Return to Transcripts main page
Isa Soares Tonight
Elon Musk Threatens to Sue Apple; Two Chinese Boats Collide While Chasing Philippine Boats; Wildfires' Impact on European Travel; Taylor Swift Announces 12th Studio Album. Aired 2:00-3p ET
Aired August 12, 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]
MAX FOSTER, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Max Foster in for ISA SOARES TONIGHT. And we are learning new
details about the much-anticipated meeting between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Friday. We'll explain why the White House is calling
the summit a listening exercise.
Then, dozens of EU nations demanding urgent action in Gaza, saying the suffering has reached unimaginable levels as famine unfolds. Plus, National
Guard troops arrive in Washington D.C. just a day after Donald Trump placed the city's police department under federal control.
That, and much more ahead. We now know that this week's summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will
take place in Anchorage, Alaska. The White House confirmed the news just a short while ago, all while lowering expectations actually, for the meeting
itself.
Now calling it a listening exercise. Those talks are set for Friday, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to participate in
virtual talks on Wednesday with Mr. Trump and EU leaders. President Zelenskyy says Russia is preparing new military offensives and has no plans
to end the war.
Mr. Zelenskyy made those comments before some of the latest developments on the ground. Small groups of Russian troops have broken through Ukraine's
defense in its eastern Donetsk region, according to local officials, that could further complicate matters for Russia's President during talks with
his American counterpart. Our Nick Paton Walsh is in Kyiv with more reporting on this. Nick?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Yes, I mean, we've just been hearing from the White House Press Secretary describing a game
with lowered expectations for the second day in a row that tomorrow -- sorry, Friday will be a listening exercise in Alaska.
President Trump, it seems, in his own words trying to fill out a little bit what's possible from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Just a reminder that
a matter of days ago, this was a high stakes, make-or-break summit after President Trump seemed to postpone secondary sanctions that were due in
likely against China and India as a result of Russia slow-rolling diplomacy.
Then this diplomatic initiative came along, and now, days later, after it seems the Kremlin have been reluctant or at least, not able to agree to
allowing Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend as well, a format suggested by the United States months ago. Expectations dropping
faster and faster.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the last hours talking to journalists describing President Trump as not necessarily on Russia's side
or Ukraine's side, but more a middle man, but always appreciative of American assistance, and indeed suggesting that Ukraine, with its own
money, would buy American arms to the tune of a billion dollars a month in the foreseeable future.
You were referring to progress for Russia on the frontline, though, and look, it's important to point out the timing of this isn't purposefully
aligned with the summit in Alaska on Friday. It's the result of many weeks of incremental pressure from Russia along parts of the frontline.
And it seems in the last days that small groups, according to Ukrainian officials, have broken through Ukraine's frontlines north of a town of
Dobropillia, one of the towns, in fact, that appear to be under discussion, according to reports. When the Kremlin met U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff,
Russian troops have broken through in small number, Ukraine says it's not a big deal.
It's an infiltration, not an advance. There are bloggers and others saying this is more significant than that, and the nature of warfare has changed
anyway with drones being ultimately the decider of who gets to go where. But the ideas of trenches have kind of dissipated. But still, it's got many
on edge that the frontline may be changing.
Just diplomacy is about to try and freeze it, and indeed, the suggestions of diplomacy that we emerge from the Kremlin meeting with Witkoff, we went
to the areas potentially affected by some of the swaps. Trump has been referring to, and found anxiety, and also a lot of defiance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH (voice-over): When President Trump talks about what parts of Ukraine, to, quote, "swap" with Russia, this is ground zero. Real towns
where bomb shelters loom over beaches.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel like I just float away from this reality.
[14:05:00]
WALSH: Here in Donetsk region, diplomacy has turned dark and surreal, and threatens local journalist Mykhilo's Madasinaswym(ph). What do you think
about the idea of Trump and Putin meeting so far away in Alaska, and deciding the fate of a place like this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With all the people I know, will have to leave. But frankly speaking, I don't think it's going to happen. What Trump did run,
just pull him out of the bog --
WALSH: Right --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That Putin was just drowning in the bog. And he took him out and say, well, you know, I want to talk to you. I like you. He
didn't care that every day Ukrainians die.
