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Isa Soares Tonight

Wildfires Rage Across Europe as the Continent Grapples with Record- Breaking Heat; UnitedHealthcare CEO Murderer, Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Federal Stalking. Mangione Admits Killing Thompson, Pleads Guilty To Stalking; Afghanistan's Taliban Rulers Mark Five Years Back In Power; Report: Shipping Bottled Up On Both Sides Of Arabian Peninsula; Lawmakers Want Answers About conditions On USS Abraham Lincoln; French Court Blocks Social Media Ban For Those Under 15; Italy Recovers Master Works Stolen From Museum In March. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 14, 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, wildfires rage across Europe as the

continent grapples with record-breaking heat. I'll ask our chief climate correspondent, is this really the new normal?

Then, "I shot Mr. Thompson and he died." Those words from Luigi Mangione in court today as he pleads guilty to federal stalking. We have the very

latest for you. Plus, a life of daily oppression. We'll explore what it's like for women and girls in Afghanistan five years on from the Taliban

takeover. That and much more ahead for you this hour.

But first tonight, record smashed in emergencies in multiple nations. We begin right here in Europe, which is being ravaged by the effects of

extreme heat. I want to start with images we don't usually see right here in the U.K. Look at those.

These wildfires ripping through homes. The fire service in the West Midlands region is calling it one of the most significant incidents in its

history. This is the aftermath of Thursday's fires. The stark sense of horror apparent after five successive heat-waves this Summer is on track to

be the hottest on record in the U.K.

While in Croatia, the scenes were almost apocalyptic. Wildfires along the coast have forced hundreds to evacuate, and shifting winds have spread the

fires deeper into land. Other parts of Europe, including Italy, Greece, France and Germany, they're also battling major fires, and authorities

across the continent are on high alert for more. Our Stefano Pozzebon has the very latest for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): A tower of smoke looms over holidaymakers in northern Greece on Thursday. The fast-moving forest

fire sending tourists and locals fleeing. Hundreds on small boats emptying to popular resorts in peak holiday season.

From the sky and the land, fire crews battled to stop the blaze, one of many wreaking havoc across the continent. As Europe swelters in record-

breaking heat, dry conditions are helping wildfires race across the region.

Spanish crews worked through the night fighting a fire in the country's northeast that burned through 20,000 acres and forced more than 900 people

from their homes. In Croatia, seven people were in hospital in life- threatening condition early Friday after strong winds whipped up a fire around the popular tourist town of Omis on the Dalmatian Coast.

Fires in France and Germany have also led hundreds of residents to evacuate. Usually temperate, Britain has not been spared as the country

baked on its hottest day of the year on Thursday, fires spread across central England, burning farmland and houses to the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not our horses, but we saved them.

PAUL NASH, RESIDENT: I heard a scream, and all the trees along the railway track were exploding. They weren't just setting fire, they were exploding.

So, we just grabbed everything and left.

POZZEBON: With no sign of rain, authorities here and across Europe remain on high alert. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Our thanks to Stefano for that report. Well, scientists are again making it clear these historic weather events are linked to human-caused

climate change. Our chief climate correspondent Bill Weir joins us now from New York.

And Bill, we have been seeing here across Europe, as you've just heard there from our correspondent, droughts, raging wildfires across Europe and

indeed the U.K. Before we were just coming to you, I got an alert on my phone that I've never seen from the U.K. government saying this in the last

two minutes, by the way, saying there's a very high risk of wildfires nationally.

So, basically asking people not undertake any fires, any disposable barbecues, fire pits and so forth. But that, I mean, we're seeing extreme

heat. We've got severe storms across large parts of the United States.

[14:05:00]

We've also got drought in other parts. I mean, it feels pretty apocalyptic. What are you seeing when you look at all these events, and how does that

climate data compare with the conversations you and I have had in previous Summers?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, you know, I interviewed more than a few climate scientists out there, they're pretty

reticent group, not ones to say we told you so, but this is what exactly what they've been warning now for a generation, that this is what it looks

like on an overheating planet.

And every gigaton of fossil fuel burned adds to that, insulating blanket in the atmosphere that captures sun's energy and brings this, and it's only

beginning. All of what you've just described, we cannot attribute this Super El Nino, which is just starting in the Pacific, to this record

warming.

