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Isa Soares Tonight
Judge Weighs Mahmoud Khalil's Request to Stop His Deportation; Trump Admin. Halts Harvard's Ability to Enroll International Students; Kid Cudi Testifies in Combs Trial. Two Israeli Embassy Staff Shot Dead Outside Jewish Museum in Washington D.C.; Israeli Official Cites France is Partly to Blame for Rise in Anti-Semitism; Small Plane Crashes in San Diego Neighborhood Killing At Least 2 People. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired May 22, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and welcome, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, the man suspected of gunning down two Israeli embassy
staff members in Washington D.C. -- on a Washington D.C. street is expected to make his first appearance in federal court soon. Police say 30-year-old
Elias Rodriguez shot and killed Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim Wednesday night.
The couple were to be engaged as soon as next week. A friend says Yaron had a generosity of spirit, while Sarah's being remembered as someone who
brought people together with both empathy and purpose. An eyewitness tells CNN, the suspect pretended to be a bystander after the shooting.
Let's go to our Alex Marquardt in Washington D.C. So, Alex, just bring us up to late -- up-to-date with the very latest. A truly horrific attack
here.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It really is, Isa. We just had the Israeli ambassador to Washington come back down here.
He was here last night in the wake of this horrific double murder. He came down and said that President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu had just
spoken. He further decried the rise of anti-Semitism around the world, and said that the Jewish community will not be cowed.
In terms of what is happening with Elias Rodriguez, the 30-year-old suspect from Chicago, as you noted, we are expecting to see him in court later
today. It does remain to be seen, however, what the charges are. Of course, he shouted free Palestine! There are some people including the FBI director
who say that because that is political, that means it is an act of terrorism.
My colleagues who cover law enforcement say it appears that he could be facing federal hate crime charges among other federal charges, Isa. And
then, in terms of the victims, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, he was 30 years old, she was 26 years old. They started dating as they were
working at the Israeli embassy.
He worked for a senior diplomat in the political office, she helped organize events and trips to Israel, political trips, religious trips,
other kinds of groups that were going to Israel for research, for example, they fell in love. And one Israeli official told me, quote, "it was the
cutest love story that belonged on a poster for a Netflix rom-com.
They were due to go to Israel next week, Yaron was going to introduce Sarah to his family, who she had not yet met. She is an American citizen, and he
is both German and Israeli, we understand from friends and colleagues that his dream was to become a diplomat. He was well on his way when their
dreams for their careers and their lives together were cut short just after 9:00 p.m. outside here at the Capitol Jewish library and in such a tragic
way.
One final thing I learned from an Israeli official, they were with two other young female American staffers from the Israeli embassy. Those two
young women we understand, thankfully, were not injured. And after Rodriguez killed the couple, he then went inside where people thought that
he might have been a bystander.
But as the police and security showed up, he admitted to what he had just done, and then as he was taken away in handcuffs, he shouted free
Palestine. Isa.
SOARES: Just absolutely and horrific. And just to think, of course, that he was about to propose and travel to Israel, of course, for them to meet
the mother and the family members, right? That's incredibly shocking. Can you bring us just up-to-date on the investigation front, because I know the
FBI is conducting a, quote, "court authorized law enforcement activity."
What are you learning on that front? And also, I know you spoke to the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., did he shed any light at all on the
suspect?
MARQUARDT: In terms of what's going on in Chicago, there was -- we understand a court approved search of a premises that is believed to be
associated with Rodriguez on the federal front and the local front here in Washington. This is actually a joint effort between the Metropolitan Police
of Washington D.C. and the FBI, specifically the joint terrorism task force.
[14:05:00]
The deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, he did very clearly say that he believes that this is an act of terror. Now, there have been reports about
writings that Rodriguez may have made a so-called manifestos, that has not been confirmed by federal, local or even Israeli authorities. I did ask the
Israeli ambassador if he knew of anything about those possible writings or associations with other groups.
He did not have any new information on that. And then I asked him a broader question, Isa, about the possible connection between Prime Minister
Netanyahu's war aims of continuing the war in Gaza, of trying to eradicate Hamas and shutting off Gaza from humanitarian aid. That connection with
anti-Semitism, he was very forceful in his rejection of what he called that insinuation.
He says that anti-Semitism has been on the rise because of countries like France that are turning their backs on Israel and talking about recognizing
Palestinian as a state. He was very forceful against France in particular, Isa.
SOARES: And that is exactly where we're going to go next, getting the reaction from France. Thank you very much indeed, Alex, appreciate it.
