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What We Know with Max Foster
French Prime Minister Loses Confidence Vote; At Least Six People Killed In Jerusalem Shooting; Russia Deploys 800+ Drones In Largest Air Assault On Ukraine; Trump: "We'd Love To Got Into Chicago And Straighten It Out"; Shock, Confusion In South Korea Over Raid On Hyundai Plant; Sources: Two Trump Economic Officials Almost Come To Blows. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired September 08, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:26]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: France's government has collapsed after lawmakers voted to oust the prime minister.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
President Emmanuel Macron will now have to name a replacement for Francois Bayrou. The presidential palace says this will happen in the coming days,
not necessarily tonight. He or she will become the country's fifth prime minister in less than two years. Bayrou called for today's confidence vote
in an attempt to push through his unpopular budget proposals. A huge political miscalculation that puts even more pressure on Mr. Macron, who is
already dealing with a deeply divided parliament.
Melissa Bell live from Paris.
And it feels like it's the same story every time, Melissa. A prime minister goes because they can't push through the reforms that are necessary for the
economy.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. But with the clock ticking, of course, with the end of the year, the deadline
for getting this 2026 budget through and one that Emmanuel Macron's centrist party says is absolutely crucial to bring down given this looming
debt crisis. Now it has happened time and time again, as you say. Francois Bayrou, the third prime minister to try and govern, to fail to govern, to
fail to push through those much needed austerity measures. But it has gotten worse. What you've seen in the months that he's been in power was
the far right and the far left essentially decided they would not allow him to govern.
And so it's gotten worse steadily as each successive centrist prime minister has come and gone with an emboldening, really, of these parts of
parliament that now realize they smell blood, essentially, Max, at the center is failing to govern, and they're hardening their positions in terms
of what they want.
So, there are many questions now about what Emmanuel Macron might choose to do next. I think least likely of all would be to attempt for a fourth time
to put in position a centrist prime minister who would automatically have the backs of the other parties up even before he started. What's the center
of a great deal of speculation is that he might this time, try and choose a prime minister chosen from the left.
Remember that the last snap elections after the dissolution of parliament in June. It was that bloc. You were here in Paris for it, Max, that had
successfully seen off the far right. Since then, there have been a huge number of calls and pressure coming from that part of France's parliament
for an MP from their number to be named.
Will he try and make that calculation? Certainly. The clock is ticking. His options are running out and the other alternative, the only alternative to
naming a prime minister that he will hope can govern this time would be to dissolve parliament once again. What we've seen are polls suggesting that
the far right would do even better than it had last June, so very few options for Emmanuel -- French president who has, remember, until 2027 to
serve as president, who has vowed not to stand down, Max.
FOSTER: Yeah, but there was talk about an impeachment vote. How would that work?
BELL: I think for the time being, the parties are struggling to get along on anything that would take a huge number of parliamentarians to make a
block. I think what you're likely to see much more clearly in the coming days, if a prime minister is appointed, they will see whether they can get
their majority together just to push through this budget. That is really the only priority for the time being.
At the moment, France's national debt is 116 percent of its national economic output. That's expected to be the proportion by the end of the
year. Hence the urgency. With a lot of eyes on what the credit ratings agencies are going to say about the cost of borrowing and the expense now
to the French economy. So, a lot of questions, a lot of anger towards Emmanuel Macron. You're quite right. And we're likely to see that again on
the streets on Wednesday, when nationwide protests kick off again on the 18th of September as well.
There is a lot of popular anger out there with the French president for now, a parliament gridlocked but with some hope. If he can find a
consensual person, that there might be enough people who can gather around him to take the measures that needed to be taken. But for now, no clear
idea of how the anger against Emmanuel Macron might manifest itself for now, Max.
FOSTER: You could say deja vu.
Melissa, thank you so much.
Now, the Israeli military carrying out new military operations in the West Bank, warning of the most severe consequences after the deadliest attack in
Jerusalem in years. Israeli officials say two gunmen opened fire on a crowded bus stop, killing at least six people. Police identified the
attackers as Palestinians from the occupied West Bank.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more now from the scene.
