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Vehicle Crashes Into Fans At Liverpool Trophy Parade; U.S. Says Ceasefire-Hostage Release Deal On The Table; Kremlin Downplays Trump's Critical Comments About Putin; King Charles To Deliver Parliamentary Address In Canada; French President Dismisses Shove As 'Joking And Teasing'. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired May 27, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

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JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: From celebration to horror in an instant, ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: A horrific scene when their emergency workers arrived on the scene.

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VAUSE: Police rule out terrorism, but no word on why the driver of a minivan swerved into a large crowd of football fans.

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JEREMY DIAMON, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: An Israeli military official now saying that Israel intends to occupy 75 percent of the Gaza Strip.

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VAUSE: Forcing more than two million exhausted and hungry Palestinians in Gaza to again relocate to an ever shrinking safe zone.

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EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: We're in the middle of bickering and rather joking with my wife.

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VAUSE: And this is how the Macrons show affection with what appears to be a shove to the face.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: As hundreds of thousands of supporters of Liverpool Football Club lined the streets to celebrate their Premiership win, scenes of jubilation suddenly descended into chaos and terror Monday, when a minivan veered off the street and plowed into the crowd. Dozens of people, including children, were hurt. Many were taken to hospital with two people suffering serious injuries.

For almost 10 seconds, the driver of the minivan appears to swerve in and out of a large group. Some of those hurt were trapped under the vehicle as it came to a stop. That's when onlookers surrounded the car, some punching at the windows. Police have arrested a 53-year-old British man from the Liverpool area, who is thought to have been behind the wheel. And while investigators have ruled out terrorism, few other details have been made public.

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JENNY SIMS, ASSISTANT CHIEF CONSTABLE, MERSEYSIDE POLICE: What I can tell you is that we believe this to be an isolated incident, and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it. The incident is not being treated as terrorism. We would ask that people refrain from sharing distressing footage from the incident online, and please share any information directly with our investigation team.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: This all happened at the end of an open bus victory parade, a celebration for Liverpool's Premier League championship and the club's 20th top flight title.

CNN's Nic Robertson has more details now reporting in from Liverpool.

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ROBERTSON: What you can see behind me down the street is an inflatable tent and that is where the vehicle is that was involved in this incident. Now the police are saying it is not terrorism. The emergency services, the ambulance service say 47 people were injured. 20 of them were just light injuries that were treated at the scene on the street down there, 27 taken to hospital.

Of those they say two are seriously injured. One of those seriously injured, a child, four children total among the casualties in this incident. And the fire service describing a horrific scene when their emergency workers arrived on the scene. They say -- the fire service say that they got the call, that workers were there within four minutes. But the first thing that they discovered was a vehicle with four people trapped underneath of it.

And one of those people trapped underneath was a child, they say. And that, I think, gives some idea to the horrific nature of this incident. The pictures that have been shared on social media show people literally bouncing off the vehicle. The Liverpool Football Club, the local Everton, the rival club if you will, so many other football clubs in the U.K. have been offering their condolences, sympathies and support.

The party atmosphere that was being enjoyed in Liverpool earlier in the day at that moment didn't come to an abrupt end because it took a while for people to understand what was happening. But really into the evening now there is still a sense of the aftermath of a celebration, but not the way that this city typically celebrates. Hundreds of thousands of people reportedly on the streets here. The second time that Liverpool had won the Premier League, the last time being during COVID, they hadn't been able to celebrate properly.

This was a huge moment for the city, for the many football fans here who just wanted to come out and celebrate. And of course, the day not going that way at all. Not clear yet what the motivation was for this incident that clearly under investigation.

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A very short press conference. It was late into the evening here. Undoubtedly updates to come. But for now, the police being very clear, one man in custody, they're not looking for others, and this is not terrorism.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Liverpool.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Israel's military has ordered Palestinians to leave most of southern Gaza and relocate to a very narrow strip of land along the Mediterranean, all part of an expected unprecedented attack by Israel, which includes plans to occupy and hold 75 percent of Gaza within two months, leaving more than two million exhausted and starving Palestinians just over 90 square kilometers of land.

