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Isa Soares Tonight
Donald Trump Says Elon Musk 'Has Lost His Mind' And Dismisses Peace Offering; Deadly Russian Strikes Batter Kyiv; UNICEF Says More Than 50k Children Have Been Killed in Gaza; UNICEF: 50,000 Children Killed Or Injured Since War Began; Moscow Launches One Of War's Largest Air Attacks On Ukraine; 31 Million Tons Of Seaweed Creep Toward Florida; Ice Cream Shop Destroyed By Eaton Fires Reopens Today; Reports: David Beckham To Be Knighted By King Charles. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired June 06, 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: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, a bitter breakup. U.S. President Trump
tells CNN he's not even thinking about Elon Musk after exchanging jabs on social media. We'll have the latest on their feud. Then deadly Russian
strikes on Kyiv overnight as Ukraine braces for further retaliation from the Kremlin.
And unimaginable horrors. UNICEF says more than 50,000 children have been killed or injured in Gaza. I speak with UNICEF's James Elder live from Al-
Mawasi about what he's seeing on the ground. But first, tonight, a big, beautiful as well as bitter breakup. U.S. President Donald Trump says he
is, quote, "not even thinking about Elon Musk".
Though, Thursday's intense public feud is anything, let's just say but forgettable. Here are just a few of the online attacks from the tech
billionaire. This one that you can see right here, Musk writes, "without me, Trump would have lost the election." In regards to the economy, the
world's richest man claims that President Trump's tariffs will cause a recession as you can see that this year.
And in his most personal attack, Musk accuses the U.S. President of being in the Jeffrey Epstein files. And quote, "that is the real reason", he
writes, "they have not been made public". And he then ends, as you can see there, "have a nice day". At the heart of this feud that we've just
outlined here is Donald Trump's massive tax as well as domestic policy bill.
And this all started on Tuesday, if you remember, when Musk called it a, quote, "disgusting abomination". The Congressional Budget Office estimates
this bill could add more than $2 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. And here's what we're hearing in Washington. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER NAVARRO, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR COUNSELOR FOR TRADE & MANUFACTURING: People come and go from the White House. He was a special government
employee with an expiration date. With respect to what Mr. Musk has been saying about the Big Beautiful Bill and overspending, things like that, I
think that, that dog won't hunt when you do the math properly.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): Girls are fighting, aren't they? I think this breakup, we've been seeing a long time coming, but we'll see
what the impacts are of it legislatively.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think his relationship with Trump is salvageable at this point? Things have turned kind of personal.
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Yes, I believe in redemption, and I think it will all work out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, our team is tracking this fallout from all angles, you can see. Anna Stewart is here with us in London. But first, I want to start
with Kevin Liptak, who is live for us at the White House. And Kevin, I mean, this all started and as I just outlined there for our viewers with a
-- as a policy dispute, and then the wheels truly came off last night when you and I were on air for roughly at this time.
But this has become so bitter and so public so quickly as well. Just bring us up-to-date where we are and whether there is any signs of
reconciliation, of making up here.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and I think is the question that is hanging over Washington this afternoon is whether these
two men will find a way to patch things up. When you talk to Trump advisors, they suggest that, that could be far-fetched, that perhaps this
just went too far, and that the President has no interest in trying to reconcile.
They point in particular to Musk's tweet about Jeffrey Epstein linking President Trump to the world's most notorious pedophile as an example of
something that the President is just not going to move on, from, essentially saying that this is not a relationship that is ever going to be
repaired. And in fact, as Trump is calling reporters today, he's making clear that he really has no interest in reconciliation, that his interest
and focus now are all on trying to get that major piece of legislation passed.
That, as you laid out, is where this feud began. But I should also say a man who is picking up the phone and telling people and trying to make
clear just how unconcerned about all of this he is, is not necessarily a man who has stopped thinking about it altogether. And to that end, the
President told our Dana Bash today that Elon Musk has a problem. This guy has got a problem.
We also heard from White House advisors that now the President is looking to get rid of that red Tesla that he bought back in March, sort of as a
show of support for Elon Musk.
[14:05:00]
And when I walked out here, I noticed that it was still very much parked on the White House driveway. There are some people in Washington and around
the country who do seem like they want to try and make some efforts to bring these men together. There was talk, potentially, of trying to put
them on the phone to sort of talk it out. That never happened.
Donald Trump is not interested in speaking. One of the men who is caught in the middle is J.D. Vance, the Vice President, obviously very close to
President Trump, but even before he was Trump's running mate, he was also close to Elon Musk. We're told that yesterday, as this was all unfolding,
Trump told Vance to be diplomatic in his response.
