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What We Know with Max Foster

Trump: Placing DC Police Under Direct Federal Control; Crowds Mourn Palestinian Journalists Killed By Israeli Strike; Trump: I'll Call Zelenskyy, European Leaders After Putin Talks; Nvidia, AMD To Give 15 Percent Of China Chip Revenues To U.S. Government; One Killed In Explosion At Pennsylvania Steel Coking Plant; Heat Wave Fuels Fires Around Southern Europe and Mediterranean. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 11, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:22]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: President Donald Trump orders the National Guard to deploy in Washington, D.C., as he says the federal government is taking

over the capital's police force.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

The Washington, D.C. Police Department now under federal control, effectively. President Trump has declared a safety emergency in the city.

He's ordered the deployment of the National Guard, along with hundreds of federal agents.

And despite data that shows violent crime is down over the past two years, Mr. Trump insists that crime is running rampant in the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm announcing a historic action to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and

squalor and worse. This is liberation day in D.C. and we're going to take our capital back. We're taking it back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell joins us from Los Angeles.

Josh, a lot of people outside the U.S. won't realize that, actually, you know, despite the numbers coming down, there is actually a high crime

problem in D.C., isn't there? And maybe that's what the president is speaking to.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. You know, but it is interesting. The big question is why is this happening now? There are a

lot of theories out there. Is this some type of distraction by the White House from other items that have been in the news that the White House

doesn't like.

But it is a question about why now because as you mentioned, those rates have been going down and even talking with members of law enforcement,

there's a great confusion right now about what this actually means to have the federal government now controlling the D.C. police department. People

don't expect that there would be anything different that they are doing or allowed to do, because a lot of this is actually codified in the law. And

so, there's a question there.

We also know that FBI agents, for example, have now been brought in as well to essentially act as beat cops out around D.C., which is something that

they are not trained to do. And, you know, talking with law enforcement sources, one question or one point I continue to hear is that if you pull

those FBI agents away from their day-to-day jobs doing counterterrorism investigations, going after foreign spies, you know, tracking cyber

intrusions and stopping the nations fentanyl crisis. It's a zero-sum equation here.

If they're not doing that work because they're out patrolling the streets of D.C., will those other potential threats manifest? So again, this has

created a lot of confusion. And then as you mentioned, now, you know, bringing in the national guard, there's a question about what they will

actually be doing. I'm here in Los Angeles where the president had recently federalized the California national guard to assist with quelling

immigration related protests.

But those national guard members were essentially protecting buildings. They weren't out there, actually, you know, trying to stop a crime in the

streets. So, a lot of big questions about what this will actually look like, a big question right now, Max, about why.

FOSTER: How much power would it give the president? Because this is one of the other sort of lines of commentary around this that it's part of a wider

power grab where he effectively has control over the police. But how would it work under this new system?

CAMPBELL: No, it's a perfect point, because he even indicated that this may be coming to other cities as well, including Chicago, including Los

Angeles. There's a big question about places like New York and what that would actually mean.

The president does enjoy a broad amount of power operating within D.C. The federal law actually allows him to do things that he's doing here. At some

point when we're talking about the military, he has to go to congress at some point and get their approval as well. But it's the way the U.S. law

works here that he can do this. But still, a big question about what will be different here --

FOSTER: Yes.

CAMPBELL: -- than what is happening on any given day.

FOSTER: Josh, thank you. We are going to cut in there because the D.C. mayor is speaking currently.

MURIEL BOWSER, MAYOR OF WASHINGTON, D.C.: A free and robust pre-K program starting at age three. We have a tremendous public transportation system.

And we have hard working people here who are raising families, starting businesses and hiring workers.

So, it's very important to me that for all who live here and visit here, just know how beautiful our city is and how proud we are of all that we've

accomplished here.

We're unique in other ways as well. Though we pay taxes, in fact, we pay more than most states per capita. We're not a state. We don't control the

D.C. National Guard. We don't have senators or full autonomy.

