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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump Takes Questions After Saying Iran Talks To Restart; Trump Cites First Phase With Iran Is Opening The Strait, And Second Is Denuclearization; Trump Urges The U.K. To Open Their Energy Fields; Israeli Attacks Kill Dozens In Gaza After Disarmament Deal; Washington State Wildfires; FIFA Chief Under Fire; Russia: Seven Killed In Ukrainian Drone Attack; Why Ukraine Is Targeting Russian E-Commerce Giant Wildberries. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 03, 2026 - 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: Hello, and a very warm welcome, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, I do want to take you this hour to the
White House where the U.S. President Donald Trump has been speaking. This is just from moments ago. Let's have a listen together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, are the talks with Iran now off and are airstrikes happening?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, they're on, they're going on right now. It's an amazing thing. We have a little problem with
Iran because we have many talks, and we'll say we have or we don't have. You know, we're straight about it.
But they deny it, but they're not denying it now. They just put out a statement not denying it. But for some reason they -- when they're talking,
they don't like saying that they're talking. So, I say wait, we're in talks. Big deal. We're in talks.
And they'll sometimes deny it, even though they spend hours and hours together talking. No, the talks are going along. We were going to hit them
very hard yesterday, very hard. Harder than any attack I think I can say, general, from a point of knowledge, any attack since World War II, that's
pretty big.
And we were set to go, and they called, and in addition, Saudi Arabia called, and UAE called, Qatar called, got calls from numerous people, not -
- I don't want to use the word, "begging", but some somewhere in particular, Iran did not want to be hit.
And they said, we want to talk. We want to talk about the Strait, but more importantly, from my standpoint, we want to talk about the denuclearization
of Iran. Because it's what it's all about. This is why I am doing this, and it should have been done.
It's now 50 years. We keep saying 47 years, but three years have gone by. But it's for 50 years that other presidents should have been doing what I -
- or other countries, it didn't have to be us, but other countries, and nobody did it.
And it was time, and we hit them hard with the B-2s more than a year ago now. And that knocked out their capability, their potential capability. And
we've done a great job. But when we talk, we say we're talking. If we're not talking, when you ask me, no, we're not talking, I'll say it.
But we are talking. Right now, we're talking and we're talking at the request of Iran, backed by Saudi Arabia, backed by UAE and backed by Qatar
in particular. But others also. Many countries called, many -- the leaders of many are friendly with a lot of them, almost all of them one way or the
other.
And they all wanted to give this a last chance. This is their last chance. This is not something that if it doesn't happen -- this is their last
chance for them to sign a good document. Yes, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is requiring an ID to access his government-run grocery stores. What then is
your message to Democrats who do not want to pass the Save America Act and ensure, you know, ID at the ballot --
TRUMP: When was this -- when was this announced? This was just announced.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes --
TRUMP: I heard about it, yes, well, I wish they'd have an ID to access the voting booth. You know, they don't want to access the voting booth with any
identification. We want voter ID, and we want proof of citizenship.
Well, he also had a thing where you had to have two different IDs to shovel snow during the Winter, right? So, that's a very friendly question. I like
her. Who are you with?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "One America News", sir.
TRUMP: Very good, all right, good question, very good and good group too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Almost 20 GOP senators who have pledged to stay in D.C. to pass the Save America Act. So, what's your message to the rest of
the senators who are still on their Summer recess?
TRUMP: I think there's nothing more important than the Save America Act. I think they should stay. They do what they want, but I think they should
stay.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
TRUMP: I think it's so important to get it passed. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, where are the Iran talks, and what are your requirements right now --
TRUMP: Maybe you'll find out today or tomorrow. I mean, they're going to go quickly one way or the other. It's not very complex. We're talking about
the Strait, the opening of the Strait, having it open literally by tomorrow, completely open.
[14:05:00]
And that's phase one. And phase two is, we then will talk about the nuclear capacity, the nuclear what -- you know, as we've been mentioning, that
basically it's I think most of the denuclearization of Iran, has to happen, has to happen.
And that will be the second phase. But the first phase is the opening of the straits. The second phase will be the denuclearization. And that will
take a little while. But we're very strong on it. They cannot have a nuclear weapon. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. And I have never changed
in that. Yes, please, in the back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President. You said that if Democrats get back into power, what is happening in Spain awaits America. Do -- what
should voters in other countries with elections coming up soon take away from what's going on with Spain?
TRUMP: Well, we have to be very careful with the whole socialist thing. I think in many cases, it's much more than socialist. They skipped socialism.
They went directly to communism. But when I saw what happened in Spain, I said, you know, we had a version of that.
You could say much worse. We allowed 25 million people under Joe Biden, the Democrats. We had open borders and countries all over the world, almost all
of them sent people that they don't want into our country.