And now, England is experiencing what California has had to get used to in terms of weather whiplash, very wet Winter brings a lot of fuel, a lot of

grass and greenery, which then turns to dry tinder and these endless hot Summers as the jet stream or on the top of the planet sort of wobbles and

breaks down.

We get this heat dome effect that you're seeing now, and it's affecting in ways that you can't imagine, right? The Tour de France had to be shortened

on the last day, not because there were fires on the route, but because there weren't enough emergency personnel to attend to the fires elsewhere.

This is the biggest peace-time evacuation in Spain and France. Three hundred thousand people having to move, and this is the beginning of what

could be an agricultural long-tail of this horrid year in terms of agriculture and potential famine around the world as this -- as this Super

El Nino kicks off, because it brings way too much water in some places. Not enough in other places. And that's on top of the climate change that we're

experiencing now.

SOARES: You mentioned -- you mentioned El Nino, we're seeing El Nino strengthen. I mean, give us a sense then what we're likely -- what we can

expect, Bill, as we head into the Autumn and the Winter. Are we looking at the potential for even more extreme weather here?

WEIR: Isa, yes, it is -- the predictions have been amplified because of the way this is speeding and ramping up, that initially, NOAA in the United

States said it would be a top five El Nino event.

Now it's 70 percent chance it will be the worst ever, and maybe 4 degrees of extra warmth in the Pacific, which is off the charts, which then just

disrupts weather patterns all the way around the world. It won't peak until late Fall, and we'll see the extremes over the Winter.

Some places can use the extra snow, some places can use the extra water, but some places have no control over what happens. And we've seen

historically, Super El Nino's led to trillions of dollars in damage and lost revenue due to the floods and the fires and the droughts elsewhere.

So, at this point, especially at a time when the conversation around climate action is at a decade low, populist anti-climate scientists,

leaders like Donald Trump in the United States --

SOARES: Yes --

WEIR: Corporations are sort of hush-washing happening when it comes to climate. Even corporations that are motivated to do something don't want to

talk about it, to anger those in power at the moment.

So, we're seeing the results, as I said, of scientific predictions around this. We have the technology as a species to deal with this. It's the

political will that is going forward. But kind of like the analogy of the frog in the boiling pot, where you get used to the horrible as the

temperature goes up slowly and slowly.

This is the kind of Summer that ten years ago, you've got to think would send people into the streets everywhere. But we're not there politically

right now, and who knows how bad it has to get to sort of unify action once again?

SOARES: Yes, and that is the thing. How bad does it get? Does it have to have -- we're seeing fires, floods and deaths as a result of this. So, the

political will really should be there. Begs the question, how bad does this have to get for them to take it serious for governments -- some governments

to take it seriously?

Bill, good to see you. Thank you very much indeed. What's not -- excuse me. It's not simply the heat that is impacting the globe, drenching storms are

rolling over the U.S. Midwest as I was saying now for a sixth day, and it follows a 1 in 1,000-year rainfall event on Wednesday.

These images you're looking at capture efforts to rescue a vehicle that was washed off the road by the flood water. Allison Chinchar has more from the

World Weather Center for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): The last thing these areas need is more rain, especially when you see video like this. These

towns, communities, roadways just inundated with all of this water. This video from Indiana, but they're not the only state that's been dealing with

this incredible amount of rain.

You see this wide swath here stretching all the way from Nebraska, back through portions of West Virginia, where you have that dark orange and red

color indicating they've had at least 6 inches of rain just since Monday.

This pink area here indicating areas that have picked up 10, 12, even as much as 14 inches of rain over just the last few days.

[14:10:00]

Keep in mind for some of these areas, that is several months' worth of rain in just a few short days. Now, it's not just the rain coming down and

flowing into roadways, it's also going into the rivers, creeks, and streams.

But that is more of a delayed effect when that water starts to recede and you have more than 50 river gauges either at or above flood stage, and that

is going to take time for that water to go down. Here's a look at the forecast.

Still looking at some of those ongoing showers through the evening hours Friday, then by Saturday morning, very heavy rain moving in across portions

of Illinois, Indiana and back into Ohio; some of the hardest-hit states over the last few days.

That first wave then continues to slide eastward. And we also start to see some of those impacts now spreading into areas of the Mid-Atlantic, not

just the Midwest. So, you'll notice when we talk about the excessive rainfall threat, it's not just going to be for one, two or even three

states. It's a wide area.

