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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
Epstein Probe Subpoenas; Justice Department May Release Maxwell Transcripts; Netanyahu Meets with Top Security Officials; Israel Could Escalate War Amid Humanitarian Crisis; Trump Threatens To Raise Tariffs On India; OceanGate Report Released; 80 Years Since Hiroshima And Nagasaki Bombings. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired August 05, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. And you're watching
"The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, House Republicans looking into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal have now subpoenaed Bill and Hillary Clinton, among others. The
deaths of five people on board the Titan Submersible could have been prevented, this according to a damning new report. And Japan marks 80 years
since the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
We begin with new developments in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The Republican led House Oversight Committee has now issued several subpoenas.
Major names on the list include former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, six former attorneys general, two
former FBI directors. The committee has also subpoenaed all Justice Department records on Epstein. Sources tell CNN the Trump administration is
also considering releasing audio files and transcripts from the deputy attorney general's recent interview with Epstein's convicted associate
Ghislaine Maxwell.
Jeff Zeleny joins me now. And I wonder, given that this committee, majority Republican led by Republicans, are all these subpoenas targeting just what
the GOP wants? And crucially, are there any subpoenas that target Trump's involvement or connection with Epstein?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It's an open question, but it's a good one. But Democrats effectively forced a vote on
this, pushed Republicans to do this. And really, what it's going to do is set up what could be a confrontation between the Trump administration, the
Justice Department, and Congress in ways that we have not seen yet.
That's why this Epstein ongoing story, it really creates some interesting alliances here and it has divided the Republican Party. And the president,
just a short time ago, he was asked some more questions about this. And one question hanging over all of this is a Ghislaine Maxwell, of course, her
transfer from Florida to a minimum-security prison in Texas. He said he knew nothing about it. We'll see, that's what he said.
And also talk specifically about the interview that Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general of the United States had with her. And we've
reported earlier, our colleagues have, that the audio tapes and the transcript, is this going to be released or not? I have a hard time seeing
that it will be, because it keeps this alive.
But the president is trying to make this seem like it's normally, he said it's not out of the realm of the ordinary to have the deputy attorney
general talking to an inmate. It is unusual. The deputy attorney general of the United States intervening and talking to --
SCIUTTO: Who was convicted of sex trafficking --
ZELENY: -- a convicted felon. Yes.
SCIUTTO: -- of minors, right? And it's interesting --
ZELENY: But the subpoenas so interesting.
SCIUTTO: Yes. For Trump to say, I don't know anything about that move, it's -- he will often say that about things that prove controversial, for
instance, the suspension -- brief suspension of military support to Ukraine a couple weeks back. I mean, I guess the interesting part -- one
interesting part of the subpoena is the release of all documents, because that's at least quite broad, right?
ZELENY: Right.
SCIUTTO: And could cover things that could be inconvenient for the president.
ZELENY: It certainly could. I mean, and we talk about Epstein files. I mean, there's not necessarily like a list of people, but the files are
basically what the subpoenas -- what the House Committee is asking for, all the documents here. So, it's -- I think there is a clash coming that is
really going to create some hard choices for the administration. But of course, the Bill Clinton, the Hillary Clinton, I mean, that is done to --
in some respects, to muddy the waters, perhaps.
SCIUTTO: Of course.
ZELENY: But it's all a part of the whole picture.
SCIUTTO: Jeff, thanks so much as always.
ZELENY: Sure.
SCIUTTO: Joining me now, former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Harry Litman. Harry, good to have you on.
HARRY LITMAN, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY AND HOST, "TALKING FEDS" PODCAST: You too, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, when you look at these subpoenas, do you see an effort for true transparency here, or do you see some political cherry picking going
on in terms of who was subpoenaed and what was subpoenaed?
LITMAN: I'd say both. And there are really two different channels of subpoena here, Jim, to be aware of. The files themselves, as Jeff was
pointing out, that was a bipartisan effort led in some part by Democrats. And there were some Republicans who joined.