Limited Home Rule gives the federal government the ability to intrude on our autonomy in many ways.

[15:05:05]

I've said before, and I'll repeat that, I believe that the president's view of D.C. is shaped by his COVID era experience during his first term, and it

is true that those were more challenging times related to some issues. It is also true that we experienced a crime spike post COVID, but we work

quickly to put laws in place and tactics that got violent offenders off our streets and gave our police officers more tools, which is why we have seen

a huge decrease in crime because of those efforts, we have been able to reverse that 2023 crime spike.

This year, crime isn't just down from 2023, it's also down from 2019 before the pandemic. And we're at a 30-year violent crime low. We're not

satisfied. We haven't taken our foot off the gas, and we continue to look for ways to make our city safer.

We know, however, as most have heard from the president's press conference, that he has prerogatives in D.C. unlike anywhere else in the country,

including his authority given by our Home Rule charter to require the mayor to require me to supply services of the Metropolitan Police Department. And

he also has control and the ability to deploy the national guard.

But let me be clear, as our Home Rule charter is also clear and the president is presidents executive order restates, Chief Pamela Smith is the

chief of the Metropolitan Police Department and its 3,100 members work under her direction.

The Home Rule charter requires the mayor to provide the services of MPD during special conditions of an emergency, and we will follow the law,

though there is a question about the subjectivity of that declaration. In fact, the chief has already provided, a high-level liaison and point of

contact with the federal government and made those initial contacts.

The executive order is also clear that the president has delegated his authority to make requests of us to Attorney General Pam Bondi. I have

reached out to Attorney General Bondi and hope to schedule a meeting soon.

My message to residents is this we know that access to our democracy is tenuous. That is why you have heard me and many, many Washingtonians before

me advocate for full statehood for the District of Columbia. We are American citizens. Our families go to war. We pay taxes, and we uphold the

responsibilities of citizenship.

And while this action today is unsettling and unprecedented, I can't say that given some of the rhetoric of the past, that we're totally surprised.

I can say to D.C. residents that we will continue to operate our government in a way that makes you proud. We will balance our budgets. We will deploy

our services.

Our kids are going to start school on August 25th. And we will work with the federal government to do the things that they should do for our city,

including making sure that we have the judges that we need, including making sure that all federal parks are supported, not just with law

enforcement, but with other clean and safe activities. And including making sure that our economy is supported by rational federal actions as it

relates to the federal workforce, federal workers, and federal property in the District of Columbia.

So, with that, I want to ask Chief Smith to talk about her interactions with the federal forces. Federal police and law enforcement that have been

engaged in the district over the last several days, and the strategy that she thinks would be important while we have additional federal police

officers.

[15:10:16]

PAMELA SMITH, CHIEF OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT OF WASHINGTON, D.C.: Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I'm Pamela Smith, the chief of police of the Metropolitan Police Department. And as the mayor stated, you know, we have a responsibility to

support the executive order. And one of the roles that I have is to ensure that we work very collaboratively with our federal partners.

I know that most of us know in this room and those of you that are watching on television that the efforts of the federal law enforcement officers

began in our city on Thursday night. I met with the director of the U.S. Marshal, who has been at that point overseeing the operational component of

how the federal resources will be allocated and deployed around our city.

With that conversation, it was very, very important for me to ensure that not only do we work collaboratively with our federal partners, but we offer

up areas across our city where we can work with them in areas where we know that we want to reduce crime. And so, that was the effort on yesterday. We

spent roughly about an hour just kind of planning and talking through what that's going to look like.

On the heels of the announcement from the president today regarding the executive order and my directive from the mayor is that we will begin more

intense planning efforts after I leave this press conference. I've also made met with one of the other liaisons that have been assigned to work

with the U.S. Marshal, along with myself. Regarding the efforts around the city for how we will allocate resources.

