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What We Know with Max Foster

Western Nations Condemn Israel "Drip Feeding Of Aid"; Air Force Jet Crash One Of Deadliest In Bangladesh History; Ukraine: Russia Launches New Wave Of Missile Attacks; Epstein Cash Casts Shadow Over Trump's First 6 Months; Trump Touts Deportation Crackdown; Shocking Election Defeat In Japan. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 21, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:26]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN HOST: Western nations call Israel's aid delivery in Gaza dangerous after another deadly weekend.

I'm Christina Macfarlane, in for Max Foster. This is WHAT WE KNOW.

Tonight, Israel is hearing scorching condemnation from 25 Western nations, describing what they call a drip feeding of aid in Gaza. The U.N. chief

adding some tough criticism of his own, saying the last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing as starvation takes hold in the shattered

enclave.

Countries that have been Israel's allies, including the U.K., Canada, France and Australia, are now condemning the Israeli government.

In just hours ago, the United Nations also slamming Israel's new Gaza evacuation order, calling it a devastating blow.

And as more people die of hunger, Israel has been launching air and ground assaults in central Gaza. That's coming from Israeli media, aid agencies

and other witnesses. Until now, the Israeli military has avoided ground operations in the area of Deir Al-Balah. Palestinian officials say more

than 1,000 people have been killed since late May whilst trying to get something to eat.

Officials and witnesses say it happened again this weekend, accusing Israeli forces of shooting dozens of people. The U.N. World Food Program

says shootings near humanitarian missions, convoys and food distribution sites must stop immediately.

Well, a few minutes ago, I spoke to our Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. He says the criticism from Israel's allies over this violence marks a significant

shift.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It marks the latest instance of Israel's growing isolation on the world stage. I mean, these are not

frequent critics of Israel. The countries that have come out here, more than two dozen Western countries led by France, the United Kingdom, Canada

and the language that they are using is quite stark.

And it speaks to the undeniable nature of what we are seeing on the ground right now. As these countries say, the suffering of civilians in Gaza has

reached, quote, new depths. They call this Gaza humanitarian foundation a delivery model spearheaded by Israel itself. A, quote, dangerous. And they

say that it fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity.

They are squarely placing the blame of the humanitarian crisis that is now unfolding inside the Gaza Strip. At Israel's feet. And indeed, it is

Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid. Israel's mode of delivery through this IHF foundation, the restrictions on the amount of aid that the United

Nations and the traditional humanitarian aid groups can bring in. It is all of that that is fueling what we are seeing inside of Gaza right now. Not

only the fact that just this week we saw the 76th child in Gaza since the beginning of the war, died due to malnutrition.

But in addition to that, the, you know, more than a thousand people now, as you just noted, who have been killed by violence near these aid sites,

largely by Israeli military fire directed at crowds of hungry Palestinians trying to make it to these aid sites. And at this point, the Israeli

military isn't even denying that its opening fire on these groups altogether. They call them, quote, unquote, warning shots, but they

acknowledge that people have been killed as a result of these warning shots.

They do dispute the total death toll numbers. They say that its not as high as what's being claimed on the ground. But the bottom line is that, you

know, whereas eight weeks ago, when this violence first began near these Gaza humanitarian foundation aid sites, the Israeli government, the Israeli

military were all denying that it had happened. Now it's become an almost daily occurrence, one that the Israeli military isn't fully denying

altogether. And it simply doesn't seem like there is anything that is going to get it to stop, other than perhaps a ceasefire agreement, which would

not only stop the shooting, stop the bombardment of Gaza, bring out dozens of hostages, but in addition to that would also allow for an enormous surge

of humanitarian aid, which, as we can see right now, is desperately, desperately needed.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. And in the face of this, this shooting, this starvation, we are reporting as well that Israel are preparing for a ground operation

in Deir al-Balah, which was an area that has been largely spared from bombardment up to now, because its thought that the hostages were being

held there. So why the move by Israeli military to do this now?

[15:05:02]

And what does this spell for the thousands of Palestinians who had previously been viewing this as a sort of safe haven of sorts?