[15:05:03]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Amid pops of gunfire, this crowded Jerusalem bus stop is thrown into chaos, sending terrified Israelis
running for their lives. Israeli authorities say two Palestinian gunmen opened fire here, killing at least six people during rush hour. More than a
dozen others were wounded in what authorities called a terrorist attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Suddenly, I started hearing a burst of gunfire. At first small, and then it intensified. People were
looking at each other, trying to understand what was happening, but no one understood. Only maybe after 2 or 3 seconds, someone suddenly shouted,
attack! And people started running.
DIAMOND: This bus was damaged when the Israeli police say two terrorists opened fire on this crowded bus station in Jerusalem. You can see some of
the bullet holes that are still left in this bus, what authorities say is the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel in nearly a year.
FADI DEKAIDEK, MAGEN DAVID ADOM: It was so hard to see all the people laying down in the street and blood -- bleeding.
DIAMOND: Police are hailing an off-duty soldier and several armed civilians for returning fire almost immediately, killing the shooters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing Israel will deliver a harsh response and won't be deterred.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): These murders, these attacks on all fronts, do not weaken our resolve. They only
increase our determination to complete the missions we've taken upon ourselves.
DIAMOND: Within hours, Israeli security forces began raiding several Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank that were home to the
attackers. Israeli police also arrested a resident of east Jerusalem for suspected involvement in the attack.
In Jerusalem, six families have joined this regions long list of mourners, but at this bus stop, shards of glass are swept up, blood is washed away,
and people return to their daily lives.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Israel also escalating military operations in Gaza as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issues an ominous new message. He told
residents of Gaza City, quote, you've been warned. Get out. He says the IDF has destroyed what he calls 50 terror towers there in just two days,
calling it the beginning of intensified ground operations.
The high-rise building bombed today housed a local human rights organization, amongst other offices. Israel says it was used by Hamas,
Palestinian officials deny that, accusing Israel of destroying civilian infrastructure to force people to leave.
Whilst U.S. President Donald Trump weighs his next moves on, Russia's war in Ukraine, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is making intentions
clearer than ever. This weekend saw Russia's largest aerial bombardment of the war. Ukrainian officials say at least four people were killed in the
strikes, and a government building that houses the prime minister's office was hit for the first time.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has the latest on the attacks on Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: There have been fears for weeks that Russia's nightly assaults would at some
point escalate to the point where they would overwhelm the capital's practiced air defenses. But Kyiv hit hard by 810 drones, a record backed by
nine cruise missiles, four ballistic missiles that seemed to get the better of the practiced air defenses around that city. Three killed comparatively,
low toll, despite one of those three being a child under the age of one but deeply symbolic damage done to a key government building inside the
government area of Kyiv.
Ukraine's prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, posting a picture of herself standing in front of the burned-out ruins of one of the offices where she
frequents, a place that she gave western diplomats a tour of in recent hours. A sign as Trump's envoy to Ukraine, general Keith Kellogg, said that
Russia is escalating this war. Putin, perhaps buoyed by his recent summit in China where he shared a limo with India's leader, discussed weirdly
immortality in a hot mic moment with China's President Xi Jinping, possibly seeing now, with the support of those two key powers, the road ahead for
his offensive in Ukraine extended.
It is clear, it seems, from Ukrainian sources, that Russia is amassing troops on the eastern front line, possibly for another push before summer
turns into the fall. But a lot now resting on the decisions of U.S. President Donald Trump, who said at the weekend he would introduce new
sanctions, who said, too he would talk to Putin imminently. He even said at the weekend he might have European leaders visit him Monday or Tuesday.
A lot still waiting from the White House now, including, indeed, details of what those sanctions might be. Could it be banking sector in Russia that is
hit, that could potentially damage the Russian economy? Or could it be secondary sanctions, tariffs against Russia's major hydrocarbon customers,
India or China?
[15:10:01]
So much to be decided. But it seems at this stage Moscow has made its decision to pursue as aggressively as it can for now, offensives in the air
against Ukraine, but probably two in the days ahead increased intensity on the front line as well.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Well, coming up, up in the air. President Trump hinting at an escalation in his ongoing feud with leaders in Chicago. Details ahead on
his controversial crackdown on crime.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: U.S. President Donald Trump says Chicago could be the next American city in his federal crackdown on crime. The president said Sunday
a decision on the matter will come in the next day or two. Despite pushback from the city's mayor and the Illinois governor. That as his homeland
security begins a new operation targeting undocumented immigrants in Chicago.
