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What We Know with Max Foster

Israeli Military: Operation To Seize Gaza City Underway; Trump Administration Imposes Sanctions On More ICC Officials; White House Pushes Putin-Zelenskyy Meeting, Kremlin Refuses To Commit; Texas House Moves Closer To Passing Redistricting Bill; White House Launches Its Own TikTok Account; U.S. East Coast Bracing For Hurricane Erin. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 20, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:11]

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Benjamin Netanyahu orders Israels military to fast track his plan to seize control of Gaza City.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

The first stage of an operation to seize Gaza City is now underway. That word from an Israeli military spokesman just a short while ago, he called

the city a stronghold of terror and said troops are now circling and holding the outskirts. We've also learned that Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu has ordered a shorter timeline for the siege. Israel plans to force more than a million Palestinians in Gaza City to camps in the south,

whilst it tries to root out Hamas.

As Oren Liebermann now reports, 60,000 more reservists could soon join the fight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The drums of war are pounding Gaza City. A new Israeli military operation has been targeting

the largest city in the northern strip, one that will require a surge of reserve soldiers to go back to fight again.

Avshalom Zohar Sal is a reservist who documented his time in Gaza in these photographs. He says he spent more than 300 days in Gaza on four different

deployments, the last one ended one month ago.

I'm a little in shock that we're still in this thing, he says. I'm a little in shock that were still talking about this war that was supposed to end a

long time ago. And I think if you were to ask everyone in my unit, it's hard for everyone.

The doubts, he says, began creeping in one year ago, and they've only grown. This month, Israel's security cabinet approved the occupation of

Gaza City, a major escalation that could take five months or more. Zohar Sal says he's not going back

I think this decision is a death sentence for the hostages, he says. The government talked and said all the time that were talking about two

missions for this war to return the hostages and to defeat Hamas. Now it's telling us there's only one goal, which I believe is not achievable to

destroy Hamas. And even this won't destroy Hamas.

Amid some of the largest protests Israel has seen since the beginning of the war, families of the hostages are calling the planned operation a

deception, an unforgivable moral and security neglect. A recent study of reserve soldiers suggested approximately 40 percent were slightly or

significantly less motivated to serve.

The military's top general warned the security cabinet of the burden on manpower. An exhausted army in a war that won't end. Israel's military

relies on reservists to keep fighting, and the military said Wednesday that the takeover of Gaza city will require up to 60,000 more troops.

Dan Halutz is the former Israeli military chief of staff.

DAN HALUTZ, FORMER ISRAELI MILITARY CHIEF OF STAFF: I believe that some of them will stay home when something is coming to an end. You feel it and it

comes to an end.

LIEBERMANN: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised the intense fighting would be over by now.

BENJAMIN NETANYANU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Once we begin the Rafah operation, the intense phase of the fighting is weeks away from completion,

not months, weeks away from completion.

LIEBERMANN: That was February 2024. Eighteen months later, Netanyahu says a new operation is the fastest way to end what has long since become Israel's

longest war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now to the West Bank and Israel has given final approval to a settlement project so controversial its long been considered the doomsday

scenario for a Palestinian state. Thousands of new homes in the E1 settlement would effectively split the occupied West Bank into making a

Palestinian state with a shared border virtually impossible there. Israel's finance minister, who has significant control over West Bank affairs, says

that's the exact goal. Bezalel Smotrich confirmed the settlements approval, saying, quote, the Palestinian state is being erased from the table, not

with slogans but with actions.

I'm joined now by CNN's Nic Robertson in Jerusalem.

How soon could this start happening then, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, we were in the area of E1 today and one of the hilltop communities there, 450 Bedouins and

their 3,000 sheep and goats are on that hilltop. And they've been told that, you know, as of right now, they could be evicted and they don't know

if it will be tonight. They don't know if it will be tomorrow or next week. And they also have no idea where they're going to go to. No one's told them

that.

And this is to make way for Israeli settlement expansions. And I spoke to this sort of leader of the Bedouin community there and asked him if he

thought that this was an effort to shut down the possibility of a Palestinian state. And he pointed to Bezalel Smotrich and his statements

and said, look what is happening here is sort of putting a knife through the possibility of a Palestinian state.

You know, when we talk about it, it's perhaps hard to imagine.