What I will say is this our relationship with our federal partners is not new. We do this on a daily basis. We are very, very much in tune to having

federal law enforcement officers working with us on our capital area regional task force, our federal partners work with us, especially on some

of our warrant executions. They work very, very closely with us with our violent crime suppression division. And it is my intent and my police

department's intent to continue those efforts. What you will see is an enhanced presence.

The second thing that's really important to me, and I'm speaking directly to our community, is that we have a relationship with our community that is

very important to us, our community members. And so having our Metropolitan Police Department working alongside of our federal partners who have come

into the city to really help us assess and deal with the crime that some of the crime spikes that we have, we will work alongside them. But

intentionally, we want to make sure that our community understands that we are there. We're going to be boots on the ground. If you see something

again, say something. We value those relationships.

Our community members, and I'll thank -- I want to say thank you for all the work that you've done with the metropolitan police department up to

this point. Those relationships are very, very important to us, and we want to continue to build upon that and continue to enhance that. I'll turn it

back over to Mayor Bowser now.

BOWSER: Okay. We'll take a few questions and I'm joined by members of my public safety team, including Deputy Mayor Appiah and Chief John Donnelly.

Yes. Please identify yourself.

REPORER: Mayor Bowser, Campbell Robertson of "The New York Times". Do you think this was inevitable, or do you think there are things that the city

could have done with council to prevent the state of government?

BOWSER: This is -- I don't know, no. I can't -- I can't answer that question. And I think that's a question that we -- you're familiar with the

rhetoric about the city and how long it goes back. And we also know that we're not experiencing a spike in crime, but a decrease in crime.

Yep?

REPORTER: Mayor, Tom Sherwood, (INAUDIBLE) Radio. You and the chief are talking about partnerships with federal partners who are coming in. The

president is talking about a takeover of the city's police department. Where does that fit in with Terry Cole, who's the new federal commissioner

of the D.C. Police Department?

BOWSER: Nothing about our organizational chart has changed, and nothing in the executive order. Would indicate otherwise. So, the chief of police

reports through the deputy mayor to the mayor of the District of Columbia and the two people, I think, that were identified in the press report to

the Attorney General Bondi the executive order makes clear that all requests for MPDpd services, the president, delegates to Attorney General

Bondi.

[15:15:00]

I don't recall the names. Yes.

REPORTER: The Metropolitan Police Department, where does he fit in that?

BOWSER: That -- that's a question --

FOSTER: OK, just getting there. An update from the mayor of Washington, D.C. Also, the police chief of Washington, D.C., after President Trump

announced that the federal authorities will take over some of those responsibilities there, particularly the police.

Let's bring in CNN law enforcement contributor Steve Moore.

Thanks for joining us, Steve.

I mean, D.C. is an unusual setup, isn't it? As I say, it's not a state. And, you know, the police chief was making the point that actually they

work with the federal agencies all the time.

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. And that's true. In fact, in 1994, we lost two FBI agents while working on a Washington, D.C.

task force. I believe there's been a third agent killed in Washington, D.C. in the past. So, the FBI has always had a presence in Washington, D.C., and

has always worked closely with Washington PD.

But you're absolutely right. Or Metropolitan Police, I'm sorry, but, yeah, you're absolutely right. There is a difference here. Washington is what --

the District of Columbia is, what you would call a federal enclave. Not a state, which means the federal government, really has control over congress

can overrule any of their laws. So, it's a different place than, say, Illinois or something like that.

FOSTER: So, if this is successful there, from Donald Trump's point of view and this is seen as a good example that might be part of his narrative to

do it in other cities, but it's not really comparable, is it?

MOORE: No, no. It really isn't even a good -- a good parallel. It's not a good experiment. If you want to see if it would work in other cities,

because I can remember I was stationed in Utah, in the pacific northwest for a while in those states. I, as an FBI agent, had complete law

enforcement authority. I could arrest for drunk driving. Although the FBI would have been unhappy with me if I had done that.

In California, where I last served, I'm not a post certified police officer, as I am in other states. So, it's not the same. You can't just say

the feds can come in and start patrolling the streets.

