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Isa Soares Tonight
Israelis Mark 2nd Anniversary Of October 7th Attacks; President Trump Suggests Using The Insurrection Act To Bypass Courts Blocking His Efforts To Send Troops Into U.S. Cities; Attorney General Pam Bondi Spars With Senate Judiciary Committee; Bondi Pressed On Trump Admin's Military Use In Cities; Trump Hosts Canadian PM At WH; French Government In Turmoil; Texas National Guard Arrives At Military Facility Near Chicago. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired October 07, 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, two years on since the Hamas attack of
October the 7th, Israel reflects and mourns as the devastating war in Gaza grinds on. Then U.S. President Donald Trump once again hints at invoking
the Insurrection Act to bypass courts blocking his efforts to send troops into U.S. cities.
We are live from the White House for you. And an explosive day on Capitol Hill as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi deflects Democrats questions on
Jeffrey Epstein and much more. That story and others just ahead. But first, tonight in Israel, a day of mourning, families torn apart, a nation
traumatized as Israelis reflect on the absolute horror of what happened two years ago today when more than 1,200 people were killed, and another 251
kidnapped by Hamas.
Forty seven of those are still being held, 20 are presumed to be alive. And while many remain cautiously optimistic amid ceasefire talks that are going
on right now in Egypt, the bottom line is that peace remains elusive two years on. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERUT NIMRODI, MOTHER OF HOSTAGE TAMIR NIMRODI: Today is a hard day, not only because this is the second time we're mentioning this date, but also
because there are negotiations going on right now, and we are very anxious to know what will become of it. This is a rough day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Indeed. Well, 731 days ago, an act of terrorism by Hamas triggered a war that has had devastating consequences for both Israelis and
Palestinians. Gaza health officials say more than 67,000 Palestinians, including more than 20,000 children, and more than 10,000 women, have been
killed by Israeli attacks since the war began.
And according to U.N. classifications, levels of famine in Gaza have reached life-threatening proportions. And this -- let me show you this, a
stunning split-screen you're looking at, is a stark illustration of how the Israeli offensive has reduced Gaza to rubble, leaving survivors with
virtually nothing to return home to.
More than 60 percent of all buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Well, with Qatar's Prime Minister set to join the ceasefire negotiations on
Wednesday, those talks are providing family members of the hostages with a glimmer of hope in what has been a truly excruciating wait, filled with
dread as well as uncertainty. Our Jeremy Diamond spoke to some of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For two years, they have been fighting for sons taken hostage, for daughters killed at a
music festival, and for the future of a country at a crossroads. Two years later, Hamas' October 7th attack in the war it unleashed still defined this
small country.
Vicki Cohen knows that all too well.
(on camera): Hello --
VICKI COHEN, A SOLDIER TAKEN CAPTURE FROM TANK NEAR GAZA ON OCTOBER 7TH: Hi --
DIAMOND: Vicki, hi.
(voice-over): Her son is still being held in Gaza, and she is at the forefront of the hostage family's movement, demonstrating in front of the
Prime Minister's home, inside parliament and in weekly Saturday night protests.
(on camera): It is another Saturday night.
COHEN: Yes, but it feels different.
DIAMOND: It feels different --
COHEN: Yes --
DIAMOND (voice-over): On the night we joined her, the whole country is buzzing about a possible deal to free all of the hostages.
COHEN: And it's a mix of feelings. It's excitement. It's expectation. It's also fear.
DIAMOND: This video shows the moment that changed everything. Her 19-year- old son, Nimrod, conscripted for mandatory military service, being pulled from an Israeli tank on the Gaza border and taken captive.
(on camera): This is the Rubik's Cube that was in the tank --
COHEN: The real one that was found in the tank. He used to take it wherever he goes --
DIAMOND (voice-over): Heading to another rally, Cohen cannot help but feel hopeful. But she is determined to keep fighting.
[14:05:00]
COHEN: We will still fight and do everything we did before until it's settled, until it's final, until they are at home.
DIAMOND: Cohen wasn't always at the forefront of the protest movement, but she ramped up her fight after losing faith in her government.
COHEN: Many other families realized that we need to be more polite and less polite, and be more aggressive with the fight.
DIAMOND: She soon realized she had real power.
(on camera): Yes --
COHEN: I heard for so many people who told me, I heard you are -- you are asking and you are calling for us to come and we will come. We are coming
because of you. This is so important.
