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CNN International: Trump: "Very Good" Call With Zelenskyy; U.N. Official: Aid Worker Killed In Gaza Explosion; Turkish Police Arrest Key Rival To President Erdogan; Judge Orders Mahmoud Khalil Case To Be Moved To New Jersey; U.S. Fed Keeps Key Interest Rate Steady; Russia And Ukraine Exchange Airstrikes Overnight; Fury Toward Netanyahu After Israeli Airstrikes In Gaza; Violent Attacks On Tesla. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired March 19, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:41]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Hello to everyone, all around the world. I'm Max Foster. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

For the first time since a dramatic Oval Office shouting match, you may remember, Donald Trump has now spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The U.S. president says he talked with his counterpart for about an hour and claims efforts towards negotiating a ceasefire are, quote, very much on track.

On Tuesday, Mr. Trump spent twice as much time on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This as Ukraine accuses Russia of launching an overnight attack on its energy facilities. Moscow claims Kyiv attacked Russian territory just hours after Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump agreed to temporarily halt attacks on energy infrastructure.

A short while ago, the White House press secretary claimed that peace was getting closer and confirmed that some intelligence sharing with Ukraine would continue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think a couple of years ago, as you all reported on the war, it was incomprehensible to have a partial ceasefire in this conflict. And today that is true because of the leadership of this president.

Mary?

REPORTER: Is it shared -- agreed to share -- closely share information between their defense staffs? Does that mean all intelligence sharing will continue? The White House is rejecting Russia's request to pause.

LEAVITT: Intelligence sharing in terms of defense for Ukraine, will continue to be shared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Jeff Zeleny was watching that and all the other events unfolding today. And it's being touted as successful so far, Jeff. But on the ground, it doesn't look like it. Even the partial ceasefire didn't take effect.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: And, Max, that certainly lies some conflict in there between what the White House and frankly, the Ukrainian president is saying versus the reality on the ground. But there is no doubt that there has been a dramatic reset of U.S.-Ukraine relations since that disastrous meeting 19 days ago, which is a pretty short amount of time, really, in the Oval Office when there was this dramatic diplomatic breakdown of the Trump administration, basically through Zelenskyy and his allies out now, of course, last week, there was a broader talk of a ceasefire, a reach with the U.S. and Ukraine. Russia has not signed off on that.

So that really is the question here. What is Vladimir Putin going to do? He has agreed to a short term ceasefire of energy infrastructure.

One slight question here is, and this is an important one, the United States readout of the call said energy and infrastructure. The Kremlin said, no, no, it's just energy infrastructure.

But the bottom line is, as you said, there are still attacks happening in Ukraine. So who is going to police all of this? That is left unclear. We do know that U.S. officials and Ukrainian officials will be meeting next week in Saudi Arabia to go through some, technical questions of this ceasefire, trying to broaden it out again.

But it remains very much an open question. And one thing that is clear, Putin has certainly stopped. Well, well, well short of that full cease fire that Trump and Zelenskyy have been hoping for -- Matt.

FOSTER: It must be a frustration, though, to Donald Trump. I mean, you've reported on him. He talked about this, you know, quick piece he was going to bring into effect there. Of course, its impossible to do in situations like this, but is there a point where he'll get frustrated with both sides again or, you know, with Ukraine on one side and Russia on the other side because he's not getting what he wants, which is peace.

ZELENY: You would certainly think so. But there are no signs of that so far. And what was striking the readout from the White House about the Zelenskyy call today was how positive president Trump was about that. The -- he has been holding Zelenskyy to a far higher bar, if you will, than he's been holding Vladimir Putin to, you know. But he said that there were positive signs from that phone call.

But, Max, the question that I have and we do not have an answer to Trump, has long said that Russia will be the easier country to deal with here on the path to a potential cease fire, not Ukraine. That very much seems to be at odds with the actual facts. Ukraine, of course, is agreeing to much more.

