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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump Meets With Zelenskyy At The White House; Prince Andrew Relinquishes Duke Of York Title Following Accusations Of His Ties to Late Sex Offender Epstein; Prince Andrew To Give Up Royal Titles After Series Of Scandals; Trump Critic Bolton Pleads Not Guilty At His Arraignment; Hamas Has Released 9 Of 28 Deceased Hostages In Gaza; Sources: Some Crew Survived Thursday Boat Attack By U.S. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired October 17, 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]
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Including the Middle East, I've solved -- this I thought would have been among the easiest. We solved
-- President Putin mentioned yesterday Armenia, you know, all of the different wars, he said was amazing because we -- but the big one that he
was surprised that we were able to settle was the Middle East.
He thought it was incredible. He was very generous in that sense. This should be something we're able to settle. And I think we will be able to
settle --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --
TRUMP: Brian(ph) --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On that note, you will go down as the peacemaker in -- no doubt, and you will resolve this war.
TRUMP: Well, you know, we resolved eight others. It's funny how people say that. If you get this one -- every time I do one, they forget about that
one. I solved eight wars. Go to Rwanda and the Congo, talk about India and Pakistan, look at Thailand, look at -- look at all of the wars that we
solved.
And every time I solve one, they say, if you solve the next one, you're going to get the Nobel Prize. I didn't get a Nobel Prize. I -- somebody got
it, who is a very nice woman, very nice. I don't know who she is, but she was very generous. So, I don't care about all that stuff. I just care about
saving lives.
But this will be number nine. But every time I solve one, they said, sir, if you solve one more, you're going to be known as the peacekeeper. So, to
the best of my knowledge, we've never had a president that solved one war. Not one war. Bush started a war, a lot of them start wars, but they don't
solve the wars.
They don't settle them. And especially when they're not -- when they have nothing to do with us. I solved -- almost, I guess just about all of these
wars had nothing to do with us. But I saved tens of millions of lives. The Prime Minister of Pakistan said, I saved millions of lives in interceding
on Pakistan.
And you look at Pakistan and India as an example. That would have been a bad one, two nuclear nations, right? So, I say this, this is pretty much
the last one, although I do understand that Pakistan attacked or there is an attack going on with Afghanistan. That's an easy one for me to solve if
I have to solve it.
In the meantime, I have to run the USA, but I love solving wars. You know why? I like stopping people from being killed. And I've saved millions and
millions of lives. And I think we're going to have success with this war.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Wait, please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Zelenskyy, this is your third time over here - - and by the way, you look excellent.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE: Thank you sir, thank you --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy for you by the way --
ZELENSKYY: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is your third time here. How different sitting across from the President is this time versus the two previous times here
at the White House? And how confident are you hearing the success rate of solving these prior wars, that you can -- he can get this war solved?
ZELENSKYY: First of all, about suit, the same suit because the same president. It's very simple. The next president will have another suit.
Yes, about our relations with President Trump, I think we have important dialogues, and I think we begin to understand each other, yes. And I know
that President is briefed very well about situation on the battlefield, and he knows a lot what's going on, on the battlefield in Ukraine.
And I think it really helps when you know a lot of things, a lot of details about one or another war, it helps a lot. But we are still in war, and now,
we can manage it, I think it's important --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, on NATO, one --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are some countries that are not meeting their commitment. You pointed out, Spain, they said that like it's impossible --
TRUMP: No, Spain has not come through. No, Spain has not been loyal to NATO. Spain has been -- they're the only one. Everyone went up to -- as you
know, I mean, you were at 2 percent, and they all went up to 5 percent, but Spain disagreed with that. I think Spain should be reprimanded for that. I
think it's very bad that they did that, but that's up to them. That's up to NATO and Spain.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They cannot be expelled from NATO --
TRUMP: Can they or not?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They cannot according to the treaty. But they also claim that they are protected by the European Union umbrella for trade. And so --
TRUMP: So, the other people, many of the other countries are in the European Union, too. They're not complaining, right?
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Sort of interest --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President -- you're talking that they didn't tell you that Putin is furious.
TRUMP: That's so interesting --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
TRUMP: Yes, go ahead --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President. Can you -- do you think you can carry the momentum from the Middle East deal over to this deal?
TRUMP: I do --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And if settled, how does that move the needle?
TRUMP: Yes, I do, I think we carry a lot of momentum, a lot of credibility. Getting Middle East done was very important. Nobody thought it could be
done. That was one nobody thought could be done, and we got it done.
[14:05:00]
And a lot of that was the big hit that we put on Iran with respect to the nuclear. They took -- that was a -- that was an unbelievable military
maneuver. The B-2s and many other planes involved, by the way. But the B- 2s. Yes, I think nobody expected that to happen. And you know, we had 59 countries involved, and these were countries very diverse.
You had Arab, Muslim, Jewish, you had every kind of -- you had in every country, Christian. You had every country -- and many countries involved.
And we got that done, and we got it done pretty swiftly after we -- after we set the table properly. We had to set the table properly. This should be
one that we got done.