DIAMOND (voice-over): These rallies are where Vicki found her voice, and where she found a community to fight alongside.
(on camera): Saturday nights in Israel have represented a chance for the hostage families to raise their voices week-after-week, with the support of
so many Israelis. Vicki and her son are just about to go on stage.
(voice-over): Today, I was filled with excitement, anticipation and great hope. But also, she tells the crowd, concerned. The Israeli Prime Minister
was speaking while Vicki was on stage.
COHEN: Did Netanyahu say something?
DIAMOND (on camera): Yes, he said that he hopes that they can be returned during Sukkot.
COHEN: The hostages?
DIAMOND: Said the goal is to limit negotiations to a few days. He doesn't want it to be dragged out.
SIGAL MANSURI, DAUGHTERS KILLED ON OCTOBER 7: They thought that they're going to be safe here.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Sigal and Menashe Mansuri are also still fighting.
S. MANSURI, DAUGHTERS KILLED ON OCTOBER 7: We just know that they went to a festival and they never came back. And we do know that their last couple
hours were --
MENASHE MANSURI, DAUGHTERS WERE KILLED ON OCTOBER 7: Hell --
S. MANSURI: Were hell.
DIAMOND: Two years after their daughters were slaughtered inside this bomb shelter, they are fighting for answers and accountability.
M. MANSURI: We're looking for is the truth.
S. MANSURI: We want to know the truth in a legal way, in a decent way, in a respected way. We want to know what led us to October 7th. We want to know
how come the IDF didn't respond for so many hours?
DIAMOND: The couple helped found the October Council pushing for an independent commission of inquiry to investigate Israel's failures that
helped lead to October 7th.
(on camera): But two years later, can you believe that you still have to fight for all of this? Did you think this fight would last --
S. MANSURI: No --
DIAMOND: This long?
S. MANSURI: You know what? It's even more than that. I didn't think that we'll have to fight for this.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But the Israeli Prime Minister has refused, claiming the commission would be biased.
S. MANSURI: When you have nothing to hide, you just, you know, how come you're so against it? I mean, why are you trying to fight it?
DIAMOND (on camera): Do you believe that a state commission of inquiry will ever be set up while Prime Minister Netanyahu remains in office?
M. MANSURI: No.
S. MANSURI: Most likely, and unfortunately, no.
M. MANSURI: The country, the state of Israel need to have the truth about what happens.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Along the border where Hamas militants stormed into Israel, the devastation wrought by Israel's subsequent attacks on Gaza is
unmistakable. Here, the fight for Israel's character and its future are also on display.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We came to the fence today as close as we can to Gaza to say that not all Israelis support the genocide. Not all Israelis are
supporting the starvation of Gaza.
DIAMOND: Others have come to see and revel in the destruction.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arabs, no Arabs supposed to be next to us here.
DIAMOND (on camera): So, you want Gaza razed to the ground?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gaza, no Gaza, no Gaza --
DIAMOND: No Gaza --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the building, I see a couple of buildings there which helped me. I want this flat. If you ask me, Trump wants to build a
base here. You're welcome.
DIAMOND: Some would say that's genocide or that's ethnic cleansing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, it's not genocide.
DIAMOND (voice-over): For Vicki Cohen, whether Israel prioritizes a deal to free the hostages or a forever war in Gaza, will also define its future.
COHEN: It's a fight of something bigger than to release the hostages. It's something very basic that of the Jewish community here in Israel, that we
care for each other. We don't sacrifice the lives for the land.
DIAMOND: Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Very poignant interview there. Well, Jeremy joins me now live with more from Hostage Square, and our Nic Robertson as you can see there in
Cairo, on the status of those ceasefire talks. And Jeremy, start with you first, a day of reflection I imagine for so many where you are at Hostage
Square.
Day, of course, that changed Israel and Gaza forever. Any glimmers you're seeing of hope right now?
[14:10:00]
DIAMOND: Well, Isa, there's no question that today is a somber day across Israel, as Israelis across the country, including right here in Hostage
Square commemorate the massacre that took place two years ago, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed, the majority of whom were civilians. More
than 250 people taken hostage, 48 of whom are still being held inside of Gaza.
