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Isa Soares Tonight

Thai Teen Gunman Kills Five Teachers And His Grandparents; Fresh Strikes By Iranian Proxy Groups Raise Fears That War Could Engulf The Middle East; Colombia To Soon Swear In Conservative Abelardo de la Espriella As President; U.N. Experts Condemn New Sanctions By U.S. Against Cuba; Taiwan's President Escapes Mock Decapitation Strike; FIFA Chief Holds Onto Job Amid Growing Calls For Resignation. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 07, 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, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, Thailand's worst school shooting in

years as a teen gunman kills five teachers and his grandparents before turning the gun on himself. We are live from Bangkok for you.

Plus, fresh strikes by Iranian proxy groups raise fears that war could engulf the Middle East. We'll have the very latest. Then a new political

era in Colombia. Conservative Abelardo de la Espriella is about to be sworn in as president in just a matter of hours.

We'll take a look at the rightward wave gripping -- rippling across Latin America. But first, tonight, Thailand is in shock and mourning after one of

its worst school shootings ever. Authorities say a 14-year-old boy apparently frustrated at the pressures of school, shot and killed his two

grandparents.

He then took a gun to his high school and opened fire. When the shooting stopped, five teachers were dead and more than 20 wounded. The attacker

then killed himself. Thailand's Prime Minister says the attack was carefully planned and the shooter had specific targets.

The terrifying reality is that this tragedy could have been much worse. Officials say the shooter had at least 30 additional bullets on him. With

more on this horrific story, here's our Kristie Lu Stout.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sheltering in place during a school shooting, boys and girls crouching under their

desks with gunshots heard in the background. This is at a school in Thailand.

On Friday, a 14-year-old student opened fire at a secondary school just north of Bangkok. Several teachers are among the dead. His grandparents

were found dead at the home where he lived. The suspected teen shooter turned the gun on himself before going to hospital. He was later confirmed

dead by the Prime Minister.

In this social video, verified by CNN, we see students evacuating in uniform, they rushed to leave the halls of their school as a staff member

helps to evacuate them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We started hearing some noise in building five, and we had no idea what happened after that. At first, I

thought they were sounds of firecrackers or someone banging on to something loudly, but then we started realizing they were not.

And then it started getting more frequent like bang, and then it went quiet at one point and then the shooting started again. I didn't think it was the

sound of a gun. After that, we went to the toilet. We thought it was over.

I walked over there when a teacher shouted quickly, run here! He's gone to building four. So, we had to run here.

LU STOUT: This is believed to be the weapon that was used. Police handout reveals a handgun along with several rounds of ammunition scattered on the

ground. People across Thailand have reacted with shock and sadness, including the Thai Prime Minister.

ANUTIN CHARMVIRAKUL, PRIME MINISTER, THAILAND (through translator): I'm very sad that this has happened. I'm not only sad for the deceased, I'm sad

by the fact that this kind of incident could happen in our country. This is the reason why the government does not permit the extension of firearms

possession. This is exactly why.

LU STOUT: Mass shootings are rare in Thailand. But gun ownership there is high compared to other countries in the region.

(On camera): According to a 2017 survey, more than 10 million civilians held firearms in Thailand. That's 15 guns for every 100 people. After

today's shooting, police will investigate how a student managed to get hold of such a lethal weapon and why? Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Let's go now to Bangkok, and our Ivan Watson is on the scene. He's outside, as you can see there, the school gates. And Ivan, just give us a

sense of what more you're learning about the shooting and how it all unfolded.

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Well, I mean, this awful carnage took place over my shoulder here inside the school. The

Debsirin Nonthaburi School is a high school, we're not actually in Bangkok, we're about an hour's drive to the north in what you could describe as a

suburb of Bangkok.

[14:05:00]

And this high school that has some 3,000 students, so it's a large campus, and this has, you know, really stunned and shocked the community here. And

it hits very close to home because CNN's own producer, Karla Cripps, her 17-year-old son, goes to school here.

So, you can imagine the fear and frankly, the trauma that families are feeling that she herself and her son are feeling. Fortunately, he was away

for an athletic event when this took place, but described one of his favorite teachers being one of the victims of this rampage.

