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Isa Soares Tonight
U.N.-Backed Group Says "Worst-Case Scenario Of Famine" Is Unfolding In Gaza; U.K. to Recognize Palestinian State Unless Israel Meets Demands; Russia Strikes A Ukrainian Prison After A 10-Day Ultimatum For A Ceasefire By President Trump; "Worst-Case Scenario Of Famine" Unfolding in Gaza; Israel Continue Pauses To Allow Aid Deliveries; NYC Gunman Had Grievances With NFL; U.S. To Sit Out Of COP30 Summit In Brazil. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired July 29, 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 worst-case scenario of famine is
unfolding in Gaza. Those are the stark words of a U.N.-backed group. We hear from a British surgeon who just returned from Nasser Hospital.
And a symbolic move. The United Kingdom says it will recognize a Palestinian state within weeks, unless Israel meets certain conditions. We
go live to -- you -- for -- Tel Aviv. Plus, Russia strikes a Ukrainian prison just hours after U.S. President Trump dialed up the pressure on the
Kremlin. I discussed with a Russian opposition politician.
But first tonight, the U.N. says this is not a warning, but reality happening right before our eyes. A worst case scenario of famine is
unfolding in Gaza. And that is according to a U.N.-backed food security initiative. The news comes as another devastating threshold has just been
crossed in the war.
Gaza's Health Ministry says the death toll has risen above 60,000 people, almost a third of them are children. We're going to break it down for you,
boys and girls whose young lives should never be reduced to numbers, more than 18,500. All these boys and girls, they had names and faces and
families critically who love them.
Nearly 10,000 women have been killed as well. U.N. agencies warned the death toll could soar even higher if Gaza doesn't flood, really isn't
flooded with aid right now. And they say the man-made starvation has reached famine thresholds, all whilst not an official declaration of
famine, and that designation, in fact, means little to Palestinians desperately trying to stay alive for months ever since Israel blocked aid
to Gaza back in March.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We've been dead for five months alive, but dead. No one cares about us. After we died, there's an
announcement about us, where have you been all the past period? Not caring about us. Where are the human rights? Where is the European Union? Where
are the people with consciousness when people are already dead? That's when you start saying people are dying?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: All important questions he's posing. Well, Israel is facing more and more pressure over Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe. In just the last
few hours, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a major announcement. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: So, today, as part of this process towards peace, I can confirm the U.K. will recognize the state of
Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation
in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more from our Jeremy Diamond, all these thresholds, all these lines, he's got developments for us tonight from Tel Aviv. Jeremy,
let me start with the breaking news that we have been covering here for the last couple of hours, and that big shift, I think it's fair to say for --
in British foreign policy from Keir Starmer saying that it will recognize the state of Israel unless, as you heard there from Keir Starmer, certain
conditions are met.
Clearly, pressures we're seeing mounting on Prime Minister Netanyahu, how likely is it that they will accept these conditions? What has been the
reaction, first of all, to this decision from Keir Starmer?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's no question that Israeli officials are furious at this declaration in the same way that
they were furious when the French President Emmanuel Macron made the same one or a similar one, at least, in terms of recognizing a Palestinian
state.
What is most interesting about this declaration by Keir Starmer is that -- is the fact that it is tied to certain conditions, meaning that Israel can
avoid this British recognition of a Palestinian state if it takes these steps, which, as you just heard from him, include agreeing to a ceasefire
in Gaza, alleviating the conditions in the Gaza Strip, and also, and critically, perhaps most critically, perhaps, committing to a long-term
peace prospects of a two-state solution.
[14:05:00]
And that last one is going to perhaps be the most difficult for this right- wing Israeli government, which has taken the prospects of a two-state solution and really moved them actively further and further away. I mean,
you have Ministers like Bezalel Smotrich who actively make clear that the steps that they are taking in the West Bank, for example, are aimed at
annexing that territory and preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.
These are things that this Israeli government has now started to say out loud, rather than just being the quiet implications of the policies that
they are taking on the ground. But I also want to point you to the reaction from the Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. This was actually before this
British announcement, but it speaks to the growing pressure that Israel is feeling.
And he said that this pressure that is being brought to bear by other countries on Israel is going to put the prospects of a ceasefire in Gaza
further away because it is increasing the pressure on Israel, he said, rather than increasing the pressure on Hamas. His argument is basically
that this pressure is going to embolden Hamas to harden its positions at the negotiating table.