But I can tell you from speaking with people here and also from speaking with the families of the hostages that amid this somber mood, there is also
a sense of hope, a sense of optimism that these negotiations that are taking place in Egypt may, in fact yield progress and may in fact lead to
an end of the war in Gaza and the return of those 48 hostages once and for all.
Of course, for many of the families of the hostages including Vicki Cohen, who you saw in that piece, that optimism is tempered with caution, given
the fact that they have been here so many times before and been disappointed as these negotiations have reached a fulcrum only to collapse.
And so, that caution is important to reflect in our coverage as well. I can tell you that the hopefulness that is being felt here is certainly also
being felt in Gaza. And our team on the ground there spoke with several Palestinians who expressed their hopes that this war might end. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Almost two years of war, about 17 hours a day of shelling every day with displacement and starvation, bitter
hours that we endured with great difficulty. One cannot imagine the scale of the hardship.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I do not understand politics, but I honestly have to say about handing over the weapons, that what we have
endured hasn't been easy. Please end the war and hand over the weapons to anyone. Bring anyone from outside to govern us. We have children who are
dying of hunger and no one feels for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: And Isa, there is no question that today, on the two-year anniversary of those October 7th attacks, many Israelis and many
Palestinians are indeed united today by the hope that those negotiations in Egypt can finally bring an end to this war and bring back the hostages.
Isa?
SOARES: That is a key word. Thank you very much. Let's go to Nic. Nic, you're in Egypt, is there hope? Where are we on those negotiations? I know
that both Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, in the last half an hour or so, the Qatari Prime Minister expected to arrive in Egypt tomorrow. Is that a
positive sign? Is that a sign of progress, or are we reading too much into this at this point?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think it sets the scene for the potential of progress, but I think the sort of key piece of
information, if you will, the leading piece of information we have comes from a source familiar with the talks, who talked with Jeremy Diamond,
actually, very -- not quite recently then, minutes or last hour or so at least.
What is -- what appears to be happening is, according to a source with knowledge of the situation and knowledge of the talks, that there is
progress being made in the talks between Hamas and Israel. The proximity talks. We understand from Egyptian state media that the -- Hamas are
looking for guarantees from President Trump, guarantees that Israel won't return to war if they give up all the hostages and meet with the conditions
that are expected of them.
That's what they're looking for. They're also talking according to Egyptian state media, Hamas also wants to know more details about the implementation
of this agreement. Egyptian state media also saying that the conversations within the talks have been getting into the detail of the lists of
Palestinian prisoners who would be released in exchange for the hostages.
So, that also sort of sets the scene for a narrative of potential progress. And as you say, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, coming into the talks here,
Ron Dermer, the chief negotiator, lead negotiator from Israel, is also expected to be at the talks as well as the Qatari Prime Minister going into
-- going into the talks on Wednesday.
So, the scene does seem to be set for the potential for more progress, although what we heard from the Qataris earlier in the day was, you know,
they can't say for sure what the outcome is going to be, but the fact you have senior players coming in now is indicative of potentially being in the
end stretch here, and perhaps a reflection of what President Trump has been saying, that there is a positivity about all of this.
SOARES: Let's hope so. Nic for us, and Jeremy at Hostage Square, thank you very much to you both. I want to stay in the story, I want to bring in Maoz
Inon, he's an award-winning Israeli peace activist and co-author of the forthcoming book, "The Future is Peace: A Sure Journey Across the Holy
Land".
[14:15:00]
He lost both his parents in the Hamas attack on October the 7th, 2023. Maoz, it's great to have you back on the show. You and I have spoken on
numerous occasions, and I think it's fair to say life has only got worse for the hostages and for the Palestinians since we last spoke. What is your
sense, Maoz, of the mood in Israel right now as we wait, of course, for word on these talks between Hamas and Israel? You heard our correspondent
in Hostage Square talking about a sense of optimism but tempered with caution, he said.
MAOZ INON, ISRAELI PEACE ACTIVIST: Yes, thanks Isa, for having me again on your show, and for your ongoing support in me and in my family. First, it's
a very sad day. Very sad day. It's two years since I lost my parents. My life was broken and my family was broken, and it's impossible to heal from
such a tragedy.
But tourist has passed, and we are doing everything we can to find a meaning, to find purpose for ourselves and for our children, for our loved
ones, and for our people. And the only way for us to find a meaning is by partnering with Palestinians in Gaza, in the West Bank, Palestinian
citizens of Israel to envision a different reality, a reality of equality, reality of security, of justice and peace.