[15:05:02]

And I've got to say, even when you're sort of standing on the hilltops there, looking at the terrain around you, it's sort of hard to imagine and

see these lines that have been drawn on maps, how they relate to what's happening on the ground. But I think the simplest way to explain it is area

E1 is just outside of Jerusalem. And of course, East Jerusalem is the place that Palestinians see as the capital of their future state.

Well, when E1 is filled no longer with Palestinians, but with Israeli settlers, then that cuts off east Jerusalem from the rest of the west bank.

And because the roads there are going to be rerouted, it also cuts the north, essentially, this is what Palestinians say, cuts the north of the

west bank off from the south of the West Bank. So, you don't even have that real easy continuity. It turns an hours' journey into maybe a days'

journey.

So, these are the reasons they say the Palestinians say that it will deny them the possibility of a Palestinian state. And I was also speaking to

some Israeli peace activists who said exactly the same thing, Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Nic, thank you so much for joining us from there.

The Trump administration is escalating its fight against the International Criminal Court meanwhile. It says its imposing sanctions on four more court

officials involved in work related to alleged Israeli and U.S. war crimes. The ICC is strongly rejecting the new sanctions, calling them, quote, a

flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is praising the Trump administration for the move. He calls penalizing the officials a firm

measure against what he says is a smear campaign against Israel and its military.

Now, with Ukraine's future hanging in the balance, it's unclear when, where or even if Russia and Ukraine will hold direct talks. Earlier, Russia's

foreign minister poured cold water on the White House claims of a possible Putin-Zelenskyy meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): So far, there has been no response from Ukraine. But following a phone conversation with

President Trump the day before yesterday, our president made a proposal not only to continue these conversations, but also to think about raising the

level of the heads of delegation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, Lavrov says he hasn't heard any constructive ideas from European leaders, whilst also claiming that any discussions on Ukraine's

security without Moscow will result in a, quote, path to nowhere.

Kristen Holmes joins us from Washington.

And people are looking back at this series of momentous meetings over the last week and really questioning what came out of them.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, that's certainly the question. And this is not moving the direction the White

House has said it was going to or that they want it to move in. I mean, one of the things to go over here is what we've heard from President Trump and

from the press secretary Karoline Leavitt, over the past 48 hours, which was that this meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy was in the works, that

they were coming up with ideas.

But beyond floating a couple of possible locations, Hungary, Switzerland, Geneva, there seemed to be almost no details that are being ironed out,

that we're not even at a place where there are details to iron out. Now you have the Kremlin, really seemingly kicking the can down the road and not

acknowledging if they have or have not agreed to this meeting with Zelenskyy.

Of course, remind our viewers that yesterday the White House said that Putin had agreed, and it certainly sounded that like the European leaders

when they were here, they came out obviously, and did media after their meeting here at the White House, and it sounded as though they were under

the impression that Putin had almost completely agreed to this meeting, or was well on his way to agreeing to it, that it's not seemed to be the case

if you listen to what Lavrov said there.

He also kind of talked about the details that go into this kind of meeting. Well, it's not going to be lost on the White House that Putin moved heaven

and earth to get that meeting with Trump happening in about a week and a half. So, this idea that you can't set up a meeting that quickly is one

that's going to bring the White House or make the White House incredibly skeptical.

The other part of this is that President Trump had originally wanted a trilateral meeting in which he would sit down with Zelenskyy and Putin,

thinking that was the best way to negotiate. Then, of course, they came out of this saying that there was going to be this bilateral meeting. But

again, it doesn't seem as though we are any closer to that meeting. Now, 36 hours later than we were when they all came out and announced that that

meeting was going to happen.

So, a lot of questions here as to whether or not this is something Putin is even taking seriously. Obviously, something the White House has been taking

very seriously.

FOSTER: Yeah. And it's been really, showing that hasn't the White House. Donald Trump putting a lot of political capital into this? If he doesn't

get anything from Putin, what might be his reaction, would you say, based on past experience?

[15:10:06]

HOLMES: Well, beyond embarrassment, which I think is certainly likely, we've seen President Trump grow more and more frustrated over time with

Vladimir Putin. Then they had their meeting, and it seemed as though things were back to the way they were. President Trump saying there was warmth

between them.

