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Isa Soares Tonight
Zelenskyy Appeals to the U.S. to Sell 10 Percent of its Patriot Missile Defense System to Ukraine; Israeli Settlers Besiege Palestinian Families in the Occupied West Bank; Taiwan Launches Major War Games to Counter Potential Chinese Attack. U.N. Warns Situation in West Bank "Beyond a Boiling Point"; Death Toll in Colombia's Quake Rises to at Least 273; Taiwan Holds Drills Simulating a Chinese Attack. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 13, 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: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, sell Ukraine 10 percent of U.S.
Patriots, and we will destroy all the Russians ballistic missiles. That's what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is telling CNN. We go live to
Kyiv for the very latest for you.
Then Israeli settlers besiege Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank, trying to force them from their homes. We'll bring you a special
report from there. And why Taiwan is jamming its own internet as the island democracy holds its largest annual war game. We'll have that story and much
more ahead for you this hour.
We do begin this hour with a startling appeal from the Ukrainian President to the U.S., delivered in an interview with CNN -- give us 10 percent of
your Patriot interceptors and we'll vanquish Russia's onslaught of ballistic missiles.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is following up with the White House daily after Donald Trump said Washington would give Ukraine a license to produce
Patriot interceptors. Moscow has been stepping up strikes on Ukraine, exploiting its dangerous lack of interceptors.
Overnight, Russia hit a train in the Odesa region, killing the driver and his assistant. Kyiv has in turn continued long-range attacks inside of
Russia. Well, President Zelenskyy says his country currently is about 1 percent of America's stockpile, just one of Patriot missiles. He told our
Nick Paton Walsh, that's nowhere near enough. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Are you out of interceptors now? Do you have none left?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE: No, I will explain to you how it works. So, this year, we have two and a half times less interceptors than
we had in 2025. First, Russia has two times more ballistic missiles per month than they had before.
We pay 100 percent to Americans. I have the package from the United States, and then my personal involvement, it doesn't work either way. It's my
personal talks, meetings and phones -- phone calls each day with everybody, I try to exchange something to missiles.
This year, I'm asking American partners to sell me 5 percent, 5 percent of missiles what they have in their stocks. If they sell us 5 percent, we will
go through the Winter and save people's lives. If they can sell us 10 percent, we will destroy all the Russian ballistic missiles.
WALSH: And has that request been answered yet? Have you had a clear indication as to whether you --
ZELENSKYY: The answer is, for today, is next. I have 1 percent. This is in what I live each day. From 1 percent to 5 percent. I have some -- you know,
some months and million phone calls and anything else, what can I do? I do some things which I can't even share. It's not -- it doesn't mean that it's
out of the loan. No, but it's -- I can't speak about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Really fascinating there. Nick Paton Walsh joins me now live from Kyiv. And Nick, look, this is really a rare window into the pressures that
President Zelenskyy is facing, trying to protect Ukrainian skies as we've seen, it's been relentless for the month of July.
It's continuing in August too. Speak to those pressures and how -- what you took away from that very personal conversation. And any nugget, Nick, from
that conversation as to where the U.S. may respond with that 5 percent even.
WALSH: I mean, sort of ultimately, I was stunned that a wartime president, that the fate of his country ultimately decides a lot of European security
issues, wakes up every morning having to make deals with his allies.
[14:05:00]
Deals that he doesn't even want to talk about to get interceptors that they urgently need simply to save lives here. In fact, for tonight, there are
reports circulating on the Telegram channels here suggesting the possibility of another large ballistic missile attack.
And I'm sure those in Russia and many people here in Kyiv, a city where people used to walk calmly during air-raid sirens, are now deeply aware
that there won't be interceptors. Now, we have had a response to that direct plea from President Zelenskyy, from the White House to who it was
clearly, obviously aimed.
And they have said that they prioritize making exquisite weapon systems and overall expanding production for the U.S. war fighter and for our partners
and allies. They're exploring potential pathways for industrial cooperation with Ukraine.
But nothing is guaranteed and nothing has been decided upon, I paraphrase here, and it's critical in all future industrial cooperation to prioritize
the safety, the security of U.S. technology. Now, that is not a yes. That is basically saying that the licensing suggestion that Ukraine can
manufacture its own interceptors is not decided upon, if not even on hold.
There's nothing in there that suggests more supplies are coming, and it is a direct response to that plea. And that is startling. A reminder, we're in
this position because so many Patriot interceptors were used during the war with Iran, Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, and many Gulf allies use a
lot of Patriots to defend their skies in what ensued afterwards.