But of course, that international pressure is a direct result of the conditions on the ground in Gaza, which are a direct result of Israeli
policies. Isa?
SOARES: Yes, you mentioned West Bank, and I just for a moment, I think it is important that we turn our attention to the developments that we have
seen, and I wonder whether you can bring us up to date, Jeremy, with the killing of Odeh Hathalin, who is a prominent Palestinian activist --
apologies if I pronounced his name incorrectly. What more do we know about this killing? I think he was killed by a Jewish settler. What are you
hearing?
DIAMOND: Yes, Odeh Hathalin was a prominent Palestinian activist who was also a producer on that Oscar-winning documentary, "No Other Land". He died
on Monday after he was shot and killed. The Israeli police have now detained one Israeli civilian, and this civilian is not some unknown
figure. His name is Yinon Levi; he is a prominent Israeli settler, so prominent that he was sanctioned by the European Union as well as by the
United States under President Biden's administration.
But those sanctions, those U.S. sanctions were removed by President Trump earlier this year. Yinon Levi was actually filmed at the scene of this
attack on a Palestinian village with a pistol in hand, waving it in the air and firing in the direction it would seem, of some of these activists who
were on the ground. You don't actually see him fire the ultimately fatal shot at Odeh Hathalin, but it happened right in the same area.
So, Yinon Levi has actually been arrested by the Israeli police. He was questioned and then subsequently released on house arrest. The question is
whether he will ultimately be convicted of any crime here as we have seen settler violence rise in the West Bank, we have also seen the impunity with
which many Israeli settlers are able to act in that same area. Isa --
SOARES: Yes, and we -- and of course, we saw the report that you and your team filmed in the West Bank, and really the challenges of just reporting.
Thank you very much indeed, Jeremy Diamond for us there in Tel Aviv. I want to get some perspective now from Dr. Mustafa Barghouti in Ramallah, he's
the President of the Palestinian National Initiative and a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Dr. Barghouti, really appreciate you coming on the show. Let me start really with the breaking news that we have been covering here for the past
what? Two hours or so, and this kind of significant and historic shift from Prime Minister Starmer. But significant, but it's conditional, I think -- I
think it is the right way to put it. What do you -- what are your initial thoughts on this in terms of foreign policy shift?
MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI, PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN NATIONAL INITIATIVE & MEMBER, PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL: Well, this shift shows three things at
least. First of all, that the public pressure in Britain is working, and this British government is under unprecedented pressure from the
grassroots, from even its voters, to change its position and to take a much stronger position against what Israel is doing.
The second thing is that we see Israel drowning in isolation worldwide because of its policies, because of the genocide it is committing in Gaza,
because of the slaughter of Palestinians. I mean, Starmer used the word slaughter. He used the word starvation, and he spoke about ceasefire and
about preventing annexation.
Israel is drowning in isolation, and that's because of its policy. I never thought that the head of Israeli opposition will even use the word that
Netanyahu has brought fascists and fascism to his government. So, that is an important indicator.
[14:10:00]
On the other hand, it's a shift, but still a weak shift. I mean, I don't know why Mr. Starmer state conditions as recognition --
SOARES: Yes --
BARGHOUTI: Of Palestinian state, with the behavior of the Israeli government. That makes the statement very weak. And in my opinion, if
Britain wants two-state solution, why do they recognize one and not the other? And they condition their recognition with the behavior of the
Israeli side? The other last point here is that I think a recognition by itself is not enough even.
What is needed now are acts of punishment, acts of -- punitive acts against Israeli policy, because without sanctions, Israel will not stop, and
without sanctions this genocide will continue.
SOARES: And I'm guessing you're talking about sanctions not on key individuals, but I'm guessing sanctions on Prime Minister Netanyahu. Is
that what you -- is that what you're referring to here?
BARGHOUTI: Of course, on the Israeli government.
SOARES: Yes.
BARGHOUTI: The Israeli government, which has a Prime Minister that calls for ethnic cleansing clearly and openly, and a government that has
ministers calling for annexation not only of the West Bank, but also of Gaza Strip.
SOARES: Yes, look, we have also seen, you know, the Prime Minister -- Foreign Secretary, I should say, U.K. Foreign Secretary saying today, Dr.
Barghouti, that the recognition won't say -- change the situation on the ground. They need action, of course. And you probably heard President
Trump, Dr. Barghouti, just over the weekend, basically dismissing Mr. Macron following their decision to recognize in September, Palestinian
statehood.