Well, France is slamming what it calls outrageous accusations made by Israeli officials as Alex was telling you there. Israel's Foreign Ministers
blame European politicians for inciting anti-Semitic acts.
The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. doubled down on those claims just a short time ago, naming French President Emmanuel Macron. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YECHIEL LEITER, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Anti-Semitism is on the rise, not because of Israel's responding, but because of countries like
France who, under this circumstance, now, tomorrow plan to propose the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian State. So, the French and their
contorted morality under the government of Macron is going to declare October 7th, Palestine Independence Day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered heightened security at Israeli missions around the world in response to the shootings.
Of course, we will stay across all developments in regards to that story. We are following developments out of San Diego, California, where a
business jet has crashed into a neighborhood.
It happened earlier today as the plan -- as the plane was making a descent to land at a nearby airport. The San Diego region is home to several
military bases, and the private jet crashed into an area with housing for troops. Jet fuel from the plane set numerous cars on fire and damaged about
15 homes.
The Cessna 550 took off from the east coast with a stop in Kansas. The plane can carry up to eight people, and it's believed multiple people were
killed, all of the victims were on the plane. Authorities are investigating if heavy fog on the day played a role in that crash. Now, both Iran and the
U.S. said they're on board for the next round of nuclear talks, which is set to begin in Rome on Friday.
This is the fifth round of negotiations aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Uranium enrichment has been a key
sticking point, as you all know, it's a discussion that we've been having here on the show. A source tells CNN, U.S. official envoy Steve Witkoff
will be among those heading to Rome for the negotiations and the discussions.
In March, President Trump set a 60-day deadline for the talks to succeed. Let's get more on this. Fred Pleitgen joins us this evening live from
Tehran. So, Fred, Iran is on board for the next round of talks, but it's skeptical it seems over U.S. intentions. Just tell us what --
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes --
SOARES: You're hearing from your sources on that front in particular.
PLEITGEN: Well, it's absolutely right. The Iranians are going to these talks, but the Iranians certainly are extremely skeptical, and they're also
saying they're extremely disappointed by some of the statements that they've heard from the Trump administration over the past couple of weeks,
and specifically over this past week.
There were two sources, official sources here in Tehran that I've been in touch with, who said that they were very disappointed by some of the media
statements and some of the public things that they heard from the Trump administration, the Trump administration's negotiators, specifically about
uranium enrichment, and saying that Iran was not going to be allowed to enrich uranium.
Of course, the Iranians are saying that they believe that this is their right. It's a red line for them, and it's not something that they are going
to back away from. And the Iranians also told me that they believe that these statements themselves call into question whether or not the Trump
administration is actually serious about reaching a deal, or whether or not they're using these negotiations as a new pressure point to try and
pressure the Iranian government and the Iranian leadership.
However, of course, they are taking part in these negotiations. They say, in order to probe whether or not the Trump administration is serious, and
it's also, of course, a big question here on the streets of Tehran as well. We went out and we asked some people, and many of them were also skeptical
about the talks as well. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's going to be a situation, they're going to put Iran into a corner, and there are going to be so much demand that Iran
cannot give, and it's going to fail.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In Iran, the economic situation is not good for people, and we are in inclusion(ph), and I hope -- I think most of the
people we hope that maybe it's possible.
PLEITGEN: Do you think there's a chance of success still?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think so, because our decision is clear that we should have our nuclear power, not for using it for -- I don't know,
weapons for -- I don't know, killing people. We just need it for our power -- I don't know, for our energy, just for that. And he says we have to stop
that, why we should do that? He says that we are going to sell you that energy from another country. Why we should do that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: There are some folks there on the streets of Tehran, a skepticism there, as we heard, skepticism also among the leadership here in
this country. Nevertheless, the talks ongoing, and certainly the Iranians believe that it is a very important round that is coming up to see whether
or not the intentions there are real.
Of course, the Iranians do say that they want that sanctions relief. But at the same time, there are also skeptical voices who are wondering how highs
-- how high the price is allowed to be for that sanctions relief. Isa.
SOARES: And just expand on this, you know, on this disappointment from the Iranians and their comment, talking about median statements and negotiating
behavior on the part of the --
PLEITGEN: Yes --
SOARES: United States. You have been in and out of Iran numerous times. Has -- how does it feel this time around, Fred?
PLEITGEN: Well, I think it's very different, and I think the Iranians also understand that they're dealing with a completely different administration,
a completely different set of negotiators than ever before. This is not the Iranian Foreign Ministry and all the negotiators that they have.