And the impact is felt clearly and simply here, where, as you said, the deadliest month since April 2022 for Ukrainian civilians, the start of the
war essentially was last month. That's increasing. Russia has the missiles. It knows there's a gap here, and it knows this is a weakness it can
exploit, Isa.
I did have a moment, though, to talk to President Zelenskyy, slightly off guard towards the end of our interview, about how he is personally, how
he's holding up, obviously, every Ukrainian under great strain. This man deeply in the public eye, and we had a slight sense of what he wants to do
when this war ends, if it indeed ends, the question many Ukrainians struggle to answer. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENSKYY: Thanks so much. No, I had too many meetings today with the soldiers, and they will have, after the interview, the second military
cabinet.
WALSH: So, you have said in the past that when this war is over, you just want to sit on the beach --
ZELENSKYY: Yes --
WALSH: And drink beer.
ZELENSKYY: Yes.
WALSH: Is that still your --
ZELENSKYY: Yes --
WALSH: Abiding feeling, or do you know that there will be more work to do afterwards?
(LAUGHTER)
ZELENSKYY: No, I want -- I want, really, I need some time -- I need some time with my family and with the sea.
WALSH: I mean, that's the key question because this must be for you physically, incredibly exhausting to deal with the loss, the pressure. You
say every morning, phone calls about Patriot interceptors --
ZELENSKYY: Yes --
WALSH: Lives depend upon how you handle that particular stress. And do you get to talk to your kids every day, or --
ZELENSKYY: Every day, but sometimes by phone, of course, not every day I can see them, but I mean this -- I'm very happy to --
WALSH: What do you say to them?
ZELENSKYY: To them? Morning. How are you?
WALSH: Yes --
ZELENSKYY: How are things? Yes, and they tell me what the dreams they had.
WALSH: You miss them?
ZELENSKYY: Miss? Of course, of course, miss. And of course, I always say how I love them. And it's like, you know, here, physically need to hug
them. You need -- so, we understand that it's like big support, big energy support.
WALSH: Thank you, Mr. President --
ZELENSKYY: Now, just one(ph) --
WALSH: I have one last question.
ZELENSKYY: Yes --
WALSH: What is that?
ZELENSKYY: This elephant.
WALSH: The elephant with the cold.
ZELENSKYY: With --
WALSH: What is it?
ZELENSKYY: You know, and this is very historic building --
WALSH: Sure --
ZELENSKYY: You know --
(LAUGHTER)
WALSH: Yes --
ZELENSKYY: Thank you very much.
WALSH: Thank you sir --
ZELENSKYY: You gave me --
WALSH: Very much for your time --
ZELENSKYY: Some moment to relax.
WALSH: Please have it removed, get time on the beach at some point somewhere, you know.
ZELENSKYY: After the war.
WALSH: After the war. You worry you might get trapped in like the political world of Ukraine after the war?
ZELENSKYY: Nobody can take my seat right now. I will fight for this. Yes, I need it --
WALSH: Thank you, take care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: I think really echoing there what many Ukrainians feel an urgent desire for the war to be over. But that is still somewhat of a distant
prospect, frankly. Russia clearly not moving towards peace talks. Ukraine hopeful the U.S. will restart those again -- has presented proposals to the
White House for some kind of future initiative.
Zelenskyy didn't want to go into that when we spoke. But again, key here, all of that light-hearted moment aside, tonight, the night after, maybe the
night after that, Kyiv and most of Ukrainian cities on edge, rushing to the basement, the subway, the shelter when the sirens go.
[14:10:00]
Because really, the interceptors they relied on for years to keep themselves, well, they're gone. And it looks like the White House who
they're appealing to aren't answering in the way they want to hear.
SOARES: A rare and very personal insight there into the pressures facing President Zelenskyy and indeed many Ukrainians as we head into the Autumn
and Winter months. Nick, excellent reporting. Thank you very much indeed, live for us in Kyiv, in Ukraine.
Now, a former candidate in next month's Russian presidential election is speaking out after being disqualified from running. Putin critic, Boris
Nadezhdin, who publicly opposes the war in Ukraine was designated as a foreign agent by Moscow, now exiled in Paris, he spoke to our Clare
Sebastian about the mood in Russia as the conflict drags on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): This has happened so suddenly for you. One minute you're running for parliament --
BORIS NADEZHDIN, FORMER MEMBER OF THE STATE DUMA & RUSSIAN OPPOSITION POLITICIAN: Yes --
SEBASTIAN: And now you're here.
NADEZHDIN: Oh, it's -- all my life is -- all my life, I have a lot of adventures.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Boris Nadezhdin, Soviet bureaucrat, Russian opposition figure and former presidential hopeful can now add exile to his
list. We meet in Paris a couple of weeks after he was forced to flee Russia amid a mounting pressure campaign to bar him from running in upcoming
parliamentary elections.