More details from CNN's Priscilla Alvarez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Department of Homeland Security announced just moments ago their operation in Chicago and the state of
Illinois called, quote, Operation Midway Blitz.
Now, this is expected to include stepped-up enforcement in the area, not necessarily the start of immigration arrests. Of course, those have been
happening in Chicago, but over the last several days, the administration has urged federal personnel there and are expected to continue to do that
as they target undocumented immigrants who they say have criminal records, although what we have seen in other cities is that those without criminal
records can similarly be arrested by federal authorities.
Now, this is part of the Trump administrations attacks against sanctuary cities. Those are cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration
authorities and ones that the president and his officials have repeatedly called out because they say it makes it more difficult for the federal
authorities on the ground who are trying to target public safety and national security threats.
But it's not just Chicago. In fact, officials tell me that privately, there had been conversations for weeks about targeting Chicago, but also Boston,
which also announced an operation over the weekend where they, too are stepping up their enforcement in the city.
And that's ultimately what this looks like. Surging federal personnel to these Democratic-led cities, who they say are hampering their immigration
enforcement efforts.
It looks a lot like Los Angeles. That is, according to my sources, what much of this is based on, which similarly looked like federal personnel
surging into the city, targeting undocumented immigrants. And then as those immigration protests began, that is when National Guard was deployed to
quell those protests.
Now, there's still the question as to whether national guard would play a role in places like Boston or Chicago. White House border czar Tom Homan
saying that it's not off the table, though there is ongoing litigation about the way the administration used it in Los Angeles and however they
used it in the state would still be distinct and different from the way that they used national guard in the -- in Washington, D.C., which is not a
state. Therefore, the government has more authorities.
All the same, though, this is still in its beginning -- beginning phases, so it's unclear exactly how it will unfold. But officials tell me what is
certain is that there is an expectation of more federal personnel in these cities as the administration tries to advance its aggressive immigration
agenda.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Well, just in, Heathrow's terminal four has reopened here in London after earlier being evacuated. The check in area of terminal four
had been cleared out earlier due to what the airport called a possible hazardous materials incident. It's working to ensure that all the flights
do depart as planned, though no word yet on what caused that incident. But certainly, a lot of people stuck outside for a couple of hours. Be glad to
get back inside.
Now, the more than 300 South Koreans taken into custody during a massive immigration raid at a plant in Georgia may soon be on their way back home.
That's after officials say a deal was reached to release the workers who were detained at a Hyundai plant last week. A top South Korean diplomat is
expected to arrive in Washington in the coming hours.
Now, the ICE raid has put immense strain on the traditionally close relationship between South Korea and the U.S.
More now from CNN's Mike Valerio in Seoul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The video released by ICE of South Koreans handcuffed, chains around their waist, causing unease and
astonishment across South Korea.
Song Seok-ha acutely feels both of those emotions since he runs an American friendship booth in the heart of Seoul, calling for greater U.S.-South
Korea ties.
I was very, very disappointed, Song said of the ICE raids. This time, it seemed too extreme. I'm worried this might put a crack in the U.S.-South
Korea alliance.
Only a block away, outside the U.S. embassy, the leader of South Korea's liberal Progressive Party, Kim Jae-yeon, holds a sign saying, "Investment
forced, work visas denied, we condemn the robbery-like actions of the U.S."
KIM JAE-YEON, PROGRESSIVE PARTY LEADER: President Trump has pressured Korea to make more investments in the U.S., and the Korean government made
such a pledge in good faith. This incident should have been resolved based on the trust built between the two countries.
VALERIO: The president posted on Truth Social late Sunday, writing, quote, your investments are welcome and we encourage you to legally bring your
very smart people. What we ask in return is that you hire and train American workers.
The feelings across South Korea are complicated. America is its most important ally, with nearly 30,000 U.S. troops stationed here, in part as a
security guarantee against North Korea. But notably, South Korea's government has not reacted to the ICE raid with anger.
The country's foreign minister, leaving Monday night on an urgent trip to Washington, stressing that the government is acting quickly to bring its
citizens home.
CHO HYUN, SOUTH KOREAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER (through translator): The Korean embassy in the U.S. and the consulate general in Atlanta have been
instructed to take all necessary measures to resolve this issue swiftly.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's an honor to be with President Lee of South Korea.