They, of course, Abbas Araghchi, who is Iran's Foreign Minister and also chief negotiator, is someone who was there at the last nuclear talks, when
the last nuclear agreement was forged. He's someone who's done this a lot, dealing with other State Departments. Now, they're dealing with U.S.
negotiator Steve Witkoff, who of course, is not someone who's done many negotiations in the past, who's more into real estate really than country-
to-country relations.
And of course, for them, this is also completely different process. But for the Iranians, they say that the negotiations need to happen behind closed
doors, and that things that are said behind closed doors need to stay there and also be discussed there. And one of the things that I think is really
ticking the Iranians off, and they're very frank about this, is the fact that they think that they're getting completely mixed messaging from the
Trump administration.
They say that there are things that are being said in these negotiations, and then they hear something completely different from President Trump and
possibly also from Steve Witkoff as well in public statements. One of the things, of course, that Steve Witkoff did this past weekend is that he went
on a U.S. TV channel, and there once again said that there isn't even allowed to be 1 percent enrichment by the Iranians.
Where the Iranians are saying, look, they've said all along that, that is a red line for them, but they do think that there might be ways to come to
terms with one another. So, I think that whole process right now is very difficult on the Iranian's side to see through whether or not the Trump
administration is serious about reaching a deal, and also the path to that, which, of course, is by all standards of negotiations that we've seen in
the past, very unorthodox, Isa.
SOARES: Critical insight there from our Fred Pleitgen this evening live for us in Tehran, Iran. Of course, we'll stay across those talks, I know
you do, we'll too -- that begin on Friday. Thank you, Fred. Now, leaders around the world may have to think twice before visiting the White House.
We'll fact-check Donald Trump's white genocide claims after that tense Oval Office meeting with South Africa's President.
Plus, my conversation with Monika Radojevic discussing her new book of short stories, putting the modern day experience of womanhood under the
microscope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONIKA RADOJEVIC, AUTHOR: I think to constantly have in the back of your mind that your freedom is only very recently won, hard won --
SOARES: Yes --
RADOJEVIC: And is constantly at the -- at the edge -- or you know, at the precipice of something very dark. And so, you carry that around with you
all the time. It's a privilege to be a woman in today's times, but it is also startling and alarming in many different ways.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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SOARES: Is it OK for the U.S. President to push the same debunked claim as white nationalist groups? During Wednesday's contentious Oval Office
meeting, Donald Trump made several false statements in front of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Mr. Trump claims white South African
farmers are the victims of genocide, which Mr. Ramaphosa strongly denied.
For years, this conspiracy theory has been circulating in global far-right chat rooms and has gained the support of President Trump's key ally, South
African-born billionaire Elon Musk, who was right there. Our Larry Madowo fact-checks all the claims for you.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isa, many South Africans think that President Cyril Ramaphosa handled himself well and represented them
adequately, in that now viral, disastrous Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump. Under the circumstances, one South African proposed
to me what more could Cyril have done in that instance?
Because this was always going to be dramatic. And when the video was rolled out and the lights were dimmed, there was no way he could have escaped that
moment. And they felt that he maintained his calm. He did not raise his voice, he pushed back when he should have. Maybe they expected that he
would have given a bit more data and statistics on the level of crime in South Africa vis-a-vis white farm murders, but overall, there's a lot of
happiness in Johannesburg, in Pretoria and Cape Town and across the country. And listen to some of these voices from the street.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SABELO MOTHA, JOHANNESBURG RESIDENT: I don't think it was the right call. South Africa is a country on its own. I don't think we need to explain
ourselves to USA, to U.S. -- yes, whatever they think about South Africa, he should have just let it be. We know where we stand. We as South
Africans, we know there's no white genocide.
FUNDI MQALI, JOHANNESBURG RESIDENT: It's amazing what he did. Because like, really, those Americans, I think especially, me personally, I think
Donald Trump, he thinks he's a leader of the whole world. So, I think what he did, Cyril Ramaphosa to prove them that it's not -- we don't have no
separation in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: Some South Africans also note that President Trump appeared to be open to attending the G20 Summit this November in Johannesburg, where
President Ramaphosa hopes to hand over the presidency to him. He didn't explicitly say no, even though he's been on the fence about doing that.
President Ramaphosa had gone to talk about trade, and overall, after the closed-door meeting, he said they had a good meeting and we have no
announcements as that.
But as he heads back home, I think many people will be happy to see him -- and he survived. One South African newspaper said he was not Zelenskyy, and
many South Africans consider that to have been a win. Isa?