NADEZHDIN: When I was announced as a foreign agent in 10th of July, I declared for all of the world, I will not stop my campaign. In -- Monday, I
was arrested by police, taking police department, et cetera.
SEBASTIAN: He was convicted of displaying extremist symbols and given a small fine. Then came the summons from Russia's powerful investigative
committee.
NADEZHDIN: Normally, after you go to this place, you will receive the criminal paper and go to the court, and after court, go to the jail,
Lefortovo. When I have received this paper about criminal investigation, I have understood that it's a question of three days.
SEBASTIAN: "I am alive and I am free", he announced on Telegram on arriving in France. Previous Russian opposition figures were not so lucky.
There was Nemtsov, who you worked with, Navalny, but you tried to do opposition within the system, then the system came for you.
NADEZHDIN: I didn't cross the red lines for 40 years of my political biography, the red line, number one, is not to criticize Putin like a
person, and cross line number two, to have no support from foreign governments. I never crossed these lines. But these lines have changed.
SEBASTIAN: Behind Putin's facade of stability, Russia is cracking down harder, Nadezhdin says, because as the war drags on, dissent is rising. In
early 2024, his campaign to run for president on an anti-war platform exposed an undercurrent of despair in society.
Long lines of his supporters formed across the country a quiet legal protest. That undercurrent, he says, is now bubbling up.
(RUSSIANS PROTESTING)
SEBASTIAN: Just this week, demonstrators gathered as Russia's highest court blocked Yabloko, the only remaining anti-war party from the
parliamentary elections.
NADEZHDIN: The understanding of that, everybody wants to stop the war. It's in the society. Is in the elite and in the nearest people around
Putin. And of course, the understanding of what is war is really means for Russian economy.
SEBASTIAN: Does Putin understand this?
NADEZHDIN: Yes, Putin and people around him. It's quite possible to freeze the mutual strikes. And but the question of how to be in peace with west,
be in peace with Ukraine, it's a question of next generations.
SEBASTIAN: Nadezhdin himself is now in limbo. His family is still in Russia. On the day we met, he missed his daughter's wedding.
NADEZHDIN: Because they just --
SEBASTIAN (on camera): They just got married.
NADEZHDIN: Now --
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): His political project, one of the last vestiges of Russian political opposition, for now, on hold.
(On camera): Do you worry that you've left Russia for good?
NADEZHDIN: I think I could return to my country only when the political situation will change.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Clare Sebastian CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Thanks to Clare, for that report. Well, the U.S. And Iran appears to be no closer to a deal to reopen shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.
In fact, Iran has a new demand, saying it should be compensated for pollution that it's collecting in the Strait from the oil spills during the
conflict you're seeing there on your screen.
[14:15:00]
Traffic throughout the Strait remains very slow, and energy analysts say emergency oil stockpiles worldwide are rapidly being deleted. Let's go to
our White House, and CNN's Kevin Liptak. So, Kevin, Iran wants compensation. How is the U.S. responding? Will it pay and where are we
critically on what the President called low keying negotiations with Iran?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't think the U.S. will pay. And in fact, President Trump has made his own demand for
compensation from Iran. And so, both of them seem something of a standstill and a standoff when it comes to who will control the Strait going forward.
And I think that just gets at one of the underlying problems in all of this for President Trump, which is that Iran still has this asymmetric ability
to close off the entire waterway, even though President Trump has said multiple points this week that the U.S. has complete control through the
blockade of Iranian ports.
It is also true that Iran still has this ability to shut it down, using what are -- at the end of the day, very inexpensive means, you know, the
drones. If one drone strikes a commercial vessel, then these companies and their insurers no longer feel like they have the ability to go through.
And that has shut down the entire thing now for months and months. And so, even though the President is trying to work out this way to get it
reopened, it doesn't seem clear that either of them are going to back off what they think is their leverage and keeping it closed down.
And so, even though the President says he is, quote, "low-keying it", you know, he never really defined what exactly that meant. It doesn't seem as
if the negotiations that had been underway last week, and that U.S. officials said we're going well, and said, we're about to produce a deal to
reopen the channel.
Those clearly have not resulted in anything meaningful. And every time that the President comes out and issues some of these threats and insists that
the U.S. will retain its ability to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut down, every time he does that, it seems as if it puts the Iranians further and
further away from agreeing to any kind of deal.