The other thing is policemen and FBI agents are different.

FOSTER: Yeah. What did you make of their response there? They seem quite baffled, but it's going to have a huge impact, isn't it? I mean, what

happens to the police chief, for example?

MOORE: This is -- this is uncharted territory right here. I think you bring the police chief in. If you do this wisely, you bring the police

chief in, and you have that -- that person as an integral part of this plan.

See, here's the difference. I said -- I said that FBI agents were different than police. Police officers, the officers and the police and people like

the chief who probably worked their way up through the department, they know the city. They know the streets. They have a lot of street sense and

things we would call tribal knowledge.

For the FBI agents to come in, if you, you know, you get a bunch of FBI agents, they can take down an international terrorist organization or a

multinational crime, but they are not patrol officers in the city of Washington, D.C. So for agents to operate effectively and safely in the in

Washington, D.C., they're going to very much need to work closely and collaboratively with the police department.

And so, if they go in, I can't imagine a smart FBI agent going in there and alienating the people that they're going to be working with.

FOSTER: It was interesting. There was an admission, wasn't there? Weve been talking a bit about how crime numbers over the last couple of years

has been, have been coming down in D.C. But the mayor did say, you know, there have been problems you know, and this might be shaped by Trump's

experience during COVID because she did talk about there being a challenging time after COVID and a spike in crime. And they -- they have

tried to overcome that.

And she obviously believed that she has overcome that. But that, you know, she's admitting there that there has been a problem in the past. So maybe

that's an argument for Donald Trump to go ahead with this.

MOORE: Well, I -- I really have to say that I was impressed by the mayor and the police chief's measured response to something that can be so

inflammatory. I mean, police departments and cities tend to be very insular and very proud of what they have. And for somebody to come in and say that

were taking over, or at least were going to come in and help you.

That's a very big issue for them. So, I thought it was a very measured response, first of all.

[15:20:02]

Secondarily, though, there's been 185 murders in Washington, D.C. this year. There's been 225 days of the -- in this year. So, what I'm seeing is

a murder almost, you know, 80.8 of a murder every day if those figures are correct.

And so, you can say that the numbers are going down, and I'm certainly not going to dispute that. But at a certain point, you get used to numbers that

would be ridiculous in any other city. And so having a murder every other night or something like that -- you can't say that that's sustainable.

And so, I think the mayor was accepting that the numbers while coming down are still unacceptably high.

FOSTER: Yeah. Steve, thank you. It's going to be fascinating to see how all this works and whether or not it does expand to other cities. Really

appreciate you joining us.

Still to come, journalism is not a crime. Those are the words of the colleagues of Al Jazeera journalist killed in Gaza City by a targeted

Israeli strike.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Funerals have begun for a group of journalists killed by an Israeli attack on Gaza City. The Palestinian reporters were among seven

people killed by an Israeli strike on Sunday. The U.N. describes the attack as a grave breach of humanitarian law.

Among those killed, Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif. The Israeli military accused al-sharif of leading a Hamas cell, an allegation he

previously denied. Al Jazeera says al-Sharif was one of Gaza's bravest journalists.

This latest attack adds to an already devastating number of journalists and media workers killed in Gaza since October the 7th, 2023. More than 190

people and, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 184 of those were Palestinians killed by Israel.

[15:25:06]

The strike comes as condemnation grows against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for a military takeover of Gaza City. U.N.

officials are warning the move would lead to, quote, another calamity in the starving enclave. In a news conference with international media, Mr.

Netanyahu defended the plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Contrary to false claims, this is the best way to end the war and the best way to end it speedily.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: It's important to note that Israel hasn't allowed international journalists into Gaza since its war with Hamas began.

Matthew Chance has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: There's been broad condemnation of the killing of several Palestinian journalists reporting on

the conflict inside Gaza. Five staff members of the Al Jazeera news network died in an Israeli strike on their tent near the main Shifa Hospital in

Gaza City. One of those killed, 28-year-old Anas al-Sharif. He's one of the most high-profile Arabic language reporters who's been extensively covering

the crisis in Gaza.