He sort of held off, he did say today that he was proud to stand beside Trump, that no one has done more to earn the movement that he leads. But he
made no mention of Elon Musk.
SOARES: Stay with us. Let me go to Anna because Anna, we saw this yesterday, and I know how shares are doing today, but the war of words in
this really -- this bitter relationship that Kevin just outlined there, very clearly is clearly bad for Musk's business. We saw Tesla shares,
actually let's have a look at it now, this over the years, but just shares dipping quite dramatically. Tesla could be at risk. But also not just
Tesla, but you know, also Starlink too. Speak to the potential impact here first of all.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, the breakup of this bromance between one of the world's most powerful men and the world's richest men, it was
always going to be spectacular, and it was always going to be really expensive. And yesterday, $150 billion was wiped off the market cap of
Tesla, shares have come back a little bit.
They're up around 5.5 percent today, they haven't really made those sort of losses that we saw yesterday. And actually, the knock to Elon Musk's
personal net worth, more than $30 billion --
SOARES: Wow --
STEWART: Just yesterday. Now, that's just the current cost of sort of --
SOARES: Yes --
STEWART: The investor fallout. Then we have to factor in, what about the EV tax breaks being, you know, reduced due to this new bill, the Big Beautiful
Bill that President Trump wants to put through? Well, that could cost around $3 billion to Tesla alone. That's what JPMorgan analysts are saying.
Then you've got to think, what's the cost of the fallout beyond that? What about, you know, regulation? Tesla, of course, wants to bring self-driving
technology to the masses. They're going to need the federal government to do that. They also need the federal government when it comes to regulation
for companies like Neuralink that are putting chips into people's brains.
Then you have federal contracts. SpaceX being a great example. These are all the ways that Elon Musk's network of companies rely on the federal
government. So, it could be incredibly costly.
SOARES: So, Kevin, given what Anna just said, just lay it down for us, and just said -- why would Musk go after Trump if this is potentially the cost
to his business and to himself?
LIPTAK: Well, I think he's clearly concerned about this bill that the President is trying to put through Congress, not only because it would
explode the deficit, which is his stated position against it, but also because it would strip back some of the electric vehicle credits, including
for Tesla cars that would influence his bottom line.
He had started sort of ruminating against this bill well before yesterday, but it was really yesterday on which it exploded into public view. And I
think that there is a risk here for Donald Trump. Elon Musk is still someone who has enormous influence within the Republican Party. And the
concerns that he's voicing about the deficit effects of this bill are shared by a number of Republicans on Capitol Hill.
And I think the fear among Trump's advisors is that he is now emboldening those Republicans to be more vocal in their own opposition. Donald Trump
has framed this legislation as a loyalty test. But when you have someone who had been so loyal to Donald Trump for so many months, coming out so
vehemently against it, it sort of allows, gives permission to these other Republicans who may be questioning where this bill is going.
So, you know, for as catty and as nasty as this feud has been, and I'll tell you, one man insulting another man for not wearing makeup in the Oval
Office is just about as catty as it gets at the White House.
(LAUGHTER)
LIPTAK: The stakes are still enormously high here for Elon Musk's bottom line, for Donald Trump's entire domestic agenda, the stakes are high, the
insults I think are getting pretty low.
SOARES: They are indeed. Look, Anna and I are laughing at this because in many ways, I remember when this bromance started, and we said right at the
beginning, I remember us having this conversation, Kevin, and we said, you know, these are two big egos. This is not going to last. But let me just
quickly go to Anna, because, you know, Kevin mentioned the Tesla being parked outside and Trump planning to get rid of the Tesla he purchased.
Throughout his time, next to Trump, we saw a lot of the politicization of - -
STEWART: Yes --
SOARES: Tesla, right? What impact has that had on the company?
STEWART: Well, you can't really separate, can you? The Elon Musk brand from the Tesla brand.
SOARES: And that was always the problem.
STEWART: And this was always a big issue. So --
SOARES: Yes --
STEWART: In the U.S., for instance, Democrats are always more likely to buy EVs. Now, they're taking away tax incentives. And of course, Elon Musk has
very much aligned himself throughout -- you know, the last few months with President Trump's administration.
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So, he may have upset Democrats. He may now also be upsetting Republicans. Then on the global stage, not only is there this politicization in the
U.S., but Elon Musk also waded into politics in Germany, in the U.K., Tesla sales were down by more than half last month in the EU, they're down by
more than a third here in the U.K., this brand has already taken a knock. This brand has already taken a knock, and you just upset the other side of
the U.S., now potentially upset the Republicans as well.
