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What We Know with Max Foster

Netanyahu Indicates He Will Approve Gaza City Takeover; Trump Appears To Urge Ukraine To Go On Offensive; NY Court Tosses Out Trump's $500M Civil Fraud Penalty; Lower U.S. Tariffs On E.U. Autos Are On Hold; Trump Intends To Join Police & Military On Streets Tonight; New Jersey Declares "Erin" State Of Emergency. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 21, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:33]

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: It is decision time for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

Israel's prime minister says his country is at a state of decision, indicating he will approve a plan for taking over Gaza City. But he says at

the same time, Israel will begin immediate negotiations for the release of all hostages and an end to the war on Israel's terms.

Mr. Netanyahu didn't mention a ceasefire proposal already accepted by Hamas, and that was brokered by Egypt and Qatar. Israel's military says its

advancing preparations for the ground offensive amid heavy strikes from the air. It's warning hospitals and aid groups to start making evacuation

plans, saying they'll be a full evacuation of Gaza City to the south.

Nic Robertson is in Jerusalem.

Obviously, people struggling with this statement, Nic saying on the one hand they're going in hard and escalating the war. On the other hand,

talking about some sort of negotiation, but it's not even clear who's negotiation that is.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think importantly here, the prime minister hasn't responded specifically to Hamas's proposal

that there's a partial cease, a partial hostage handover. The prime minister recently switched to saying that he wanted all the hostages handed

over. And that's the current government position, and that's what's being reiterated, but is not engaging in any way with what Hamas agreed to at the

beginning of the week. That creates time and space for him to make a decision about it later. But it's also creating the time and space for him

to put more pressure on Hamas.

So by having a meeting today and talking about his, you know, his happy with the IDF's plan for going into Gaza City, his intimately involved in

that and his intimately involved in the -- in the timeline to when it should happen and has made it very clear he's intimately involved in the

time frame that it should happen within. And when he talks about going in and doing it quickly, the implication of that is that the IDF will use much

heavier bombardments than, lets say, they did in late 2023, when the operations first began, when they went slowly and carefully to protect

their soldiers has got huge pushback from their ranks of the reserve forces. Many are choosing not to go back when they're being called up. An

additional 60,000 have been have been called up.

So he's proposing something that appears to indicate that there would be heavier scale bombardment to make it happen quickly and protect the

soldiers, which tells Hamas that if they hold out in Gaza City, the area that the IDF hasn't taken control of so far, where the IDF says Hamas still

is in strength in numbers, that the infrastructure, the remaining infrastructure of the city there will be destroyed.

If you look at every other town and city in Gaza that the IDF has been into, the result has been massive urban destruction, and that hasn't

happened on that scale yet in Gaza City. So he's telling the prime minister is signaling to Hamas, we are willing to sacrifice our hostages if we go

in, because that could be the price and that we are willing to destroy your essentially your last standing city. Where will you be then?

So I think were in a position at a moment of potential brinkmanship, but also really the intent to go in to Gaza. The troops have been called up for

it, Max.

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

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, whilst negotiations towards peace talks stall U.S., President Donald Trump seems to be urging Kyiv to go on the offensive. He's

using a sports analogy to do that.

In an online post, Mr. Trump wrote it's very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country. It's like a great team in

sports that has a fantastic defense, but isn't allowed to play offense. He added interesting times ahead.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is our translator from the White House, Kristen.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Max, I think this is a lot of bluster right now and a lot of rhetoric as President Trump

watches what is happening with those negotiations, which just Monday that they announced that there would be this bilateral meeting between President

Zelenskyy and President Putin. Since then, the White House has said that Putin agreed to this sit down, but the Kremlin has not. They will not give

any details as to whether or not Putin has even said that he would consider sitting down with President Zelenskyy.

[15:05:05]

And right now, it appears as though that is stalled. One thing to keep in mind, you continue to hear this rhetoric out of the Kremlin where they say,

oh, it takes time to set up these kind of meetings, et cetera, et cetera. Well, the White House looks at how quickly it was they were able to set up

their meeting with President Putin about a week and a half, and that, of course, included the president of the United States and a lot of security

measures and a lot of negotiating. And they wonder why they haven't seen any movement here.