The Israeli military says that they targeted and killed him after accusing him of leading a Hamas cell responsible for involvement in rocket attacks

against Israeli troops and civilians.

But these are allegations that have been categorically denied by al-Sharif and by his news organization, who called his killing a desperate attempt to

silence voices ahead of Israel's planned occupation of Gaza. The U.N. called the killings a grave breach of international humanitarian law. The

Committee to Protect Journalists and their statement pointed out that at least 178 journalists have been killed in Gaza by Israel in just under two

years of war.

Well, earlier, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his controversial plan to evacuate and assault Gaza City, insisting it's the

best way to end the war and to and to free the hostages despite growing international condemnation there of Israel's action in, in in Gaza and the

worsening humanitarian situation there.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Friday's summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is up against multiple logistical issues.

Officials have only four days to finalize the details for a sit down in Alaska. It remains unclear what a potential ceasefire would look like and

what role, if any, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will play into that.

Just a short while ago, Mr. Trump lowered expectations for the meeting and seemed to say that peace would come at the following expense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: There'll be some land swapping going on. I know that through Russia and through conversations with everybody to the good -- for the good of

Ukraine. Good stuff, not bad stuff. Also, some bad stuff for both. There's good and there's bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: European leaders appear to be increasingly nervous that Ukraine could be asked to make territorial concessions as a result of the summit.

President Zelenskyy insists Kyiv will not give land to the occupier, while the E.U.'s foreign policy chief says any deal between the U.S. and Russia

must include Ukraine and Europe, adding that Washington has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously.

What we don't know is will Zelenskyy attend Friday's meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin?

Joining me now, senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak.

I mean, there is some talk of you know, a separate meeting Trump might have with Zelenskyy, but it doesn't seem likely that this is going to be a

trilateral appearance.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: No. And when you listen to the president today, it certainly sounded as Zelenskyy will not be involved

in this summit in Alaska. The president describing this as a one on one with Putin, although he did say that as soon as he left the room with the

Russian leader and was on his way back, that he would get on the telephone with Zelenskyy and with other European leaders to try and brief them on how

exactly that conversation went.

You know, ultimately, the president's goal, as he said today, is to try and get Putin and Zelenskyy into the same room to try and resolve some of their

differences and try and get this conflict ended. But that at least in the presidents telling, doesn't seem to be what is on the agenda for Alaska on

Friday.

And it was interesting listening to the president today, we really did get more clarity from him than we have had about what exactly his expectations

are for this summit. And he was really kind of tempering what people should expect to come out of it, he said. It could be good, but it could also be

bad. And saying that he would know within two minutes of the meetings start whether Putin was serious about ending this war.

And so, I think that gives you an idea of what the president believes can be accomplished heading into this. He was pretty explicit. He doesn't think

that this meeting alone is going to result in a deal.

[15:30:02]

And of course, it is true. President Trump cannot force Ukraine to abandon some of its territory, despite some of the fears of the Europeans and some

experts. The president seems to acknowledge that that will -- have to be a decision that Zelenskyy makes for himself, even though he said that land

swapping would eventually have to be part of the deal. And that, I think, is still the open question about how exactly all of this comes together.

You know, when you listen to European officials, they are of the understanding that Putin, when he met with Steve Witkoff last week in

Moscow, said that Ukraine would need to give up the entire eastern Donbas region in order for this war to end, which is quite alarming to them, given

that Ukraine has spent the last three and a half years trying to defend that region and lost a lot of its soldiers along the way. But at the exact

parameters of what Putin is laying out, I think remain sort of unclear and even to President Trump, he said his goal going into this meeting was to,

quote, feel out Putin, listen to his parameters and decide if that was going to be a realistic way for this war to end.

