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Isa Soares Tonight
Civilians Trapped in El Fasher Face Extreme Violence; Epstein Mentioned Trump Multiple Times in Private Emails; House to Vote on Ending Government Shutdown; Russia and Kazakhstan Deepen Oil Sector Ties; Russian forces Push Further into Pokrovsk. Newly Released Jeffrey Epstein E-mails Show the Sex Offender Mentioned Donald Trump Multiple Times Before He Became U.S. President; U.S. Lawmakers Set to Vote Today on a Plan to Reopen the Government; Settler Violence Rocks the West Bank As Palestinian Officials Urge the World to Take Action. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired November 12, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, newly released Jeffrey Epstein e-mails
show the sex offender mentioned Donald Trump multiple times before he became U.S. President. We'll bring you the very latest on that breaking
news story.
Plus, U.S. lawmakers are set to vote today on a plan to reopen the government. So, can they seal the deal? And then later, settler violence
rocks the West Bank as Palestinian officials urge the world to take action. We have a special report of that and much more just ahead this hour. But we
do begin this hour with breaking news.
CNN has learned that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein mentioned Donald Trump by name multiple times in private e-mails released today by
House Democrats. And those e-mails from Epstein were sent to his long-time associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is now behind bars after being convicted
of sex trafficking, as well as author Michael Wolff.
In one message, Epstein claims that Donald Trump spent hours at Epstein's house with a woman who Democrats describe as an Epstein sex-trafficking
victim. House Republicans later identified her as Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein's survivor, you remember, died by suicide earlier this year. Here's
what White House Press Secretary had to say just a short time ago on this. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: These e-mails prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing
wrong. And what President Trump has always said is that he was from Palm Beach, and so was Jeffrey Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein was a member at Mar-a-
Lago until President Trump kicked him out, because Jeffrey Epstein was a pedophile and he was a creep.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And we do want to point out that Mr. Trump did not send or receive any of those e-mails, and he has not been accused of any criminal
wrongdoing. Democrats along with some of Mr. Trump's Republican allies on Capitol Hill, such as Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, have been
calling for the White House and the Justice Department to release all of the files related to the Epstein case.
I want to bring in our senior White House reporter, Kevin Liptak, for more on this. So, Kevin, just let's take a step back here and just talk us
through the e-mails and how they came to light first of all.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and these e-mails were released because the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Jeffrey Epstein's
estate. It was a bipartisan subpoena, so signed by Republicans and Democrats, and they received this enormous trove of documents, 23,000
approximately.
And three of them have been released now by Democrats. Now, after the Democrats released these three, the Republicans released the remainder of
the e-mails. So, you know, more than 20,000 e-mails that we're sifting through now. But we do have these three e-mails that the Democrats released
this morning, that sort of mentioned Trump at various moments.
They date back to 2011. And so, the first one is from that year. So, this would have been when Trump was a reality television star, real estate
mogul, but certainly, years before he was running for office. And in this first e-mail, Epstein is writing to Ghislaine Maxwell, the now convicted
sex trafficker who is serving time in Texas.
And he writes, "I want you to realize that, that dog that hasn't barked is Trump" -- victim, the Democrats redacted the name, 'victim', Republicans
now say that this is Virginia Giuffre. "Victim spent hours at my house with him. He has never once been mentioned. Police chief, et cetera, I'm 95
percent there."
To which, Ghislaine Maxwell replied, "I have been thinking about that". So, that's the first e-mail from 2011. Fast-forward, about four years to 2015.
This is an exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and Michael Wolff, he's a journalist, he's an author. He has written books about President Trump.
Michael Wolff tells Jeffrey Epstein that he hears CNN is planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you", this is the day of a
presidential debate, either on air or in scrum afterwards, to which Epstein replies, if we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it
would be?
[14:05:00]
And then Michael Wolff goes on to kind of explain what his tactics he thinks should be. Now, we should note that we went back to look at that
debate, Epstein never came up in that. So, this is -- it's not clear where he got his information, but it's important to note that. Fast-forward,
another four years to 2019.
This is when President Trump is serving his first term in office. This is another e-mail from Jeffrey Epstein to Michael Wolff, in which he
references Mar-a-Lago, and he goes on to say, "Trump said, he asked me to resign, never a member, ever. Of course, he knew about the girls as he
asked Ghislaine to stop".