And I can comment on your -- what your reporter said, and I think it says it perfectly. He named the negotiation team as players. And yes, they are
players playing in our life, in the life of the civilians in Gaza, in the life of the hostages. It's just a game for them, a game to keep them in
power, to keep the regime alive. And they thrive.
They thrive through this game. And while we are losing our life, dozens of people are being killed in Gaza now, every day. And the hostages are still
in the tunnels, and it's very sad.
SOARES: Yes, and Maoz, I mean, you brought up the politicians and like you said, and we heard from our Jeremy Diamond in Hostage Square, it is a day
of reflection. It is incredibly somber day. And my thoughts, my team thoughts are with you and your family. Of course, as you mark this two-year
anniversary. But you pointed there at the politicians.
And I wonder at this moment, in this somber anniversary where the questions are still being asked, how could this have happened? Where is the
accountability? We heard in Jeremy's piece from a family that, you know, they were quoted as saying, you heard him there, we want to know the truth.
Are those questions still being asked over accountability two years on?
INON: For me, those questions are irrelevant, and I will use the words of my friends Hamza Awadi(ph), my Palestinian friend that is willing to
forgive about the past, he's willing to forgive about the present, but won't and cannot forgive about the future. I care only about the future. I
don't care about the past. I don't care about the present. And I want my parents to be a sacrifice of peace and not victims of war.
So, we -- I encourage everyone to envision a different future, to dream about a different future. And the last two years also been a spiritual
journey for me. And I learned that the biggest power for humanity is the power of dreaming. And we are courageous and brave enough to dream, to
dream of Israelis and Palestinians living together.
And for me, it was accountable only to be punished, who started it? It's irrelevant. I care only to save life of the people living now, and about a
different future and a different reality.
SOARES: It's such a positive and important message. You know, you, like so many, Maoz, have endured profound loss. I'm sure you faced deep anger as
well. But amidst all of this, for those who have known you, who follow on social media, of course we've had you on the show. You have shown and found
the strength in forgiveness, and you've been fighting for reconciliation, building partnerships with Palestinians, calling more importantly for
peace.
How did you heal your wound, Maoz? What can other families learn? What was the biggest lesson, let's say, for you?
INON: So, again, thanks for asking. So, I think I can say there are three major lessons. Lesson number one is that hope is an action. It's not
something we find, not something we can lose or not something the politician will give us. Hope is an action that we create together,
Israelis and Palestinians.
[14:20:00]
By envisioning a different future and acting in order to make it into a reality. And I can promise you that in this dark time, time of despair,
there are so many Israelis and Palestinians, individuals from the civil society that are creating up on the ground. The second lesson that even
though today, as we mark the second anniversary of October 7th attack, the differences between the Israeli and Palestinian story -- stories are as far
away from ever.
It's so far away. The gap is so huge. But we meet in the future. Israelis and Palestinians meet in the future that is based on shared values and
common ground of equality, of dignity, recognition and shared acknowledgment, and of course, security and safety for both people. So,
with those lessons and choosing forgiveness, radical forgiveness regarding Hamas and regarding the Israeli government, I am able to resource all my
pain, all my -- all my agony and just in order to create a reality of peace.
So, this is a healing process for me. Fighting and walking and walking the path to peace, this is how I heal myself, and this is how my family is in a
-- how we heal ourselves, all my siblings are very much invested into reconciliation, into peace, and we see it as a -- as a family mission to
continue the legacy of our beloved parents.
SOARES: Radical forgiveness, I think that's something that we can all, including leaders, take on board. Maoz, it's always great to have you on
the show, thank you very much indeed.
INON: Thank you.
SOARES: Well, for Palestinians in Gaza, the past two years have brought an unprecedented level of death and destruction, and Israel responded with
force to the Hamas attacks of October the 7th. Health officials in Gaza say at least ten people have been killed just in the past 24 hours. UNICEF
global spokesperson James Elder is visiting what's left of medical facilities in the enclave.
He joined my colleague Bianna Golodryga from Khan Younis today and described just how dire conditions are. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES ELDER, SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF: I was in a tent outside, and there were three children, three little children, all who had been shot by
quadcopters, one of them getting water, one of them playing, one of them trying to get would -- no children here in school, that bedrock education.
No children are in school.