And he said, what he does -- talking about Macron, doesn't matter, it's not going to change anything. What does this do? How does this change? How does
this exert pressure, if anything, on Netanyahu?
BARGHOUTI: It's a step forward because it is coming from countries that have been historical allies of Israel, and some of them have
unconditionally supported Israel for a very long time, and they still provide Israel with weapons that they are using against Palestinians. So,
when these changes happen, they mean a lot.
But of course, they are not enough. And I think the European Union cannot continue to run away from its responsibility of having to initiate
sanctions on Israel, especially after the report, the EU report that showed that Israel has violated the association agreement with the European Union,
including attacking and violating human rights.
But also the new British step following the French one, also puts a country like Germany in front of a huge challenge. Will they continue to ignore
their responsibility here? And it definitely reminds everybody with the fact that the -- what is slaughtered in Gaza is not just the Palestinian
children and the Palestinian people.
What is slaughtered in Gaza is international law and international humanitarian law. So, in my opinion, these countries, when they take such
steps, they're doing the less -- the least they can do to protect what they call international law and their own reputation.
SOARES: Let -- you're in the West Bank, and you probably heard our correspondent referring there to this prominent Palestinian activist who
was shot by a Jewish settler in the West Bank, a settler, according to our correspondent, who was very well known. Can you speak, Dr. Barghouti, to
what you have been seeing in the last few weeks in the West Bank?
Because we have seen increased settler violence. We have reported on this on the show. We have seen significant number of settlements, I think it was
22 the last time we reported on this being approved. Bring us up to date with what you are seeing day in, day out in the West Bank?
BARGHOUTI: Well, I want to say how sorry I am that Odeh Hathalin was killed by this terrorist settler, Levy. I want the public to know that
Hathalin was a peace activist, and he used non-violent forms of struggle to protect his country, his family, his land. He used art, producing a film to
show the suffering of the Palestinian people and their need for freedom.
And yet, he has been killed by the settler. Hathalin is now the sixth Palestinian in one month that is killed by Israeli terrorists, including an
American citizen in Sinjil, a Palestinian-American citizen. So, what we've seen is unprecedented wide attacks by settler groups that act as terrorist
groups and attack Palestinian houses, attack Palestinian cars, burn them.
[14:15:00]
They have already forced 40 communities to evict their land by force, by shooting people, by burning their houses. And they -- that is also
accompanied by unprecedented level of settlement, expansion and land confiscation of Palestinian land everywhere. And in addition to that, we
live under siege.
The West Bank is cut by at least 1,000 checkpoints and gates sometimes that are blocking the movement and transforming communities into little prisons
that are attacked frequently by the Israeli settlers who are weaponized and protected by the Israeli army itself. So, the situation is horrible, and
there is an economic crisis, educational system is not functioning --
SOARES: Yes --
BARGHOUTI: Healthcare is not being provided as it should be. So, this is an act of a government that is trying to make our life so terrible, because
their goal is ethnic cleansing.
SOARES: Dr. Barghouti, I appreciate you taking the time to speak to us, as always. Thank you doctor, good to see you.
BARGHOUTI: Thank you.
SOARES: Now, just hours after the U.S. President Donald Trump significantly dialed up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to
end the fighting in Ukraine, Russia launched another deadly strike. Ukrainian officials say 17 inmates were killed and dozens more injured in a
strike on a prison in the southeastern part of the country.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Chief of staff is calling the attack another war crime. On Monday, President Trump reduces original 50-day
deadline for Russia to talk peace to about ten days -- 10 to 12 days, Mr. Trump is threatening Moscow with steep tariffs, along with secondary
sanctions for countries that buy Russian oil.
China and India are chief among them. The President, of course, has set deadlines in the past without following through. We've seen that before.
Please, joined now by Russian opposition politician Vladimir Milov, he's the former deputy Minister Energy of Russia. Vladimir, great to have you
back on the show.
I'm just seeing that President Trump, who just on board Air Force One making his way back to the United States from Scotland, has said that the
deadline for the Russian President, for President Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine is ten days from today. So, you know, first, it was 50
days to sign up to a ceasefire, now it's ten days from today.
The Kremlin, meantime, has said Vladimir, they've taken note of his statement. Do you think that anything will be achieved in these ten days?