And that seems to be a reference to what President Trump has talked about publicly, which was when he kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club in Palm
Beach, because, in his words, Epstein was, quote, "poaching" girls who worked there to go and work for him. And this is a story that President
Trump has told many times.
And so, I think taken together, these e-mails do certainly reflect the relationship between the two men. Of course, we know that President Trump
was well acquainted with Jeffrey Epstein, as were many celebrities in the 1990s. I think it's more important to sort of put this in the political
context, which is the furor that has been ongoing on Capitol Hill as Democrats and a few Republicans pushed the Trump White House and the Trump
administration to release more information about Jeffrey Epstein. These e- mails are only going to inflame that debate as it heats up.
SOARES: And we did hear, of course, from Karoline Leavitt in what? The last half an hour or so. She said the e-mails prove absolutely nothing
other than Trump did nothing wrong. But an important context on this. As you and I have reported, have been talking over the last several months,
this administration has faced a political firestorm, Kevin, over whether and when the federal government would release the Epstein files.
The President, in fact, campaigned that he would release them. But, you know, this is not going away as much as they want to kick the can down the
road. That is not happening. So, what then is the administration -- how are they going to deal with this? There's a high level meeting expected. Do we
know who is attending this meeting?
LIPTAK: Yes, and this is a meeting we expect to take place today. It's between administration officials, including Pam Bondi; the Attorney
General, Kash Patel; the FBI director, but also a Republican member of Congress named Lauren Boebert; she's from Colorado, and she is one of a
handful of Republicans who have said that they would join in this effort in the House of Representatives to compel the administration to release all of
their documents and all of their information related to Jeffrey Epstein.
You know, Mike Johnson, who is the Republican House Speaker, has been trying to corral Republicans against this effort. And it had seemed as if
they did not have the votes to do that until a special election, I know this is confusing, until a special election occurred in Arizona, a Democrat
won that election, her name is Adelita Grijalva, and she has said that she will support this effort, and she would give the Democrats 218 votes in
order to compel the administration to release these documents.
What this meeting at the White House today seems to be is the administration trying to convince Lauren Boebert to back away from that
effort. And if she does that, then they would not have the sufficient number of votes. But what we've heard from sources is that Lauren Boebert
remains sort of stalwart in her convictions here.
What Karoline Leavitt said about this meeting was that it was merely an exercise in transparency, as they try and sort of provide all of the
information that they have to members of Congress.
SOARES: Which then led to the question, if, you know, if there's an interest of transparency, why not release the files too, in the first
place? Interesting as well. We don't have time for this, but Adelita Grijalva, of course, I'm seeing it in the last few moments that Jeffrey
Epstein survivors, Kevin, are expected to be in attendance at a swearing in ceremony this afternoon.
Really just shows the intensifying suffocation of public pressure on this story. Kevin, appreciate it as always. Thank you very much indeed. We're
going to stay in Washington after 43 stressful days that involved missed paychecks, disrupted food assistance and thousands of flight delays. The
U.S. federal government could finally reopen tonight.
In the next few hours, house lawmakers are expected to begin voting on the Senate passed funding bill, and if approved, the bill will then go to
President Donald Trump's desk for his signature. But things may not be so clear-cut. House Speaker Mike Johnson faces an extremely narrow majority
and can only afford to lose two Republican votes.
Democrats vow to fight the package, arguing it does not address their health care demands. House leaders also plan on swearing in the U.S.
Democratic member Adelita Grijalva, as I was saying, after Johnson refused to do so during the shutdown, and she has been waiting for weeks to be
sworn in following her special election win in Arizona.
[14:10:00]
Let's bring in CNN's Arlette Saenz live from Capitol Hill. So, Arlette, just talk us through the vote, I think it's about a couple of hours from
now. And how likely that what the likelihood is, that it will pass, given how narrow it is like we said.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, the House is back in session for the first time in 54 days as they are preparing in the
coming hours to begin voting to reopen the federal government. House Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team are really working in these
final hours to ensure that they have enough Republican votes to get this across the finish line.
But there are a few complicating factors here. Johnson has expressed optimism that they will have the votes, but they want to ensure that they
have enough members here in attendance. Many had been really scrambling to get here over the last 36 hours, and then there's also the fact that House
Republicans are operating with a very narrow majority.