SOARES: We shall see how it goes. Like I said to you yesterday, Kevin, I'll tell Anna as well, get the popcorn out, this is going to continue. Kevin
Liptak, Anna, thank you very much indeed. Well, my next guest is a technology correspondent for the "New York Times". Mike Isaac joins us now
from San Francisco in California.
Mike, good to have you on the show. I'm not sure whether you heard our conversation there with Kevin Liptak and our Anna Stewart, but I'm not sure
whether you're surprised at all that we're here, given the egos we saw right at the beginning. But it's going very nuclear in a very public way.
Are you surprised at all?
MIKE ISAAC, TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Yes, the joke around the valley was not if it happened, but was really taking bets on how
long it would take to happen, basically. And yes, I think this was sort of to be expected. There's two -- you know, obviously two of the most powerful
people on the planet with very big -- you know, egos, big sort of ideas for how the world should work, and are not accustomed to not getting their way
on some of these things -- some of the biggest issues of consequence.
So, I really think that for Musk, at least, he was caught off guard when he got cut out of this, the Big Beautiful Bill, so --
SOARES: Indeed. And President Trump, Mike, is saying -- is threatening to go after Musk, and he wrote this on Truth Social. "The easiest way to save
money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars is to terminate Elon's governmental subsidies and contracts. I was always surprised that
Biden didn't do it." What then would retribution you think look like? How and how painful do you think that could be for Musk?
ISAAC: I mean, some of these things are existential to Musk's business. You know, the subsidies during the President Obama era were the rise of Tesla,
and the contracts that he forged with SpaceX and the federal government. Those things have -- like, really made his career. SpaceX is probably one
of his most valuable assets at this point.
So, these are things that could cut Musk's legs out from under him. I think even today and towards the end of yesterday, you saw him doing some
backpedaling. He said he was going to cancel this one rocket development that he's now rewound on. But you know, it was one of these brinksmanship
things where it was like a jousting on Twitter and neither guy wanted to back down. And Musk, frankly, couldn't help himself.
SOARES: You write, Mike, on your article today for the "New York Times". You write, "in the coming days, the billionaires who followed Mr. Musk to
Washington may be forced to decide whose side they're on in this suddenly personal fight." Who then, from the conversations you've had, who then
would they back? Would they be team Trump or team Elon?
ISAAC: This is -- a lot of folks are in a really tricky position right now. You know, the early era of this, it almost seemed to be going too well. You
know, there are folks like David Sacks who, you know, venture capitalists out west, all in podcaster now, which is a popular tech podcast who became
appointed A.I. and crypto czar for the Trump administration.
There's another one, Sriram Krishnan, who is a venture capitalist at Andreessen Horowitz out here, which is a big blue chip firm. There's the
Andreessen Horowitz of the world. There's folks who really have gone all in on Trump, but have billions -- literally billions of dollars invested in
Musk's companies. And so, the folks I've talked to said they're just in a terribly awkward position.
I think they're really trying to just shut up and avoid journalists and avoid being asked uncomfortable questions on who to choose at this point.
SOARES: Well, I don't think they can dodge that clearly much longer. But on those who stood by Trump, because we all remember very clearly his
inauguration with tech leaders were all there, standing there, supporting him. Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook from Apple, Jeff Bezos, and I think Google's
CEO as well.
A bit like you said, a Mount Rushmore of tech bosses. Given how mercurial - - of course, we're looking at some of the footage from that day. Given how mercurial, you know, Trump is, were there ever concerns of this kind of
White House embrace and the risk? And I certainly imagine, Mike, that they -- you know, they knew what they wanted to accomplish. Have they
accomplished what they wanted from this administration?
ISAAC: I was just talking to a former Facebook source last night about this. And on the one hand, you know, they kind of didn't have a choice if
you want to believe that their main interest is the survival of their companies. So, I think Zuckerberg and all the other leaders that you
mentioned, at the end of the day, they care about their company, their legacy is keeping their company alive.
[14:15:00]
And Trump, of all world leaders, has the most ability to really cripple all of them. That said, they went all in on Trump very early. Zuckerberg
basically, you know, prostrated himself by eliminating DEI initiatives inside of the company, and just sort of excising any sort of philanthropic
-- you know, maneuvering to progressive causes or what could be seen as progressive causes.
And I don't know if they have that much to show for it quite yet. You know, there's still the FTC going after Meta. There's still the threat of tariffs
upending Apple's business. There's still, you know, Amazon is in the crosshairs. DOJ is going after these companies. Google may get broken up.
So, at the end of the day, they seem to have made a lot of their employees mad, but aren't exactly reaping the benefits.
SOARES: Mike Isaac, really appreciate you coming on and breaking it all down for us. Thank you very much indeed. Thanks, Mike.
ISAAC: Thanks for having me.