SOARES: It does seem it's a bit of a situation of who is going to blink first, right? Let me --
LIPTAK: Yes --
SOARES: Take it back to the White House and the news that the Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, is the party now. There is a lot of
speculations I'm sure you've seen on social media, on X online, as to whether she's leaving because of that unwitting decoy on Air Force One or
the whole switcheroo that you and I have discussed. The timing --
LIPTAK: Right --
SOARES: Certainly, interesting, right? How is it being received in Washington and indeed at the White House?
LIPTAK: Well, first of all, I'll just say that Karoline Leavitt wasn't on that trip at all. So, she was neither on the decoy plane nor on the actual
plane that Trump was on. So, she wasn't an actual part of that deception, at least in person.
And so, I don't know that, that really had anything to do with her decision. You know, her rationale that she spelled out for the public
yesterday was a desire to be with her two small children. And she does have two very small children.
She didn't take much time off after having her second in May. She was back on the job by July, even though she wasn't on the trip, she was still
working for President Trump. And what we understand is that, in fact, in that very short maternity leave that she took, that Trump was on the phone
with her, relatively often asking when she would be coming back.
And I think it's understandable, just as someone with small kids myself, you want to be with them. And this is a very difficult job to do that, and
also try and be there for your kids. And so, that's what she says she's doing. She's the youngest Press Secretary in history.
She's only 28, so she still has obviously a full career ahead of her. But obviously, attention now is turning to who the President might select to
replace her or if he will do that at all. You know, there's some thought that maybe the White House would go back to what they were doing when she
was gone, and having cabinet members come and brief the press when they think it's necessary.
Obviously, President Trump is also someone who thinks of himself as his best Press Secretary, and he speaks with the press quite a bit. And I think
that also speaks to sort of an issue that they have on their hands, which is that they don't have someone necessarily lined up ready in the wings to
take Karoline Leavitt's place.
No one on her staff at the White House has ever briefed the press from the podium. And it is a skill, you know, previous administrations and previous
White Houses have had people come and do that with the mind that they will take over once the Press Secretary decides to depart.
And so, it's a search, I think, that is still underway. President Trump, you know, may have someone in mind, but no one that we know of who has been
named to this job just yet.
SOARES: Yes, really appreciate it, Kevin, you laying out -- putting an end to the speculation that we've been -- that we've been seeing on social
media. Really appreciate. Kevin Liptak there for us at the White House.
[14:20:00]
And still to come tonight, CNN visits a Palestinian community under siege by settlers in the West Bank. We'll tell you what happened when Israeli
troops arrived at the scene. And just ahead, new questions around Homeland Security's account of an incident with an ICE protester.
We'll show you the video and what the protester says happened. Both of those stories after a very short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Just updating you with some of the breaking news we've been following here on CNN. A rescue operation is underway after a passenger
train derailed in southern England. Let me show you some of the video. It happened in Lewes, which is about 110 kilometers south of London.
The railway station was in East Sussex. The British Press Association reporting two people were seriously hurt. And you can see as we look at
this video now, several train carriages on their side. It's not clear at this stage from authorities what caused the incident.
As soon as we have any more details, we'll bring them to your attention. But this rescue operation now underway after this train derailed and it
happened at around, what -- 10:54 Eastern, which is around 3:54 here in the afternoon and very hot day here in the U.K. too.
So, but we don't know if anything -- if that had anything to do with it at this stage. We'll stay on top of it, any developments, we'll bring them to
your attention. Let me turn my -- your attention to say, and my attention to the United States, because the Department of Homeland Security has
announced a plan to spend up $20 million on electric gloves for ICE agents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Start with the gloves.
(MALE SCREAMING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Now, the gloves manufacturer says they're intended to be a non- lethal way to de-escalate in -- de-escalate encounters. A DHS contract shows the gloves would be delivered next March. And this comes as there are
new questions over the actions of ICE agents and a Virginia woman protesting their presence.
Here is the dash-cam video the woman in question has captured. The Department of Homeland Security says Carolina Molina drove her car in
circles around the agents and then tried to use her car against them.
A spokesperson said she was trying to, quote, "help illegal aliens get away". However, Molina says she was protesting, and as soon as she tried --
she tried to leave, an agent pulled a gun on her. Have a listen.
[14:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You almost ran us over!
CAROLINA MOLINA, ICE PROTESTER: I didn't almost run you over --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You almost ran us over! Stop playing! Stop playing!
MOLINA: You're full of --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop playing!
MOLINA: You are full of --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. You're not funny!
MOLINA: You're not funny!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will arrest you. Keep it up!
MOLINA: I'm a legal citizen.
(CROSSTALK)
MOLINA: Oh, my goodness!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You left your car; I'll lock you up!
MOLINA: OK, for what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's the one that tried to run us over!