They can only afford to lose two Republican votes on this bill. Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who had opposed the Stopgap Funding Bill passed
by the House back in September, he's widely expected to vote against this bill that was negotiated in the Senate as well. So, that really leaves
Johnson without much wiggle room of other Republican defections in his conference.
On the Democratic side, House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries has really worked to try to keep his Democrats in line in opposition to this bill.
Democrats are still concerned with the fact that this bill does nothing to address those expiring Obamacare subsidies, which are set to end at the end
of the year, and send insurance premiums skyrocketing for many Americans.
There could be some Democratic defections. One person to watch will be Congressman Jared Golden from Maine, who had supported the House-backed
Stopgap back in September. But another congresswoman that many are keeping an eye on is Congresswoman Susie Lee of Nevada. Two Nevada senators,
Democrats had actually been among the eight Democrats who voted to push this bill ahead in the Senate.
Susie Lee told reporters today that she is leaning against the bill, but she is still working on making up her mind. But Jeffries, when he spoke to
our colleague, Manu Raju a short while ago, he really brushed off this concern that there would be widespread Democratic defections. He believes
his caucus will stay together in this matter.
Now, this vote is expected to start playing out in just a few hours with House leaders predicting that they could have a vote on final passage in
the 7:00 p.m. hour here in Washington D.C. So, we will be watching in the coming hours to see what more work Johnson and his leadership team might be
doing to try to get Republicans coalesced and on board with this plan.
If the bill does pass the House, it still needs to go to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature, and that is when the shutdown would
officially end.
SOARES: I know you'll stay across it for us. Arlette Saenz, thank you very much indeed. Leave the United States, turn now to Latin America, where the
U.S. military's presence and continuing strikes are drawing criticism right across the region. Colombia has just suspended Intelligence-sharing with
the Trump administration until the U.S. agrees to stop attacking alleged drug boats.
And it follows CNN's exclusive reporting that was our lead yesterday at this hour, if you remember, that the U.K. has also stopped some Intel-
sharing with the U.S. about vessels in the area. This, as Venezuela has announced a massive military mobilization involving tens of thousands of
troops, and an even greater number of reservists.
And it follows the arrival of U.S. Navy's largest warship, the USS Gerald R. Ford. U.S. officials say the aircraft carrier and its strike group have
reached the region. Stefano Pozzebon is in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and joins me now. And Stefano, I know this decision, it was -- came
from Defense Minister Padrino Lopez, a man who, you know, well known for his hyperbole when he calls this a massive mobilization. Stefano, what are
we talking about? Where are we? And where are troops being posted?
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Isa, well, we're talking about gigantic military drills. Padrino Lopez; the Venezuelan Defense Minister
told us that he wants the country to be prepared to front up what he says is an imperialistic threat coming down from Washington, especially coming
down with a sizable image of the largest aircraft carrier in the world, parking up outside -- offshore from the Venezuelan coast in the Caribbean
sea to add even further pressure on Nicolas Maduro.
We're talking about 200,000 between soldiers and members of the militia, the militia here in Venezuela is a civilian body that assists and
complements the action of the Venezuelan Army, Air Force and the Navy. But if you are just like me in the streets of Caracas, Isa, you can see that in
a way, life goes on.
[14:15:00]
We came here because it was raining just a few minutes ago. So, we're not in a place where people are actually walking. But you see that the city is
quiet. There is calm in the streets, but there is also tension. The Venezuelans that we spoke with are telling us that they are well aware of
those geopolitical tensions, and they're following the situation, while at the same time, of course, going on with our -- with our days.
We spoke with a few of them, our people from our teams and colleagues from CNN Espanol have also spoken with several. We brought a few of them
together, one of them, by the way, Isa, did not want to reveal her identity when speaking on camera to CNN, because she feared retaliation from the
government for what she said. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Indisputably need help from the United States, if not, we cannot get out of the situation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I feel worried because this affects everything. There is a lot of tension.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The United States should not interfere in this manner. I think it's an abuse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: So, different opinions, of course, some who staunchly opposed Nicolas Maduro and who says that the only way for him to go is with an
armed attack from the United States. Others who instead consider this just like the government and Padrino himself, consider him an interference from
Washington, meddling in Venezuelan affairs.
I think that the point that is coming out of Caracas right now, Isa, s that everybody is tense, everybody is aware that there is a possibility that the
United States would take decisive action and would indeed attack or conduct an attack on Venezuelan soil. But not many people believe that, that will
be the end of the chapter of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuelan history.