So, again, has Trump been played by Putin? We shall see. But from the Trump side of things, they want a variety of other things to be in play, not just Ukraine. They want a full reset of economic relationships as well. [15:05:05]

Even there was talk of -- of a hockey match being played here in the U.S. The White House played that down, saying, look, we want to talk about peacekeeping, not hockey. But Russia, of course, was very eager to talk about that. That just gives you a sense of how all this is in the control of Vladimir Putin, much more than Donald Trump.

FOSTER: Yeah. Big test for all sides.

Jeff, thank you.

ZELENY: Sure.

FOSTER: President Zelenskyy says future talks with the U.S. should include a discussion about security guarantees for Ukraine, of course. In a social media post a short while ago, he thanked President Trump for what he described as a positive and frank conversation. Mr. Zelenskyy says Ukrainian and American teams will soon meet in Saudi Arabia, as Jeff was saying, to continue working towards a ceasefire agreement.

Speaking to our Christiane Amanpour, one former U.S. diplomat who oversaw military aid to Ukraine during the Biden administration, says that Kyiv may be playing a diplomatic long game here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CELESTE A. WALLANDER, FORMER U.S. ASSISTANT DEFENSE SECRETARY FOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS: I think that what President Zelenskyy is indicating is that Ukraine would be willing to a peace settlement that is not a final settlement, and there is precedent for this. For example, the United States never recognized the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States, of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania through the Cold War. There was a pragmatic understanding that the Soviet Union occupied those territories. Certainly, the Soviet Union claimed that those were territories of the Soviet Union, but the United States never actually recognized those claims.

And then at the end of the Cold War, it was quite a simple matter for the United States and European countries and Russia itself, to recognize the sovereignty and independence of those countries. So quietly, Ukrainians have been working options for what a peace agreement would look like that did not require them or the international community to recognize those territories as part of the Russian Federation, playing a very long game for the day when Russia continues to be burdened by sanctions and has to recognize that it would be better off to work with Ukraine on terms that Ukraine can accept.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Meanwhile, Israel is saying its recaptured part of a key corridor in Gaza as part of its newly launched military offensive. It's the first time Israel has used ground troops since the ceasefire ended. The so-called Netzarim corridor separates northern and southern Gaza.

It allows Israel to restrict the movement of Palestinians across the enclave. Israel had withdrawn from the area as part of the ceasefire. Palestinian officials say at least 15 people were killed overnight in Gaza, a day after more than 400 died in a wave of attacks.

A U.N. official says an aid worker was killed after an explosion at a U.N. guest house. The IDF denies any involvement in that.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us now from Tel Aviv with more.

It feels like we are just back into this phase that we had before any sort of ceasefire came into effect.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Without a doubt in particular, today, seeing the first major ground operations by the Israeli military in two months since the ceasefire first went into effect, the Israeli ground forces went deeper into Gaza today, capturing at least half of the Netzarim corridor, which it previously occupied. This is the corridor that separates northern Gaza from the rest of the strip, and previously allowed the Israeli military to control the movement of people going from north to south, and vice versa.

The Israeli military has now sent ground troops all the way to the center of that Netzarim axis, according to the Israeli military. It's not clear whether they intend to go further, but it does certainly seem likely, and in particular because this has been a prized military objective of the Israeli militaries in the past, given the control that it can give them over northern Gaza, which they may have in mind as they look towards a broader ground offensive in inside of the Gaza Strip, going back into northern Gaza, for example, taking control of that area and separating it from the rest of the strip.

But it will also serve another purpose, Max. And that is in negotiations with Hamas, which, as we understand, there are still efforts by the mediators to try and get Israel and Hamas back to an agreement that would see additional hostages released, that would see the ceasefire go back into place. If Israel captures this whole Netzarim corridor once again, that will be another card for them to play in these negotiations.

Now, meanwhile, as all of that is happening, we are also following a deadly strike that took place earlier today on a United Nations guest house, which had been -- its coordinates had been shared with the Israeli military. But one aid worker was killed, five others were injured, according to the United Nations.