SOARES: You're very welcome. And still to come tonight, one of the largest attacks yet. Russia pummels Kyiv just days after a sneak assault by
Ukraine. And then later this hour, almost every child in Gaza is at risk of becoming malnourished, and that is according to UNICEF. I speak with
spokesperson James Elder live from Gaza. You are watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Just days after surprise daring raid by Kyiv targeting Russia's strategic bombers, Moscow unleashed a massive
aerial attack on Ukraine, one of the largest since the war began. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXPLOSION)
(FEMALE SCREAMING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says more than 400 -- and missiles were used in this strike. Kyiv appear to be one of the main
targets. The mayor there said at least four people were killed and 20 injured after the city was hit. Russian officials, meanwhile, say Ukrainian
drone hit an industrial site in the southern part of the country. Fred Pleitgen has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(EXPLOSION)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Massive explosions rocked the Kyiv skyline overnight, shaking the Ukrainian
capital as the country endured another night of intense Russian bombardment.
[14:20:00]
Several emergency workers were killed in the capital and dozens of civilians were injured across the country. In Lutsk, northwest Ukraine, as
the sun rose, the missiles fell. Athlete Sophia Romanzyuk(ph), a Ukrainian shot-putter, captured the moment of impact.
(EXPLOSION)
(FEMALE SCREAMING)
PLEITGEN: She and fellow athletes from the Ukrainian national team were visiting the city for a competition when their hotel was hit by a blast.
The country has been bracing for Russian retaliation after an audacious strike by the Ukrainian military on airfields deep inside Russia, as
residents in Kyiv picked through the remains of their apartments this morning, many feeling lucky to have survived.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Usually, we stay in the corridor during the attacks, and this time my wife also insisted that we sleep in the corridor, so she saved
my life.
PLEITGEN: It wasn't clear if this was Putin's much anticipated response or just business as usual in Russia's aerial campaign. Russia's Defense
Ministry said it had struck targets in Ukraine in response to what it called Kyiv's quote, "terrorists act". Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
calling on America and Europe to put more pressure on Russia to end the war, saying anyone, quote, "giving the war more time to take lives, that is
complicity and accountability."
This after President Trump on Thursday compared Russia and Ukraine to children fighting, and said it may be better to let them continue for a
while.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Maybe they're going to have to keep fighting and suffering a lot, because both sides are suffering
before you pull them apart, before they're able to be pulled apart.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And that was Fred Pleitgen reporting there. And still to come tonight, an extraordinary admission by Israel's Prime Minister. Why
Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is arming militias in Gaza. And then, sounding the alarm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES ELDER, SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF: This is children who had been bombed and burned in their family home while they slept. They come here to a hospital
to get the attention that they urgently need. There aren't enough medicines here, but this is where they are. Then when they are here in a hospital,
they come under attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: UNICEF spokesperson says what's happening in Gaza is a war on children. The world must not become numb to what's unfolding before its
eyes. I'll speak with James Elder live from Gaza just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. The Israeli military has issued a new evacuation order for parts of Gaza city, saying this is a final and urgent
warning ahead of an impending strike. People in Gaza are marking the start of religious holiday Eid al-Adha in the rubble of Mosques -- of Mosques and
amid airstrikes as well as widespread food shortages.
Limited aid distribution in Gaza was halted yet again today. A U.S.- Israeli-backed foundation running the operation said overcrowding made it unsafe. For some families, spending the holiday with loved ones meant going
to the graveyard. Listen to what one mother who lost her son in the war had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UMM AHMAD AWIDA, PALESTINIAN WHO LOST SON IN THE WAR (through translator): We are still in a war and siege. We are celebrating Eid al-Adha for the
second year in a row under bombs, strikes, death, siege and hunger. Every way of torture for human beings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Israel says it's acting in various ways to defeat Hamas. And today, we learn that includes arming local militias in Gaza. That admission comes
from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL (through translator): With the advice of security forces, we have operated clans in Gaza who oppose Hamas.
What's wrong with that? It's only good. It only saves IDF's soldiers lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And you may remember that Mr. Netanyahu is a wanted man by the International Criminal Court, the ICC, accused of war crimes in Gaza,
including using starvation as a weapon of war. Well, the U.S. government has now imposed sanctions on four ICC judges in part because of the arrest
warrant for Mr. Netanyahu, who strongly denies the charges.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls it a disgraceful attack on Israel. But the European Union is standing by the ICC, saying it's a
cornerstone of justice whose independence must be protected. Israel says it is prepared for a wide range of scenarios to respond to an aid flotilla
heading right now for Gaza.
