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Isa Soares Tonight
Fragile Ceasefire Holds After Israeli Airstrikes Hit Gaza; President Trump Calls Colombian President an "Illegal Drug Loader"; Thieves Steal Jewelry From Louvre Museum In Paris Heist; Trump Set To Announce New Tariffs On Colombia; Pentagon Announces Seventh Strike On Alleged Drug Boat; Lavrov Held "Constructive" Call With Rubio; Louvre Jewelry Heist. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired October 20, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, a fragile ceasefire in Gaza survives its
first major test after both Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violations. Plus, pressure mounts on relations between the U.S. and
Colombia, as the U.S. President accuses his Colombian counterpart for being a drug dealer.
We'll be on the ground in neighboring Venezuela. And a brazen surpasses famed Louvre Museum. Why the stolen jewels may never be found. We'll have
that and much more for you coming up. But first tonight, the fragile ceasefire in Gaza appears to have survived its first major test, but still
unclear ten days on from Sharm El-Sheikh is, where does the agreement stand?
And what's included, of course, in that fine trend. The IDF says two of its soldiers were killed in an attack in Israel -- that Israel is blaming on
Hamas, and that triggered retaliatory strikes, killing at least 45 Palestinians, and that is according to Gaza's civil defense. Hamas has
denied involvement in the attack on Israeli soldiers.
Both sides have reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to eradicate -- his words, Hamas, if it
breaks the ceasefire deal. Meantime, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu to try to push the deal forward.
But so many major questions remains, such as how will Hamas be disarmed, and when will the proposed Gaza stabilization force be established and
actually begin its work. Aid trucks are moving back into Gaza again as you can see, just hours after Israel called for a pause on the delivery of
human aid. And the U.N.'s Chief Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher says he was overwhelmed after witnessing the devastation in Gaza city
firsthand.
He described it as a wasteland after more than two years of Israel's war with Hamas. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM FLETCHER, COORDINATOR, U.N. EMERGENCY RELIEF: So, we're driving through south of Gaza city now. So, these are parts of Gaza I actually visited back
in start of year, and fast first areas that I came through, it was standing and I'm completely pulverized, flattened, wasteland, it's such a massive
task. And it's hard not to be won by -- but people here picking their way to the rubble line and putting their tents back on their homes.
They -- I mean, of all the people in this equation, everyone seemed to look overwhelmed, somehow, they're just living.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Utter devastation as you can see there from Tom Fletcher. Our Kristen Holmes is at the White House for more on the diplomatic push. Of
course, Kristen, great to see you. We're just learning in the last what? Ten minutes or so, that the U.S. envoys, of course, Steve Witkoff and Jared
Kushner have met, I believe with the IDF, senior IDF generals. What do we know has come out of that? Where are we in that diplomatic push?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, it is not just the envoys. I think we have to point out that the Vice President J.D. Vance
who hasn't been a key player in all of these negotiations, he is a key negotiator for the administration, but he hasn't been over there time and
time again like we've seen with Jared Kushner or with Steve Witkoff is actually heading over to Israel as we speak.
It goes to show you the gravity of the situation, particularly for the Trump administration. When you talk to these administration officials, they
understand how precarious the situation is. Now, they did not think that they're going to be having this many issues this early on. But they did
know that it was an uphill battle.
One of the things you've heard from these officials over and over again, is that there are a lot of sticking points. They know this is not easy,
they're very aware of the tensions that exist.
[14:05:00]
And as you mentioned, President Trump was asked about this just moments ago when he was sitting in there with the Prime Minister of Australia, and he
said that if Hamas continued their attacks, that they would have to eradicate them. Now, of course, the question then became, who is we? He
said we would have to eradicate them.
He has said over and over again, that it wouldn't be U.S. troops, and in this case, he said that there are a number of countries who he's been
working with, who have offered to help with the process of getting rid of Hamas. He also noted that if he told Israel, he wanted them gone
immediately, they will go in and strike immediately.
But again, I don't think that we can downplay how important this moment is for the administration. He believes President Trump that this is going to
be one of his greatest achievements. He wants this to be one of his greatest achievements. So, he is going to put a lot on the line here, use a
lot of political capital to try and make the ceasefire hold, as well as to send his people over there, like Steve Witkoff, like Jared Kushner like
J.D. Vance in order to try and negotiate to keep things running smoothly.
Just one thing to note here about Vance. He really has taken up this role when it comes to the most important things President Trump needs assistance
with. He has taken on this kind of central role in terms of talking to people, in terms of breaching across the aisle, in this case, of course, in
terms of reaching across the ocean, trying to get some kind of agreement or at least be able to have an open dialogue with the various players here.