WALSH: Beaches, births and deaths, they all persist in ravaged Sloviansk. They've dug defenses around it to stop a Russian military advance, but
never imagined high-level diplomacy might just give their town and future away. Taisiya gave birth to Azul(ph)yesterday, the calm of her maternity
ward bed now riddled with complications she never saw coming.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WALSH: Staying here has been for many, an act of defiance and bravery. But for Sviatoslav(ph) and Natalia(ph), it did not spare them pain. This is
their daughter, Sofia(ph), with her husband Mikita(ph) and the grandson Lev(ph). They moved to Kyiv for safety. But 11 days ago, a horrific dawn,
Russian airstrike killed them and 28 others in Kyiv.
Their three bodies found together in the rubble.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WALSH: They had been due to visit days later, bringing news that Sofia was three months pregnant.
(on camera): Do you remember the last time you spoke?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WALSH (voice-over): They came together to be buried on the town's outskirts, where the war permits, no calm for grief. A Ukrainian jet roars
overhead. At the nearest train station, Kramatorsk, as many are coming as are going. Sergey was allowed two days off from his tank unit to see
Tatyana(ph), his wife. Sirens greet the Kyiv train.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WALSH (on camera): Soldiers worried if they'll see their loved ones again. Families torn apart by this war. Imagine scenes like this to the thousands
in the event of what seems to so many people here to be the surreal idea that a deal on Friday on the other side of the earth, almost as far away as
you could possibly imagine in Alaska, between an American President and a Russian President without a Ukrainian there, could potentially give this
bustling town over to the Russians after them fighting for it for so many years, and failing to take it. So many lives lost here, and those traumas
born out on this platform every time a train comes in.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: Now, Max, the important thing to remember is when people talk about territorial swaps, when President Trump holds that idea out, it's -- if
indeed it was something the Russians agreed to, if it's even on the table for Alaska, for the Russians, it's easy because it's about pulling their
military out of places that they basically occupied that have been significantly destroyed, if indeed they even contemplate that for Ukraine,
as you saw there.
[14:10:00]
That's towns of tens of thousands of people who would suddenly, potentially, a matter of days be told, they either live in Russia or had to
get out. And that's causing great anxiety -- is the continued idea as well, too, that these talks in Alaska, a bit of a roll of the dice, frankly
between two men, Putin and Trump, who seem to have an impenetrable relationship, but ultimately will decide the fate, maybe, of everybody
here. Max?
FOSTER: Yes, Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much. That's the situation on the ground. Let's go to the White House, senior White House correspondent
Kristen Holmes is there. You've had a few more details about, you know, how this summit, if I can describe it, might look, Kristen.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. So, we just heard from Karoline Leavitt; the Press Secretary, who walked
through some of the details, but did say that a lot is still being ironed out. And that's really what we've been hearing for days now as they were
trying to nail down what exactly this would look like on a very short timeline.
So, what we were told is that this meeting is going to be in Anchorage, Alaska, the exact location in Alaska had not been known before. And you
have the White House now describing this as a listening exercise, essentially saying what we heard slightly from President Trump yesterday,
that this is about going in and trying to hear what Putin has to say, not necessarily about making a deal.
And I think one of the things that Leavitt said that was so interesting was that she said that this would give the President the best indication. This
is in terms of a head-to-head face on meeting of how to end this war and where this war is headed. Essentially, President Trump believes that
without sitting down with Putin face-to-face, that he doesn't have a real indication of where Putin's head is at.
They've been having these phone calls, and notably, they've been going worse and worse. I mean, President Trump used to release what they had
talked about the last couple of phone calls. When he's been asked about it, he said they made no progress, and essentially also adding that Putin was
all talk and then would do different things, including bomb Ukraine, even though he was giving lip service to President Trump.
The other part of this that was interesting was the idea that the two sides are going to meet at some point one-on-one. It's not the first time the two
leaders have sat down, just the two of them in a room. But of course, this is a relationship that comes under an enormous amount of scrutiny. So,
we're still learning a lot of the details of what this is going to look like.
The timing of all of this, whether or not the two are going to speak together or President Trump will speak alone after the two of them sit
down. But it does seem at this point the White House is hesitant to put too much on this meeting. They really want to walk it back, saying again, it's
a listening exercise that afterwards he's going to call European leaders and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, that all of this is just to gauge where
Putin stands currently. It's not to make a deal or come out of it with too high of expectations.