The Prime Minister of Thailand was here. We heard from him in the previous report. He was saying that the student had been under immense pressure to

perform academically. One of the chilling details about this violence that he's accused of carrying out is that when police went to the 14-year-old

alleged shooter's home, that's where they discovered his grandparents had been shot dead, authorities say hours before the alleged gunman unleashed

gunfire here in the school.

They've seized the computers and other electronic devices from the home, and police say that it looked like the 14-year-old had been looking up

other mass murder events and incidents prior to what he did here.

They also said that it looked like he had access to the gun that was used. It was legally registered to his grandfather, who again was killed earlier

in the day, and that the boy had posted a photo on Instagram of himself having that gun.

Now, our colleague here, Coach Olarinde(ph), has actually spoken with the boy's father, who appeared to be very much in shock. He'd been questioned

by police, and the father told us that his son had never exhibited any signs of violence before.

He was living with the grandparents because the parents had been separated, and that the boy had liked to play with his pet birds and liked to play

football. But coming back to this, yes, this is a devastating act of violence. There is some precedence for this.

Four years ago, a policeman went on a terrifying rampage in the northeast of the country at a nursery school and killed some 36 people with guns and

a knife. This was back in 2022, among them 29 school children.

The country is still wrapping its head around the fact that a high school student was accused of opening fire on his teachers and fellow students

here just a matter of hours ago. Isa?

SOARES: Yes, just absolutely horrific detailing all of this, Ivan, and his grandparents, of course, and the impact this is having on the children, of

course, and the local community. You are talking about the teenager and how questions about access to gun.

I do want to focus though, on those injured. Kristie Lu Stout, our colleague was saying in the report earlier that this could have been much

worse, right? That they had -- the shooter had at least, 30 additional bullets on him.

Speak to that because we're talking about five dead, 20 wounded. Do we know how the -- how did -- those who were wounded, how they're doing.

WATSON: The say of the -- of the nearly 30 people, at least, 30 people who have been wounded, some nine are in serious condition. So, we don't have a

lot of details further about that. The Prime Minister had said that, yes, the gunman had another 30 rounds of unused ammunition, and he says that the

14-year-old opened fire on himself.

And if that hadn't been the case, if he had engaged -- in a very difficult position, as he put it, because they would have had to engage with an armed

child. So, it would have raised some just -- just some huge challenges for the police who were here in large numbers, of course, when this happened.

We've seen footage of what looked like effectively SWAT police going through, trying to evacuate terrified children from -- took place here. And

the community were probably going to learn more about the ordinary victims in the hours -- ahead who have survived this terrible ordeal.

The authorities say that they're going to be providing compensation to every victim who was killed in the area of around, I believe, some $600

U.S., the equivalent, and anybody who was injured, the equivalent of about $150.

[14:10:00]

But again, just a terrifying incident, every parent's worst nightmare what took place here.

SOARES: Absolutely, really appreciate you being on the ground. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire community there. Thanks very much, Ivan.

Good to see you. Now, we're going to leave Thailand for just a moment and turn our attention to the Middle East, because escalating strikes by

Iranian proxy groups are fueling the threat of a wider war that could engulf the region.

Saudi Arabia has entered into a NATO-style mutual defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan, which stipulates that an attack on any -- on any of them

shall be regarded as an attack against them all.

And a source tells CNN, the Saudis are bracing for, quote, "multiple coordinated attacks by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Yemen, supported by

Iran's Revolutionary Guards." The Houthis have launched a flurry of deadly strikes, as you know, in recent days, including some on residential areas

in Yemen.

This, as Iran's state media reports that Oman has agreed to the broad framework of a deal to open a shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz. But

final approval still must be given at the regime's highest levels, notably, that proposed agreement does not include the United States.

Kevin Liptak is at the White House for us. So, Kevin, I feel like -- good to see you, first of all. I feel like this week we've been back-and-forth.

There's been a lot of optimism from the White House, a lot of optimism from Secretary Bessent about a deal, potentially a deal by Friday. And here we

are, and there is nothing. What is the status of any negotiations here with Iran?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, in a lot of ways, we're in the same place. You still continue to hear a degree of optimism

from American officials that this is moving along, and that it will be finalized relatively shortly.

But you're right to point out, almost every day this week, someone in the administration has said that the deal would be finished by the next day.

And we are now at Friday, and we still haven't seen what the final agreement would look like.