We still have the moderate risk, a level three out of four remaining for the rest of the day, Friday. But even Saturday, a lot of these same exact

areas, including Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Chicago, still looking at the potential for additional threats as more rain is expected to move into

these areas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Thank you very much, Allison Chinchar there for us. Now, to the West Bank village under siege with Palestinian families trapped inside

their homes, surrounded by Israeli settlers. We brought you this story yesterday.

New video shows IDF soldiers taking down a settler's tent outside a home, as you can see there, with the settler later rebuilding the tent, the tarp

left behind. Soldiers were also seen blocking activists from going up to the house to deliver food and supplies to the Palestinians.

All of this happening after the Israeli government said the situation in the village was over. I mean, we heard that from a government minister,

from Prime Minister's office yesterday. As Israel's right-wing government looks to tighten its grip on the West Bank, the Israeli Defense Minister

suggests it should be police and not the IDF, responsible for law enforcement there.

Our Jeremy Diamond brought us that report yesterday, he joins us now from Tel Aviv. So, Jeremy, just bring us up-to-date where we are with the

village, of course, of Qusra, and whether you've spoken to the family that are of course, inside that home.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we've stayed in touch with the families inside those three homes that have been besieged by

Israeli settlers --

SOARES: Yes --

DIAMOND: For the last six days now. And I can tell you that these Israeli settlers are continuing to be in the area around those homes. Today, once

again, they tried several times to erect and actually did erect that tent in front of those homes, including one that is owned by an American

citizen.

The Israeli military quickly came around and dismantled the tent once again and told the settlers to leave the area. But this has become a game of cat

and mouse, effectively between these Israeli settlers and the Israeli military in this area.

And the real question is what happens once the Israeli soldiers, the additional reinforcements that have been deployed to this area leave,

because as of now, we have no expectation that a large group of Israeli soldiers are going to remain in Qusra beyond this weekend.

And the question becomes, what happens when these settlers, who have shown no intention of slowing down so far, when they continue to come back to the

area? And so, the issue really does not seem resolved, despite the Israeli Prime Minister's office suggesting yesterday that it has been.

In addition to that, we have these statements by the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, saying that he has told the Israeli military to

prepare to hand over control of these types of law enforcement issues over Israelis to the Israel police.

The Israeli Defense Minister's statement critically, did not distinguish between areas under Israeli and Palestinian control, which more broadly

could raise concerns about an effort to try and extend Israeli civilian law across the West Bank, which would effectively be a move towards annexation.

But the real -- the reality here is that no one in Israel really expects these statements by the Israeli Defense Minister to become a reality. But

what it does reflect is the notion that he is trying to -- you know, put aside the Israeli military's role in this situation.

He said today, the army's role is to combat Palestinian terrorism, and not to chase hill-top youth, a term that is used for these violent settlers who

have been carrying out these actions in Qusra. And effectively, what it means is that he wants the Israeli military, which is responsible for

carrying out -- for enforcing the law in these areas.

And then it would hand over these settlers if they detain them to the Israeli police. He is basically sending a message that he doesn't believe

it's their responsibility.

[14:15:00]

But currently, it is the Israeli military's responsibility. And what we've seen so far in Qusra and in other areas of the West Bank, is that the

Israeli military has failed to carry out that responsibility, and it is leading, it seems, to the continuation and the escalation of this

phenomenon of settler violence in the West Bank. Isa.

SOARES: I know it's a story you'll stay across, thanks very much, Jeremy. Jeremy Diamond live for us there. Well, pleased to be joined now by Ofer

Cassif; he was the first member of the Israeli Knesset to visit Qusra village today and he joins us now.

Ofer, welcome to the show. As you heard there, and I know from my team there that you were in Qusra. You were able to get through to the police

barricade and reach the families. Just give our viewers a sense of what you saw and what the families are telling you.

OFER CASSIF, ISRAELI PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Thank you for having me, good evening. First of all, in the beginning, I wasn't --

SOARES: Good evening --

CASSIF: Allowed to enter the village under different strange excuses that the occupation forces used. Thanks to the security of the Knesset that

contacted the occupation forces. I was allowed to enter after I waited for about 30 minutes outside.

You know, while still the settlers are there and they continuously establish the so-called outpost, which is in fact, a nest of terror.

Anyway, after I entered the village, I was allowed, thanks to my immunity, as a member of the Knesset to visit the families and to talk to them, to

see that they get the medicine, the food, the water that they -- was prevented from them for five days.