So, a lot of this is President Trump putting forward this rhetoric as he's going to continue to grow frustrated if this meeting is on the books. One

thing to keep in mind here, I've talked to a number of sources about this potential trilateral meeting. The planning for that is on hold right now,

because they are still waiting to see what happens with this bilateral meeting.

FOSTER: Just take us through his plans tonight as well. He's suggested some interesting ones.

HOLMES: Yeah, it's unclear exactly what's going to happen. But President Trump in an interview said that he was going to be taking to the streets

with the federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., amid this federal takeover. Now, whether or not he's actually patrolling, that seems kind of

unlikely, given the high amount of security that would have to be involved with a trip like that. And I've spoken to a number of law enforcement

agents who say they are not prepared for him to be taking to the streets, patrolling at this time.

However, likely what we're going to see is something more along the lines of what we saw yesterday with J.D. Vance, the vice president, as well as

the secretary of defense when they were out there with the troops in Union Station. Now, where this is going to be unclear timing on this, unclear.

But of course, we know this is coming as the White House is doubling down on this decision to federalize Washington, D.C., to move the police

department under the federal authorities. And they say that they're cracking down on crime and that its successful. So now you're going to see

him touting that tonight.

FOSTER: Okay, Kristen, be interesting to see the images coming out of that one. And also how the Secret Service deals with it. Thank you.

A New York appeals court is throwing out the nearly half a billion dollar judgment against President Trump in a civil fraud case.

Our Kara Scannell is here with more details on what that decision actually means and what the case was about, Kara.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Max, this is a huge win for Donald Trump. The appeals courts wiping out this nearly half a billion dollar

judgment against him. Although this panel of courts is upholding the lower court's ruling that Trump is liable for fraud, this all relates to the New

York attorney general's civil fraud lawsuit, where that went to trial and Donald Trump testified where the judge found that Trump did inflate the

value of a number of his properties. These hotels, Mar-a-Lago, golf courses in order to get better rates on loans and insurance.

So that liability ruling stands. But the big thing here, and the thing that probably mattered the most to Trump, is that this half a billion dollar

judgment is wiped out. And in this this was a five panel of judges. They really could not reach agreement on many issues. There were three separate

opinions totaling more than 300 pages.

As one of the opinions stated, there are profound differences among the judges, but they did agree that the $500 million fine, which roughly is

with interest, is excessive under the U.S. Constitution. So that is wiped out.

Now, the New York attorney generals office said that they will appeal, and the New York AG, Letitia James, said it should not be lost to history that

yet another court has ruled that the president violated the law and that her case has merit. Another key part of this ruling was that four of the

five judges did agree that the New York attorney general's office did have authority to bring this case. That was something that was under debate. So

now we'll see if this is appealed, what the ultimate outcome will be.

But this is all happening in the backdrop of Trump's Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into the New York attorney general

looking into potential violations of mortgage fraud, but also, Max, looking at this very case that she brought and spearheaded and saying that there

could potentially be a violation of Trump's civil rights, that is in the early stages. But her lawyers have pushed back, saying it is just another

sign of Trump's political retribution campaign -- Max.

FOSTER: Okay, Kara, thank you so much.

The U.S. has made it official with European Union joint statement outlining their new trade agreement was released earlier today. However, carmakers

still have some uncertainty to deal with there.

Anna has been looking at this and this really matters because I think the E.U. is the biggest trading partner for the U.S., isn't it?

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: They have an enormous relationship, trade, relationship. It's the largest in the world between

the two. This sort of meat on the bones of this agreement that was agreed by hand last month is interesting. It has effectively put in place this 15

percent tariff ceiling on many exports to the U.S., like pharmaceuticals, for example, which is a huge relief to that industry. Trump was talking

about a 250 percent tariff on pharmaceuticals, but one area of frustration is with automotives, which is a huge sector in the E.U., very important to

Germany in particular.

They now have a precondition in order to unlock this 15 percent, they have to essentially, the E.U. has to introduce a legal process to open up the

market for many U.S. products, including bison, including tree nuts.

[15:10:09]

And only then will the car tariffs be lowered down to 15 percent. So, a mix of relief and frustration for many automakers in the E.U. It just seems

like the goalposts have now been moved.

FOSTER: And these are the sort of, you know, these are seen as luxury cars in the U.S. isn't much demand in the U.S. for some sort of resolution to

the car side of the deal, at least.