And while an 11-week long Israeli blockade may have ended, only a small fraction of humanitarian supplies are crossing the border. Aid trucks filled with flour, oil, canned goods going nowhere, kept waiting on the Israeli side of the border in a parking lot of good intentions. The U.N. says those supplies are desperately needed, and Gaza's entire population remains at critical risk of famine.

Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting are ongoing, with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff saying a hostage release and ceasefire deal is on the table with a pathway to end the war in Gaza. What he believes Israel will agree to a temporary ceasefire, Israeli officials say there's been no progress in negotiations.

And in a speech marking Jerusalem Day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to bring all the hostages home. And there will be no temporary ceasefire, he says, without the release of all remaining hostages.

More details now from CNN's Jeremy Diamond, reporting in from Tel Aviv.

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DIAMOND: U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is denying claims from Palestinian officials close to Hamas that the militant group has agreed to a new U.S. proposal for a ceasefire. Witkoff told me on Monday that there is a deal on the table, but that Hamas hasn't agreed yet. He says that this proposal from the United States would see the release of half of the living, as well as half of the deceased hostages, in exchange for a temporary ceasefire, although he didn't specify how long that ceasefire would last.

But he did say that during that time, negotiations would unfold to end the war in Gaza, and that he would personally preside over those negotiations. He told me, quote, "The deal is on the table. Hamas should take it."

Now, we are right now witnessing the alternative to a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas as Israel escalates its new military offensive in the Gaza Strip with deadly and devastating effect, including for civilians. Over the weekend, Dr. Alaa al-Najjar went to work at her hospital, leaving her children at home. Before her shift even ended nine of her 10 children were killed in an Israeli airstrike. One son survived and is in critical condition.

And then overnight, we saw a strike on a school housing displaced Palestinian civilians, killing at least 31 people, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Israel says that it was targeting a Hamas command and control center, but the director of a hospital that received the bodies of the dead and the wounded said that a majority of those killed were women and children.

This latest Israeli offensive is threatening to intensify even further, and it is also drawing concerns from the families of hostages who worry about their loved ones also being killed in this intensified bombardment. The military also now issuing evacuation orders for almost all of southern Gaza, including the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are currently living.

There will be many more evacuation orders to come. Israeli military -- an Israeli military official now saying that Israel intends to occupy 75 percent of the Gaza Strip within the next two months.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

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VAUSE: Yaakov Katz is a senior columnist for the "Jerusalem Post," as well as a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute. He's also written three books on the Israeli military, including "Shadow Strike." And he joins us again from Jerusalem.

It's good to see you again.

YAAKOV KATZ, SENIOR COLUMNIST, JERUSALEM POST: Hi, John.

VAUSE: OK. Well, the prime minister was speaking on Jerusalem Day. This is the day when you mark the reunification of Jerusalem back in 1967. And during that speech, he promised the war in Hamas and efforts to rescue the last of the hostages will not end any time soon. Here he is.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We are not letting go of it. If we don't achieve it today, we will achieve it tomorrow. And if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow. We are not letting go of it.

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VAUSE: So as far as the military offensive to achieve that end, Palestinians are now being told to leave most of southern Gaza for the creation of evacuation zone, which extends from the Gaza-Egypt border in the south.

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And it appears to include the entirety of the city of Khan Younis, where many displaced Palestinians have been living. The Israeli military has told CNN that Israel plans to occupy 75 percent of Gaza within two months as part of this new offensive.

My math has it about 93 kilometers left for about more than two million people. So firstly, how will two million people who right now are malnourished, starving, exhausted at best, how are they going to be able to physically relocate and get there? Secondly, what's the point? What's left to destroy?

KATZ: Well, these are really good questions, John. And the Israeli military is trying to do best, which is to get Hamas into a position that it understands that because of this looming military operation and threat, and it's already moving on the ground, but the fact that it could even escalate more to the point that Israel does take control of 75 percent of Gaza and pushes the Palestinian people into that corner, as you described it, that it is in their interest to reach a deal.

And that's what seems to be at play at the moment. Everyone is trying to get this deal done in a way that can potentially avoid this even further escalation and bring the hostages back. And the question is whether this military operation is putting that pressure on Hamas or not. But there's no question here that this only will end in some sort of political resolution-slash-deal that the Americans are trying to broker between Israel and Hamas.