A good people, activists, Israelis in the internationals gave them a -- the -- those things they needed. And I just watched them taking it. So, I

wanted to see that they actually got it, that it was not confiscated, as it were, by the occupation forces.

And later on, I also gave them the equipment like a water pipe and other things that they needed because the terrorists, the Jewish terrorists cut

the pipes of the water. So, obviously, they are under siege while the settlers, the Jewish terrorists still there.

SOARES: And it's very different, what you're telling me and what my colleague Jeremy Diamond, you heard, was telling me because, roughly, this

time yesterday, just a bit later than yesterday, Prime Minister Netanyahu's spokesperson came on CNN and he basically said that the outposts have been

taken down. Let me just play this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DORON SPIELMAN, SPOKESPERSON, OFFICE OF ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: It's incredibly unfortunate situation. I would say everybody, certainly in the

upper echelons of Israel, including the people that are living in Judea and Samaria, which is this area, which you call settlements, is really the

historical area of the Jewish people have outright condemned this. It's deplorable.

The -- by this point, it stopped, but the damage has been done. I mean, the family has already been communicated with the top general in the area. The

army is there. The outposts have been taken down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: So, the outposts have been taken down. It's not what I'm hearing neither from you, not what I'm hearing from our correspondent, Jeremy

Diamond. So, it kind of really begs the question for us on this side is, you know, you have one of the most advanced militaries in the world. If

they wanted to see these settlers moved, they would have. So, why haven't they?

CASSIF: That's exactly the point. There is no settler's terrorism. Everybody should understand that this is a state terrorism, because those

bigots, those fascists and the violent ones that already murdered some Palestinians in other places in the West Bank, they are financed, supported

and encouraged by the Israeli government from Netanyahu through Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, until the last member of the coalition. So, this is a stain -

-

SOARES: OK, on that, on that --

CASSIF: And they --

SOARES: On that, what specifically have you seen on that point? What specifically have you seen that leads you to that conclusion?

CASSIF: First of all, it's not the only event. You know, I've been sending --

SOARES: Yes --

CASSIF: Letters to the Attorney General, to the Defense Minister and to some other figures, formal figures in Israel since May 2023, warning

against the settlers' terrorism that is constantly accompanied and cooperated by the occupation forces.

[14:20:00]

And I've been warning more than three years now that this terrorism continues, and it should be stopped. First of all, because it's evil.

Secondly, because it's going to explode on us, the Israelis as well.

Up until now, more than three years later, I haven't got even one serious reply neither from the ministers nor from the attorney general. That's

enough to understand that we are dealing with state terrorism. And what I saw --

SOARES: Yes --

CASSIF: Today, and actually got another video, literally a couple of minutes ago, that the settlers established yet again, this so-called

outpost and the army, as you said before, can easily stop that. Those bigots are criminals, even according to the Israeli law, they should be

arrested. Why nobody arrests them. Why? Because they want them to be --

SOARES: Yes --

CASSIF: There.

SOARES: Look, you -- right, they want them to be there. Well, let me -- let me just add some more of what we've seen and what we've been reporting

here on the show. Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said today that it should be Israeli police.

As you heard our Jeremy Diamond say, not the army in the occupied West Bank. First of all, what would that mean? How do you interpret that? Forget

the legal part of it. But how do you interpret that?

CASSIF: Look, the whole West Bank is a -- is a territory under occupation, formally and in practice. And as that international law is very clear that

the responsibility for population under occupation is the -- in the hands of the occupier, the occupier, the former sovereign up until now is the

Israeli military.

Once someone says it may be the Defense Minister or anyone else, I mean, a former figure, Prime Minister, a minister, et cetera.

SOARES: Yes --

CASSIF: Once the Defense Minister in this case says that it should be transmitted, the sovereignty from the military to the police --

SOARES: Yes --

CASSIF: This is actually an indication of an annexation in practice, even if not formally. And this is exactly what --

SOARES: Right, let --

CASSIF: Occupiers want to do.

SOARES: Ofer, I'm just conscious of time, and I do want to get one last question in, because I think it's important. Yesterday, we saw Israel Katz,

same minister you and I were talking about gathering to kind of celebrate the re-establishment of a settlement.