And we've gotten a lot of them out, and we're getting more, including murderers. And I always say 11,888, that was the number of murderers, many
of them committed more than one murder. And we're going to be just like that. If you put these lunatics in that I see running for office.
They had -- we had an open border a year-and-a-half ago, we had the worst border in the history of our country. Now we have the best border. We
haven't had one person come in, and this is done by the Democrats, not by left-leaning people.
They do charts, and they have in 15 months, not one person has come in through our southern border illegally. Now, that's pretty amazing. I'd say
maybe 10, maybe 15. They say none. And believe me, if they did, they'd love to report it.
But you could go outside in those vast plazas where hundreds of thousands of people gathered when they stormed our country, just like they did, in my
opinion, worse, just like they did to Spain, they stormed our country.
And those borders are those big plazas that were built. They put concrete down, and now you look at them, there's grass growing in the cracks. Nobody
comes up because they know they're not going to get through. And if they do get through, they're going to be taken out, brought back to their country.
So, we've done a fantastic job. You know, somebody said you did it too fast, I did it in 30 days. My first 30 days. Biden couldn't do it. He
couldn't get it done. He tried at the end. He tried to do something because it was so overwhelming. It was so bad politically.
But we did it in 30 days. Somebody said, you should have taken a year-and- a-half or two years completed because everyone forgets. Even my speechwriters, they say, sir, nobody wants to hear about the border
anymore. You've done it. It's an incredible job you've done, but nobody wants to hear about it.
And I should have taken a couple of years to do it, because and it actually was -- the public has about a two-year -- people do, they have a two-year
memory for certain things. They have a two-week memory. I may have gotten elected certainly partially on the border.
And because we did such a great job, it was a long time ago, I did it twice. I did it in 2016 when it was bad, but I did it this last time when
it was really bad. It was -- Steve, I would say many times worse than it was in 2016.
Twenty-sixteen was bad, but what we just had a year-and-a-half ago, that was the worst border maybe in world history. There's not a third world
country that would have allowed that to happen, where people coming in from prisons and people coming in from mental institutions and people forced in
by government.
Because these are the people that those governments, those countries, I know them all. They didn't want. And they walked into our country totally
unvetted, totally unchecked. Not anymore. Nobody comes in except if they come in legally. Yes, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thank you, Mr. President. Yesterday you were --
TRUMP: Who are you with, please?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm with the "Washington Examiner", sir.
TRUMP: Yes, you're doing good. They've been very nice to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We -- you were asked yesterday whether Representative Max Miller should resign from Congress over allegations, and you said if
you have a look at it.
TRUMP: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you thought about that? And also, do you --
TRUMP: Well, it's a very sad thing. I know, Max, he's a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person, and I'm going to let the
families figure that out. You know, those families, I know they're working on it.
It's a very sad thing, especially when you know somebody so well to be going through that. But it's accusations and I'm going to let them figure
that out. Yes, please?
[14:10:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, did you sign off on Todd Blanche rescinding the Anti-Weaponization Fund? And also, there are Democrats right
now who say there's essentially two tax codes. There's the Trump family tax code and a normal people tax code.
Why do you think that your family deserves some level of special exemption when it comes to the auditing of taxes?
TRUMP: Well, I'll go into that. First of all, I had a ten-year case that was settled until I announced I was running for office. It was a settled
deal like I've been doing all my life. I've been audited every year for my entire life, which I have a lot of wealthy friends who were never audited.
To this day, they were never audited. I was audited, and my deal was settled in writing, it was settled, subject to final approval. Then I
announced I was running for President, and all they did was haunt me with it.
They ended the settlement and they went after it, and they went after me illegally. And they did a lot of bad things to me, like they did to other
people. And I was treated very unfairly by the IRS. I was -- it was weaponized against me. Think of it.
And a case from -- it's a ten-year-old case, and it was settled. It was done. The case was over. I announced I'm running for President, and they
terminated the settlement in Washington, and they went after me.
And what they did here was very -- frankly, if you talk about reparations or if you talk about payment, what they did to me, I had a very good case
against them. So, this was a case that was settled that when I decided to run for President right at the beginning, this was a long time.
It's been going on for a long time, they terminated the settlement, which is something that never happened before. We have letters from the biggest
law firms in Washington saying that this case is nonsense, just like the Russia was nonsense.
A weaponized government. And so, that's that, and most people understand that. On the other, on the fund, these were people that were treated
unbelievable. Twenty-two suicides, more than that, I think. Look at Ashley(ph), look at -- look at so many other things that happened.