VLADIMIR MILOV, ECONOMIST & FORMER RUSSIAN DEPUTY MINISTER OF ENERGY: Great to be on your show again. But just as you said, President Trump has
issued deadlines before. I think it was also two weeks deadline in Spring or something like that. What is remarkable here, though, is that he's been
in office for his second term for over half a year now, and there was zero action on Russia.
So, what you could have had is like issuing some preemptive sanctions, demonstrating the seriousness of your approach. Why wait on the background
of his tough words, I just talked to one European Union official who said, I have no counterpart anymore at the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control
of the United States Government Agency, which is responsible for monitoring sanctions, compliance and for enforcement.
People have been fired because of the massive clean-up in the U.S. bureaucracy, and I have nobody to talk to in the United States. This is
what I hear from European officials responsible for sanctions. Moscow clearly knows all that. So, they always measure words against some real
action on the ground. And I think it's evident that the gap between Trump's words and real life actions is growing.
SOARES: I wonder then, how this President Putin move here in the next ten days, because we've seen, as we've just reported, Vladimir, heavy strikes
overnight, hitting both a prison and a hospital. It doesn't seem from the actions on the ground that President Putin is slowing down whatsoever. So,
is there any diplomatic moves you think that Putin can play out here?
MILOV: My reading of Putin's strategy is that he's got very severe limitations and a lot of resources --
SOARES: Yes --
MILOV: Manpower, money and military production and so on. So, I think it's clearly visible that his approach in the past few weeks and months,
particularly before Summer is over. The weather is still good to continue the offensive in Ukraine on the ground. His approach is probably to use
this still available resource to the maximum to get maximum gains.
As far as these threats on sanctions are concerned, I think Putin, he's clearly overestimating himself, but he thinks of himself as the master of
handling the challenges posed by sanctions, as the master of circumvention and so on.
[14:20:00]
So, he's not very much concerned about the new sanctions that may come. I mean, theoretically, let's give it a shot. But he's more concerned about
what he can achieve, like before he's finally forced into some sort of real serious negotiations. He wants to achieve maximum possible with the
resources that he's still got. So, he basically -- I believe he thinks about what Trump is saying right now as some sort of a white noise.
SOARES: Right, so, when you're saying he's overestimating himself, do you speak then, Vladimir, to the impact, potential impact when they come, if
they come of these secondary sanctions because as many of viewers will know, Russia is already heavily-sanctioned. How deeply would that be felt
do you think?
MILOV: Nobody knows as a matter of fact, what these secondary sanctions would be. It's too complicated. It involves third countries, which are very
important, very heavy U.S. trade partners with whom United States has very serious and complicated negotiations on trade deals right now, both with
China and India.
So, that really significantly complicates all the equation. The simpler way for Trump will be to return to Biden's policies of issuing new batches of
sanctions, like every 2 or 3 weeks, returning to coordination with Europeans, restoring staff at Office of Foreign Assets Control. But Trump
is not thinking about that. He's preoccupied with this idea of secondary sanctions, which nobody has an idea never worked, might be too complicated
because it involves India and China. This is, I think, one of the reasons why Putin does not take this threat really seriously.
SOARES: You don't sound very convinced by this strategy at all by the U.S. strategy here.
MILOV: No, the strategy which involved U.S. coordination with Europe and other western democracies, Canada, Japan, Australia, imposing and
maintaining coordinated sanctions regime together that have yielded a result in three years --
SOARES: Right --
MILOV: Russian exports are shrinking to historic lows, total consolidated profits of Russian businesses shrank to historic lows. Budget income shrank
to historic lows. So, this is finally, after all these years, sanctions are really producing serious impact. So, Trump better return to this
coordinating practice, not, you know, waving some non-existent threats which might be too complicated to implement in real life.
SOARES: Well, let's see what happens, Vladimir, in ten days time, I'm sure you and I will be talking again. Vladimir Milov, appreciate it. Good to see
you, Vladimir.
MILOV: Thank you.
SOARES: And -- thank you. And still to come tonight, in the midst of the legal battle, Harvard, the Trump administration is now targeting a new
elite school, and then later this hour, the desperate search for flour in Gaza, I speak with a doctor who says nothing has quite prepared him for
what he's been witnessing. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Caught in the crosshairs. The Trump administration has a new target in its battle with elite higher education. Duke University and the
"Duke Law Journal" are now at the center of an investigation over race- related discrimination allegations. And this announcement from the Education Department just -- comes just days after Columbia University
reached a $200 million settlement to restore its federal funding.