And, you know, even though the U.S. is not a participant in these talks, and the deal would not necessarily between -- be between Iran and the

United States, Iran has still laid out a number of conditions that it needs the United States to meet in order to give final approval, including that

President Trump lift the naval blockade on Iranian ports.

So, it will have to be signed off on in a lot of ways by the U.S., even though it's not an actual participant in the discussions. And I think, you

know, as President Trump is weighing what exactly to do as he works to get this war wound down, it does seem evident, just based on what we know of

this deal, that it will require some compromises.

You know, it will include routes through the Strait of Hormuz. Ships going in would go the northern route closest to the Iranian coast, ships going

out would go on the southern route closest to Oman.

Neither side, or at least, the Iranians have not yet said whether it will include fees or tolls. That would be a nonstarter for President Trump. And

I think you will have to see some massaging on the part of the White House in order for this to be promoted and marketed as a win for the President.

Because any final deal will ultimately just cement Iran's ability to control the Strait in the future, which was not true before the war began.

And so, the President, I think, is getting himself into a place where he will have to make some concessions and some compromises, which is not

something he ordinarily likes to do.

And then it will all be about the political promotion of this deal as something that reopens a waterway which was open before the war began. And

so, that seems to be where things are heading at this point. President Trump said yesterday again that he thought this would happen very soon.

He's not taking off the table the prospect for starting a war -- the war again, for escalating the strikes on Iran. But for so many reasons, chief

among them, the unpopularity of this war among the American people. That doesn't seem like something he has an enormous appetite to do at the

moment.

SOARES: I'm sure, Kevin, I know you'll stay across it for us. Kevin Liptak for us there at the White House. Thank you, Kevin. And still to come

tonight, after four years of left-wing rule in Colombia, the pendulum swings to the right.

Ahead, the inauguration of the country's new president, and what he's vowing to do first. Plus, our new report on the White House's campaign on

alleged drug boats. We'll tell you who the Trump administration is targeting and why?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:15:00]

SOARES: Well, we are nearing the one year mark since the Trump White House began its campaign against alleged drug boats carrying out military strikes

on vessels in the Caribbean, if you remember, and the Pacific.

In a new report, CNN's Jake Tapper shedding more light on who the Trump administration is targeting and, crucially, why? Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): They're murder victims.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): That's Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine's assessment of the Trump administration's campaign targeting

people that the administration calls narco terrorists. In a letter to the White House this week, Kaine accused the Pentagon of going far beyond its

original goals in operation Southern Spear.

And killing people who are, quote, "entirely unaware that they are marked for execution." Operation Southern Spear which began nearly a year ago, has

killed 221 people and destroyed at least 66 vessels.

But the results do not seem to have been effective. U.S. Customs and Border Protection data analyzed by the think-tank, the Washington office of Latin

America, does not show a meaningful decrease in cocaine seizures.

During the ten months before the boat strikes began, CBP reported seizing more than 56,000 pounds of cocaine during the ten months following the

beginning of the boat strikes, September 2025 through June 2026.

CBP has reported seizures actually increased 2 percent. Fentanyl, which President Trump claims this operation is targeting, is largely produced in

Mexico, not Venezuela or Colombia, according to the drug enforcement agency.

And CNN reporting shows military officials do not always know whom they're targeting, some of whom may even be innocent. Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo

were believed to have been killed in the October 14th strike last year.

Their families are suing the Trump administration for wrongful death and extrajudicial killing. The complaint says, quote, "Mr. Joseph and Mr.

Samaroo were not members of or affiliated with drug cartels", and Trinidad's government says there's no evidence drugs were on board.

Chad and Rishi's families told ACLU Attorney, Jeffrey Stein, they were fishing and doing farm work in Venezuela and boarded a boat to get home to

Trinidad.

JEFFREY STEIN, STAFF ATTORNEY, ACLU NATIONAL SECURITY PROJECT: Rishi wanted to come home to help care for his elderly mother, who had fallen ill. Chad

wanted to come home to see his wife and three young children.

TAPPER: In response to our request for comment on this lawsuit, the White House said, quote, "all of these decisive strikes have been against

designated narco terrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores".

[14:20:00]

But they have provided absolutely no evidence to back up any of the strikes. Which is not to say everyone on these boats had nothing to do with

the drug trade. Some were clearly fishermen trying to make extra money.