DIAMOND: Yeah. I mean, this is the first time that many people in Deir al- Balah have actually seen Israeli tanks rolling into this area. And you're right to point out that one of the reasons we haven't seen a major ground

offensive in that area is because of the fears that Israeli hostages could be held there and that advancing Israeli troops into this area could

endanger their lives. It was less than a year ago, recall that six Israeli hostages were executed by Hamas because Israeli troops were closing in on

that location.

And so, we're hearing today as well, in addition, from Palestinians on the ground in Gaza, also from the families of Israeli hostages still held

there, expressing their concern about this latest military operation and demanding that the government explain how this operation is not going to

endanger their loved ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, the Israeli military has also announced it struck a port in Yemen controlled by the Houthis. The IDF claims the Hodeidah port was

being used to transfer weapons from Iran. The Houthis are backed by Tehran. Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, the Houthis have

been attacking vessels in the Red Sea and what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Now, a plane crash in Bangladesh has killed at least 20 people. An air force jet crashed into a school in the capital city of Dhaka. It occurred

while many students there were in class. Authorities say 171 people were injured in the crash.

Here's Vedika Sud with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VEDIKA SUD, JOURNALIST: A devastating tragedy has unfolded in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka. A military training jet crashed into a school in the city's

northern suburbs Monday afternoon, local time. What appears to be the country's deadliest air incident in recent memory. The impact sparked a

massive fire with thick black smoke billowing over the area, as seen in dramatic footage emerging from the crash site.

Authorities say the pilot was among those killed. The aircraft reportedly slammed into a two-story building housing the school that caters to

children between the ages of four and 18. Emergency crews were rushed to the scene within minutes, battling the blaze and attempting to rescue those

trapped in the wreckage. According to eyewitnesses, a loud explosion was followed by huge plumes of ash and smoke rising from the site.

The country's interim leader, Mohammad Yunus, has issued a couple of statements. In one of them, he says the bodies identified so far will be

handed over to their families promptly, while DNA testing will be carried out on those that are yet to be identified.

It's unclear at this point what caused the crash, but a detailed investigation is underway.

Vedika Sud, for CNN, in New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, turning now to a deadly Russian missile strikes in Ukraine.

Here you can see the aftermath of those overnight explosions in Kyiv. Nationwide air raid warnings were issued for most of the country, and

authorities say at least two people were killed, with more than a dozen injured.

As the world waits for the next round of peace talks, Matthew Chance reports now on a Russian drone factory.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Over Kyiv, the ominous buzz of a Russian drone before it finds its target. Waves of these

attack drones pose a nightly threat against Ukrainian towns and cities.

Now, we have a rare glimpse inside one highly secretive Russian drone factory where thousands of the cheap, simple and deadly weapons are

virtually flying off the assembly lines.

This is now the biggest factory in the world for attack drones, the company CEO, who sanctioned by the U.S., tells the Russian ministry of defense

television station. It's secret, he says. But we will show you something.

And what were shown is a vast and modern production facility employing thousands, hundreds of miles from the front lines and recently expanded,

we're told, enabling Russia's escalating campaign of drone strikes across Ukraine.

We must give credit to the strategic foresight of those who foresaw that this war would be a war of drones, the CEO says. And it's good. We're ready

for it, he adds.

Ukraine is waging its own drone war. Of course, striking Kremlin forces deep inside Russia in highly sophisticated operations like this one.

[15:10:03]

Last month targeting Russian strategic bombers on the front lines, drones from both sides have transformed the battlefield. But these unprecedented

images from this one Russian factory shows how the Kremlin is dramatically scaling up drone production, and its capacity to wage a long and

devastating drone war in Ukraine.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Now the so-called Big, Beautiful Bill, the deportation crackdown, the opening of Alligator Alcatraz, that's just a few of the

things U.S. President Donald Trump is celebrating as he marks his six months into his second term.

The thing overshadowing it all, though, the Jeffrey Epstein case. From hardcore Trump supporters to Republican members of Congress, there's a

growing call for greater transparency. And the release of more documents.

Let's bring back CNN's Kevin Liptak, joining us from the White House.

