She's not a scientist. She made it clear.
You know, Rudy Giuliani has never really addressed this issue. He didn't talk to me. He didn't respond to me. You know, he has said at one time that
he just was following the guidance he was getting from federal officials. So, he kind of not accepted much responsibility there. But Christine Todd
Whitman is a little bit. But, you know, people have a lot of anger for them, which seems justified to me.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, listen, it almost sounds like something of a pandemic, right? Folks didn't know the effects. They were dodging and weaving and
trying to respond as it was happening around them. But even as they knew, as they were learning, they weren't sharing it. Lukas Alpert, we appreciate
you sharing both your reporting but also your personal experience of the story.
ALPERT: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Still ahead, the future, if there is one, of U.S.-Canada trade. New Canadian tariffs on hundreds of U.S. products are now in effect, while
President Trump is threatening Canadian jet maker Bombardier. We'll discuss what comes next with the top Canadian auto official.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back in today's Business Breakout. U.S. stocks fell across the board as Wall Street kicked off the holiday-shortened trading
week. The Dow fell more than 1 percent as oil prices hit new six-week highs. Brent Crude rallied to almost $98 a barrel amid escalating violence
in the Middle East. Rising oil prices are making the U.S. inflation and interest rate picture even more uncertain. The U.S. releases its August
consumer inflation report on Friday ahead of the Fed decision on interest rates next week.
Canada has now followed through on its threat to impose steep new retaliatory tariffs on some $20 billion worth of U.S. goods. Tariffs
ranging from 15 percent up to 50 percent on hundreds of U.S. imports went into effect early Tuesday. The items infected include U.S. paper products
as well as steel and home appliances. Canada is matching dollar for dollar the tariffs the U.S. imposed soon after trade talks between two nations
broke down last month. There have been no new talks since then and none are currently scheduled.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned today of uncertain times ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: The past 40 years has been a period of deeper economic integration with the United States. Truth is it was easy
business but it meant we relied too much on one economic partner. It's clear that time is over. This is why our plan since I came into office has
been development and diversification not denial waiting to go back to some good old days and not continued dependence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: As the trade war escalates President Trump says the Canadian jet maker Bombardier should no longer be able to sell its jets in the U.S. at
all until it builds them entirely in the U.S. Bombardier noted its plates are made with many U.S. parts and that it employs thousands of workers
here. Senators from Kansas, where Bombardier is a key employer, say they've reached out to the Trump administration to protest. Those are Republican
senators by the way.
Also, today Bloomberg is reporting that the E.U. and Canada are working on a far-reaching new alliance to strengthen their partnership encompassing
not just trade but also national security, supply chains, raw materials.
Joining me now is Flavio Volpe. He's the president of the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association. Also, a member of the Prime
Minister's Council on US-Canada Economic Relations. Flavio good to have you back. Thanks so much for joining.
FLAVIO VOLPE, PRESIDENT, CANADIAN AUTOMOTIVE PARTS MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION: Thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: So, first explain as someone who is who is in it there representing auto workers who benefit companies on both sides of the
border. How Bombardier specifically was in your view a win-win deal?
VOLPE: Yes. Sure. So, I represent the auto suppliers the employers the companies and they're the same as the aerospace supplier companies.
Bombardier, like Ford Motor Company, is one of these great North American success stories. It's based in Quebec but it's invested all over the United
States as well and grew up in the post-war era especially over the last four decades or so that the prime minister is talking about free trade
drawing from suppliers on both sides of the border, 2,800 U.S. suppliers to that plant in Quebec.
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And the engines on one of the planes it makes comes from Arizona and the other planes it makes the engines come from Indiana. The president in
picking on this company like it's picked on Detroit is putting a wall in the middle of the manufacturing cluster in North America.
And we are -- of course, he wants Quebec and Canada to suffer. It's true. But Arizona, Kansas, Indiana, a whole bunch of other states are directly
affected by this. And just like he doesn't care what Ford Motor Company in Detroit, he doesn't appear to care about American competitiveness here.