SOARES: Yes, and it's clear from what we heard from the President, how invested, of course, he is in that -- in a ceasefire holding. We saw that,
of course, in Sharm El-Sheikh. Since then, we have heard him also talk about that, these negotiations phase two is already ongoing in Sharm El-
Sheikh. Do we know anymore where we are on those negotiations. Are we learning any more details because so far, we have very little details.
HOLMES: No, all the details we have are exactly what you said. That the said phase two has started, and as I noted, the Trump administration has
been very clear these officials, particularly those on the ground, that they understand that this isn't going to be easy. Now, right now, what they
would rather be focusing on is the other points of the 20-point peace plan.
But instead, they're focusing on trying to make sure that this ceasefire holds. What phase two is supposed to do was not just maintaining a
ceasefire. That was supposed to be part of phase one. It was supposed to be about negotiating some of the sticking points like the Palestinian
statehood which the deal left the door open for.
Like disarmament of Hamas. It's unclear if they've even gotten there yet, because they're still kind of working on a fragile state of phase one,
which you know, the two are intertwined. You can't get to the next points on the peace plan if you're not abiding by the first.
SOARES: Indeed, I know you'll stay across it for us. Kristen, thank you very much indeed. And we're going to stay with the story. I want to bring
in Gideon Levy; he's a columnist for the "Haaretz" newspaper, and a former adviser to Shimon Peres. Gideon, good to have you back on the show. So,
you, as -- you know, we were just mentioning, Kristen and I, we're now seeing of course, U.S. negotiations, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner back in
the Middle East, hoping of course, to keep the ceasefire alive.
How much pressure really is Netanyahu facing from the White House here, making sure that this peace, ceasefire is not derailed in any shape for
form?
GIDEON LEVY, COLUMNIST, HAARETZ: Help me, Isa, that you corrected, it's from peaceful ceasefire because it's all about keeping the ceasefire right
now --
SOARES: Yes --
LEVY: We are far out than ever from peace, but let's put this aside. The ceasefire will be kept because that enters the folk's(ph) party right now.
There will be small violations like we saw now. I would like to play the attention of our viewers, that yesterday, there were two soldiers, two
Israeli soldiers, but almost 80 Palestinians were killed ever since the ceasefire was declared.
So, when we talk about who is violating what? We have to remember this in our -- in the back of our mind, but in any case, I believe the ceasefire
will be kept. Here, the babysitters came back to the region, Kushner and Witkoff, and I'm sure they will put all the pressure in the world, so to
relax the situation. But the question is, where are we aiming from here?
And this is a total ambiguity. Because nobody knows. Two facts are very clear, A, all the living hostages were released, which is really a great
achievement.
SOARES: Yes --
LEVY: Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as well. And second fact which we have to face is that Hamas is still alive and kicking in Gaza, it is the
sovereign in Gaza, and with him, all the negotiations must be with him right now, because he's the only power in Gaza right now.
[14:10:00]
SOARES: And look, ceasefires are by their -- by their nature fragile, but this was particularly at risk, and like you said, getting probably will
involve seeing more of the babysitters coming back and forth, of course, traveling because of this. But there are many -- and the reason we're in
the situation, potentially because there are so many questions, right?
And Kristen at the White House was making that point over this 20-peace plan questions that we haven't been able to get answers to. You know, what
is the mechanism to disarm Hamas? Where are we on the establishment or the make-up of this international stabilization force? The governance, of
course. What are you hearing? What are you pushing on your end? What are you hearing in terms of these negotiations and the diplomatic aspect of
this here?
LEVY: Above all, it's what I'm not hearing, and I'm not hearing that every -- for everybody, it is clear not only how do we get to the goal, but what
is the goal? And is it achievable at all if Hamas is right now the only power in Gaza. Disarming Hamas, who is going to do it? I mean, Hamas will
not disarm by himself voluntarily. No reason for him to do so.
So, who is going to go from house-to-house and to look for the weapons? Who is going to suggest an alternative to Hamas? What is the alternative to
Hamas? As we said, Isa, from the beginning, this plan is a kind of a Disneyland promising the sky, but no boots on the ground, no food on the
ground.
SOARES: Yes --
LEVY: I hope that, you know, step-by-step, we'll get into better achievements. Right now --
SOARES: And we --
LEVY: It looks very -- not very promising. Sure.
SOARES: It does not, and we heard President Trump, I think it was in the last what? Hour and a half or so, Gideon, saying that threatening to
eradicate Hamas if it doesn't abide by ceasefire agreement, but didn't say who? Who the 'we' was in part, who would be eradicating goes back to
exactly the same question that you are asking.