COOBAN: Well, the trading relationship between the U.S. and Europe with cars, it sort of means a lot to, to E.U. It means perhaps less so to the

U.S. they have a huge diverse number of their own automakers. Germany exported 430,000 models of its cars to the U.S. last year. So, it's a big

customer. It's important to the E.U. And they're really keen to unlock this 15 percent and to have this sort of can kick down the road that the

goalposts moved is just a source of frustration.

FOSTER: And what's the response then, from Europe? Because as we say, it's a two-way relationship that's going to be a huge impact on U.S. businesses.

If Europe does something reciprocal.

COOBAN: Yes. And it's interesting you said that because actually the U.S. distilled spirits council, they represent many retailers in the U.S.

they've said that a 15 percent tariff on E.U. spirits into the U.S. will actually, by their estimation, result in potentially $1 billion worth of

losses in sales, over 12,000 job losses. So yeah, it goes both ways. E.U. exporters are fearing that their products become less competitive on U.S.

shelves, and U.S. retailers that have to stock certain products have to import a worry that customers will just turn away.

FOSTER: Okay. Thank you so much, Anna.

The infamous Menendez brothers taking turns, facing the California parole board. Erik Menendez is first up. He's today. His brother Lyle will have

his chance on Friday. The brothers have spent the last three decades in prison for the 1989 murders of their parents in Beverly Hills. In May, a

judge resentenced them, which now makes them eligible for parole. However, the governor of California still has the final decision.

Jean Casarez joins us now.

So, the decision today on one of the brothers could potentially go to the governor, but it could end here as well, Jeanne.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's true. It's a good point. Now, with everything we know, there is going to be a decision today. We don't know

when, but there will be a decision. It will be made public.

Now, this was a huge trial in the United States. Two trials, actually a mistrial and then a second trial. And around the world it was so huge.

They've been in prison now, 35, 36 years. In fact, it was 36 years yesterday that they committed the double murder of their parents.

It was a brutal murder. It was very premeditated. And they could have gotten the death penalty. But in California, the jury actually voted for

life in prison without any possibility of parole. So, it's miraculous that they were sentenced to 50 years to life. And that was reduced because they

were youthful offenders.

But what's before the parole board, really, today is one pivotal question. Will they be a risk to the community, to the society if they are released?

And today, is Erik Menendez is day, and that is the pivotal question.

Now a psychological test was done on both of them, and they both rated as a moderate risk for release, not a low risk, not a high risk. So that's right

in the center right there. And actually only about 20 percent of those offenders actually do end up getting released.

But there's much more. They have done so much in prison. They have formed groups. They have helped other inmates. They have gotten college educated.

Lyle has his bachelors degree from the University of California, Irvine. Erik is currently enrolled there, and so -- and they've got family support.

So many family members want them released.

So, there's really two sides to this. And once the parole board and were we believe 2 to 3 members are going to be listening to this and making the

decision, then they have to deliberate. And that's the parole board members. So, we don't know when this will come, but we do believe from

everything we know and have been told that at the end of the day today, it will be known what the parole boards decision is on Erik.

FOSTER: Have we got any idea which way the governor would go if this lands on his desk?

CASAREZ: It's a great question. We don't. He has not given his opinion on this. He ultimately will be the one that makes the decision.

But here's what we do know, Max, Sirhan Sirhan was up for parole board several years ago, and the parole board said, yes, we believe he should be

released. It went to Governor Newsom. Governor Newsom assessed it, looked at the law, looked at the facts. And he ultimately determined that there

was not enough acceptance of responsibility being remorseful for what he did, that that just wasn't there.

[15:15:04]

And so, he said, I will not agree to Sirhan Sirhan's release.

And it's the same argument from the district attorney in Los Angeles saying there's no remorse. They've never admitted all the lies. And there were

many lies. That is true. The many lies that they told and did after -- in the aftermath of after murdering their parents.

FOSTER: Okay, Jeanne. Thank you. We're watching really closely, as you say, we could get the first result anytime now.

CASAREZ: Thank you, Max.

FOSTER: Now, seven months into his second term, President Donald Trump reshaping American institutions. Just how far will he go? We'll discuss,

next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Whether it's in Washington, the courts or the streets, President Trump has moved quickly to not only reshape the U.S. in his vision, but to

expand his power over the country's institutions.