SCIUTTO: Trump justified these tariffs in part by saying they would create more U.S. manufacturing jobs. But as you note, as those Republican senators
in Kansas and elsewhere note, it does employ U.S. workers, many hundreds of them.
Given that he is still targeting this company, does it reveal to you the true goal of the tariffs that in your view, as you say, it's to hurt Quebec
and Ontario not so much to deliver these manufacturing jobs?
VOLPE: Look, we're a year and a half into this trade war and I'm not sure it actually has a clear objective that's quantifiable and measurable from
the American side. This -- he brought this up in saying that some type of Canadian certification is biased against Gulfstream. And first of all, it's
untrue. And second of all, Gulfstream has a fantastic North American supply chain, which includes Quebec and Ontario. We do all this stuff together.
He is appealing to the worst nature of people who are trying to recall an American golden era that actually never excluded Canada. It was -- we were
all part of the same team. I remember growing up in the Cold War and looking at the Soviets and saying, look, you know what, thank God we're
aligned with the good guys and we do all this stuff together, including make cars and planes.
And today, I'm not sure who the good guys and the bad guys are anymore, but the White House is hurting everybody who makes stuff across North America
while the Chinese are making return on investment. They're spending billions on innovation. They're taking over new markets. And here the
president is doing things that's requiring competitive American companies to absorb tariff costs. It's like taking money and throwing it in the oven
for heat. We don't get it here.
SCIUTTO: Yes. I mean, listen, the new levies, they double the taxes charged on American aluminum and steel to 50 percent. These are the
retaliatory tariffs. And that's a cost, of course, to U.S. consumers and manufacturers.
Before we go, given that your focus is the auto industry, what do these tariffs and just the worsening of the trade relationship mean for the auto
industry? And do you see U.S. auto companies saying, listen, as much as we like being in Canada, we got to move our supply chains out. We just can't
bear these costs.
VOLPE: We haven't seen that happen in a year and a half on this. What those companies are telling the White House is, you're costing me lots of
money on very profitable plants in Canada, billion-dollar plants, $10 billion supply chains. You're costing me access to a market. Canadians buy
more American-made cars and American-branded American-made cars than the next three trading partners combined. So, you're hurting their ability to
get real profitable volumes.
And then American parts suppliers, their number one export market, $29 billion a year, is Canada and into that Canadian assembly. Detroit is
telling Washington that if you continue down this path, you're going to wreck us. And the companies -- the Center for Automotive Research in
Michigan said, you know, this is costing the auto sector $180 billion over three years, and it's really costing Detroit.
And what we see here on Bombardier is what he's been doing to Detroit for a year and a half. We're terribly excitable here on what's happening on
Bombardier because it's the Canadian OEM. But we built Ford together and General Motors and Chrysler and Dodge, and we love those companies and we
love buying those cars. But he's making it really hard to continue that relationship.
SCIUTTO: Well, I hope the country's finding a way forward. Flavio Volpe, we appreciate having you.
VOLPE: Yes, me too. Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Coming up next, language rarely used by Israel's own allies. The U.K. condemning, quote, "settler terrorists" as it joins other Western
nations in announcing new sanctions. We have the details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto, and here are the international headlines we're watching today.
U.S. officials say the U.S. military has targeted multiple Iranian tankers near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz. One of them says the vessels hit
in response to Iran's own strikes or attempted strikes on a U.S. Navy warship. Tehran says it will now retaliate to the latest U.S. strikes by
striking oil tankers in Bahrain and Kuwait.
The Kremlin says that Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on the telephone. This after U.S. envoys Steve
Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited both Moscow and Kyiv seeking peace. Russia says the two leaders discussed what Russia calls paths to a
Ukrainian settlement. Witkoff and Kushner have said the White House wants to resume trilateral talks.