And, Kevin, as we were saying in the previous hour, this milestone comes at a highly awkward and potentially destabilizing moment for the president

over the Jeffrey Epstein story that just will not go away.

So, what are insiders saying about this and where this is all potentially going to lead?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and when you talk to White House officials, they do feel like they've reached a moment where

some of the furor might be tamped down.

The president's supporters kind of coalescing around him after that "Wall Street Journal" article last week about the -- a letter that the president

wrote to Epstein in the 1990s. The president denied it. He's suing "The Wall Street Journal".

And in a way that allowed the president to go from being on the defensive on this issue to being on the offensive, which is a place that I think

Donald Trump is more naturally as a politician. And, you know, it allowed his supporters to continue going after the mainstream media, which is kind

of a unifying force among the MAGA wing of the Republican Party.

And so, when you talk to the presidents advisers, they do think that they're in a place now where they might be able to move forward. But even

the president himself acknowledges that anything he does is not going to be enough for some of the people who are looking for more information about

this case. Remember, he has asked the attorney general to release some grand jury transcripts that were related to Jeffrey Epstein. The president

really acknowledging over the weekend that that is not going to be enough for some people who want to see more about Jeffrey Epstein's associates and

all of that.

And so, I think the furor at this point seems to be dying down somewhat, but it's not necessarily gone away entirely. And you're right, it is sort

of overshadowing in some ways, the six-month mark of the presidents second term in office. He has wanted to use this as a moment to celebrate.

And it is true that he has not. You know, some significant wins over the course of the last half a year, whether it's in Congress and the big

beautiful bill that was passed, whether it's on the world stage and convincing NATO members to pay more at the Supreme Court, there's that

decision that really sort of bolstered his executive authority, the president in his own mind has a lot to crow about.

But I do think you're also seeing some skepticism start to creep in in the polls and the issues that the president has really put at the center of his

term overall, his poll approval rating is at 42 percent, which is somewhat consistent where you see the degrading is sort of issue by issue on the

places that the president has really been focused on.

So, the president, clearly thinking of this six-month mark as a moment to celebrate. But it is, I think, the next 42 months in office that he is

really looking towards to kind of cement his presidential legacy.

MACFARLANE: Can you talk to us a bit more about what those polls tell us, Kevin?

There's been a number of polls released in the last week, and it speaks, really, doesn't it, about how the general public are viewing Trump at this

six-month mark?

LIPTAK: Yeah. And I think it's illustrative, you know, the president's approval rating has remained somewhat steady, which I think gives you a

sense of the president sort of position in peoples minds. But it is his handling of these individual issues that is so interesting.

So, for example, on the issue of taxes, 44 percent of Americans approve of how he's doing his job there. And you think of the taxes. That was sort of

the centerpiece of the Big, Beautiful Bill that he passed. It extends some of the tax cuts that he put in place during his first term in office.

But overall, most Americans disapprove of how he's handling his job there. Same as on immigration. You know, he has pursued this hardline immigration

agenda. It's something he promised to do as a candidate. But only 42 percent of Americans approve of how he's handled that.

Similarly, on the economy, 40 percent approve. That was one of the big issues of the campaign. You know, he promised sort of an American golden

age, a resurgence of the economy.

[15:15:03]

But overall, more Americans disapprove of his handling there.

And then on foreign affairs, which I think is so interesting. You think of the conflicts that he hasn't necessarily been able to resolve in Gaza in

Ukraine. You know, most Americans disapproving of how he's handling that, again, a task for the next almost three, I guess, three and a half years

that he has left in his term.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, 40, 42 months. I think you said earlier.

All right. Kevin, thank you.

And as Kevin was mentioning there, you know, six months in, President Trump is touting his migrant crackdown. But a new CNN poll finds Americans are

largely opposing how Trump has ramped it up. You saw it just now.

You see it again, 55 percent say it's gone too far when it comes to deporting the undocumented. That's ten points higher since February. This

coming at a time when immigrant officials are set to receive a historic cash infusion. It will help hire and train thousands of new ICE agents, pay

for new detention facilities and for removal operations.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez takes a look at that part of Donald Trump's agenda, six months in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, the administration is planning to supercharge their immigration enforcement operations with this

new money. To give you a point of context, ICE will be the most well-funded police force in the federal government for the next four years.