They do not believe that just because of that, the government would collapse and Maduro would go. That's why I think we're seeing that most
Venezuelans that we spoke with go on with their days, of course, that also dealing with the dramatic economic crisis, so many of them have to come up
with strategy to make ends meet at the end -- at the end of the day. But there is, of course, this tense calm right -- airing over the Caracas
streets, Isa?
SOARES: Stefano for us in the streets of Caracas in Venezuela. Thanks very much, Stefano, good to see you. And still to come tonight, after dozens of
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and their property in a West Bank rampage, only one suspect remains in custody tonight. New demands for
accountability just ahead.
And to Sudan, where the world's worst humanitarian crisis deepens as tens of thousands of civilians flee Al Fashir to escape persecution.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: The Palestinian government in Ramallah is urging the world to take action to stop a surge of violence targeting Palestinians in the West Bank.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(WOMAN SCREAMING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Masked Israeli settlers, some armed with clubs, set fire to property and vehicles in a rampage yesterday. They also attacked
Palestinians, leaving several badly injured. The head of Israel's Democrat Party calls the near-daily violence, quote, "Jewish terrorism". Demanding
Israel's internal security service, the Shin Bet, put a stop to it.
Police say four people were arrested over yesterday's attacks, three have already been released. Palestinians are describing some of the terrifying
moments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The settlers attacked us. They beat three of us, me and my two brothers. Two are in hospital, one at the
ICU. They broke the windows of the house. They attacked the sheep with sticks. They also broke the truck and then they left.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The army was standing here looking at them. They were protecting them. I've gone to soldiers and told them why this happened. We
didn't do anything. They told me that's what happened. Nobody cares about us. The army is also protecting them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, U.S. President Donald Trump isn't commenting on this latest surge of violence, but he is taking the extraordinary step of intervening
in Israel's domestic affairs, directly asking the President to pardon Benjamin Netanyahu. He wrote a letter to Isaac Herzog, saying Prime
Minister Netanyahu is leading Israel into peace after war, and his attention cannot be, quote, "unnecessarily diverted by legal troubles".
Mr. Netanyahu is facing three separate corruption cases, and he denies wrongdoing. Opposition leader Yair Lapid posted what he called a reminder
on social media that under Israeli law, the first condition for receiving a pardon is an admission of guilt. Our Jeremy Diamond joins me now from
Jerusalem.
So, Jeremy, let me start first with this pretty intervention from -- quite the intervention from President Trump. How is that being received there?
And more importantly, does President Herzog have the power to issue pardons here?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, while the role of the Israeli president is largely ceremonial in Israel, he does have the power
to issue pardons. But one of the requirements in order for him to issue a pardon, as his office pointed out today in response to President Trump's
letter, is that there must be a formal request and not just from anyone, not from the President of the United States, but from the party who is
requesting that pardon, in this case, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or his representatives.
But the Israeli Prime Minister has not requested a pardon. He has maintained his innocence throughout this five-year long trial that he has
been involved in, which has been marred by multiple delays and for which he began taking the stand late last year. But this certainly marks an
extraordinary intervention by President Trump into the judicial system of a sovereign country.
And it comes as the President is saying, that this case, in his view, is political, unjustified persecution. He has previously called it a witch-
hunt. It's also important to note that the President here is really putting his own very high favorability among the Israeli public on the line right
now, in a country where often times even the mere mention of Netanyahu's name draws significant boos.
That's exactly what happened when President Trump's top envoy, Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, addressed that crowd in Tel Aviv
following the ceasefire agreement last month.
SOARES: Let me ask you, we turn our attention to the West Bank. We've seen that the head of Israel's Democrat Party in calling, of course, the near-
daily violence, he said, Jewish terrorism, demanded the Shin Bet, of course, put a stop to it. I know because we've been reporting here. We have
been showing viewers your reports, you and your teams reporting on these surging attacks, of course, in -- on Palestinians in the West Bank.
You have returned once again to the West Bank. Just give us a sense of what you are seeing, because it feels like almost on a daily basis, you and I
are talking about these attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
DIAMOND: Yes, there's no question that the last month-and-a-half has been extraordinarily violent, even by the standards of the last two years, which
have marked a steep increase in settler violence in the West Bank. Today, we were in the northern part of the West Bank, where just yesterday, dozens
of settlers stormed a dairy distribution facility and set fire to multiple vehicles.