We sat down with two investigative journalists who have looked into who is being killed? They uncovered the stories of 19 of the dead.

JOSE LUIS PENARREDONDA, EDITOR, EL CLIP: Many of the reporting shows have - - are somehow involved in drug trafficking business, in drug transportation business in very low levels of the chain.

TAPPER: Journalist Lorena Melendez told us, one of the stories really stuck with her.

LORENA MELENDEZ, EDITOR, REBEL ALLIANCE INVESTIGATES: The case of Juan Carlos, he was a bus driver and he brought his boss a damage and he

couldn't repair it. He said, I have to do bad things. So, he traveled to Trinidad.

TAPPER: Juan Carlos' wife told the journalist a consortium, El Clip, she did not want him to get on the boat, but he insisted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm leaving. I can't take it anymore. What desperation. I'm leaving to live or die, but I'm leaving.

That's how he told me.

TAPPER: She also remembered the moment she knew he'd been killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): But since I'm making empanadas here, the phone is ringing too much. When I see an international call, I

say no. Something has happened. Something happened to Juan Carlos. The mistake was seeing the video they sent me where they were blowing up boats.

TAPPER: Juan Carlos was believed to have been killed in the October 3rd strike. He leaves behind three children and a grandchild according to "El

Clip". Does that sound to you like a narco terrorist? Another victim was a fixture of his community. Here's investigative journalist Jose Luis

Penarredonda.

PENARREDONDA: I think about a Venezuelan guy called -- I mean, his nickname was Piccirillo(ph), he managed to speak to people who knew him very well.

One of them told me, just tell everyone he was a super nice guy.

TAPPER: Edouard Jaime(ph) or Piccirillo(ph) was a beloved local athlete, a family member tells "El Clip", he was also on the boat that was blown up on

October 14th. None of these individuals seem to have even been mid-level drug traffickers.

At worst, they seem like couriers. Remember when the U.S. struck what Trump called a drug submarine? There were two survivors the U.S. military held

them, then released them to their home countries, again raising questions about whether the Trump administration knew who they were targeting.

Andres Tufino Chila(ph) was one of those two men. His sister told CNN; he was not a criminal. Last month, the "Los Angeles Times" followed the

stories of eight fishermen from Mexico who vanished after the February 16th U.S. strikes.

Quote, "the men sometimes earned extra cash by transporting gasoline to the high seas, where they would refill speedboats ferrying cocaine from South

America. They were all killed. A mass was held for the men at sea a few days later."

This video, provided by the "L.A. Times", shows mourners drinking beer and singing songs. There are many more of these stories from Mexico, Venezuela,

Ecuador, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago.

Maybe couriers caught in the crosshairs of the Trump administration's so- far fruitless quest to end drug trafficking, often going after the lowest on the chain, men who felt they had no other choice and were executed by

the United States.

(On camera): We asked the Pentagon if they knew who they were targeting, exactly who they were targeting, and the Pentagon maintains, quote,

"targeting decisions are deliberate based on comprehensive assessments and reviewed through established processes.

Every narco terrorist killed in Department of War operations was an affiliated member of a designated terrorist organization, actively

transporting illicit material", unquote. But U.S. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine tells me that the Trump administration is, quote, "lying".

And the ending or transitioning out of Southern Spear will make way for an 18-country collaboration to go after drug traffickers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Our thanks to Jake Tapper for that report. And still to come tonight, U.S. President Donald Trump makes a new push to end birthright

citizenship. We'll take a look at his new executive orders.

Plus, the calls for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to step down are growing. So, can he really hold on to FIFA's top job? We'll try to answer

that question next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:00]

SOARES: Well, U.S. President Donald Trump is going after the 14th Amendment yet again. On Thursday, the President signed two new executive orders aimed

at further restricting birthright citizenship and birth tourism.

Now, birth tourism is the practice of traveling to another country in order to give birth there and obtain automatic citizenship for the child. And it

all comes just weeks after the Supreme Court struck down the President's attempt to end birthright citizenship, a constitutionally-protected right.

The new orders are certain to face legal challenges. Our CNN Priscilla Alvarez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Donald Trump is taking another swing at birthright citizenship and birth tourism yet again,

with the signing of two executive orders just yesterday.