But one thing we know is that President Trump became at one point, almost averse to talking about his relationship with Vladimir Putin, saying that

he was all talk, that he wouldn't follow through with anything. Now, of course, on the table here are still those secondary sanctions. They've

leveled sanctions at India, on India. But beyond that, there is no other sanctions that have been put into place.

The reasoning for that was, according to the White House, that they were in the process of trying to get this meeting with Putin. Then they were in the

process with the European leaders. Now they're in the process of that bilateral. But if enough time passes, it's definitely going to be something

that President Trump is going to have to reevaluate as he continues to try to push for peace and an end to this war.

FOSTER: Okay, Kristen, at the White House, thank you.

House Republicans in Texas say they'll vote as soon as today on a bill that could ultimately impact the results of next year's U.S. midterm election.

The plan, backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, would redraw Texas electoral maps and may give Republicans as many as five new seats in the

U.S. House. That move triggered a similar push by California Democrats, something Republicans in that state are now trying to block.

So what we want to know is, where will this redistricting battle end?

Joining me now, CNN senior politics reporter Stephen Collinson.

Thank you.

I mean, it's pretty much a done deal, I think I'm right in saying, Stephen, in Texas. So, we're now looking at California and beyond, right?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, I think we're going to see the bill go through the Texas House today. And that is going to get

wrapped up in Texas. Republicans, remember, are trying to get five new house seats which are likely to vote for them in the midterm elections.

California's legislature is working through its process. What is likely to happen is that voters in California are going to get to weigh in on

November about whether they're going to redistrict in that heavily Democratic state. That could counter the Republican gain in seats in Texas.

And then I think you're going to see this fan out across the country through states, which can redistrict and they can follow suit of Texas or

California. The ultimate upshot of this, I think, is that the U.S. House is going to have even fewer seats than it already does, which are truly

competitive, and that is going to lead to more polarization and division in the United States. And it's going to be even more difficult for serious

legislation to get through the Congress.

FOSTER: How far could it go? How many states?

COLLINSON: I think there's more likely to be Republican states that are going to follow Donald Trump's call for redistricting. It's very complex.

But in some states, there are bipartisan redistricting commissions and committees or independent committees. And that makes it much more difficult

for a political intervention.

They've been looking at perhaps, Missouri, Republican run state. They think they can get several seats out of there. If that happens, you might see

another Democratic state try to counter that. There has been one very interesting intervention just now, actually, Max. Former President Barack

Obama has weighed into this. His office put out some comments which he made last night in a fundraiser, and he is saying that although he believes in

the need for nonpartisan districting of congressional seats, the Republican Party has gone so far and it doesn't believe in an expansive democracy that

he is backing California Governor Gavin Newsom's attempt to partially suspend the redistricting commission there to get more Democratic seats.

So I think that's a very important intervention that will persuade more Democrats to get on board in this. And Newsom is very interesting. The

governor of California, he's a very slick politician. He's got ambitions to be president himself.

His embrace of this cause, I think effectively is almost the launch of his 2028 presidential campaign for the Democratic nomination. If Democrats win

the House, and it's because Newsom countered the move of Texas, you can be sure that his argument to Democratic voters is, I stood up to Trump. I won

the House for us. I should be the front runner in the 2028 Democratic race.

FOSTER: Fascinating. Stephen, thank you so much.

COLLINSON: Thank you.

FOSTER: The White House has gone from trying to ban TikTok to joining the social media platform, launching its own official account on Tuesday.

Here's a look at that first video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every day I wake up determined to deliver a better life for the people all across this nation.

[15:15:05]

I am your voice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, this comes amid uncertainty about the apps future. With the deadline just weeks away for parent company ByteDance to sell to a U.S.

buyer or be banned in the U.S.

Our chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, has more on the politics behind the White House's new move.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Trump is reacting to the fact that many, many American voters use and love TikTok.

They're addicted to the platform. He recognizes that, and he now portrays himself as the savior of TikTok.

This is something he views as politically expedient, politically popular given the usage of TikTok in the United States. But it was his idea five

years ago. He gets a lot of credit for all the talk in the U.S. about banning TikTok, because that was a priority of his five years ago. It was a

big talking point.

So he is, of course, completely evolved on this topic. But I do think it's important to put front and center what Congress concluded last year.

Congress, Republicans and Democrats, concluded that TikTok was a national security risk in the U.S. and wanted it to be banned. That was, of course,

signed into law by Joe Biden in the waning days of his presidency, before Trump started to delay the law.