FOSTER: OK, Kristen, it's going to be fascinating, isn't it? Thank you so much for that. Now, the European Union and Foreign Ministers from 26
countries are calling for urgent action meanwhile in Gaza, saying the suffering has reached unimaginable levels as famine unfolds. They're urging
Israel to immediately open all crossings into Gaza and allow established aid groups to operate there.
Gaza's Health Ministry says five more people have now died from starvation and malnutrition, bringing the total number of related deaths to 227.
That's nearly half of them being children. The humanitarian crisis could get much worse if Israel moves ahead with plans to take over Gaza City in
an effort to defeat Hamas.
Today, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador thanked European countries, including Spain and Germany, for going beyond mere calls for a ceasefire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIYAD MANSOUR, PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: What is really significant that Europe is now acting in a practical way and thinking in a practical
way, in a fast way that should be complemented by all other countries in order to bring Israel into compliance. We hope that we can succeed in not
allowing them to execute the plan that they declared. But this requires more efforts, more pressure, more mobilization.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, many people in Israel also oppose the expanding war. Air Force reservists and retired pilots rallied outside IDF headquarters in Tel
Aviv today, calling for a ceasefire. Families of Israeli hostages, meanwhile, are planning a nationwide strike for Sunday, saying they're
shutting down the country to save the soldiers and hostages.
They believe expanding the war would be a death sentence for their loved ones. Amid these ceasefire demands, a Hamas delegation is heading to Cairo
as part of a renewed push for a deal. That's according to three Hamas sources. Let's get more from our Jerusalem Bureau chief, Oren Liebermann.
You know, there -- a new sense of toughness, if you like, coming from these European leaders, but they don't have the -- you know, the weight, the
diplomatic weight, do they, of the Americans, for example?
[14:15:00]
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, the Europeans have made it clear, and this is many countries in Europe as well as Australia and
Japan, that what they see in Gaza, the malnutrition, the starvation is unacceptable as well as the restrictions on aid, that all of the aid should
flow through unfettered through land crossings, without the need for the airdrops we continue to see, to try to get in more aid.
They say in this letter that was signed by at least 24 countries as well as the European Union, famine is unfolding before our eyes. That's a quote
from the letter. Now, Israel has tried to push back on this, saying that some, perhaps many of the cases they argue, of those who have died of
malnutrition had pre-existing conditions.
That is not an argument that has convinced any of the countries here. Frankly, it's not an argument that seems to have convinced anyone, except
potentially the United States, even though President Donald Trump said there is real starvation in Gaza. And that's why you see this effort from
the Europeans to try to pressure Israel to allow in not only more aid, but as much aid as is possible.
They write in these letters -- letter, all crossings and routes must be used to allow a flood of aid into Gaza, including food, nutrition supplies,
shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine and medical equipment. Meanwhile, the U.N.'s World Food Program warned last week that more than 300 children are
suffering from acute malnutrition.
This is just a fraction of the scope of the problem that we're seeing with humanitarian and starvation crisis in Gaza. Europe is trying to apply
pressure. But Max, I think, as you pointed out, it is really only the U.S. that can apply pressure here. The question is, will they do it?
FOSTER: Oren, indeed, you know, domestic pressure. We are seeing that on the streets increasingly, aren't we? We have seen a lot of demonstrations
over the past year. But how would you describe the momentum there, Oren?
LIEBERMANN: The momentum is growing, but it faces, again, the same question. Will it change the position of the government? Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies have made it clear that not only are they pressing forward with a plan to occupy Gaza City, but the
far-right members want to see him go farther.
In fact, many are upset that this isn't a plan for the takeover or the occupation, perhaps even one day, the annexation of all of Gaza. So, even
as we see the demonstrations against the government continue for weeks on end over the course of more than a year, even as we see that anger grow, a
call for a strike, which appears to -- from a grassroots perspective, be growing quite rapidly ahead of Sunday.
None of that has led to any indication of a shift in the government's stance that even if there are still a couple of months until the military
part of this operation, this takeover of Gaza City begin, that's at least right now, very much their intent. We do see this meeting of Hamas with
Egyptian intelligence in Cairo.
