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Gaza Officials Call for End to Aid Airdrops; Netanyahu to Discuss Gaza with Security Cabinet; Gaza Women Coping with Dire Personal Hygiene Situation; Trump's Global Trade War Tariffs Now in Effect; Russia Zeroes in on Kherson; Farms Facing Worker Shortage Due to Fear of ICE Raids; Air Turbulence Becoming More Frequent and Severe. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 07, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London.
The Kremlin says U.S. president Trump and Russian president Putin will be meeting in the coming days. This follows what officials call a constructive
meeting between Putin and U.S. envoy Witkoff.
Donald Trump's new tariffs are in effect now, raising prices for consumer goods. We are watching reaction from U.S. trading partners.
An Israeli military chief is warning against a takeover of Gaza as prime minister Netanyahu considers a full conquest of the Palestinian enclave.
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MACFARLANE: Next hour, Israel's security cabinet is set to discuss the prime minister's reported push for a full military takeover of Gaza. The
meeting happening amid reports Israel's military chiefs are urging against that strategy, saying it would put the remaining hostages at risk.
Families of the hostages staged a flotilla today off Israel's southern coast, calling for the immediate release of their loved ones. Inside Gaza,
one of the highest daily death tolls reported in weeks; nearly 140 killed as bombs keep falling and people die of malnutrition.
Well, airdrops into the enclave are continuing. Officials in Gaza want them to end, saying they are both dangerous and ineffective.
CNN's chief global affairs correspondent Matthew Chance, is getting an up- close look at airdrop operations from Jordan, riding in an Air Force plane that dropped aid into Gaza. Here he explains the obstacles and the danger
surrounding those airdrops.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You've got these big transport aircraft behind me.
These are from the Jordanian Air Force but there are other countries as well, like Germany and Belgium and the United Arab Emirates and France and
Britain. They're all taking part in this international humanitarian effort to drop aid in Gaza. And they're loaded up with pallets in -- in the back
cargo space.
You then take off from this airport in Amman, which is in Jordan, head over toward the Gaza Strip. The back opens up and then the aid pallets, they
parachute off into the waiting crowds below.
And you can see on the tailfin of this aircraft there, there's a very idealistic scene painted of a Jordanian transporter, actually one of the
Jordanian transporters, dropping humanitarian aid into Gaza. And people are gratefully receiving it.
The reality is much more chaotic, much more violent. Remember, there's an intense humanitarian starvation crisis underway in Gaza. And so, people are
absolutely desperate for any kind of food that they can get.
And so, these aid drops result in chaos on the ground, people scrambling, violence. There have been multiple stabbings of people as they try to get
their hands on the aid packages. Also, people have been killed by the -- the aid pallets actually hitting them on the head as they drop down.
And so, look, this is a far from perfect means of delivering humanitarian assistance into that crisis zone. But having said that, there is intense
starvation that's gathering pace in the Gaza Strip.
And so, you know, today, for instance, we delivered six.5 tons of powdered milk and tinned food to Gaza from the back of one of these Jordanian
transport, military transport planes. It's not much. It's nowhere near enough to tackle the hunger problems in Gaza. But it's better than nothing.
And for some people in the Gaza Strip, it may make the difference between life and death.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Well, that was Matthew Chance reporting. I want to bring in CNN Jerusalem bureau chief Oren Liebermann.
And just ahead of Matthew's report there -- and we were talking about how the cabinet is meeting in the next hour to consider moving ahead with that
potentially apocalyptic plan to fully conquer the Gaza Strip -- what more are you hearing about that and the divisions within the cabinet and
Israel's top military chiefs?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF AND CORRESPONDENT: So this is a security cabinet meeting with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other
key political and military leaders to decide what the full conquest of Gaza truly looks like and how this will play out.
It seems that Netanyahu has the votes to push this forward and proceed with an expansion of Israel's war in Gaza and the military operations there.
Keep in mind, Israel's military already says it controls some 75 percent of Gaza's territory, so this would be a move on roughly the remaining 25
percent.
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According to reporting from my colleague here, Tal Shalev, there are options here under consideration. Some of those effectively are a phased
operation. The first phase of that would focus on Gaza City and a forced evacuation of roughly 1 million Palestinians there.
And in that area, pushing them to the south, to the al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza. And then that would allow, after that, a military operation
to begin and then potentially more phases after that.
One of the key questions here, how do you handle and what do you do with that operation?
Do you lay siege to Gaza City from the outside or do troops go into Gaza City?
