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Isa Soares Tonight

Zelenskyy's Top Aide Resigns; Eight More People Arrested Over The Deadly Fire In Hong Kong As Hundreds Still Remain Missing; President Trump Says The United States Is Ready To Take The War Against Drugs To The Shores Of Venezuela; Sources: U.S. Carried Out Strike That Killed Survivors Of Initial Attack On Suspected Drug Boat; Trump: U.S. Land Action In Venezuela Will Start Very Soon; Trump Ramps Up Anti-Immigration Rhetoric After D.C. Shooting; Trump To Cancel Biden's Executive Orders Signed By Autopen. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired November 28, 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]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: And a very warm welcome to the program, everyone, I'm Paula Newton in for Isa Soares. Tonight, a major

shakeup inside Ukraine. President Zelenskyy's top aide and key peace negotiator resigns after an anti-corruption raid at his home. I will speak

with Ukrainian MP to get her reaction.

Then, eight more people are arrested over the deadly fire in Hong Kong as hundreds still remain missing at this hour. We will have the very latest.

Plus, a warning from Donald Trump, who says the United States is ready to take the war against drugs to the shores of Venezuela. We are live in

Caracas with more.

Now, we do want to start with Ukraine and that bombshell resignation. The country's top negotiator and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Chief of Staff

is now out. Andrii Yermak is the latest and most high profile casualty of a fast moving corruption probe.

His departure came just hours after anti-graft authorities raided his home. Now, Mr. Zelenskyy announced the news as he seeks to draw a line under this

scandal. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): I want no one to have any questions about Ukraine today. Therefore, today, we have the

following internal decisions. First, there will be a reboot of the office of the President of Ukraine. The head of the office, Andrii Yermak has

written a letter of resignation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: So, important to note here. Yermak had been leading the Ukraine delegation and the recent peace talks with the Trump administration in

Geneva. The developments come as Russian President Vladimir Putin has tentatively said a U.S. peace proposal could be the basis for a deal. CNN's

Nick Paton Walsh has more on the resignation of President Zelenskyy's chief of staff.

Oh, and apologies there, we are having some technical difficulties with that package, but we do now go to Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, she joins us

now. She is Ukrainian MP and Chair of a Committee of Ukraine's Integration into the European Union. And a very warm welcome to you as we continue to

follow these fast-moving events.

Obviously, first up, what are your reaction to the recent developments? This is a very consequential resignation, not just for President Zelenskyy,

but all of Ukraine.

IVANNA KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE, UKRAINIAN MP & CHAIR, COMMITTEE OF UKRAINE'S INTEGRATION INTO EUROPEAN UNION: Yes, good evening, thank you for having me

on the show. Definitely, this is big news. But I think the pressure for resignation of Mr. Yermak has been mounting in Ukraine for the last couple

of weeks very seriously.

And that's why today, after the searches in his home, this has happened. I think this is the right decision of the President because we want to ensure

that nothing is compromising our stance as a country, both in negotiations, but also, I think this is clearly the sign that anti-corruption

institutions that we have managed to preserve as independent in the Summer are delivering on the result.

NEWTON: This must be met, though, with some skepticism among Ukrainians themselves. It clearly weakens the Zelenskyy administration, though in the

eyes of some of them. I mean, we've noted here for some months, even years, that Ukrainian voters themselves have to approve a peace proposal. And you

need a very strong administration and president in order to do that.

KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE: Well, the country is much stronger when it is being cleaned up. And I think that, that is actually the possibility for us to

become stronger and for us to review the -- you know, management and government governance practices here in Ukraine. So, I think that it won't

necessarily weaken the state, the country of Ukraine.

And I think that we do have enough professional and high level, capable people who can be added on to the negotiations team. And that is absolutely

possible, who do have the experience of negotiating with Russia, who do have the knowledge of what Russia is and how do they behave.

[14:05:00]

And I think that only can strengthen the whole delegation.

NEWTON: Strengthen the whole delegation, and yet, in the short term, do you believe it does weaken the positioning here? I mean, he was a central

character in terms of this negotiation.

KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE: Well, I'm sorry that he was given so much powers. And he has become one of the key people there. But I do believe that this is

possible even in this situation and even on the go, when this is happening on the go, I think again and again, Ukraine is definitely showing in this

case that it's far from, you know, from what Russia is and its practices and its -- and its deeds.