[15:10:01]

The Israeli military so far has said that they did not conduct a strike on that guest house. But as new information is surfacing that this appears to have been carried out by a tank round, as identified by two military experts contacted by CNN, the Israeli military may be conducting additional checks. But for now, no additional comment from them. One of those U.N. workers who was killed is indeed a foreign national,

and there are five others who were seriously wounded in this incident. Once again making clear how dangerous the situation can become inside of Gaza. And of course, the risks that not only foreign workers, but of course, Palestinian civilians, of course, continuously face as these Israeli military operations ramp up -- Max.

FOSTER: Okay, Jeremy in Tel Aviv, thank you.

Protesters have taken to the streets of Istanbul after a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was detained on corruption and terrorism charges. These were the scenes tonight, extraordinary. Protesters accused the government of carrying out a coup. Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was expected to be chosen as the opposition party's presidential candidate this week.

Paula Hancocks has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A key rival of Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been detained, just moments before he was taken from his home. Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, posted this video message.

Hundreds of police officers have been sent to the door of my house, he said. The house of the 16 million people of Istanbul, we are up against huge bullying. But I will not back down, he says. I love you all. I entrust myself to the people. I will be standing tall.

His detention comes just days before he was expected to be chosen as Turkey's main opposition party's presidential candidate. Authorities said he was detained as part of corruption and terrorism investigations, along with detention orders issued for around 100 other people connected to the mayor, according to Turkish media.

The day will come, the tables will turn, protesters chanting outside Istanbul's police headquarters as critics denounce the detentions as political, part of an ongoing government crackdown on the opposition following Erdogan's major defeat in local and mayoral elections last year.

The head of Imamoglu's Republican People's Party called the detention a coup attempt against our next president.

Imamoglu's wife, called the accusations against him laughable, blaming false information on social media. Such a thing is, of course, impossible, she said. It cannot be. It is a huge slander. Everything will come out in the open.

Turkey's next presidential election is not scheduled until 2028, but some analysts say Erdogan could call for early elections to allow him to bypass term limits.

Imamoglu's detention comes one day after Istanbul University announced it had annulled his decree over irregularities. Without a university degree, he is disqualified from running for president.

We will, of course, take this illegitimate decision to court, he said, speaking alongside his family on Tuesday.

Demonstrations have been banned across Istanbul until March 23rd to maintain public order, and many social media sites restricted. But some supporters still took to the streets to protest the mayor's detention.

Imamoglu has been a vocal critic of President Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey for more than two decades.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, still to come -- as a judge challenges for the third time a U.S. deportation flight to El Salvador, President Trump has a message for the bench.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:09]

FOSTER: A federal judge is partially siding with the Trump administration in the deportation case of Mahmoud Khalil. The judge agrees the case should move from New York to New Jersey. Khalil is a political -- is a Palestinian activist and a Columbia University graduate. The Trump administration has accused Khalil without providing evidence of being a terrorist sympathizer and supporting Hamas.

Our Gloria Pazmino is in New York breaking down this ruling. I mean, it is a fascinating case, isn't it, in terms of precedent, because, you know, Rubio in particular, you know, may have some law on his side here because of the powers he's got.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Max. And in fact, even though the judge was not ruling on the overall merits of the case, he certainly mentioned just how important and significant this case is. Now, even though the judge sided with the Trump administration on the venue question so far, this is a significant win for Khalil's attorneys because they have been arguing that he should be brought back from Louisiana, where he's being held to the New York City area. So now the judge is deciding that the venue, the proper venue for this case, is New Jersey.

The reason for that, as you remember, is that Khalil was arrested here in Manhattan, briefly held in New York City, and then transferred to a detention facility in New Jersey. Now, this is all over a motion that his lawyers filed in order to have him released because he was being held in New Jersey at the time this judge is saying they should hear the case there.

Now, as I said, he's not yet ruling on whether Khalil should be released or on the merits of the case, but he did mention the seriousness of what's at stake here. He said, quote, these are serious allegations and arguments that no doubt warrant careful review by a court of law. The fundamental constitutional principle that all persons in the United States are entitled to due process of law demands, no less.