[14:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (on camera): This is the aftermath of an attack by Israeli settlers. We're here in the occupied West Bank where dozens of Israeli
settlers stormed this dairy distribution facility, setting several trucks on fire. You can see this is one of those trucks that was set on fire by
those Israeli settlers.
It is completely burned down to its core here. We're told that dozens of Israeli settlers descended on this facility in the northern part of the
occupied West Bank. They came through this gate right over here, and coming over the walls of several other parts of this facility. All of these
settlers were masked.
Some of them were carrying clubs. I spoke with the owner of this facility, and he made very clear that he believes this was an effort to intimidate
him and other Palestinians from expanding their businesses in the West Bank.
MONJED AJUNEIDI, EXECUTIVE, AL JUNEIDI DAIRY & FOOD PRODUCTS COMPANY: I think it's just a message to scare -- to scare us, to scare our employees
to not start -- to not come and to try to enforce their reality on the ground.
DIAMOND: What confidence do you have that this won't happen again?
AJUNEIDI: It's not confidence. It's not confidence. We hope that it doesn't happen again. We're taking more measures, but we don't know.
There's no guarantees.
DIAMOND: Those settlers also descended on this Bedouin community right near that factory. And you can see that they also rampaged this area as
well, setting fire to this place where the livestock feed was held, and also terrorizing women and children who were in the home just up the hill.
This is a part of a trend of a very violent month of October.
United Nations has tracked more than 264 attacks by settlers against Palestinians just this month alone. And that is the highest number of
attacks that they've tracked since they began following these numbers in 2006. Those settlers not only rampaged along this village, they actually
beat several sheep here, killing four of them.
And after that, we understand that several men went up this hill to try and get those sheep back to this village, and that is where those settlers then
beat at least four Palestinians who had to go to the hospital for medical treatment. And this speaks to a growing problem of impunity for these
settlers. It seems things are now reaching a point of saturation where even Israeli officials, who typically stay silent on matters of settler violence
are now also speaking out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND: And we're even hearing growing frustration from among Israeli military officials who say that they feel they don't have the tools
necessary in order to crack down on this settler violence. But it's also important to note that more often than not, when we're speaking with
Palestinians in the West Bank or activists who go and support them, they often view the Israeli military as complicit in many of the crimes of these
settlers, or in simply standing idly by while they run rampant in the way that they did just yesterday in Beit Lid. Isa?
SOARES: Jeremy Diamond for us in Jerusalem. Thank you, Jeremy. I want to turn now to Sudan where the U.N. warns humanitarian operations are on the
brink of collapse. It's been two weeks since RSF rebels captured the city of Al Fashir in Darfur after a brutal 18-month siege. Monitors report the
fighters went on a killing spree, launching a campaign of ethnic as well as sexual violence.
Thousands are now trying to flee the attacks, triggering another wave of displacement. Reports suggest that close to 90,000 people have tried to
escape via unsafe routes, with no secure access to water, food or medical treatment. And for those who remain trapped inside the city, supplies are
low and conditions are desperate.
Let's get more on this. I want to bring in Director General for the International Organization for Migration, Amy Pope. She's currently in
Sudan's capital in Khartoum. Amy, great to have you on the show. Look, we have been reporting here on the show, and we have shown viewers, they would
have seen this, videos of these horrific atrocities of large scale massacres, fighters going on a killing spree.
I saw on X, you've been saying I came to Sudan to listen, right? To hear. Can you give me a sense of what the test -- what testimonies you've been
hearing?
AMY POPE, DIRECTOR GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION: It's really extraordinary, and the reporting that we've heard to date has been
underscored by the testimonies I've heard of people who have just recently fled the area. I've spoken to quite a lot of women in particular.
We're mostly seeing women and children, people with disabilities, older people come out of the region right now, that's largely because the young
men are being prevented from leaving or they are being killed. So, the stories of horrific violence, of Indiscriminate killing of civilians, of
sexual abuse, of people being left behind because they cannot make the journey to escape the path literally littered with dead bodies are
absolutely horrifying and the needs are extremely urgent.
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: And just in one of the videos that CNN was looking at, Amy, you know, the rebels are even heard saying, this is
as, you know, civilians are trying to flee, right? One of the rebels is saying, catch the girls. Multiple humanitarian workers, and I've spoken to
some of them on the show, have told us the women and girls who escaped El Fasher were victims of sexual violence as well as rape.