We saw the meeting between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and the Qataris in Spain. So, there is an effort to try to head off this invasion and
occupation of Gaza City by restarting ceasefire talks. But we're not there yet. And certainly, we don't have the optimism we saw around the last round
of talks before the U.S. and Israel withdrew, blaming Hamas for acting in bad faith. So, a very different circumstance around a belief or a lack
thereof in those talks from where we sit right now.
FOSTER: Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem, thank you for joining us from there. Still to come tonight, Donald Trump says a public safety emergency is
unfolding in Washington, but the D.C. crime rates tell a very different story. We'll break down the numbers for you. Plus, the journalist who lost
his life fighting to save the rainforest.
In this week's episode of Isa's Book Club, we'll find out how one man's fight to save the Amazon lives on even after his tragic murder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What comes across in chapter after chapter is humanity's broken relationship with nature that people feel they're not
part of nature anymore. It's something else. It's a resource that we can take from without any comeback on us. And a lot of the book and something
very much emphasized by Dom, is we need to reconnect.
And one of the ways we might be able to do that is to really look again at what indigenous people are doing and thinking, and their interaction with
the forest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:20:00]
FOSTER: National Guard troops are beginning to arrive in the U.S. capital city, a day after President Trump's federal takeover of Washington D.C.'s
police department. It's a move the mayor is calling unsettling and unprecedented. Still, Muriel Bowser, along with the D.C. police chief, have
struck a largely diplomatic tone. Earlier, they met with Attorney General Pam Bondi to discuss coordination and strategy, though the details remain
unclear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAMELA SMITH, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE CHIEF: We have been working collaboratively. I think this is going to be a good effort. It's going to
be an effort that's supported by both teams, the Metropolitan Police Department as well as our federal partners.
MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WASHINGTON: What I'm focused on is the federal surge and how to make the most of the additional officer
support. How we got here or what the -- what we think about the circumstances right now, we have more police, and we want to make sure
we're using them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, the President, who is also threatening to take control of other U.S. cities, claims Washington is seeing a surge in violence. But the
D.C. Metropolitan Police say overall crime numbers are down this year. That includes a 26 percent drop in violent crime. Let's bring in Natasha
Bertrand live from Washington. So, you've got these National Guard troops coming in, Natasha, what do you expect them to be doing when they get
there?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, as of right now, we expect them to be mostly in a backup role to support law
enforcement kind of free up federal agents and police officers across Washington D.C. to do policing while these National Guard troops, many of
them are going to be doing administrative tasks.
Some of them, though, they will be in the streets of D.C. with these police officers patrolling, they will not necessarily be carrying weapons. We're
told at this point that they're not going to be walking around carrying their rifles as we saw them do in Los Angeles and down at the border, for
example. Instead, they're going to have weapons nearby in their trucks, for instance, in case they need them for some kind of self-defense purpose.
But ultimately, they're going to essentially be a force-multiplier for police here, just in case police need any extra support. And it's worth
noting that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said last night that they are not expected to carry out law enforcement specific functions. For example,
they are not expected to make arrests.
However, because they are under what's called Title 32 authority, instead of Title 10 authority, which is a very important difference in terms of
what National Guard members can and can't do when they're operating inside the U.S., they actually are allowed to have a little bit more leeway in how
they interact with people on the ground in D.C.
So, for example, they are authorized to temporarily detain people on the streets of D.C. if needed, if a law enforcement officer is not around, and
some incident happens, a crime takes place and the National Guard member needs to temporarily detain someone until law enforcement can arrive on the
scene.
So, that is a possibility here. But it's also worth noting that we don't expect them to be out in the streets in very large numbers, while
approximately 800 National Guard troops have been activated and essentially are on standby, only about a 100 to 200 of those troops are actually going
to be on the streets at any given time. Max.
[14:25:00]
FOSTER: OK, Natasha, it'll be interesting, thank you. Texas Republicans failing once again to get the minimum number of lawmakers needed to begin
their session. This, as Democrats continue to not show up in an effort to stop Republicans from redrawing congressional maps mid-decade. If a quorum
isn't met by Friday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott plans to call a second special session to address redistricting.
It's a national day of mourning today in Colombia following the death of Senator Miguel Uribe. The body of the presidential pre-candidate is lying
in state in the nation's Congress. He died yesterday, two months after being shot in broad daylight at a political rally. Six people were arrested
following the shooting, including a 15-year-old hitman.