Now the judge is talking about the fact that Khalil's attorneys are arguing that their clients first amendment rights and due process rights were violated when he was taken into custody because of his participation in the protests against the Israel-Hamas war that took place last year on the campus of Columbia University.

Now, in the meantime, we are also hearing directly from Khalil for the first time. He wrote a letter which he dictated to his attorneys on the phone while he is in detention in Louisiana. He called himself a political prisoner and warned that his detention is meant to send a chill to activist communities across the country.

[15:20:01]

Here's what he said, quote: The Trump administration is targeting me as part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent. He also said Columbia targeted me for my activism. Columbia surrendered to federal pressure by disclosing student records to Congress and yielding to the Trump administration's latest threats. He's talking about the funding cuts there.

Then he said visa holders, green card carriers and citizens alike will all be targeted for their political beliefs.

Now, Max, in the last several weeks, we have seen other cases of international students here in the United States being targeted for immigration enforcement over their participation in these protests last year. Now, while the case is transferred to New Jersey, Khalil will remain in Louisiana, at least for now. That is until a judge in New Jersey has an opportunity to hear a motion to have him transferred here, where his lawyers argue he should be so that he can be closer to his wife, who is a U.S. citizen and is eight months pregnant and cannot travel to see him -- Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Gloria, thank you so much for bringing us that from New York.

Now, as lawsuits pile up against the Trump administration, President Donald Trump vows to push back against, quote, bad judges. Here's his interview on Fox News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: Going forward, would you -- would you defy a court order?

TRUMP: I had judges that were so corrupt --

INGRAHAM: Does that -- we all know that. That was outrageous.

TRUMP: I never did defy a court order. INGRAHAM: And you wouldn't in the future.

TRUMP: No, you can't do that.

However, we have bad judges. We have very bad judges. And these are judges that shouldn't be allowed. I think they -- I think at a certain point, you have to start looking at what do you do when you have a rogue judge?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Mr. Trump isn't the only world leader facing criticism for meddling in legal affairs. The chief Supreme Court justice rebuked the U.S. president for his rhetoric on Tuesday. Today in Turkey, you've heard about a rival of President Erdogan being arrested, which critics say is politically motivated.

Whilst in Israel, a parliamentary committee has today approved a bill from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government that would change how judges are selected. Mr. Netanyahu's attempts to curtail the powers of judges have sparked huge protests there that we've reported on.

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

I mean, the word people are using is autocracy. Can we just define that and then work out where we sit on this?

DAVID GRAHAM, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Yeah. I mean, when we're talking about autocracy, we're talking about a rule by a single person with effectively unfettered power. And I think in all of these cases, you know, none of these leaders are in fact autocrats, but we see them moving towards that. You know, we see them trying to knock down guardrails against single rule, whether that is an independent judiciary or, in the case of Erdogan, using the judiciary as a tool against a political rival.

FOSTER: So the judiciary is meant to be there to hold power to account, as is journalism. These are all branches of democracy, aren't they? So if we're not talking about full autocracy, and of course, we're not at this point, are we just simply talking about the executive, gaining an undue amount of power in what many of us would imagine was a normal democratic system?

GRAHAM: Yeah, I think that's exactly right. In all three of these countries, you see leaders gaining and seeking more power than the executives held in the past, and trying to knock down any check against them. You know, I think, you know, we see in particular Trump learning from both Netanyahu and Erdogan, two leaders who he has had good relationships with and who he has, you know, expressed his admiration for in the past. He sees what they're doing and he's taking hints from them about how he might gain more power for himself in the United States.

FOSTER: But they're also countries where they've had legitimate elections, right? Particularly the U.S. and in Israel. So it's what people voted for. But do you think that they are taking more power than people expected?

GRAHAM: Yeah, I mean, I think that's true in Erdogan's case originally. I mean, he has since had elections that have been questioned, but he originally rose to power as a popular candidate. You know, in all these cases, it's people who did rise through elections but who are taking down the guardrails that have existed.

And it seems to be taking more than voters have asked for. As we see in the protests in Israel, there is, in fact, a popular groundswell against a lot of the things that Netanyahu is trying to do. We've seen protests in Turkey as well. And, of course, in the U.S., there have been demonstrations against Trump also.