And I think the table is set properly here now too, and it will be a great honor --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: It will be a great honor to get it done. And the Ukrainian people are great, and the Russian people are great, and obviously, they have much
in common, as we understand. They have a lot in common. So, it will be a great honor to get it done.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On Venezuela, there are survivors from your latest boat strike. What happens to those survivors?
TRUMP: Well, I'll ask Marco to discuss that possibly.
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: Yes, it's well known there's an ongoing narco terrorist operation the United States has been
conducting. As far as details of any recent strikes, we're not prepared here to announce all those details, but you'll get that information here
very shortly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And how are those survivors when these are meant to be lethal attacks?
RUBIO: Yes, again, I mean, we're undertaking these operations against narco terrorists. That's what these are. These are terrorists. Let's be clear.
And -- but as far as the details of any recent operations, when they -- when they -- when we are prepared to announce those, we will, as the
President has consistently done. So, you may get something on that later today.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Let me ask you, that was in a submarine, right? It was -- we attacked a submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine built
specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs. Just so you understand. This was not an innocent group of people. I don't know too
many people that have submarines. And that was an attack on a drug-carrying loaded up submarine. Yes --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On Putin, do -- is it your belief, as Mr. Zelenskyy said yesterday, that the threat of Tomahawks and costs, as Secretary Hegseth put
it, is that bringing him to the table, the fact that it's kind of a carrot- and-stick --
TRUMP: I don't know what's bringing him to it, I think he wants to make a deal. That's all. I can't tell you what's bringing him. Sure, that's -- the
threat of that is good. But the threat of that is always there. Tomahawks are very dangerous weapons. They're incredible weapons. If you like
warfare, it's one of the most accurate -- you know, we used -- we had 30 Tomahawks in Iran after the B2s did their damage.
We sort of gave it a little capper with 30 Tomahawks from a submarine, quite far away, actually. But they're an amazing weapon. They're very
powerful weapons, but they're a very dangerous weapon. And it could mean big -- you know, escalation. It could mean -- a lot of bad things can
happen. Tomahawks are a big deal.
But one thing I have to say, we want Tomahawks also, we don't want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country. We have a very
strong country right now. We have a strong military. We have the greatest military in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. I want to
get this war over.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Putin-Trump tunnel to connect Russia and Alaska. Are you interested?
TRUMP: I just heard about it. A tunnel from Russia to Alaska, I just heard about that one. That's an interesting one, we'll have to think about that.
I hadn't heard that. We just did a nice road in Alaska that's going to get us to a lot of minerals, and we have a piece of it, a good piece of the
ownership because of the fact we made it possible.
But this came up yesterday, a tunnel from Russia to Alaska. That's an interesting -- what do you think of that Mr. President? Do you have any
ideas? How do you like that idea?
ZELENSKYY: I'm not happy with this.
TRUMP: Yes, I don't think you're going to like it.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: I don't think he liked it. I don't think he'll like --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump, do you think that Vladimir Putin -- do you think that Putin is your -- your gut instinct.
TRUMP: Well, we had a senator that wanted -- remember, from Hawaii. She wanted a tunnel from the mainland to Hawaii. Then she said, well, we can't
do that. So, we're going to build a railroad to Hawaii. Do you remember? She's a current sitting senator, a Democrat. She wants a railroad to go to
Hawaii, right? You know who that is, right? She's another --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On your phone --
TRUMP: She's another beauty --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Yes, Please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On your meeting with Putin, aren't you concerned that maybe the Russian President is trying to buy himself more time --
[14:10:00]
TRUMP: Yes, I am, but you know, I've been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well. So, it's possible, yes. A little time,
it's all right --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is your gut instinct --
TRUMP: But I think that I'm pretty good at this stuff. I think that he wants to make a deal. I made eight of them, I'm going to make a ninth. I
think he wants to make a deal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, still on Russia, what do you think the target is, judging by the state of its economy?
TRUMP: Well, I think -- I think that he should have won the war in a week. Yes, I do think. And if we didn't -- if we didn't give the anti-tank
missiles, as you know, the Javelins, they call them, they got stuck in the mud, they would have been in Kyiv very quickly. They were heading to Kyiv.
So, you know, in war, you have a lot of luck too.
You know, people, weather has one war and the cold and the heat and all things take place in war, but that was a very interesting moment when the
tanks started rolling and some brilliant Generals said, let's go through the mud instead of going down the highway, right? So, they got a little bit
lucky, but you know where they really got lucky?
I gave Javelins. That wasn't given by Barack Hussein Obama. He gave them sheets. You know, there's a statement, Obama gave them sheets and I gave
them Javelins, and the Javelins are a devastating weapon, and that wasn't given by Obama. That was given by -- because at the time, it was Obama.