There are a number of legal experts who have said that Trump's delay of the law may be illegal, that he is flouting this law, that he is very much

trying to exploit his own power and basically expand the executive branch power in a way that is unprecedented. But for now, there does not seem to

be significant pushback to his continued delays. So, yes, he keeps delaying this ban from going into effect. And now the Trump White House actually

launching a TikTok account. It shows exactly how he is prioritizing the use of the platform. And frankly, in the grand scheme of things, this might be

a sign to China and to negotiators in China that it has a whole lot of leverage when it comes to TikTok.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, the White House may be okay with TikTok now, but in the state of Minnesota, it's a very different story. After the break, the state's

attorney general will tell us why he's suing the wildly popular app.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:19]

FOSTER: Well, the U.S. state of Minnesota is suing the popular TikTok social media app. Attorney General Keith Ellison announced the lawsuit on

Tuesday. He alleges that TikTok is violating state law and preying on young people. TikTok denies these claims and points out that parents are able to

customize settings for children. But Ellison says TikTok is manipulating users and is similar to addictive substances.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH ELLISON (D), MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL: This stuff is digital nicotine, just like big tobacco, designs its products to addict -- to

addict them. TikTok is working to create TikTok addicts, and the worst part is its working.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Keith Ellison joins us now. I mean, thank you so much for joining us. I think a lot of people do have concerns about the app and how it's

managed. You're taking quite radical reaction to this, though. Have they said nothing to you that reassures you? Because we've had a long statement

from them saying that they do have all the tools that parents and children need to stay safe on the app.

ELLISON: No, they have not they have not stepped up to the needs of young people in Minnesota and really around the world. But more, you know,

there's -- there's -- there are these problems with them using TikTok lives, unlicensed virtual currency system to encourage excessive and

exploitative spending. You know, Minnesota requires that they register this feature, this monetization with the department of commerce. They have not

done so.

And so, we have a number of concerns, not only their deceptive and misleading, mechanism, which leads to addictive behavior among a lot of

people, including young people, but also this, this monetization feature, which worries me a lot because I think that it can easily be exploited and

kids can easily be exploited through it.

And but I am concerned about this, these filters, which idealize how kids see themselves and leads to all kinds of lowest, low self-esteem,

overeating, all eating disorders. So, these -- these things remain a concern for me.

FOSTER: So when you're talking about the unlicensed virtual currencies, you're talking about the gifting system, is that right? So you gift --

ELLISON: Yes.

FOSTER: -- something to someone who's doing a live, for example? That is a currency that you can only use on the app, but, you know, you can earn

quite good money on it. Value creator, for example.

ELLISON: Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, you can just imagine that you know somebody can ask a kid to do something that is sexually exploitative in

exchange for money. There are a lot of inherent dangers to this. If they're going to do it, it needs to be, something that the Minnesota Department of

Commerce can monitor. Can examine and can regulate. And so they've got to register if they're going to do business in my state.

FOSTER: You're talking about predatory features, but do you really think TikTok is trying to be predatory or its just, you know, a side effect of

the app?

ELLISON: No, I think it is deliberately predatory because I think that it makes money. I mean, with this gifting that we've been talking about, they

get half the money, they get a, they get a -- their own cut. So, I mean, I would define predatory as going after people to victimize people to make

money off of it. And they are doing that.

And so, no, I don't think that they're just, you know, good faith actors. I think that they got money, in their sights. Thats all they have, really.

And concern for young people, is a secondary matter for them. That is what I believe to be the case.

FOSTER: So, what do you want out of this? You're suing them. You're obviously getting a lot of publicity for it, which I'm sure is something

that you want because you want to raise awareness of the issues you've been talking about. But ultimately, what do you want? Do you want a ban in your

state or how will it work?

ELLISON: No, we actually don't want a ban. We want regulation. We want them to do the right thing. They, by the way, they know the features that can be

dangerous is, in fact, in China. They have taken steps to protect Chinese kids. We want them to treat our kids at least as well as they treat their

own.

But we think this things like infinite screening, infinite screen -- screening, infinite use where there's really you never really finish. You

can scroll all night or all the next day if you want to this sort of predatory, addictive, algorithm that they use.

[15:25:06]

We need them to change that. And we need them to pay compensation so that we in Minnesota can protect our kids from the dangers and educate people as

well.