Now, what these executive orders appear to do is take a far more narrow approach. So, first, on birthright citizenship, it specifically targets

alien enemies, members of foreign terrorist organizations and categories of people who lobby and act on behalf of foreign governments.

Now, there are already exceptions to birthright citizenship, and it appears here that they are trying to broaden those exceptions. But we don't know

yet what this would look like in practice, and whether it would similarly face lawsuits.

Now, on the other front, there is birth tourism. Now, Stephen Miller; the architect of the President's immigration policy, says that there is an

outright ban. This essentially marks an outright ban on birth tourism.

However, U.S. law already bans people from obtaining a visa. And I'll quote here for the primary purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship for a child by

giving birth in the United States. So, it's unclear here how this ban and this executive order would be different from what is already in U.S. law.

So, there are still questions in how these executive orders look like in practice. It is clear, however, that the President is trying to placate

immigration hawks and his allies, who, despite the Supreme Court's decision in June, which upheld birthright citizenship, still wants to see some

action on this front.

Now, again, as it happened last time, there were lawsuits immediately following executive orders. So, we are keeping a close eye on all of that.

But the President, again, making clear that this is top of mind for his administration and trying to find yet another way to approach this issue

despite what the Supreme Court already said in June. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Thank you very much. Priscilla Alvarez there. Well, U.S. President Donald Trump says he'll immediately appeal to the Supreme Court after a

lower court ruled today that he can't build a massive new ballroom at the White House.

The D.C. Court of Appeals ruled that the project is being, quote, "unlawfully constructed and needs congressional approval to move forward."

[14:30:03]

The decision sets up what could be high-stakes legal showdown between the Trump administration and the high court over the ballroom which is believed

to have a price tag in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Well, also in Washington, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears to have enough support to be confirmed. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said

he will support Blanche's nomination for Attorney General. With Cassidy's support, Republicans now have a clear path to confirm Blanche. President

Donald Trump appointed Blanche as Acting Attorney General, if you remember, after firing Pam Bondi back in April.

Well, it's a new political era in Colombia, the latest country to join the rightward wave rippling across Latin America. Abelardo de la Espriella, an

outspoken conservative millionaire backed by Donald Trump, is set to be sworn in as president shortly. The former criminal defense attorney won

June's runoff, promising to crack down on armed groups and revive the country's oil and gas sector. De la Espriella, who has never held as -- an

elected office, is perhaps best known for represented right-wing paramilitaries during his time as an attorney.

Let's get more what we can expect from, of course, his presidency. I want to bring in former Colombian vice president and foreign minister, Marta

Lucia Ramirez. Marta, welcome to the show. Great to have you on the show. President Abelardo de la Espriella is beginning I saw today his term -- on

his own terms with a message of change and he chose Cali as a setting I saw for his inauguration.

For many viewers just watching around the world, he is relatively unknown. So, talk us through what we can expect for him because he talked about

restoring security, reviving the economy, taking a much tougher approach towards armed groups. Why do you think that Colombians voted for such a

significant shift in direction?

MARTA LUCIA RAMIREZ, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT, COLOMBIA: Thank you very much, Isa. It's a pleasure for me to join you. And let me say we have a big hope

about this new government. Not only because a person, it's because the entire nation is clear that we have democracy in serious risk. We are

finishing because today marks the end of the -- one of the most damaging governments in Colombia's democratic and republican history.

Gustavo Petro led a populist administration. This is not a leftist. This is a leftist populist administration that allowed drug trafficking to expand

in Colombia. His government granted preferential treatment to the leaders of criminal organizations by appointing many of them as peace facilitators

which is a legal status that suspended judicial proceedings against individuals under criminal investigation in order to support peace

initiatives. But at the same time, Colombia experienced a serious deterioration in public security. Also, the administration overshadow a lot

of corruption.

So, that's why the entire nation is clear that we have to support the new government because the responsibility to recover full democracy is not only

for one president. It's for the entire nations as I mentioned. And yes, President De la Espriella, he's going to swear in one hour in Cali. And

this is a message.

This is also clear message for the entire country that his government will be a government for -- governing for all the Colombians not in a palace

from Bogota which is our capital. He will be very close to the regions and different municipalities in Colombia.