It remains unknown who ordered the killing. Now, still to come, Elon Musk says he's considering a lawsuit against Apple. I will tell you why, and
what it has to do with his Grok A.I. service. And extreme heat fueling dangerous wildfires across Europe, sparking evacuations of tourist
hotspots. We'll bring you the latest in a travel impact update after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Elon Musk back in the news threatening to sue Apple over rankings on its app store. In a series of social media posts, Musk accuses Apple of
favoring A.I. competitors. Musk says Apple favors OpenAI's ChatGPT over others, including his rival xAI Grok model. He also says Apple refused to
put X or Grok in the app store's must-have section. CNN's Anna Cooban joins me now. I guess a lot of app developers would complain of the same thing.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: I think they would. I mean, what Musk is alleging is -- this an allegation, is that when you go
onto an iPhone, you've got the App Store and then you've got these top free apps section on it, and at the top of there, you've got ChatGPT, which is
the --
FOSTER: Do we know what that's based on, that selection?
COOBAN: Downloads, how popular these apps are with users. What Musk is alleging is that ChatGPT being at the top is the result of an unfair bias
towards OpenAI, which is the maker of ChatGPT. And then, last time I checked, for U.S. users of iPhones, actually Grok, which is Musk's model is
number six.
So, what Musk is saying is that this unfair. There's bias involved. He's openly asking the question whether or not OpenAI -- or sorry, Apple is
playing politics. There's no evidence for this. But this just another indication, another example of this longer running feud between Musk and
OpenAI.
FOSTER: Is there no comment from Apple, presumably, yet, they're just saying this just the fairer system we know?
COOBAN: No comment from Apple, but we do have Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, who has on X, which is a platform owned by Musk, denied the
allegation. He's also, you know, come back with his own allegations asking, you know, is it the case that Musk has actually manipulated the algorithm
of X, which is obviously the platform we used to know as Twitter to favor his own posts about other people. So, just a back and forth between these
two tech CEOs, which looks all incredibly messy basically.
FOSTER: Yes. And it also comes after GPT announced this big update. So, presumably, that's going to have a lot of people at least updating or
downloading the app.
COOBAN: Well, ChatGPT, you know, when it came out in backend of 2022, it was an absolute phenomenon. And it is still is. It's still the number one
downloaded app for, you know, an A.I. app. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. And this something that Musk has tried to really
expand his businesses into the A.I. arena, is something that clearly he might not be happy with.
FOSTER: Anna, thank you. Chinese ships colliding whilst they were chasing Philippine boats, and it was all caught on camera as well. The collision
happened in the fiercely contested South China Sea on Monday. Marc Stewart looks at what sparked this extraordinary confrontation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The South China Sea is a volatile piece of real estate, and what happened here had the potential to turn into
something much worse. Let's watch the video together. You can see a Chinese warship collided with a Chinese Coast Guard ship while chasing some boats
from the Philippines. The Chinese Coast Guard ship was damaged, in fact, taking off part of its bow.
At the time you can see the waters appeared to be choppy and. At the time three Chinese Coast Guard members were on the bow when the impact occurred.
As we see in the video, this video captured by the Philippine Coast Guard. An official from the Philippine Coast Guard said they were being chased at
a high rate of speed when this was taking place.
In addition, you can see one of the boats from the Philippines was targeted with a water cannon, but avoided getting hit. At the time the Philippine
Coast Guard claimed it was trying to get some aid to some fishermen. Some important context here, this happened near the Scarborough Shoal. It falls
within the Philippines economic zone, but China's had a constant presence here for years, that's according to the Asia Maritime Transparency
Initiative.
Things could have been worse because both nations feel they have rights to this waterway and this could have escalated into something bigger. As for
China, it's blaming the Philippines saying it's trying to disguise this as an aid mission, but instead going into its territory. And the Chinese Coast
Guard maintains it operated within the law. China also not calling this a collision, not even mentioning it in its statements.
Marc Stewart, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Still to come tonight, "How to Save the Amazon." Isa sits down with the guardians, Jonathan Watts, to hear about the fight to carry on the
vital work of journalists Dom Phillips before his tragic death.