So, therefore, I think it's even getting us much stronger because we are a different type of country that is listening and hearing the institutions

when they are delivering upon their mandate.

NEWTON: And I do want to get to the substance of those negotiations. A U.S. delegation is headed to Moscow this coming week, I guess, as you know. Is

there any leverage that you believe the U.S. is willing to use at this point to get Putin closer to what a ceasefire or any kind of peace proposal

looks like as far as Ukraine is concerned, because so far, it does not seem as if the U.S. has been willing to use a lot of its leverage.

KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE: Well, I think that those energy sanctions that have been imposed on the Russian federation against major Russian companies are

definitely painful for the Russian federation. And I think that they, together with the whole discussion on reparation and low on the basis of

Russian frozen sovereign assets in Europe, that has led the Russians to try to push their plan through American administration, and that is -- that is

the urgency that we've seen over the last couple of days.

But -- and therefore, I believe that American administration does have a lot of leverage. The question is whether there is a political will to use

that leverage on the aggressor, on the dictatorial imperial state that wants to blow up the remnants of the international law. I think it is in

the interest of the United States to do that, and I would hope that, that would be something that American administration would pursue in the

interests of the American citizens and in the interests of the global security, European security as well.

NEWTON: And yet, you don't think that the coming negotiations are, in your words, going to be sustainable or lasting? Now, I know, as well, Ivanna,

that you have said for years that European as well as global security, literally rests with Ukrainian stability. Why do you believe that has been

such a hard sell despite what we have seen in the last few weeks of even more Russian aggression on NATO's borders.

KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE: It does require understanding of the Russian intentions in order to understand that Ukraine is not the last and the

final goal of the Russian dictator, Mr. Putin. And that Russian dictator does want to project its power further on the parts of Europe, and not only

in Europe, but also elsewhere.

And if the -- this aggressor will be appeased, that will actually create new fires of wars and tensions and conflicts, not only on the European

continent, the whole continent, but in the Pacific, in South America and Africa and elsewhere. And that is why we believe that the results of the

war here in Ukraine will have the impact not only security-wise, not only in Europe, but also globally. And I think that, that has to be -- this is

pretty obvious from my perspective.

NEWTON: Yes, and yet, as I said, it still seems to remain a hard sell, perhaps not in Europe as much as in the United States. Ivanna, we thank you

for your input here as we continue to watch those developments in Ukraine.

KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE: Thank you, Paula --

NEWTON: Appreciate it --

KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE: Thank you.

NEWTON: Now, as people pay tribute to those who died in Hong Kong's massive apartment complex fire, there are serious questions about how and why the

disaster occurred. Now the death toll stands at 128, but it is really unfathomable at this point in time so many days later to understand that

200 people are still missing.

And that's why some expect the death toll to climb. Now, eight more arrests reported -- were reported in connection with this fire. The investigation

centers on construction materials, maintenance issues and the fire warning system itself. Officials said alarms in all eight buildings of the complex

were not functional.

[14:10:00]

Hanako Montgomery reports on why investigators say the fire started on the ground level and quickly climbed up the scaffolding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hong Kong's worst fire disaster in decades left seven high rise residential towers standing only

as burnt out shells. Well over a 100 people are dead.

(on camera): The Hong Kong authorities said that by Friday morning local time, the fire was completely extinguished at the housing complex behind

me. But they say that around 200 people still remain missing, and they fear the death toll could go up in the coming hours if not days.

(voice-over): Over 48 hours after the disaster, some new detail as to how the fire at the Wang Fuk Court Complex spread so quickly and so severely.

With an investigation set to take up to a month, early questions have focused on construction cladding that had covered the buildings for up to a

year.

CHRIS TANG, SECURITY CHIEF, HONG KONG (through translator): It ignited the mesh nets and quickly spread to the polystyrene boards around the windows,

resulting in the fire in other floors and buildings.

MONTGOMERY: Authorities have also said they are investigating whether the fire alarms were functioning properly on the day of the blaze. Several

residents who spoke to CNN said that the alarms in their buildings never rang, and some only discovered there was a fire when they looked outside.

Authorities believe the blaze began close to ground level on building six around 2:30 on Wednesday afternoon. Images have surfaced on social media of

the early embers of what would become a raging inferno, creeping up the cladding, then spreading to the other buildings.