That was given by -- that was given by me. So, it was like one of those things, and you had hundreds of them, hundreds of them. They were
devastating weapons. We have a lot of devastating weapons, I'd rather not use them, but that was a big moment. You know, when the tanks, when the
tanks got stuck, they got stuck. And call it luck or call it talent, I'm not sure what you'd call it, but it was a big moment in time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think Democrats would give you credit? Do you think Democrats will give you credit when you finally end this war, like
they did with the war in the Middle East and sent --
TRUMP: I think right now, the Democrats are really damaged, mentally damaged. They want to take $1.5 trillion with a T, trillion dollars and
give it to people that invaded our country. They came into our country illegally from prisons, from mental institutions, gang members. They want
to give them healthcare and take it away from our citizens. We're not going to do that, $1.5 trillion.
They want to destroy -- they want to destroy our healthcare system. We're not going to let that happen.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you -- have you authorized, Mr. President, CIA operations in Venezuela as part --
TRUMP: Well, I wouldn't say that, but some interesting things are happening around the world, I'll say that.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, it has been reported that Maduro offered everything in its -- in his country, all the natural resources. He even
recorded a message to you in English recently, offering mediation.
TRUMP: He's --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What should he do in order to --
TRUMP: He has --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop that?
TRUMP: He has offered everything. He's offered everything. You're right. You know why? Because he doesn't want to fuck around with the United
States. Thank you everybody. Thank you --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
TRUMP: Thank you everybody. That's it --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you press, let's go, everyone, thank you guys. Guys, let's go, start moving, thank you, guys, let's go --
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and a very warm welcome everyone, I'm Isa Soares, you have just been listening to U.S. President
Donald Trump and Ukraine President sitting at the office, Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting at the White House, it's supposed to be a working lunch.
And we -- President Trump saying they are planning to discuss new capabilities principally, as you heard, Tomahawks.
This comes on the heels, if you remember, this time yesterday, President Trump had a lengthy phone call with President Putin. We know now they're
expected to meet in Hungary in the next two weeks or so. And I would say that the top line from what we heard there, as President Zelenskyy was
sitting in front of him, is on the question of those long-range Tomahawk missiles.
He was asked about whether he would be providing them, and he said, hopefully, we'll be able to get the war with -- without Tomahawks, without
needing Tomahawks. I think we are close to that. Didn't sound like he was - - that he would be providing that. We did hear President Zelenskyy saying that we need Tomahawks.
He said, you know, we need to sit and speak. We need a ceasefire. We need strong security guarantees. Zelenskyy said. NATO is very important, but so
are weapons, and we need Tomahawks. Let's get more from our team who are listening in to what we heard. Kevin Liptak standing by at the White House,
our chief international security correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh joins me here in the studio.
Kevin, to you first, what stood out, it doesn't -- it doesn't seem like he's going to get those Tomahawks though -- oh you're here, apologies.
Though, they are talking about it. What did you take away?
[14:15:00]
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and I don't think he's taking the Tomahawks off the table by any means, but certainly, it doesn't sound
as if Zelenskyy will be obtaining them in the near term. And that's interesting because we have been hearing from officials over the last
several days that the President did seem warming to this idea of allowing Ukraine, this new capability that Zelenskyy says that he so badly needs to
turn the momentum around on the battlefield.
But the President saying here, very notably, one day after speaking with Vladimir Putin, that he hopes the war is resolved before those Tomahawks
are actually needed, and also raising the prospect that the United States still needs these weapons. You know, they are not in limitless supply, and
the President essentially suggesting that the U.S. needs them more than Ukraine will need them.
He did raise the idea of potentially some sort of weapons swap, you know, Tomahawks in exchange for these Ukrainian drones that have proved so
effective on the battlefield. But I think in some -- it was pretty evident that the President is not nearing that decision to grant that new
capability. The President sounds pretty optimistic, in fact, that Vladimir Putin seems ready to come back to the negotiating table.
You know, he says, I think Putin wants to end the war. This is very reminiscent of what President Trump was saying in the lead up to that
Alaska summit in August, he seemed pretty confident that Putin was coming to Anchorage, to agree to a deal that would end the conflict. Of course,
time has told us that, that was not the case.
Vladimir Putin seems no more willing to end the war now than he was back then, but it does seem evident that the President thinks that there is some
momentum building here. I thought there was a very interesting moment at the very end of that spray, when the President did seem to allow that Putin
may be stringing him along here.
He was asked whether he was concerned that Putin was playing for time, and he said, yes, I am concerned. But that quote, "I've been played all my life
by the best of them", and that he has ended up well for him all along. And I did want to make sure that you and the viewers caught what the President
said at the very end of this, which was that why he thought Putin was so willing to come to the negotiating table.
And he said, he doesn't want to f-around with the United States. And that, I think, basically sums up what the President's stances in all of this. He
thinks that he has leverage with Putin. He thinks Russia doesn't want to essentially erupt a relationship that could develop in the future, whether
it's economic or military.
The President saying pretty explicitly there, that Putin doesn't want to f with the U.S., and then sort of ending the meeting right there.
SOARES: Yes, that I had to double-take on that one, too. I wasn't sure whether I'd heard correctly, but I was surprised that he also acknowledged
that he'd been played all his life, but he thinks he's good at it. But it still begs the question, Nick, why then have -- hasn't he used any
leverage?