Meanwhile, Harvard University is staying in the fight to maintain academic freedom. The elite school is locked in a separate legal battle with the
Trump administration over $2 billion freeze in federal funding. CNN's Betsy Klein is tracking the story for us live from Washington. Betsy, good to see
you. Let me start then with Duke University and "Duke Law Journal". Talk us -- talk us through what this discrimination allegations are, well, the
battle we're seeing play out right now.
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, it's really interesting because the Trump administration is actually launching a two-
pronged fight with Duke University. The first, as you mentioned, is with Duke and the "Duke Law Journal", and they are alleging that Duke has
violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin when they went to select members of the Law
Review.
And then separately, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have sent a letter to Duke
University and the Duke Health System, the hospital and other healthcare systems that are very important in North Carolina, that express concerns
about, quote, "the use of race preferences in Duke's hiring, admissions and scholarship decisions."
They allege that there is serious allegations of systemic racial discrimination at Duke School of Medicine and Duke Health. They want Duke
to form a, quote, "merit and civil rights committee that will work with the federal government to implement change here." Now, all of this comes after
Columbia University reached that $200 million settlement with the Trump administration.
And we do expect that to serve as a blueprint for some of these other schools they have targeted, including Cornell and Brown, which sources tell
me are really on the cusp of a potential agreement there. It also comes as they're in the middle of legal battles with Harvard University on two
different lawsuits about freezing funding and as well as students studying abroad and visa programs there.
But I've been covering the higher education funding fight for several months now, and Duke really hadn't been on any of the target lists from the
Trump administration until now. This is notable because Duke is in North Carolina. It is a school that is in a state, notably, that Trump won back
in 2024. This marks the first state they've targeted in a red state.
But the investigation could ultimately result in the loss of federal funding for Duke, and so many universities are facing so much tight
financial pressure, including Harvard, which, as I mentioned, is in the middle of a pair of lawsuits here. We've learned, according to the "New
York Times", what could be a very significant development is that Harvard is open to the possibility of a $500 million settlement with the Trump
administration.
One source told me that, that really represents more of an opening bid rather than a final number. No deal has been reached at this time. They
continue to negotiate, but the Trump administration had expressed some optimism about the possibility of a deal. And what's interesting in this
"New York Times" reporting is that they are saying that President Trump is much more interested in a financial win.
Being able to say that he got a deal with a significant amount of money attached, compared to this idea of ideological change on campus. So, this
is all something we'll be watching quite closely. Isa.
SOARES: I know you will, Betsy, appreciate it. Thank you very much. And still to come tonight, desperation in Gaza as U.N.-backed agency warns Gaza
slipping into famine and calls for urgent action. I'll speak to a surgeon about what he has been witnessing there. Plus, investigators searched for a
motive after a shooting in midtown Manhattan leaves four dead. We have the very latest for you. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:02:35]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. More now on our top story, Gaza reaches a grim milestone amid a spiraling hunger crisis. Its health ministry says
more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed there since Israel's war on Hamas began nearly two years ago. This as a global monitor says a worst-
case scenario of famine is unfolding in the enclave.
The U.N.-backed IPC says mounting evidence shows widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger related deaths. And
the numbers truly startling. The IPC saying more than 20,000 children in Gaza were admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition between April and
mid-July. And the warning comes as more food begins to arrive in Gaza after a global outcry. Many people telling us that food clearly is not enough.
And the (INAUDIBLE) in which is being distributed more importantly.
Let's bring in Dr. Nick Maynard. He's been to Gaza three times within the past two years as a volunteer surgeon with the medical aid for
Palestinians, and has written about his experiences. He's also spoken to us on various occasions, myself and other colleagues here on CNN. He joins me
now from Oxford, England.
Dr. Maynard, welcome back to the show. I'm sure you heard me there talking about this mounting evidence that we are hearing of starvation, the U.N.-
backed food security agency warning of the worst-case scenario of famine unfolding in Gaza. You recently returned from Gaza. I think you were at
Nasser Hospital last time you and I spoke. Does these startling alerts surprise you at all given what you saw on the ground, Doctor?