(on camera): Have you seen a disaster like this in your careers?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I have served in the auxiliary medical service for about ten years. I joined the team at 16, and now I'm

26. I have never seen such a shocking scene appear in front of me.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Survivors have described their panic, many unsure of how to escape the burning buildings.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): This is my home. Look over there at the 10th floor. That's where my home was, by the hills. That's where it

used to be. I really want to go back, but my home is probably gone now. They won't let us go back, so, when I look in that direction, my heart

feels so heavy.

MONTGOMERY: This domestic worker watched for her employer's high rise apartment as the fire took hold.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At first, so panicked. I was so scared because the fire burned so big at first, yes, so scared and panicked.

MONTGOMERY (on camera): And now, how are you feeling?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, when I think about it, I'm grateful because I'm still alive.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Hongkongers will band together to help the victims of a disaster which is not yet over. Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Tonight, friends and family in mourning after the passing of West Virginia National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom. Beckstrom seen here on the

right, was one of the victims in this week's Washington D.C. shooting. Another guard member, you see him there on the left, Andrew Wolfe remains

in critical condition.

Now, the 29-year-old suspect arrived in the U.S. in 2021 after working with the CIA in Afghanistan. He was granted asylum in April by the Trump

administration. The U.S. attorney for D.C. now says he will be charged with first degree murder. In the aftermath of the ambush-style shooting, U.S.

President Donald Trump is doubling down on his immigration crackdown.

The President says his administration will, quote, "work to permanently pause migration from all third world countries", though it's unclear

precisely which countries he's referring to. At Trump's direction, the U.S. now plans to re-examine all green cards issued to people from 19 countries.

You see them there. Our security correspondent, Josh Campbell joins us now from Los Angeles.

And grateful to you, Josh, there's been a lot of moving parts in this story. And obviously, the first bit of news, the fact that this young

national guardsman would just lose her life in this fashion, so tragic. And many Americans trying to parse that right now, and to many, the events of

the last couple of days just don't add up.

We want to start with the vetting of this suspect. We've learned it would be pretty extensive, right?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right, and, you know, all we have to do is go back to 2021 and that, you know, chaotic withdrawal of

U.S. forces from Afghanistan, that then left the United States and its allies with the question, what do you do with people in Afghanistan who

were assisting the U.S. throughout the war effort, who were asking for asylum?

We know that, of course, the Taliban had retaken control. And so, the U.S. was working aggressively to try to bring people to the U.S. and other

places in order to seek asylum. And as part of that process, there was vetting that was done, authorities say.

[14:15:00]

And that includes trying to compare biometrics from those who were seeking asylum to any past people who may have been known or suspected terrorists.

It involved interviewing people. Again, the question that they were trying to answer was, is this person a threat? You know, that's coming into the

U.S.? But I have to note that, you know, I'm a former FBI agent, and I can tell you that these vetting processes can help mitigate potential danger.

People coming into the U.S., it can't stop it entirely, because what the U.S. government is doing is comparing that person's name to databases with

information they've already collected in the U.S. So, they're limited in what is searched, because it's only what the CIA, the FBI, the National

Security Agency have actually obtained.

So, again, it's not completely full proof. There is a big question right now, not only the motive, whether this person was inspired or directed by a

foreign terrorist organization or whether this person was acting on some particular grievance. We also don't know if this was someone who, if it

turns out to be internationally-inspired terrorism.

Was this person radicalized before he even came to the U.S., or did that happen much later? Many questions as authorities try to investigate this

deadly shooting. Paula.

NEWTON: Yes, and it's astonishing to me when you think that the CIA basically admits that they've known this man. And he had been in some way,

shape or form helping them since the age of 15 in Afghanistan. And I do want to lean on your FBI experience, Josh, and that investigation. You

know, the President has called it an act of terror.

The -- you know, director of the FBI has called it an act of terror. But how do you determine if this can be prosecuted as terrorism? And why is

that important?

CAMPBELL: No, it's a great question, because if something is a murder, that also is happens to be an act of terrorism, there are enhancements, they're

called under U.S. law where the person can serve much more time in jail if they're actually convicted. And so, that is something the authorities will

want to try to discern. Also, the community there wants answers about what actually happened as far as how they go about doing it.

They're going to be using human and technical means. The human, all that means is they're going to be interviewing people who may have known this

suspect to try to determine, is this someone who had expressed some type of ideology or anti-American statements, anti-U.S. military statements?