Seven months into his second term, President Trump has cracked down on universities and museums for being too woke. His administration has revoked

more than 6,000 international student visas. He wants to ban mail in voting, calling it a scam. And in a massive display of force, he's deployed

national guard troops into Washington, D.C.

The president now expected to join law enforcement on the streets of the city this evening. What we don't know is, how far will Mr. Trump's federal

takeover go?

David Graham is a writer for "The Atlantic" and the author of "The Project: How Project 2025 is Reshaping America".

David, thank you so much for joining us.

In terms of what you've written about before, is Donald Trump living up to all of that as it plays out? Do you think? For example, this visit we're

expecting on the streets of Washington tonight?

DAVID GRAHAM, AUTHOR, "THE PROJECT: HOW PROJECT 2025 IS RESHAPING AMERICA": Yeah. I mean, I think we've seen Trump try to expand his power in ways that

are material. You know, he wants more legal power. And also, he has sort of sought to project a lot of strength to talk about toughness in things like

law enforcement, the use of the military.

[15:20:04]

So, this is both in keeping with the sorts of things that Trump has talked about and done before. But I think it's also a step beyond that to be out

on the streets with people in military fatigues, military vehicles. This is beyond what we have seen previously from him.

FOSTER: We've seen the rows he's had as well with the culture sector, the museums famously in the last few days, even trying to reshape history, some

people are suggesting. So, is he trying to change the whole narrative of the U.S. from history into what he's doing now, into the future shape of

the nation?

GRAHAM: Yeah, I think he is. And this is another place where there's a continuity and also a shift. Weve seen Trump complain about, you know, what

he calls woke history and attack universities and schools for the sorts of things they're saying.

But by attacking the Smithsonian directly, you know, these museums that have been treated as kind of the keepers of America's national story by

attacking them in this way, by trying to literally rewrite history as its taught, I think that is something new. And that's a new kind of control

over institutions. He's trying to exert.

FOSTER: And with a lot of this, his power increases. So, what do you think it's about?

GRAHAM: Well, I mean, I think he has always just wanted more power. I think he's never had a lot of patience for or interest in this checks and

balances that are the heart of the American constitution and the way the system works. And he simply wants to, you know, create a spectacle and to

create power and to avoid anything that might get in his path.

FOSTER: So, what did you make, then of, you know, the Putin summit, the E.U. or the European summit as well? Zelenskyy going to the White House?

Putin apparently not responding to any of it and just carrying on with the war.

GRAHAM: Well, I think it's very interesting because it cuts a little bit against Trump's image. He has often expressed an affinity for Putin. And I

think Putin is not alone. There are several people, you know, autocrats, people like Erdogan, people like Kim Jong Un in South -- or North Korea. He

seems to believe he has a special kinship with them, and he can speak to them in a way that other leaders can't.

But what we saw from his summit in Alaska is that he can sit down with Putin. He can literally roll out the red carpet. But it hasn't gotten a lot

of results. So, these are one of these places where Trump can exert a lot of power over the city of Washington, D.C., over federal institutions, you

name it. But the facts of the world are not that easily, buffaloed. And he is encountering that difficulty now.

He seems to have thought that peace would be a relatively easy process, and it simply has been much more complicated than he ever let on.

FOSTER: And a lot of people suggesting he's an authoritarian leader or he wants to be an authoritarian leader have really sort of cashed in on what

they see as a failure there, right, that he was undermined effectively by Putin.

GRAHAM: That's right. I mean, I think the place where authoritarians are most successful is always domestically. And you see Trump moving in all of

these ways domestically, whether it is you know, putting the military in the streets, claiming to try to take over election systems or, you know,

demanding the freeing of people who have furthered his, his lies about fraud in the 2020 election. That's where authoritarians have the most

success, and it's where Trump is having the most success as well.

FOSTER: It's clearly frustrated him. You know, we had that interesting comment today, didn't we? A suggestion really that Ukraine maybe should hit

Russia on its own territory, which is a huge shift from what we were hearing last week.

But do you think he's going to have to assert himself at some point with that crisis and actually take Ukraine's side and go in hard?

GRAHAM: You know, it's been interesting to see him vacillate. That comment was really striking. A couple of weeks ago. Also, he was asked about Putin

striking civilians, and he said, you know, I have these great conversations with him. And then he turns around and he does this again. So I think that

frustration is definitely seeping in.