SOARES: Thanks very much. Larry Madowo there with the very latest. Well, President Donald Trump sweeping tax and spending bill has narrowly survived
the House. Now, the question is, how many changes will undergo in the Senate? Well, the president calls his quote, "Big Beautiful Bill" could
have ugly consequences for tens of millions of America's most vulnerable.
[14:20:00]
The controversial measure would slash nearly $1 trillion in funding from two of the nation's main safety net programs. That's food stamps and
Medicaid. The proposed legislation also looks to make Trump's 2017 tax breaks permanent, and would raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion. And
staying in the United States, a private dinner President Trump will attend later today as Virginia golf club is raising ethics concerns.
Two hundred and twenty guests paid for an invitation by becoming the biggest investors in Mr. Trump's meme coin. Most appeared to be based
outside of the United States, fueling fears that it could be looking to buy access to a sitting U.S. President, potentially violating the constitution.
And just consider this, the top 25 Trump coin holders are eligible for a private White House tour, the kind of access, typically reserved for heads
of state.
Administration's spokesperson pushed back on critics, saying, quote, "President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American people.
And still to come tonight, aid is trickling into Gaza after 11-week total blockade. But the World Food Program says there's still a race against
time to prevent widespread starvation. We'll bring you the very latest.
Plus, we are following a consequential immigration case for pro-Palestinian activists, Mahmoud Khalil details next on what is at stake.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: The World Food Program says a handful of bakeries in Gaza are making bread again, calling it a critical first step. But it says much
more food must be allowed in now to stave off famine. Israel is allowing what it calls a basic minimum amount of aid for Gaza's 2 million people
after blocking all humanitarian assistance for 11 weeks.
The U.N. says about 90 trucks delivered aid, including flour and medicine. The director of Palestinian NGO in Gaza says no aid has reached the north
yet where it's needed most. Israel is ordering more people to leave northern Gaza today. Meanwhile, the new evacuation orders include parts of
Gaza city and the Jabalya Refugee Camp.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he won't end the war unless certain conditions are met, including the overthrow of Hamas and the implementation
of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to empty Gaza of Palestinians. Israel has vowed to move Gaza's entire population south, and the U.N. says 80
percent of Gaza is now essentially a no go zone for civilians.
The U.N.'s humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher spoke earlier to my colleague about the trickle of aid now going in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM FLETCHER, U.N. UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: It's utterly dire, and this is one of the problems, you know, we're getting in
this baby powder, and it needs to be mixed with fresh water, and there's no fresh water. So, we're having to get in water in those first convoys as
well.
You know, I have complete trust in my team on the ground to work out what's needed, when and how to prioritize it. Those first trucks that went in, it
was mainly baby food. We were focused on saving those kids, and we've started to save them. Many of the next 80 trucks have been food, almost
half of it really. World Food Program doing amazing work, getting the bakeries back open, five bakeries open again today.
Getting the community kitchens open, 70 community kitchens back open again today. In the next phase now, much more medicine. A lot of that is what's
on the border right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, an utterly dire humanitarian situation. The words of Tom Fletcher there. Yet, just a short time ago, the Israeli agency responsible
for coordinating aid posted on social media, and I'm quoting here, "there is no food shortage in Gaza". Our Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv with the
very latest for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, more than 11 weeks after Israel began its total siege of the Gaza Strip, humanitarian
aid has finally begun to reach Gaza's population once again. Last night, trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, including flour, baby food and
nutritional supplements, they began to make their way through the Gaza Strip to distribution points.
Bakeries in Gaza were baking bread all night long and throughout the day to try and get bread to people who need it the most. This aid was distributed
in central and in southern Gaza, but there are still major questions that loom over the new entry of this aid, and whether or not, it will be capable
of stemming what is a true hunger crisis that is still roiling the Gaza Strip.
That's because, first of all, it's not clear whether this aid is going to make it to northern Gaza yet, where there are hundreds of thousands of
people who are in dire circumstances, particularly as the Israeli military escalates its offensive in northern Gaza, and Israeli troops are beginning
to advance in those areas and direct the population to evacuate.
Then, of course, there's the issue of how many trucks is Israel going to allow in and for how long? We have seen so far, Israel appears to be
authorizing about a 100 trucks of aid per day, which is still short of what humanitarian aid officials say is needed. Humanitarian aid officials say
the aid that has entered so far still represents just a drop in the ocean of the need that exists in Gaza, but certainly, this is at least, a ray of
hope for the people of Gaza, although it's clear that the hunger crisis has yet to be fully solved. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And we'll have much more news after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate student who was being -- who has been, I should say, in U.S.
immigration custody since March, has held his newborn first -- for the first time. Khalil's attorney says the meeting happened at a Louisiana
Detention Center, just before today's court hearing. The judge in this case will decide if his deportation order should be lifted.