And that's the spectrum of options that's under consideration. The disagreement here is between the military leadership, IDF chief of staff,
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Netanyahu and some of his -- some of the members of the political echelon.
Zamir wants to effectively stay on the outside of these densely populated areas. And he warned Netanyahu earlier this week that fully going into
these would endanger Israeli soldiers, endanger the hostages that are believed to be held in these areas.
And put a tremendous additional burden on the Israeli military after nearly two years of war and the fatigue we're seeing from reservists.
Netanyahu, according to Israeli officials with whom we have spoken, is pushing for going deeper and essentially a more intrusive operation into
these areas. This is all of what's under consideration or something in between those two options.
And it's a critical decision, because anything here would be a major escalation of the war, as you see, warnings from many in the international
community against such a move and including many in Israel here.
But it seems that U.S. president Donald Trump said earlier this -- earlier this week that it's basically just up to Israel about what they want to do.
And that's probably the only green light Netanyahu needs, Christina.
The discussion is scheduled to last some five hours but it could go longer than that without a vote. Obviously, we'll keep a very close eye on it.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And as this cabinet meeting is about to happen, we have seen images of a flotilla of hostage families, setting sail in an attempt
to get close to Gaza, to, you know, call for the immediate release of their loved ones.
Oren, we have seen international flotillas in the past. I mean, in essence, this is an Israeli flotilla.
Do we know what it is they're hoping to achieve and if they have any chance of that?
LIEBERMANN: This is members, family members of those held hostage in captivity in Gaza. And they're effectively trying to get as close as they
can to their loved ones to shout messages of support.
Crucially, it is also a way of protesting the war in Gaza and very clearly a way of protesting Netanyahu's plans to expand the war in Gaza.
Repeated polling has shown that a vast majority of the country opposes -- or, rather, is in favor of a comprehensive end to the war in exchange for a
release of the remaining 50 hostages. And this is a way to bring attention of that.
We had a chance to speak with one of those on the flotilla earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELA HAIMI, WIDOW OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE TAL HAIMI: Honestly, I'm afraid from tonight, because I think after tonight there is no returning after tonight.
If they will decide to get into Gaza, to spread the war, then I don't think we can go back and not -- I don't know if they, the hostages, will ever
return.
Include my husband, Tal, I don't know if we will be able to bury him in Nir Yitzhak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: That clearly is the fear here amongst so many that, if Israel proceeds on this course, it becomes a point of no return.
Now the operation under consideration in today's security cabinet meeting - - or tonight's, rather -- is supposed to be a phased plan. And an Israeli official tells us that part of the idea there is that, if Hamas returns to
the negotiating table, then the operation could be scaled back or stopped - - Christina.
MACFARLANE: All right. Oren Liebermann, for now. Appreciate it. Thank you.
Women in Gaza say they feel embarrassed and degraded by the dire hygiene situation in the enclave. Israel's aid blocked has deprived women of
essential supplies like sanitary pads and soap, while access to clean water remains scarce.
CNN spoke to a mother of six in Gaza about how her family's life has changed.
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GHADEER NASSER, MOTHER OF SIX CHILDREN IN GAZA (from captions): My daughter is embarrassed in front of her father and brothers. Before the
war, no one in the house ever knew when she as period. Now it's like a public scandal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Ghadeer Nasser is one of thousands of mothers in Gaza, struggling to help their daughters maintain
personal hygiene. Too embarrassed to face the camera, Nasser has been doing everything she can to help her teenage daughter manage her period.
NASSER: Sometimes I can buy my daughter sanitary pads and sometimes I can't. I end up cutting pieces of cloth, washing and disinfecting them and
telling her to use those.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Over 700,000 women and girls in Gaza are experiencing their period in these kinds of challenging conditions, often
without clean water or soap, according to the United Nations. After months of severe restrictions from Israel, supplies of sanitary pads and tampons
are now running extremely low.
NASSER (from captions): The whole situation in the camp is embarrassing. Hanging underwear outside is distressing. If someone saw them, my daughter
would be devastated. We're crammed together, surrounded by people. It's overwhelming.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): United Nations health experts have warned these short term sanitary solutions may end up costing causing long
term health problems for women and girls.
NASSER (from captions): Sanitary pads are outrageously expensive.
Doesn't my daughter deserve them?
It's that one of the most basic human rights?