Let me pick up the first point that Kevin made, and that was this proposition of swapping, you know, Tomahawks for drones. First, is that
new? And two, from what you heard, does that suggest that he -- that Zelenskyy is going to walk away with anything today?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: No, I think it was pretty clear --
SOARES: Yes --
WALSH: From the way Trump phrased this was that he knew Tomahawks were dangerous, they would be an escalation, that a lot of bad things could
happen. I quote here, and that the key point of this meeting, we're going to talk about that, it is an escalation. This meeting was about discussing
Tomahawks, but at the same time, he hopes he wouldn't have to give them -- make the war end through peace.
So, clearly, Zelenskyy, coming there transformed relationship with this Trump administration from the visit back in February. They know in Ukraine,
that they have firsthand battlefield experience of this new kind of drone warfare that NATO is desperately trying to catch up with, seeing Russian
drones entering their airspace recently.
So, he's clearly come to talk to weapons manufacturers and to the White House about what Ukraine can offer back in exchange with this very
transactional administrations in the event that Tomahawks are given to them. But Trump in no way there at all trying to hide how dangerous he
feels Tomahawks could be, how they use 30 against Iran after B-2 bombers went in and they hit Fordow.
So, clearly, there are the White House cognizant of the fact they want to sound like they're willing to escalate here, they recognize how dangerous
that could be. But at the same time, also still convinced that they believe Putin wants peace. We got a slight insight, too, into the parts of the
flattery that Putin used during his two-hour phone call --
SOARES: Yes --
WALSH: With Trump, saying, you know, he didn't think it was difficult war, the Middle East. He didn't think he'd be able to do it. But Putin sort of
saying he was surprised how he managed to get that done, saying that -- Trump saying he wants this to be war number nine that he's stopped. The
confidence and the self-belief there possibly not a match to the facts on the ground right now.
But there's an important point to remember that Putin has thrown everything at this Summer offensive. That's what everyone thought he was trying to buy
time for, with this diplomacy that went nowhere --
SOARES: Yes --
WALSH: These endless --
SOARES: Yes --
[14:20:00]
WALSH: Meetings, Alaska, everything that suddenly we would see a change on the eastern frontline with the towns that he wanted. Pokrovsk,
Kostiantynivka and Kupiansk, small but so important to Moscow that he would get them. He hasn't. He's got about a month until the ground hardens, the
trees lose their leaves, and it becomes very hard for advancing armies to make any progress at all.
And so, maybe, he's playing for another month.
SOARES: But he thought --
WALSH: But he's really not got what he felt, and I think that's the change here. Ukraine has remarkably withered this Summer -- weathered this Summer
offensive and is now coming with more cards to President Trump.
SOARES: And President Zelenskyy telling President Trump, and you know, you know the territory so well. You know --
WALSH: Studied the battlefield, yes --
SOARES: What's happening. You know the battlefield. So, I think that plays of course, into the discussions they'll have in this working lunch. Nick,
Kevin, thank you very much indeed. I want to stay with this. I want to go to Kyiv for the Ukrainian perspective. Joining me now is Dmytro Kuleba, the
Ukraine's former Foreign Minister.
Minister Kuleba, you're -- I'm sure you heard that little press conference that went on for what? Thirty seconds or so, that little briefing. What did
you take away?
DMYTRO KULEBA, FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER OF UKRAINE: Well, from what we've heard so far, I think it will be fair and safe to say that we are heading
towards Alaska 2 meeting. The same message that Putin wants a deal, Zelenskyy wants a deal. The only difference between then and now is that it
was the threat of a sanctions bill that was used as a leverage to kind of nudge Putin into a conversation.
And this time, it's the threat of delivering Tomahawks to Ukraine that is being used as leverage. But if -- think if nothing changes, I'm afraid the
outcome of the meeting in Hungary will be the same as the one in Alaska.
SOARES: Yes, it doesn't feel -- from what we've heard today, Mr. Kuleba, that we're -- that Ukraine will get those, he said, President Trump,
hopefully, we'll be able to get the war over without needing Tomahawks, I think we're close to that. And President Zelenskyy making very clear that
Putin is not ready for peace.
I wonder then, what you think this meeting in Hungary can achieve. We've had so many meetings, so many deadlines, and nothing's come of it. Is
President Trump being played? He said, I've been played all my life.
KULEBA: Well, we have an interesting situation here because President Putin could have said exactly the same words as President Trump did, that he had
been -- he has been played by everyone from -- in the West all his life. But he always wanted, always turned out for the -- for better for him.
So, we have two people at the table who believe that they have vast experience in playing others out. And we have another man, President
Zelenskyy, who believes that he can prove to everyone that he can actually play them out. So, it's a -- it's a very interesting combination of people,
that will try to negotiate a peace deal.