Those three children shot by a quadcopter. I go into the hospital, there's no other way to explain it, it's a war zone. There are children and the
elderly. Let's not forget the elderly in hospital corridors, bleeding, screaming despite doctors and nurses running 24 hours a day, who also spend
their nights living in tents because their homes have been destroyed.
There was a little boy on the floor who had been shot. He'd been there for five hours, his mum said finally, Bianna, they got him onto a stretcher.
The doctors put a yellow blanket on his child if they're critical, a blue one if they will die within an hour if they don't get help. He got taken
away.
Then a little girl came in, Shama(ph), five-year-old girl who had just been pulled from the rubble with all that look of terror and dust and ash on
her, she was OK. Doctors worked out, no internal injuries, but no one had yet at that point told her that her mum and her dad had been -- her mum and
her sister, rather, had been killed in that attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: James Elder in Khan Younis in Gaza. And still to come tonight, the U.S. President says he may use centuries-old law to force U.S. troops on
states and cities that are blocking his deployments. Plus, quick one liners in heated testimony will have the latest on today's Senate hearing with
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Let's get more on this. Kevin Liptak joins us from the White House. Kevin, good to see you. We just heard the President very clearly there.
Just explain to our viewers around the world what the Insurrection Act is, and what it would mean for the President to invoke it.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and it was originally written in the late 18th century, just around the founding of the country. It's
been revised periodically since then. And what it does is allow the President to deploy federal military assets to ensure that law is being
enforced around the country.
Ordinarily, it is against the law to use military assets for domestic law enforcement purposes. But this law, the Insurrection Act, essentially
allows the President to bypass that. It hasn't been revised in many decades. And what legal experts say is that, that makes it sort of ripe for
misuse and even abuse by a President.
The law says that the President can use this when he deems an insurrection is underway, but it gives the President sort of absolute authority to
define what an insurrection is. It hasn't been invoked in more than 30 years. The last time was when George H.W. Bush used it during the Rodney
King riots in 1992 in Los Angeles.
It had been used in the years before then when looting occurred in Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands after a hurricane, it was used in the
1960s, around some of the desegregation protests, but a president has not used it in decades. And I think the concern that you hear among legal
experts is why President Trump says that he wants to use it in this instance, it's not necessarily because there are what he calls
insurrections.
It's because he -- the courts are blocking him. He says that if the courts continue to stand in the way of his use of National Guard in cities like
Portland, Oregon, or Chicago, then that is when he might be able to use the Insurrection Act. And so, I think there is a lot of alarm among Democrats,
among legal experts about how exactly the President is defining what he's doing here.
We should be clear that he says that he hasn't seen it necessary to use it quite yet. But you do hear him and other top officials in the White House,
including Stephen Miller, the very powerful domestic policy adviser, continuing to use the word insurrection to describe what's happening in
these places essentially, sort of laying the pretext for the President eventually to use this law.
SOARES: Kevin Liptak laying it all out for us. Thanks very much, Kevin, good to see you. Let's stay in the United States. U.S. Attorney General Pam
Bondi in the hot seat before the Senate Judiciary Committee, this hearing comes as the Justice Department grapples with several controversies.
Senate Democrats claim Bondi is using the weight of the department to go after President Donald Trump's perceived enemies, and this includes the
indictment, if you remember, against former FBI Director James Comey. Bondi also faced tough questions on the Jeffrey Epstein files and the Trump
administration's push to use the military as Kevin was saying in U.S. cities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): They are going to transfer Texas National Guard units to the state of Illinois. What's the rationale for that?
PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL, UNITED STATES: Yes, chairman, as you shut down the government, you voted to shut down the government and you're sitting
here, our law enforcement officers aren't being paid. They're out there working to protect you. I wish you loved Chicago as much as you hate
President Trump. And currently, the National Guard are on the way to Chicago. If you're not going to protect your citizens, President Trump
will.
[14:30:18]
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): I've been on this committee for more than 20 years, that's the kind of testimony you expect from this administration. A
simple question as to whether or not they had a legal rationale for deploying National Guard troops becomes grounds for personal attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Evan Perez has more on today's very combative testimony.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Attorney General Pam Bondi sat for four and a half hours of questions with Republicans and
Democrats over the Justice Department Oversight and she came ready to push back at Democrats who are accusing her and the department of going after
the president's political enemies at the orders of the president.