Recently, and our own correspondent has been to this, as filmed with them. We have seen Itamar Ben-Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich leading

thousands of settlers, this time to the Gaza perimeter, demanding the re- establishment of three settlements in northern Gaza.

These are members of Prime Minister Netanyahu's own party. So, does Prime Minister Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, does he support this?

CASSIF: Absolutely. He supports this in practice. Let's look at his deeds and his actions, not the rhetoric that this liar has been spreading all

over the place in practice, in his activities and deeds. Of course, he supports them.

And we've been seeing -- we've been seeing this for more than three years. And the international community is silent, has done nothing to stop those

crimes. Neither the genocide in Gaza that goes on, nor the ethnic cleansing that goes on in the West Bank.

Because what we've been witnessing in Qusra, in Duma(ph), in, Omhajer(ph), in Taybeh(ph) across the whole West Bank is an ethnic cleansing. It is

carried out, as it were, by the settlers, but they are only the proxies.

This is a state-sponsored and supported terrorism and ethnic cleansing done also by the occupation forces. This is against the international law and

sometimes even against the Israeli law itself. And thus, this should be stopped.

I just, if I may, in one second, I must add that in throughout the last three years, as a member of the Knesset, I have been suspended from the

Knesset three times, altogether for ten months because I tried to resist legally those activities. This is the fascist Israel itself.

SOARES: Ofer, really, thank you very much, really appreciate you coming on and giving us your perspective, giving us a sense of what you've seen, of

course, as you visited Qusra village today. Thank you very much indeed joining us there from Israel.

CASSIF: Thank you.

SOARES: And still to come on the show tonight, the man charged with killing a U.S. health insurance CEO pleads guilty to federal charges. Why

his guilty plea may get the state case against him thrown out. That story after a short break.

[14:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Let me take you to the high-profile criminal case gripping the United States. Luigi Mangione on trial for fatally shooting

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges.

And he told the court, quote, and I'm quoting him here, "I shot Mr. Thompson and he died. I knew what I was doing was illegal." Prosecutors say

there was no accommodations or concessions in exchange for his plea. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE MCDONALD, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: From the beginning, we have brought the full force of the federal government to bear

in this case. In this prosecution, we have consistently pursued the maximum penalties under the law as necessary and just punishment for these crimes.

The result achieved today now allows our office to seek the maximum penalty allowed -- life imprisonment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: But the defense has filed a motion to dismiss the state case against him, invoking double jeopardy protections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO, ATTORNEY FOR LUIGI MANGIONE: It was a single tragic event. Yet he's being prosecuted twice for the same conduct. As

Luigi explained in court today, he endured years of severe, debilitating pain following a broken back while struggling to navigate our health care

and health insurance systems.

Like the thousands of people who have reached out since this tragedy to share their own experiences, he believed that the system had failed him and

destroyed his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Let's get more on this. Kara Scannell joins us live from outside the courtroom in New York. You're outside now, but you were inside, Kara,

inside that courtroom as Mangione entered the plea. Give us a sense of what he said and also what his demeanor was like.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isa, Luigi Mangione was seated at the defense table when he explained to the judge what he did and why he did it.

His voice was very calm. There was no sign of remorse, and he stated it rather matter of factly. He said that he had endured a broken back and had

not been served well by the health care industry.

So, he said he identified UnitedHealthcare and the CEOs attending the investor conference. Mangione said he posed as an investor managing more

than $50 billion in assets, and asked the location of the conference.

He said UnitedHealthcare executives got back to him right away, something he said never happened when he was dealing with insurance companies over

his own injuries. So, he said he used a 3D printer to make part of a gun, added a silencer and came to New York to -- he said to intentionally kill

Brian Thompson.

He said he shot him, he died, and he said he knew what he was doing was illegal. Now, notably, Mangione did not say he knew what he was doing was

wrong or that he had any remorse for this. And as he just explained in rather cold, matter-of-fact language, members of the Brian Thompson's

family were seated behind him, just one row over, and you could see the emotion overtaking them. His widow was wiping tears from her eyes. She was

clutching the arm of the woman sitting next to her. Other family members were also wiping their eyes and holding on to each other at that -- just

that stark moment when he described what he did and why he did it.

Now, after court, one of the prosecutors, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, he addressed what has become some of this culture

around Mangione where there were a number of supporters that have come out for him throughout these proceedings, although there was not many here at

all today actually. But he had said that be -- that being an assassin is not being a celebrity, that this was not the way -- violence was not the

way to make any political statement that you could protest over. Trying to send a message there saying that if anyone does this again they will end up

in jail.