MOLINA: Run you over?! I got recording, I got dash-cam. I got dash-cam. That's a lie!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, in a news conference, Carolina Molina says she feared for her life. She believes had she not been recording, she would have been
killed like Renee Good, if you remember, she was the woman who had a deadly confrontation with ICE officers earlier this year, and that happened in
Minneapolis.
Let's go to our Jason Carroll for now. And Jason, it's really interesting that she had that dash-cam footage. Talk us through what you understand
unfold and what authorities are saying at this hour.
JASON CARROLL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, first of all, it's very clear that there are two very different accounts of what happened
out there in Virginia. I mean, the Department of Homeland Security is calling this woman, Carolina Molina, a, quote, "anti-ICE agitator".
And Molina, for her part, says she's nothing of the sort. She says that her dash-cam footage shows what clearly happened to her out there in Virginia
on Monday. Again, this happening on Monday, she says. She was out there when she noticed that two men, described as Latino men, were being escorted
away in handcuffs and being put into an unmarked vehicle by ICE agents.
She readily admits that she was upset and yelled insults, rolled down her window, yelled insults outside her window at some of these ICE officers.
Then she says she tried to drive away, and at that point, she says, ICE officers boxed her in with their cars and then pulled out a weapon. Here's
a little bit more of that video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOLINA: I think my life was in danger at that point. I don't think I processed that in that moment. It wasn't until after I was like -- this was
a whole Renee Good situation again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Again, you had mentioned Renee Good, the mother of three who was killed in Minnesota earlier this year after a deadly confrontation with ICE
officers. ICE officers at that point had claimed that Renee Good had tried to use her car, tried to weaponize it, and they're making that very same
claim here, this go-around.
Saying in part, while ICE was conducting targeted immigration enforcement in Falls Church, Virginia, an anti-ICE agitator began to drive her car in
circles around our ICE officers and then attempted to harm our officers by weaponizing her vehicle against them in an attempt to help illegal aliens,
as they described them, get away.
Fearing for their safety, ICE officers conducted a quote, "vehicle stop of the driver". So, again, it comes down to a question of what actually
happened out there and the video that we have from that dash-cam does not show her car circling around these ICE officers' vehicles.
And I think what would clear a lot of this up is, if there were dash-cam videos from either the ICE officers or at the very least, body-worn camera
videos from these officers. As you know, ICE is in the middle here in the United States of a nationwide rollout of body cameras for all ICE officers
that is supposed to be complete by the end of this month.
And so, it comes to the question now is, were these particular ICE officers wearing body-worn cameras? And if so, will they provide that type of
information, that footage to the media? That is something we have not heard yet.
SOARES: Yes --
CARROLL: Back to you.
SOARES: Yes, and I'm sure they -- I'm sure this is something you'll push them on. Thank you very much, Jason, really appreciate it. Jason Carroll
there for us in New York. Well, jury selection has resumed in the Tupac Shakur murder trial. Dozens of potential jurors are gathered in a Las Vegas
-- Las Vegas courtroom as prosecutors and Duane Davis' defense team try and select the final 12 and four alternates.
Davis has pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder charge. The iconic rapper, Shakur, was shot and killed 30 years ago near the Las Vegas Strip
in 1996. Prosecutors accused Davis of orchestrating his killing. For decades, his murder sparked mystery, as well as debate over who was
responsible for his death.
Opening statements in the trial are expected to start next week. And still to come tonight, a closer look at the situation in the West Bank. We have a
report from our Jerusalem correspondent as Israeli settlers encircle a Palestinian community. That's after this very short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Beyond a boiling point, that's how the U.N. Human Rights Office describes the situation in the West Bank, as
Palestinians and their communities increasingly come under attack.
The U.N. says in the town of Qusra, some 15 Palestinians, including two children, were trapped in their homes in a, quote, "state of terror" after
settlers cut off electricity and water and blocked nearby roads. Soldiers were called to the scene, but Qusra's mayor, says they showed solidarity
with the settlers instead of helping the families under siege.
This is far from an isolated incident. The U.N. says that more than 3,200 Palestinians have been displaced right across the West Bank, and that's
this year alone. It says either the IDF is, quote, "either unable or unwilling," they say, to protect Palestinian communities as settlers, of
course, try to occupy their land.
Some right-wing Israeli officials have openly said their goal is to annex the West Bank and drive Palestinians out of their land. Today, Defense
Minister Israel Katz attended a ceremony reestablishing a West Bank settlement that had been abandoned in 2005. And he said, quote, "this is a
land of Israel. Here we are staying forever."
Well, one of the homes under siege in Qusra is owned by an American citizen. The U.S. ambassador to Israel says his embassy has been very
involved and requested that troops be dispatched. Qusra's mayor says if the military were serious about kicking out the settlers, they could do it in
10 minutes, he says.