The ship is carrying humanitarian supplies, and will attempt to break Israel's Naval blockade of Gaza, to highlight the suffering there. Israel's
Defense Minister has threatened to seize any such boats and send everyone on board into Gaza. A member of the European parliament is on this mission
as well as Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRETA THUNBERG, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: Not saying anything in times of injustice, when we are facing genocide, to be silent is by far a more
bigger -- a bigger risk than getting on this mission. And we are preparing to respond in a nonviolent way. We are 12 peaceful volunteers on this
mission. We are not carrying weapons. We are carrying food, sanitary products, medical supplies, things that are necessary to get into Gaza that
have been prevented by Israel from getting into Gaza.
And we are sailing on international waters, bringing humanitarian aid. If they stop this humanitarian aid, that is a crime. We are not doing anything
wrong here. We are just doing our part to continue to try to break the siege on Gaza and to open up a humanitarian corridor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Israel has repeatedly denied accusations of genocide, saying it is acting in self-defense after the October the 7th attacks. Returning
now to the extraordinary news that Israel is arming militias in Gaza as a way to counter Hamas. One Israeli opposition leader calls it complete
madness, saying those receiving the weapons are the equivalent of ISIS. Our Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv with more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, for the first time during the war in Gaza, Israeli officials are confirming that
the Israeli government has been arming local Palestinian militias in the Gaza Strip in what's being described as an effort to counter Hamas. The
Israeli Prime Minister himself saying that this is a good thing, that these are clans which oppose Hamas, and that all of this was being done under the
quote, "advice of security elements." But this is creating an enormous uproar among figures in the Israeli opposition including figures on both
the left and the right side of the spectrum.
[14:30:20]
The former Israeli defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, saying that this is complete madness. He actually was the first to reveal that this was
happening uh this past Wednesday. We are also hearing from Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition, saying that all of this will lead to more
disasters. And Yair Golan, another prominent left-wing opposition member, who says that this is creating a "new ticking time bomb" in the Gaza Strip.
Now, the main argument from these opposition figures is that no one can guarantee that these weapons won't ultimately be pointed towards Israeli
soldiers in Gaza or towards Israel in the long run. Two Israeli officials also telling us that this operation was authorized by the Israeli Prime
Minister without the approval of Israel's Security Cabinet.
Hamas is also weighing in saying that Israel is aiming to create a "state of insecurity and social chaos" by sending these weapons in. We also
understand that one of the groups that's being armed is led by the a man named Yasser Abu Shabab who leads a local militia in the eastern part of
Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. He has been accused in the past of looting and reselling trucks of humanitarian aid, quite a notorious
figure inside of Gaza.
And so, ultimately the question is how does this fit into the long-term plan? Because the Israeli Prime Minister has also been criticized for not
having a long-term plan for the end of the war in Gaza, for the day after the war, and not enabling a sufficient alternative governing structure in
Gaza to Hamas' leadership. It's not clear that this fits into that long- term plan or whether it could be something aimed more at opposing Hamas at the moment and perhaps creating that increased instability and challenges
to Hamas' leadership.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN Tel Aviv.
SOARES: Let's stay in Gaza because UNICEF says more than 50,000 children have been killed or injured in Gaza since the war began. That's one child
every 20 minutes. UNICEF Global spokesperson James Elder is on the ground in Gaza. He visited a little girl in hospital who was left paralyzed by an
air strike. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELDER: This has to stop. This is -- Jenna wants her story told. Understand that we're just walking in this hospital. And we meet another little child,
11-year-old Jenna, who yesterday was playing with her friend when there was an air strike. This is yesterday. She's paralyzed from the waist down.
Now, so many people who watch these videos, their heart is already here. They want this war on children to stop. So, this is not about that. This is
for those people with influence, those people who have leverage for anyone to stop this war on children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And James Elder joins us now live from Al Mawasi area, once considered a safe zone. James, great that you're back with us on the show.
Important that you're there in Gaza too. You introduced -- we played that little clip there I'm sure you heard of Jenna, I think -- 11-year-old Jenna
who you say is paralyzed from the waist down, who could not be evacuated. And like her story, I imagine there are so many others.
You've been there I think for four or five days or so. Correct me if I'm wrong. Can you give us a sense of what you've seen, James?
ELDER: Yes, every time I come it is worse than the time before, Isa, which of course makes sense because the bombardment continues. We've seen these
long, long blockades and they only end in terms of humanitarian aid when we get warnings that we're very close to famine and they're just loosened a
little bit. But it's not enough to remove the deprivation by any sense. And right now, of course we are again in a heavy, heavy restriction.
So, I'm seeing a couple of things that across the Gaza Strip they hadn't seen, hand-to-mouth. A lot of children, people show me that universal
symbolism, they're just very hungry. I've seen children with severe malnourishment in hospitals who will not be alive next week. They just
don't have the care or the food that they possibly need.