Let me point to you what we have heard, because before traveling to Israel and an interview with "CBS'" "60 Minutes", the babysitters, as you call
them, Kushner, of course, one of them and Steve Witkoff said this, and I'm going to quote them here. "The biggest mistake that we've tried to convey
to the Israeli leadership now is that now that the war is over, if you want to integrate Israel with the broader Middle East, you have to find a way to
help the Palestinian people thrive and do better."
Did that start? I don't know if you heard that interview, Gideon, did that stand out to you? How would those words have been received within Netanyahu
camp?
LEVY: It's a mission impossible because for Netanyahu, there is no room for a settlement with the Palestinians. I keep on saying it. It's not only
about him trying to maintain in power. It is also about his ideology. This man does not believe in any settlement with the Palestinians. He doesn't
perceive them as equal human beings, like many Israelis don't.
He doesn't perceive them as having any national rights between the river and the sea. And as long as this is the paradigma, this is the mindset,
there cannot be any progress because we have one side who does not recognize the right of the other side, who doesn't recognize the existence
of the other side.
It's a land of two people, when one people does not recognize any rights of the other people. As long as we look into this core, all the technicalities
will break.
SOARES: Gideon, I have a feeling that you and I will be speaking much more on this, of course, in the weeks and days ahead. It's good to see you,
Gideon Levy there for us in Tel Aviv. And we're going to continue this story because we want to stay in Israel. We're getting new -- this
statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's office, and it says Israel has received through the Red Cross the body of a fallen hostage that was handed
over to the IDF as well as Shin Bet forces inside Gaza.
It goes on to say, I'm going to read it to you from there, it will be transferred to Israel, where it will be received in a military ceremony in
the presence of a military rabbi. Body of another hostage being handed over, of course, so many still remain. Hamas saying it's struggling to find
them. Many in Israel do not trust what Hamas is saying.
And for those families, of course, wanting to bring closure to their loved ones. We'll stay on top of this story for you. I want to turn our attention
to the technical side of things, because you may have gone through this today. A new update from the world's number one provider of internet cloud
services.
Amazon Web Services reports that its plan to fix ongoing internet connectivity issues appears to be working, appears to be working. The
company has been back-and-forth on whether it was seeing progress after a global outage impacted websites and apps, big as well as small. Everything
from banking services, airlines, social networks, if you shop online, entertainment, if you game -- thousands of services.
[14:15:00]
Millions of people worldwide forced online. CNN's business editor-at-large, Richard Quest joins me now. Richard, I was going to ask you, how did this
happen? But I don't think the connectivity issues have been solved. Hi, by the way, good to see you.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Thank you very much. AWS Amazon Web Services, it's got such a boring name --
SOARES: What is it? First of all --
QUEST: Sorry?
SOARES: What is it?
QUEST: It's one of the largest bits of Amazon. And basically it is the infrastructure upon which millions of companies, small, medium and very
large like Lloyds Bank --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: Run. These days, you don't want your own servers sitting in the basement, maybe you need a few of them. You don't want your massive
infrastructure, so you contract with either a Google or an Amazon Web Services, and it's up there in the cloud. And what AWS does is provide the
infrastructure for millions of businesses.
You literally, so Quest Inc. decides it's going to do this, this and this, but I'm not going to invest in all the technology necessary. AWS has
solutions that I just buy off --
SOARES: Basically the backbone --
QUEST: Exactly --
SOARES: Right --
QUEST: And many apps are running off the back of it, Lloyds Bank, for example, the Bank of England. There was all sorts of banks that were hit
trading Coinbase that were hit, because it is now -- and they're not the only ones, by the way, but they are the largest, and it's a crucial part of
the global economy. And today, it got well and truly hit.
SOARES: And airlines also affected. And may I say just for clarity here, CNN, we've been affected, trying to put out any reports. It's been a
struggle.
QUEST: Because everybody uses -- I mean, a cloud-based service of some sort or description, and AWS happens to be the biggest. It's got something like
$160 billion or $140 billion worth of revenue. It's a massive, profitable part of Amazon. We always think of Amazon as, you know, delivering to the
furniture and --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: Whatever. But no, the big bananas of Amazon, in a sense is AWS. Now what happened? They haven't disclosed. They have said it is a technical
matter within Amazon. So, at least we know it's not hacking, we know it's not cybersecurity related. But this is just as bad in a sense because so
much relies on cloud services, and this is now the cost of doing business.
SOARES: Has it been fixed? Because as of what? An hour and a half ago, we were still struggling here --
QUEST: Getting fixed --
SOARES: Getting fixed, it's a long process, bear with us --
QUEST: To use the Amazon phrase, mitigating. So, that means some will be back, some will be back to normal, some will be getting back to normal. But
it's not like it is now systemically getting worse. It is an incredibly bad blow for AWS. The size, the scale, reputational damage is phenomenal, but
I'm gathering and guessing that the competitors are not because --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: The old phrase there, but for the grace of God, go I.