Now, when you break that down in the numbers, that's $45 billion for detention centers and $30 billion for enforcement and removals. And this

comes at a critical time for the administration, because ICE has historically been underfunded and has had limited personnel.

And when I spoke to White House Border Czar Tom Homan about this, he said that they are trying to solve for that. He has daily calls about setting up

contracts for ramping up detention, both with ICE and Customs and Border Protection that he also has calls about ramping up the ICE Academy.

So, when they recruit officers, they can also quickly train them and get out classes faster and already people who have been former officials, who

have already retired from the agency are getting e-mails with financial incentives to come back and join ICE.

So, there is a ramp up that is currently happening for the next six months of this administration to be more of these immigration enforcement

operations. But they are also contending with the reality, according to current and former officials that I've spoken with about the frustration

that is building at ICE.

Because there has been this immense pressure to reach these 3000 daily arrests, a number that they haven't met yet, and that they are consistently

reminded of, and that has influenced the way that they are carrying out immigration enforcement operations, and that is where this poll is telling.

What this poll tells us is that the public is paying attention to the way the administration is carrying out its immigration crackdown. They may be

on board with what the president is doing, but it's the how he does it that really matters. You mentioned, for example, the 55 percent of people who

think he's going too far.

Well, that has grown since February and then since April to now, and what that tells us is that people are watching the various ways that the

administration is ramping up the different points of controversy being sending hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to a notorious mega prison in El

Salvador, or sending migrants to far flung countries like South Sudan.

So, as they get these funds, the administration will also have to contend with the way in which they provide this cash infusion. The way people start

to perceive it. And that is what ultimately, they will have to grapple with as they move forward for the next six months. But still, the administration

sees us out there -- as there's -- as their winning issue, and one that as the White House Border Czar, told me they are doubling down on.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: All right. Coming up, a stunning result after Sunday's election in Japan. We'll dive into what happened and what comes next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Japan's prime minister is on shaky ground after his party lost its majority in Sunday's elections. Shigeru Ishiba vows to stay on as prime

minister even after voters turned on his liberal Democratic Party. An upstart right wing party, Sanseito had a much better night, going from one

seat to 14 in the Japanese upper house.

CNN's Will Ripley reports on the election fallout.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Japan is prone to earthquakes, and this is a political earthquake, really a wake-up call for

Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democrats, or LDP. They've led the country for nearly 70 years, but now they've lost control of both houses of

parliament.

The big winner, a once fringe, far right party called Sanseito, which didn't even exist before 2020. It surged into the upper house with more

than a dozen new seats, pushing a Trump style agenda, nationalism, tax cuts, strict immigration controls.

Sanseito started on YouTube during the pandemic, spreading conspiracy theories and anti-elite messages. His leader, Sohei Kamiya, openly models

himself after Donald Trump -- bold, anti-globalist and combative. His slogan, "Japanese first".

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is refusing to resign. But public anger is certainly rising over trade talks with the U.S., over soaring rice

prices, and over a sense that Japan's future is slipping out of its own hands.

HIDEAKI MATSUDA, COMPANY MANAGER: I think it was the perfect opportunity for the ruling party had the ruling party resolved even one of these

issues, such as Trump's outrage and the soaring rice prices, its approval rating would have gone up. But we didn't feel anything, and it seems like

the U.S. will continue to push us around.

RIPLEY: Also fueling this backlash is something that you really notice when you're on the streets of Japan these days. There are more foreigners

than ever before. Japan's growing foreign-born population, now at a record 3.8 million, around 3 percent of the population. That may be small by

global standards, but it's a dramatic change for Japan, which takes pride in having a homogenous society.

Immigrants are filling crucial jobs caregiving, construction, food service. Without them, Japan's aging economy would likely stall. But their presence

has triggered fear about things like crime. Even though crime data shows that foreign residents are actually less likely to offend than Japanese

citizens.