I think the only beneficiary of the -- the only real beneficiary of the meeting again in Hungary will be Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He doesn't
take any risks. He does not. He's not losing anything. He is asserting himself, he will get the result. But again, from everything we've heard so
far, I'm afraid chances are slim that the meeting in Hungary will produce tangible results. I hope it will not be the case and things --
SOARES: Yes --
KULEBA: Will change. But again, we are where we are.
SOARES: And he -- President Trump did talk about Viktor Orban, saying that we like him, I think was the word he used. For our viewers, you know,
Minister Kuleba, we've been speaking for so long about these long-range Tomahawk missiles. What difference would they make in real terms to the
war?
KULEBA: Well, they would certainly strengthen Ukraine's striking capability. And I believe Ukraine could try to hit defense industry
facilities in Russia, that are producing drones, the deadly drones that destroy Ukrainian economy and energy system and kill Ukrainian civilians
every day. This weapon could have -- could of course, make Ukraine stronger.
But I think it will be an exaggeration to believe that one weapon can change the course of the war.
SOARES: Yes --
KULEBA: Now, it is the system. It's a complexity of decisions, efforts and moves that will change the course of the war. Tomahawk is one of them, it
can be one of them. But we should have no illusions that it is something that will change everything once it happens.
SOARES: Yes, and President Trump saying they're incredible, but they are dangerous weapons, saying this could mean escalation. He also said -- we
also -- we also want Tomahawks.
[14:25:00]
I am -- it takes me back to the conversation really that we heard from President Trump yesterday following his call with President Putin. And the
timing, I think, in diplomacy is everything right? Because President Putin -- President Trump and President Putin's call, I'm guessing wasn't a
coincidence. Putin asked for it, knowing too well that Zelenskyy, of course, would be at the White House today.
Then we heard Putin pretty much sweet-talking the President, dangling economic deals, praising him as a peacemaker. Do you believe, then, that
the White House has a handle of this? Do you think the White House believes that President Putin intends to end the war?
KULEBA: Well, if they really believe that Putin wants to end the war, then we are in trouble. But perhaps, they are just using it as a diplomatic
technique, kind of in order not to cut bridges, and not to alienate the other side if the administration is playing the role of a mediator. And in
that sense, this approach is not unique to President Trump and his people.
We've seen throughout history of diplomacy that sometimes the worst thing you can do is to alienate the other side. So, you have to kind of play a
game with it, pretend you are encouraging and embracing the other side. So, if it's a part of the game, if this is how President Trump is trying to
play President Putin, then it's a smart thing to do.
But if they're serious, then, as I said, I'm afraid we are in trouble because this is -- the only reason why this working genius is, because
President Putin still believes that he can win it militarily.
SOARES: Yes, indeed. And that is what he -- and that's all he intentions. And of course, if it is a game, it is a very long game and it's cost
numerous of course, many lives. Mr. Kuleba, great to have you on the show. Thank you for hanging on as we heard -- we were listening there to
President Trump and President Zelenskyy.
A very busy hour this hour. We have breaking news right here from the U.K. Britain's Prince Andrew says he's giving up his royal titles, including
Duke of war -- Duke of York, pardon me. He says he has discussed the matter with King Charles, he's denying the accusations against him. Let's get
straight to our royal correspondent, Max Foster. Max, what more do we know? What does the statement say?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he hasn't technically given up his titles, but we'll come to that in a moment. I know why he was saying it
--
SOARES: OK --
FOSTER: But this is after consultations with the king, other members of the royal family, also with Prince William. Of course, I'm told that the king
is glad of the outcome. So, read into that what you will. The decision, I've been told, was taken in recognition of the fact that the prince's
personal issues continue to be an unwelcome distraction from the work of the wider royal family. Read into that, Isa.
His associations with Epstein, and how they kept on blowing up. I think one of the most damning things that happened most recently was a couple of
British newspapers had an e-mail from Prince Andrew to Epstein, which was dated after the date where he said he had broken all contact with Epstein.
So, we were expecting more revelations to come out of all these Epstein files.
Maybe there's going to be more. It's just become too much of a distraction for the royal family. In terms of what it means, it means that there are --
the titles that he has, he's agreed to no longer use. They haven't been taken from him. So, Duke of York, he's no longer going to use that title.
And there are various other titles that he has and honors, he's no longer going to use them.
But they haven't been actually taken away. This was the quickest and cleanest way of doing it. Frankly, because taking away Duke of York would
need an act of parliament. So, this is just a swift solution, I think, for the royal family to get away from this scandal. And Prince Andrew has
agreed to it all.
He is, Isa, still Prince Andrew. That title is never going to be taken away because he was born with that title, being the son and a grandson of a
monarch. So, that can't be taken away. So, he is still Prince Andrew, so, that's how it stands.
SOARES: And for our viewers, Max, just joining us, what we have seen, of course, within U.K., we follow this very closely, but we have seen clever
drip feed, haven't we? Of allegations like you said, endless distraction, of course, for the royal family and for other members of the royal family.
Just bring us up-to-date with all the allegations that, you know, that really point towards Epstein.