We saw him sort of lash out at Benjamin Netanyahu, an ally in Israel as well. A few months ago. The question is whether Trump has the interest and,

and sort of attention span to move in more deeply, to keep the process moving or to push the envelope to help Ukraine a little bit more. And I

think that's just very hard to predict, because he tends to be so fickle.

FOSTER: Okay. David Graham, as ever, really appreciate your thoughts on the world as it is today. Thank you.

California Governor Gavin Newsom leading the charge in pushing back against the Trump administration. And he's taking a page from the U.S. president

when it comes to social media attacks today, simply asking Mr. Trump if he has, quote, triggered after eliciting an angry response from the president.

CNN's Tom Foreman has more on the battle brewing between these two leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The strongest wall Trump ever built is his bronzer line. He's low energy. The best friend of Vladimir

Putin. From cracks about Trump's stumbling to digs about the Texas redistricting plan, California Governor Gavin Newsom is imitating the toxic

social media game Trump pioneered in politics, and he's hammering the president and his party in the process.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: Right now, with all due respect, we're walking down a different path. We're fighting fire with fire, and we're

going to punch these sons of the bitches in the mouth.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Little Marco. Elizabeth Pocahontas Warren. I call her crooked Hillary.

NEWSOM: Trump built his political brand on schoolyard taunts. And now, Newsom's social media feed is full of references to Press Secretary

Karolyin Leavitt, Vice President J.D. Just Dance Vance, House Speaker Little Man Johnson, while calling Trump little hands, Donny J., the

criminal president, and Donald TACO Trump for Trump always chickens out.

He's even taken Trump's all caps style and catchphrase. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS HOST: Stop it with the Twitter thing.

FOREMAN: Conservative media, which has long cheered Trump trolling the left, is coming unspooled over Newsom ridiculing the right.

PERINO: If I were his wife, I would say, what? You are making a fool of yourself. Stop it. Do not -- do not let your staff tweet. And if you're

doing it yourself, put the phone away and start over.

FOREMAN: Newsom's response -- they still don't get it.

NEWSOM: If you've got issues with what I'm putting out, you sure as hell should have concerns about what he's putting out as president. How have we

allowed the normalization of his tweets through social posts over the course of the last many years to go without similar scrutiny and notice.

FOREMAN: In the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires, the governor and president were briefly civil.

TRUMP: We've got to get it done.

FOREMAN: But with the White House having sent troops into California over immigration protests with almost every post, Newsom is making it clear the

niceties are over.

NEWSOM: It's not about whether we play hardball anymore. It's about how we play hardball.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN (on camera): Some of his jabs are very sharp. For example, a few years ago, Donald Trump invited the Russians to hack into Hillary Clinton's

emails in the name of finding out things Americans might want to know. Well, now, Gavin Newsom is saying, hey, Russia, if you're looking around, a

lot of Americans would like to see the Epstein files that Donald Trump has yet to release.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

FOSTER: Still ahead, Israel's military says it's advancing plans to take over Gaza City, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders immediate

negotiations for ending the war on Israel's terms.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:31:01]

FOSTER: Israel's military is warning hospitals and aid groups in northern Gaza to start preparing to evacuate ahead of a full scale assault on Gaza

City. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today indicated he will approve the takeover plan, but says he's also ordered immediate negotiations for the

release of all hostages and an end to the war on Israel's terms.

Mr. Netanyahu didn't mention a ceasefire proposal already accepted by Hamas. Aid groups are warning against the mass displacement of civilians.

The U.N. says 1 in 3 children in central and northern Gaza are severely malnourished and may not survive a forced evacuation. Meanwhile, 21

countries, including Britain, France and Canada, have condemned Israel's plan for new settlements in the occupied West Bank, east of Jerusalem. The

statement says the plan would fuel more violence and instability and violate international law.

Nic Rrobertson has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): In days, these Palestinian farmsteads in the occupied West Bank could be gone. The Israeli government has just signed

off on a demolition to make way for 3,500 new Israeli settlement home, expanding the nearby settlement of Maale Adumim.

ROBERTSON: When are they coming to demolish these houses?

ATALLAH MAZARA, HEAD OF VILLAGE COMMITTEE, JABAL AL-BABA: Maybe tomorrow and the night. And I don't understand.

ROBERTSON: Atallah has lived here 50 years, has no idea what to expect.