Our lives weren't like this. My daughter has been robbed of her girlhood, robbed of a normal life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Jolien Veldwijk is the Palestinian country director for CARE and joins me now from Amman.
Thank you for your time. It really is devastating that Gazan women and girls are having to suffer the indignity of this after the loss of so much.
And what we saw there from that mother of six, Ghadeer Nasser, is she was being forced to improvise with scraps of clothing for her daughter, who,
you know, has her period.
What's the danger of that and the long-term health problems that can come from a lack of sanitary supplies?
JOLIEN VELDWIJK, PALESTINIAN COUNTRY DIRECTOR, CARE: Of course, the danger is, additional diseases that these women and girls are facing. What we also
see in our health clinic is, of course, that malnutrition also plays a really big role because it makes women and girls more vulnerable to these
diseases.
We've had -- I've had girls tell me, you know, that they're trying to find even diapers. They cut them into small pieces to use as sanitary pads. It's
yes, old scraps of cloth.
Then, of course, there's also the issue, there's no clean water. And sometimes the water trucks that come to communities, they can only come
maybe once a week. And then there's just extreme water scarcity as well. There's lack of toilets.
You know, some of the women have told us that they have dug like a hole in the ground where they have their tent. So it's the situation is extremely
dire. And on top of that, there's, of course, the malnutrition as well.
MACFARLANE: You have, I believe, stocks and supplies of sanitary and hygiene supplies ready to go on the border.
What reason are Israel giving for not allowing that type of aid into the enclave?
VELDWIJK: It is really interesting. The reason that they're giving is that they don't call these necessities necessary. So at the moment, they've only
pre-positioned food.
But even for NGOs, there's many of us who have so many supplies at the border waiting to come in. We have an active registration in Israel. But we
are not allowed to bring these aid in because they tell us we are not registered and therefore we are not authorized to bring aid into Gaza.
MACFARLANE: What was -- really struck me from the video we just played, as well, is that there's an obvious embarrassment here for women. We know Gaza
is a deeply conservative society but the war has really shattered for them all the social structures that they we're used to.
How is that lack of privacy and, you know, what they're experiencing with not finding any private space, how is that stripping away the basic human
rights for women?
VELDWIJK: It is -- it is really difficult. What we're also -- they're also telling us is, you know, especially when -- even when you have period
pains, you know, you just want to -- you need to sit sometimes and let the cramps, you know, pass. And -- but you can't sit. There's no quiet space to
sit.
Normally you would maybe do that in the toilet but if there is no toilet, if you share your toilet with many other people who also live in tents,
people may just come in. They're not always locks on the -- on the toilet doors, if there even is a door.
Sometimes what we've seen, also, when I was in Gaza, you know, people have hung up tarpaulins to create that sense of privacy. But it's, it's I mean,
it is -- it's way below the minimum standards, of course. And it's been really difficult and definitely also a big safety concern.
MACFARLANE: Yes. I mean, connected to this, of course, the difficulties for pregnant women and women giving birth as well.
I mean, what conditions are you seeing that they're facing and what have you been able to do to help?
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VELDWIJK: So we have, you know, out of all of the children and women, pregnant and breastfeeding women that we have screened for malnutrition in
our own clinic in Deir al-Balah in Gaza, 13 percent of the children and 43 percent of the women screened suffer from either moderate or severe acute
malnutrition.
So you can imagine the list of what they need is so long. And whilst we are receiving, you know, nutrition supplies and some medicine from U.N.
agencies in our clinic, we have not been able to bring anything in since the start of the blockade on March the 2nd.
So also, you know, we have baby kits, mama kits, at the border, which also include sanitary pads, diapers. But none of that is available in Gaza now.
And it's been really heartbreaking because also there's no transport available so even for, you know, for these women and children to reach the
clinic. They have to they have to walk.
And I think, you know, what is really important to mention is that, you know, for an estimated 55,000 pregnant women, each missed meal increases
the risk of miscarriages, stillbirths and undernourished newborns.
MACFARLANE: 55,000 pregnant women, I could not imagine the trauma of being pregnant in a war zone like this right now. Jolien Veldwijk, we really,
truly appreciate everything you are doing with your organization CARE. Thank you so much for joining us.
VELDWIJK: Thank you.
MACFARLANE: Well, Human Rights Watch says Israeli attacks on schools sheltering Palestinian civilians highlight the lack of safe spaces for
displaced people in Gaza.
That comes in a new report which says Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on school shelters and has illegally and indiscriminately used U.S.
munitions in these attacks, which have killed hundreds of people.