These people were treated horribly. And this fund could have given them some solace. But you know, it happens to be very popular among many
quarters. And I don't participate in that fund. I was certainly treated badly. I don't participate, but I thought it would be very fair for people
that spent years in prison, people that were treated so badly.
For in many cases, people that did absolutely nothing wrong. So, I view that fund as a positive, and a lot of Republicans do too. Not so many
Democrats. And it's not only for that. It's for other things too. People that have been treated unfairly, that have been weaponized by a corrupt
government that we had with Obama, and that we had with Biden. You had a corrupt government with both of them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, did you sign off on Todd Blanche who was --
TRUMP: I didn't look at it. All I know is that Todd Blanche is great. He's going to do a great job. Everybody knows it. And I understand there's been
a sign off, but I did -- I don't know what they agreed. I think Todd Blanche agreed to reconfirm things that he's already said. And what he said
was, OK. Now raise -- go ahead --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Avenues that you could have some other avenues, you'd have supporters get paid potentially if it's not been through weaponization
funds, is there another --
TRUMP: Who are you with?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm with "MS NOW", sir.
TRUMP: You're who?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "MS NOW" --
TRUMP: "MS NOW"?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes sir.
TRUMP: What a terrible show that is. They have the worst people on that show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are there other avenues that --
TRUMP: OK --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'd want to see people --
TRUMP: No, there's no other avenues that I know about. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, on the Iran talks --
TRUMP: "MS NOW", that's the failed MSDNC(ph), right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes --
TRUMP: The failed --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Formerly "MSNBC" --
TRUMP: They failed. They gave it a new name. You know why? Because nobody watched it. Go ahead, and fewer people are watching it now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On the Iran talks, is there discussions -- is Iran willing to return to a fully free navigation of the Strait? Is that on the
table?
TRUMP: Say it again differently.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would Iran be willing to return to fully free navigation of the Strait?
TRUMP: There has to be. I'm not going to let them charge. If anybody is going to charge, we'll charge. We're the one that has total -- we have
total control. You know, we have a thing called a blockade with his Navy. And that Navy is -- they call it a wall of steel.
The United States wall of steel. And no, there's not going to be charging. We're not talking about charging at all. There won't be charging. Yes,
please, do that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, you said last week that even recognizing --
TRUMP: Who are you with?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "GB News". You said that immigration in the U.K. Nigel Farage today has proposed the use of the Royal Navy to combat small boats
crossing the channel. Do you think that European nations, including the U.K., should be using their militaries to stop that --
TRUMP: Look, you have to stop illegal immigration in Europe. I know Europe better than anybody, better than the people that run it, and have great
relationships. You're -- two things are killing Europe. Number one is immigration. Number two is energy.
[14:15:00]
Like the U.K., when you look at the U.K., they have one of the best energy fields in the world, North Sea Oil. And I think your new Prime Minister is
going to actually open up the -- from what I hear, I spoke to him and he sounded terrific on this subject.
But you open it up, you'll be a wealthy country. You keep it closed, you're going to be a bankrupt country, which is what you are now. Essentially,
you're a bankrupt country. You have one of the greatest energy fields, the North Sea Oil, one of the greatest fields in the world.
You know, the U.K. buys its energy from Norway who gets the energy from the North Sea, from not as vibrant a part of the North Sea Oil was. You're
sitting on top of gold, better than gold. And you don't do anything with it, it doesn't -- it doesn't work.
You don't allow the oil companies in and it doesn't work. And I spoke with your new Prime Minister, I was very impressed, and he sort of indicated to
me, I said, look, you can be a wealthy country or a bankrupt country. You have your choice.
Not every country has that choice. Almost no country has that choice. But in the case of the U.K., Scotland, I'm talking about Scotland, right off
the shore in Aberdeen, Scotland. Aberdeen was the oil capital of Europe for years. And then one day the liberals got in and they closed it.
And your energy rates have quadrupled. You have among the highest energy prices in the world. You could cut them in half. You could give away free
energy if you'd open up the North Sea. And it's good for another 500 years, maybe more, probably a thousand years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has our new Prime Minister restored your faith in the leadership of Britain? Or has our Prime Minister restored your faith in the
leadership of Britain, would you want to see that?
TRUMP: Look, I think we're going to have a very good relationship. We'll see. I'm not going to tell him how to run his country. But I can tell you
immigration is an incredible problem for Europe. You're allowing people in that in many cases are not going to help you. I'm going to be nice. They're
not going to help you.
And the people that are there, people from your country, people from other countries that have been there for a long time and did a great job --
beautiful place -- look, I love it. You know my parents both came from Europe indirectly.
So, a German-Scot, and you know, it's like one of those things. It's very sad. When I see what's happening to Europe, it's very sad to me. But they
have a problem with immigration. They have a problem with energy. You have windmills all over the place, windmills, you lose your shirt.