[18:05:00]
That's the whole mother load that people are generally seeking. That I think is a legitimate call for transparency. Then these 10 former
officials, including presidents like -- and Bill Clinton, that I think is a effort either to distract or to construct a counter narrative that somehow
puts it on them.
No one -- no former president ever has been subpoenaed and appeared in front of a committee. They tried once with John (ph), but he didn't do it.
But you have to ask Merrick Garland, James Comey, Robert Mueller, what could they possibly know about this?
The problem is it would normally, I think, go nowhere fast. But if they say, we're not testifying, the backstop here is Pam Bondi's Department of
Justice. And if the House led Republican Committee says, well, we're going to try to hold you in contempt, any sort of normal down the middle justice
would never let it happen. But will Pam Bondi possibly green light a contempt prosecution against these eminent officials who had nothing to do
with it? That really changes the dynamic.
Anyway, that side of things, I think, is about a political counter narrative. The files part is, I think, to get transparency.
SCIUTTO: You know, I hate to look for principle in Washington, but I remember not long ago that certain Republican House members defied
subpoenas, congressional subpoenas to testify and, you know, turned out it seemed just fine. I mean, what's the record of enforcing these things in
recent years?
LITMAN: That's right. That's the irony here. Republicans have made a cottage industry of denying. There have been a few instances recall in
which the Congress asked DOJ to consider contempt about two times. Their record was about 50-50, but that is why, for instance, Bannon was
prosecuted. But it's really a long kind of negotiation first and then efforts to it -- you're a hundred percent right that the record of the last
many years is Congress hasn't been able to flex its muscles, but it hasn't had a kind of trans -- a kind of partner like Pam Bondi behind it to make
these sorts of calls.
But if it were to transpire, as I just suggested, man, oh man, what a complete departure from how things have gone in Washington for the last 10
years.
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you, given your long experience in law and government, your reaction to the discussions between the deputy attorney general and
Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted sex offender, sex trafficker, including of minors, and in the midst of that, a move, a sudden move within days of that
meeting from a security -- sort of low security prison to an even lower security prison. Does that look fishy at all to you?
LITMAN: It's such an understatement, Jim. I was stunned and revolted. Todd -- besides that a deputy attorney general would never conduct it. Todd
Blanche's only lookout is the public interest. And he can maybe deal with convicts if they're going to give some information of value to the people
of the United States.
This was a mission that was patently in order to safeguard or look out for Donald Trump's political interest in a scandal he's having trouble shaking
loose. That is very far outside the job description of any deputy attorney general, as was this perk that you mentioned. What did the people of the
United States in whose name he acts get in return for Ghislaine Maxwell's better placement? Nothing.
But possibly he'll -- he hopes Donald Trump will get something in his political fortunes, not only strange, but way, way, way improper and
inappropriate for him to be doing it.
SCIUTTO: Harry Litman, thanks so much.
LITMAN: Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well demonstrators took to the streets of Tel Aviv today trying to block a main highway. Many protesting the policies of Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for the return of all Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. The prime minister met with senior security officials just
hours ago. Israeli media is reporting he is now pushing for the full Israeli conquest of Gaza.
In Gaza, officials say some 200 Palestinians, including many children, have died from hunger since the war began nearly two years ago. The overall
death toll has now surpassed 61,000 people. President Trump was asked about the possibility of Israel taking control of more of Gaza. Here's how he
responded.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We are there now trying to get people fed. As you know, $60 million was given by the United States fairly recently to
supply food, and a lot of food frankly for the people of Gaza that are obviously not doing too well with the food, and I know Israel's going to
help us with that in terms of distribution and also money. We also have the Arab states are going to help us with that in terms of the money and
possibly distribution. So, that's what I'm focused on. As far as the rest of it, I really can't say. That's going to be pretty much up to Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Up to Israel, President Trump says. Well, 12-year-old Janna is among those struggling daily for food in Gaza. Abeer Salman has been
following her story, and it's powerful.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ABEER SALMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the summer heat, the walk to the soup kitchen gets longer and more tiring, especially with the lack
of food.
Parents here say they are keeping their children indoors, no play or any movement that could sap the little energy they have. Everyone is exhausted.