Still, just before the vote, Ishiba's government launched a crackdown on so-called crimes by foreign nationals and pledged to go after undocumented

migrants. A clear attempt to blunt Sanseito's rise. But as we saw, that just didn't work. And now Trump's politics are emerging and growing in

Japan.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, thanks to Will for that.

So, what we want to know is what is driving the rise of right-wing populism. Joining me now to discuss is Kazuto Suzuki. He's a professor of

science and technology policy at the University of Tokyo.

And we appreciate you being up during this early hour from Tokyo, sir. Thank you.

So, we were hearing there that support for this new right-wing parties, Sanseito appears to be following, you know, a bit of a global trend for

right wing populism. Why are the Japanese people more receptive to this now in ways they haven't been previously? We saw Will touching on the

immigration as a core issue there, but what else is fueling this?

KAZUTO SUZUKI, GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO: Well, I think the after the COVID, people start to feel a bit of a

discontent about the way in which that the government treats the people and the distribute the wealth. Japan traditionally considered as the very, you

know, equal egalitarian society. But the way in which that the government distributed funding and to support people -- people's income was not really

fair, so that there are feeling that people are discriminated to a certain extent, and those who are living in a poor, poor strata is feeling that

they are disadvantages (ph).

MACFARLANE: Do you think these gains from Sanseito represent a sort of lasting shift to the right, or what? Or are we seeing here sort of protest

vote in essence?

SUZUKI: Well, I think the half of the voters voting for Sanseito were pretty much a protest vote. But there are some die hard supporters, and

there are certain number of people who are feeling that they are discriminated from the society.

So I think there are very certain stronghold of the Sanseito, and especially in urban area, but I think this the half of the voters were

basically, you know, feeling that, you know, Sanseito is the only choice if you don't want to, you know, vote for the existing, you know, old

traditional parties.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. And they're certainly doing things differently, launching on YouTube, as we were hearing there, you know, starting in 2020,

the LDP have now lost their majority for the first time in 15 years. Will Ishiba be able to hang on here? Is there anything he can do at this point?

SUZUKI: Well, he is in a very bad situation. He is the first time that the LDP lost both majority in both chambers. So, he has to reconstruct the

coalition that's the probably the best way to get out. Get him out. But I think there's no parties that is in sight that will join the coalition. So,

he must conduct a very, very fragile minority government to cooperate with other parties on the issue basis.

MACFARLANE: And, of course, he's got that very large trade tariff levied against the country by Donald Trump to contend with as well. So, there's a

lot at stake for him in this moment, isn't there?

But, sir, we appreciate you being with us from Tokyo, bringing us your perspective. Kazuto Suzuki, thank you.

SUZUKI: You're welcome. Thank you.

MACFARLANE: All right. Still to come, as many western nations condemn the Israeli government, more children in Gaza are dying from hunger. We have a

heartbreaking report on what that looks like.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:32:20]

MACFARLANE: Returning now to our top story after more than 21 months of fighting, Israel is expanding its military operation in Gaza. IDF tanks

were seen entering Deir al-Balah for the first time since the war began. It comes as Israel issued evacuation orders for large areas of the region, the

latest in a string of commands that have sent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing their homes.

Twenty-five Western nations are calling the hunger crisis in Gaza horrifying. Starvation is taking hold in the shattered enclave. Countries

that have been Israel's allies, including the U.K., Canada, France and Australia, are now condemning the Israeli government.

A four-year-old girl is now one of the latest victims of Israel's strict limits on aid. Razan Abu Zaher starved to death. A medical source says

she's one of dozens of children who have died from malnutrition since the war in Gaza began.

Paula Hancocks brings us the story and a warning. The video you're about to see is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four-year-old Razan Abu Zaher was hospitalized with malnutrition more than one month ago.

Malnutrition has caused her to suffer from a mobility disability, her mother says. Her health was good before the war, but there is nothing to

strengthen her. No milk in the hospitals or pharmacies.

Sunday, Razan became the latest child in Gaza to die of hunger. A skeletal body laid out on a slab of stone, painful proof of the famine the U.N. and

others have long warned about. It is shocking, but should not be surprising.