Our Jeremy Diamond visited Qusra to show you firsthand what's happening on the ground there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The view from this Palestinian home is the same from every angle. Israeli settlers
everywhere you look. For days now, they've set up camp and surrounded three homes on this hilltop in the occupied West Bank in a bid to force the
residents out and take over.
They've cut water and power lines and have tried to stop anyone from approaching. All of this is illegal, and yet this is what happened when
Palestinian residents first called the Israeli military. The soldiers joined the settlers in prayer.
[14:35:00]
LOUI RIDI, PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN, OWNS HOUSE BESIEGED BY SETTLERS: They start hugging the settlers and they start praying with the settlers and
absolutely did nothing to protect my brother and his son.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Loui Ridi owns one of those houses. A Palestinian- American, he's watched all of this unfold from Ohio.
And this is what he saw on Wednesday. Israeli military trying and ultimately failing to remove the settlers from the area. Hours later, we
drive up the hill to see if anything has changed.
DIAMOND: So, these are actually the three homes that have been besieged by these settlers for four days now. We're going to try and climb up this hill
and see if we can get past the settlers who are blocking the area.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The settlers are still there, and so are two Israeli soldiers who order us to stop and turn off our vehicle. The soldier tells
me this is now a closed military area, and that we're interfering with military activity.
DIAMOND: Why are we interfering and not them? I don't understand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can contact the military spokesperson. This is a closed military area.
DIAMOND (voice-over): An IDF spokesperson said the order does apply to the settlers, but it's clearly not being enforced. The IDF said it would soon
deploy more troops to the area to restore order.
DIAMOND: They're telling us that it's a closed military zone that we're not allowed to be here, but at the same time, we're seeing multiple Israeli
settlers who are here, who are not being made to leave, and who are continuing to block the access to these homes.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Down the hill, we call Loui's brother Qusai, who's been staying in his home.
DIAMOND: Qusai, this is the closest we're able to get to your home. Unfortunately, how are you doing? Do you still have supplies?
DIAMOND (voice-over): The food I have is going to run out in two to three days. Beyond that, I have no food, nothing, he says. But at the same time,
even if I run out of food, I will not leave the house.
DIAMOND: So, do you have any hope that these settlers are actually going to be kicked out of this area?
DIAMOND (voice-over): Honestly, from what I saw today, the settlers were monstrous, he explains. They even attacked the Israeli army, forcing them
to fire sound grenades and tear gas. They have their eyes set on the house and this hilltop. They want to take it.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The next day, Israeli soldiers temporarily order Qusai out of the house, leaving him to move in with his neighbor. The
soldiers say they will use it as a base to operate against the settlers, but Qusai's fears aren't abstract. In recent weeks, settlers in this area
have set fire to a mosque and besieged this home.
DIAMOND: This right here is why those families are afraid to leave their home. You can see Israeli settlers on the rooftop of this house here. Three
weeks ago, Palestinians were living in that house, but it's been taken over by Israeli settlers.
DIAMOND (voice-over): With a messianic flag now flying above it, these settlers want their presence known from one hill top to the next.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And Jeremy joins me now live from Tel Aviv with more. And, Jeremy, terrific reporting from you and the entire team. And like you said, as you
said in your piece there, viewers would have heard it, all of this is illegal. And you and your team, and we've shown the reporting here on the
show, have been showing this for weeks.
So, if the military, as you were hinting that there, you were mentioning there, considered one of the most advanced in the world, the Israeli
military, if they wanted settlers removed, they could have removed them. So, question is, viewers will be asking, why aren't they?
DIAMOND (on camera): Well, taken in isolation, I mean, it really is quite mind-boggling. As you said, one of the most advanced militaries in the
world. And we have seen what they are capable of, whether it is in Gaza or in the West Bank or in any number of other fronts.
But in the West Bank, for example, we have seen them use quite violent riot dispersal methods when they feel it is necessary against Palestinians. They
have used live ammunition. They have carried out mass arrests. None of that is being done as it relates to these Israeli settlers. It is an entirely
different set of rules, it seems, but also of kind of use of force that is being applied to these Jewish Israeli settlers in this area.
But if you look at the bigger picture, it's not so mind-boggling, because over the last several years, we have watched this escalation of settler
violence in the West Bank that has grown in part because of a lack of action by the Israeli military, a lack of ability or political willpower to
confront what is a growing problem in the West Bank, and also, of course, the role of the Israeli government itself, not only working hand-in-hand
with the settler movement, but taking away tools from the Israeli military and intelligence services, such as administrative detention, that had
previously been used to detain violent settlers in the West Bank for months at a time. Those tools were removed by this current Israeli government.