Just give me -- can you share some of the stories that you have heard on this? I know you've been speaking specifically to women and children on
this.
POPE: Yes, and we are hearing over and over again that women have been subjected to horrific abuse, especially teenage girls, girls as young as
12, 13, 14, described being raped, brutally, sometimes raped in front of their family members. One mother told me how her clothes were torn from her
body in front of her husband, in front of her children, and she was brutally assaulted.
Now, this isn't entirely new because this kind of sexual violence has been going on in Darfur for some time. I've had the chance to speak to some
young women who were actually impregnated and gave birth following their rape. And so, this is unfortunately a very sad tool being used against
innocent, often young women.
SOARES: So, just give us a sense, our viewers a sense, Amy, you're on the ground there, you have been speaking of course to government -- on
government level, what are you telling them? Because as we heard from the U.N. saying operation -- humanitarian operations on the brink of collapse.
I was looking at the IOM statement today, it's staggering some of the figures. Since 2023 nearly 10 million people have been displaced in Sudan,
this is the largest displacement crisis in the world, and 30 million people need humanitarian assistance. Just talk us through what that actually looks
like.
POPE: So, 10 million people have been displaced, not just once in many cases, in many cases they're being displaced time and time again. They'll
leave home because of violence, the place they go to then comes under attack, then they leave again. So, the stories of vulnerability are really
through the roof.
We're also hearing about women again, women and girls who just don't have the protection or support they need. They're often blamed by society if
they're sexually assaulted. There are really horrible accounts of lack of access to shelter. The IOM response that we work with partners to provide
shelter for people who don't have a home, to give you a sense of the lack of capacity, only 8 percent of the need is currently filled.
So, imagine the thousands and thousands of people who are going homeless effectively, even as the war rages around them.
SOARES: Just unimaginable suffering. Amy Pope, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. Thank you, Amy.
POPE: Thank you.
SOARES: Thank you. And still to come tonight, a vote that could end America's longest government shutdown of schedules in just a few hours,
less than a few hours in fact. Will it happen? We'll tell you what the Speaker of the House says. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:00]
SOARES: And more now on our top story. The release of emails sent by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein that mentioned Donald Trump multiple
times. Those private emails were released today by Democrats in the House Versailles Committee. And in one message, Epstein asserts that Mr. Trump
knew about the girls, apparently referencing the president's claim that he kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago for poaching some of the young women who
work there.
President Trump has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing. The White House claims Democrats selectively leaked Epstein emails to embarrass the
president. Here's a sampling of some of the reaction on Capitol Hill to the release of those emails. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): I think what these emails demonstrate is precisely why House Republicans have been trying to block
the release of the Epstein files for months now. I think it illustrates in a very damning way, and I think it also implicates House Speaker Mike
Johnson as well as to why he has refused to call the House back into session for over a month now and prevent the 218th signature from releasing
the Epstein files.
REP. MARLIN STUTZMAN (R-IN), BUDGET AND FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEES: President Trump has been the most investigated president that we probably
will ever have. And so, the fact that this information comes out today, I think is a bit ironic. But at the same time, any information that's
released has to be taken seriously. And I know that the Oversight Committee will do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And for the first time in nearly two months, House lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill, as you saw there, and the immediate order of business
is to reopen the government. Lawmakers are set to vote in just less than two hours, in fact, on a funding bill that's already been approved by the
Senate Speaker. Mike Johnson says he's optimistic. They have the numbers.
But the deal will only extend funding through January the 30th, setting the stage for another possible potential shutdown early next year. And it all
comes amid travel chaos, we've been telling you, at the nation's airports. Flight cancellations and delays related to the shutdown have already
impacted more than 5 million passengers.
Let's get more on all these strands here. Larry Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics, University of Virginia. A very well-known face
here. Larry, good to see you. Let me start with this breaking news and these new Epstein emails that have been released by the Democrats, which,
like I said, mentioned Trump multiple times. How concerning will this be for the administration, which, you know, time at a time, has been trying to
kick the can down the road and trying to make this go away?
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Well, Isa, I frequently judge the reaction of the administration by how angry the
Trump press secretary is. And she is very angry today and responded angrily to many of the questions about this. I can also tell that it's of concern
because the House Republicans just released, according to the New York Times, 23,000 documents from Jeffrey Epstein's estate.