And I think the thing I'm noticing in hospitals is that sheer lack of medicine, the sheer lack of painkiller. I've seen more than 100 children
with amputations and with ghastly, ghastly trauma wounds from bomb blast and missiles and air strikes. Yesterday in the hospital, I heard those
children. The screams, these blood curdling screams from children because they don't have painkillers.
I mean a little girl who's had a double amputation, Isa, at her hip -- this little girl without painkillers. This is a constant now. So, a child
survives a bombardment, is not allowed to leave, and the medicines are not allowed to come in. This is -- I saw this in a day or two. This is 600 days
of which these children are enduring this.
[14:35:15]
SOARES: Yes, look, on the show yesterday I heard of something very similar and just as moving. I spoke to -- I spoke, James, to Dr. Victoria Rose who
of course just left Gaza I think early this week. And she was speaking incredibly movingly about malnutrition and the impact this is having. And
the surgeries -- and the surgeries that her and her team were trying to do and the recovery process.
And this as we hear -- we heard from just in the last 24 hours that 2,700 children under five years of age have been diagnosed with acute
malnutrition in the second half of May. Can you speak to that, to what you've seen in terms of -- what are -- what are young children eating,
James? How many meals are they getting a day? What does that meal consist of?
ELDER: Yes. Most children are lucky to get a meal a day. Most mothers I meet are getting a meal every other day because they're skipping a meal.
Nutritionists will tell you that a child needs seven types of different foods to avoid food poverty and long term -- long-term nutritional develop
-- lack of development. Here they're getting a couple. At best, it's getting lentils and turning it into a grain and a bread. It's getting some
bread. There's no fruit. There's no vegetables. If there are anything, they are exorbitant in prices. We're talking about $20.00 for a tomato.
I talk, Isa, to people who buy a portion of a vegetable because again, now we have hit a level of a very, very tight restriction -- not even
restriction, blockade of humanitarian aid, all the things children need. And that includes things like incubators, that includes baby formula, that
includes things mothers need.
So, the problem with that is twofold. One is parents can't take those malnourished children to hospitals because hospitals are either A, non-
functional, most of them are, because they've come under heavy artillery, heavy air strikes. And the other is those hospitals are full of people with
trauma wounds. Malnourished children can't get the support.
At the same time, we've seen the systematic devastation of water systems and of the sanitation system. And when a child is severely malnourished,
that's what kills them. The most basic disease, diarrhea things that are 10 times suddenly more likely to kill a healthy child. That's what we now
face.
We've seen in the last few weeks a little bit more international pressure on preventing this horrific man-made malnutrition. Ironically at the same
time, it's -- I'm disturbed, Isa, by this idea that the daily killing of little girls and boys is something somehow it seems that the world no
longer dwells on.
SOARES: Are world leaders going numb to this?
ELDER: Yes, I think, unfortunately, otherwise this would not possibly be allowed to happen. I think -- I think this is not a tragedy we couldn't
stop. This is something people have learned to live with. We -- I've seen now things that I never imagined to become normalized.
I went to a hospital on Wednesday that had suffered three drone attacks an hour earlier. Attacks on hospitals are normalized. Seeing children with the
most graphic, graphic wounds -- a little boy who got hit by shrapnel from a tank shell when he went to get food at this new militarized aid
distribution point. Children with those injuries normalized. Deprivation, man-made deliberate deprivation pushing children to the brink of famine
normalized.
Remember, famine is a statistical definition that once you have famine, it's too late. You have mass deaths. Before famine -- before famine comes
starvation. Starvation is when the body starts to eat itself, when you get severe cognitive decline. That's already happening. The idea that the world
waits for famine is lethal to Gazans.
So, yes, unfortunately, I don't think everyday people have in a lot of places I see a great deal of outpour. But yes, I think if world leaders,
those with leverage, had great understanding of what's happening here, it's not so complicated for it to stop.
SOARES: Yes. And that's what you said in your video on social media, you said that -- you know, the video that you were making, you said it was for
those with leverage and influence. You're talking about starvation and the desperate scenes that we have seen out of Gaza. So, let me get you -- get
your reaction to this new mechanism for distribution -- distributing aid that's been led by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation -- pardon me. And we've
seen the chaos and we've seen the desperation around it.
When you see this, what comes to your mind? Because UNICEF, of course, has been delivering aid directly to Palestinian for years. What are they
telling you about the way this mechanism, this -- the foundation is distributing this aid. Because we're looking at these scenes, and they're
chaotic.