FOSTER: I mean, autocracies rise and fall, don't they? But what does seem interesting here is, as you say, the relationship between some of the -- the men here. And it's as if they are, you know, being motivated by each other. Would you say?

GRAHAM: Yeah, I think that's right. And, you know, I think Trump -- you know, Trump has long expressed admiration for a lot of dictators and strong leaders who don't have a lot of checks on them. And I think that, you know, he uses them as role models.

[15:25:04]

FOSTER: So what's your concern about where it goes from here?

GRAHAM: You know, in the case of the U.S., I think we can see if Trump doesn't have to follow judge's orders, it means that basically no law applies. He can do whatever he wants. And the only bars on him are his own imagination and what maybe his aides and his party would do to constrain him.

And, you know, we see that and I think the Erdogan example is a good one. It's a slippery slope from defying a judge's order on something small, like the deportation of a single permanent resident to arresting your primary opponent for the presidency. Once you have leeway to do one thing, you have leeway to do many things.

FOSTER: Well, wait and see.

David Graham, thank you so much for your analysis.

We've just had some positive news on Pope Francis' battle against double pneumonia. The Vatican saying the 88-year-old pontiff is recovering positively and he no longer needs assisted breathing. His pneumonia is considered under control. He remains in hospital, though the Vatican did say the pope could be put back on ventilation if needed, but has yet to give a time frame for his discharge. He's been hospitalized for almost five weeks now.

Still to come, the U.S. Federal Reserve weighs in on interest rates. We'll have its latest decision how it's affected the markets as well. They're going one way. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:17]

FOSTER: The Federal Reserve now says there's more uncertainty around the U.S. economic outlook. A short time ago, policymakers decided to keep interest rates steady. That was expected.

Stocks, though, moved solidly higher as Jerome Powell began speaking on the assumption that rates may come down, presumably, Matt Egan. But this, you know, this word uncertainty basically means they don't know what's going on -- going to happen.

MATT EGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Max, it was remarkable how many times the Fed chair during this press conference talked about just how uncertain the environment is right now. And, of course, we know that, that's one of the reasons why we've seen so much volatility in the stock market. The fact that the market is solidly higher today may reflect some relief that the Fed is still penciling in two interest rate cuts this year, despite all of the changes that have happened in the economy and in policy since they last put out projections in December.

I would just note, though, that it's hard to put too much weight into those projections given again, how Powell talked again and again about just this very uncertain environment. And look, they made some significant changes to their economic projections, right? They marked down their forecast for growth. They slightly increased their forecast for the unemployment rate. And they meaningfully increased their outlook for where inflation is going to go.

Take a listen to Powell. Explain why the Fed now expects a higher inflation rate at the end of this year than they did just a few weeks ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR: Inflation has started to move up now. We think partly in response to tariffs. And there may be a delay in further progress over the course of this year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

EGAN: So, clearly, he's blaming the deteriorating inflation outlook on the tariffs and the trade war. But what's notable and also I think a positive from the stock markets perspective is that Powell, he signaled that he's willing to look past the increase to inflation if it is, in fact, transitory. And he said that's something they're going to be watching very, very closely.

I also had the chance to ask Powell about the stock market drop and whether or not he's concerned that the market volatility could cause businesses or consumers to cut back on spending. And Powell said, look, some of the surveyed data, some of the soft data has deteriorated recently. It has pointed to some downside risk. But he said they're paying attention to the hard economic numbers. And

for now, those do remain solid. So he said they're going to be monitoring this closely, but he's not going to overreact to any one consumer confidence decline or of course, not to the stock market either.

So, look, Max, at the end of the day, this is a Fed that remains in wait and see mode. They need more clarity on where policy is going, how high tariffs are going and of course, what the economic impact is from all of these policy changes -- Max.

FOSTER: Yeah, absolutely. Matt Egan, a tough job. What a time to be a central banker now.