Israel has said its strikes on school facilities target embedded Hamas fighters but the report said it only found seven instances where the
military published details of alleged militants killed, while the Israeli military says the IDF operates on the grounds of military necessity and in
accordance with international law.
Still to come, after many months of threats and extensions from Donald Trump, historic U.S. tariffs have snapped into effect. What those numbers
look like and how it's hitting some countries just ahead.
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MACFARLANE: U.S. President Donald Trump's long-threatened global tariffs are now in effect for nearly every country in the world that exports goods
to America.
In general, countries that face a 10 percent tariff have a trade surplus with the U.S. According to the White House, 39 countries and members of the
E.U. that have a trade deficit with the U.S. face a minimum 15 percent tariff.
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In addition, governments with no agreement in place before today's deadline will pay some of the highest rates between 35 percent and 50 percent. That
includes Brazil, Laos, Myanmar, Switzerland, Iraq, Serbia and possibly India upon that news just yesterday.
Well, joining us to discuss these aggressive tariff rates on Brazil is CNN correspondent Gustavo Valdes.
Good to see you, Gustavo. So after that 50 percent tariff on Brazil came into effect yesterday, it was very interesting to hear president Lula da
Silva say he won't humiliate himself by attempting to have any more negotiation with president Trump.
GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that is an interesting take, because the tariffs on Brazilian products are not based on any commercial
or economic criteria. The Donald Trump government imposed these tariffs mostly because they want the case against former president Jair Bolsonaro
to go away.
He's accused of trying to overturn the government. And he's facing a trial. He's under house arrest. And that's why Donald Trump wants Brazil to drop
those cases.
Now these 50 percent tariff doesn't apply across the board. One would think that Brazil would only face 10 percent. The United States has a surplus
with Brazil. But it's imposing 50 percent in a lot of products; not all of them. They have exempted critical items like aircraft, commercial aircraft,
orange juice; metals are subject to different tariffs.
But the Brazilian coffee will suffer of that 50 percent and the U.S. consumer is already feeling that pain. Lula da Silva says that tariffs are
not helpful for anybody.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LULA DA SILVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I just want to warn Trump that tariffs will not lead anywhere. Things will become more
expensive for the Brazilian people. Things will become more expensive for the American people. Things will become more expensive for the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALDES: So let's see what happens. It seems to be like a wait-and-see game right now. Most products are -- Brazilian products are not affected. So now
it's up to Brazil to see how they respond and how long the United States can keep this 50 percent tariff.
MACFARLANE: Yes, I mean, across the region, really that Latin American region, you know, we saw so many countries subject to these minimum
tariffs.
I mean, what is the feeling about how that is going to impact economies and trade in the region?
VALDES: So for the most part, most Latin American countries in Central and South America are only subject to the 10 percent tariff because the United
States has a surplus with them.
Nicaragua is an exception. They're going to face 18 percent. They export agricultural products but also textiles. A lot of clothing is now made in
Nicaragua. Venezuela has different tariffs.
One country that is standing out, at least for now, is Mexico. There's been a lot of back-and-forth between president Sheinbaum and the Trump
administration. The tariffs that would be imposed in Mexico are being talked to be up to 25 percent.
Those were delayed 90 days. Trump sees Sheinbaum as cooperating not only on trade, on immigration but also on drug trafficking. So let's see what
happens with this, one of the United States main trading partners. Canada, on the other hand, is facing a 35 percent tariff.
MACFARLANE: Yes. Well, Mexico has that advantage of being a main trading partner with the U.S. We'll watch to see where that goes. For now, Gustavo,
I appreciate the update. Thank you.
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MACFARLANE (voice-over): Let's get you up to speed now on some of the other stories on our radar.
Recent deadly monsoon floods in Pakistan were made worse by climate change. That's according to a new study. It says the rains were 15 percent heavier
than normal. At least 300 people have died due to the floods since June. And scientists say extreme weather is hitting faster than expected.
In southern France, 2,000 firefighters are continuing to battle a massive blaze; 16,000 hectares have been burnt. The area is larger than Paris. The
massive mobilization, along with calmer overnight weather, has helped slow the fire, according to officials there.
And the wildfires that ravaged the Los Angeles area earlier this year may be linked to 440 deaths. That's hundreds more than were previously
recorded, according to new research.
The study found the additional deaths were likely from a combination of factors, including increased exposure to poor air quality and health care
delays.