Any country with windmills is a loser, OK? You just have to look. If they have windmills, they're a loser. Because you lose -- you lose money with
windmills.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mister --
TRUMP: Please, go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President.
TRUMP: Go ahead, who are you with?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John Ford(ph) --
TRUMP: Yes, that's right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Original name.
TRUMP: And what was your name before?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Now, you've been listening to President Trump who is there at the White House about to sign an executive order. And the reason we're
listening to him, of course, with the latest lines on the conversation on the war with Iran and where we are on negotiations.
I'm going to give you some brief outlines of what he said. He said that talks are ongoing right now, that they're talking, but they don't like
saying that they're talking, referring to Iran. He also said that Iran was begging, wanting to talk.
He added, we're talking at the request, the President said of Iran, backed by the Saudis, Qatar and UAE all wanted to give this the last chance for
Iran. And then he made very clear, this is the last chance for Iran to sign a good document.
In terms of what they're discussing, he said, two phases. The first phase is the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. That could happen by tomorrow, the
President said. Then the denuclearization of Iran. So, let's go to our Kevin Liptak, who I believe is at the White House and was listening in.
And Kevin, we are continuing to monitor this. But just give me a sense of what stood out to you there, because not, what? Two-hour -- less than two
hours ago, the President took to Truth Social criticizing the Iranians for being duplicitous. So, what stood out to you?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: And it's interesting, the President here describing what he thinks is a rapidly occurring negotiation
with the Iranians to try and get a settlement on the Strait of Hormuz.
Now, the Iranians said earlier today that they are not negotiating directly with the United States at all. Yes, they said that they are discussing with
Oman, you know, the other coast of the Strait of Hormuz, a scheme in which that waterway could become open.
But they didn't specifically say whether that would include tolls. They didn't include whether that would have provisions included in there that
would allow the Iranians to close it again in the future. But President Trump suggesting today that it would be completely open, and that if they
did not sign off on this, it would be their last chance.
[14:20:00]
But I do think we have to take that threat something with a grain of salt. You know, the President has been threatening this major escalation on Iran
now for weeks and weeks, and it hasn't materialized in part, because, in his own estimation, the Gulf states, namely Saudi Arabia have come and said
that, that would be a bad idea, and they want this diplomacy to be allowed to proceed.
You know, the setup here that the President is describing of first getting a deal on the Strait of Hormuz to get that opened, and then moving to the
nuclear talks in the second phase, Isa, that is literally exactly what the Memorandum of Understanding was that the President signed at the Palace of
Versailles in June.
He is describing it, so sort of to a tee. And so, he seems to be wanting to get back to that phase of the agreement. But by his own admission, that MOU
was worthless. Worthless than the paper that it was written on. He said two weeks after it was signed that it was dead because the Iranians weren't
upholding their side of the commitment.
That Memorandum of Understanding clearly generated a degree of mistrust between the two sides. It also contained, I think, mutual misunderstandings
between the two sides about what exactly it would portend for the Strait of Hormuz.
And so, the President seems to be suggesting that those misunderstandings will somehow be cleared up in this latest round of negotiations, even
though he says the Iranians are duplicitous and cannot be trusted around the negotiating table.
So, I personally, I'm confused about where exactly he sees all of this heading. But clearly, in his own mind, the Strait of Hormuz could be
reopened by tomorrow if this deal comes together.
SOARES: Yes, it's not clear where the talks are being held right now. Who is talking? Any intermediaries? He did stray on the Strait of Hormuz that
there won't be charging -- talking about Iran. And saying I'm not going to let Iran charge to go through Hormuz Strait.
But you're right, very similar to what we're seeing with MOU, reason to really scratch our heads because we feel like we're going around in
circles. Kevin, good to see you, thank you very much indeed. Let's continue this discussion with Sina Azodi, who is the Director of Middle East Studies
Program at George Washington University.
He's also the author of "Iran and the Bomb: The United States, Iran and the Nuclear Question". Sina, welcome to the show. I'm hoping that you were able
there to hear both our reporter at the White House, Kevin Liptak, but also the President.
You heard him saying there that talks are ongoing right now at the request of Iran. And this is less chance for Iran to make a deal. As Kevin was
saying, this is very similar in terms of the Strait opening, first, the Strait of Hormuz, and then the nuclearization, very similar to the MOU.
What stood out to you?
SINA AZODI, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST STUDIES PROGRAM, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Well, I think there are two things. One, I think the President
used -- the terminology that he used was not correct because the term denuclearization is when a state disarms and gets rid of its nuclear
weapons.