Overnight attacks between Russia and Ukraine could be a sign that there is still a long road ahead before any peace deal can be reached. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says the Kremlin views Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure as an attempt to sabotage agreements. Ukraine's president says that while Kyiv supported the pause in attacks on energy targets, he wanted to know the details behind the proposal that President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed in Tuesday's call.

Fred Pleitgen joins us now live from Moscow.

You were talking yesterday, Fred, about this, how this is being interpreted in the state media, a huge win for President Putin. Does that inform how he takes this from here? Because, you know, obviously his primary audience is his domestic one.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is domestic. And I think you're absolutely right. It certainly informs how he and where he takes this from here.

And I think right now, Vladimir Putin continues to believe, and certainly the Russian political sphere continues to believe, that it is actually Russia that is in the drivers seat on all of this.

First of all, as far as Vladimir -- as Volodymyr Zelenskyy asking for more details as far as this possible moratorium, if you will, on strikes against energy infrastructure and possibly other infrastructure as well is concerned really the differences between the U.S. and the Russian side on that issue seem to remain with the U.S. continuing to say they believe that this means energy and infrastructure installations, whereas the Russians say it absolutely only means energy infrastructure installations, like for instance, oil and gas and also electric transformer stations as well.

[15:35:07]

It was quite interesting because it was a bit of a testy moment today on a conference call with Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, where he was asked about that, and he said, look, I'm the spokesman for the Russian president. And Russia's position is that it only means energy infrastructure installations. So that's basically where the Russians are coming from. The Russians are saying that they do see a possibility for a possible

wider ranging ceasefire. But there certainly are points that they say are still very much high up on their agenda. And one of the ones that they mentioned, which seems somewhat controversial, is that the Russians are saying are calling on the Ukrainians not to be supplied anymore with Western weapons.

Now, of course, that would be something almost impossible to swallow for the Ukrainians, considering they're almost completely dependent on western arms, even though they do produce a lot of arms themselves now. But the Russians continue to press that point today by Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, as well.

But the Russians also do feel, in light of the fact that they are making gains on the battlefield. And Vladimir Putin was at an event earlier today here in Moscow, where he mentioned that he believes that Russian forces are on the cusp of pushing the Ukrainians out of the Kursk region, that little foothold that the Ukrainians still have on Russian territory, and therefore, the Russians don't really seem to be in a rush right now to move things forward.

They continue to say that before there can be a ceasefire, before the shooting can end, they want what they call the root causes of this conflict to be sorted out first. But of course, that is very much easier said than done, especially when it comes to the territory that the Russians still occupy on the Ukrainian side of the border, Max.

FOSTER: Okay, Fred, thank you so much for that.

We're going to return to Israel now where thousands have turned out against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he resumed strikes against Gaza strikes, which this week have killed hundreds of people, protesting outside Israel's government building, the Knesset. Protesters are accusing him of restarting the war solely for political survival. Since renewing strikes, Mr. Netanyahu has welcomed back far right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir into his shaky coalition, a big political victory ahead of a key vote on Israel's budgets.

Nic, these protests, they do feel like they're growing. You've covered lots of them. I mean, how much are they growing? And would you say that Netanyahu is taking any notice?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think, look, I think he can hunker down a little bit because he's gained politically in the situation at the moment by restarting the war. He's got one of his hard line, real right wing government ministers back on side, and he needs him for political dealings in the future, not least the budget coming up.

So while the protests have sort of been really galvanized again, because he's gone to war in Gaza, there's a political plus for the prime minister. People, though, including international U.N. workers paying with their lives at the moment in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): International U.N. workers rushed to a Gaza hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to get you out of here. All right. So you're going to hospital to get treatment, and then we'll get you out of Gaza, all right?

Keep the faith. Stay strong. You'll be all right. Okay?

ROBERTSON: Five injured and one killed during a strike on their residence, the U.N. says, as Israel ramps up its war against Hamas in Gaza, again.

According to a weapons expert consulted by CNN, fragments recovered from the U.N. building are consistent with an Israeli tank round, although Israel denies firing in the area Wednesday.