They'll also be looking at technical things such as his cell phone, his social media.

We understand they're conducting search warrants. FBI agents are at his home in Washington State in order to try to gather any type of devices that

may shed light on what was actually going through his mind.

Of course, whether their determination is terrorism or not, that won't bring back the young National Guard soldier who was sadly killed in this

incident. But it will help answer some of those questions that could impact his prosecution as well.

NEWTON: Yes, it is such a sad story on this Thanksgiving --

CAMPBELL: Yes --

NEWTON: Holiday this week for the entire country. Josh Campbell, grateful to you. Really appreciate it. Now in about 30 minutes time, stick with us

because we're going to dig into what Trump's comments on halting immigration from what he calls third world countries. What that could

actually mean in practice.

I will speak with Charles Cook; an immigration lawyer with more than three decades of experience, he's represented migrants and asylum seekers in more

than 700 trials. And still to come for us, an Israeli human rights group says a shooting filmed in the West Bank represents the, quote, "total

dehumanization and killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces".

And President Trump is ready to start a new phase in his pressure campaign against Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro. We will be live in Caracas after the

break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:00]

NEWTON: Pope Leo XIV is condemning violence in the name of religion as he continues his first official overseas visit.

Those were the scenes in Istanbul where the pontiff visited the nursing home of the Little Sisters of the Poor. The pope also traveled to the town

of Iznik in northwest Turkey, taking part in celebrations for the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. Landmark meeting in Christianity.

That's where he delivered his message of unity and dialogue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT PREVOST, POPE, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH: We must strongly reject the use of religion for justifying war, violence or any form of fundamentalism

or fanaticism. Instead, the paths to follow are those of fraternal encounter, dialogue and cooperation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: And quite fitting for an American pope and the Catholic priest from Texas, Pope Leo blessed the foundation stone of St. Augustine's Church in

Pleasant Grove, which is located in Dallas. The pontiff will travel to Lebanon this weekend. CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb has more

on the pope's trip to Turkey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Pope Leo on Friday coming here to Iznik, a place which is associated with one of the most

important events in early Christianity. It was in Iznik that the Council of Nicaea took place 1,700 years ago. Now, the Council of Nicaea resolved a

major theological controversy.

It defined core Christian doctrine and also produced the first version of what would become the Nicene Creed, a profession of faith still said by

Christians of different denominations. Leo, taking part in this anniversary celebrations with the ecumenical patriarch, Bartholomew, the leader of the

eastern orthodox church, wanting to put into action his message of unity.

Of course, Catholics and orthodox have longstanding divisions, but today was all about unity. Pope Leo marking this incredibly important event in

the life of the Christian Church. On his second day of his first trip abroad to Turkey and Lebanon. Earlier in the day, Leo had been to the

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul to meet with the local Catholic community in Turkey.

On the way in, he met with some priests from the diocese of Dallas in the U.S., Leo receiving a warm welcome during this trip in Turkey. Christopher

Lamb, CNN, Iznik.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: The Palestinian Authority is condemning what it calls the extrajudicial killing of two Palestinians by Israeli forces in the occupied

West Bank, saying it's a fully-fledged war crime. The incident was caught on camera for the world to see. Israeli forces say they were conducting an

operation to arrest two militants in Jenin as part of a broad counterterrorism sweep.

Now, the video shows two men emerging from a building with their hands raised, you see it there, in apparent surrender. They are surrounded by

troops, and later, you see them on the ground. Then came multiple rounds of gunfire. The IDF says field commanders are now investigating the incident.

But Israel's National Security Minister doesn't want an investigation at all. Itamar Ben-Gvir visited a border police base to praise what he called

our heroic soldiers. He says he fully backs the troops that shot those men because, quote, "terrorists should die".

[14:25:00]

Ben-Gvir himself has been convicted of supporting terror against Palestinians. The U.N. says these kinds of killings must stop.

(BEGIIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY LAURENCE, SPOKESPERSON, U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE: We are appalled by the brazen killing by Israeli border police yesterday of two Palestinian

men in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, in yet another apparent summary execution. Killings of Palestinians by Israeli security forces and settlers

in the occupied West Bank have been surging without any accountability, even in the rare case when investigations are announced.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, Israel is also facing criticism for a military operation inside Syria. The Syrian Foreign Ministry calls it a war crime, saying

Israeli troops launched a savage and deliberate bombardment that killed at least 13 people, and that includes women and children. The IDF says troops

infiltrated the village of Begine(ph) to capture two Lebanese Islamic militants it says were plotting attacks against Israel.