The choices for children like Jana are to wait at the back or get squashed at the front.
JANA AL-SKEIFI, GAZA RESIDENT (through translator): If we have lentil, we can at least move. We have five children in the family, and I'm the sixth.
SALMAN (voice-over): She says they haven't eaten since yesterday. Most people here are clamoring for their only meal of the day. The soup kitchen
might not be open tomorrow or the day after. It's already serving much less food than months before.
And there is no guarantee everyone here would get a serving of soup and carry it back. The blisters and scars tell of how many times boiling soup
has burnt these hands, stocking disappointment and frustration among the weakest in the crowd. Returning home with a bowl of lentil soup is an
achievement, no matter how small.
AL-SKEIFI (through translator): I went so the young children would eat and me too. It was difficult. People got burnt. People were throwing rocks and
attacking the place.
SALMAN (VOICE-OVER): We first met Jana in May when she stepped up to take care of her ailing parents and siblings after an Israeli soldier shot her
brother dead. Back then, Israel had just ended a total blockade of Gaza that lasted two and a half months.
Under international pressure, Israel has allowed a trickle of aids that remains out of reach for families like Jana's who cannot fight over aid
trucks or afford to buy diluted food. They've grown weaker over the past two months like those around them in Gaza City, where the U.N. says the
famine threshold for acute malnutrition has been reached.
And like thousands of children across Gaza, these kids too have visited clinics due to malnutrition several times. Jana's mother fears for her
daughter's life.
UM AHED, JANA'S MOTHER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): She has lost a lot of weight. She gets dizzy if she walks a little bit.
SALMAN (VOICE-OVER): Jana feels the weight of this responsibility to keep her family alive.
AL-SKEIFI (through translator): It's been difficult. We wake up hungry and go to sleep hungry. My mom sends me to get water. If I try to carry two
buckets, I fail. If I stay in, no one will bring them water. It has to be me.
SALMAN (VOICE-OVER): Abeer Salman, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Gaza through the eyes of one little girl. Well, joining me now is Peter Beinart. He's the author of the book, "Being Jewish After the
Destruction of Gaza." He also writes "The Beinart Notebook," a newsletter on Substack. Peter, good to have you on.
PETER BEINART, AUTHOR, "BEING JEWISH AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF GAZA" AND AUTHOR, "THE BEINART NOTEBOOK" SUBSTACK NEWSLETTER: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: So, you have said that, in your words, the dam has broken in terms of American public discourse relating to Gaza but also Israel, and we do
see open criticism now more and more from Democrats and Republicans in this country, particularly young people in a way we haven't in the past. I
wonder, are you convinced that this change is lasting and impactful when it relates to U.S. policy on Israel?
BEINART: I don't think we know yet. What's clear is there's been a dramatic shift in public opinion, a dramatic shift among Democrats and increasingly
even among younger Republicans as well. But we have a political system, as you know, in which public opinion doesn't always translate very easily into
government policy.
If that were the case, we would've had gun control many, many years ago, for instance. And there are many, many politicians in Washington who I
think grew up in an environment in which they believe the politically safe thing to do was to unconditionally support Israel, and they're sticking to
that policy even as the horror of what Israel is doing is broadcast across our screens every day.
[18:15:00]
SCIUTTO: How about inside Israel? Because one could say the same thing about the Israeli political system. One admission I am hearing from some
Israeli commentators and even former senior officials is that the human -- there is a humanitarian crisis. It's bad, even strategically negative for
Israel, but they will still usually say it's entirely Hamas' fault. Has anyone in the government or military in Israel granted at least some
Israeli responsibility for what we're seeing unfold there in terms of the humanitarian crisis?
BEINART: Well, The New York Times reported last week that actually a series of Israeli military officials themselves denied the claim that's being made
by the Netanyahu government, that there's been systematic looting of aid by Hamas. That claim has also been rejected by the U.S. Agency for
International Development in Internal Study, and Cindy McCain of the World Food Programme.