DR. NICK MAYNARD, VOLUNTEER SURGEON, MEDICAL AID FOR PALESTINIAN EMERGENCY MEDICAL TEAM AND CANCER SURGEON: No. Thank you for asking me back on
again. I'm afraid it doesn't surprise me at all. We've been seeing terrible malnutrition for over a year now in Gaza. I called it out when I was there
last year and was interviewed about it. It's, of course, much worse now, but it's been happening for well over a year and it was entirely
predictable that it was going to get as bad as we are seeing now with the lack of any aid and food going in. So, sadly, I'm not surprised at all, but
it is quite appalling out there.
[14:35:00]
SOARES: It is indeed. And according to the IPC report, the rates of malnutrition, Doctor, in Gaza City grew from 4.4 percent in May to 16.5
percent in July, two-fifths of pregnant and breastfeeding women were acutely malnourished according to them in June. Can you just explain to our
viewers around the world, what does the starvation and the malnutrition the Palestinians are experiencing enduring right now, what does that do to the
human body? Can you speak to that?
DR. MAYNARD: Yes. I mean, I think we're seeing it in newborn babies, premature babies who are dying of malnutrition. Their mothers can't even
breastfeed because they're so malnourished. But they lose weight clearly, but they start losing protein predominantly once they have lost a -- once
they've lost the body fat, they start losing protein. They get much weaker. Their immune system is suppressed. They become much more susceptible to a
whole variety of infectious diseases. If they have any existing diseases already, they become much worse.
As the protein loss gets worse, their heart start failing. The biochemistry of their blood, the chemicals and the blood become awry so they can develop
severe arrhythmias of the heart. But the most dramatic effect, which I saw was the effect of the malnutrition on their immune system and essentially,
on their ability of their tissues to heal, for them to recover from major explosive injuries or major gunshot injuries and of course, the surgery
that we carry out to repair these injuries.
So, their tissues don't heal. All the internal repairs we carry out they are a much higher risk of leaking, falling to pieces, causing more and more
infection. So, these bad injuries, but injuries that we would expect most people to survive, they have a much higher risk of dying from as a direct
result of their malnutrition.
SOARES: And I wonder if you can expand on that, and in terms of what you have seen and the cases and the names, just put names to some of the cases
that you have seen when it comes to malnutrition, Doctor.
DR. MAYNARD: Yes, let me tell you about Habiba (ph). I got a deeply upsetting call two days ago that she had died. She's an 11-year-old girl
who I operated on three weeks ago. She had a major explosive injury due from a bomb that she was a victim of. It caused severe chest injuries. It
caused severe damage to her lower esophagus in her chest. That's -- esophageal surgery is my main specialties. I spent all night one night
reconstructing her esophagus, putting feeding tubes in so she could be fed. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to eat or drink for many weeks. So, I put
a feeding tube in.
We struggled to find any liquid feed to put into that tube. And when we did get some and we fed her, she'd been so long without nutrition that she
developed something called refeeding syndrome when the blood chemicals become -- develop very abnormal levels. They get heart arrhythmias. So, she
needed intravenous feeding, but we had no intravenous feeding to give her at all.
And even though she was fighting to recover, she died three days ago. And after I'd left Gaza and my colleagues phoned and told me and that's a very
typical example of people who would otherwise survive their injuries, dying with malnutrition playing a major role.
There was another patient of mine called Mahmoud Abumustafa (ph), who had - - was a man of -- in his 30s who had a severe explosive injury to his liver, which I repaired. He had complications because of his profound
malnutrition. He leaked bile from his liver and he eventually died of malnutrition. I could go on for hours talking about the patients who died
as a result of malnutrition.
SOARES: Given then, Doctor, what you have said, and we've seen these aid drops, you know, in the last, what, couple of days, I imagine you're going
to tell me these aid drops do very little then to treat anything like this, any malnutrition. Wouldn't these patients need to be hospitalized? How
would your treatment -- surely not with these aid drops, that wouldn't suffice, I assume?
DR. MAYNARD: Yes, it's a really good point. That's a very good point you raised. I mean, we welcome any nutrition going in, but let's be honest, the
airdrops are -- will not in any way make up for the food deficit in Gaza. It'll be a -- excuse the pun, but a drop in the ocean that aid drop.
[14:40:00]
But of course, as you point out, these very sick children and adults who are profoundly malnourished, they need much more than food. Indeed, food is
often dangerous for them. They need acute medical care for their malnutrition, with vitamins and electrolytes to restore the balance of
these chemicals in their bodies. And there are not enough beds for many of them to be in hospital.