MAZARA: My prayer, for the children, for the woman, for the animals. Where you go.

ROBERTSON: This is Jabal Al-Baba. Everyone here is waiting to be evicted now, 450 people, about 80 families, they tell us. Jabal means hill or

mountain. And for many people here now, this feels like it could be the hill upon which the idea of a Palestinian State dies.

The reasons, they say that best understood on this map, Jabal Al-Baba is in area E1 where there will be more evictions and a new road restricting

Palestinian movements. So Israel's biggest settlement, Maale Adumim can grow area E1 links the West Bank to East Jerusalem. Palestinians pick for a

future capital and connects the north and south of the West Bank.

On another hill, just a mile from Jabal Al-Baba Israeli Peace Activist Haget Ofran shows young Israelis what Israel's expansion into area E1

means.

HAGET OFRAN, CO-DIRECTOR, SETTLEMENT WATCH: The government wants to fill in the gap and to make an Israeli corridor into the heart of the West Bank.

And in fact, to cut the Palestinian territory for southern area and northern area.

ROBERTSON: So what does that mean in reality, when you cut -- when you cut the Palestinian area like that?

OFRAN: It means that you cannot develop a viable economy, not to say, a state.

ROBERTSON: Twenty years ago, then lawmaker Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to expand the huge Maale Adumim Settlement.

NETANYAHU: Sharon will build here. I will.

ROBERTSON: Today, P.M. Netanyahu's pro-settler government says their area E1 evictions are legal and justified and appear intended to outmaneuver

European decisions to recognize a Palestinian State.

BEZALEL SMOTRICH, ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER: We will continue to build a fulfilling Jewish reality. This reality definitively buries the idea of a

Palestinian State simply because there is nothing and no one left to recognize.

ROBERTSON: On the fringes of area E1 in the bustling streets of Azariah (ph), Smotrich's words are also having a chilling effect.

[15:35:08]

This is where Palestinians say the new Israeli road is going to be built on this busy highway -- thank you -- and cutting across the road right along

here. So this will be completely -- thank you -- completely shut off. And these stores have closed already because of the demolition order.

Municipality Official Mohammed Mata (ph) points to stores already shuttered, tells me demolition orders on more than 100 premises have

already been served, says the new road will destroy their fragile economy.

Back on the hilltop, Atallah, the Bedouin Leader, tells me confiscating these lands is like cutting a cake down the middle.

Jabal Al-Baba isn't only the end of the Bedouins' dreams here, he says, it's also the end of every Palestinian's dream of having a state in the

future.

Nic Robertson, Jabal Al-Baba, the Occupied West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: What we want to know is will diplomatic pressure affect Israel's plans in the West Bank?

Joining me now, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, a member of the Palestinian legislative council.

Thank you so much for joining us, Doctor.

So, this idea that this settlement would end, the idea of a Palestinian state, what -- what are your thoughts on that?

MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI, PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN NATIONAL INITIATIVE: Well, in reality, what you have is a fascist Israeli government led by fascists like

Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, whose goal has been like Netanyahu since the very beginning of their political life, is to destroy any potential for peace,

any potential for a compromise. And actually, the building of the settlements is not only a death sentence to the idea of a Palestinian state

or Palestinian freedom, it's a death sentence to the possibility of peace, to the possibility of a two-state solution, to the possibility of

coexistence, to the possibility of having a compromise. That's what they mean.

And their goal is clearly not only to confiscate Palestinian land, not only to destroy our lives, our economy, our education, our health systems, but

also to ethnically cleanse us. If you try to connect between what's happening in the West Bank and what's happening in Gaza, you find only one

thing. Acts of genocide and one goal, which is ethnic cleansing of all Palestinians from Palestine. In reality, we have 7.3 million Palestinians

in the land of historic Palestine versus 7.1 million Jewish people.

What can be the solution if it is not two states which they reject? If it is not one Democratic state with equal rights, which they also reject, then

what they want is only ethnic cleansing.

FOSTER: Obviously, the Israelis deny that. They say it's about degrading Hamas as much as possible. But clearly European leaders have got huge

issues with this settlement as well. They are protesting against that.

But, you know, they were predictable protests, weren't they? Do you think they'll make any difference whatsoever? Will they stop Israel going ahead

with this plan?