FOSTER: Well, you know, these rumors have been around for a while. He decided to do a big "BBC" interview on it. It absolutely backfired. There
were lots of inconsistencies in that interview, and he came across terribly, and that cost him his job as a working royal. At that point, he
was also stopped from using the title your royal highness, which is, you know, a sign of seniority within the royal family.
So, he got cast out as it were. But then things keep happening as I describe, you know, more emails, more scandal. It just won't go away. And
the family just feels as though it's just too much of a distraction now.
[14:30:23]
We haven't seen him in public for a long time, but he does appear at private family events where there are cameras. So, if there's a family
event, we will see him. That's even going to change now, Isa. He's really been thrown out into the cold now. I'm told that he's not even going to be
invited to Christmas. So, we won't see him at any public events at all.
And you know, what he did have in terms of a public profile has been completely stripped away from him. He's lost all privileges. I mean, think
about the order of the garter. It is the highest level of chivalry. This is the outfit they wear for those occasions in the U.K. He's no longer part of
that. You know, it speaks to the whole problem, doesn't it? Chivalry. Is he seen as chivalrous?
SOARES: What does it -- what does it mean for his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and his two -- his two daughters? Do we know? I know -- I know you're still
doing -- chasing all the news lines and making contacts with your sources. What are you hearing on that?
FOSTER: Well, you know, all they're saying is she for a long time she's been known as Sarah Ferguson in her professional capacity and will do so in
all other areas. Not entirely true. She does call herself the Duchess of York sometimes. She certainly on social media calls herself the Duchess.
She -- I'm sure -- you know, having looked at how she operates, she doesn't want to cause any more problems for Prince Andrew. I think she'll probably
agree not to use that title as well.
And in terms of the children, it's an interesting one. They are both princesses. They are actually quite fondly regarded within the Royal
Family. They have been associated with Epstein to some extent because they took a jet with him, we found out recently. But I think that they will
still be included certainly to a much bigger extent than Prince Andrew because, you know, they're not the ones that caused all of these problems.
SOARES: Yes. I know you'll stay across there too. You heard the breaking news there. We've heard from Prince Andrew's very short and very concise
statement. Max, I know you'll stay across it for us. Thank you very much indeed. And Max will be back in about 13 minutes with his show.
Still to come tonight, meanwhile, we'll have the latest in the charges being levied against one of Donald Trump's most prominent critics. Why
analysts say John Bolton is being targeted by the American President. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:36:09]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Not guilty, the words of John Bolton, who made his first court appearance a short time ago since being indicted on 18
federal charges. He is accused of mishandling classified documents. Bolton was U.S. President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser for a time
during his first term, if you remember. They parted on bad terms. And now, Bolton says he's a victim of Trump's weaponization of the Justice
Department.
This is the third time in recent weeks the DOJ has secured criminal charges against one of President's critics. A story that we have followed here on
the show.
Our Senior U.S. Justice Correspondent Evan Perez joins us now. Evan, good to see you. So, he pleaded not guilty. Walk us through the counts of what
happened inside the court today.
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Isa. So, when we saw John Bolton today, he was a lot more subdued. He's usually a very
friendly presence. Certainly, he knows a lot of us in the media. He spent a lot of time here in -- at CNN. You and I have talked to him many, many
times. But obviously these charges are very serious. This is a very serious case.
There's 18 counts of transmission and of retention of national security documents or national security information. And some of the documents
according to the prosecutors involve discussing covert action by the U.S. government talk about -- talking about intelligence on an adversary
leadership. These are things that are meant to be kept in secure locations. But according to prosecutors, he was sharing some of these things in a sort
of like a diary he was keeping while he was in office, sending them to himself via his AOL account, an unsecure AOL account, as well as to his
wife and his daughter. And the purpose of this appears to have been, again, to build a diary for a perhaps a future memoir.
So, what prosecutors though are saying here is that this is a case that goes back to 2022. This is when the Iranians hacked his AOL account, and
they were even taunting him. They were saying that they were going to expose some of the secrets that he had on there and that it would become a
bigger scandal than the Hillary Clinton email scandal. Even taunting him saying good luck Mr. Mustache.
So, what we have now is a case that I think you know definitely is start stands in contrast to the cases of Comey and Letitia James which are recent
cases that were brought by the Trump Justice Department simply because the seriousness of these charges. Isa?
SOARES: Evan Perez, good to see you, my friend. Thank you.
PEREZ: You too. Thanks.
SOARES: Let's stay on this story. Joining me now is Corey Brettschneider, political science professor at Brown University, co-host of the podcast The
Oath and the Office, and author of the book, The Presidents And The People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy And The Citizens Who Fought To Defend
It.
I have a feeling really, Corey, that your title is getting longer and longer the -- often we -- the more often we speak. But look, let me pick up
with what we heard from my colleague, Evan Perez, in terms of comparing this one with previous ones, right? He's going after James Comey, Letitia
James, now John Bolton. But this feels very different, right, from Comey's in particular.
What -- you know, what do you make -- compare both and how serious is this one in comparison to Comey's for example?