You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Up next --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Three drone (speaking foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) --
WALSH: There are three drones over the hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, right now.
[10:25:00]
WALSH (voice-over): The buzz and gunfire we heard outside moments earlier, just how life is here.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Russia is trying to cut off the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson. CNN was on the ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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MACFARLANE (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Christina Macfarlane. Here are your headlines.
Higher U.S. tariffs are now in effect for nearly every country in the world that exports goods to the U.S. Major U.S. trading partners, including the
European Union, Japan and South Korea, are facing a 15 percent tariff. The highest rates are being imposed on goods from Brazil, Laos, Myanmar,
Switzerland and Serbia.
Next hour, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with his security cabinet to discuss his reported push for a full military conquest
of Gaza. Sources say Israel's military chief is warning a full takeover would put the remaining hostages at risk.
The Kremlin has confirmed a meeting between U.S. president Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could happen as early as next week, according to Russian
state media. However, Russia has not responded to the proposals by the Americans for a trilateral meeting with the president.
Putin says he isn't ruling it out but says certain conditions must be met.
Well, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for his part, says he's open to the meeting with Mr. Trump and Putin. Zelenskyy says Russia appears more
inclined to a ceasefire but is warning against being deceived by the Kremlin. CNN's chief international security correspondent, Nick Paton
Walsh, joining us now live from Kyiv.
A cautious tone there, Nick, from President Zelenskyy, I guess.
How wary should we be about viewing any of these face-to-faces as progress?
WALSH: I mean, let's just remember that we've had all of this process before, in May in Istanbul, where a trilateral meeting was floated.
Trump said he'd go. Zelenskyy said he'd go. Putin didn't want to attend. Now things may be different now but perhaps the Kremlin have assessed that
Trump is serious about sanctions but they're also two or three months further along into their summer offensive as well. And it's seeing
progress.
So yes, I think everyone should be very wary about there being a sudden change of heart in Moscow to do something they categorically rejected back
in May. But also remember, too, how the story now has somewhat changed from a trilateral summit first being floated to the focus now being on when do
Trump and Putin meet.
That's something that both sides have floated in previous months before as well but didn't come to fruition. Potentially, there's a chance now; the
Kremlin talking quite aggressively about locations and things happening quite soon.
[10:30:00]
But there's still plenty of scope for that to float, become next week, next month. We've seen that happen before.
What is definitely happening is Russian progress along the front lines in their summer offensive. And we saw, in one beleaguered southern city,
Kherson, occupied, liberated and now finding a significant chunk of it an island to itself, is potentially going to be cut off soon from Russian
airstrikes, causing a panicked evacuation of Ukrainian civilians.
Here's what we saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH (voice-over): Russia is moving to cut off and cut up the city of Kherson, claiming its drones would hit all cars on this road into a city
occupied from above, where Russian attack drones haunt your every move.
WALSH: Incredible damage being done to the city. Clearly, Russia trying to force normal life out of here. And even as last ditch peace talks are
happening in Moscow, drones circulating around ordinary people trying to live here.
WALSH (voice-over): But this weekend, the occupier went further still, moving to split the city in two, trying to cut off its southern island,
still home to about 2,000 people, by blowing the bridge.
Drone footage caught the moment but it was only partially successful, shredding nerves as much as concrete and sparking a sudden evacuation
effort during which, oddly, the Russians seem to be letting hundreds of civilians out.
WALSH: And there seems to be some kind of pause in drone activity from what we can make out, enabling some of these evacuations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you happy you left?
NADIYA, KHERSON RESIDENT: Of course. They are shelling so hard since morning. Where is all of this going to end?
We've already been driven crazy by all this. When will they even come to their senses?
Causing such horror, killing everyone for peace.
When is Trump going to come?
Or anyone?
At our age we don't deserve this.
WALSH (voice-over): They lived alone with almost nothing, so have even less to go to.
NINA, KHERSON EVACUEE: I am so tired of the shelling. My nerves can't take it anymore. There is no plan, I will live where they put me. I am on one
leg, on a crutch.
WALSH (voice-over): 925 evacuations evacuated end Wednesday. But don't try suggesting here. This is Russian mercy.
YAROSLAV SHANKO, HEAD, KHERSON MILITARY ADMINISTRATION: They absolutely do not care what the targets are. Talking about any humanity from the Russians
is absolutely pointless.