And from Spanish beaches to Scottish hillsides, fires are disrupting summer holiday travel. Up next, we'll explain why officials say the threat isn't
over yet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:00]
FOSTER: Wildfires are blazing across travel destinations here in Europe, from Vesuvius in Italy to Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland. Barbie
Latza Nadeau has been following these fires and their impacts for us from Rome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tourists forced to flee one of southern Spain's most popular beaches after a wildfire, driven
by strong winds, swept through the resort town of Tarifa, forcing local authorities to evacuate nearly 2,000 tourists and residents. Just one part
of what's becoming an apocalyptic European summer. Official data shows that Europe has seen more than twice as many fires as it saw on average by mid-
August in recent decades.
Many are set on purpose, some sparked accidentally and others fueled by extreme heat caused by manmade climate change. There were similar scenes on
the Italian island of Sardinia last month, where beachgoers had to be evacuated by boat after wildfires blocked other escape routes.
Disaster also struck the Italian tourist hotspot of Pompeii after forest fires quickly burned up the flanks of the Mount Vesuvius volcano, where
authorities had to close trails to keep hikers safe.
Even in Scotland, not typically known for its hot summers, a brush fire spread across a popular tourist attraction in dormant volcano, Arthur's
Seat. In Spain, where fires led to the death of one man near Madrid, the costs are almost impossible to measure.
JOSE ANGEL RODRIGUEZ, PRESIDENT, OREILAN LOCAL COUNCIL (through translator): The damage is incalculable at this point, whether it's to the
chestnut trees or the loss of tourism.
NADEAU (voice-over): And as wildfires continue to threaten European tourism, more travelers are being forced to rethink plans, cancel flights
and take extra precautions. Like this tourist in Tarifa who wore a face mask to protect herself from the thick smoke.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's a genuine shame, everything that's happened. As I had to evacuate practically everything. I was so
afraid of so many chalets, houses, shops were burnt. It's such a shame.
NADEAU (voice-over): A sunburn used to be one of the biggest concerns most holiday makers had. Now, they face a far more burning threat.
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Well, as wildfires rage in Europe across the Atlantic, the effects of global warming are being felt more than ever in the Amazon. In 2024, the
rainforest experienced its worst drought in more than a century. Deforestation is the major threat to the area known as the lungs of the
Earth.
The plight of the Amazon was a passion project for journalist Dom Phillips, that is until he was murdered alongside Brazilian indigenous Bruno Pereira
whilst on assignment in 2022. Phillips' book, "How to Save the Amazon," look to shine a light on what can be done to save the ecosystem before it's
too late. Following his death, his friends and colleagues vowed to continue his fight to try to save the rainforest by finishing his final work. Here's
Isa's Book Club.
[14:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: In our book club this week, "How to Save the Amazon" by Dom Phillips and contributors. And joining us here to
discuss this book is one of the contributors, John Watts. Welcome to the show.
JOHN WATTS, GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT EDITOR, THE GUARDIAN: Thanks for having me on.
SOARES: The reason you are here and you are one of the contributors, is because Dom Phillips, who was a reporter for The Guardian here in the U.K.
and Bruno Pereira, who was a Brazilian indigenous expert, were both murdered some three years ago in June in the Amazon Rainforest.
For those viewers who do not know Dom's story, can you just tell us briefly who he was and what this -- you know, what he wanted to achieve with this
book, first of all?
WATTS: I knew him as, you know, a great friend, but also a meticulous, very diligent journalist who would ask the tough questions. And at that
time, 2012, he wasn't so focused on the environment. In fact, he was working for -- in the oil and gas media industry amongst his other strings.
But over time he became more and more focused on the Amazon in particular and the role of indigenous people in the Amazon. And so, it took a really
big risk financially to take a year off to write this book.
SOARES: And then, the book begins where John, he's life ended, and that is in the Javari Valley in the Amazon. I believe this was their -- his last
exposition with Pereira. What were they both doing there on this last expedition?
WATTS: So, Dom's -- Dom had made a previous trip to the Javari Valley with Bruno Pereira that had, according to his wife, his friends, that's what I
heard, it changed his perception, that he became totally immersed in the Amazon. He really looked up to Bruno Pereira, because Bruno Pereira was
immersed in the Amazon. He spoke the languages of several indigenous peoples. And he was going to be an important figure in the book.