And right now, the President says, we just don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons. So, these statements are a little contradictory. On the issue of
trust, I think it's both ways. When you look at the Iranian side, the Iranian side also says, and I'm seeing it a lot on the media -- on social
media, that we cannot trust the American President.
You know, his signature, that's their wording, not mine. But his signature is worthless. So, we're seeing a lot of a lack of distrust -- lack of trust
between Iranian side and the American side. I think that Memorandum of Understanding that was signed was a very good first step. The problem was
that it was not fully implemented and quickly fell apart.
SOARES: Yes, look, and he said the President said the talks are ongoing right now. He didn't clarify who those talks with, if there's an
intermediary. But he also said they're talking, but they don't like saying that they're talking.
Is that consistent with what you've been learning over the years over Iran? They don't want to give the impression that they are talking, and who would
they be talking to?
AZODI: Yes, they also don't want to give the impression that they're begging for talks. And every time the President says that they're begging
for talks, they called us -- they, of course, deny any talks with the United States, which is technically true.
But they're talking with the Omanis and other mediators between Iran and the U.S., which are most likely Pakistanis. From what I've seen, the
Iranian Foreign Minister is now invited to Pakistan. He's currently in Iraq, in Najaf, and now he was just invited to Pakistan.
As I was looking at the -- at the Iranian media. So, it is very much possible that the Iranians are already negotiating. There are talks with
the Omanis on how to basically administer the Strait of Hormuz.
[14:25:00]
As you know, there's a northern shipping lane and there's a southern shipping lane, and that actually -- that rather misunderstanding led
Iranians to believe that the U.S. is trying to erode their control over the Strait of Hormuz and they started attacking ships. So, I think there has to
be a clear and explicit language of how this transit will take place.
SOARES: And the President saying, as you probably heard, Sina, that we're talking about the opening of the Strait by tomorrow. That's his level of
confidence. We have heard some promises before, that haven't quite materialized.
But while I have you here, let me get your thoughts, Sina, on some exclusive reporting that we have today that CENTCOM, I'm not sure whether
you've seen this, it's a CNN exclusive reporting. The CENTCOM basically sent out an e-mail on Wednesday to a broad group of military analysts,
asking for creative and unconventional ways to pressure Iran.
Besides potentially frustration from this administration, what does this suggest to you, and do you think that Tehran is cognizant of this playing
the long game here?
AZODI: Yes, I believe that Iranians are trying to play the long game from their perspective. They have a much better capacity to absorb pain and
punishment from the air. And I think when I saw the report that you just referred to this morning, and I was, you know, it really reminiscent of the
Vietnam where President Johnson and Nixon, both of them thought that by just a little more punishment, they can break the morale of Vietnamese.
So, they come and beg for negotiations for this. You know, something that President Nixon called an honorable peace. But I don't think it's going to
happen. The President thinks or the administration thinks that there is a silver bullet.
You know, you bomb a little more and Iranians are going to finally say, you know, uncle, and come and beg for peace. I don't think that this is likely.
As I said, Iranian -- Iranians capacity for punishment is a lot more.
And the fact that they believe they're fighting for their survival, and they said it publicly, it adds even more incentive to them to absorb more
punishment and play the long term, as you pointed out.
SOARES: Sina, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us and hanging in there as of course, as we listen to the President. And as
always, great for your analysis. CNN's already there for us in Washington D.C.
Well, what the agreement says matters, and what happens next matters even more. Not my words, those words from a top envoy who is visiting Israel
today as some big complications threaten to derail U.S. President Donald Trump's disarmament plan for Gaza.
Nickolay Mladenov; the head of the Board of Peace, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly pressing him to stop strikes in Gaza in
accordance with Israel ceasefire commitment. Israeli strikes have killed 28 Palestinians since Mr. Trump announced what he called a historic deal.
Hamas has said it would disarm only if the attacks stop and Israeli troops withdraw from the territory taken after last October's ceasefire. But an
Israeli official tells CNN, Israel will not pull back and will continue to, quote, "thwart anything it considers a threat."
The Israeli encroachment means 2 million Palestinians are crammed into about a third of Gaza's tiny territory, and that misery, compounded by the
suffocating Summer heat that makes tents feel like ovens. Our Jeremy Diamond has more on the relentless strikes in Gaza. And we do want to warn
you, his report has some very disturbing video.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Carried in men's arms or bundled in blankets, wounded Palestinians are rushed into
ambulances. Amid the mayhem, a boy cries out for his brother before yet another casualty is hauled out on a stretcher.
This is Gaza plunged back into chaos just as hope appeared on the horizon. Israel carried out this deadly series of strikes this weekend, just hours
after President Trump announced a historic agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas.