In the space of 24 hours, 18 deaths were caused by famine, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Yasser Ahmad was waiting at this soup kitchen

since 6:00 a.m., desperate to take something home to his family of 12.

"Flour is expensive," he says. "Everything is expensive. Where can we get food from? We don't know what we'll do in the end. Eat each other?"

When his turn comes, the amount poured into his bowl is minimal. He walks the four kilometers back home when his wife sees how little is in the pot,

she starts crying.

"Is this enough for 12 people?" she asks. "Is it enough for a woman who is seven months pregnant? Even a one-year-old child wouldn't be satisfied by

this."

Pouring the watery soup into one bowl, the family eats together. The father allows himself just one spoonful, leaving the rest for his children and

grandchildren.

[15:35:00]

After this, he says he will go to another soup kitchen to see if he can keep starvation at bay for one more day.

Israel says the military is working to allow and facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including food, adding there are trucks yet to

be picked up by aid groups.

The U.N. says Israel often denies permission to move aid or approves routes too dangerous to travel. Thousands across Gaza risk their lives every day

in the search for food.

At least 73 people were killed Sunday by Israeli gunfire, or trying to access aid according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The IDF says it, quote, fired warning shots in order to remove an immediate threat posed to them. It cast out on the death toll. The U.N. says

accessing aid has become a death trap. The U.N. World Food Programme says Gaza's hunger crisis has now reached new levels of desperation.

Hospital officials say they are seeing an unprecedented number of starving citizens arriving at emergency departments, a man-made catastrophe that has

been continuously warned about. No one can say they didn't see this coming.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: The head of the World Food Programme says what Gaza needs now is a ceasefire to allow vital food aid to get through. The U.N. agency says

crowds around one of its convoys came under fire from Israeli tanks on Sunday. Cindy McCain told our Becky Anderson that the group is ready and

able to help as soon as it gets full access to the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CINDY MCCAIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: When we had full access, we had 400 distribution sites. We were getting in 600 trucks a day.

So, the capability that we have is unmatched by any other organization or any other foundation with that -- in that respect.

And the truth is, right now, the most important thing we could do is, is get the food in and we know where our food goes because we have a system on

the ground that is tested and works. And so as far as the looting goes, we view it a little differently. These people are starving to death. It is

looting, but they're hungry. And so that does occur.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Is there any evidence to suggest that Hamas operatives, those associated with Hamas on the ground, are involved in that

looting, in interfering with the aid distribution to the extent that that food aid is not getting into the hands of those who need it most.

MCCAIN: You know, we've not seen that. We have seen what happens as a result of people starving to death. But with regards to who's in the armed

groups and what it is -- no, we've not seen that at all. We just continue to do our job and get the job done as much as we can.

ANDERSON: Is there any sense that Israel will allow WFP and other aid organizations to do their job and restart aid? Have you spoken directly to

Israeli authorities?

MCCAIN: We talked to Israeli authorities daily, and each day there is a -- some promises made. And we believe in the good -- good faith, you're

working on good faith. We need a ceasefire.

That's exactly what we need right now, to make sure that we can -- not just get in, but that that sustained ability to be able to get food in. Here and

there, bits and pieces don't work, we need full, sustained access. We need at scale so we can set up the kinds of aid stations that can, can actually

help people and do it where it's not a panic situation where they know they can rely on the food coming in that day.

We are the largest food agency on the planet. We are really, truly the only organization that can do this at scale. If there's one message I want to

leave, that would be, it would be that we need to be able to get in. We need to ceasefire.

(END VIDE CLIP)

MACFARLANE: The head of the World Food Programme, but we'll be back after this short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:42:13]

MACFARLANE: Now, here's one for the parents. A new study found that using smartphones before age 13 could damage the mental health of children. The

research found it could possibly lead to suicidal thoughts, lower self- worth, and detachment from reality. The data is based on surveys of nearly 2 million people in 163 countries.

So, what we don't know is our smartphones safe for under 13-year-olds?