But one thing we have to remember about Israeli politics, I say this is someone who's been going to Israel for my entire life and feels very
connected to Israelis. When it comes to Palestinians, Israel is not a democracy. Most of the Palestinians who live under Israeli control, those
in the West Bank and Gaza and East Jerusalem, are not citizens, cannot vote for the government that controls their lives.
So, when we talk about Israeli domestic policy, right, we're talking about a state in which basically one group of people is essentially largely
locked out of political power. So, in that environment, the political discourse is naturally going to be skewed in a very particular way in which
Palestinian concerns are not likely to be taken into account.
SCIUTTO: Yes, no question. And we've seen that particularly as it relates to Netanyahu. There have been so many times that folks have pronounced his
political career over. There are elections coming up in Israel, as you know, later this year. Does a buildup of criticism, however limited among
Israeli voters, of his policies, the ever-lengthening war in Gaza, spell any real political danger for him, or is he going to be a phoenix rising
from the ashes once again?
BEINART: I think it's entirely possible Benjamin Netanyahu could be voted out of power. Many, many Israelis -- by most Israelis don't like him. But
it's very unlikely that a new Israeli government would act in fundamentally different ways. The previous -- the short-lived government of Naftali
Bennett and Yair Lapid didn't pursue fundamentally different policies.
And again, it goes back to the structural question, because Israel rules over millions and millions of Palestinians, but most of those Palestinians
cannot be citizens and can't vote. The political system in Israel is a little bit like the political system in the segregated south in the United
States under Jim Crow, in which politicians shift but the fundamental consensus around the idea of group supremacy does not because it's built
into the structure of a system in which only one group can wield power.
SCIUTTO: For identifying those facts, you have often been attacked by Israelis, also American Jews, as somehow unfaithful to your faith and your
people. And only more so now, as you become even more public with that sort of criticism. Though, to your credit, you've been saying this for some
time. How do you respond to such criticism?
BEINART: Judaism is at the -- you know, is at the center of my life. I woke up this morning, I put (INAUDIBLE) and I prayed. I keep Shabbat, I keep
kosher. It's central to who I am. But for me, at the core of Judaism is the idea that all human beings are created equal in the image of God. And I see
nothing in Torah, nothing in Talmud that says -- suggests that Palestinians are an exception to that.
And so, if one -- for me, the theological principle is that all human beings are created equal in the image of God and the legal corollary -- the
political corollary is that state should treat all people equally under the law, irrespective of their religion, their race, their ethnicity. That's
what I believe in the United States. That's what I believe in Israel and Palestine. So, that's -- for me, that is not antithetical to my Judaism,
that's an expression of my Judaism.
SCIUTTO: And to be clear, there are other Israelis who say the same. We've had some of them on this program. Before we go, you've made a point of
saying that those Israelis or say American Jews who are only now coming around to recognizing what's happening in Gaza, that there should be no
penalty for doing so being a late comer, some of you have used that term. Tell us why you feel that way.
[18:20:00]
BEINART: Well, I have no choice. You know, Jim, I've been wrong about a lot of things in my life. And I -- my views about Israel and Palestine have
shifted a lot over the course of my adult life. And so, I would be the last person to be able to say that someone is -- that someone shouldn't be
embraced for coming to a realization that took them a long time. These are very painful things, especially for Jews to come to understand.
But I also think it's really important to remember the people who did say things early on that have been proven correct. And disproportionately,
those people are Palestinians. Palestinian commentators were much more likely, after October 7th, to say this would be a horror show and that
Israel would not meet its stated goals. It would not succeed in destroying Hamas. It would not bring the hostages back. And so, I would love to see
more Palestinian voices on mainstream media, not because we need representation for the sake of representation, but because there should be
a meritocracy. People who have been proven right in what they say should be rewarded for that.
SCIUTTO: Yes. And as you all know, many were attacked for voicing such criticism. Peter Beinart, we appreciate you joining.