SOARES: The other -- I mean, we're looking at what you may --
QUEST: Yes --
SOARES: Be seeing, and I'm not sure if Laura(ph), my producer has got a list of all the other -- all the other companies affected. But Richard, I
mean, the obvious question is why put all your eggs in one basket?
QUEST: Because it's the biggest basket. And what -- and what AWS would say. I mean, when you say that, do you mean why would a company only go to
Amazon Web --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: Services? Oh, because the amount of stuff and the expenses of it, you just have one contractor. You don't --
SOARES: Right --
QUEST: I mean, you don't have -- I mean four mobile phone difference with different --
SOARES: Isn't that -- isn't that vulnerability to the whole system?
QUEST: Of course it is. And that's why you have to rely on the reputational integrity of those you go with. Now, to be fair to AWS --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: It is a vast company that has had a stellar reputation and, you know, will be taking this at the level of seriousness that's off the roof
into space. But it does show the vulnerability that we have. Once you shove everything into the cloud, and so many important structures rely on it,
most of the apps here are relying on some form of AWS or similar.
SOARES: So, whilst we wait for this to be mitigated --
QUEST: Mitigated, and I'm worried about it --
SOARES: What will you be looking for? I mean --
QUEST: I'm looking for --
SOARES: the message here is to make sure that doesn't happen again or doesn't happen frequently, right?
QUEST: Yes, lightning doesn't strike twice, and we need to know what went wrong --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: Why did it go wrong? Could it happen again? Was it foreseeable? And crucially for Amazon Web Services customers, were they cutting costs? Were
they sloppy? Did somebody make a mistake or was this a case of happens?
SOARES: Very briefly, in terms of businesses --
QUEST: One word --
SOARES: Banking, well, I don't know, I say briefly, and right --
QUEST: Hey --
SOARES: Go from it -- banking --
QUEST: Yes --
SOARES: Airlines --
QUEST: Yes --
SOARES: Affected --
QUEST: Everybody --
SOARES: Everything --
QUEST: Everybody --
SOARES: Pretty much across the board.
QUEST: I think I couldn't -- you know, we have to -- we have the chart just up there --
SOARES: Bring it up again --
QUEST: Bring it up again --
SOARES: Laura(ph), if you don't mind --
QUEST: Push the button and let's have a look again --
SOARES: It's the -- very good --
QUEST: There we go, look at it, because at some shape or form, either these companies or their subsidiaries or their customers, should they have had a
backup?
[14:20:00]
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: Should they have had a backup? They did --
SOARES: But then they need a backup to a backup to a backup.
QUEST: Exactly. I assure you, AWS is not sitting there going --
(WHISTLING)
QUEST: They are -- this is -- this is off the charts in terms of seriousness for what happened, how did it happen and how to prevent it
happening again.
SOARES: I know you'll cover it on your show in about two hours, Richard?
QUEST: Yes, we have -- we have --
SOARES: What do you have?
QUEST: Interestingly, Sir Nick Clegg --
SOARES: Oh, fantastic --
QUEST: Who was of course, former deputy --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: Prime Minister of the U.K. and President of Meta --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: He's talking about what we can do to make the internet and social media. But he's a very good person, having been at the heart of all of this
to know how --
SOARES: He's live --
QUEST: I'm sorry?
SOARES: He's live on your show --
QUEST: I hope so.
SOARES: Well, there you go. You don't want to watch -- you don't want to miss that. Thank you very much --
QUEST: Thank you --
SOARES: Richard, good to see you. And still to come right here, "The Memoir" or Epstein accuser, Virginia Giuffrie(ph) -- Giuffre, pardon me,
lands in bookstores on Tuesday. I'll be joined by royal correspondent to discuss what the implications will be for Britain's Prince Andrew. And as
the U.S. announces a new strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, tensions are escalating with both Colombia and Venezuela. We'll be live in
Caracas, Venezuela, after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: "Choked, beaten and bloodied". Those are the words of Virginia Giuffre in her posthumous memoir, describing the years of abuse she
allegedly suffered as a teenager at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein. The book will be released on Tuesday, six months after her death by suicide.
Likely to face fresh scrutiny will be Britain's Prince Andrew, who, if you remember on the show we brought you the breaking news on Friday,
relinquished the use of many of his royal titles following a long period of public outrage regarding both his relationship with Epstein and the
accusations made against him by Giuffre, which he denies.
Here to discuss this in more details, our royal correspondent Max foster. Max, I mean very much looking ahead to tomorrow, what's going to come out.