She also got a lot of help from Republicans who wanted to try to turn the hearing towards another weaponization claim. A claim that during the
previous administration, the administration of Joe Biden, that the FBI had obtained the phone records of a number of Republican lawmakers during the
Jack Smith special counsel investigation of January 6th.
And so, what we saw though over the period of hours was a combative attorney general. It's a hearing of a kind that I've never seen certainly
in covering the Justice Department over 10 years. She was ready to push back on claims that the Justice Department was being weaponized against the
president's enemies. She refused to answer questions about any advice that the Justice Department has provided to the president on these extrajudicial
killings that have been going on in the Caribbean, blowing up these boats that are alleged to be carrying narcotics from Venezuela towards the United
States.
But Adam Schiff, the senator from California, was able to finally corner the attorney general when he asked her about these allegations that Tom
Homan, who is the border czar of the administration, whether he kept $50,000 that was part of an FBI sting operation alleging bribery
allegations. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Did he take the money?
BONDI: Senator Schiff, I answered that question multiple times. And frankly, you know --
SCHIFF: Well, I don't think -- with respect, I don't think you did. But in case I just didn't hear you, what is the answer? Did he take the money?
BONDI: Senator Schiff, that happened prior to my confirmation as attorney general.
SCHIFF: You understand, but do you know -- \
BONDI: I said that.
SCHIFF: Do you know sitting here whether he took the money?
BONDI: All I know is that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Patel said there was no case. And Karoline Leavitt is one of the
most trustworthy human beings I know.
SCHIFF: So, was she --
BONDI: And, you know, Senator Schiff, if you work for me, you would have been fired because you were censured by Congress for lying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREZ: At the end of the hearing, the attorney general made it clear that she was there to defend the administration, especially on the issue of
pushing back on blue cities, Democratic-run cities, and their issues with crime. She said that the president, whether the Democrats are willing to go
along with it or not, the president is willing to send in the National Guard and keep bringing in federal agents to investigate crime in those
cities.
She declined to address the question of whether the president is actually willing to invoke the Insurrection Act to try to get National Guard to
carry out law enforcement in some of those cities.
Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, Canada's prime minister is at the White House for talks with President Trump. What's on the agenda and how things
are going so far? We have the very latest.
Also coming up, as the French government remains unstable after its prime minister resigned, remember, President Emmanuel Macron is hoping he'll work
on forming a new government one last time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. A critical meeting today in Washington. President Donald Trump welcomed Canada's Prime Minister to the White House.
This is Mark Carney's second visit to the Oval Office in five months. And it comes amid fractures in the relationship between the long-allied
countries, with Mr. Trump's tariffs and his threat, if you remember, to annex Canada. That threat resurfacing today, even as the prime minister
tried to flatter the president before the meeting proceeded cordially.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: You are a transformative president. And since then, the transformation in the economy, unprecedented
commitments of NATO partners to defense spending, peace from India, Pakistan, through to Azerbaijan, Armenia, disabling Iran as a force of
terror. And now, and I'm running out of time, but this is, in many respects, the most important --
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The merger of Canada and the United States.
CARNEY: No, what you have -- that wasn't where I was going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: But of course, the focus of today's talks is on economic matters, as Canadians grow increasingly concerned about the cost of living amid
President Trump's tariffs. And the president saying it all comes down to competition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're competing for the same business. That's the problem. That's why I keep mentioning one way to solve that problem is
a very easy way. But we're competing for the same business. He wants to make cars. We want to make cars. And we're in competition. And the
advantage we have is we have this massive market. So, it's -- you know, it's quite an advantage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, our Paula Newton has been traveling with the Prime Minister. She joins me now from the White House. Paula -- in Washington, D.C., just
to say. Paula, we saw there a warm and pretty jovial meeting, little clips between both of them. And it's time that perhaps a trade deal may be top of
the agenda. What did you take away on the policy front, first of all?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Listen, Isa, definitely the trade deal is top of the agenda. But you have to realize this is a whole new world,
whether you're Canada or Mexico, that had this really ironclad free trade deal no longer. And the president made that clear in the Oval Office.
[14:40:00]
Now, Isa, this is the second time in about five months that the prime minister has been in there, and he's continued to follow the golden rule,
right? First, do no harm. Do no harm to your country. Do no harm to the economic interest.