So, yes, we need food, but we need adequate resources to provide acute medical care for these individuals, and that is grossly lacking.
SOARES: Dr. Maynard, once again, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us. Thank you, Doctor.
DR. MAYNARD: Thank you very much.
SOARES: Now, CNN will speak later in the next hour, in fact, to Gideon Levy, he's a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, about the war in
Gaza, and the Israeli public opinion on the crisis there. That is coming up in the next hour right here on CNN.
Now, new details are emerging at the deadly shooting in New York City. On Monday evening, a man with an assault style rifle kills four people inside
a Park Avenue office tower before turning the gun on himself. Now, the authorities say the shooter may have been targeting the National Football
League. It's a corporate headquarters are in the building. The 27-year-old gunman drove from his home in Las Vegas to carry out the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC ADAMS, MAYOR, NEW YORK CITY: We are sending two teams to Las Vegas. One, to execute a search warrant and the other to look at the two firearms
and guns that were recovered. The motive appeared to be connected to the shooter's belief that he was suffering from CTE.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: All sources tell CNN the gunman, Shane Devon Tamura, had a note in his pocket saying that he suffered from CTE, that is a brain condition
linked to head trauma in American football. The shooter had played the sport in his youth. Authorities are continuing their investigation in
Midtown Manhattan. It's the deadliest gun attack in New York City in 25 years.
Brynn Gingras is monitoring the latest developments for us. So, Brynn, just bring us up to date with the very latest on where we are on this
investigation right now.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Isa. You know, we just actually heard from the NYPD police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, she
addressed her force, as you know, one of those members killed in this brazen attack that happened at these office buildings just behind me. And
in it, she gave a little bit more detail of what they're learning at this point in the investigation.
You heard from Mayor Adams right there, the mayor of New York City, talking about how they have investigators going to Las Vegas to do some search
warrants and also sort of trace the path that Tamura took from Las Vegas here to New York City before carrying out that attack. She also talks about
that suicide note that was found in his back pocket. She made a quote from it, according to her, it did say, study my brain. I'm sorry.
Again, this is something that investigators have been pointing to as a possible, maybe even likely motive of why Tamura carried out this attack,
why he was addressing this building, as you mentioned, because it does house the NFL headquarters. That suicide note, we're learning from sources,
also had the name of a number of neuroscientists on it.
So, right now, it's really putting together the pieces of this puzzle, trying to really understand how this all came about. Again, one of the
things that we're learning is that investigators are looking into the purchases of the weapons that he had. Tisch mentioning in that address to
her force that he did legally purchase a weapon on the revolver that was found in this vehicle, according to sources on June 12th. Also learning
that an associate, according to Tisch, helped purchase part of the AR-15 that was used in this attack.
Now, that purchase, we're told, was by an associate that they have located, who they are talking to, and that it was Tamura himself that assembled the
AR-15 allegedly before carrying out this attack. So, again, a lot of new information coming out as they tried to piece together the steps coming
from Las Vegas here to New York before he carried out that attack that killed four people and before turning the gun on himself. Isa.
SOARES: Brynn Gingras there with the very latest. Thank you very much indeed, Brynn. And still to come tonight, the most important climate
conference this decade, and the U.S. has no one left to send. We'll explain why, next.
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[14:45:00]
SOARES: Well, it's the most important climate summit in a decade, but the United States won't be there because it has no one left to send. COP30 is
where the global climate agenda will be set for the next decade at a time when the planet is warming at catastrophic levels. Dozens of nations will
spend -- send specialists and climate negotiators, but the U.S. won't be among them, because the Trump administration, as you know, has been fired -
- has now fired its last remaining negotiators.
Our Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir joins me now. So, Bill, as they - - have they fired everyone there? Is this an excuse for not going? What more can you tell us?
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, the State Department refused to answer when we asked will they send anybody after
closing the Office of Global Change. They did not answer that question there. But we are also hearing that some members of Congress who do want to
go, maybe Democrats from blue states, big cities say, we're still in the fight, they're going to have a hard time even getting credentials because
there's no U.S. delegation there.
And this, of course, opens up a huge vacuum with China getting the most advantage, most experts tell us. Of course, you can -- maybe some European
countries, if there's a populous swing and they want to back away from their commitments, the U.S. opting out gives license to do that. It also
gives really reasonable doubt to developing countries who are losing faith in the entire process if the biggest historical emitter just walks away
without even helping clean up after the party.