And the work that was being done in the Javari Valley to protect this incredible area, because the Javari Valley is on the border of Brazil,
Colombia, and Peru. It is the second biggest indigenous territory in Brazil. It's home to more isolated peoples than anywhere else in Brazil and
possibly anywhere else on Earth.
SOARES: And I read in terms of the size, just the valley itself, John, is something like the size of Scotland.
WATTS: Yes, or Portugal.
SOARES: Yes.
WATTS: Yes. It's enormous. Just enormous. So, they'd made this previous expedition and he went back and it was probably going to be his last
reporting trip or penultimate reporting trip to follow up on events because Bruno had told him there's more illegal activity, there's more problems
because under -- at that time, Brazil was under the government of --
SOARES: Jair.
WATTS: -- Jair Bolsonaro. That the protections of the state had kind of withered away, and that incredibly, there was this grassroots movement to
set up monitoring teams of indigenous people trained to use drones, GPS mapping, to collect evidence to be used against poachers and others who
were infringing the era, including organized crime.
And so, it was a dangerous place, but it was an important place. So, Don was very courageous to go there, and he really -- he thought this could be
a very powerful part of the book and demonstrate what was being done on the ground to protect the forest.
But yes, on that fateful day, he went to the edge of the Javari Valley. He met this indigenous monitoring team, spent the night with them, went out on
a patrol in the dark with the forest all around them, and then the next morning said goodbye to that team that was protecting the rainforest. And
then, because he was the kind of journalist who felt you need to see both sides of the story, he then went to one of the illegal fishing communities
and wanted to hear from them why they're doing what they're doing.
[14:45:00]
And that set off a series of really horrendous events, because that fishing village contacted someone who had a grudge against Bruno Pereira, and that
person followed them on a speedboat and killed them by the side of the Itaguai River.
SOARES: And his writing, and I wrote down the page number, because that really, I mean, took my breath away when I was reading it. His writing, he
wrote pretty much, what, 164 pages, takes us to this moment. That's how far Dom got. And this picture here -- and it says here, Dom reached this far in
the drafting -- in drafting his book by the time of his murder on the 5th of June, 2022.
An incredibly striking image. And out of this grief, John, and out of this pain came an incredible act of solidarity among friends, among journalists,
and I think it was led by his wife. You all got together and you decided that you wanted to continue his work, that those who killed him could not
silence his work. Speak to that gathering, to that solidarity.
WATTS: Yes. It -- so -- yes, Dom had written an introduction, three and a half chapters, and an outline for the remaining six and a half chapters
that he planned to do. And many of his friends were like me, journalists, and we just wanted something to do, you know? because at that time, the
feelings of sadness and anger and fear were very strong, and this was something we could focus on.
So, we did it for our friend, but we also did it as an act of defiance that you can silent -- you can kill a journalist, but you cannot silence the
story. We wanted to send out that message very strongly. So, there were a lot of people who wanted to be part of this, and it became over the last
three years not just a book, but a movement.
SOARES: Well, we're incredibly grateful. At the end of our interviews, I always ask the author to sign it. If you do as the honor, of course, in
signing for Dom with your name, John. There you go. I'll pass you -- actually, I'll pass you the pen. You've got a book there?
WATTS: Yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Still to come tonight, Taylor Swift fans getting pretty excited. The Eras Tour maybe over, but she's announcing something new with her
boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Guess what that is?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
FOSTER: Taylor Swift fans ecstatic after the pop superstar announced she is releasing her 12th studio album. At 12:12 a.m. today, the 12th of
August, TS12 finally got a name. The album is being called "The Life of a Showgirl." Swift revealed the album in a tease for the New Heights podcast
her boyfriend, Travis Kelce does with his brother Jason.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER: So, I wanted to show you something.
JASON KELCE, HOST, NEW HEIGHTS PODCAST: OK. What do we got?
SWIFT: We got --
KELCE: A briefcase.
SWIFT: Yes.
KELCE: Mint green with TS on it.
SWIFT: Yes.
KELCE: What's in it?
SWIFT: This my brand-new album, "The Life of a Showgirl."
KELCE: TS12.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Let's bring in Brittany Spanos, senior writer for Rolling Stone. Thanks for joining us. Did you have any idea this was happening?
BRITTANY SPANOS, SENIOR WRITER, ROLLING STONE: Not at all. I mean, I think there's always rumors and rumblings that something is coming from Taylor.