[14:40:00]
Now, I don't know what's in them. I'm sure even the New York Times hasn't had a chance to go through them all yet. But it's called flooding the zone.
There's now so much new information out there that it's going to be difficult for people to understand what is actually happening.
As far as what the Democrats released, we don't know for sure because we don't know the context of these emails and we don't know how the principals
may have reacted to them. But they certainly raised some questions that need to be answered by somebody. And we also know that the House has been
out of session for an incredibly long time, weeks and weeks and weeks, ostensibly because of the shutdown. But I think also the Epstein documents
had something to do with it too.
SOARES: You know, 23,000 emails. CNN is trawling through them as well, everyone going through them at the moment. But you're right, the response
from the White House, from Karoline Leavitt, was pretty forceful, as you can imagine. This is what she said. Let me just play a little bit of what
she said for our viewers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: These emails prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing
wrong. And what President Trump has always said is that he was from Palm Beach and so was Jeffrey Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein was a member at Mar-a-
Lago until President Trump kicked him out because Jeffrey Epstein was a pedophile and he was a creep.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Now, the President, I think it's important for our international audience, Larry, the president campaigned, right, on the release of these
Epstein files. And Karoline Leavitt there, when I heard her talking, she was talking in the interest of transparency and she was giving some details
in terms of this high-level meeting that's taking place today. But in the interest of transparency, just explain to our viewers why haven't they
released the files?
SABATO: They say it's because they don't want to give Democrats an opportunity for a distraction from the key issues facing the country. Of
course, Democrats say in return that many of the things that the Trump administration and President Trump himself have done in recent months, they
are distractions from the Epstein files. So, everybody can make up their own mind about that.
But listen to what Karoline Leavitt said. She said these emails, at least the few released by the Democrats, prove that Donald Trump did nothing
wrong. They do nothing of the sort. They don't prove he did anything wrong and they don't prove he didn't do anything wrong. So, we'll see what the
other documents say. And there will be a lot of discussion about this and possibly a vote in the House about it in the coming days.
SOARES: Yes. And I'm seeing now we have President Trump has just responded, Larry, just on social media. I'm just going to read part of what
he says. The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein hoax again because they'll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they've
done on the shutdown and so many other subjects.
Yet, the White House is meeting -- high-level meeting on this. How do you expect this to play out, given, of course, we have an additional member who
may vote for these to be released, right? I'm just trying to see if I can find her name. Here we go. Adelina, the 218th member, represented Democrat,
Adelina Grijalva, who is going to be sworn in today. She could be pretty decisive if, of course, the numbers stick.
SABATO: Yes, that's the key phrase, if the numbers stick, Isa. Because, remember, this Arizona congresswoman was elected many weeks ago, a couple
of months ago, and the norm is for them to be sworn in relatively quickly after they're elected so that their district can be represented in the
House of Representatives.
Well, the speaker of the House has come up with excuse after excuse as to why he can't swear her in. He has to do it today, now that the House is
back. Yes, she's the 218th vote on what's called the discharge petition, which can get this issue to the floor so that everyone has to vote on it.
However, the White House and the House leadership on the Republican side have been trying to convince a handful of Republicans who voted to -- who
signed the petition so that the documents can be released. They've tried to talk them out of it, and we simply don't know. They only have to convince
one.
SOARES: Yes. Larry, it's going to be a busy few days on this and, of course, on the shutdown. We'll see if the vote goes through. Good to see
you, Larry. Thanks very much.
SABATO: Thanks, Isa.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, CNN speaks exclusively with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. The details from Moscow with Our Fred Pleitgen,
just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
SOARES: Well, Russia and Kazakhstan have announced they are strengthening their partnership in the oil sector following talks between their
respective presidents. Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kazakh president concluding a two-day meeting in the Russian capital, you can see
there, Moscow. The move signals a deepening of ties between Moscow and one of its key allies in the midst of Western sanctions, of course. And this
comes as Russian troops appear to be approaching the strategic City of Pokrovsk in its conflict with Ukraine.