The IDF says clashes broke out and six Israeli troops were wounded. We want to get more now on all of these developments. Our Nic Robertson is in

Jerusalem for us. Really grateful to have you with us, and no better person to be on the ground there to really tell us what are two very highly

controversial stories.

To the West Bank first, in that video, what has been the reaction? We heard a bit from the Israeli military, but where does this go from here? Because

the Palestinian Authority clearly wants more investigation into this and action.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, and we've just heard from a lawyer representing three military personnel who were involved

in that incident, who were called in for questioning as part of the investigation. The IDF and the border police, and we understand that these

were border police that were involved in the operation.

So, of course, they report directly to Itamar Ben-Gvir, the hard right nationalist minister for internal security, whom you just were quoting

there about not believing that these men should be investigated at all, and that they were doing their job because he believes terrorists should be

killed.

We've heard from their lawyer, and the lawyer says they've been investigated. They've been questioned, and very recently have now been let

out on bail. You know, the video that anyone can see pretty much on social media really is very explicit in what happens. It's very clear that the two

men who were being arrested or detained were on their knees on the floor under the complete command and control of the soldiers with the weapons

over their -- leaning over them.

And then they were told to sort of go back in towards the opening of the building. But as they move in that direction, that's when the soldiers

shoot at them. Now, the account that the lawyer representing these three soldiers is giving is that they felt that their lives were in danger, and

that they opened fire, to, quote, "neutralize the men".

They didn't intend to kill them. In most other scenarios where Israeli officials talk about terrorists being neutralized following attacks is a

euphemism often for killing. So, I think what we're hearing from the lawyer, how the video appears is not going to sort of quell the

international calls for -- and the Palestinian calls for a further investigation.

And indeed, there are people, politicians in the opposition parties here in Israel who are saying that, you know, what has happened is absolutely

outrageous. I think what's interesting as well is, we haven't heard from the Prime Minister on this, and neither have we heard from some of the

leading members of opposition parties here, either with military backgrounds who are not weighing into this.

And I think for a lot of people, a lot of Israelis, it feels as if the political cost of going against the sort of prevailing view put forward by

Itamar Ben-Gvir can be quite high. This is far from over.

NEWTON: Yes, and we will wait to see if we get more of that reaction. Now, I do want to turn to the incident in Syria. It is significant and likely it

isn't probably something the Trump administration won't be too happy about either. What is the risk of escalation here, Nic?

ROBERTSON: Yes, I think just a quick background on the Trump administration won't be happening. If we remember, back a few months ago, when there was

an incident that Israeli forces, Druze were involved in, in southern Syria, not far from the Israeli border, Israel bombed the center of Damascus.

The White House got on very quickly to Prime Minister Netanyahu, and those bombing runs stopped.

[14:30:00]

This was something different. It was because Israel said that they were under threat from these Islamist militants inside of Syria, that they'd

perpetrated attacks. They were planning to do more. And the Israelis described going into this small village in Syria to arrest these men. They

got body cam footage of them actually arresting, detaining the men. But it appears when they were leaving, that's when they -- the Israeli troops came

under attack. And when they were under attack, taking casualties, there's burnt out remains of what appear to be their vehicles. They're not armored

vehicles. And they took at least three serious casualties. That's when it appears that the Israelis brought in the aircraft that bombed the ground

and that's what killed the civilians.

Again, the notion that Israel should be operating, as it said, to apprehend and arrest two individuals in another country, going outside of their own

borders, raises international questions among diplomats. And clearly, the Syrian government outraged that 13 of their civilians, more than 20 were --

more than 13 killed -- more than 13 killed, more than 20 injured, is something that could happen again or certainly shouldn't be happening

without international attention brought to it and pressure brought to bear on Israel not to do it again.

NEWTON: Yes, especially given that in that village apparently women and children also lost their lives. Nic Robertson, thank you so much. I really

appreciate it.