As you guys have just showed, they have a very good relationship, but a frank one. And Donald Trump really signaled to not just Canada, but to all
allies, there will be no special deals and that he is a fan of tariffs and will continue to apply them. So, the point is, what kind of a deal can you
take away? This negotiation will continue for several months, and Canada's economy plainly, Isa, is hurting because of it.
I will say, though, that in terms of international affairs, it has gone much better between these two. It was just a few weeks ago that Canada
joined the U.K., France, Australia, others recognizing a Palestinian State. The White House was not appreciative about that. At the same time, Mark
Carney making it clear that he believes that President Trump is really the person who has any chance of getting a peace deal in the Middle East. And
that was something that the White House appreciates and something that the president appreciates.
Look, he said they just wrapped -- the prime minister just arrived at the embassy, the Canadian embassy here in D.C. just within the last couple of
minutes. We will try and get a readout on how all of this went. But just think about it, Isa, he's not taking any chances. He would not even
schedule a firm press conference out of this meeting. And we have yet to hear what substantively was accomplished in that room.
And we heard President Trump, Paula, joke that his next global project was going to be, and I'm quoting, "the merger of Canada and the United States."
But despite that line, the rapport between both was very warm with Carney even calling Trump a transformative president. You were in that Oval
Office. You were there. Give us a sense of that report and how that may be viewed at home.
NEWTON: So, at home, we'll start with what's -- how it's viewed in Canada. Listen, Canada right now has a huge anti-American sentiment going. It is
not necessarily against Americans, but it is by and large a boycott of President Trump's policies. And that is having economic implications, Isa,
not just in Canada, but very acutely in the United States.
I'm just going to give you one example. One in five tourists to Las Vegas, normally Canadian in past years, that business is down anywhere from 20 to
30 percent or more. That is hurting the City of Las Vegas. President Trump knows this. Mark Carney knows this. And yet, it doesn't seem to get either
party there to the table to get a trade deal that is really going to happen quickly here. This is still months more of negotiation.
It was very funny to see the attitude between the two of them. The president really hung back, not the way he did with Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau. He really is trying to have that respectful tone and line with Mark Carney. He appreciates his economic acumen from being the governor of
the Bank of England, the governor of the Bank of Canada. And for that reason, certainly, the meeting went over time.
And I am told behind the scenes that whenever the president and the prime minister are texting, calling, or in the same room, that Donald Trump picks
the prime minister's brain on a lot of different issues, including China, not just Canada-U.S. relations. So, as I said, we'll continue to wait over
the next few hours to see if anything substantive was accomplished.
SOARES: Yes, as soon as you have a readout of that meeting, do come back to U.S. Paula Newton, outside the Canadian Embassy there in Washington. Good
to see you, Paula. Thank you.
And still to come tonight with its prime minister stepping down, some believe France's president should step aside as well. Up next, details on
what's being done to stabilize the government. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
SOARES: French President Emmanuel Macron says he will, quote, "face up to his consequences." Much to think about, really, as he wanders alone by the
Seine River as his grip on his future slips away. All of this as a snap election or early election could likely be held. Outgoing French Prime
Minister Sebastien Lecornu says he should know by Wednesday, by tomorrow, if he can stabilize the government. Our Senior Paris Correspondent Melissa
Bell has this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR PARIS CORRESPONDENT: Last-ditch negotiations are underway here in Paris as Sebastien Lecornu tries one last time to cobble
together a functioning government. This at the request of President Macron, who asked him after he'd resigned on Monday to give that government one
last chance. He has to convince those parties who'd agreed to work with him originally about the composition of the government, and he has until
Wednesday evening to do so.
He tweeted himself, Sebastien Lecornu, about these negotiations, saying that the urgency here was to try and deal with the budget. The French
government has until the middle of October to get before Parliament budgetary proposals that need to involve budget cuts if France is to avoid
its looming debt crisis. All of this, putting extra pressure on the shoulders of a man who's giving these last-ditch talks a try.
Should Sebastien Lecornu fail in convincing his partners, those parties with which he had hoped to work to do so, then we understand that the
French president will be taking his responsibilities. What he means by that is far from clear. Essentially, three options before him, either dissolving
Parliament once again, but polls show that a snap parliamentary election would see the far-right do even better than the last time Parliament was
dissolved in June of 2024.
He could also try and name another prime minister, but at this stage, he's seen five prime ministers come and go since the start of his second term,
and there are fears that once again this might not work and once again waste time.