And so, we have a lot to go before Friday. We don't know exactly where the meeting is going to be held. We don't know exactly what Putin is coming to

offer, but at least based on the president's own telling today, we have a sense of his expectations, which I don't think you could describe as

necessarily sky high.

FOSTER: No.

Okay. Kevin, as ever, thank you.

Now, still to come, voices of Gaza silence. There are growing calls for answers after Palestinian journalists are killed by Israel. We'll have

reaction from the director of news for the Al Jazeera English network next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:04]

FOSTER: Chief giants Nvidia and AMD have cut a highly unusual deal with the Trump administration. Both companies have agreed to pay 15 percent of

their revenues from semiconductor sales in China to the U.S. government in exchange for export licenses.

Clare Duffy joins us now.

I mean, it could be a pretty smart move to try to keep this line of business going, Clare.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yeah. Well, and this agreement comes after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited the White House last week. He has been

pushing for the U.S. to ease up on restrictions of A.I. chips sales to China. And now, as you said, these companies have agreed to pay 15 percent

of their semiconductors, China sales to the White House in exchange for these export licenses.

But I think there are still a number of really big questions about this deal and how this all plays out. The first is that it's not clear that the

Chinese will want to continue importing these American A.I. chips.

On Sunday, a social media account linked to Chinese state media raised concerns about backdoors in U.S. A.I. chips. Although the companies, of

course, have pushed back on that allegation. And then I think there are questions about the national security implications of this. The White House

has been restricting sales of advanced A.I. technologies to China over concerns that China could get too far ahead on A.I., which, of course, is

going to have significant implications for the economy, for the military.

And as I've talked to experts about this deal, the question is if there are no longer national security concerns here, they've figured out how to

mitigate those concerns. Why is the Trump administration taking this 15 percent cut? And if there are still national security concerns, you know,

why is the why is the Trump administration allowing these chip sales to continue, even if it does get a percentage of those sales?

And so, I think those are the big questions that are going to sort of remain as we see this deal start to play out.

FOSTER: Okay, Clare. In terms of how easy it would be to do this for the company, I mean, they've obviously worked out the accounts here, but they

can still make it profitable. They've obviously looked at this line of business as being vital for its future, and that it can handle these costs.

DUFFY: I think that's right. I mean, both Nvidia and AMD were making tens of billions of dollars on selling chips to China. And so, I think that

their calculation is that even if they have to pay a percentage of that to the White House, it's still worthwhile. There still is a lot of money to be

made here in China.

And look, what's also interesting is, is President Trump basically threw cold water on the importance of, in particular the Nvidia H20 chips. He

basically called them outdated and said China already has technology like this.

But again, as I've talked to experts, they say there is still immense value. These are still state-of-the-art chips. And so, I think, again,

that's where we come back to this question about national security and the calculation that the Trump administration is making here, it seems, is that

it's better to let these American companies provide this technology and profit from providing this technology, because China is getting ahead on

artificial intelligence, anyways.

FOSTER: Okay. Clare Duffy. Thank you. Fascinating.

Now, the internet pioneer AOL bringing an end to this sound.

(AUDIO CLIP PLAYS)

FOSTER: Haven't actually heard it for years, but after more than 30 years, AOL's dial up Internet service will be cut off from next month. The company

brought the Internet to the masses back in the 1990s. Despite the popularity of broadband and wireless internet, about 160,000 people are

still connected to the Internet through their landline or telephone -- their landline telephone line. That was a figure from 2023, at least.

We'll be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:41:49]

FOSTER: Returning to the war in Gaza, Israel carrying out a strike in Gaza City on Sunday, killing prominent Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif and

four of his colleagues at the news network. Israel said it targeted al- Sharif after accusing him of leading a Hamas cell. Al-Sharif and his network of previously denied the allegation.

Earlier, CNN spoke with the director of news for Al Jazeera English.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALAH NEGM, DIRECTOR OF NEWS, AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Journalists in Gaza are journalists. They have been working for two years under very difficult

circumstances, risking their lives in order for one thing to happen is to bring the truth about what's happening in Gaza to the outside world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, the committee to protect journalists says more than 190 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war in Gaza. The

vast majority of them are Palestinian.