But we're not trying to ban them. We're trying to make them act responsibly. There are a number of things in our world which do have

dangers associated, but also have some beneficial effect.

I'm not denying that TikTok is effective communication system and has benefits. They certainly do. But just like you got to drive a car

responsibly, you or you've got to -- you've got to -- TikTok has to do some changing, and it's well within its power to do so.

FOSTER: Okay. Keith Ellison, thank you so much. We'll be following it closely and hopefully have you on as the case progresses. Thank you.

ELLISON: Thank you so much.

FOSTER: They helped the U.S. during the Afghan war. Now a U.S. travel ban is making it harder for Afghan allies to escape the Taliban's grip there.

The gripping story coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: An extraordinary moment unfolding in Russia's war in Ukraine. On August the 8th, U.S. President Donald Trump announces his Alaska summit

with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. That Wednesday, Trump threatens, quote, very severe consequences if Mr. Putin doesn't agree to

end the war. In that meeting, no deals made in Alaska, though the U.S. president cites progress. He then pivots to wanting a lasting peace deal

rather than a ceasefire.

[15:30:02]

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders hold talks at the White House. The next day, the U.S. says plans are

underway for a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. Moscow refuses to commit but doesn't rule out further talks.

CNN's Clare Sebastian has the latest on the chances of a Russia-Ukraine meeting to discuss ending the war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was already clear by the time the dust had settled on those White House talks on Monday that Russia had

not, as the White House seemed to suggest, committed to a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy as the next step.

Now, on Wednesday, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, made that even clearer.

LAVROV: Following a phone conversation with President Trump the day before yesterday, our president made a proposal not only to continue these

conversations, but also to think about raising the level of the heads of delegation.

SEBASTIAN: Or higher level officials, perhaps. But no mention of heads of state. You'll remember the Trump team came out of those Alaska talks last

Friday, claiming also that Russia had agreed to security guarantees for Ukraine, including Article 5 style protections from the United States.

And president Trump has since openly embraced the idea of U.S. involvement in security guarantees. And that, in turn, has supercharged work by Europe

to try to come up with a concrete plan. We've had NATO defense chiefs meeting on Wednesday, and the Coalition of the Willing, this grouping of

some 30 or so countries willing to contribute to security guarantees. They have met twice since Sunday.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When it comes to security, they're willing to put people on the ground. We're willing to help them

with things, especially probably if you talk about by air, because there's nobody has the kind of stuff we have. Really, they don't have. But I don't

think it's going to be a problem.

SEBASTIAN: Lavrov made it clear on Wednesday that Russia sees things a little differently.

LAVROV: Now, it is proposed to resolve security issues, collective security without the Russian Federation. This will not work. Weve already explained

more than once that Russia does not inflate its interests.

SEBASTIAN: So, Russia appears emboldened. Putin's grand welcome in Alaska, the rejection by Trump of Europe, and Ukraine's demand for a ceasefire

before peace talks, and the crumbling of all U.S. sanctions, threats, all wins for the Kremlin just in the past week. So far from indulging Trump's

talk of his own diplomatic successes, the rhetoric we saw today likely a signal to the U.S. president that Russia is looking for still more

concessions to stay at the table and play for time.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: What we don't know is where was Zelenskyy and Putin actually meet?

Joining me now, Max Boot. He's senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of "Reagan: His Life and Legend".

Thank you so much for joining us, Max.

I mean, there's -- Moscow's been suggested from the Russian side, hasn't it? Belarus has been suggested as well. Switzerland offering. What do you

make of the chances of any of those locations happening?

MAX BOOT, SENIOR FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: I think the chances of Putin meeting Zelenskyy anywhere are pretty remote. He's given no

indication that he's willing to do that. I think this is just moonshine from the White House that has no relation to reality.

I think what we've seen in the last couple of weeks with this flurry of diplomacy, is that Putin is not in a mood to make any concessions, and I

think President Trump and his envoy, Steve Witkoff, have given the world a misleading impression because they suggested that Putin is willing to make

territorial concessions. He's not. He's demanding the unoccupied parts of Donetsk.

They've suggested that he's willing to agree to security guarantees for Ukraine. He's not. He's made clear he will not accept NATO troops in

Ukraine, and that Russia should have a veto on any security arrangements. And they've suggested that Putin is willing to meet with Zelenskyy, which

he's which Putin has made clear. He's not willing to do that at all.