VALERIO: The raid happened less than two weeks after South Korea's president was in the Oval Office, hailing new investments his country could
make in the American economy. Now, questions linger as to how Korean investment sentiment could be affected.
What are the ripple effects you see here?
CHO HEE-KYOUNG, PROFESSOR OF LAW, HONGIK UNIVERSIYT: Obviously, they're going to have huge hesitation about investing in the U.S. if your employees
are going to be treated like common criminals, people who are actually, you know, giving up, family life to go fly across the ocean.
VALERIO: LG Energy Solution, Hyundai's partner in the Georgia electric vehicle and battery plant, confirmed with CNN it is suspending nearly all
of its American business trips, telling employees in the U.S. now to either stay in their accommodations or come home immediately.
[15:20:15]
The timetable for all 300-plus South Koreans to return home on a charter flight is still unclear. What is certain how quickly the largest ICE raid
of its kind has tested the strength and the trust of the U.S.-South Korea alliance.
Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now to reports of a near-fight between two of President Donald Trump's top economic officials. Two sources tell CNN, Treasury Secretary
Scott Bessent, and director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Bill Pulte, almost came to blows last week in exclusive MAGA aligned club. They
say a long simmering turf war is at the heart of the dispute.
CNN's Kevin Liptak is at the White House.
It's interesting. This, isn't it, not just because it was a salacious fight, as it were, but it does show some sort of divide within the
movement.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. And I think particularly when it comes to President Trump, he's known to sort of pit
advisors against each other. And that seems to be what's happening here. Bill Pulte had been accused by Scott Bessent of essentially badmouthing him
to President Trump behind his back, and the treasury secretary essentially having none of it when he showed up to this dinner that was being held at a
members club over in Georgetown that's been set up by some allies of the president.
When he saw Bill Pulte across the room, he essentially marched up to him and said that he either got the F out of there or that he would. And then
suggesting that the two of them take it outside, essentially almost coming to physical blows with his counterpart inside the administration.
Now, Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary Bill Pulte have all been engaged in what is essentially a turf war to try and get in
the president's good graces, to try and get their positions in front of the president in the Oval Office.
Bill Pulte has seen his stock rise inside the administration after he accused the former Fed governor, Lisa Cook, of mortgage fraud. The
president ended up firing her. She's suing to get the job back, but that has put him in the good graces of President Trump and seems to have sort of
allowed him to whisper in the president's ear about some of the president's other advisers.
And you can see how that sort of escalates over time into this explosive moment at this members club in Washington.
What is interesting is that this isn't the first time that Scott Bessent has almost come to blows with an adviser of President Trump. You remember
some months ago he got into sort of a physical altercation with Elon Musk, the onetime adviser in the White House, the world's richest man, the Tesla
co-founder, essentially saying that his views on the IRS chief were out of line and that he was stepping on Bessent's turf in that matter. And the
treasury secretary essentially sort of coming up to Musk inside the West Wing in full view and full earshot of all of these other advisers, saying
that he would take it out physically if he didn't back off.
Now, neither of these essentially ended in punches being thrown, but it does go to show that this administration is still very tumultuous, almost
seven months in, the treasury secretary really trying to lay out where the boundaries are of his own turf to all of these other advisers who he
believes may be encroaching.
FOSTER: Okay, Kevin, thank you.
Now, it's been a deadly day in Nepal. After police there opened fire on protesters. We'll have details on what they were marching against.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:27:14]
FOSTER: Returning to the political turmoil in France. A short while ago, government collapsing when Prime Minister Francois Bayrou lost a confidence
vote in parliament. Bayrou called for the vote in an attempt to push through his unpopular budget proposals. His big reason why France has the
highest deficit in the eurozone when stacked up against its GDP and borrowing costs, are soaring. France's 10-year bond yields are now
approaching those of Italy.
What we want to know is can France fix its economic crisis?
Joining me now, Richard Quest.
I mean, everyone seems agreed that there's a debt problem there. And it's, you know, on the verge of being out of control. But none of these prime
ministers over the last two years have managed to make any progress with parliament to get anything through.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: Yes. I think the significant point is that they've all come up with responsible, respectable plans.
Michel Barnier has. Bayrou has.
Bayrou famously said to everybody, you know, you may vote me out, but the reality will not change. The debt is still there.