But before that, there is a police investigation happening as we speak. What more can you tell us on this? What is the police looking into here?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: This is an internal palace e-mail that suggests that Prince Andrew asked his personal protection officer, a member
of the Metropolitan Police, to investigate Virginia Giuffre around the time that the photo came out of him with Virginia Giuffre, suggesting that she
might have committed crimes in America.
[14:25:00]
So, this is why they talk about him looking to dish dirt on her. And he actually said he had his -- he had her Social Security number, which is
obviously private and some other details. So, the police immediately jumped on this. They didn't say we're going to start looking at it. They're
actively investigating it, so, he could potentially be questioned.
You know, asking someone to commit a crime or at least, not act in the way a public servant should be acting is a crime. So, there's potentially a
crime there. And it comes with, you know, as this book comes out, and in the book, interestingly, Giuffre alleges that Andrew was trying to hire
trolls to troll her around the time as well.
So, I mean, it's all obviously going against Prince Andrew, his story unraveling all the time from that "BBC" interview --
SOARES: Yes --
FOSTER: And consistency is constantly appearing and excruciating for the royal family, who thought they'd be able to deal with --
SOARES: OK, yes --
FOSTER: This to some extent. But today, the King is at a really crucial engagement up in Manchester, where the people attacked outside the
synagogue, and everyone is talking about this. I actually just heard from a palace source saying, "all we hope very much that the focus here today will
be on the community impacted by a heinous hate crime rather than any other matters", but clearly it is.
SOARES: But -- and I wonder, Max, whether they knew that this would be front and center when the relinquishing of the titles, of course, on
Friday, which you and I discussed in breaking news on Friday, clearly they knew this was -- the book was coming. They knew what potentially would come
out of that. And it was a real struggle for the royal family to get away with this, in every engagement they're going to -- in the next couple of --
FOSTER: Yes --
SOARES: Weeks. This is something they'll probably have to deal with.
FOSTER: OK, there are some --
(CROSSTALK)
FOSTER: Issues because a lot of people, particularly Giuffre's siblings, saying it just didn't go far enough, because how many people know that he's
the Duke of York? Quite often, if you mention Duke of York, people will probably say which one is that? But he's known as Prince Andrew, and he
keeps the Prince title.
They think that should be taken away as well. They're saying it's a birthright, but actually, he could have agreed to not use that as well. The
king could write a legal note effectively, saying it's been taken away. They don't feel they've gone far enough. The Palace has been doing some
quite interesting briefing today, suggesting that they want this police investigation to go forward, because that's the solution to get to the
bottom of a lot of this, isn't it? Because at the moment --
SOARES: Yes --
FOSTER: They're not investigating the royal family, and the other thing that helps them with the police investigation is they can't comment on it
because --
SOARES: Yes --
FOSTER: It's a police investigation.
SOARES: Absolutely. What do we know, if anything, at this stage, of course, about the book and what it -- what it actually reveals in what regards --
FOSTER: I haven't seen it --
SOARES: Of course, Prince Andrew --
FOSTER: But there's a couple of journalists that have seen it. Actually, one of the books just ended up on a book shelf today in London, a day
early, which is how one journalist managed to get hold of it. Extraordinary. I -- the impression I get is it's -- a lot of it is out
there already, but she's bringing together all of the allegations that she's made and what happened.
A few more details about the trolling, for example, but I think it's just a very powerful, personal message from someone who less and less people are
disbelieving. I mean --
SOARES: Yes --
FOSTER: For years, no one believed her and they believed the powers that be. And now it's almost flipped. And it -- you know, as her family says,
very sad that she feels like she's being heard now --
SOARES: After all this time --
FOSTER: And she's not around anymore --
SOARES: Indeed, Max, I know you'll stay across it, we'll be probably potentially talking about this tomorrow. Thank you very much indeed. And
still to come tonight, a stunning heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris. We'll take a look at the priceless jewels stolen on Sunday. Plus, the U.S.
ratchets up its pressure on Colombia as well as neighboring Venezuela. We'll have a live report from Caracas, Venezuela, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:31:53]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. The U.S. president says new tariffs will be announced on Colombia. Donald Trump says Colombia is doing nothing in the
fight against drugs and has even called its president, Gustavo Petro, a drug dealer. In turn, Mr. Petro says President Trump is rude and ignorant.
The U.S. says it will also end subsidies to Colombia. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: They don't have a fight against drugs. They make drugs. They refine drugs. They make cocaine. They have cocaine
factories. They have no fight against drugs. And I'm stopping all payments to Colombia because they don't have anything to do with their fight against
drugs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And this as the Pentagon announced a new strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean. Friday's attack is at least the seventh since the
start of last month, targeting suspected traffickers from Colombia and Venezuela. Venezuela's president is now rolling out a new defense plan to
prepare for potential conflict with the United States. The Venezuelan military, police, and civilian militias have been called up in four states.