SOARES: And that is important because one of his main challenges and we'll get to, you know, how he combats guerrilla groups and drug trafficking, but

one of his main challenges is being -- is bringing the country together right, Marta. There is deep polarization. How -- you know, after such a

divisive election, how is he going to do that? How is he going to bring the center in? How is he going to be able to unite Colombia?

RAMIREZ: It's not going to be easy because you know the opposition that now is going to be leave -- for Gustavo Petro, he is leaving government but he

is starting the opposition. They decided to reject the decision of the Colombians in the election and they are going to make a kind of a different

government. So, it's going to be very difficult for President De la Espriella. They are going to be calling people to the streets every single

day.

This is the same that they did in year 2019 and 2021. This is the same that these people made in Chile and also Ecuador in year 2019. So, for President

De la Espriella, it will be very challenging not only to retake a government which is very focused in institutions in the recovery of the

Colombian economy but also to have this opposition not only discussing about the legal projects from the new government but also acting on the

streets to diminish the governability for the new government.

[14:35:37]

So, he has to work on this scenario. He has to strength -- that's one of the reasons that he has to strengthen the international cooperation to

dismantle all these transnational organized crime and criminal networks that are operating across the Americas because we have to be clear enough

that the violence has roots in different countries in our hemisphere and that's why we have to work together nowadays.

SOARES: Indeed. You brought me perfectly to what I wanted to ask you and mentioned to you earlier, Marta, that I wanted to get to, which is we've

seen the U.S. government well -- publicly welcoming the De la Espriella's electoral victory. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today -- said that

Colombia -- this was Colombia's best days are ahead.

And we've seen of course his focus, De la Espriella's focus on combating guerrilla groups, drug trafficking, and I'm assuming that we expect

relations with Washington to deepen as a result of that especially when it comes to security cooperation which was somewhat damaged I think during

previous years.

But let me put to you what the international crisis group is saying because there are concerns, and maybe you can talk to this, Marta, about more of a

-- of aggressive security strategy. The international crisis group says, and I'm going to quote them here, a heavy-handed approach could cause

violence to spike rather than reducing it. Decapitating armed and criminal groups tend to fragment them leading to intense turf battles among those

left behind. Bombing would be very likely kill civilians. A mass arrests would ensnare innocent bystanders.

How does then De la Espriella balance his promise of a tougher approach with concerns about these unintended consequences?

RAMIREZ: First of all, let me say something that I think it's clear but sometimes people is not very aware of it. The future of the Colombia

relation with the United States should not be different -- defined only by counternarcotics. But the relation between United States and the entire

hemisphere must be defined by a sincere cooperation based in a mutual respect, based in shared responsibility and a firm commitment to democracy

and the rule of law because the democracy and security are very related. We have democracy on one side of the coin, but we also have security in the

other side of the coin.

So, if we have all these problems about security because of narcotrafficking and all these people who are involved in human

trafficking, in smuggling, in different criminal activities, this is something that affects the quality of democracy in the entire region.

So, that's why I said the cooperation between the United States and the region must be also a focus in economic growth in the creation of jobs.

This is something very important in order to reduce all these problems of migration from different countries to the United States. So, we have to

work in these shared democratic values.

SOARES: Yes. Very good point. A very good point. I'm glad you brought it to the attention. Very good point, Marta, I was saying. Finish your thought.

RAMIREZ: Yes, I think this is -- this is a point that we have to work together promoting this economic growth, creating jobs, expanding

opportunities for the entire region. That of course President De la Espriella, he will be very -- he will be very demanding -- the Colombian

population will be very demanding on him about results.

So, he has to be careful about results are not only military results. The results will be also these integral results which means the presence of the

state in all the Colombian territory through economy, investment, creation of jobs, the developing of infrastructure.

Today he made a good -- no, last night. Not today, last night, he made a very good speech calling the Colombian journalist saying that he is going

to defend not only democracy but also the freedom of speech and the freedom of all the people who are involved in the media because he said we all

together have to work together in order to increase the importance of the institutions to defend democracy and to defend the Colombian citizens.

[14:40:33]

SOARES: Marta, I really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. Thank you very much. Marta Lucia Ramirez there speaking to us there from

New York. Thank you very much, Marta. I really appreciate it. Thank you.

RAMIREZ: No, it's my -- it's my pleasure.