And so, the plans keep coming forward, but left and right in parliament vote them down. And, of course, no confidence and then you're out, and
there is no obvious or easy way out. For Macron, he either dissolves parliament and has new elections. Could be even worse.
He tries to find another prime minister who would want the job, or he resigns himself and calls presidential elections, which is what he said
he's not going to do. In that maelstrom of misery, the markets are basically saying no.
FOSTER: I saw some frightening numbers today about how the interest payments are escalating so quickly. I mean, how long can that go on for?
QUEST: No, it can't, because eventually the markets will stop funding the French government at a respectable level.
FOSTER: And then -- and then the interest rates go up.
QUEST: Well, no, then you end up with a debt crisis, a serious debt crisis, and then you start looking at borrowing from the IMF. You're
looking at doing major restructuring.
FOSTER: How far are we from that?
QUEST: That we don't know because the big unknown on that, of course, is the eurozone. The eurozone is not going to let France collapse
economically.
Now, I thought we'd never be in this position where we'd be talking about France collapsing, et cetera., et cetera. But the reality is, the eurozone,
the ECB in Frankfurt, Brussels cannot afford for the French economy, which is a second largest eurozone member to, to be in such parlous state.
But there's no obvious way out of this. The debt is enormous. Parliament will not agree to any plan put forward.
FOSTER: But that -- without a prime minister, there won't be a plan. And any plan is not going to go through the parliament. Presumably, you know,
if there's a left candidate, the right won't agree. And the same the other way round.
So, away from the politics, what happens with the economy in a -- in a period where you don't have new leadership?
[15:30:04]
QUEST: It muddles through. It muddles through. So, what's likely to happen in the immediate future? Technocrat prime minister -- well, he stays on.
Continues to mine the House until Macron decides what he wants to do.
But the debt is just getting bigger. And eventually, at 116 percent of GDP or whatever it is, the interest payments will eventually be the largest
part of the debt. And look, that's -- it's very similar in the U.K. and in Germany and in Spain. But France is ahead of this.
And the United States, of course, has got its own debt crisis. And what we are now seeing and those who sort of look at this say the biggest single
economic problem for the next 30 years is debt, debt and more debt.
FOSTER: Richard, thank you so much. More at the top of the hour.
Now, police in Nepal have killed at least 19 protesters and wounded another 145. Thousands of people marched against the government's decision to block
most social media platforms, but also corruption. A big debate about corruption there.
Protesters surrounded the parliament building in Kathmandu, some forcing their way in. That's when riot police opened fire on the protesters. The
government has announced a curfew for the area around parliament and key parts of the city.
Sebastian Shukla is standing by for us in Berlin on this.
And on social media, actually a huge amount of shock at the reaction from the security forces at this instance, Sebastian.
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yeah, Max, a really tumultuous day in the Nepalese capital there in Kathmandu, where, as you say, scores of people
have been injured and 17 people have been killed by or as a result of those protests, which saw tens of thousands of Nepalese take to the streets,
crashed through barricades, go after police officers even tried to storm the parliament building, all in protest at this law, which actually was
passed by the government last Thursday but only saw these manifestations of protests today, likely as a result of social media companies going offline
in Nepal, many of which Nepalese people use for communication and even for entertainment like, like we all do, like you do, Max, on TikTok in
particular.
But some -- what the companies and what the governments have been or what the government would like these companies to do effectively is to set up a
middleman, an intermediary that acts between the social media company and the government as a sort of liaison. And to put it in the words of the
government, they want to make sure that the sites are properly managed responsible and accountable.
The Nepalese people, Max, have made it very clear that they are deeply unhappy by this. And as a -- to give you a flavor of what just happened
today in Kathmandu, take a listen to what one protester or eyewitness said he saw today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): A while ago, the police fired bullets which missed me, but hit a friend who was standing behind me. He
was hit in the hand. The firing continues till now. From inside, we still can hear the sounds of the firing. My friend who was standing on the road
was shot at the head. The police have been firing indiscriminately, targeting above the knee. Are they permitted to do so?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUKLA: And, Max, I think what has particularly irked the Nepalese people is that Nepal has long been a bastion of freedom of speech and the ability
for open journalism and journalism safety to be able to flourish. I think what many people here fear is that the prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, is
really reneging on that promise and is trying to pull Nepalese and particularly the information communication sector, closer around the
government, and that we have seen has elicited these really amazing protests.