So I don't think we've made any progress whatsoever, despite all the diplomatic activity of the last two weeks.

FOSTER: Is this strategy just to have meetings about meetings and keep that going as long as possible?

BOOT: I think Putin's strategy is to string Trump along to prevent the imposition of harsher U.S. sanctions. And that strategy has been successful

so far. Remember, two weeks ago, Trump was on the verge of imposing stronger sanctions on Russia. He said he was. And then Witkoff went to

Moscow and all of a sudden, boom, you have this Alaska summit, then you have the European leaders coming to Washington.

And at the end of the day, Russia is not conceding anything. But Trump has put talk of sanctions on hold. That's a win for Putin because it basically

allows him to continue with his war of aggression without having to worry about the American response.

FOSTER: Does Trump see any of this, do you think?

BOOT: Very hard to know what Trump sees because his attitudes and viewpoints seem to change by the week.

[15:35:01]

Remember, from about July onward, he was suddenly very critical of Russia, and he talked about how Putin was tapping him along and how they had very

nice conversations. And then Russia would attack Ukrainian cities. And if he was basically saying that, you know, if Russia didn't agree to a

ceasefire, there'd be very severe consequences, beginning with secondary sanctions. And then all of a sudden, Trump meets Putin in Alaska and Trump

is singing a different tune than on Monday.

Trump meets with the European leaders and Zelenskyy at the White House, and he walks back a little bit from what he was saying in Alaska, it's very

hard to know where he where he ends up. But he still seems to think that some kind of progress for peace is occurring and that a breakthrough is

imminent. I don't see any evidence of that whatsoever.

FOSTER: Do you think Trump doesn't get the fact that it's very hard for Putin to meet Zelenskyy because he doesn't recognize Ukraine, let alone

Zelenskyy?

BOOT: There seems to be a lot that that President Trump doesn't get. I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding here. At the root of all of

these negotiations. Trump seems to think that Putin wants to end the war.

In fact, Putin wants to win the war. That's a massive difference. Putin has shown no interest in ending the war in a stalemate. He still wants to

achieve his objectives. He has not given up on his on his demands that Ukraine basically become a Russian colony with limits on the size of its

armed forces, completely cut off from Western aid, et cetera, et cetera.

And as part of that, of course, he wants Ukraine to sacrifice more land to Russian occupation. And Trump keeps talking as if Putin is interested in

peace. I see no evidence whatsoever that that is Putin's interest.

FOSTER: I mean, for someone that's got such a big ego, I think, you know, I think that's accepted, isn't it? With Donald Trump, at what point does he

feel embarrassed by Putin if he is stringing him along and reacts against that?

BOOT: It seemed like we had reached that point in July where Trump started complaining that all he was hearing from Putin was a bunch of BS and that

he was getting tapped along and so forth. And so, it seemed like finally he had reached the end of his rope with, with Putin. And yet this, this

meeting that they had in Alaska seemed to have turned Trump around on that.

And he seemed to believe that Putin had a sincere commitment to peace, even though, again, Putin didn't make any actual concessions. He's actually

demanding more territory from Ukraine than he's been able to conquer on the battlefield. So it's anybody's guess.

Will Trump continue to give Putin a free pass or will he finally make Putin pay a price for his intransigence? I mean, perhaps we'll reach another

turning point once it becomes clear that not only is Putin unwilling to agree to a ceasefire, he's not even willing to meet Zelenskyy. I mean, how

much more of this can Trump possibly take without applying some pressure on Putin, which is the only way you're going to get Putin to negotiate in good

faith?

FOSTER: Okay. Max Boot, really appreciate your analysis.

BOOT: Thank you.

FOSTER: Now, a devastating scene in western Afghanistan where at least 76 people, including 17 children, were killed in a fiery bus crash. The bus

burst into flames on Tuesday after it collided with a motorcycle and fuel truck whilst on its way to Kabul. All of the victims were Afghans recently

deported from Iran. The crash comes as Iran intensifies the deportation of undocumented Afghan migrants.

It's now been four years since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan. Since 2021, many former U.S. allies have been stranded in the country. And

now a Trump administration travel ban has left even fewer opportunities to escape.