That deal called for Israel to first halt all strikes in Gaza before Hamas starts handing over its weapons. Instead, Israel ramped up its attacks,
killing at least 28 people in the wake of Trump's announcement, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The Israeli military said it had carried out targeted killings of Hamas commanders and militants, including some involved in the October 7th attack
on Israel. For some in Gaza, the strikes were evidence that Israel cannot be trusted.
"This is the fate awaiting anyone who gives away the resistances weapons. We will be torn apart", this man shouts. "Israel cannot be trusted. Our
weapons are what protect us. It would be a disgrace for us to abandon them."
[14:30:09]
Israeli bombs also left this enormous crater next to one of Gaza's largest hospitals, striking two warehouses where medical supplies were stored. The
Israeli military said Hamas had stashed weapons here but provided no evidence.
On the ground, only medical equipment, like these dialysis supplies, can be found. Why? What happened? What's inside it to be struck like that? Look
what they did to the people, this woman cries. I was optimistic yesterday and said, God willing, a new government will come to take control of Gaza,
rebuild Gaza, there will be reconstruction and peace, and we will live in safety.
Instead, those who had pitched their tents alongside this hospital, in the hope of the safety it might provide, are forced to pick through the
wreckage before starting over once again. The strikes prompted this rare missive from the Board of Peace's High Representative for Gaza, who wrote
the strikes killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies, before noting that both parties carry obligations under the comprehensive plan.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our thanks to Jeremy Diamond for that report.
And still to come tonight, thousands of people have had to evacuate their homes as wildfires spread across the state of Washington. We'll have that
report for you just ahead.
Plus, only days ago, he was one of the most powerful men in the world of sports. Now, many wonder if Gianni Infantino can even hold on to his job.
We'll discuss that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, in the U.S., the Pacific Northwest is suffering its worst wildfire season in more than 30 years. The country's worst air quality
right now is in and around Spokane and Washington. That city is facing three major wildfires. Some 60,000 people have been evacuated from their
homes.
[14:35:00]
Our Julia Vargas Jones is covering the wildfire breakout in eastern Washington for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Of the thousands of people that had to evacuate over the past few days, some of them spent a night here at this
Red Cross shelter in downtown Spokane.
Now, the areas affected by the fire are about 40 minutes from downtown in a heavily wooded area, but also very much residential. We've seen there block
after block of houses destroyed, burned to the ground, and some people getting past those checkpoints set up by authorities here to look at their
homes for the first time, and some making quite difficult realizations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIC FRANK, LOST HOME IN WILDFIRE: I don't think I'm going to rebuild here because I don't ever want to have to relive a fire coming up this hill
again. And I've been in Spokane my entire 64 years because my little brother died in an accident when he was six. And that's why I stay close to
my family. I think it's time for me to leave Spokane.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: The Washington National Guard urging residents to please be patient as this process may take weeks and quite some time until they can get
residents safely back into their homes. As of now, there are checkpoints around these affected areas. The latest numbers is that there's still about
10,000 residences without power at this time. Almost 5,000 people fighting those flames with help from 14 different states, including Florida and
Alaska and even crews from Australia, helping fight these fires that are still at about 0 percent containment.
Governor Bob Ferguson spoke with President Trump yesterday. He said that he's looking for more federal aid, both in the short and long term, and we
hope to hear more in the coming hours from the governor as well.
Now, a message from the mayor, Spokane mayor, Lisa Brown, she urged those residents who did not get affected by the fires, who are in a safe position
to come to places like this shelter and help their neighbors, help those who are in limbo, make sure that they have access to basic necessities like
food and clean water.
Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Spokane, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our thanks to Julia for that. Well, the question rippling across the football world today is, can Gianni Infantino hang on to his job as
head of FIFA?
In the past day, we've had Wales, Serbia and Sweden all saying they will not support Infantino's re-election bid. This is in the wake of his
abandoned plan to sell a stake in its tournament operations to private investors. UEFA even says it is considering legal action against FIFA and
its president. With more on all of this, here's CNN's World Sports, Coy Wire.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: The aftershocks from the World Cup just keep getting bigger. Despite FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino scrapping
their plans to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors, the backlash from the global football community is not going away.
Just days after UEFA voted unanimously to boycott FIFA competitions over the initial proposal, European football's governing body has now threatened
FIFA with legal action and said any potential evidence should not be destroyed. Lawyers have informed FIFA that UEFA is, quote, "Actively
considering legal action, arbitration and/or regulatory complaints, arising out of and in connection with the FIFA forward enterprise plan proposed by
FIFA and all related matters."
The letter named 18 FIFA execs who it said should retain data documents and electronic messages as potential evidence.