At the moment, it seems to be calm. We will wait to see, Max, if that calm and that curfew which has been imposed holds into tomorrow.
FOSTER: I guess one solution might be to, you know, get rid of this ban on social media. But a lot of what I've seen online is that this is, you know,
that was just a final trigger, really, in a long line of frustrations with the government and corruption, as they're calling it. So, if they did get
rid of the social media ban, do you think it would have the desired effect? Or as the cat out of the bag, as it were?
SHUKLA: Well, I think we could only have a look at what has previously happened in Nepal, Max, and TikTok went through a very similar iteration of
this a year ago. They were put under the same position, you know, the Chinese platform. But what ultimately they did was they capitulated to the
government demands, and TikTok came back online and everybody was able to access it again, and everybody was happy about it.
What we really don't know here, Max, is whether Meta, Alphabet, YouTube will really, you know, want to play ball with the government here. And
it's, you know, not something that usually tends to happen in democratic nations.
[15:35:01]
These platforms are allowed to just operate freely and openly and are vital sources of communication. As I've said, Max, for all people anywhere around
the world, particularly in countries as small as Nepal, where communities may even rely on Facebook as a means to just to get hold of each other,
Max.
FOSTER: Yeah, okay. So, we'll see what happens from here. Thank you so much.
Now in central Mexico, a train has collided with a double decker passenger bus. State officials say at least eight people were killed and at least 45
injured. We're going to show you the video of that crash, but we want to warn you that it is disturbing.
The crash happened on a highway in the Atlacomulco area northwest of Mexico City. The city council says the community is in mourning. Traffic closed in
both directions of the highway to allow emergency services to respond.
Now to President Trump's call for maximum pressure on Venezuela as tensions flare between Washington and Caracas, President Nicolas Maduro is urging
Venezuelans to enlist in the country's militia.
Stefano Pozzebon has more on the civilian group dedicated to protecting Venezuela.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): On a regular day, Hector Carrillo is a pastry chef working early shifts to bake cookies and cakes
for his community in a slum outside Caracas.
But when duty calls, Carrillo is a reservist and a member of the Bolivarian militia, a civilian force tied to Venezuela's military, ready to defend the
nation.
As sources tell CNN, the White House is considering strikes on Venezuelan territory, allegedly to hit narco traffickers, Carrillo warns any U.S.
intervention against Venezuela would be catastrophic.
HECTOR CARRILLO, MEMBER OF VENEZUELAN MILITIA (through translator): I've been almost 30 years in the army and I still feel prepared to defend the
fatherland. I would tell him, do not think about it because it will be bad. It will be the end of the American empire.
POZZEBON: In recent days, President Nicolas Maduro has called for a special mobilization of the militia.
NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Our mobilization will be permanent and never stop. The armed forces will
deliver the plans for people to sign up.
POZZEBON: Maduro told the nation claiming as many as eight million Venezuelans signed up. Experts dispute these numbers for how effective this
corps would be in real combat.
While militiamen like Hector are unlikely to deter any intervention plan from President Trump, they definitely send a message to everyone in the
community, the government is on every street.
Today, Carrillo's job is to provide security at this government fair where citizens get access to basic services like subsidized medicines or medical
consultations while the militia patrols the street.
Top prize at the spinning wheel, Super Celita, a super woman modeled on Maduro's wife, Celia Flores.
Seems like I didn't win.
At the heart of the fair is the food stall with Maduro looking on.
One of the tasks of the militia is to oversee the logistics of the government handouts which are crucial for vast parts of the Venezuelan
population as the minimum wage here is still less than a dollar a month.
Used to living under an authoritarian government, most Venezuelans seem unmoved by the prospect of U.S. strikes. Even Maduro now strikes a more
cautious tone.
MADURO (through translator): Please don't let yourselves be deceived for one more fratricidal war in South America and in the Caribbean.
POZZEBON: The White House says more actions are coming against the Venezuelan leader.
While here, his supporters close ranks prepared for what is next.
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Petare, Venezuela.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Still to come, a deadly end to a years-long search for a fugitive father in New Zealand. We'll have the details on the confrontation you
might have heard about with the police.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:42:32]
FOSTER: A sad ending to a four-year search for a father in New Zealand, Thomas Phillips and his three children have been living off the -- off the
grid in the wilderness, and the children's mother, desperate to find them, as Ivan Watson explains, a break in at a farm shop led to a deadly
confrontation with police.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is one of the last known images of Tom Phillips, a fugitive father who'd been
living off the grid for nearly four years in New Zealand with his three small children until he died in a fatal shootout with police on Monday.