Well, joining me now to discuss is Tara Thiagarajan, lead author of the study and founder and chief scientist of Sapien Labs, the nonprofit that

runs the survey.

Great to have you with us.

TARA THIAGARAJAN, FOUNDER & CHIEF SCIENTIST, SAPIEN LABS: Thank you for having me.

MACFARLANE: So as a mother of very young children, and I'm sure for parents everywhere, it's alarming to hear that smartphones can cause

suicidal thoughts in children as young as 13. Can you talk to us a bit more about your findings?

THIAGARAJAN: Yes. So, this study looks at the mental profiles of 18- to 24-year-olds relative to when they got their smartphone in childhood. And

what we see very starkly is that those young adults who got a smartphone at every year younger than age 13, are doing -- are mentally in worse

condition on average.

And, you know, the primary symptoms that seem -- that are strongly associated with an earlier age of having, you know, got onto a smartphone

or things like suicidal thoughts, aggression, a sense of feeling detached from reality, and even hallucinations.

There's also things like self-image and, you know, for boys, challenge with or reduced empathy. So, there are a number of different factors I think

that contribute to this. One is, of course, social media is a big mediator of this impact, but also downstream of that, the higher probability of

cyber bullying, worse sleep disturbance during young -- during childhood. And I think, essentially, causing these downstream effects.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. So what you're saying is the younger you can intervene with children having smartphones, having access to social media, the better

chance you stand of preventing them from developing these symptoms. Even at the age of 17 or 18.

THIAGARAJAN: Yeah, I think that the, you know, the data really shows that if you're -- if you have a smartphone when you're very young, the chances

that you're going to develop these things are much higher. Because I think you're in a very vulnerable developmental stage. And you are given a

smartphone that's a window into, you know, anything in the world.

[15:45:01]

And we don't, with our children, put them out there to, you know, give them access to anything in the physical world. And we're also constantly

watching how they interact with the world and providing feedback, which is something that we don't do. You know, when children are in the virtual

environment?

MACFARLANE: Yeah, I don't think any parent really wants their child, their young teenager, to engage with social media, to engage with smartphones.

The question is, how do you prevent it from happening? And whose responsibility is it? Should it just be on the parents?

THIAGARAJAN: I think it's a collective responsibility and it's very hard to put this responsibility on the parents because, you know, teenagers, we

know this with other substances as well. You know, teenagers and young, young kids will seek things out as part of the natural curiosity of growing

up.

And so, it really has to be, I think, a societal effort at the level of schools, at the level of policy. We've done this, you know, for drivers

licenses, for example. You know, it used to be -- there was no risk when cars first came, there was no restriction on what age you had to be to

drive a car and realized that young kids are a little more reckless, and you need to have some regulations and education in place. And I think we

have to do the same sort of thing.

MACFARLANE: So, what would your message be to parents whose children are perhaps already using smartphones already on social media? Is it too late,

or are there measures that you know they can move to do? I've heard of some parents introducing like flip phones. You know, the old-style school Nokias

and replacing them for smartphones. What would you advise?

THIAGARAJAN: Yeah, I mean, I think there are several things. I think one is, of course, the flip phones or, you know, phones, which don't really

give you this kind of unfettered access to the Internet. But I think also being more aware of what your child is doing online, I think, you know, all

of us and I include myself is, you know, we were parents early in this whole Internet revolution, and none of us, you know, in the early days, we

never looked at where -- where were our kids going? What were they doing? How are they interacting?

We weren't giving them the kind of instruction that we do, you know, say at a table where you're teaching them manners or something like that. We don't

say, don't comment that way. That's not nice language to use. Or why are you doing this on, on online?

So, I think being more aware of what your child is doing online parental controls, I think there are, you know, softwares and things like that that

can be used. So, I think parents need to be much more aware and engaged in their childs virtual life as much as they are in the physical life.

MACFARLANE: Well, that's good advice. And this is important work. Tara, please do continue with it. Parents everywhere need it. Appreciate you

coming on the show.

THIAGARAJAN: Thank you.

MACFARLANE: Now, A.I. is quickly changing the workforce, speaking of technology, and it's not just the entry level jobs that may be impacted.