Here's CNN's Isobel Yeung with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here in Afghanistan, the remnants of war are everywhere.

These guys are trying to clear this whole field of landmines that have been left by decades of war. Just got to watch where we're stepping, because,

anywhere beyond these red flags, they're still potentially contaminated and could have unexploded ordnance.

Deminers work around the clock.

KHALID SAMIN, DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIL: There were three accidents in an accident happened in the past.

YEUNG: Oh, wow.

And how often a civilian accident is happening in Afghanistan?

SAMIN: On a monthly basis, we have witnessed more than 110 people. Most of them are children involved with the accident, unfortunately.

YEUNG: So over 100 civilian accidents every month?

SAMIN: Well, we think monthly basis, yes.

YEUNG: Wow. It must be dangerous work.

SAMIN: Yes. This is the reality of Afghanistan.

YEUNG: This guys here has just found some sign of metal. So they're digging a little further to try and find out whether that's a mine or not.

[15:40:04]

Very hot, dangerous work up here.

Every week, the deminers collect unexploded ordnance and explode them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one.

YEUNG: But invading countries have left more than just bombs in their wake here.

Hundreds of thousands of Afghans worked with the U.S. government during their 20-year war here as translators, drivers, civil society workers and

doctors.

Following America's chaotic withdrawal under the Biden administration in 2021, the U.S. set up a refugee program that would provide a path for

Afghans to move to the U.S., a lightning rod for many Republicans.

STEPHEN MILLER, HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISOR AND DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR POLICY: The United States of America never, ever made a promise, written or

unwritten, to the people of Afghanistan that, if after 20 years, they were unable to secure their own country, that we would take them to ours.

YEUNG: When Trump returned to power this year, he canceled refugee programs, dismantled the office dedicated to helping Afghans relocate and

barred them from entering the U.S. altogether.

We've been speaking to a lot of those individuals across the country but, sadly, because of security concerns, most of them we're having to speak to

on the phone.

On paper, the U.S. says they are still processing cases for people who worked with the U.S. military directly. But many, like this man, are stuck

in Afghanistan, living in fear. We've disguised his voice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that the Taliban is searching for me. I am hiding. I can't go outside freely. If they find me, I'm confident that they

will imprison me. They will torture me. They will kill me.

Donald Trump became U.S. president. He signed executive order and all our cases stopped. We stood with U.S. forces side by side for a long time. But

now they banned us. Why? Where is the justice?

YEUNG: So we've been in touch with one woman who has agreed to meet with us.

She says that it's very risky that she risks running into the Taliban. She risks traveling by herself. And she's very scared. But she says it's worth

it because she really needs to share her story.

As a doctor, this woman worked for American Charities. With recent USAID cuts, she lost her job. She now feels that her relationship with U.S.

organizations has put her and her family's life in danger.

You're clearly terrified. You came here, you were shaking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. During the way, I saw many Taliban. And I am very afraid from them.

YEUNG: What is it like as a woman living in Afghanistan right now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The situation is very bad for the Afghan woman. And we don't -- I don't have any job. Going to the bazaar, not going to the

shopping, we can't. Everything. Just we are in the home and we are afraid from every second of the life we are spending, is very dangerous.

YEUNG: Her communication with the State Department has stopped. The last email she got was in January, just days before Trump returned to the White

House.

How did you feel when you saw the news that Trump was canceling these programs?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the night we are crying. It was very difficult to accept like this.

YEUNG: You felt like this was your lifeline.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes. It broke our heart.

YEUNG: President Trump has said that he needs to protect the borders, that he needs this America First policy to ensure that it's not dangerous, that

no one dangerous enters the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I am not agree with this. They broke his promise to Afghan women and Afghan girls.

YEUNG: What does it feel like?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're feeling bad because we trusted it. And we working with them for 20 years. And they promised us, too. We must be moved

from here to America.

YEUNG: What is your message to President Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, please, please, please start the cases again and also please support the Afghan girls or women because now it was very

difficult for us. It was very dangerous. And I'm not feeling safe in here.

YEUNG: The U.S. State Department told us they're unable to comment on individual cases or internal operations of refugee processing and that the

president is, quote, "committed to helping those who helped us" but that their "first priority is always the safety and security of the American

people".