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Missouri's request to use a new congressional map for the November midterm election. That map could have
helped Republicans flip a Democratic-held House seat. With the map now blocked, the Republican Party is poised to gain a net of nine seats in the
U.S. House of Representatives.
Now, to a stunning clash between Israel and some of its top Western allies who have just announced plans for sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements
in the occupied West Bank. The U.K., France, and Canada say they will ban the import of goods from settlements and take other measures. Nine other
Western nations have signed a joint letter to take similar action.
Intimidation and violence against Palestinians has been surging in areas which the International Community views as part of a future Palestinian
State. Statehood is something one Israeli minister has called an idea to be buried. The British foreign secretary used rare and startling language as
he unveiled the new sanctions.
[18:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED MILIBAND, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Ethnic cleansing is defined by the U.N. as a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to
remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas. The
British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank perpetrated by settler terrorists. And all too
often, the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this. And worse, members of it have made statements and taken actions to support the forced
displacement of Palestinians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: In response, Israel said it is closing the British consulate in East Jerusalem. Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar called the sanctions
morally corrupt and accused the U.K. of trying to interfere in Israel's upcoming elections.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIDEON SA'AR, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: This is a blatant and completely unacceptable attempt by a foreign government to exert external influence in
the midst of an election campaign. However, the Israeli public overwhelmingly supports the communities in Judea and Samaria and
overwhelmingly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian terror state in the heart of our land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Human rights and monitoring groups have said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government turns a blind eye to violence,
something that is part of a broader ecosystem of state-supported settler violence.
Joining us now is Zaha Hassan, a human rights lawyer and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Zaha, thanks so much for
joining.
ZAHA HASSAN, HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER: Thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: So, first, tell me, in your view, the significance not just of these sanctions but the language and the allegation, because you have the
British foreign secretary there saying on the floor of the U.K. parliament that Israel is carrying out ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.
HASSAN: Well, I think that's the most stunning thing about the foreign secretary's remarks is that he's using language we never hear from Western
governments when they're talking about Israel. Not only did he mention ethnic cleansing, but he, you know, he talked about sort of the shame and,
you know, appalling situation in Gaza and Israel's responsibility for that and talked about, you know, the genocide case. And not that there has been
a determination, a legal determination yet, but that, you know, signaling that the U.K. would be waiting for that determination and would be
respecting international law and whatever came out of that case.
So, what we're seeing is definitely a different rhetoric from the U.K., but followed by, importantly, this notion of sanctions. Sanctions against
Israeli settlers, sanctions against companies that are facilitating Israeli settlements, including banks, which is really significant. And we also
heard from him this notion of accountability around weapons transfers and more restrictions on license to weapons that are materially supporting the
occupation until the occupation ends. And so, I thought that was also a very important point that he raised.
SCIUTTO: But let me ask you this, because, of course, the U.S. is absent from this and the U.S. is Israel's biggest supplier of weapons, weapons
systems, and also a biggest source of aid. Do sanctions like this, does action like this, have power when the U.S. doesn't just sit it out but
actively opposes it?
HASSAN: Well, that's the real question here is how will the U.S. react to, you know, its allies taking these actions. We have 12 Europeans, along with
the U.K., that are talking about taking these measures. We heard from the ambassador to Israel, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Huckabee, say that,
you know, this wouldn't -- this isn't going to be something that the U.S. takes sitting down. Rubio -- Secretary Rubio, was more restrained in what
he said. We have yet to hear something from the president.
But in the past, the U.S. has taken measures against those who have been willing to impose costs and consequences on Israel for its continued
occupation, for its settlement expansion, for the settler violence, that not only does Israel turn a blind eye to, but the Israeli military is
actually facilitating the settler violence that's taking place as an instrument to clear land for further settlement expansion.
[18:40:00]
SCIUTTO: Yes.
HASSAN: So, it remains to be seen what the administration is going to do. But I don't think it's going to sit back and allow this activity from its
allies.