Still to come for us, President Trump is ready to take the fight on land in Venezuela. We'll look at what this move means for regional stability in a

live report from Caracas. And later, Trump promises a major overhaul of the U.S. immigration system. We will speak with an immigration lawyer about

what that means in practice. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:28]

NEWTON: Now to a story just into CNN. Sources say the U.S. military carried out a follow-up strike that deliberately killed survivors of an initial

attack on an alleged drug boat. Now, the incident happened in the -- in the Caribbean back in September. Sources say the first strike appeared to

disabled the boat and kill some, but not all of those on board. The second attack killed the remaining crew and sunk the ship.

We want to get more now from CNN's Betsy Klein. in Washington. And I mean, Betsy, the details of this are astounding.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's certainly right. We are learning that the U.S. military carried out a second follow-up strike

on a suspected drug vessel operating in the Caribbean on September 2nd after that first strike did not kill everyone on board. Sources familiar

with the matter telling our colleague Natasha Bertrand that when the initial strike appeared to disable that boat and cause deaths, the military

assessed that there were survivors. The second attack killed the remaining crew. 11 people died and the ship sunk.

Now, one of these sources says that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered the military before this operation to ensure that the strike killed

everyone aboard the boat. It is not clear at this time if he knew there were survivors before that second strike. But President Trump announced the

strike and the death toll on the day of the attacks, again, September 2nd. But the Trump Administration has never publicly acknowledged killing

survivors.

This was the first strike on an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean. There have since been about 20 known strikes in the Caribbean as well as one in

the Eastern Pacific. And we should note that these details were first reported by the Intercept and the Washington Post. All of this comes,

Paula, as the president continues to weigh his options in Venezuela, suggesting yesterday that action on land could start very soon after weeks

of threats.

There has been a major show of force in the region as the U.S. has amassed significant resources including the world's largest aircraft carrier, the

USS Gerald R. Ford, roughly 15,000 military personnel, more than a dozen warships, and 10 F-35 fighter jets.

President Trump has been briefed by his team on a wide range of options, and that includes air strikes on military or government facilities and drug

trafficking routes, or a more direct attempt to oust the country's president, Nicolas Maduro. Paula?

NEWTON: Betsy Klein, thank you for that update on that story.

Now, as Betsy was just saying, by land and by sea, Donald Trump has said the U.S. is ready to take action inside Venezuela against drug trafficking.

And in his words, this would happen very soon. This marks what seems to be a new phase in his offensive against Venezuela. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And in recent weeks, you've been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many.

Of course, there aren't too many coming in by sea anymore, if you probably notice that. We'll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is

easier, but that's going to start very soon. We'd warn them, stop sending poison to our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, that announcement happened just hours after the U.S. military sent more firepower to the region. And Secretary of Defense -- he calls

himself Secretary of War, we should say, Pete Hegseth, paid a visit to the United States largest aircraft carrier, which was recently moved to Latin

America.

Meantime, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro vows to fight back. To break down all of these recent developments, we go to Stefano Pozzebon, who is in

fact in Caracas for us. And Stefano, it's been so good to have you on the ground there in the last week or so. First to this comment from President

Trump. How is President Maduro reacting given that he has said a few times now, including directly to you, that he wants peace and he wants to

negotiate with President Trump?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Paula. Yes, I think we've been in several weeks of these incessant war of rhetoric, rhetorical war with the

United States approaching Maduro with both the carrot and the sticks with Donald Trump saying that he entertained the idea of having a direct

conversation with a Venezuelan leader and at the same time deploying the largest naval and aircraft deployment to the Southern Caribbean Sea since

the Cuban missile crisis in the 1960s. This all to add further pressure onto Maduro's shoulder.

Maduro did say plenty of times that he intends to speak with Donald Trump, that he would be here and welcoming any sort of mediation or direct

dialogue between Washington and Caracas. And I think that yesterday in one of his daily appearances now on Venezuelan TV, he also shared a little bit

of a sense of fatigue, a little bit of a sense perhaps Paul that he wanted to say, listen, we've been here before. It's been four months since you

guys have sent down the ships. What is going to be your next step at the end of the day? Take a listen to what he said.

[14:40:23]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO, PRESIDENT, VENEZUELA (through translator): For the last 17 weeks, foreign imperialist forces have been continuously threatening to

alter the peace in the Caribbean, in South America, and in Venezuela under false pretenses and extravagant arguments that no one believes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: And of course, this development coming out of the Pentagon, Paula, directly from Natasha and Betsy out of Washington D.C., confirming

that the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, did announce -- did order a second strike to terminate, to kill survivors of a first strike back at the

beginning of September. Well, of course, that is a dangerous development that will generally add more fuel to Maduro's rhetorical war.