JORGE MOREIRA DA SILVA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF U.N. OFFICE FOR PROJECT SERVICES: This synopsis premises was hit at approximately 11:30 a.m. this morning. Today's incident follows strikes yesterday, but also two days ago.

ROBERTSON: Almost as if the war didn't pause, Gazans forced to flee their homes again, scenes reminiscent of 2023 and 2024 as Israeli aircraft drop fliers in northern Gaza warning residents to evacuate immediately. A massive military operation has started, this as Israel ratchets up its new offensive, launching limited, targeted ground activities.

ISRAEL KATZ, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): Residents of Gaza, this is the last warning. The airstrike against Hamas terrorists was only the first step. What is coming will be more difficult and you will pay the price.

[15:40:01]

ROBERTSON: Israeli protesters on the move, too, motivated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's return to war, marching in their thousands toward Israel's Knesset frustrations running high.

Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, now in opposition, feeling the crowd's high octane anger. He'd come to lend support instead himself incensed by the crowd's criticisms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Gantz was the white hope. We voted for him, we voted for Lapid. They are our candidates in the parliament and they are just polite. But now, they have to show that they are with us and that they have to show that they protest with us, and they have to show that they resist what Netanyahu is doing to this country.

ROBERTSON: Polling by an independent Israeli research company shows a steady but growing consensus for an end to the war in Gaza. More than seven out of ten Israelis want a complete withdrawal, and more than half say that Netanyahu should resign immediately.

Inside the Knesset, however, Netanyahu seems stronger than ever. His far right ally, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, rejoined the government, ending his boycott over the ceasefire. (END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (on camera): So many mixed reasons why the protesters are coming out there. But I think one of the takeaways today, not just that, but really the focus back on Gaza, not just an air campaign, but this ground campaign limited at the moment, the IDF says, that that central strip in Gaza and to the south. But as we've seen before, limited ground campaigns can grow very quickly, Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Nic Robertson, thank you so much for bringing us that from Jerusalem.

Were going to take you to New York City now. Live pictures of protests against the resumption of the war in Gaza. This is happening outside the Trump building, a building he has on Wall Street. Organizers want the U.S. president and U.S. businesses to end their support for Israel. More than 400 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, as we say in Gaza, since Israel resumed its attacks there.

Still to come, the FBI calls attacks on Tesla cars possible terrorism.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:49]

FOSTER: The FBI is investigating an attack on cars made by Tesla, a company led by Elon Musk, as a possible act of terrorism. Surveillance video from a repair facility in Las Vegas shows an armed man shooting at the vehicles. Two other cars were set on fire with Molotov cocktails.

Police departments across the U.S. have been investigating a wave of attacks on Tesla's showrooms, charging stations and vehicles, and an auto show in Canada pulled Tesla products a day before a scheduled event due to safety concerns. Musk claims the brand is being targeted due to his efforts to slash federal government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA: I thought that the left or the Democrats were supposed to be the party of -- of empathy, the party of caring, and yet they're burning down cars. They're firebombing dealerships. They're firing bullets into the dealerships. I think we just have a deranged -- there's some kind of mental illness thing going on here.

I think there are larger forces at work as well. I mean, I don't know -- who's funding it and who's coordinating it? Because this is -- this is crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell is in Los Angeles.

I mean, he's -- he's saying a lot there, isn't he? Saying it's funded, it's coordinated, saying it's terrorism. How are the authorities going to deal with this? JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Well, we know that

the FBI and police in Las Vegas are now investigating yet another act of vandalism. As you mentioned, there have been many of them. Authorities say that early yesterday morning, they received multiple calls to police reporting shots being fired at a Tesla dealer, of cars that were engulfed in flames. Authorities responded and found several of the vehicles that were indeed on fire.

Just yesterday, officials in Vegas gave an update with the latest on their investigation. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DORI KOREN, ASSISTANT SHERIFF, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: This was a targeted attack against the Tesla facility. We believe the suspect approached the business wearing all black clothing, and he used what appeared to be Molotov cocktails and a firearm to conduct his attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now, officials haven't released any information yet about a possible suspect. They say that that is under investigation.