The tech sector is now speculating on the impact services like chatbots may have on its industry. Recently, Anthropic, Amazon and JPMorgan have all

issued warnings about A.I. potentially shrinking their human workforce.

But the CEO of Nvidia thinks the warnings are overblown. Meanwhile, tech companies such as Meta, Microsoft and Salesforce are already using A.I. to

code some tasks, as Clare Duffy is joining us from New York with more.

So, I guess it's the million-dollar question. Is it going to change our workforce or not? But do we have a clear picture yet? Claire?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Well, I mean, what I've learned here is essentially that it just isn't so black and white as some of these dire

warnings that we've heard about A.I. potentially causing 20 percent unemployment over the next 1 to 5 years. In my experience, after reporting

this piece, if you talk to a dozen people in Silicon Valley about how they expect A.I. to change the workforce, you might get a dozen different

answers and opinions about what this is going to look like.

But here's what we do know. We do know that there are certain categories of work that are more ripe for significant disruption. So things that think

things like coding, software development or data analysis that computers are just really good at, that is where we're likely to see human jobs start

to go away. And we've already seen some of that with tech companies doing more of their coding with A.I. agents rather than human developers.

But if your job requires some relational aspects to it or creative aspects to it, you may see that your work is going to change. You may be using A.I.

potentially to automate some of the more repetitive tasks that you'd rather not do anyways. But those jobs are likely not going to be eliminated

entirely.

I spoke with Gaurab Bansal. He's the executive director of Responsible Innovation Labs. This is a nonprofit that consults with tech startups about

how to develop technology ethically.

Here's how he put it to me. He said, "I think there will be some displacement. I think there will be new job categories that emerge. I think

we're entering a decade-ish, maybe more period of uncertainty.

[15:50:03]

And I think that's the thing that kept coming back up is that there's a lot of uncertainty here. So, policymakers especially need to be thinking about

this and acting on it to help manage this transition for folks.

MACFARLANE: Not black and white yet, as you say, Clare. Thank you.

All right. Anger on the streets of Mexico City. Residents take to the streets protesting against rising costs, what they want and who they blame.

After the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Mexico City residents say they're being priced out of their own neighborhoods by tourists with deep pockets. Crowds gathered in Mexico

City on Sunday for another day of protest against gentrification and inequality.

CNN's Valeria Leon spoke with demonstrators as they marched.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the second anti-gentrification march in Mexico City. The second one in less than a month. Protesters have

taken to the streets to demand fair prices and a halt to the displacement of local residents.

The march is concentrated in the south of the capital city rather than in centrally located neighborhoods largely occupied by foreigners.

Demonstrators have claimed that they've been priced out of their homes. Thats the case of Eddie, a young Mexican resident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The price of rentals has gone really, really high in the last couple of years since the pandemic started and we've seen like,

for example, what used to be really affordable is now the price of three weeks of work. So it's -- it's -- I've seen a couple of my friends having

to move to other places because the rents are too expensive.

LEON: This week, Mexico City officials announced a plan to address the capital's housing and gentrification problem. The plan includes a legal

framework to reduce rental prices, to prevent people from being displaced.

Mexico is experiencing a record number of foreigners applying for a resident visa. In 2023, Over 60,000 people applied for this resident visa

and to stay in the country legally.

The main nationality was the United States. And beyond the increasingly high cost of living, some centrally located neighborhoods are seeing a

transformation, with menus written in English and very few people speaking Spanish in those areas, which many Mexicans are seeing as a sort of

colonialism.

[15:55:12]

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Finally tonight, for all those setting sail for Spain this summer, it may be a little harder to cruise into Barcelona. The city is

closing two of its cruise ship terminals to cut the number of tourists visiting the Spanish City. That will leave the port with five terminals

next year, 1.6 million cruise ships passengers arrived in Barcelona last year.

The move is part of a wider effort to deal with the pressures of overtourism. Local opposition to mass tourism has been rising in recent

years.

And that is it. I'm Christina Macfarlane.

That is WHAT WE KNOW.

And Quest is up next, and he means business.

END

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