The third option, which had seemed very unlikely because the French president had said all along that he would not be resigning and would be
sticking it out until the presidential election of 2027, would be that he calls a snap early presidential election. The trouble with that, polls also
suggest that the far-right would do very well, with the latest polls suggesting they would get up to 35 percent of the vote.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, CNN captures the moment a journalist deported from the U.S. reunites with his family. Here his message to those
considering migrating to the U.S., that is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
SOARES: And this just in to CNN, let me show you these images. The Texas National Guard is now on the ground, as you can see there in Elwood in
Illinois. These are pictures from Illinois from a short time ago of troops on the ground at a military facility just outside of Chicago. The Texas
governor said, "the troops have specialized training to deal with civil disturbances," and I'm quoting there. President Trump deployed the troops
there against the wishes of the Illinois governor.
Let me tell you a bit more of what Abbott is saying -- Texas Governor Greg Abbott is saying -- said to an affiliate to -- Fox News, I should says,
this afternoon. He said, they put that training to use for years under the Biden administration when they had to confront civil unrest along the
border, especially those who were coming across the border. They're experiencing being able to back up the ICE agents and other federal agents
to make sure that they'll be able to execute the law safely and effectively.
So, if you're just joining U.S., Texas National Guard troops have arrived in Illinois, and according to the governor there, have specialized training
to deal with civil disturbances. We also know there are about approximately 200 troops were part of the initial deployment. We'll stay on top of this
story for you.
Well, the Committee to Protect Journalists is calling the deportation of a Salvadoran journalist, quote, "a troubling sign" of the deteriorating
freedom of the press under the Trump administration. Emmy-winning journalist Mario Guevara was detained while reporting in the US and
ultimately deported to El Salvador after months in ICE custody. That detention continued even after a Georgia immigration judge ordered his
release on bond in early July. Our Gustavo Valdes follows Guevara as he gets used to life back in San Salvador.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Mario Guevara is a tourist in his own country, rediscovering a place he left over 20 years ago after
facing threats for his work as a journalist.
This is where he was attacked, he said, with sticks and rocks before fleeing the country. He sought asylum in the United States, but it was
denied in 2012. But yet, immigration authorities allowed him to stay and work as a journalist.
That changed in late June when he was arrested by local police while covering a protest in Atlanta. Immigration authorities took notice and
reopened his immigration case and detained him for nearly four months. He says an agent confronted him while in custody.
MARIO GUEVARA, JOURNALIST DEPORTED FROM U.S. TO EL SALVADOR: Mario, why are you following us? You give us a hard time. I tell you, don't take it
personally, it was my job. I tried to inform my community. It was nothing against you.
VALDES (voice-over): He was deported last week. And as he finds again the city he grew up in, food is helping him deal with the change. He lost 30
pounds while detained. So, for now, he's allowing himself to regain some of it back. Sharing the experience with the family he left behind, he says he
was ready to comply with the judge's order to return to El Salvador in 2012. But immigration authorities told him he could stay. Now, he wonders
if it would have been better if they had.
GUEVARA: They have to be honest. They have to tell the immigrant, you don't have options. You don't have a choice to stay here. You will lose the case,
you will lose the case, and you will be deported. You only waste time and money. Don't do it.
[14:55:00]
VALDES (voice-over): He admits he likes some of the ideas put forward by Donald Trump, because the ideals of the Republican Party align more with
his Christian faith. But he regrets dismissing Trump's message on immigration.
GUEVARA: But I never imagined there would be something like he's doing now. He's doing something terrible against our community.
VALDES (voice-over): This week, he gets to enjoy time with his two sons, who came to visit, and deliver equipment so he can go back to be in our
reporter. A journalist who says his stories about the immigrant experience will now be different.
GUEVARA: I think it's more human, because I will understand more than before, because now, I'm sure where they live, I'm sure what they told me.
VALDES (voice-over): For the people who are thinking about migrating to the U.S., he has a message. Don't do it. It's not worth it right now.
GUEVARA: The only thing I can say, President Trump, is be fair with others. Don't matter the color of their skin.
VALDES (voice-over): Gustavo Valdes, CNN, San Salvador.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And that does it for us for tonight. Thank you for watching. Do stay right here. What We Know with Max Foster is up next. I shall see you
tomorrow. Bye-bye.
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[15:00:00]
END