Khalil is a Syrian-born Palestinian who took part in pro-Palestinian protests. He is one of several foreign nationals the Trump administration
has accused of posing a national security threat. This claim has been strongly disputed by Khalil's attorneys. Priscilla Alvarez has been
tracking the story from Washington from the very beginning, and she joins us now.
And you know, Priscilla, this a pretty consequential hearing here, but let's start on the human aspect. And there's the fact that, for the first
time, he was able to hold his son. What are you hearing from his attorney on that?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, recall that he was arrested in March. He has now been detained for about 75 days, and over the course of
that time was when his wife gave birth to their son, who he met and held for the first time today. This was something that had stemmed from a
request by his attorneys, that was denied by immigration officials. But then a judge ordered that it happened. So, all of that culminating today
before his immigration hearing.
And it is a pivotal hearing, one that will decide whether his deportation proceedings will continue. And it's a good time to remind viewers that not
only is he a Columbia University graduate student, he's also a lawful permanent resident. So, we're not talking here about an undocumented
immigrant who was picked up by authorities and is now facing deportation proceedings, but rather someone who was here legally.
Now, of course, the administration and the federal government has a lot of say as to whether someone can remain the United States or not, and in fact,
his arrest, along with other foreign nationals who were tied to prestigious universities, have been targeted by the administration under this obscure
law that essentially says that the secretary of state can revoke someone's status if they pose some adverse foreign policy consequence, and that is
the allegation that the administration is bringing here.
Now, for the course of his hearings, there are a couple things that are expected to come up. That includes, for example, his arrest. You were just
showing footage of that there. And it is whether or not a warrant was required, he was arrested without warrant.
Another part of this that the administration has said that he would pose a flight risk, but the video shows, according to attorneys, that would not be
the case because he did comply with officers when he was arrested. And they're also planning to make the argument that he has been targeted for
his pro-Palestinian views.
Now, this, again, has been a case that has dragged on for months, not only in immigration court, but also in a federal district court in New Jersey.
Now, even if his deportation proceedings were to continue coming out of this hearing, he's still -- there is still a restraining order, rather, on
his removal from the United States. So, this can get quite confusing because there is a federal district court that is involved here and also an
immigration court. Immigration courts are underneath the Justice Department.
So, we will see how this all unfolds. Our understanding is that the hearing is still ongoing. So, we're waiting to see what comes out of it, but the
small news that we got earlier, or big news, particularly for Khalil, is that he was able to meet his newborn and sign before going into this
hearing.
[14:35:00]
SOARES: That must have been incredibly wonderful, of course. Just going back to Khalil's legal team and the arguing they're making here. I
understand they filed hundreds of pages of new evidence against his removal. Talk us through what that evidence contains.
ALVAREZ: Well, a lot of that is speaking to his character. So, the way that the administration has characterized Khalil as someone who has ties to
a terrorist organization, also someone who could pose a flight risk if he remained detained. And so, a lot of this testimony is to justify a
potential release to say that, again, he wouldn't pose a flight risk. It also is expected to include declarations from friends of Jewish descent.
So, this all to sort of speak to his character and also go toward the attorney's arguments here that he has been targeted for his pro-Palestinian
views.
Now, we have seen cases unfold for other students that have been targeted, some of whom have been able to obtain release. This case, in particular,
has gone on for days, weeks now, and is one that gained national attention. So, again, we will see what comes out of this, but this before now an
immigration judge. And just a reminder there that that is separate because it is underneath the Justice Department.
SOARES: Priscilla, really appreciate it. Thanks very much. I know you'll stay abreast of the very latest. Thank you.
And we have breaking news on U.S. President Donald Trump's political fight. A political fight that's been ongoing for some time with Harvard
University. The administration is now revoking the elite school's ability to enroll international students. The Department of Homeland Security says,
and I'm quoting here, "Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status."
Now, context for you here. Last month, Harvard sued administration over its attempt to change curriculum admission policies and hiring practices. And
this major escalation will likely lead to a new no doubt legal challenge.
I want to bring Jeff Zeleny, whose life for us at the White House with a break in news story. And I'm seeing now, Jeff, as it would come to you, a
statement from Harvard University. I'm going to read it out. The government's actions is unlawful. We are fully committed to maintaining
Harvard's ability to host international students and scholars who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the university and this nation
immeasurably. We are working quickly to provide guidance support to members of our community, this retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the
Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission.