And Frederik Pleitgen joins me now from Moscow with more. And Fred, I know you've had the opportunity of speaking exclusively to Peskov. Just give us
a sense of what he said, and not just, of course, these economic ties in terms of the sanctions as well, but critically, what is happening in
Pokrovsk and how much of significant gains has Russian made or says it's gaining?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, certainly the Russians -- it's a very interesting question, Isa, the
Russians are certainly saying they believe right now the initiative is very much on their side and the momentum is on their side as well.
In fact, I did ask Dmitry Peskov about all of that, saying that, look, the Trump administration, President Trump himself, has said that he wants the
fighting in Ukraine to end as fast as possible. He wants a ceasefire or a longer lasting peace. And the Russians are saying right now they believe
that they are making gains on the battlefield. They believe that it's the Ukrainians who need a pause in fighting and not the Russians. One of the
things that Dmitry Peskov said is why should we do that at this point in time?
I did ask him also about the fact that the lack of momentum on these peace talks in Ukraine is also, of course, putting a strain on the very warm
relations that the U.S. and Russia have had under the Trump administration. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON: We're sorry that we're not as fast as we would desire. And we're ready to go as fast as America's side is ready.
We have to improve our bilateral relations. We have to open new possibilities for trade and economic cooperation. We have very, very
brilliant horizons waiting ahead. And we're losing time. We're losing money. We're losing profits. This is what we do.
And of course, we sincerely hope that President Trump is still willing to contribute in political and diplomatic settlement of Ukraine problem.
PLEITGEN: How dangerous do you think this nuclear rhetoric can be? Because I know there are people who asked you whether we're at a stage like the
Cuban missile crisis. I know that you denied that. But I mean, speaking about new nuclear tests is certainly something that seems to raise the ante
somewhat.
[14:50:00]
PESKOV: Well, nuclear rhetoric is always dangerous. It's always dangerous. From one hand, nuclear weapons is very good things for the peacekeeping in
terms of mutual deterrence. But from the other hand, it's even dangerous to speak about that. And, frankly speaking, we'd prefer not to make
statements.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: But of course, Isa, we know that the Russians actually have been making statements about that renewed nuclear rhetoric, saying that they
themselves -- and this was Vladimir Putin saying that, saying that they themselves are preparing at least for the possibility of renewed nuclear
tests. But of course, they also say all of that depends on what they hear from the Trump administration. They want clarification from President Trump
as to what he meant when he said the U.S. would begin nuclear testing again.
As of right now, the Russians, again, reiterated today that they still feel bound by the nuclear test ban treaty, Isa.
SOARES: Exclusive interview there by our Frederik Pleitgen with Dmitry Peskov. Good to see you, Fred. Thank you.
I want to turn to Ukraine now, where the country's energy minister has just resigned amid a winding corruption scandal. The announcement comes as
prosecutors accuse senior officials of embezzling millions of dollars meant to repair the country's war-torn power grid. President Zelenskyy has
responded, saying that no one is above the law and backs investigators. However, allies fear the scandal could slow vital aid to Ukraine in its war
with Russia.
And still to come tonight, a new study shows the sweet behavior of bumblebees. We'll tell you about what it means about their ability to
process time. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: A new study about behavior. Scientists now believe bumblebees can process time through flashes of light. The study was published in the
journal Biology Letters. Researchers presented bees with visual cues. One had a long flash of light with bitter food. The other, short flash of
light, but with sweeter food. And the bees found their way to the shorter light with sweeter food. Previously, scientists believed bees had only
basic reflexes when it came to foraging for food.
[14:55:00]
Now, if you're watching right now from northern states in the U.S. or northern parts here of the U.K., take a chance to cast your eyes to the
skies tonight as a powerful solar storm is bringing a truly dazzling display. Take a look at these stunning images from last night taken across
the U.S. An Aurora Borealis seen in Iowa and Virginia. A powerful burst of energy from the sun sends solar wind crashing into Earth's atmosphere.
Weather services in both the U.K. and the U.S. say many could be in for another rare glimpse of the northern lights again this evening, so be sure
to take a look.
And finally, this evening, Pope Leo XIV is bringing Hollywood to the Vatican. About three dozen stars will meet the pontiff this weekend. Some
of the celebrities include Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine and Adam Scott. Of course, that's Robert De Niro, who met with him on Friday. The Vatican says
it's all part of Pope Leo's desire to deepen dialogue with the world of cinema.
And that does it for us for this evening. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with Max Foster is up next. Have a wonderful evening. I shall see
you, of course, tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