She's been so prolific over the last five years especially. So, I think if we were all just kind of wondering when that would happen, but it seems
like the right time for her to drop something new.
FOSTER: "The Life of a Showgirl," what does that imply to you in terms of a theme?
SPANOS: You know, I think she's been sort of toying with the part of her that is the superstar on stage, the fame, all of these elements. You know,
she had a great song on, "The Tortured Poets Department" called "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart," which is so much about kind of putting on a
glittering show while you're going through a breakup and dealing with immense emotional pain.
So, I'm curious kind of how it will sort of deal with the fame and the mega stardom that she's seen, especially through Eras Tour.
FOSTER: So, what have you managed to figure out in terms of release and what to expect when?
SPANOS: I mean, the big rumor right now is that the album is going to come on October 13th. That sort of came from just, you know, the website and
when the albums are going to be shipped out. But, you know, there's also a lot of sort of other elements of the album that sort of rumors are kind of
circulating right now, including that she might be working with Max Martin again on this new -- on the new music.
She had a big playlist that has been circulating that features only songs by that she worked on with Max Martin and Shellback. So, that could also be
a big indication of the sound of the album and what to expect this fall.
FOSTER: Yes. In terms of who she's worked with, anything different there which would imply something new with this?
SPANOS: Yes. I mean, would be if she ends up working with Max Martin and Shellback, that is a return to someone that she's been working with since
Red. She worked on her first sort of non-country songs with Max Martin and Shellback. So, it could be a really big deal if she ends up bringing them
back for this album. She hasn't worked with them since reputation and I think a lot of fans have been kind of dying to hear them get back in the
studio together.
FOSTER: So, she's going to be on her boyfriend's podcast. Well, she already has, but it's being released tomorrow, isn't it?
SPANOS: Yes.
FOSTER: How much do you think she'll give away, knowing how she is also pretty good for this idea of releasing Easter eggs, if you like, you know,
little these moments that keep the interest going?
SPANOS: Yes. I mean, all of Taylor's rollouts are extremely specific and we will find out that information when she wants us to find out that
information. I'm sure we'll get some more teasers tonight when the podcast comes out. I know that one of the things that may be revealed is the album
cover. It was sort of teased out in the preview video, but it was blurred. And so, we might see the album cover, might get some more indication of her
single. So, I think we'll probably get some good early sneak peeks of what to expect from this album.
FOSTER: And then, how's it normally played then? You expect another tour at some point? I mean, what's this say about her next year, do you think?
SPANOS: Yes. I mean, I think it's very likely she could go back on the road. I don't know if she'll end up doing something as expansive as the
Eras Tour was. I mean, both in terms of the length of the show and also the length of that tour. I mean, it was over two years and nearly 150 shows,
each night, over three hours. So, I'm not sure that it would be as big as that. But also, with someone like Taylor, it very well could be, it could
be Eras Tour part two. So, we don't know, but I think it's very likely that she will be going on the road for this album.
FOSTER: And she broke records, didn't she, in terms of streaming with her last album?
SPANOS: Yes. I mean, you know, with Taylor it's so fascinating because with each album she gets bigger and, you know, the attention is even more
expansive with each album. So, after Eras Tour, you know, "Tortured Poets Department," there were so many eyes and ears kind of wanting to know what
this album was about, especially as it came out in the midst of this huge tour.
[14:55:00]
So, I think -- right now, I think people are so excited for something that seems like a really big pop album from Taylor post tour announcing it with
her boyfriend. I think it's going to be a really exciting one.
FOSTER: Yes. I mean, she is a genius, isn't she, in terms of marketing business, music, obviously. Brittany, thank you so much. I can tell you're
excited as well.
SPANOS: Thank you.
FOSTER: Finally, tonight, eight years together, multiple children. Now, one massive rock. Football star, Cristiano Ronaldo has finally proposed to
his longtime girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez. The model broke the news on Instagram, of course, with a photo of the egg size ring and the caption, I
mean, look at it, yes, I do, in this and all my lives.
The couple began appearing together publicly in 2017. They share four children and also parent Ronaldo's, older son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. who
was born in 2010.
Thanks for watching tonight. Stay with CNN. I'll be back with "What We Know," next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