Now, we have really a significant, a major escalation here between Harvard and President Trump and this administration and a key source of funding
critically for the university. What will for -- talk us through what will happen to the current students international students.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: That is the central question here. And you are right, Isa, it is a dramatic escalation.
And really, the ongoing battle between this White House and Harvard University. Now, there have been some other fights with some other
universities, but Harvard has really risen above in terms of a really drawing the ire from the White House and the idea of the Department of
Homeland Security announcing this afternoon with the secretary sending a letter. She's effectively canceling what's called as a Student and Exchange
Visa Program.
And that is sort of done through conjunction with the State Department and the government because these international students, of course, have to
have approval to study. But this a dramatic escalation indeed. And we're talking about nearly 30 percent of Harvard students here. But we are
learning the statement says that they must either lose their legal status or transfer. We are told they can transfer to another institution of higher
learning university here in the United States not necessarily leave the country.
So, this very much ongoing. But just listening to the statement from Harvard there that was just coming in as you were reading it aloud, this
certainly is headed back to a legal challenge where this a fight really has been brewing here. But again, some 30 percent, nearly 30 percent of Harvard
students are international students.
And you're right, it makes up a significant amount of the revenue and the tuition that Harvard receives. But once again, we've asked the White House
for a specific comment on this. We've not yet heard back. But again, a dramatic escalation of the White House fight with Harvard. Isa.
[14:40:00]
SOARES: No doubt. Probably going down a legal route, of course, but I am sure many international studios incredibly worried right now as to what
that will mean for them Like you said, between 2022, 2023, 6,500 international students on campus, that's roughly 25 percent -- makes up 25
percent of all students. That's critical, of course. We'll stay across this. Jeff Zeleny, as always appreciate it. Thank you.
ZELENY: My pleasure.
SOARES: Now, rapper Kid Cudi is testifying against Sean Diddy Combs in the music mogul's sex trafficking trial. Kid Cudi briefly dated Combs' ex-
girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. He described Combs breaking on -- into his home. He also says he believes Combs was responsible for a Molotov cocktail
that set his Porsche on fire. The rapper says Ventura confided that Combs abuse her physically, but he also says she didn't mention sexual abuse.
Early in the day, Combs' former assistant was back on the stand. Without the jury present on Wednesday, George Kaplan invoked his Fifth Amendment
right to not testify at the risk of self-incrimination. However, the judge signed an immunity order that required Kaplan to testify. Kaplan says he
stopped working for Combs after seeing him be violent with Ventura. And here's Leigh Waldman with the very latest for you from the court.
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isa, another day of highly anticipated testimony coming out of the Sean Diddy Combs trial. We started the day
hearing more from one of his past executive assistants, George Kaplan, who is testifying under an immunity deal. So, he does not self-incriminate. He
was talking about his role working under Combs, saying that he admired him prior to working for him and was just a young kid looking to get into the
industry.
But he talked specifically about what forced him to leave that job, saying, quote, "The central reason I left my job as Mr. Combs assistant was that I
was not comfortable or aligned with the physical behavior that had been going on, that I had seen pieces of over the course of a couple months,"
unquote.
Now, he was talking about that after seeing some alleged domestic violence from Mr. Combs against Cassie Ventura, in one instance, on a plane, another
instance in Mr. Combs' home itself. He also mentioned other instances of alleged domestic violence between another woman, Gina, where Mr. Combs had
allegedly thrown pieces of fruit at her. He said that's why he had to leave.
Now, upon the cross-examination from the defense, he said he still had a lot of admiration for Combs and had been in contact with him, sending him
happy birthday messages, even inviting Combs to his own wedding after he had left the enterprise working for Mr. Combs himself. But he also
testified about having to pull out large sums of cash to give to Mr. Combs and having to purchase items that have been used and what is commonly known
now as freak offs, things like drugs, and also baby oil and lubricant.
Now, once he left the stand, Scott Mescudi, better known as Kid Cudi, was called to the stand to testify. And he spoke about his relationship briefly
with Cassie Ventura back in 2011 and how distressed Mr. Combs was after hearing about their relationship, talking about how Combs had actually
broken into his home, waiting for him to talk to him. And then just a month after that, in January 2012, he said that he got a call from his dog walker
who had said that Kid Cudi's car was on fire in his driveway. When he got there, he said that the Porsche had its top ripped off and a Molotov
cocktail was inside saying, quote, "It looked like the top of my Porsche was cut open, and that's where the Molotov cocktail was put in."