SCIUTTO: Yes. And the proof is on the ground, right. because over the last several decades the settlements occupied land has only grown over time.
Discussion of a two-state solution because you will have -- you'll hear from British, Canadian and French officials here that this stands in the
way of the possibility of a two-state solution.
But when I go to Israel in recent months and years and speak to Israelis and Palestinians who supported the idea in the past, I don't hear a lot of
hope that that's still a genuine possibility. In fact, often I hear no hope whatsoever. Is it effectively dead? And if not, what would it take to
revive it.
HASSAN: Yes. I agree with you. I was just in the occupied West Bank and the hopelessness is really, you know, prevalent among Palestinians. That
hopelessness comes from a lack of, you know, the U.S. engagement on stopping Israeli impunity. It comes from an International Community that's
kind of just stood back and allowed -- you know, the settlements to expand allowed for genocide to take place in Gaza for the last almost three years
now. And so, there is this sense of, you know, powerlessness and hopelessness.
The two-state solution, Palestinians aren't even there anymore. They're not talking about, you know, a political solution. They're talking about being
able to stay on their land. They're talking about, you know, how to end the ethnic cleansing and who's going to be, you know, doing that. And so, the
notion of a future a Palestinian political future is on hold. Palestinians are really just thinking about, you know, how to survive.
SCIUTTO: Zaha Hassan, thanks so much for joining.
Well, Israel's prime minister is facing a political backlash over a report which found he was warned of a major Hamas attack just days before October
7, 2023. A report published in the Haaretz says the president of the UAE phoned Netanyahu 10 days before the October 7th attacks warning that Hamas
was planning to cause Israeli bloodshed in a move that could destabilize the region. The Israeli prime minister's office calls that report an
absolute lie. The UAE said it would not comment on talks between leaders but did not deny that a call took place.
We'll be right back after this.
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SCIUTTO: Another brazen art heist in France is not surprisingly spurring calls for better security at museums. Authorities are now searching for
thieves who robbed the Renoir Museum in southern France. Early this morning they cut out four paintings by the legendary artists from their frames. As
they fled however, they dropped two of the paintings leaving those behind. The latest now from CNN's Melissa Bell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thieves have stolen four paintings abandoning two as they fled from France's Renoir
Museum in the latest heist to hit the art world. A large hole can be seen in this wired fence surrounding the museum.
The impressionist painters, Madame Colonna Romano worth $2.3 dollars and Jeune Femme au puits, worth $230,000 were stolen on Tuesday according to
local officials in the French Riviera town of Cagnes-sur-Mer where the museum is located.
The thieves were forced to abandon portrait of Madame Stephen Pichon and Coco Lison as they fled according to the town's mayor. He also said the
museum's alarm system went off at 5:48 local time and the police had arrived at the scene five minutes later.
BRYAN MASSON, MAYOR OF CAGNES-SUR-MER (through translator): They were equipped with, if I may say so, an electric knife or a metal saw or
whatever you want to call it. They cut through the bolts holding the frames of Renoir's paintings in place. The arrival of the municipal police along
with the sirens from the museum and the police caused the burglars to rush off.
They stole only four of the 12 works in the Renoir Museum. They fled by running through the gardens and it seems dropped two works along the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: In a statement the mayor's office said that the museum had been targeted, quote, "by several individuals who were clearly organized
equipped and well-informed," adding that the museum's security system had been triggered as soon as they entered the museum's gardens.
BELL (voice-over): The latest heist comes nearly a year after the Louvre was targeted in an audacious raid. Video footage captured thieves in yellow
vests on the second floor of the Louvre after they'd forced open a window. They managed to grab nine priceless items and fled back down a truck
mounted ladder all in just four minutes. Police recovered the angle grinder and a torch that were used to force open the window.
One piece the crown of the Empress Eugenie the wife of Napoleon III was dropped and found very quickly. But the eight other pieces remain missing.