WALSH (voice-over): Russian drone operators post images of their hunting people in the city. The gaudy music as if it is sport wherever we go,
anxiety. Our cameras might reveal locations to the Russians, especially at this hospital. Three injured from drones and shelling already and two more
once we leave.
62 run outside to help after one drone blast that was hit by a second.
OLEH, KHERSON RESIDENT: Another one came flying. I couldn't even notice where it come from. I fell behind the fence. But I didn't swing my legs
over. They stayed outside. My torso was hidden. And that's when it hit my legs.
WALSH (voice-over): Many are stuck here, unable to fend for themselves on release at home.
WALSH: There are three drones over the hospital.
WALSH (voice-over): The buzz and gunfire we heard outside moments earlier, just how life is here.
WALSH: The all clear has been given after the three drones overhead. And now we have to go quickly.
WALSH (voice-over): Hours after we leave, the city and island are hit hard. Russian bloggers giving all civilians a week to leave the island.
Talk of mercy here short-lived. Short-sighted, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: That's ultimately a big question here. We are, no doubt, seeing Russian progress turning from incremental, inconsequential gains over the
past months into something more strategically potent.
Why would you, if you have endured hundreds of thousands of casualties as a Russian military, Western analysts say, have suddenly decided to stop your
front line progress at a time where it's beginning to yield palpable results?
That's an easy question to answer, as, too, potentially, is the reason why Putin might engage with diplomacy and Trump at this sensitive time on the
front line.
[10:35:06]
He knows perhaps he could buy time for more front line progress, to maybe delay sanctions, take some of the teeth out of them immediately, remove
that financial relationship problem with his key energy consumers.
Much here seems to be working in Putin's favor, particularly the focus on a bilateral with Donald Trump. Zelenskyy, informed about this, backed up by
European leaders, but ultimately not the focus of these initial talks.
And for now, while Trump talks about peace in Ukraine, the talk is in Russia about the U.S.-Russian relationship, too.
So, very swiftly, we've gone from waiting on Friday for a significant sanctions package to punish Russia and its major energy consumers and
allies, to all the talk being about whether these two significant characters will actually meet.
And whether, indeed, that will yield the kind of trilateral meeting that Putin rejected just as recently as May. Christina.
MACFARLANE: Important context. Nick Paton Walsh, appreciate it. Thank you.
Well, my next guest is Alexander Baunov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.
Thank you so much for joining us. You know, Nick's report just then, reporting is bringing home to us what a potential pause for these talks
might mean on the front lines of Ukraine as Russia are making advances. So I just want to talk about what is likely to come from these talks next.
I mean, the question is, short of a ceasefire, because let's be honest, it's unlikely Putin is ever going to agree to that.
What will he be willing to give up that may be acceptable to Donald Trump, who is certainly is going to want something quick and very visible to get
out of these talks?
ALEXANDER BAUNOV, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Well, it's two points. One is that certainly Vladimir Putin won't
leave easily. His reluctance to go to the full ceasefire, the ceasefire, full ceasefire, is not an option for him.
But, well, Witkoff was optimistic. President Trump was optimistic. That means that they may have heard something more definite. And I suppose there
were leaks about this, that it is the moratorium on strikes deep into each other territory, which looks already a step toward something better than
the short time ceasefires Putin proposed before.
MACFARLANE: But to the next point, just then, wouldn't a potentially incremental move like that simply just buy Russia further time to continue
making gains on the front lines?
BAUNOV: It's absolutely, absolutely -- you are absolutely correct, because, from the very beginning, from the very moment president Trump came
to the office, Putin's wish was to meet president Trump in person.
Vladimir Putin, in 25 years in power, believes in his persuasive power. And he thinks that, in meeting president Trump in person, he could convince him
that he has right and was always -- had always right, in the history of this conflict.
Besides, the Kremlin's agenda is to marginalize the war against Ukraine, to make it just a part of the large-scale cooperation between Russia and the
United States as big major global powers.
And if you see what Dmitriev, one of Putin's envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, was saying today, they are usual things about mutual trade. They are trying to
seduce, basically, president Trump with some future benefits of mutual trade.
MACFARLANE: Yes. We saw, just in the last couple of hours, President Putin holding a meeting with the UAE president in Moscow. I just want to play a
clip of what Putin said following that meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): We have many friends who are ready to help us organize events of this kind. One of our
friends is the president of the United Arab Emirates. I think we will decide but this will be one of the suitable, quite suitable places.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: So Putin there, floating the UAE as a possible venue for these talks. I mean, that hasn't been confirmed yet by the Americans. And as for
a trilateral meeting with Zelenskyy, Putin said he could meet Zelenskyy under certain conditions that have not yet been met.