Stefano Pozzebon is in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, with much more. Stefano, great to see you. Very wet Caracas this morning. Give us a sense
then of what Maduro is doing as the pressure continues to pile up on Venezuela and on his inner circle, of course.
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Isa, well, very wet. Apologies for the weather, by the way. This is September in Venezuela. You're in the
tropics. You can't control the rain. It was sunny 20 minutes ago. However, now it's pouring rain.
Well, Maduro, I think, is coming up with both approaches towards the White House. He has pled time and again to conduct direct negotiations with the
White House.
There were even reports on local press that Maduro went as far as offering to get out of the way, to allow himself to leave, maybe take refuge in
either Turkey, Russia or other friendly countries, but at the same time, to save his government in what is called the Bolivarian Revolution. That was
out in local press last week. Miraflores, the Venezuelan presidential palace, was quick to deny that story, those reports. However, it's
interesting that they have been put out.
At the same time, Maduro is also, just like he said, preparing for what could be counterattacking a U.S. intervention. We have seen that he has
called for the mobilization of both the militia and the reservists, in particular in the western states of Venezuela. We're talking about Zulia,
Trujillo, the regions of the Andean mountain range that are closer to the border with Colombia, because we are seeing that the campaign, the White
House is calling it a campaign against drug traffickers, is relentless.
Just on Sunday, the U.S. secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, announced that the U.S. conducted a seventh kinetic strike against an alleged drug
trafficking speedboat in the Caribbean Sea, killing at least three people. It's at least 30 people that have been killed since this new escalation
began, and we've seen that this is already spreading across several countries.
[14:35:00]
Now, Colombia is taking a very strong stance against this campaign. So, increasing tensions in the Caribbean. It's no longer Maduro against Trump,
now there is also the Colombian element to take into consideration.
SOARES: Yes, let's take -- let's talk about this Colombian element, because you're in Caracas right now, and you're normally based in Bogota for us.
You see now President Trump stepping -- putting up the pressure, putting up the pressure on Colombia, of course, in particular on Petro. How is that
all being received? Petro is firing back as well, isn't he?
POZZEBON: Yes, Petro is not backing down. He went as far as calling Trump an ignorant, advised him to read "A Hundred Years of Solitude," the Nobel-
winning novel from Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the very famous Colombian writer.
I think in Colombia there is a lot of resentment at the idea that Colombia is not doing enough in the war on drugs. Trump, in his remarks, for
example, said that they are not stopping the flow of drugs, and many, if you go to Colombia and speak with them, they will tell you that, well,
they've been dealing with this problem for the last 50 to 70 years, and have been unable to solve it because there is still a very profitable
market for cocaine all across the Western world, both in Europe and in the United States.
So, I think that there is a bilateral rejection at the comments from Donald Trump, a rejection at the idea that Colombia is not doing enough,
considering how many killings take place every single year in Colombia because of the war on drugs, how many people die every single year in
Colombia because of that.
That, at the same time, needs to be balanced with the idea, of course, that in one way or another you need to speak with Washington, who is by far the
largest economic partner of Colombia, but also, and most crucially, the largest supplier of security funds. A lot of this war on drugs is actually
paid and financed by Washington through bilateral cooperation from the Department of Defense and the Department of State.
And, of course, Petro knows that while he can definitely earn some credits around the world standing up to Donald Trump, he cannot -- he needs to
speak with him in order to make -- in order to keep the money flowing between the two countries, Isa. So, it's a very delicate situation between
Colombia and Venezuela, with, of course, everything that could happen wrong where I am here in Venezuela, with the potential really in even more open
escalation, perhaps even open warfare, if you give credit to some of the reports that we've been reading in the last few weeks. It's a very
incendiary situation, despite the weather.
SOARES: Yes. And we are very grateful that you're on the ground for us, Stefano. Thank you very much indeed for that. I know you'll stay across
both sides of the story from Venezuela, from Colombia. In the meantime, I think you can return the umbrella back to the hotel pool, Stefano. Good to
see you. Take care.
Now, President Trump says he does not think Ukraine would win its war with Russia, but, quote, "anything could happen." Trump today cited a difficulty
in ending the conflict because of what he called the hatred between Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin.
Trump's comments come as the Kremlin reports Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held what he was called a constructive phone call today with U.S. Secretary
of State Marco Rubio. And their talk comes after a phone call last week, if you remember, between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir
Putin. The State Department said next steps are being discussed ahead of a potential U.S.-Russia summit that's supposed to happen in Hungary. The
Washington Post reports President Trump has laid out clear terms to end the conflict. And according to two senior officials, Putin demanded Ukraine
surrender the strategically crucial Donetsk, you see on your map, region to Moscow.