Now, he said the two met up after that incident, because Combs had been wanting to meet up with Kid Cudi. And they had talked this through, but at
the time, Combs denied any involvement with this incident with his vehicle. And years later, Combs allegedly pulled Kid Cudi aside and apologized for
all of their previous interactions. Isa.
SOARES: Leigh, thank you very much indeed. And still to come tonight, a thoughtful, challenging, and hilarious collection of short stories
exploring what it means to be a woman. You won't want to miss our latest conversation, our latest edition of our Book Club. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Joining us today in the book club with "A Beautiful Lack of Consequence?" is Monika Radojevic. Thank you very much, Monica. Welcome to
the Book Club.
MONIKA RADOJEVIC, AUTHOR, "A BEAUTIFUL LACK OF CONSEQUENCE?": Thank you for having me.
SOARES: Why did you cite, first of all, to write short stories? Why this style?
RADOJEVIC: I think because I wanted to explore so many different themes and you know, there is a universality to all of them, which is what it
means to be a woman and what it costs to be a woman. You know, I think that the book is a -- it's not necessarily an easy read, but it is, you know, at
times funny and poignant and yearning and loving because, you know, being a woman -- being a human, but especially being a woman is so complex.
SOARES: You said what it costs to be a woman.
RADOJEVIC: Yes.
SOARES: I mean, tell me now, what did you learn from writing this short story? What does it cost to be a woman?
RADOJEVIC: I think to constantly have in the back of your mind that your freedom is only very recently won. Hard won. And is constantly at the edge,
you know, at the precipice of something very dark. It's a privilege to be a woman in today's times, but it is also startling and alarming in many
different ways.
SOARES: Alarming indeed. And it's a challenge. It's a battle, as your stories have shown, that you have to fight day in, day out, regardless of
the fact that we live in the 21st century. Where did you get the ideas? Because you have, some of that are based on mythology, some are science
fiction, some are very much mundane day to day.
RADOJEVIC: I think a lot of the ideas sprang from -- I used to work in feminist political campaigning. So, I worked for a feminist political
party, the Women's Equality Party. And I wrote this when I was there and a lot of what we talked about, you know, which was what women experienced on
a daily basis. And I was really inspired by that.
I'm a quite creative person. So, these ideas were coming to me and I was immediately under -- like kind of framing them in a political way. Writing
them was so fun because you -- I was exploring in real-time as well as, you know, trying to craft something with a narrative.
SOARES: And that leads me nicely into one of the stories that I really enjoyed, actually, salt badgers.
RADOJEVIC: Oh, yes.
SOARES: Tell us first what the story -- what the short story is about.
RADOJEVIC: Oh, so the short story is about a couple living in like a basement flat. And they have this kind of invasion of these little
creatures called salt badgers. And salt badgers are essential to humanity's survival. However, they are a nuisance. They are expensive. They break
things. They keep the couple up at night. And the couple -- you know, the man and the woman in this relationship have very different experiences in
their jobs of how to care for these essentially children.
SOARES: Yes.
RADOJEVIC: That have like invaded their lives, but also, the responses that they get, the support that they're entitled to. The ways that they are
encouraged or not to kind of incorporate these salt badgers into their lives.
SOARES: And I got an example here because I read it and I thought, oh, I can relate to this. A lot of this I can relate to, as a mother of two kids.
If -- I'm going to mark it here. If you read this part, and I think it really stand out.
RADOJEVIC: Mark's company seemed unbothered when he turned up to meetings, a little disheveled having just fished a salt badger out of the toilet and
made sure it was still breathing. He asked for and was given extensions on big projects and didn't feel guilty about logging off at 5:00 or half 5:00
at the latest.
[14:50:00]
His work praised him for keeping it together despite the disruption, in fact, and she tried hard not to resent him for this. A couple of months ago
when she'd returned from an overnight trip for an urgent case, she'd found a goodie basket of wine, coffee, shortbread, and truffles with his name on
it. They sent it to me for my time single parenting, Mark said sheepishly. Who did? She asked with her mouth full of rose infused chocolate. The
office.
SOARES: Where did this come from?
RADOJEVIC: I think it came from this sense of frustration that these impossible expectations that women are force to live up to all the time.
What it is to say is that, you know, we live in a capitalist system that demands every extract of our bodies, you know, what we can do, whether
that's labor as in the physical sense of your job or, you know, labor as in to have children and to raise children and to raise a family.
There is no way to exist in a -- like exist freely under capitalism. And, you know, being a woman, you're under kind of that double oppression of
your -- of what it means to be a woman in this society and what it means to be a worker in a capitalist society.