David Bernstein, former English Football Association chairman, says the pressure needs to stay on for an eventual removal. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID BERNSTEIN, FORMER CHAIRMAN, ENGLISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: Oh, it's extremely serious. I don't think he can survive. I mean, I think that UEFA
are taking a very strong line and they threaten to, of course, withdraw from the World Cup next time if the proposal was not withdrawn. Well, it
has been withdrawn, so that's good.
But I think they should maintain that position pending Infantino's leaving FIFA because the deal and Infantino are now joined together at the hip. And
I think they've got to absolutely push maximum at this time now to get him out and move on. Otherwise, football is going to be bitterly divided over
the next period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: CNN also understands that the English Football Association is set to write to Infantino to withdraw its support for his reelection. This after
Wales became the first nation to do so. FIFA presidential elections are set for March. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Thanks very much, Coy. Joining us now is Mark Palios. He's the former CEO of the English Football Association. Mark, great to have you on
the show. Look, let me just pick up. We were just mentioning to our audience we've had Serbia, Sweden, Wales. Do you think that the English FA
will be next?
MARK PALIOS, FORMER CEO, ENGLISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION AND CHAIRMAN AND OWNER, TRANMERE ROVERS FOOTBALL CLUB: Well, the English FA -- I have heard
that they had in fact already said that they would not support Infantino.
[14:40:00]
But I think the main thing is that UEFA, who have 55 votes, have already said they have a lack of confidence in Infantino.
I think one thing that people need to understand, and this is why the game isn't over yet. Within FIFA, there has always been a concern amongst the
smaller teams, the smaller nations and the non-European nations, that the European nations had too much say and too much strength. This was basically
the basis for which Sepp Blatter was managed to rule in the way that he did for so long. And Infantino has just continued that.
So, there is still some way to go in terms of what has to happen. But I think that it's not wrong to look to bring more cash into the sport. It's
how you do it and what you do with it when you get it. And therefore, you know, starting off with this, what Infantino did wrong was that he never
consulted with people. And that is the big, big issue. It's on the back of a lack of credibility that was growing for Infantino because a variety of
things has happened in the preceding year, two years.
SOARES: So, Mark, do you think he can survive this? And do you think he would step down with this pressure growing voluntarily, or do you think
there has to be another mechanism at play here within FIFA to remove him?
PALIOS: I don't know the guy personally, but I think he should step down because the ways in which this can happen is he can do the decent thing, as
he calls it, and step away. But, you know, the decent thing is maybe it's the obvious thing that he should do, because if you then start to look at
where there have been some real concerns for him, I wouldn't have thought, is when Cordero stepped away from him.
And more importantly, I guess, to some extent, and more telling, because we now have an insight into potentially what's going on within the walls of
FIFA, when the chief operating officer stepped away. And, you know, I would feel distinctly uncomfortable if I was in his position, knowing full well
that there is a growing body within the employees of FIFA that are not supportive of him.
SOARES: Yes, it's not the right environment. Let me get your thoughts on what The Times newspaper here in London is saying. It's reporting that
Infantino keeps calling Trump, President Trump, to try and salvage his job. And we have seen him, our viewers would have seen him, appearing alongside
him on several occasions. Infantino even awarded the president with FIFA's inaugural peace prize.
Has that relationship, you think, Mark, affected perceptions of Infantino's independence as FIFA's president? Speak to that.
PALIOS: I think, from the people I've spoken to, that it's not been good for Infantino. I think it's grown from the formation of, if you like, the
peace prize that was given to President Trump. And then, as we go through the competition, I think the thing that really was the low-water mark, as
far as football people were concerned, was when the Balogun red card was not overturned, but was actually the punishment was just delayed. And that
was after a request from the president of the United States to review the card.
Well, how many other cards were reviewed? Now, everybody knows, whatever sport, whatever country, that you want a level playing field. And I think
that started to get into a position whereby there were concerns regarding the influence of politicians, which, again, is another no-no within the
sport. You do not have politics interfering with the sport. I know that can be construed as a naive observation or aspiration.
But, at the end of the day, if there's anything that's out there, and it was fairly high-profile, it is of concern. So, going back to President
Trump to get some support, I'm not sure that that's something that will be well received within the football community.
SOARES: Mark, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us there. Mark Palios there from -- speaking to us from the Isle of Man.
Now, the breakout star of the World Cup is joining his new club, Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, was greeted by a jubilant crowd as he arrived in Chile,
as you can see there on Sunday. He's due to get a physical today and then sign a contract with Chile's most decorated club, Colo-Colo. The 40-year-
old Vozinha was a relative unknown until his spectacular performance at the World Cup, which included a shout-out of Spain, of course. He was voted by
fans as a best keeper at the World Cup and saw his social media explode to nearly 30 million followers. Hugely deserved.