SOARES: And you're right. And you have shown U.S., and we've been showing this on our air, it's not an isolated incident. It is part of a broader
pattern of settler violence and illegal land seizure.
[14:40:00]
I do want to talk about the -- about one example, just to broaden this out slightly. We saw today Israeli cabinet ministers gathering to kind of
celebrate the re-establishment of another settlement. I think it was Israel Katz, correct me if I'm wrong, he said, this is our home, this is our land.
We're seeing it now.
I mean, speak to this. Like you said, there is no separation from these settlers and the government ministers who are endorsing. I mean, they're
not saying anything, but they're present. They're there.
DIAMOND: Yes, Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister, is the one who removed the tool of administrative detention from the Israeli domestic
intelligence services. He is also the one alongside the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who was also in attendance at this on, you know, opening
ceremony for a new Israeli settlement. They have been largely responsible for authorizing, you know, dozens of illegal Israeli outposts, turning them
into settlements that are considered legal under Israeli law, but illegal still, of course, under international law.
And so, as much as Israel Katz said today, for example, that he condemns any violent disturbances, he still denied the existence of a phenomenon of
settler violence. And what's important to understand, when any of these government ministers criticizes or condemns isolated incidents of violence,
they are dissuading you from the true picture, which is that while most Israeli settlers in the West Bank may not be violent themselves, the
broader settler movement, which is working hand in hand with this current Israeli government, is advanced by the actions of these violent settlers,
by, for example, establishing illegal outposts, which are then in turn legalized by this current right-wing Israeli government.
So, it is truly all a part and parcel of one kind of operation, one machine that we are seeing, which has a clear goal, which is to establish facts on
the ground in the West Bank, to cement Israeli control, to deny the opportunity for Palestinians to have a state of their own on that
territory. And all of this certainly seems to be ramping up even more so ahead of the Israeli elections, which are slated for late October.
SOARES: Important analysis, as well as context there from Jeremy. Jeremy, thank you very much. Congrats to you and the team for that terrific piece
of reporting, to Zina (ph), as well as to Cyril (ph). Thank you.
And next hour right here, we'll put these allegations that you've just heard to the Israeli government. That's coming up in, what, 40 minutes time
or so with my colleague, Paula Newton. So, do stay tuned for that.
And still to come tonight, from hotel workers to taxi drivers, volunteers, and joining the desperate search for survivors of the Colombian earthquake,
as rescue teams cling to the hope that those still trapped will be found alive. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
SOARES: Well, the relentless search for survivors of the Columbia earthquake is entering a new and critical phase, now that the 72-hour
window to find those trapped under the rubble has passed. Rescuers say the possibility of finding someone alive drops dramatically after three days.
Search and rescue crews are continuing though to work right around the clock. Colombian officials say that at least 273 people are confirmed dead
and 380 are missing.
The new Colombian government is accepting rescue crews from just four countries, the U.S., El Salvador, Ecuador, and Israel. The only teams they
say have the required international certifications needed. Our David Culver is in the city of Cali where he spoke to those experiencing a rollercoaster
of emotions as those searches move forward.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're headed now to a southern part of Cali where we're told there are active rescues underway,
including just a few hours ago where someone was pulled out alive.
You can hear people still right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Yes.
CULVER: Well, they won't -- let's have a -- OK, he said you can still hear people, so let's go see.
They just handed us masks. They said, please put these on because they're worried about asbestos and anything else that's in the air that we're also
seeing some of this dust.
We've been told what we're looking at here was an apartment building that was about four storeys high. You can see the rooftop pool, the blue tiles
over there, now about a storey-and-a-half up in the air. So, it has totally pancaked down, collapsing into the basement of this apartment complex.
CULVER (voice-over): Looking into the collapsed rubble, Harold Valencia recognizes something.
CULVER: You can see your dad's mattress.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. Which is that one that he's showing right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's right there.
CULVER: Have you heard anything? Is there any movement or any --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I've been here for two days, and we don't hear anything there.
CULVER (voice-over): Harold flew in Tuesday from his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and he isn't the only one here doubling as a first
responder.
CULVER: And how old are the two people still missing, roughly?
JAVIER TABARES, VOLUNTEER: Late teens.
CULVER: Teenagers?
TABARES: Late teens, yes.
CULVER: And a brother and sister?
TABARES: Yes.
CULVER: How do you even process this moment? Like how --
TABARES: There's no way to process it, like you don't process it. You're just here dealing. Like if you're home, maybe you may have to find some way
to cope with it. Like there's no time to process this type of stuff, like you have to be here helping. Otherwise, there's nothing else to do.