Isobel Yeung, CNN, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:58]

FOSTER: U.S. state of North Carolina under a state of emergency as Erin now a category two hurricane churns northwards just off the Atlantic coast with

nearly 180 kilometer an hour winds. Officials warn people to stay out of that water. Evacuations ordered in parts of the outer banks as well.

Joining us now with the very latest, meteorologist Derek Van Dam -- Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, Max. I can't overstate how lucky we are across the southeast that this will not be making a direct landfall.

Look at this remarkable satellite image. It's telling me two things as a meteorologist, not only is this storm expanding in size, but we're also

starting to see that heavily anticipated northeasterly turn away from the eastern seaboard of the U.S. good news, you would think, right?

But because of its broadening wind field, we're talking about over 800 miles or roughly 1200 kilometers from end to end. This system is still

going to pack quite a punch away from the center, which is typically the strongest part of a hurricane, right? So, we have these hurricane warnings

stretching for much of the mid-Atlantic, including the outer banks of North Carolina, Delmarva, even into central New Jersey, including Atlantic City.

So these coastal areas will get the outer rain bands, tropical storm force winds out of this. Currently, cat two hurricane, but it's going to

strengthen even further and get larger as it makes its closest approach tonight and into early Thursday morning along the Atlantic Seaboard here.

So, let's time this out. If you've got travel plans into North Carolina. Don't go, right? Weve got tropical storm force winds overnight. And then

looking into Ocean City, Atlantic City, we're expecting these tropical storm force conditions by Thursday afternoon. And then Friday morning, we

could even experience some tropical storm conditions on the far reaches of the state of Massachusetts.

We're talking about Nantucket, that area. This is agitating the western Atlantic, kicking up 15- to 20-foot breakers along the shoreline. You

couple that with the highest tide of the month. And of course, the storm surge component to this hurricane. Weve got a recipe for some very rough

surf.

[15:50:01]

Rip currents are just off the charts for the entire Atlantic seaboard, advising swimmers to not go in the water. That's the best advice we can

give people -- Max.

FOSTER: All right, Derek, we'll be watching. Thank you so much for that.

Still to come tonight a head scratching moment. Hear why one man in Alaska was gifted a new motorcycle from the Russian delegation. You got to hear

what he says about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:53:00]

FOSTER: An Alaska man might have been the biggest winner following last week's summit between U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin.

Mark Warren, a retired fire inspector, was gifted a new motorcycle from Putin's delegation.

Georgina Fernandez of KTUU reports on this unusual gift.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK WARREN, MAN GIVEN A MOTORCYCLE BY PUTIN'S DELEGATION: I thought it was a hoax.

GEORGINA FERNANDEZ, KTUU JOURNALIST (voice-over): It's been a question of why.

WARREN: Because they don't know me. I don't know them.

FERNANDEZ: For days now, after Bird Creek resident, Mark Warren, was given this new Ural Motorcycle from Russian President Vladimir Putin following

the summit last week.

This letter here, from the embassy of the Russian Federation in the U.S., calling it an act of giving with no explanation as to why.

WARREN: It's so absolutely astronomically random that it was hard for me to understand why this happens. Matter of fact, I still don't know why.

FERNANDEZ: The story though with Warren and the bike starts more than a week before the summit. After he says Russian state journalist initially

make contact with him while he was writing his own Ural motorcycle through downtown Anchorage.

WARREN: And that they were interested in why I had the bike and what I was doing. It was purely just information about the bike, why I bought it and

about what I did to fix it up.

FERNANDEZ: Days later, he says the journalist called him saying their story went viral. Then more days pass and another call came.

WARREN: They wanted -- we want to give you a bike, a new motorcycle, a new Ural. And that it was on base.

And I said, call me when it's off base because at this point, I just felt this is so random and so strange that I felt apprehensive about this being

actually really going to happen.

FERNANDEZ: Warren and his wife later are meeting up with Russian embassy consulates and members of the media to receive the bike.

FERNANDEZ: Did you ever have any second guesses of maybe I should not accept this gift?

WARREN: No.

FERNANDEZ: Why so?

WARREN: I don't think if -- if -- if I was accepting this gift for some nefarious purpose or for some favor or something else that I had to do to

interact with them, I would definitely not do it.

FERNANDEZ: The reason though why he was chosen --

WARREN: But this was just a purely random act.

FERNANDEZ: -- is still unclear.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Very unclear indeed.

I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW.

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" up next.

END

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