One thing that's unique about Tesla products is that so many of their vehicles come equipped with video technology that will actually film if someone gets near one of their vehicles. Officials there in Vegas say that they are working with Tesla to try to exploit any video that may have been taken from those targeted vehicles in order to try to identify the perpetrator, as well as the motive.

Of course, this comes as we've seen multiple incidents from coast to coast here in the U.S. involving vandalism at Tesla dealers, including in places like Kansas City, Missouri and southern California, as well as the Chicago area. Just look at that map. You can see multiple incidents all across the country.

Now, Elon Musk himself has indeed responded. We just heard from him there. He also went on social media on X, quite explicitly calling this an act of terrorism in one post, after we've seen multiple incidents.

Interestingly, he might be right because under U.S. law, they look at terrorism as violence in pursuit of some type of political reason. The U.S. attorney general came out yesterday and says that she will indeed be investigating these as acts of terrorism, which can potentially come with very stiff penalties if people are actually captured and prosecuted.

The top FBI agent in Las Vegas came out and essentially provided a warning to any type of copycats out there. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER EVANS, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, FBI LAS VEGAS: Violent acts like this are unacceptable, regardless of where they occur. And specifically to those who might think that something like this is justifiable or potentially even admirable, we want to let you know it's a federal crime. We will come after you. We will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now, we know that in addition to losing vehicles in these fires, as well as property damage that occurred at various events, this is having a real impact on the Tesla brand. As you mentioned there at the top, the Vancouver International Auto Show just came out and announced that they have removed the Tesla exhibit from their auto show, which was set to kick off today. This was a large auto show that draws some over 100,000 people each year, about an abundance of caution due to threats surrounding Tesla. They say that that display is out of there, Max.

[15:50:02]

FOSTER: That's interesting.

Josh, thank you so much for bringing us that insight.

Still to come, a fisherman who was lost at sea for more than three months has finally been found. His story on what happened, how he survived, and how he was found.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: A fisherman lost at sea in December has finally been found and rescued.

Maximo Napa Castro disappeared after leaving on his fishing boat from Peru, and bad weather caused him to get off course. He lost direction.

And Isabel Rosales takes up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thank you, God, this man says for giving me another chance.

Tears flowing as he embraces his brother. A long sought moment for this fisherman-turned-castaway.

MAXIMO NAPA CASTRO, FISHERMAN (through translator): I stick my head out like this. When I saw the helicopter, it was something sensational. I said okay, okay.

ROSALES: For 95 grueling days, Maximo Napa Castro or Gaton (ph) was stranded at sea. It was supposed to be a month-long trip. That is, until the boats motor failed.

As his food rations dwindled, so did his hope. Then came a choice, to survive by any means necessary.

NAPA CASTRO: I was eating roaches, which also ran out. There was nothing.

Then came the birds. They started to rest on my boat around 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. They fell asleep there. And at that hour I had to hunt them. Didn't want to do it, but I didn't have a choice. It was my life.

ROSALES: Eventually, Napa Castro even resorted to hunting a turtle not for its meat, but to drink its blood. Now, a week after his rescue, he tells CNN's Jimena De La Quintana he lived each day just hoping for nightfall again. Sleep. His only peace as living became unbearable.

NAPA CASTRO: I even got a knife three times. Three times I got the knife because I couldn't take it anymore. But I told myself, calm down, Gaton, you can do it. You can do it.

ROSALES: One night, as Napa Castro waited for sleep to take him away, a loud voice screamed his name. A rescue worker in a helicopter. Then an hour or so later, the lights of a boat, a light at the end of the tunnel. The castaway, now a survivor.

NAPA CASTRO: What motivated me, what saved me was my faith. First of all, I believe it was my faith in God, because for several days I spoke to him. Because I let him know how important my family was, my mother, my children.

ROSALES: The first video call, a moment the fisherman once feared may never come, a teary reunion for a man who says he has a new found appreciation for life.

Isabel Rosales, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Amazing.

Thank you for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster.

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" with Paula, up next.