What did he mean by that?
BAUNOV: It's very clear. They want, I mean, in the Kremlin, they want to separate the agenda of Russia-U.S. relations. And in general, Russia-
Western relations and the agenda of the ceasefire and generally how to end the war against Ukraine.
[10:40:05]
That's why they definitely want to meet president Trump in person. But they want to avoid as long as possible this trilateral meeting or a personal
meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy.
And the condition is always this. They repeated it. I mean, President Putin himself has repeated it many times, that they meet with Zelenskyy. He meets
-- he's going to meet with Zelenskyy only, to sign something already prepared for the signature. So first the agreement and then the meeting.
MACFARLANE: And this really shows, doesn't it, the danger of this moment, the danger of all of this being brokered on Russia's terms, because, in
doing so, Russia can claim it has made the efforts to end the war, even if all parties aren't in agreement and if everything comes to nothing.
BAUNOV: Yes, this actually is a -- is a tricky thing because, in the situation, when an aggressor is ready to de-escalate a little bit and those
who oppose the aggression are rejecting the proposal of an aggressor, it may look like the responsibility of the continuation of the war is on those
who rejected the proposal.
That's actually the alternative, the win-win alternative for Putin he's trying to use. He wants to propose something more definite than he proposed
before. And then if accepted, the future talk will be on the Russian -- on the Russian proposal.
And if the proposal is rejected, then the responsibility for the continuation of the war is not on Moscow but on Kyiv and its allies. That's
the problem of the continuation of the process.
MACFARLANE: Yes, there's certainly a lot riding on this moment. We will wait to see as and when these meetings take place. But for now, Alexander
Baunov, we appreciate your analysis. Thank you.
BAUNOV: Thank you so much.
MACFARLANE: All right. Still to come, a number of farm workers, usually picking crops in the U.S., are dodging federal agents instead. We'll look
at the toll from the immigration crackdown.
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MACFARLANE: Welcome back.
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass is criticizing the arrest of 16 day laborers outside a Home Depot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE (voice-over): This video shows ICE agents getting into a yellow box truck in a store parking lot.
The "L.A. Times" says the driver had pulled up to the group and offered them work. Then ICE agents sprang out of the back of the truck and detained
the group.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: As CNN's David Culver reports, the Trump administration's crackdown is taking a toll on farm owners.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are any of them still salvageable or not?
IAN CHANDLER, OREGON FARMER: No. There's not really anything you can do with them at this point.
CULVER: You've got more than 30 acres of this farm with rotting fruit.
[10:45:05]
I mean, these are cherries that at one point were pretty appetizing. But right now are more than two weeks past their prime.
CHANDLER: It's also lost revenue for the workers that would have been able to pick them had they been here.
CULVER: Oregon farmer Ian Chandler says about half his usual crew didn't show up this season.
You're calling them, I assume, individually and saying, what's going on?
CHANDLER: Yes. And --
CULVER: What are they telling you?
CHANDLER: Well, in the beginning of the season, it coincided, unfortunately, with a lot of really strong immigration enforcement down in
Southern California, where our workforce comes from.
CULVER: While Ian says his workers are hired with what seemed to be a valid ID and work papers, fear of ICE raids kept many of them from
traveling north this year.
To understand why, we head south to central California.
So we're hoping that one of those farm-working families will actually talk to us here and give us a sense of what life is like in hiding.
I think you're good. No names or anything there
Behind closed doors, making dinner with her mom, we meet Lisa.
LISA, FARM WORKER: Like every single summer, we would go up there, my parents or myself we will pick cherries. But this year, we decided to stay
home just to be safe.
CULVER: Because you're living essentially as though you're going to be targeted at any moment.
LISA: Yes.
CULVER: You've got to buy food.
LISA: Yes.
CULVER: You've got to go shopping. Do you -- do you leave for that?
LISA: Yes, I have to. I mean, someone has to in the house.
CULVER: Lisa is here under DACA, a program that gives temporary protection to people brought to the U.S. as children. Her three young kids, all U.S.
citizens.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my new avatar.
CULVER: You can tell they get kind of bored. Like cooped up inside, spending hours in front of the TV and on their phones, tossing a Frisbee
with himself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It says life is good.
CULVER: Life is good.
Lights stay off to keep cool. Shades down for privacy. Her husband and dad are undocumented but working to keep money coming in.