At the same time, here in Caracas, you do feel this sense of expectation, this sort of expectation that has been dragged and spread over the course

of the last four months. And many Venezuelans just want to know if they will have a peaceful Christmas or if indeed something will have to be seen

coming down the road directly from the White House. Paula?

NEWTON: And Stefano, we do want to get more reaction from you. You've been there for quite a few weeks now. And before that, you know, you've covered

Venezuela for the better part of a decade. You know, are people actually supporting President Maduro more than they would have been before?

I mean, I remind the audience, you in particular, it's been nearly a decade now that you've been hearing these claims from Maduro himself that there

was an imperialist plot orchestrated by the CIA to take over Venezuela and it justified repression and the dismantling of democratic rights in

Venezuela. That's what Maduro always told you. That's what Maduro always told me. So, I am wondering what are Venezuelans saying to you right now

about this?

POZZEBON: I think Venezuelans just want to see the end of this chapter no matter -- no matter what. Like, anything that could turn the page would be

welcome news at this point. If you believe the data that was released by the -- by the Venezuelan opposition last year after the election or after

the controversial -- let's call it a presidential election that Maduro controversially said that he had won while actually data from the

opposition that we CNN were able to verify showed that Maduro had less than 30 percent of the support in that -- in that vote.

Well, if you believe that Maduro is a deeply unpopular leader in Venezuela, and you can only go out in Caracas and ask around, this is a country that

has seen the deepest and most worrisome economic collapse in a country outside of a war zone in across the last 10 years. And you see all the pain

that has been caused by that economic collapse, the migration wave that we have been covering over the last decade.

At the same time, this all adds to a massive sense of fatigue, a massive sense of we just want to turn the page, whether it's via peaceful way or

whatever has to happen, but at least let's give Venezuela some stability because frankly stability is the only thing that has -- that has been

lacking in the Venezuelan story over the last -- since I've been here, which was 2016, like you said.

So, over the last nine years, this country has been everything but stable. And so, I think that a lot of people here would just want to go back to

some sense of normalcy. And you, of course, you don't have normalcy when you have the largest aircraft carrier in the world stationing off your own

coastline at this moment.

NEWTON: Yes. And another menacing piece to this is the fact that President Trump in this list of 19 countries that he's outlining in terms of a new

scrutiny on immigration. Venezuela is on that list as well. Stefano Pozzibon, I'm really glad to have you on the ground and we'll continue to

check in with you. Thanks so much.

Still to come for us tonight, U.S. President Donald Trump ramps up his anti-immigration rhetoric, vowing to halt immigration in quote -- from

"third world countries." We'll discuss with an immigration lawyer next.

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[14:46:53]

NEWTON: President Trump says the U.S. will permanently pause migration from "third-world countries." It's part of the Trump Administration's crackdown

on immigration after the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. Sarah Beckstrom, who you see here on the

right, died from her injuries. Trump posted Thursday night that halting migration from all third-world countries would allow the U.S. system to

fully recover. It's unclear which countries Trump was referring to.

Now, earlier, he ordered the director of the U.S. immigration service to re-examine the green card holders from 19 countries, including Afghanistan,

where the alleged shooter is from.

Charles Kuck is an immigration lawyer. He's represented migrants and asylum seekers in more than 700 trials before the U.S. immigration courts. And we

welcome you to the program. So, listen, you were on the front lines of this. How are asylum seekers, migrants reacting to this news? Because you

know, even before this happened, this was quite a daunting process for them to be able to remain in the United States.

CHARLES KUCK, IMMIGRATION LAWYER: Well, we've already seen a dramatic reduction in the grants of asylum cases in the immigration court and from

the immigration service. So, this is going to have even a greater impact. Just today, I've received a dozen emails from clients asking how this new

announcement, as unclear as it is, is going to impact their cases.

NEWTON: But Charles, is it legal? We have seen the courts push back on so much of this. Does President Trump, you know, is the law on his side when

he's trying to do this? Because this is incredibly sweeping. In fact, so sweeping that you'd have to question whether or not the administration

could actually do it. They'd have to hire a lot more people or other things that DHS does for instance would really slow down.