ELDER: They are chaotic. And that's -- we've seen children killed at those -- at those scenes. We don't know how many because it's a deeply
militarized zone. So, the great danger with it is twofold -- or three-fold. One is child -- it's chaotic. Children are being killed. There the other is
that humanitarian aid is so much more than a box of food. It's water, it's medicines, it's painkillers, it's hygiene kits, it's vaccines, it's broad.
[14:40:25]
And the real problem here is that there seems to be an attempt, Isa, to use this to circumvent a system that has worked since World War II around the
world. During the ceasefire, during the ceasefire when hostages went home, when that ended, that abhorrence ended, when aid flowed 500 trucks a day,
the United Nations had 400 distribution points because that's what humanitarian aid is. It's principled it's going to where people need it.
It's not saying there's three points in the south, and we will -- you must forcibly to be displaced, using aid as a bait to move people. Both because
that is against humanitarian law and all principles, but also because there are elderly, there are grandparents, there are sick. Mothers can't leave
their children. There are a lot of wounded. There's a lot of amputated, so to -- amputees -- so to have three different sites is utterly unworkable.
It's been open for five days, closed for many. We -- in the days it's been open. There's been three mass casualty events.
By any definition, it is objectively not working. More troublingly, it's actually trying to sideline humanitarian aid that's worked and continues to
work, it worked two months ago, it's circumventing a system that is a lifeline for children here.
SOARES: James Elder, as always, I appreciate you coming on the show. I know you're incredibly busy. Thank you very much, James. I appreciate it.
ELDER: Thank you.
SOARES: And we'll have much more after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, as we showed you earlier, it was a rough day for many people across Ukraine. Overnight, Russia launched one of its biggest aerial
attacks of the war. At least four Ukrainians were killed, many more were injured. It is unclear if this was in retaliation for Ukraine's audacious
attacks on Russian airfields last weekend.
Let's get more from our Fred Pleitgen whose report we heard from. He's CNN International -- Senior International Correspondent. And Fred, we had some
tech problems. We couldn't see you or hear you earlier, but I'm glad you're back. We heard your report, so just put into context really what we have
seen, because you know, these strikes that we have seen overnight have really left President Zelenskyy fuming.
He posted on X -- I'm going to read what he said in part, and it was a very long tweet. He said, "Now is exactly the moment when the moment when
America Europe and everyone around the world can stop this war together by pressuring Russia. If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the
war more time to take lives, that is complicity and accountability. We must act decisively."
And you can see there that -- you really sense the frustration. Just speak to that. Because it comes on the heels of course of that meeting with Merz
yesterday at the White House.
[14:45:33]
PLEITGEN: Yes, it certainly does, where of course, Friedrich Merz really tried to speak with President Trump and convince President Trump to take on
a harder line towards the Russians and towards Vladimir Putin. It was a really interesting exchange because as we were actually talking yesterday
during that press meeting or at least a part of it, the press was privy to.
It was Friedrich Merz who kept saying that look, the Americans right now are in a position where they can do more to stop this conflict. They're in
a strong position. That he was calling for more pressure to be put on the Russian Federation in order to come to the negotiating table and for a
possible ceasefire as fast as possible.
But it's unclear whether or not President Trump is going to play along with that. Of course, President Trump has said that he feels that if he puts
more pressure on Vladimir Putin, if he puts more pressure on the Russians, if he for instance puts into action those sanctions that have been
threatened for a very long time, that he believes that the Russians could then walk away and the entire process could fall apart.
Now, of course, we heard Volodymyr Zelenskyy today calling for more pressure because the Ukrainians don't believe that that process that is
currently going on in Istanbul is real. And at the same time, they do see what's going on on the battlefield. And you know, one of the things that
we've been seeing over the past couple of weeks really is the Russians really accelerating the use of drones on the battlefield. And last night
almost all of Ukraine was under alert for drones pretty much the entire night.
And if we look at the numbers, 400 drones launched into Ukrainian territory coming from Russia, and also 40 missiles, some of them ballistic, some of
them cruise missiles. That is a very, very large number. So, right now, really seems as that although that aerial campaign is being ramped up by
the Russians, they say that it's for retaliation. But you can really feel - - I mean, you're right, the frustration on the part of the Ukrainian President.
SOARES: Yes, absolutely terrifying. Fred, I appreciate you coming back on. Fred Pleitgen their live from Berlin.
A massive bloom of toxic seaweed is drifting toward Florida and the Caribbean. This year sargassum -- I'm going to see if I can say it --
sargassum surge has already hit a record. Over 31 million tons and it's still growing. The seaweed stretches more than 5,500 miles right across the
Atlantic. When it washes ashore, it rots, releasing a harmful stench. And that damages ecosystems and drives away tourists.