BARGHOUTI: No. Unfortunately, they won't for two reasons. First of all, because Israel is relying completely on the support of Trump's

administration, on the support of the American ambassador in Israel, who has the guts to even say there is no Palestinian people and that these are

not settlements, but Israeli towns and villages in violation of international law, of course. And because Trump's administration is doing

nothing to stop Israel from continuing this horrible situation.

But the second reason is that statements and condemnations mean nothing to Netanyahu. The only thing that will stop Netanyahu if these condemnations

translate into acts of sanctions, if Europe and the international community stop using double standard in the case of Russia, 11,000 sanctions were

imposed on Russia in less than two months. In the case of Israel, it has been allowed to be above the law and to be punitive to international law

and even impunity to international, to the resolutions of International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice.

FOSTER: Do you think the European countries are being disingenuous? Then just voicing their concerns about the settlement but actually taking no

action that's actually going to prevent it?

[15:40:10]

BARGHOUTI: Not exactly, because here you can see there is still a big gap between the positions of the peoples of Europe who have discovered the

reality and the truth about Israel, that Israel is not a victim in this situation, it is the aggressor, who have discovered also that Israel does

not represent Western values as they used to claim, and who have discovered that Israel is not a democracy. A democracy cannot kill 62,000 people, in

Gaza and including 20,000 children. They've discovered all of that. But their governments still follow an old policy.

And in my opinion, what you see in Europe is a great transformation, very similar to what happened in the case of apartheid in South Africa. First

the people changed, then the parliaments, then the governments. And we have already seen some governments like Norway, taking actions in the direction

of imposing sanctions, at least on Israeli settlements. This is a big change, and it will continue and it will grow.

The reality here is that Netanyahu is hurting not only the future of Palestinians, but also of Israelis. And definitely he doesn't care at all

about the life, about the lives of the Israeli captives whom he will kill if he proceeds with his military operation in Gaza.

FOSTER: Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, thank you so much. Obviously, Prime Minister Betanyahu, talking about --

BARGHOUTI: Thank you. Thank you, Max.

FOSTER: -- trying to get those hostages out today. That's part of this negotiation. He suggested. But we will get more updates from Israel as that

plan unfolds.

In Ukraine, all of the talk about diplomacy hasn't changed anything on the ground there. Ukrainian officials say massive Russian air attacks killed at

least nine civilians overnight. President Zelenskyy says Russia launched nearly 600 drones and 40 missiles, the largest assault in more than a

month.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Ukraine with an inside look at how the Ukrainians are preparing for a possible Russian military surge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This complex of bunkers and trenches is not the front line. It's well back in the rear. But

the purpose of this is that it is a position that is ready in the event the Russians push forward. And in fact, what we're hearing from senior

officials in the Ukrainian military is that indeed they are seeing that the Russians are moving more men and equipment to this part of eastern Ukraine

in preparation for some sort of attack. And certainly, what we've seen in recent days is an intensification of Russian drone strikes and missile

strikes on a variety of parts of Ukraine. And this is, of course, is one of them.

This despite the fact that it was not just a -- it was just a few days ago that President Trump met with president Putin in Alaska. And certainly, one

would have thought that this would lead to a lessening of the fighting. But in fact, what we're seeing is that in the days following that, Alaska

summit, if anything, the Russians are intensifying their fire. And as many here fear preparing for yet another push on the eastern front.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Ben Wedeman there.

Still to come, the latest on Hurricane Erin. And we'll have a live report on the new area where it's making an impact.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:46:38]

FOSTER: The governor of New Jersey has just declared a state of emergency due to Hurricane Erin. The category two storm is starting to turn away from

the eastern coast of the U.S. but the danger remains. It's not expected to make landfall, but its large size is still having a huge impact.

Omar Jimenez is in New Jersey, joins us now -- Omar.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, this is when we expected Hurricane Erin to make its closest pass to this region of the United

States. You can actually see the status of the waves right now. You'll notice there's absolutely no one in the water. And that is on purpose

because people have been prohibited from getting in because of the strength of the rip currents.

Now, as you can imagine, today, while we do expect to see the peak of the conditions, it's drawn a lot of curiosity. This fishing pier is closed, but

you can see residents here of the town. Obviously, all gathered up trying to see what the storm is actually going to look like. And to give you an

idea of the proximity of where we are, we're just near Atlantic City, which is essentially a main casino area in New Jersey outside of New York City.