As you said, Mangione's lawyer has said that she is going to try to challenge the state case over double jeopardy in New York law. That means

that someone can't be tried for the same crime twice. She's already filed a motion to dismiss the state murder and weapons charges. And the Manhattan

District Attorney's Office, which brought this case, which investigated this crime, say that they are going to litigate that. They're going to

fight that and they're going to continue to try to get justice for Brian Thompson's family.

And after court, Brian Thompson's family issued a written statement in which they said that this was an important step toward justice and they

look forward to the judge ensuring the sentence reflects the severity of the crime. Mangione is expected to be sentenced on December 18th and prose

prosecutors suggested that members of the family will address the judge at that time and urge her to issue a tough sentence. He faces a maximum of

life in prison on both of those counts. Isa?

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Kara Scannell there for us in New York. Thank you very much, Kara.

And still to come tonight, it's been five years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan created chaos in Kabul. We'll take a look at how the

country is doing since the Taliban takeover. That's after this very short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:26]

SOARES: Well, it's been five years since the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan after two decades of war. You may remember those dramatic scenes of people

rushing U.S. -- to U.S. military planes trying to get on the last planes out of the country. The Taliban had launched an offensive against the

withdrawing U.S. and NATO troops. Since then, the country has been under Taliban rule.

Initially, the Taliban vowed to allow women access to education and employment opportunities. However, that has not been the case. There is a

ban on education for any girl beyond sixth grade. Women are also banned from appearing in public without male guardians. Lack of economic

opportunities is also an issue right across the country.

Our Isabelle Young takes a look at the current state of Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These images marked the end of America's longest war. The Taliban were back in Kabul.

Airport crowds of Afghans desperately trying to flee as the country entered an uncertain era. Some parents were even willing to hand their children

over the airport fence. Anything to get them out of a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Five years later, the Taliban government has survived. They say they're bringing much-needed stability and security after decades of war. But at

the same time, Afghan women and girls now face some of the starkest restrictions in the world. According to the United Nations, more than 100

decrees and directives have cut off their access to education, employment, and public life. Girls over 12 can no longer attend school. Women are

restricted from working as lawyers, doctors, or in NGOs. Women can't travel without a male guardian or even visit parks.

MAHBOUBA SERAJ, AFGHAN WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST: They don't have money to buy anything. They don't have any place to go to. They're not allowed to.

So why should they walk on the streets? They don't want to get out. So, they're staying home. It's by force. And it's been happening by force from

day one.

YEUNG (voice-over): For Afghan children, another crisis is unfolding. Nearly one in children under five is suffering from acute malnutrition,

according to Save the Children. The organization says that since humanitarian funding has dried up, nearly 600 health clinics have been

forced to close.

Last year, we traveled to Afghanistan to see what the withdrawal of U.S. aid was already doing to the country's fragile healthcare system. We met

Muhammad Omar, who had severe malnutrition and meningitis. His grandmother, Nazugal, was in the middle of explaining his condition to us when we

noticed Muhammad had stopped breathing.

YEUNG: Is he breathing? Is he breathing? He needs to see. Move. Move. Move.

YEUNG (voice-over): Muhammad's mother returns to the room. And the most devastating news. Muhammad's death came as Afghanistan's malnutrition

crisis was worsening. The World Food Programme estimates nearly four million Afghan children will suffer acute malnutrition this year without

urgent investment.

Now Afghanistan is no longer in the chaos of the takeover. But as the country remains internationally isolated and heavily dependent on

humanitarian assistance, the uncertainty for millions of Afghans has not gone away. It has become their new reality.

Isobel Yeung, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Powerful report there from our Isobel Yeung and team.

Well, joining me now is Jan Egeland. He's the Secretary-General for the Norwegian Refugee Council and the former U.N. Under-Secretary for

Humanitarian Affairs, a well-known face here on the show. Jan, great to have you back on the show. I'm hoping that you were able to listen to

Isobel's piece there. Give me a sense of what you have seen. We're five years on. I know that you said the world has turned its back on

Afghanistan. And I also know that you've been visiting the country every year, right, since. So, give us -- give our viewers a sense of what you and

the team have seen firsthand on the ground across Afghanistan.