SOARES: And still to come tonight -- you're very welcome. The U.S. imposes new measures to choke Cuba off from military support. Why the move is

drawing condemnation from U.N. experts. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Well, U.N. experts are demanding an end to the "energy starvation of Cuba." They are denouncing measures by the U.S. as an attempt to alter

the government of a sovereign state via threats and coercion. The U.S. has imposed tariffs on any country that supplies oil to Cuba. A move that has

left, as you've been telling me on the show, Cubans literally in the dark.

On Thursday, the U.S. imposed more sanctions on five Cuban entities and eight individuals. The Trump administration accuses them of helping Cuba

secure weapons and maintain ties with foreign militaries.

Our man in Havana, Havana Bureau Chief Patrick Oppmann joins me now live from the Cuban capital. And Patrick good to see you, first of all. I was

seeing those sanctions that the U.S. put out against Cuban individuals and Cuban entities and the response from the U.N. basically warning that

Havana, that Cuba could be a silent Gaza given the humanitarian situation on the ground. Speak to that.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, absolutely. And I should just point out we're coming to you live right now from battery power. We're

in a building in Old Havana that up until recently was not losing power. Now, every day about this hour, a power goes out until the next day.

So, in a building that the Cuban government wants to keep the lights on because there's foreign media here, there's foreign companies here, they

simply can't for more than sort of four or five hours every day. So, it's only thanks to the fact that we have batteries that last us a couple more

hours that we're able to talk to you right now. Most Cubans don't have that in their homes.

You are seeing the impacts of this oil embargo, the energy cutoff happening more and more throughout this island with most of the time on most of this

island there is no power at the moment. And that has a huge impact on people.

[14:45:18]

You know I sort of judge it in my neighborhood you might get two hours of power each day. Of course, the U.S. says that that is the fault of the

Cuban government that's not invested in their infrastructure. They have said not quite correctly that if Cuba makes economic changes, the power

could be on tomorrow. We of course know that that requires billions of dollars of investment to get the or back on here to modernize the

infrastructure here.

But certainly, there is a before and an after since the U.S. attack on Venezuela, the capture of Nicolas Maduro that cut off that supply of oil.

And every day you see it here that there's simply less energy to go around. It's getting hotter. We've seen protests picking up throughout the summer.

But the government here is holding fast, holding firm, certainly sanctioning these individuals. It sends a signal that the U.S. government

is going after them. But remember, these are people that do not have assets in the U.S. or probably any other country.

This is a very closed-off society. Certainly, if you're a member of the military here, it's very hard for the U.S. to touch you, to sanction these

entities and sanctions are at a max here. I've never experienced sanctions like this. You probably haven't had sanctions like this since the beginning

of the Cold War. And of course, the Soviet Union was supplying aid to Cuba then.

But very clearly what the administration's message is they will keep ramping up these sanctions. They'll keep exerting pressure on Cuba until we

get to some kind of breaking point. Obviously, they want the government to back down to open up politically and economically. It seems more and more

likely there could be a kind of some kind of humanitarian crisis to occur before any kind of opening takes place here as the standoff just drags on

longer and longer.

SOARES: Yes. It's the people that are feeling the impact of that first and foremost. Patrick, good to see you. Conscious of your battery power, but

great to see and great to have you on the show. Patrick Oppmann live there from Havana.

Well, with near-constant threats from mainland China, Taiwan's president and other top officials have trained for what they would do if a hostile

power tried to eliminate the island's leadership in the opening days of a war. Now, this video shows an armored vehicle carrying President Lai Ching-

te and staff members from their offices in Taipei to a fortified command center near the defense ministry.

The exercise was part of a 10-day military drills which kicked off on Wednesday. The U.S. capture of Venezuela's leader, Nicolas Maduro, and the

U.S.-Israeli decapitation strikes on Tehran's leadership have demonstrated why these drills are necessary.

And still to come tonight, the civil war splitting the world of football in two as more countries pick their sides. Can Gianni Infantino really hold on

to FIFA's top job? We'll discuss next.

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[14:50:35]

SOARES: Well, turning now to the world of football where battle lines are being drawn and FIFA head Gianni Infantino is clinging onto his job despite

mounting pressure from multiple sides, and we've been telling you all week on the show. On the one hand, Mexico and Argentina have now come out

backing Infantino.