Experts say the bloom is fueled by fertilizer runoff from the U.S. as well as South America. But some researchers are racing to find solutions
including turning the seaweed into biofuel or building materials.
Our Derek Van Dam has the story for you.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Have you seen this, floating brown islands of algae washing ashore across parts of the Caribbean and now into
parts of Florida, as well? This is known as sargassum. It is a harmful algae bloom especially in this quantity breaking some of its record sizes,
stretching over 5,000 miles across the Atlantic basin.
Now, there's two sides of the coin here. The pros are actually some scientists discovered that this algae can actually be converted to a
biomass fuel, so that's a positive. But the negative of course is when too much of it washes ashore and litters the beaches, it smells.
And when you start timing these islands of brown algae washing ashore, with the peak of the tourist season that spells problem for tourism dollars.
Look at this. This is a scene coming out of Key Biscayne, Florida. Really not much you can do but rake up this pile of algae bloom. And that starts
to sizzle and rot underneath the summer sun and unfortunately, it creates a terrible, terrible smell. It can also be quite harmful for some of the
ecosystems here, but not to mention the economy. I mean, look at the sargassum impacting uh the marinas here in Miami.
Now, this is showing you where this current blob which stretches over 5,000 miles resides, basically across the Eastern Atlantic all the way to the
Caribbean, and now starting to enter into the extreme southern portions of the Florida Peninsula. In fact, all basins of the Atlantic are currently
above average compared to previous years with this record-setting algae bloom.
And what's causing it? Well, it's certainly the record-high temperatures. It is extremely warm across the Gulf, even further south through the
Caribbean and the main development region of the Atlantic. But they've also noticed that there's an increase in nitrogen from agricultural fertilizers
from the heartland of the United States, as well as the Amazon basin. A lot of that runoff gets into the waters here. And so, that nitrogen helps fuel
and spurs this sargassum surplus which is now littering the shorelines of Puerto Rico, for instance.
This is a picture taken on May 19th of this year. Not much you could really do to prevent it from approaching the coastline other than set up these
buoys and fences to try and prevent it from moving too close to the shoreline. But certainly, not something you like to see as a tourist or a
visitor to these locations. Back to you.
[14:50:33]
SOARES: Thank you very much indeed.
Now, NASA scientists have been left in a state of anxiety as Trump's budget aims to dismantle top climate lab. Many are working remotely, unsure about
their futures in the country's role as leaders in global climate sciences.
In my latest book club, I tackle the impact of environment climate policy on the Amazon rainforest with Jonathan Watts. He is a contributor for the
book How to Save the Amazon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN WATTS, CONTRIBUTOR, HOW TO SAVE THE AMAZON: During the era of Jair Bolsonaro, it jumped up. The clearance was horrifying. The fires
horrifying. And this is a problem for Brazil because not -- we get -- I live in the Amazon rainforest. And during the fire season, the sky turns
gray. It's like the worst of Beijing or something like that. So, it's bad - - it's bad locally. It's really bad for irrigation because the forest generates a lot of rain that is carried across the whole of South America.
But finally, it's a huge loss for the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: That's a little clip there from my interview with Jon Watts who is a Guardian and reporter talking about the Amazon rainforest that was
written -- started off being written by Dom Phillips, and Bruno Pereira is part as well of this. And if you remember, Dom was killed in the Amazon
three years ago in June. And we'll bring you that story of course and his writings in the next book club.
And still to come tonight, David Beckham is known for his football skills, but there's one prestigious title he was missing until now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Five months ago, the Eaton Fire ravaged the city of Altadena, California just east of Los Angeles. Thousands of homes and businesses were
lost in the January fires, if you remember. And while so many people are only in the beginning steps really of rebuilding, there are some positive
signs. Carmela Ice Cream Company technically survived the fires but the smoke and subsequent power outages ruined the store and destroyed the
entire ice cream supply.
Now, thanks to a GoFundMe campaign and some high-profile donations from people like Sara Blakeley, Carmela has reopens today as you can see.
GoFundMe is even sponsoring free scoops throughout the day. Great to have them back.
[14:55:40]
Here in the U.K., football superstar David Beckham is making news again. U.K. Media reporting he is going to be knighted by King Charles next week
and become Sir Beckham. It has a nice ring to it. While his wife Victoria will be known as Lady Beckham. Before retiring from the game in 2013,
Beckham had played for England 115 times and served as captain dozens of times. Beckham had been in line for knighthood for more than a decade, not
only for his amazing football careers, but also for his charity work. About time indeed.
And that does it for this hour. I will be back though with "WHAT WE KNOW" after the short break. I'll see you in a moment.
END