Hamas, for the time being, is not agreeing to those terms. And Israel also has its own issues that it needs to deal with between the prime minister's balancing of political considerations with the fact that, yes, Hamas is still an entity in control of Gaza and still has at least 20 hostages that are alive in its possession. These are real dilemmas that the military is facing.

VAUSE: Well, there is also criticism of the Israeli military offensive, and the chancellor of Germany has some questions and some concerns about what is happening in Gaza right now. Here he is.

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FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): What the Israeli army is now doing in the Gaza Strip frankly I no longer understand what the objective is to inflict such suffering also on the civilian population, as has increasingly been the case in recent days, can no longer be justified on the grounds of a fight against Hamas terrorism.

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VAUSE: Italy's foreign minister says Netanyahu must halt the raids on Gaza. We need an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages by Hamas, which must leave Gaza. All this comes after criticism last week from Britain, France and Canada.

For the most part, it seems to be more of a change in messaging from Israeli allies. But it won't stay that long -- stay that way for long. And it seems Israel is facing this diplomatic isolation, which will be devastating for Israel if that actually happens.

KATZ: Israel is definitely facing a wave of not just condemnations. But, John, as you described, diplomatic isolation from countries that are supposed to be its closest friends, Canada, France, Italy, the U.K. and of course, Germany with the very painful history that the two countries do share. And we're also seeing many more reports that are coming out of emerging daylight between Israel and the Trump administration.

So this is not something that you can sweep under the rug and pretend is not happening. With that said, I think we do have to remember what is really at the core of this conflict, and that is the fact that there is still this genocidal terrorist organization in Gaza that is holding on to 20 living Israeli hostages and another 30 plus dead bodies of those hostages. They are still committed to murdering and trying to annihilate the state of Israel.

They're still firing rockets into Israel. Just yesterday, a number of rockets. And with that said, there is a way for this to end. It can end today. It can end right now, John, in an hour, if Hamas were to release the Israelis, and the people that it's holding on to. It were to lay down its arms and say, we're not committed to destroying Israel anymore, and we're willing for there to be a change in Gaza.

But we also have to keep in mind that there is a tragedy in Gaza, and it's painful to watch. And you're right. What left is there to destroy or to bomb in Gaza after so much of it has already been leveled? But we can recognize that there is this pain and suffering and tragedy in Gaza. But I would just argue that it is the responsibility of Hamas. Hamas has a way to end this. It can end this right now.

VAUSE: I don't want to speak for Hamas, but I imagine they could say the same thing to Israel. It could end right now as well, Yaakov, so just a counter point of view. But thank you very much for being with us.

As always, Yaakov Katz there in Jerusalem. Thank you, sir.

KATZ: Thank you.

VAUSE: He said, and then he said back. The Kremlin blames emotional overload after an angry Donald Trump described Vladimir Putin as crazy.

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Details after the break.

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VAUSE: The Kremlin is blaming emotional overload after a rare angry outburst from the U.S. president, which included calling Vladimir Putin absolutely crazy. Donald Trump appeared visibly angry while speaking about Russia's largest barrage of airstrikes this past weekend, the largest since the war began, and while the U.S. is trying to broker a ceasefire.

A Kremlin spokesperson downplayed the criticism and instead said Moscow is grateful to the U.S. for help in opening negotiations with Ukraine.

CNN's Kristen Holmes has more now reporting in from Washington.

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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump having a clear change of public posture when it comes to Russia and Russia's President Vladimir Putin, after his phone call with him last week where he described the relationship as good, saying that Ukraine and Russia were going to go straight to the negotiating table. He is growing frustrated with the Russian president, particularly after that series of attacks we saw over the weekend. This is what he told reporters.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not happy with what Putin is doing. He's killing a lot of people and I don't know what the hell happened to Putin. I've known him a long time. I've always gotten along with him, but he's sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don't like it at all. OK? We're in the middle of talking, and he's shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities. I don't like it at all.

HOLMES: Now generally, Donald Trump spends most of his time talking about his good relationship with Vladimir Putin, focusing instead on the actual war in Ukraine, on trade deals or potential economic partnerships should Russia end the war. Now what's particularly interesting in this conversation with reporters is that he was asked if he's considering adding additional sanctions to Russia.