This security camera video released by New Zealand police last month, shows two masked people, one dressed in what appears to be a full camouflage
ghillie suit breaking into a convenience store before dawn and then driving off with stolen groceries on a quad motorbike. Police offered a $52,000
reward for information on Phillips, who was wanted on a number of criminal charges.
After years on the run on New Zealand's North Island, Phillips was reportedly spotted during a suspected pre-dawn break in of a store in the
tiny village of Piopio on Monday. Local police pursued him to this junction, where they lay road spikes to intercept his quad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The first attending police officer at that scene has come across that stopped quad bike and been confronted by gunfire at close
range. Our officer has been struck in the head. Soon after a second patrol unit arrived and has engaged the offender. And he has died at the scene.
WATSON: Authorities say the dead man is Phillips and said they took one of his children on the scene into custody. They choppered the seriously
wounded officer to a hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He, his family and colleagues are in my thoughts and the thoughts of all Kiwis.
WATSON: The incident triggered a massive search for Phillips' remaining two children. Phillips first disappeared with his children, now ages nine,
ten and 12, in December of 2021, their mother, making a public appeal for their safe return.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm standing here before you today, begging you for your help to bring my babies home.
WATSON: Last year, a teenage pig hunter filmed the father and children hiking through rugged countryside, proof they were still alive. Police also
released images of Phillips fleeing a bank robbery in 2023 and appearing masked in a hardware store that same year.
[15:45:08]
Hours after Monday's shooting, authorities announced they'd found Phillip's remaining children at a campsite not far from the scene of the incident.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can confirm that the children are well and uninjured, and they will be taken to a location this evening for medical
checks.
JOHN ROBERTSON, MAYOR OF WAITOMO, NEW ZEALAND: It's an awful situation when you think about it. State care and children that have just lost their
father and, have been living in the bush for four years.
WATSON: This tightly knit rural community, worried about the trauma three children experienced living for years on the run.
Ivan Watson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The Australian woman convicted of killing her lunch guests by serving them deadly mushrooms, has learned her fate. Erin Patterson was
found guilty in July of murdering the family members of her estranged husband.
Estelle Griepink of the Seven Network reports from outside the highest court of the state of Victoria.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ESTELLE GRIEPINK, SEVEN NETWORK: Well, it's been a remarkable day here at the Victorian Supreme Court, where triple murderer Erin Patterson has just
been sentenced to life behind bars. Interestingly, though, the mother of two was given a non-parole period of 33 years. That means she does have the
chance to exit custody early, but by then she'll be 81 years old.
Now, this is all occurred after Erin Patterson was found guilty of murdering three family members and attempting to murder a fourth by serving
them individually made beef wellingtons that were laced with death cap mushrooms. Throughout her ten-week trial, she had said that she was
innocent, but the jury saw through her lies.
Now for a Victorian first, the Supreme Court actually allowed us to broadcast the sentence live. Let's take a listen now to what Supreme Court
Justice Christopher Beale said in those sentencing remarks.
CHRISTOPHER BEALE, JUSTICE, VICTORIAN SUPREME COURT: For the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, I sentence you to 25 years imprisonment.
For the murder of Heather Wilkinson, I sentence you to life imprisonment.
For the murder of Gail Patterson, I sentence you to life imprisonment.
For the murder of Don Patterson. I sentence you to life imprisonment.
All sentences are to be served concurrently. The total effective sentence is life imprisonment. And I fix a non-parole period of 33 years.
GRIEPINK: Now, today's sentence was attended by the fatal lunch's sole survivor, Pastor Ian Wilkinson. He lost his beloved wife, Heather, and also
his brother and sister-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, who he counted as his closest friends.
During the pre-sentence hearing, he said that he actually forgave Erin Patterson and he wanted her to become a victim of his kindness. And today
he spoke on the steps of the Supreme Court, really, for the first time, to the media. And there he spoke about the importance of kindness as well.
IAN WILKINSON, SURVIVED TOXIC MUSHROOM POISONING: We're grateful for their skills that brought this truth to light. And I'm also very grateful for the
kindness and compassion.