SOARES: Yes. And I see this and I feel it and I see it from the discussions I have with colleagues, with friends. How do we change this
then?
RADOJEVIC: I think the only way you're going to change a system is if you dismantle it. And you know, the way that you do that is you start by you
look at where inequality exists in our major institutions. So, for me, that would be our education system, our health system, our legal system, our
media.
SOARES: Agree. And these are -- and this is some of the topics that, you know, Monika, you just brought -- talked about here, that you thread for a
lot of your short stories. The other one that we spoke about and there's quite a few, we couldn't pick them all. So, how to be good and love
yourself very much.
RADOJEVIC: Yes. I think that story in particular has drawn from the experience I've had and others around me have had and watching women and
girls of every single age talk about the pressure of their appearance. And what it means to be constantly perceived.
And, you know, I think one of the most beautiful people in the world to me is my mother. And hearing the way that she sometimes talks about herself
and the things that she worries about versus the things that I worry about when it comes to my appearance and the things that, you know, I think need
to be fixed, which don't, but we are conditioned to believe that.
I think -- I find it unbelievably frustrating that part and parcel of being a woman is to be taught to be obsessed with your appearance at every stage
of your life.
SOARES: I wonder, Monika, whether you feel, in this age of social media, you know, TikTok and Instagram, where it's so much harder for young women,
I should say too, for young men, to be held up to these standards of beauty where you have filters and you don't know what real is anymore.
RADOJEVIC: Yes. It really warps your sense of what actual people look like. And you know, I'm in my late 20s, I struggle to differentiate between
what is real and what is not on the internet. So, I cannot imagine how myself as a 12-year-old, a 13-year-old, at their most vulnerable, at their
most formative, is being bombarded with these images of perfection.
And I think this idealism of perfection is, again, it comes down to this capitalist world that we live in. That we have to be these perfect products
to sell ourselves and to sell products to other people and to say, you know, with, you know, all of these products, you too can reach the
perfection that I have. And the implication is when you're perfect, you're happy. But that's not true.
SOARES: What is the message then, would you say, Monika, to women from these short stories?
RADOJEVIC: I think what I want this book to tell to -- you know, to leave people with or leave women with is this sense of, yes, anger about what it
means to exist, but also, I think awe and joy of what it means to be a woman. Because what it means to be a woman is not just about living under
oppression. What it means to be a woman is to -- is just this incredible, joyful, unbelievable experience. And I, you know, I wouldn't change that
for anything.
SOARES: Monika, really fascinating short stories. It is joyful moments. Lots of dark moments, but very witty moments too.
RADOJEVIC: Thank you.
SOARES: A must read. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: I really enjoyed that conversation, but there's much more to come on our Book Club. Next time I'll speaking to award-winning journalist,
James Longman. His new book, "The Inherited Mind," explores family history and the genetics of mental illness, all while searching, of course, for
hope. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES LONGMAN, AUTHOR, "THE INHERITED MIND": My father had schizophrenia and he ended his life when I was nine. His brother also had schizophrenia.
The father, my grandfather, also ended his life, although, we're not clear on whether or not he had any diagnosis. My mother has clinical depression.
And I have had two pretty serious bouts of depression myself. And so, it was that -- that was the fundamental premise of the book. Do I get sad, do
I get depression because of the knowledge of this family history or was there something deeper than that? Is it written in my code? Was this
inevitable?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:55:00]
And that interview with James Longman is coming up on our next Book Club. And if you -- you can find all those interviews, all our interviews from
our Book Club on our website.
Now, Swiss authorities had to get creative when the threat of a landslide forced evacuation of a small village in the Alps, helping about 300
residents to safety was one thing, but getting this cow out was quite another. The cow took a helicopter ride, as you can see, no doubt, very
puzzled by the whole scene. 26 cows, 190 sheep and some 20 rabbits were among the livestock evacuated. It is not clear when everyone, including the
animals, will be able to return home.
Animals are on the move in Mexico too, but for a very different reason, and that is gang violence. At least 700 animals have been relocated in the
State of Sinaloa because of ongoing cartel threats. The move included elephants, hippos, lions, tigers, and crocodiles being kept at a sanctuary
in Culacan. The director of the sanctuary says they had to move because of threats to staff robberies and extortion attempts. Much of the violence
across the state is between the rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel.
That does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here. "What we know with Max Foster" is up next. Have a wonderful evening. I shall see you tomorrow.
Goodnight.
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[15:00:00]
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