We're going to take a short break. Do stay right here with CNN. See you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
SOARES: Well, Ukraine may have just launched one of the single deadliest attacks on Russia in weeks. In the past few hours, local authorities say at
least seven people were killed in a drone strike on southern Russia. A warning that our next video is disturbing. Now, you are looking at the
moment of the strike on a busy beach at a Black Sea resort.
Local authorities say at least three of the victims were children, and Kyiv is yet to comment. In recent months, Kyiv has ramped up strikes on Russia,
largely targeting energy infrastructure and military production sites. It's also honing in on Russia's answer to Amazon, the e-commerce giant
Wildberries. Our Clare Sebastian looks at why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We're losing our business in front of our eyes, says this woman. Another, through tears, says she's
lost 12,000 items of children's clothing. I hope I have enough strength and courage to get through this, she says.
Over the past two weeks Ukraine's deep strike campaign, usually focused on oil refineries or military facilities, has taken a sharp turn into e-
commerce, hitting multiple warehouses belonging to one company, Wildberries, Russia's equivalent of Amazon with around a 50 percent share
of the country's online retail market.
ALEXANDER KOLYANDR, EUROPE DIRECTOR, EURASIA CENTER: It provided thousands upon thousands of individual sellers with income and it created the whole
universe of online retail.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): A universe that Ukraine says now also includes sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment. We
found drones and drone parts, helmets and bullet-proof vests all available.
One reviewer of this best writing, I sent it to my son in the special military operation, Russia's official euphemism for the war. He's very
pleased.
Before the attacks, Wildberries founder, Tatyana Kim, was Russia's richest woman worth over $8 billion. A self-made entrepreneur now well connected in
Kremlin circles and deeply intertwined with the banking sector. One of Russia's biggest banks, VTB, recently took a stake in Wildberries'
financial arm and threw its mounting debt burden.
[14:50:00]
A fact Ukraine is fully aware of, says the co-owner of one of Ukraine's leading long-range weapons producers.
DENYS SHTILERMAN, CO-OWNER, FIRE POINT (through translator): If we take it down, it will inevitably lead to the collapse of a huge number of banks,
including at least VTB.
KOLYANDR: Wildberries is still big to fail. And the state will definitely support Wildberries in this for that form.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): It's still burning after three days, says the seller, who drove to survey the damage at a Wildberries warehouse just
outside Moscow. She says she lost around $100,000 worth of goods.
Lives at risk, livelihoods, up in smoke. A Russian success story, the latest casualty of Putin's war.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, Moscow's mayor says a deadly bomb blast at a restaurant in the center of the city was a terrorist attack. At least five people were
killed in Saturday's explosion, including the woman carrying the device. Authorities say she attempted to enter a private vent at Moscow's Balzi-
Rossi restaurant before the bomb went off.
Investigators believe it was detonated remotely. While Russian authorities have not alleged Ukraine links so far, Moscow has previously blamed key for
a series of assassinations or assassination attempts on high-profile military officials. Of course, they crossed that story for you.
We're going to take a short break. See you in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, everyone's favorite fictional football coach returns this week to Apple TV. "Ted Lasso," the Emmy-winning comedy is back with its
fourth season and new challenges, coaching and British women's football team.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON SUDEIKIS, ACTOR, "TED LASSO": Whoa. Boy, you all don't have a lot of wiggle room in here, do you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only space available to us was the academy locker room.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're just happy to be here, coach.
SUDEIKIS: So, hold on, do you all have to share this room?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and every other Saturday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we get to keep our toiletries overnight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Some of the realities there, well, Lasso brings is optimism to coach the second division team and all the challenges that come with it.
Show writers consulted with leading figures in women's football to better understand the needs of female athletes. Premieres August 5th on Apple's
streaming platform. I can't wait to watch it.
[14:55:00]
Well, the final numbers are in, and it is official. In case you didn't know, "Spider-Man" is bigger than the "Avengers," at least across the
Atlantic. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," pulled in $360 million in ticket sales in North America. That is the biggest opening weekend ever at a
domestic box office, just barely edging out "Avengers: Endgame," and that was quite something.
But "Avengers" still holds the worldwide records. Spidey earned just under $1 billion in global ticket sales, second only to the $1.2 billion opening
that "Endgame" posted in 2015.
And finally, tonight, California is well-known for its surfing, as you know, but who knew it could be so cute? Have a look at this. On Saturday,
hundreds gathered in Pacifica for the World Dog Surfing Championship, but among all the canine competitors, there could only be one winner, and this
year it was Iza, a French bulldog. After five years of competing, she rode the wave to victory. Many congratulations to her.
And that does it for this hour. Do stay right here. "What We Know" is up next. I'll have more news for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