As they're out -- is that your phone?
LISA: Yes, that's my phone.
CULVER: Go ahead if you want to get it.
Every alert from her phone sparks a brief panic.
LISA: It's OK. I'll call him back.
CULVER: But it's her mom, she thinks about most, still picking crops in her 60s.
LISA: I would like to point that out. My mom is not a criminal and it hurts. Sorry.
Back in 2020, when the whole pandemic happened, my parents were being considered essential workers. And now they have to hide.
CULVER: Back north in Oregon, farm manager Manuel Nava also noticed several no shows this year.
MANUEL NAVA, FARM MANAGER: Last year, we probably have like probably five families coming from California they do the picking and we miss them.
CULVER: They didn't show up.
NAVA: They don't show up.
CULVER: Others continue working. One woman, 75 years old and determined to keep working even once the hour has stopped, asking, can I just collect two
more buckets?
She says she doesn't find the work too difficult compared to jobs she had in Guatemala.
Workers here earn about $5 a bucket and average anywhere from $15 to $35 an hour.
KATIE BOLTON, FARM OWNER: We hire them just like any other employee. We have an I-9 and W-4 filled out for every employee.
CULVER: Are they paying taxes?
BOLTON: Yes. All of that is taken out of their checks.
CULVER: While some may be using false IDs, others here have legal status. But it doesn't matter. Fear runs deep.
Katie started to post more and more signs, making it clear this is private property. This one even requesting that anybody who comes on to property,
visitors and vendors must go through the office here to sign in.
She's done this as a way to reinforce to her workforce that they're in a safe space to try to protect them and to be a barrier of anyone who might
come in and target them.
NAVA: Right now, you can see there's 84 people watching what's going on.
CULVER: Manuel says WhatsApp is just one piece of a growing underground network that many migrant workers rely on.
Francisco Aguirre is one of the voices behind those warnings. From the basement of a Portland church, he's getting the word out.
FRANCISCO AGUIRRE, ACTIVIST, ASYLUM SEEKER: We are OK with the government enforcing the law and detaining those who come and do bad in the country.
But that's not what is happening. We are detaining families who sustain this country.
CULVER: I was noticing on my Ring app that there are now notifications about where ICE may or may not be.
And then people on Waze, the app, will even choose icy conditions on the road to signify that there's some federal operation going on.
[10:50:00]
AGUIRRE: We have our own ways to communicate that we don't disclose, you know.
CULVER: You won't tell me some of those ways.
AGUIRRE: We won't.
CULVER: Francisco's lived in the U.S. undocumented since the mid-90s, fleeing violence in El Salvador. Despite prior arrests, he says he's not
interfering with ICE but rather trying to clarify what's really happening amid rumors and fear. And he is not hiding.
AGUIRRE: I mean, I am afraid. I would lie if I say, no, I'm not afraid, you know. But I'm trying to do the right thing.
CULVER: What do you say to folks who say, just by you talking about this, you're attracting potential ICE attention?
CHANDLER: Well, they are part of our community. Just like my arm is connected to my body, they are part of us. So it's not just a matter of
just like cutting them off and be like, all right, see you later. If we lose them, we lose part of who we are as well.
CULVER: One of the things that stood out to us in speaking with those farmers is that they point out this could go well beyond agriculture.
They say that these workers that follow the fields all the way north, following the crops to work throughout the season, will move from farm to
farm and then into other industries -- construction, landscaping, even making Christmas wreaths for the holiday season.
They say if the workers aren't going up there to pick the crops, then they're not going to be in place to then help those other businesses --
David Culver, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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MACFARLANE: Now does it feel like turbulence is becoming more severe and more frequent?
Well, last week, a flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam was hit with such strong turbulence that 25 people were taken to a hospital following an
emergency landing.
A 73-year-old man died of a heart attack during turbulence on a flight from London to Singapore last year. And scientists believe one of the reasons is
due to climate change.
(WEATHER REPORT)
[10:55:00]
MACFARLANE: Now a piece of underwater technology is gaining popularity among the wealthy. The CudaJet is essentially an underwater jetpack which
propels the person wearing it through the water as long as they can hold their breath underwater.
While the price tag is almost $30,000, there are definite risks to using the device, which comes with a 90-minute battery life. But the CudaJet's
inventors say it stands apart from any other similar technology.
I can think of many risks that come with using something just like that.
And that is it for this edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is coming up.
END