JAN EGELAND, SECRETARY-GENERAL, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: Well, I'm heartbroken every time I return to Afghanistan and see that people are even

poorer. The girls and women are even more discriminated and the hopelessness is spreading. Of course, we can now travel safely all over the

country because there's no war anymore but these images shows how people are now being thrown back from Iran to a country, Afghanistan, that is in

deep, deep crisis.

So, what makes me angry is that the NATO countries that gave solemn promises to the girls and women and civilians of Afghanistan will be with

you irrespective of the time perspective, they went for the door five years ago and now they've forgotten their promises to Afghan civilians.

[14:40:38]

SOARES: Give us a sense -- I mean, we've seen that. We've seen that they're forgetting it. And give us a sense of why you think they've turned their

backs, like you said, on Afghanistan. Because I was looking at some of the data and more than six million Afghans have returned from neighboring

countries according to your data since 2023. So, when a family comes back, they come back to what? What are the chances of finding work, shelter,

services? Speak to that. Speak to those challenges.

EGELAND: They come back to nothing really. I've been to the border between Afghanistan and Iran and seen that several thousand peoples come every time

over each of the border crossings and just as many involuntarily from Pakistan. They return to unemployment, to deep poverty. Their girls who

would be in school in Iran or in Pakistan cannot go to secondary school when they return.

So, what happened was that the NATO countries that left in 2021, they gave aid in 2022 and 2023 and then forgot about the promises. We have now -- not

now funding even to run the schools that we can run for girls. We cannot employ all of our female aid workers that we are able to negotiate with the

Taliban that they can stay on post and help their sisters in great need in Afghanistan. And then we have to tell them, but there is no more money from

the U.S. and from Europe anymore. So, you have to be let go and the aid to women and girls cannot be given anymore. It's heartbreaking. And we have to

return to some solidarity to long-suffering Afghans.

SOARES: It is absolutely heartbreaking, totally unnecessary in terms of the funding because look, you and I have spoken about funding before, not

regarding Afghanistan, but you and I have spoken about Lebanon before that, Gaza, and the numbers are staggering. But on this, I think it's important

to mention to our to our viewers, humanitarian funding has fallen from 96 percent to just 20 percent so far this year. So, why has there been --

you're talking about NATO forgetting their promises, right? Why has there been a reluctance you think to provide aid? What do you say to those NATO

countries that made those promises all the year -- all those years ago? What do you say to them?

EGELAND: Well, in general, there is a turn -- the donor countries turn their back on the world's most needy. That's happening from one country to

the other. Aid budgets are slashed. Then some countries like Afghanistan, like Yemen, like Somalia are even more punished because some of the donors

believe that if we give money to Afghanistan, we reward the Taliban. But it's these women that you are -- on your screen, these girls that give get

our assistance. We're completely independent of the Taliban. We criticize the Taliban. We engage with the Taliban.

We negotiate access for -- and work for our female aid workers to women and girls but we are alone. We're underfunded. And the Western diplomats are

missing in action. They're not there anymore with us fighting. The development agencies left. There has to be a return to engagement in

Afghanistan. Together we can really turn things around.

SOARES: Yes. Jan, I really appreciate you coming on the show. Always great to get -- to hear your insight. I really appreciate it. Jan Egeland there

for us from the NRC.

And still to come right here on the show, amid reports some sailors are jumping overboard, the Pentagon is sending relief to a U.S. carrier in the

Middle East. We have the details for you when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:47:30]

SOARES: Well, now to the U.S. war with Iran. A new report by a leading maritime intelligence group says there is no safe way to move goods through

either side of the Arabian Peninsula. Iran and U.S. have bottled up the Strait of Hormuz and Houthi attacks from Yemen have made it unsafe to

navigate the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the end as you can see there of the Red Sea.

And it comes as the U.S. Treasury Secretary is warning that the U.S. is about to slap new economic sanctions on Iran that will be stiffer than any

in history.

Meantime, Democrats in Congress want answers about what is going on with a U.S. aircraft carrier, pardon me, in the Arabian Sea. There are reports of

poor living conditions and a mental health crisis among sailors on board the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed in the Middle East for

almost nine months. CNN has learned several sailors have attempted to jump overboard and once succeeded but was quickly rescued.

The Pentagon says the reports are overblown, but it is in the process of sending a new carrier group to the region to replace the Lincoln. And now

there are reports of another sailor going overboard in the Gulf.