And in this conversation, he said, yes, because of what he is seeing going on in Ukraine. Last week, after that conversation between Putin and Trump, it seemed like sanctions were all almost completely off the table, or at least additional sanctions there. Now, the other thing I want to point out here is that Donald Trump continues to try and back away from this conflict. He once said that he would resolve in 24 hours in a series of posts over the weekends. He also said this wasn't his problem. It wasn't his war. He blamed it on Zelenskyy, on Putin, and even on Joe Biden.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, after a fifth round of negotiations for a new nuclear deal with Iran, a government official in Tehran tells CNN compromise with the U.S. is possible, but adding Iran will never give up the right to enrich uranium. The U.S. president, though, is optimistic about talks with Iran, which are being held in Oman. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only but the Trump administration says -- has said publicly that Iran must end all uranium enrichment.

Still to come on CNN, Britain's King Charles will soon deliver an historic address to Canada's parliament in his first visit there as head of state. Also why the head of the European Central Bank believes the U.S. dollar's dominance in the world economy is winding down, and it could be the euro's time to shine.

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Israel's military has issued evacuation orders for most of southern Gaza as it prepares for what it calls an unprecedented attack. A military official tells CNN Israel plans to occupy 75 percent of Gaza within two months as part of a new offensive, which would force more than two million Palestinians into a very small strip of land.

The Kremlin spokesperson is downplaying Donald Trump's criticism of Vladimir Putin as emotional reactions. That's after Russia's aerial attack over the weekend, which the U.S. president said he was not happy with and his Russian counterpart he said had gone absolutely crazy. Dmitry Peskov blamed emotional overload for those comments.

And police have arrested a man suspected of driving into crowds at a trophy parade for the Liverpool Football Club. Dozens of people were injured, but so far no fatalities have been reported. Police say they're not treating the incident as terrorism but have yet to reveal the cause or the reason for the accident or the crash.

Let me get to CNN's Patrick Snell, he has more reaction now from the sports world.

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PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, what was supposed to be a joyous occasion in Liverpool with fans celebrating the Reds' latest Premier League title triumph on a bank holiday weekend, all overshadowed by a car plowing into supporters during the team's trophy parade on Monday. The incident coming as the city was filled with fans attending an open top bus parade across a 10-mile route to celebrate the iconic club's record equaling 20th top flight league title. Sports stars and clubs taking to social media afterwards to give their

views and reactions. Basketball superstar LeBron James, who's a minority shareholder of Liverpool, saying, "My deepest thoughts and prayers goes out to everyone affected that attended Liverpool's Premier League trophy parade. Such a senseless act."

Meantime, Liverpool's Premier League rivals, huge rivals, Manchester United, saying, "Our thoughts are with Liverpool Football Club and the city of Liverpool after today's awful incident." And cross town rivals Everton as well, sending their thoughts to all those who've been affected by this serious incident in our city, while the Premier League also offered its condolences as well on social media.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Thank you, Patrick.

Now, one of the consequences of Donald Trump's trade war, as well as his erratic, chaotic and unpredictable economic policies has been to weaken global confidence in the U.S. economy and the U.S. dollar. And with that, enter the head of the European Central Bank, who sees an opening here for the euro to become a viable alternative to the U.S. dollar as the global reserve currency.

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CHRISTINE LAGARDE, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK: Any change in the international order that leads to lower world trade or fragmentation into economic blocks will be detrimental to our economy. Sad, yes, but with the right policy responses. The changing landscape could open the door for the euro to play a greater international role.

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JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The dollar's role in the global economy has been in decline for years but still makes up almost 60 percent of international reserves.

The euro ranks second, accounting for 20 percent. Christine Lagarde believes the E.U. could close that gap if faith in the dollar continues to weaken and if E.U. members can strengthen the bloc's financial system.

Well, Britain's King Charles, who is Canada's head of state, will begin the final day of his two-day visit to Ottawa in the coming hours.

The monarch will deliver an address to Parliament and is expected to reinforce the message that Canada is a sovereign nation. It's not up for sale, nor up for annexation either.

CNN's Paula Newton has more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: There was excellent weather and enthusiastic crowds as Canadians greeted King Charles and Queen Camilla on their visit to Canada.