But at the same time, Norway has now joined calls for the FIFA chief to resign, saying that he no longer has institutional trust. The football

associations of England, Wales, Croatia, and Albania have all withdrawn their support and UEFA still threatening to boycott future World Cups.

Where do we stand?

Jules Boykoff is a professor of political science at Pacific University and a former professional footballer. He's the author of Red Card: The 2026

World Cup, Sportswashing, and the FIFA Greed Machine. Jules, great to have you back on the show. Here we are again. You know, everyone has forgotten

about the World Cup and now we can talk about what's happening here.

Look, you've spent years researching the politics of sport. We have seen in the last hours those countries who are supporting him, right? Mexico,

Argentina publicly backing Infantino while Norway, as I was saying, calling for his resignation. What do you make of the split? Does the split within

FIFA's membership actually strengthen his position by focusing away from those -- from any allegations?

JULES BOYKOFF, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, PACIFIC UNIVERSITY: Well, after a fierce backlash that you nicely described, we're starting to see

some countries come out in support of Infantino. And that just shows that FIFA money is a powerful drug. FIFA gives out millions of dollars to these

football associations around the world. This money is barely regulated. The transparency on this money is extremely thin.

And so, when you see countries like Mexico, when you see countries like Argentina coming out now in support of Infantino, it's significant. Not

only because it shows the power of FIFA money, but also it creates space for other football associations around the world that might be on the fence

with this and really don't want to speak out against Infantino with all his power that now might feel like they can side with the bigger nations, big

football nations like Mexico and Argentina.

SOARES: Yes, very interesting that they both broke rants with the rest of CONCACAF. Look, you said money is a powerful drug, right? And we have seen

reports throughout the week that in an effort to try and shore up support, Infantino offered Morocco, I think the 2030 World Cup final, apparently

catching the co-hosts, both Spain, both Portugal of course, and Spain by surprise.

Now, if true, what does that say to you about how major tournaments are being used as political leverage within FIFA?

BOYKOFF: Well, football is politics by other means, and you can look at the men's World Cup here in as a prime example of that, and it's not going away

anytime soon. When you look at some of the countries that are involved in that next World Cup, we're talking about the hosts, Morocco, Spain, and

Portugal, the main hosts of the tournament, there could be some fractures in the edifice there.

I mean, I was talking before about how money is a powerful drug. On the flip side, so is anti-colonial sentiment, and Gianni Infantino has used

anti-colonial sentiment, legitimate anti-colonial sentiment to his advantage. So, when UEFA, the European governing body for football, speaks

out with one voice against Infantino, Infantino can respond and saying, oh yes, there's the colonizers trying to keep everybody else down. That's been

a very powerful argument, and it could fracture the three main posts of the 2030 World Cup coming up here soon.

SOARES: We've got about two minutes left on the show. So how do you think this is going to play out? Is there enough momentum behind Infantino

critics to mount a challenge or do you think this is it?

BOYKOFF: We're in an incredibly unpredictable moment right now. It's interesting to me that challengers aren't exactly jumping out of the

woodwork and putting themselves forward. I think that shows that Infantino still has a strong hand inside of the organization. Some people that have

sort of been put forth by others -- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney put forth Victor Montagliani, the Canadian head of CONCACAF, and -- but he

hasn't exactly been jumping up and down and he knows that Infantino still has a lot of power inside of the organization.

And plus, a lot of these people are sharks swimming in the ocean of FIFA. They know that if they put their necks out, they could have it bit by

another shark. And so, I think that's been really interesting to me to see that no one's really trying to put themselves forward in a serious way at

this early juncture.

We do have time because candidates have until November to put themselves forward to run against Infantino early next year. That's something I'm

definitely keeping an eye on moving forward.

[14:55:50]

SOARES: Yes, it is -- it is interesting to see how it's all dividing up right between certain countries and states and bodies. We shall see what

UEFA does as well and how they respond. I really appreciate you taking the time to speak to you -- speak to us, Jules. Always great to have you on the

show. Jules Boykoff there joining us for a conversation on what the future means for Infantino.

And that does it for us for this busy hour. I will be back though in the next few minutes for much more news with "WHAT WE KNOW." If you're leaving

us, have a wonderful day, but don't go anywhere. I'll be back in a moment.

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