Our Brian Todd joins me now with more. So, Brian, just bring us up to date with the very latest. What more are we learning about this other sailor now

-- the second sailor here?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, this is brand new reporting from our colleagues Pamela Brown, Shoshana Dubnow, and Haley Britzky. They cite

a sailor currently serving on the USS Abraham Lincoln and two U.S. officials as saying a second sailor deployed to the Middle East as part of

the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group did go overboard and that was last spring.

That crew member, according to one official, was serving on the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., a destroyer that's part of the Lincoln strike group. The

official said that incident occurred on April 12th. The sailor who spoke to CNN said that crew member was rescued then brought onto the USS Lincoln for

medical treatment before being flown off the carrier for further care.

Now, one important note, it is not immediately clear if that crew member jumped into the water or fell in that April incident. This is the first man

overboard incident reported on any of the other ships in the Lincoln Strike Group. Now, as we've been reporting yesterday and today, there was another

sailor who officials said jumped into the water off of the USS Lincoln early this month during what we're told was a mental health incident. The

Lincoln crew member, who described the rescue of that sailor from the Petersen, said that he also witnessed the incident on the Lincoln this

month, saying that he "saw the sailor run and jump off with my own eyes. Just a chilling account.

[14:50:08]

He described that sailor who jumped off the Lincoln as removing his life vest and boots while treading water. Now, that sailor was also rescued. CNN

has reached out to the Navy and CENTCOM about the incident on the USS Frank Petersen, but we've not yet received a response.

A short time ago, President Donald Trump was asked about the reports of sailors going -- excuse me, going overboard on those ships. Take a listen

to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Family members U.S. service members are concerned about the conditions on board the U.S. Lincoln --

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, no, that ship is moving. No, they're not. That ship is moving right now or very shortly. And

it's being replaced with another very similar ship.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Had the deployment gone on too long?

TRUMP: No, no, no, not nearly long enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Not nearly long enough, the President said. Yesterday, the Navy sent CNN a statement regarding the reports of sailors going overboard on the

Lincoln. And the Navy said this, "We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship. We take every service

member's well-being seriously and have religious, medical, and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they

arise."

One U.S. official told CNN the Navy's internal tracking of reports of suicidal ideation on board the USS Abraham Lincoln had actually gone down

in recent months. Isa?

SOARES: Yes. I do wonder how the families of course of these sailors on board the USS Abraham -- how they will react not only from what we're

hearing, of course, from the Navy and the fact that there's not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts, but also from this comment from

the president that the deployment wasn't long enough.

I mean, how would they actually measure -- on the question of the Navy, how would they actually measure something like that? How would they know?

TODD: As far as whether a deployment is gone on way too long? Well, what we're told by --

SOARES: No, whether they've been observed -- we're talking -- sorry, I'm talking about the suicidal ideations attempts. I mean, investigations, how

would they know?

TODD: That's a very good question, Isa. I'm not sure exactly how they would know that. And as you kind of point out here, it would have to be a very

hard thing to monitor, right? Suicidal ideations on board an aircraft carrier with 5,000 sailors on it. It's feet long. And you know, it's just -

- it's a massive ship. And it's hard to keep tabs on that kind of thing. I'm not sure how you track that. I'm not sure how the Navy tracks that. So,

it is a little unclear where they're getting that data from.

SOARES: Yes. Yes. Unclear and nerve-racking, no doubt, for the family. I appreciate it. Thank you very much. We're going to take a short break.

We'll see you on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:55:22]

SOARES: Well, a French ban on social media for young people has just been stopped. The nation's top court struck down a bill banning social media for

those under 15. The constitutional council ruled the ban is too broad and infringes on people's privacy. It also ruled the ban did not consider

specific risks of each platform or the individual situation of each minor. French lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the bill. France would have been the

first country in the E.U. to have such a ban.

And finally tonight, another twist in a museum heist straight out of the movies for you. Italian police say they have recovered the three stolen

paintings by renowned French artists Paul Cezanne, Pierre Auguste Renoir, and Henri Matisse. As you can see, the two masked burglars stole the art

from a museum near the northern city of Parma in March. All within third -- all within minutes, I should say. Art experts said their value exceeded $10

million.

That's it for this hour. Do stay right here. "WHAT WE KNOW" is up next and I'll be -- I'll be there. Please be sure to join me. See you in a minute.

END