But China now is just dominating the post-carbon economy and is going to set the rules on everything from how batteries are built in supply chains,
where it would've been really valuable for the Americans to have a seat at that table.
SOARES: Yes. And given, of course, the relationship between the United States and China, I mean, the fact that if the U.S. does not send, that
really does give them some sort of -- a bigger seat at the negotiating table, especially when relations are growing between China and Brazil.
WEIR: Exactly. And you know, during the Biden administration, the U.S.- China -- that was one of the bright spots over climate. They actually pushed each other to be more ambitious on the heaviest dirtiest industries.
And as a result, the whole world is better off as the two big -- biggest economies came down together. But now, there's no one there to do that.
So, historically, China over delivers. They under promise, over deliver, but they're still burning a whole lot of coal and the U.S. isn't there to
call them on it.
SOARES: Bill Weir, appreciate it. I'm sure you'll be going there, Bill. Thank you very much indeed.
WEIR: You're welcome.
SOARES: Thank you. And we'll have much more news after this.
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[14:50:00]
SOARES: Welcome back. The morning cup of coffee is a necessity for many of us, but the daily ritual may soon go up in price for U.S. coffee drinkers,
and it all comes down to potential tariffs between Brazil and the Trump administration, as I found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: There's nothing quite like going into your favorite coffee shop, the sounds, the smells, and then, of course, the payoff, starting your
morning with one of this. Coffee is what fuels many of us. That is certainly the case with me, journalists, a mom to two young boys. We love
it because it's warm, it's aromatic, and let's not forget the caffeine kick, the most important.
And in many places around the world, it is relatively affordable. But if you're in the United States, that may be about to change.
SOARES (voice-over): That's because President Donald Trump is threatening to impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Brazil is an example, has been not good to us. Not good at all.
SOARES (voice-over): And that includes coffee. The issue is Brazil is a coffee superpower. It's the world's largest producer. And its beans account
for around a third of the coffee consumed in the United States.
JON KINNARD, LOS ANGELES COFFEE SHOP OWNER: It's the foundation for most blends because of its affordability, because of its accessibility and its
consistency is pretty much found in almost every blend you can find out there on the market.
SOARES (voice-over): But in a coffee trade war, the U.S. does have some leverage. If Brazil is the largest exporter, the U.S. is the largest
importer. So, there's some sort of symbiotic relationship between the two. One that growers in Brazil want to see thriving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We're waiting political negotiations and agreements because we don't want to stop selling to the
United States. Coffee is a global commodity.
SOARES (voice-over): Small scale producers are especially vulnerable and they know what will happen if the U.S. goes looking for coffee elsewhere.
THIAGO GARCIA, COFFEE PRODUCER (through translator): There will be a surplus of coffee and the tendency is for it to lower prices here in Brazil
until they find another way to export to other countries.
SOARES (voice-over): But in the U.S., retailers say consumers will suffer as well.
KINNARD: The price point of Brazilian coffee is so crucial in the industry. So, unfortunately, it's just going to be passed on to the
consumer.
SOARES (voice-over): Brazil says it's trying to resolve the issue diplomatically, hoping President Trump may be willing to negotiate, knowing
full well that in a war over coffee, nobody wins.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES (on camera): And we all need coffee, that is for sure. Now, thousands of young Catholics are at the Vatican right now celebrating the
Jubilee. More than half a million pilgrims from nearly 150 countries are planning to attend a weeklong celebration focusing on those between the
ages of 18 to 35.
[14:55:00]
It's all part of the Jubilee that takes place every 25 years. You are looking at live pictures there from Vatican City. I think that was the
pope, which is passed the Pope Mobile that I could catch there. And centering this year on hope. Influencers and digital missionaries attending
masses short time ago were greeted by Pope Leo. That is Pope Leo right there, greeting many of the people there. He asked participants to commit
to develop what he calls a language of our time that gives voice to love.
And a 4,000-year-old handprint has been found a clay model inside an ancient Egyptian tomb. Cambridge University researchers discovered the
imprint while preparing for an exhibition. It was on the base of what's known as a sole house, that's a building shaped clay model found in
burials. Researchers say the handprint was likely formed by a potter who moved the sole house while it was still wet. And if you care to see it, it
will be on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge in October.
And that does it for us for this hour. Thank you very much for your company. Do stay right here "What We Know" with Christina Macfarlane is up
next. I shall see you tomorrow. Have a wonderful day.
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