CULVER (voice-over): Here in Cali, Colombia's third-largest city, with a population roughly the size of Houston, Texas, even folks working at
hotels, or taxi drivers even, are splitting their day between their actual work and helping with rescues.
Motivated by scenes like this, a man handing off a baby boy from within the rubble, dust-covered and struggling to breathe, but he's alive.
CULVER: You saw the baby's little head. He's not a first responder. He works in a bank, and he was just around the corner, and rushed down this
street where the collapse and rescue is still underway for several others. And he says he goes there, and he hears -- what did the voice say?
He -- the voice says, I'm here, I'm here with a baby. Brian and several others immediately go in. Over the course of three to five minutes, they're
able to pull the baby out. How's the baby right now?
Stable condition right now, as well as the dad. The only thing is the mom is still missing.
CULVER (voice-over): More than 130 miles north, we watched on for hours as this close-knit community dragged huge slabs of concrete from this
collapsed apartment in Pereira.
All of these folks are volunteers. Late in the evening, their hands reached a 32-year-old woman clinging to life. Her stepmother held vigil there for
more than 24 hours. She tells us her daughter suffered heart failure and shattered nearly every bone imaginable, but says she's hopeful she'll make
it. From that same wreckage, someone's beloved pet also pulled out alive.
Back here in Cali, this moment, reality briefly surfaces for Harold.
HAROLD VALENCIA, SEARCHING FOR FATHER IN THE RUBBLE: Trying to get my dad home where he belongs.
[14:50:00]
CULVER: You could tell in that moment, Harold started to allow almost the reality of what he was looking at, the potential aftermath, to soak in, and
he had to push it away, almost compartmentalize a bit, so that he could then focus that and get back to work.
And looking at him from afar, when we first were pointed his direction, we assumed he was part of first responders or a work crew. I mean, he was
directing traffic and having essentially some of the workers follow some of his orders so as to remove some of the large slabs of concrete. Then it
turns out that he, like so many we've met here, have just flown in and are not part of the experience team so much as are just here looking for loved
ones. He and many others have said, if you want to do it, you have to do it yourself sometimes, and they're doing just that.
David Culver for CNN, Cali, Colombia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, people scramble for cover, the streets are cleared, the internet is jammed. We'll tell you where these crazy war
games are being played. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, the internet was jammed in Taipei, Taiwan today, but it wasn't because of hackers. The Taiwanese government did it to their own
citizens as part of an extensive war games exercise to prepare the country for what a Chinese invasion might feel like. Our Will Ripley was right
there in the middle of it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Air raid sirens are going off, streets are being evacuated. It's wild. It's like the
apocalypse.
See all the buses are pulled over. Everybody's kind of hunkered down inside or underground. And something strange is happening to our phones. The
mobile Internet is slowing down drastically here in Taipei.
Here's what's happening. These are Taiwan's biggest annual military drills, with a major focus this year on preparing the entire society for a
potential Chinese attack. Taiwanese security officials say they're preparing for a scenario where cell towers could be sabotaged, undersea
cables severed or networks hit by massive cyber-attacks. So, for 30 minutes, millions of people are getting a taste of what that could be like.
BEN LEWIS, FOUNDER, PLA TRACKER: In the event of an actual invasion or an attack, we could expect Taipei and really the entire island to be blanketed
with strikes by the PLA.
RIPLEY: And this is just one part of a much bigger exercise.
[14:55:00]
Taiwan has mobilized around 20,000 reservists for 10 days of unscripted war games, practicing everything from defending ports and airports to drone
warfare, mass casualties and repairing communications under attack.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our thanks to Will for that fascinating report. Well, Western Europe is being scorched by another heat wave, as the first two months of
summer have been the hottest on record. And that is according to the E.U.'s climate monitor. Londoners are facing high temperatures. As I can tell you,
it's really high, 38 degrees Celsius, as others across southern and eastern England.
Most of Britain is going through a flash drought due to very low rainfall and this constant heat that we've been seeing. The successive heat waves
across Europe have strained water supplies and helped spark wildfires in France, in Greece, Spain, as we've seen also in Portugal.
And finally, tonight, nearly three quarters of Earth is covered in water. But we don't often get to see the beauty that lies below the surface. These
truly striking images you can see there were among thousands chosen as finalists in this year's Ocean Photographer of the Year competition. Each
one is an extraordinary window into marine life and conservation in the corners of the ocean we rarely see. Look at that. The winning pic will be
announced in early September. Good luck to all.
That's it for us for this hour. Thanks very much for your company. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with Paula Newton is up next. I shall see you
tomorrow. Have a wonderful evening.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