COREY BRETTSCHNEIDER, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, BROWN UNIVERSITY: I absolutely think when you look at the facts and you look at the charges,
they are very different. In the Comey case or even in the James case, you get the biggest -- this is Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York,
is charged with really what they're claiming is fraudulent statements to a bank about an ambiguity in whether or not she had a primary residence or
not. But the total dollar amount of this supposed fraud is something like $45.00 a month. It's really a nothing burger as we say. And yet the
President is still prosecuting her.
Now, you compare that to this. These were -- this was an investigation that went on during the Biden Administration. It concerns the Espionage Act. You
know, it concerns mishandling classified information. And this is of the utmost seriousness. So, there's no question that that reporting is exactly
on point. But -- and this is what I was talking -- what we're talking about a lot on the Oath and the Office Podcast. I had a discussion in particular
with Jake Tapper last week about whether or not the rule of law survives in the United States. And if it just survives in small pockets but not in all.
That really raises deep questions about justice.
So, to go to this, this is clearly a selective prosecution in my view, even if it's justifiable, and that makes it complex. But you have to think about
these three together. They're each an enemy of the President of the United States. And he has ordered the Attorney General to go after each of them.
And that is very much a violation of our system of justice and the Department of Justice is supposed to be independent. So, it's a more
difficult question than the other two, but it still is part of a piece.
[14:41:09]
SOARES: Then Corey, how then does his team, Bolton's team, how do they fight this? What will be the strategy? Because like Comey and maybe, you
know, with a less -- with Bolton with -- to a less extent, President Trump and his FBI Director Kash Patel have been publicly going after Bolton. Not
so -- not so much publicly with Comey. How then will they do this? What would be the strategy?
BRETTSCHNEIDER: Well, look, there's a fundamental question in the law of whether or not this is a selected prosecution. And there are a number of
factors, but one of them is whether or not people who have committed like crimes were successfully charged or not. There -- you know, the Hillary
Clinton example, I think, will come up. She was not charged. How about the President of the United States? Of course, the president was never fully
prosecuted for violating the same law, the Espionage Act, in what I think actually just looking at the facts, as serious as the charges are against
Bolton, they're much more serious when it comes to the case under that same act against Donald Trump. They involved willful mishandling of information.
When he was told to return documents, he did not. And yet, he wasn't prosecuted. So, you know, that's the kind of thing I think that they're
going to look at.
And of course, you know, even if something is justifiable, there are all sorts of laws that Americans are breaking all the time. But if what's
happening is a selective prosecution, the James case, I think, is the most egregious where you're just looking and looking for any fact, any crime,
and then you bring the prosecution, that's not OK under our legal system. And I think in the end that's going to turn out to be here -- true here too
that Trump has really tainted and Kash Patel and others have really tainted this prosecution, even if otherwise it might have proceeded.
SOARES: Corey, always great to get your insight and analysis. Good to see you, Corey. Thank you.
BRETTSCHNEIDER: Thank you so much, Isa.
SOARES: You're very welcome. We're going to take a short break. We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:30]
SOARES: The struggle is not over with Hamas. Those are the words of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he warns Hamas there'll be a price to
pay if it doesn't return the remains of all the deceased hostages in Gaza. So far, Hamas has only released the remains of nine of the 28 deceased
hostages. Hamas says it needs access to specialized equipment to locate more.
The dispute is stalling aid into Gaza, but Israel's foreign minister says the Rafah crossing will open on Sunday. And it comes as a controversial
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has suspended its aid distribution for now. That is according to an Israeli security official.
Our Jeremy Diamond has more on how the ceasefire agreement is holding up thus far.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: One week in and the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is indeed standing. Although there's no
question that it has been a tenuous and fragile ceasefire, one that has been tested in multiple ways over the course of the last week, beginning of
course, with the release of the bodies of deceased hostages by Hamas.
We have seen that Hamas has released nine of the 28 deceased hostages that it has been holding inside of Gaza. And Israeli officials as well as the
families of those deceased hostages have been complaining that that has been too slow of a pace, that they expected to see more remains of deceased
hostages be released at this point in the ceasefire agreement. And as a result of that, we've seen Israeli officials threatening to slow the entry
of humanitarian aid into Gaza in retaliation for all of that.
But the reality on the ground is that the ceasefire is holding. Israeli officials have in fact allowed the required quantities of humanitarian aid
at least at this point in time. On Wednesday alone, for example, some 700 trucks of humanitarian aid entered Gaza, according to internal Israeli
documents that CNN has reviewed. Remember that under this ceasefire agreement, it's 600 trucks a day of humanitarian aid that are required to
enter. And it does seem like that surge of humanitarian aid is beginning to take place inside of Gaza.