On Friday, the U.S. leader did insist Ukraine make territorial concessions to Russia during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the White House.
But now there may be another shift in Trump's policy. Here's what he said aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Let it be cut the way it is. It's cut up right now. I think 78 percent of the land is already taken by Russia. You leave it the way it is
right now. They can negotiate something later on down the line. But I said cut and stop at the battle. I go home. Stop fighting. Stop killing people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: We'll stay across this story for you. And still to come tonight, the thieves break into the famous Louvre Museum and steal priceless jewels
on display. We'll take a look at how it happened after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:40:00]
SOARES: An investigation is underway after a stunning jewelry heist at the Louvre Museum. And it happened on Sunday in Paris as the internationally
renowned museum was opening, of course, to the public. In just seven minutes, officials believe three to four thieves broke into an upper story
balcony. Once inside, they stole several items from the French crown jewels. Eight of nine items stolen still remain unaccounted for. Experts
believe the jewelry will be cut up and then sold.
And the massive security failings at the Louvre are a wake-up call, of course, museums right around the world. How exactly did this happen? I take
a look at what we might know right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Diversion. Make a lot of noise over there. So, over here in this room, you can take $100 million off the wall and waltz right
out the front door.
SOARES (voice-over): No diversion was needed for the four masked robbers who broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday morning, stealing
priceless French crown jewels in broad daylight just minutes after the world's largest museum opened its doors.
The Louvre remained closed on Monday as France grappled with one question, how could the world's most visited museum be robbed with such brazen
audacity? It was a plot that played out like a Hollywood movie. Around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, four thieves posing as workers wearing yellow vests used a
moving elevator ladder to reach the second-floor balcony of the museum. The perpetrators then forced open a window using an angle grinder and entered
the Apollo Gallery, sawing open the display location for the treasures of the French crown jewels.
As alarm bells rang, they grabbed nine of the Louvre's most valuable treasures, the priceless 19th-century French crown jewels, among them a
dazzling crown adorned with 24 sapphires, 1,083 diamonds. Also stolen, a diamond and sapphire necklace and a pair of earrings, seen here in this
painting of Queen Marie Amelie in 1836, and a glittering bow with more than 2,000 diamonds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clever to use a cherry picker and a glass cutter to steal priceless -- well, sentimentally priceless jewels from the Louvre.
The fact that it was done in daylight is also astounding.
[14:45:00]
SOARES (voice-over): It took only seven minutes for the robbers to re- emerge with nine pieces of jewelry, apparently from the same window.
GERALD DARMANIN, FRENCH JUSTICE MINISTER (through translator): What shows we failed, because someone was able to put up an elevator truck in the open
in the streets of Paris, have people walk up for a few minutes and take priceless jewels and give France a deplorable image.
SOARES (voice-over): Thankfully, one of the most precious items, a crown Napoleon gave his wife, Empress Eugenie, was dropped by the thieves as they
sped away on high-powered scooters along the banks of the Seine. French police says the first 48 hours are key to track down the thieves, who, so
far, are still on the run.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES (on camera): And, of course, we will stay across that story for you. And still to come tonight, some of the biggest U.S. clothing brands have
factory workers making them in Guatemala to describe their working conditions as miserable, coming up, the truth behind the labels.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Textile workers in Guatemala say they are working in miserable conditions inside the factories making clothing for some of the biggest
brands in the United States. Workers tell stories of public scolding, threats of being fired over quotas and sexual harassment. Our CNN
Contributor Stefano Pozzebon has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's 5,000 to 6,000 pieces a day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Some of my co-workers have to make the effort to go, even if they're mistreated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I never though there was bullying in the factories. I never thought there was harassment in a factory.
POZZEBON (voice-over): In recent years, the garment industry has boomed in Guatemala. Thanks to its proximity to the U.S., hundreds of Korean fast
fashion companies expanded here to supply big American brands. But what happens inside these factories, called "maquilas" across the region, rarely
sees the light of day.
Advocacy groups say the vast majority of maquila workers are women who are paid less than $30 a day and are forced to meet impossible quotas.
Rutilia Cano worked for a Korean-owned factory providing to major U.S. retailers like Target, a company worth billions of dollars.
POZZEBON (through translator): How many clothes did you make in a day?
RUTILIA CANO, TEXTILE WORKER (through translator): We had to do 300 pieces an hour but I was never able to do it. I could do 150, 175.
[14:50:00]
POZZEBON (through translator): And how many days you'd have to work to afford one of these shirts here?
CANO (through translator): Maybe two weeks.
POZZEBON: The disparity of what these people are producing and their purchasing power, it's just striking.