Let's go to Sara Qudah, the Middle East and North Africa regional director for the Community to Protect Journalists.

Thank you so much for joining us. Is there any evidence as far as you know, that any of these journalists were running a Hamas cell?

SARA QUDAH, MENA REGIONAL DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS: There were no public evidence or proof that can hold weight to prove that -

- proof that Anas al-Sharif was affiliated with Hamas. At CPJ, we did request the evidence. And we also did not receive any evidence. We

requested the evidence before he was killed, when he was threatened and reached out to us. And we had no response.

Today, we reached again, and we got no response. So, the only thing that we know that Anas al-Sharif was he was threatened, he was targeted and killed

last night.

FOSTER: And we should be clear that there were other journalists killed here that weren't targeted.

QUDAH: Yes. So, you can't say -- we can't really say or prove that they were not targeted because it was a tent for journalists. So, they targeted

the tents because they knew that Anas al-Sharif was in this tent with other journalists. So, when they target this tent, knowing that there are other

journalists, it means that they also targeted the other journalists who has been killed.

So, we do consider them murdered, targeted. And this is just the plain reality.

FOSTER: Is this the first time you can remember Israel being so clear that they did target a journalist? Because obviously, other journalists have

been killed, and there's been a question about whether or not they were targeted. But is this the first time they've been very clear about actually

targeting a journalist?

QUDAH: No, this is not the first time. We hope that it would be the last time. But this is not the last time. Previously, Israel accused other

journalists that they are affiliated with Hamas, threatened them and then targeted them and killed them.

Later in April this year, they targeted another tent for journalists killed and injured several journalists. And that was a clear target.

[15:45:01]

Since the war started, we at CPJ documented at least 26 journalists being targeted and killed by Israel, among them, Anas al-Sharif and his

colleagues last night.

FOSTER: The reality is that this does keep happening, and there isn't any sort of consequence, is there, for Israel. So that's -- the assumption is

that they're going to keep doing it when they think they're correct to do it.

QUDAH: Exactly. It's becoming a pattern. And this is very concerning because they are accusing civilians, journalists with allegations without

any proof, threatening them and killing them with full impunity. And there is no independent investigations happening to hold those who are killing

civilians, the journalists, accountable.

FOSTER: I know that your group has talked about or -- I mean, Al Jazeera has talked about as well, the idea that, you know, international

journalists can't get into Gaza. So, we do rely on Palestinian journalists in Gaza. And, you know, the more that are killed, the less easy it is to

get any sort of information out of Gaza. So what's your concern about -- you know, getting the truth about what's happening on the ground there?

QUDAH: First of all, this became very clear to everyone after 22 months that Israel is trying to hide the truth, to silence the witnesses by

killing the journalists. As you said, those local journalists are only eyes and ears on the ground, and they are the only ones who are being able to

report on what is happening and document the reality on the ground.

Killing them means that we will no longer hear about what is happening in Gaza without international media access to Gaza and independent reporting

from international media access inside Gaza, there -- the world will never hear about what is happening in in Gaza.

And on top of that, they are killing those journalists who are reporting on grave humanitarian crisis like starvation, bombarding hospitals. Those are

the journalists who are being targeted because they want to hide the truth.

FOSTER: Okay. Sara Qudah, I really appreciate you on this very difficult day for the whole of the journalism community.

Now to a deadly explosion at a steel plant in Pennsylvania. At least one person was killed. Two others are unaccounted for. According to

authorities, it happened a few hours ago at the Clairton Coke Works plant near Pittsburgh. The plant processes raw coal into coke, needed to make

steel.

Let's go to Jason Carroll, who is following this for us. We saw those extraordinary images of a huge explosion, but we now think there was more

than one?