NEWTON (voice-over): It is a very quick visit, less than 24 hours, but has very crucial political importance for the government of Mark Carney.

He extended this invitation to King Charles, and King Charles accepted, pleasing many Canadians as they have been enduring President Donald Trump suggesting that Canada, in fact, would be better off, not in the Commonwealth, but as the 51st state.

Now, the king and queen were greeted by those Canadians, enthusiastically showing off some Canadian arts and crafts and food but also dropping a puck for a road hockey game.

Tomorrow, though, will be all about opening Parliament, and the king, King Charles, will be uttering the words, those crafted by the government of Mark Carney. Now Mark Carney himself really speaking quite forcefully about what this visit means to Canadians and saying that this historic honor matches the weight of our times.

It is important to point out that only one other time did a monarch open Parliament. That was the king's mother in 1957. So, this is an extraordinary event.

NEWTON: And for that reason, many Canadians really greeting this with a measure of admiration for the king, something that hasn't really been seen in several years in Canada.

And for that reason, it will also be important to King Charles to certainly show his importance and how much importance he places on being king of Canada.

Paula Newton, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: In a moment here on CNN, a love shove in the face. How the viral video of the French president and the first lady is now a target for Russian trolls.

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VAUSE: French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Vietnam, looking to expand French influence in a country grappling with the threat of U.S. -- U.S. Tariffs.

Macron met his Vietnamese counterpart Monday, the two countries signing deals worth over $10 billion, covering everything from Airbus jets to vaccines. Vietnam is rapidly expanding as a manufacturing hub and is dependent

on exports, leaving it vulnerable to President Trump's threatened tariff of 46 percent.

This is the first trip by a French president to the former colony in almost a decade.

But the most memorable part of the visit has already happened. That was long before the Macrons even set foot in Vietnam.

Was it a shove of love between the French president and his wife, or something more sinister?

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne explains why Russian trolls have now seized upon what has become a viral video.

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SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This short video of President Macron and his wife, Brigitte, pushing his face as they land in Vietnam, is going viral and has caught the attention of Russian trolls.

Later, Macron appears to offer his arm, but France's first lady opts to hold the railing instead.

VANDOORNE: The Elysee Palace initially denied anything unusual had happened --

VANDOORNE (voice-over): -- calling it a moment of togetherness and "playful teasing" in a statement. Macron later told journalists he was surprised by the attempts to twist the moment.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): There is a video now which opens. We're in the middle of bickering and rather joking with my wife, and I'm surprised by how this becomes a kind of geo-planetary catastrophe.

VANDOORNE: French officials say the moment will likely feed the mills of conspiracy theorists and Russian trolls.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): It's already become a target for pro-Russian accounts and Russian state media, who viewed it as a possible opportunity to spread misinformation.

VANDOORNE: And this isn't the first time. Earlier this month, prominent Kremlin officials --

VANDOORNE (voice-over): -- claimed Macron was using cocaine on a train trip to Kyiv with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

French officials say a crumpled tissue was mistaken for a bag of drugs. Macron's office debunked the rumor with humor, tweeting, "This is a tissue for blowing your nose." VANDOORNE: Officials say these efforts are part of a wider Kremlin

campaign to undermine Europe's steadfast support for Ukraine in the war against Russia.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Fans of singer Lorde received a once-in-a-lifetime surprise at a Lorde-themed club night. She stunned attendees at the Sydney venue by actually crashing the event.

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Images on social media show the Grammy-winning singer on the dance floor in the middle of her fans.

The club night coincides with the release of Lorde's latest single, "What Was That?" ahead of her new album, "Virgin," which will be released June 27.

That commercial, paid for by Lorde (ph).

OK, a wheel of cheese -- a wheel of cheese, rather a steep hill. Absolutely no self-preservation instincts, nor to be found. Hundreds turned out for the annual Gloucestershire Cheese Roll.

That's a 180-meter dash straight down. Loads of fun. And for competitors, concussions, broken bones and bragging rights are all part of the tradition, which dates back centuries.

No trophy at the finish line, just a lot of cheese. A lot of cheese. That big wheel of cheese.

After the race, the year -- the winner of the women's section, or the women's part, admitted she doesn't like cheese. She still gets her cheese.

Back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. WORLD SPORT starts after a short break.

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