French Senator Nathalie Goulet doesn't think the French people understand the magnitude of the problem facing museums.
NATHALIE GOULET, FRENCH SENATOR: Well, I think we opened the Pandora box. I mean, with the Louvre which was so easy with a kind of impunity and
nobody's was catched, almost. I think it's like an open door to a new trite for all the museum.
BELL (voice-over): Now, calls are growing for authorities to help better protect the country's museums to prevent increasingly organized and
determined criminals once again striking at the heart of French culture.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Well, the Eiffel Tower is open again following a one-day strike on Monday. Employees went on strike over claims that female colleagues were
told to stay out of sight during a visit by a Hindu religious group on Saturday. A union representative for Eiffel Tower staff says women were,
quote, "asked to leave their places of work in order to place men there." The Paris branch of the Hindu group told CNN it was never intended as a
request rooted in gender. The Paris mayor called the purported request unacceptable and has now launched an investigation.
SCIUTTO: Coming up next, American idols two U.S. stars battling out in the men's quarterfinal of the U.S. Open. We have the latest from Flushing
Meadows.
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SCIUTTO: In our Field of Play, an all-American quarterfinal at the U.S. Open. Frances Tiafoe has been battling Alex Michelsen to reach the
semifinal. And world number one in defending U.S. Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is through now to the semifinals after a decisive victory over
Linda Noskova.
Don Riddell has been following all the action. Don, a lot in sports. Start us off with that quarterfinal there. I was watching it before the show.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: It's still going on. It's an absolute thriller. It's a fascinating match as well. Frances Tiafoe, who's the 11th
seed, much more experienced than his 22-year-old unseeded opponent Alex Michelsen. But this game is tied at five games all in the fifth set. We
should just say that Michelsen, he's never been this far in this tournament or in any Grand Slam tournament before. But he's playing an absolute
blinder.
The first set he dropped in this tournament was today. Tiafoe is really making a fight of it though. So, it's too difficult to call regarding which
way it's going to go. But the winner will play either another American in Ben Shelton or Carlos Alcaraz. Those two play later tonight.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Carlos Alcaraz is no easy for the next round. But it's, of course, not just tennis going on. You've got a lot of soccer as well.
RIDDELL: Yes. Champions League is back. We've got, what, six games on each of the next three nights. We had six of them today. And I'll tell you about
Real Madrid against Inter Milan. This was certainly the pick of the games on paper. Real Madrid the 15-time European champions against Inter who have
won it three times. The last time they did that, Jose Mourinho was their manager. Now, he's back in charge of Real Madrid for a second time.
And Inter's defenders had an absolute shocker in the first half. They completely gifted Real the first two goals. That's Kylian Mbappe scoring
his 71st Champions League goal for Real Madrid. And then later in the half Inter's defense, and they weren't even defending, they were just completely
asleep at the wheel. So, that's Federico Valverde making it 2-nil for Real.
But Inter kept plugging away in the second half. Thibaut Courtois, the Real goalie, kept them out for a bit. In the end, Inter were able to get one
past him, but that's all they could manage. So, Real holding on for a 2-1 win.
Elsewhere Manchester City who've looked really good in the Premier League so far this season. Erling Haaland with his new haircut having another
brilliant campaign. He scored a couple of goals against Porto tonight. The Porto goalie, Diogo Costa, really frustrating City and Haaland in
particular in the first half. But I mean, you can't deny something that's inevitable. And so, there is Haaland eventually putting City in the lead.
And he scored again in injury time in this one, meaning that City won their first Champions League game of the season 2-nil. They're top of the Premier
League and Haaland has now scored five goals in five games.
SCIUTTO: Yes. It must be easier to do those headers without those, you know, gory locks.
RIDDELL: He was pretty good at them before. It doesn't seem to have made any difference.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Don Riddell, thanks so much as always.
And thanks so much all of you for joining us today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
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