JASON CARROLL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Thats coming from Pennsylvania -- Pennsylvania's governor, who now says he, based on the

information he's receiving, that there were multiple explosions, also getting word Max from a U.S. steel saying that the incident in all

likelihood involved two Coke oven batteries. Again, just explain to your audience this is a coking plant. And so what they do there at that plant is

heat coal to very, very high temperatures in some of these and some of these ovens.

Again, as you were saying, one person killed two people still unaccounted for. Rescue crews still there on the ground. You can see there what they're

dealing with, getting water on the hot embers left over from that explosion.

You know, residents we are now hearing who live within a one mile or so radius of the explosion site are being told by health officials there on

the ground or, you know, as an abundance of caution, they're being advised to keep all their windows closed, not let that outside air come inside.

Again, just to recap, this is an explosion or explosions that took place starting at around 10:51 a.m. one of the steelworkers, who was actually at

the plant, said that it sounded like two freight trains slamming into each other. Also, some of those who live in the area. One woman who was on her

front porch said her entire home basically shook when these explosions took place.

This is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the country, located just about 20 miles or so away from Pittsburgh. Just to give your viewers

some idea of where it's located there in the state of Pennsylvania. Again, at this hour, though, we are being told one person dead, two people still

unaccounted for.

We're expecting a press conference to get underway just about any moment from now, where hopefully we'll get some more details about what happened

here -- Max.

FOSTER: Yeah, because obviously everyone wants to know what went wrong here. But these are very complex plants, aren't they?

[15:50:02]

CARROLL: Yes.

FOSTER: So, it could be. It could be anything.

CARROLL: Yes. As you're saying, it could very well be anything. But again, U.S. steel, they are the union out there. And for them to get this type of

early word talking about these two, these two coke oven batteries, that may be some indication of what went wrong here. But again, too soon for, for

any of that.

Again, emergency officials there are on the ground. They are going to be giving an update any minute from now. Perhaps there will be some sort of

indication in terms of what went wrong. But you know how these things go.

And oftentimes, it's much later than that. Its days, its weeks, its months later that you actually get a full cause.

But again, it seems to be at least at this point, these two oven batteries may have been somewhat involved.

FOSTER: Okay, Jason, well come back to you. Of course, when we hear that update.

We'll be right back.

CARROLL: You bet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: More than 10 million people across the U.S. Midwest remain under flood alerts after record breaking rain triggered massive flooding in the

region this weekend in Milwaukee, more than 60 water rescues and a state of emergency was called due to flash flooding. Even more rain expected today

as well. The city got over, got more than six weeks' worth of rain in just one day, turning roads into rivers, flooding homes, businesses, forcing the

closure of the beloved state fair.

Even parts of Europe also dealing with severe weather, powerful winds are fueling wildfires in northern Spain, hundreds of people have been evacuated

in the region of Castile and Leon, and here in the U.K., the wildfire has burned an extinct volcano near Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, best known

for its rain. Police advised the public to avoid what's known as Arthur's Seat and the surrounding area.

Our Barbie Latza Nadeau is in Rome and has more on the massive heat wave and the wildfires that came with it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Extreme heat and dangerous fires are threatening Europe and the U.K. this week.

Extreme heat warnings are in effect across Spain, Portugal, parts of. France and Italy, where temperatures are expected to top 40 degrees

centigrade, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Tourists in Florence, which could break in August, record for high temperatures on Wednesday have been

cautioned to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day.

Dry conditions and high temperatures have also been blamed for a fire on Scotland's famous dormant volcano, Arthur's Seat on Sunday.

In Italy, a massive fire that ignited Friday on Mount Vesuvius volcano continued on Monday, with hundreds of firefighters working to contain the

blaze. All hiking trails up to the crater were closed on Sunday, and flames and smoke were visible in Naples and in Pompeii. The city, destroyed by

Mount Vesuvius when it erupted in 79 A.D.

High temperatures are expected to last throughout the week.

Barbie Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: I'm Max Foster. That is WHAT WE KNOW.

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" up next.

END

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