But all of these homes, hotels and all of these residences here are essentially right on the edge of where we expect some of the coastal

flooding to hit.

So, I talked about Atlantic City. That's those sets of buildings that are down there, further sticking out into the coastline where I'm standing,

though, you notice it's all wet here we are, just a few hours away from high tide, which we do expect to make it all the way up to some of these

dunes that are behind me here as this water comes in. We've been talking to people that have been out here on the beach over the course of the day.

Just take a listen to what one of the local residents told us about their expectations of this hurricane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURIE BESDEN, VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER: But it's great to see that anyone on the beach is literally here just to take videos and get off the beach. I've

not seen anyone in a ten mile stretch who's actually in the water, so I think everyone's taking safety very seriously. And I think that's amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: And the governor here has declared a state of emergency, as we do expect coastal flooding to be a major factor.

But really, what's interesting about the next few hours, as we again await high tide to come in, even as this water gets closer and closer, is that we

expect the peak of these conditions to see if I bet properly here. No, the peak of these conditions are expected to happen by essentially the evening

of Thursday, and then essentially to start fading away over the course of Friday.

So, the hope is that by the time people wake up in the morning, that the worst of this will have passed. But the question, of course, is what will

the magnitude of any flooding actually be, even way far away from the center of this storm? This storm is -- this hurricane is nowhere close to

making landfall here.

But again, its that coastal flooding and the rip currents that we expect to be the major factors here, Max.

FOSTER: Okay. We'll wait to see. Difficult one to judge, isn't it? Omar, thank you so much.

Still to come. Relief for thousands in Kenya after British army involvement in a devastating fire back in 2021. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIOAL BREAK)

[15:52:18]

FOSTER: Now, about four years ago, British soldiers were responsible for starting a wildfire during a training exercise in Kenya. Thousands lodged

claims over extensive damage and health problems tied to the smoke. The British government has finally agreed to compensation as our Larry Madowo

now reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A forest fire raging through the hills of central Kenya in 2021, burning over 10,000 acres of protected

land and smothering the local community with toxic smoke.

The British army posted this video at the time of the troops tackling the blaze.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The local community behind us is safe and we're also quite aware that there's wildlife that we need to protect.

MADOWO: Those words now jarring as neither the community nor the wildlife were ultimately kept safe.

The British government has agreed to pay out nearly $4 million to thousands of locals, whose lives were changed forever by the fire, according to a

settlement agreement obtained by CNN.

The blaze in the hills started during a training exercise of the British military inside a privately owned wildlife conservancy.

Speaking to me before the settlement was agreed, activist James Mwangi says the fire wrecked the environment and harmed people far outside the area.

JAMES MWANGI, LOCAL ACTIVIST: This area in 2021 March, it was a furnace for seven days. Over 10,000 people were choked by smoke. That toxic smoke

nearly everyone in this community has chest problems, everyone.

MADOWO: This is now our life. This woman told me, showing her inhaler. Hannah Wanjiku (ph) starts crying when she tells me about the sick

grandchildren she is struggling to raise. My grandchildren are all unwell, Hannah told me. Even I can no longer read and I've developed chest

problems, she says we live a difficult life.

Hannah, like so many members of the community, say she wants to use any compensation money she receives to leave the area and get away from the

British forces.

Kenya earns about $400,000 annually for allowing the British army to train here. We actually went to court. This 27-year-old lawyer grew up in the

area and filed a class action lawsuit against the British army after the fire.

KELVIN KUBAI, LAWYER FOR FIRE VICTIMS: Military training and conservation are incompatible. There is need to separate both of them. My client

expected much more money from this payment, but this payment is nowhere close to give them the financial assistance to enable them move from this

training.

[15:55:00]

MADOWO: The British government has agreed to compensate more than 7,000 people whose lives were impacted by the smoke and flames, but they have

refused to admit liability and have blocked locals from pursuing any further claims relating to the fire.

Many people here have been campaigning for years for justice. Some received just $170, their lawyer says. The British government said Thursday it was,

quote, pleased that a global settlement has been agreed, saying that the Lolldaiga fire was extremely regrettable.

Many here tell us the behavior of troops from the former colonial power is becoming too much to tolerate.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Laikipia, Kenya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" up next.

END

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