POZZEBON (voice-over): In these complex supply chain, Korean manufacturers subcontract Guatemalan workers to benefit American consumers with
affordable clothing. When her factory suddenly closed, the employer denied Rutilia's wages and her pension benefits. Target, as a third-party client,
was not bound to pay. They decided to part ways with the factory after concerns surfaced over working conditions.
Elsewhere, CNN spoke with dozens of maquila workers. In one factory, death threat graffiti appeared in toilets to stamp out union resistance. In
others, they said the abuse pushed even further. It's the case of a young mother we're calling Alexandra. She has asked for anonymity.
ALEXANDRA, TEXTILE WORKER (through translator): The supervisor came over in a creepy way and started touching my neck, like he wanted to rub it. I
moved away. Since I rejected him, he started shouting at me and mistreating me. Many women probably gave in to him because they needed the job.
POZZEBON (through translator): What does it mean? Sexual relationships?
ALEXANDRA (through translator): Yes. And those people who are with the supervisors always have some privileges. The privilege of not being
mistreated, of being allowed to go to the bathroom, to get water whenever they needed to.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Seeking protection, Alexandra decided to join a union. We met the group outside the maquila. The products are destined for
export to the United States. Household name Carhartt used to be among their clients, but cut ties in 2019. The workers told CNN the quotas imposed on
them are thousands of pieces a day. Almost two t-shirts every minute.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): If we don't keep up with what they ask, they check hour by hour.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They tell us to hurry up, that they can't pay us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): First they exploit us, and then they tell us they won't pay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They even threw clothes in our faces.
POZZEBON (through translator): I think you told me Merida, that there was water in the maquilas so the workers could drink?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The water was dirty. Sometimes it even had soap or cockroaches in it.
POZZEBON (voice-over): These women reported their allegations to local authorities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We came to see what the conditions of the workers were.
POZZEBON (voice-over): But when the labor inspectors showed up, all the members of the union were laid off, opening a dispute that has yet to be
resolved. CNN contacted factory owners and did not receive a response.
POZZEBON: Most of these factories do not even tolerate a workers' union. And getting access to them has been even harder for us as journalists. But
we're on our way to meet someone who has decided to come forward.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Without the support of a union, she has been left to face the abuse by herself in fear, she told us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When I was pregnant, I was humiliated because I couldn't get the quota they wanted. I went to complain
when there was an audit. They asked us if we were treated well, and we said no. And then from there, they fired two c POZZEBON (voice-over): workers.
POZZEBON (through translator): Two coworkers were fired because they complained?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Exactly.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Only 76 out of more than 800 maquilas tolerate a union. But they employ tens of thousands of workers and are a crucial part
of the economy. For local authorities enforcing rules without risking jobs is a fine line.
We had a rare opportunity to put our findings to the Guatemalan president.
BERNARDO AREVALO, GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT: We are, for example, committed to the rights of labor. We have increased the minimum salary 10 percent, which
is more than --
POZZEBON: 6 percent for maquila workers --
AREVALO: -- 6 percent for maquila workers. But it is precisely in the line of recognizing that there is a need to support their well-being. And we are
going to continue to observe the situation.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Bernardo Arevalo is the first progressive leader elected in Guatemala in decades. His government raised hopes to tackle the
rampant corruption that allowed workplace abuse to proliferate. The jury is still out.
Before leaving, Rutilia told us the collective lawsuit against their former employer was being settled. The workers met with the management at the
corporate building downtown.
CANO (through translator): We feel a little nervous because we don't know what might happen.
POZZEBON: She doesn't know if she will be paid what is due to her in terms of pension, and the fact that she worked for almost three decades for this
factory. And now it's the moment she's going to find out what the management of the factory is offering her for the termination of the
contract?
POZZEBON (through translator): Rutilia, how are you?
CANO (through translator): I'm fine, thank God.
POZZEBON: How did it go?
CANO (through translator): We ended up with another meeting.
[14:55:00]
POZZEBON (voice-over): Weeks after our travel, Rutilia is still doing odd jobs. She has been promised up to 92 percent of her severance through a
settlement plan. But it is unclear when any payment will be made.
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Guatemala City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And just before we go tonight, at a time of so much darkness, it is more important than ever, of course, to look for the light. And for Hindus
all around the world, there isn't a better time to do so. Diwali, or the Festival of Light, is officially underway. Thin candles, lamps, fireworks,
and of course, so much more. The age-old celebration marks the triumph of light over the dark, or good over evil. The traditions vary from region to
region, but the myths and stories behind them all, rooted, of course, in celebrating justice as well as liberation. And if you are celebrating,
happy Diwali.
That does it for us for this evening. Do stay right here. What We Know with Max Foster is up next. I shall see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