GRIEPINK: Now, it remains to be seen whether or not Erin Patterson will choose to appeal her sentence or her conviction, or both. She now has 28
days to do so. What's for sure, though, is the mushroom murderer has become an extremely notorious figure here in Australia, and it's unlikely that
she'll be able to move from her maximum security prison cell for many years to come because of all this unprecedented attention on her and her crimes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Still to come, Prince Harry is here in the U.K. But will he see his family? We'll look into that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:51:33]
FOSTER: Prince Harry is back in the U.K. this week for a short but pretty busy visit. Earlier, he attended an award ceremony for the children's
charity WellChild in London. He now lives in California with his wife Meghan and their two children. But he is actually here for multiple events.
He's no longer a working royal since his bitter split from the family back in 2020. He hasn't seen his father, King Charles, we don't think since
February 2024.
So, what we don't know is will, Prince Harry see his family whilst he's in the U.K. this time?
Joining us now, British broadcaster, royal watcher Bidisha Mamata. Thank you.
I mean, it is speculation, but the interesting thing is when you ask Harry's side, when you ask Charles's side, they're not denying there will
be a visit. Just explain how we can read something into that.
BIDISHA MAMATA, ROYAL WATCHER: I think that the royal family are very canny operators, and this discretion is coordinated. So, they are --
FOSTER: Yeah.
MAMATA: Because they're not saying no.
FOSTER: Yeah.
MAMATA: They're saying the opposite, which is, hey, just leave it to us.
FOSTER: It's a private matter.
MAMATA: It's a private matter. And they are right in that. So, they don't want lots of negative speculation.
I do think that on top of them being royals, they are still a family and that they do want to see each other deep down. These are actually very
emotional people. Harry and Charles, they are emotional men. They do want to reconnect. And I think it's very, very significant that he's spending
time in the U.K., multiple days, he's by himself.
He's literally and psychologically in the orbit of the rest of his family. How could you not drop in on your father?
FOSTER: Well, he was in Windsor at the same time as his brother this morning, and they didn't meet up. But that's a very different story, isn't
it?
MAMATA: They didn't meet up publicly, and we don't know what happened in the staff common room or whatever it might be. I refuse to believe that
they were in the same sort of area, and their two cars were absolutely separate, and there was nothing on the family WhatsApp.
I think the family themselves are being very discreet publicly, but this is a clear sign. The royal family know exactly what they're doing and they are
telling us, okay, the family is back in play.
FOSTER: Why would they not give us a bit more detail? Is it because they just don't know how it'll go and they just want to confirm afterwards?
MAMATA: I think that's exactly it. I think also there has been so much gossip that the broader public have eaten up, and I think they don't want
people to go, is there going to be autobiography volume two after this?
FOSTER: Yes.
MAMATA: They're going to be a few tweets and a little bit of leakage. They are trying to keep a lid on it, and I have absolutely no doubt that all of
the players on all sides have been told keep it zipped, don't talk. If you're upset about something, do your complaining in private, all of you.
And if Queen Elizabeth II had been around, I'm sure that she would have been on the family WhatsApp.
FOSTER: The anniversary of her death, of course.
MAMATA: Exactly, exactly. And she was the consummate diplomat. I'm sure she would have told them. All of you behave.
FOSTER: So, the king is in Scotland. But it was pointed out to me that he is, you know, we can assume, still having his weekly treatment. So, he will
be in London at some point during the week. So that's, you know, you know, all these pieces add up to the idea that they could meet midweek amidst a
flurry of engagements from Prince Harry.
And he's actually taken a different tack on this visit. He's got very formal engagements. He has what we call operational notes issued with each
of them, which he hasn't done before.
[15:55:03]
It's almost as if he is a working royal again with his own palace.
MAMATA: I had exactly the same thought, and I think this might be the thin end of the wedge to Harry coming back as a working royal. He's without
Meghan and the kids. He's doing all the things he would have been doing had he been still working royal.
FOSTER: Yes, in the similar way.
MAMATA: In exactly the same way, he's behaving himself. He's doing all the stuff according to duty. Thats what he was brought up for. Do your duty.
I think we might see a bit more of these royal engagements.
FOSTER: Well, there'll be lots of pictures this week for you to consume.
I'm Max Foster. That is WHAT WE KNOW.
"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" up next.
END
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