KUCK: Well, it's unclear whether it's completely legal or not. the Congress gave the president pretty dramatic authority in Section 212 of the

Immigration Nationality Act, authority which the Supreme Court confirmed on the president when he went through the Muslim bans in his -- in the first

administration. This ban seems to be even larger and doesn't really appear to be connected in any way to specific issues that would give rise to

safety and security in the United States.

Keep in mind. This shooter was just granted asylum by the Trump Administration a few months ago. So, it's not really -- it's kind of

surprising this is happening, but reading the president's truth or whatever they call those things on his -- on his website, that doesn't appear to

have been written by Trump. That appears has been written by Stephen Miller, who we know is really out to stop all legal immigration to the

United States.

NEWTON: When you look at the process though itself, and you're a lawyer trying to help people to claim asylum, get those cases obviously refer to

the courts and allow them to stay here safely, when they are denied, that also is a huge issue, right? Because many of them -- I mean, one of the

countries on the list is Haiti. Would they actually return people, deport people back to Haiti?

KUCK: Well, we know they have. They've already reported people back to Haiti already. So, we know they're going to do that. The thing about this

announcement is it's not just about asylum. It's not just about asylum. It's actually about legal immigration.

They're telling people who want to go through the legal immigration process that they will not be able to come into come into the United States if

they're from one of these countries based on discretionary grounds. And we've already had a colleague today receive in the mail a request for

additional information about why they shouldn't deny their clients visa extension because of the president's announcement. So, this is not just

about asylum. This is about everything.

[14:50:27]

NEWTON: Already this is happening in real time?

KUCK: Already.

NEWTON: And you know --

KUCK: In real time.

NEWTON: We just showed as well the review of green call -- card holders. Now to be clear, Green Card holders are legal permanent residents usually

on their way to being able to become full citizens of the United States. We're showing the list right now. Charles, what does that tell you? I mean,

is that unprecedented really in this sweeping way to be able to review that?

KUCK: You're talking about a use of resources that is not just unwise but possibly impossible to have. The immigration service is paid to adjudicate

cases. They're not paid to readjudicate cases. So that means take people who have been paid to do work that is now not going to be done to go back

and look for five years' worth of cases -- that's legally as long as they can go back -- and try to see whether they should take that person's

residence away.

But here's the thing. Even if they do that, that person then goes to immigration court where they can renew the case. And this is not just about

discretion. You can't come in later and reinvent criteria that didn't exist. So, this is going to cause a lot of consternation, but not

necessarily going to cause a lot of revocations.

NEWTON: All right, Charles Kuck for us. We've learned a lot. I appreciate it. And we'll continue to check in with you about this process.

Now, we are going to take a short break here. Stay with us. We'll be back with more news in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: All right, some breaking news just into CNN. President Donald Trump says he's cancelling nearly all of Joe Biden's executive orders,

specifically those which were signed by an autopen. Now, on True Social, the President writing just moments ago, you see the post there, "Any

documents signed by Sleepy Joe Biden with the autopen, which was approximately 92 percent of them, is hereby terminated and of no further

force or effect.

It goes on to say, "I am hereby cancelling all executive orders and anything else that was not directly signed by crooked Joe Biden because the

people who operated the autopen did so illegally." Now, as you can imagine, we will have much more on this breaking news story just ahead in the next

hour.

[14:55:06]

Now, non-European visitors will start paying more to visit the Louvre Museum in Paris. And no, it has nothing to do with the recent jewel heist.

A museum spokesperson tells CNN individual ticket prices will cost 32 or 37 -- 32 euros or $37. That's a 45 percent hike. Those visiting as part of a

group will have to pay 28 euros. The 15 to 20 million extra euros per year will go to "modernizing and upgrading the Louvre to address structural

issues facing the museum." The Louvre has become the most visited museum in the world and a cultural highlight of any stay in Paris.

And finally for us tonight, a single egg is expected to fetch more than $26 million at auction next week. No, not the kind that comes from the chicken.

This is the 112-year-old winter egg made by Faberge in St. Petersburg, Russia. It's made of clear quartz, but that's not what explains the

astronomical price. That's a matter of rarity. Faberge only made 50 eggs for Russian czars Alexander III and Nicholas II. The winter egg will go up

for auction at Christie's in London on Tuesday.

And that does it for us here for this program. Thank you for watching. Stay with CNN though. "WHAT WE KNOW" with Nick Watt is up next.

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