As for the Hamas side of things, we've spoken with senior U.S. advisers who've indicated that they are satisfied with the pace of the number of the
remains of deceased hostages that have been released so far. They acknowledge what Hamas has said, which is that there are very difficult
conditions on the ground. That Hamas is having trouble accessing some of those bodies which appear to be beneath the rubble of buildings that were
struck in Gaza by the Israeli military. And so, there is an effort with specialized teams from Egypt and Turkey to try and recover some additional
remains of deceased hostages. That has been made difficult by the lack of specialized and heavy machinery inside of Gaza to sift through the rubble
where there are not only the remains of some of these deceased hostages but also believed to be the bodies of thousands of Palestinians across the
rubble inside of Gaza.
Now, the humanitarian situation in Gaza still remains dire. There's no question about it. It will take weeks for the situation to stabilize
because the needs are so great. Everything from shelter to food to medical supplies. All of that in short supply at this moment. And then of course
there's the question of negotiating the next phases of this agreement. And President Trump has made clear Hamas must disarm. He's also made clear that
the war could restart at any point on his say so. But the parties are in the midst of negotiations over all of that in the Egyptian city of Sharm
El-Sheikh to discuss everything from Hamas giving up power, Hamas disarming and of course ultimately the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN Tel Aviv.
SOARES: Well, we're going to take a short break. Do stay right here with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:51:56]
SOARES: Details are emerging about a new U.S. strike on a boat in the Caribbean. Two U.S. officials tell CNN that not everyone on board was
killed in Thursday's attack. It's at least the six such strikes since last month, but this time the news wasn't immediately made public by the Trump
Administration.
At his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which we brought you the top of the hour, Mr. Trump did say there had been an attack
on a drug carrying -- and he called it a submarine. Typically, the White House boasts really about attacks on alleged drug vessels like the one from
September. President Trump has also announced the CIA and it's a story we spoke about on the show yesterday. CIA is now authorized to operate inside
Venezuela to clamp down on drugs and migrants. The U.S. military has also built up, as you know, its forces in the Caribbean. But in a shock move,
the Pentagon has announced the retirement of the commander overseeing the operation, Admiral Alvin Holsey.
I want to get more on these developments from Juan Carlos Lopez, U.S. Political Director and Anchor of CNN Espanol. Juan Carlos, great to have
you here. Look, let me pick up. I'm sure you heard President Trump at the White House with President Zelenskyy. He was asked about Maduro. There had
been reports for -- you know, on across the press that Maduro had offered everything, right? Everything to Maduro -- to President Trump. President
Trump said pretty much confirming that telling reporters, and I'm quoting here, Juan Carlos. Maduro said has -- he said, "Maduro has offered
everything. He's offered everything. You know why? Because he doesn't want to F around with the United States."
That is a very clear message from President Trump. What has been the reaction from Maduro and from those in the region of course to this and to
those CIA operations we were talking about just 24 hours ago?
Juan Carlos Lopez, CNN EN ESPANOL U.S. POLITICAL DIRECTOR AND ANCHOR: So far, this is probably sinking in, this exploitative-laden press conference
from President Trump. And the fact that he authorized covert operations, so that means they're not covert anymore. And he confirms that Maduro has
offered everything. And we know that President Trump has been after rare minerals and other type of different resources from countries. So, the
question is what is going on here?
Last week he ended all diplomatic contacts through one of his advisers with President Maduro, and now we have the uncertainty of what's happening in
Venezuela. This latest attack on this alleged submarine was not reported officially. Sources confirmed to CNN that two men survived. Those two men
are under Navy custody. And the question now is how will they be processed? Will they be accused of being terrorists, as the president said? Will they
be held as witnesses in the -- in commission of a crime?
So, it's very uncertain. If President Trump says that Maduro doesn't want to F around with him, then there -- is there no space for negotiation? What
is the CIA going to do? The CIA has a very long and not very positive history not only in Latin America but in other countries. So, more
uncertainty on a very uncertain situation and Venezuelans probably feel feeling the pressure.
SOARES: Yes, very mixed history the CIA in South America. I wonder then what the reaction has been from the region because you would have heard
Maria Corina Machado speaking on CNN, what, 48 hours ago, calling on other countries to support her cause of course and to try and dislodge Maduro.
What has been the reaction from the -- from the region, Juan Carlos?
[14:55:24]
PEREZ: So far it hasn't been positive.
SOARES: Yes.
PEREZ: It's the -- there's the unpredictability of President Trump, but it's not the first time that happens. This is the second time. During his
first term, there was also pressure on Venezuela. There were also the threats. There was also those in Venezuela calling for a military invasion.
Obviously, it didn't happen. So now we go again to the unpredictability and the uncertainty of what President Trump is willing to do.
The difference now is that he has a naval presence in the Caribbean. There's been flyovers from -- by helicopters and by B-52 bombers, and
different type of signs are being interpreted as psychological pressure on the Maduro government. But the region is looking, and I tell you -- I'll
finish with this. President Petro of Colombia now says he didn't recognize Maduro. And this after the possibility of an intervention.
SOARES: Yes, indeed distancing himself very clearly, Gustavo Petro. Juan Carlos, great to see you. Thank you very much indeed.
A very busy hour. Thank you for your company. Do stay right here. "WHAT WE KNOW" with Max Foster is up next. Have a wonderful weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