BEINART: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Still ahead, just a shocking new report on the tragedy that took the lives of five people aboard to Titan Submersible which was on its way
to the wreckage of the Titanic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." A rough day on Wall Street. Stocks fell across the board after a weak read on the U.S. services sector raised
new fears over the state of the U.S. economy. Tech stocks lower after President Trump threatened to put tariffs on semiconductors as soon as next
week.
In other tariff news, the president of Switzerland has flown to Washington in hopes of a last-minute reprieve. President Trump announced a 39 percent
tariff on Swiss goods last week. One of the highest rates he's imposed on any country so far. Switzerland says the rate is unfair, and of course
wants it lowered.
Trump says he will increase tariffs on India as well, quote, "very substantially" over the next 24 hours. A firmer timeline he's -- than he's
previously threatened. The Kremlin has criticized the U.S. president for pressuring India to cut oil imports from Russia.
Earlier on CNBC, President Trump voiced his displeasure with India doing business with Russia, saying that it is fueling Russia's ongoing invasion
of Ukraine.
[18:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We settled on 25 percent, but I think I'm going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours because they're buying Russia oil,
they're fueling the war machine. And if they're going to do that then I'm not going to be happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: A lot of others have leveled that exact same criticism for years now. Well, the final Coast Guard report into the disaster aboard
OceanGate's Titan Submersible has just been made public. The more than 300- page report into the implosion which killed all five people on board back in 2023, points the finger directly at the CEO of the firm and says there
was, quote, "a toxic safety culture at the company." Jason Carroll has the full story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A preventable tragedy, that's how a scathing new report from the Coast Guard describes
the 2023 implosion of the Titan Submersible that instantaneously killed all five people on board. The report also stating the Coast Guard believed
former OceanGate CEO, Stockton Rush, was criminally negligent.
JASON NEUBAUER, DEPUTY CHIEF, USCG OFFICE OF INVESTIGATIONS AND CASUALTY ANALYSIS: If Mr. Rush had somehow survived, we would've made a
recommendation that the Department of Justice do a separate inquiry criminal investigation into the matter.
CARROLL (voice-over): What led to the implosion, the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation finding the primary contributing factors were
OceanGate's inadequate design, certification, maintenance, and inspection process for the Titan.
In one example, the board found OceanGate ignored warning signs, and did not bother to investigate safety issues with Titan's hull after an incident
in 2022. During that previous incident, a loud banging noise was heard during Titan's ascent, a possible sign the hull was not structurally sound.
The report's findings echoing accounts from OceanGate's former employees, several of whom testified last year about cutting costs and safety issues,
issues they say Rush ignored.
DAVID LOCHRIDGE, FORMER DIRECTOR OF MARINE OPERATIONS, OCEANGATE: There was a big push to get this done and a lot of steps along the way were missed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've broken some rules to make this.
CARROLL (voice-over): Rush was a highly controversial figure among deep sea explorers well before the catastrophic implosion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no desire to die.
CARROLL (voice-over): A recently released Netflix documentary explored his vision for Titan and its eventual demise. Submersible experts were critical
of Rush's approach to building Titan, saying its construction was not founded in tested science. The Coast Guard accused Rush of gross negligence
in its report saying his company did all it could to avoid oversight by the scientific and maritime community, saying he exhibited negligence that
contributed to the deaths of four individuals.
NEUBAUER: I think it was very serious. The fact that the vessel was operated in our opinion illegally, you know, with paying passengers, with
no certification, no even registration for the vessel itself, really, I haven't seen that before.
CARROLL (voice-over): In addition to Rush, the four others who were killed included, fame deep sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British adventurer,
Hamish Harding, businessman, Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: A sad story. Well, still to come on "The Brief."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The thing is they are flamboyant.
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (through translator): Is being flamboyant reason enough to kill them?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: A Colombian gang member trying to justify the murder of an LGBTQ person, even though the country's policies are among the most progressive
in the area. Those killings continue. We're going to have that story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are more international headlines we're watching today.
The U.S. House Oversight Committee issuing subpoenas for depositions as it investigates the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The list includes former
President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, six former attorneys general, and two former FBI directors. No mention of
Donald Trump. The committee has also subpoenaed all Justice Department records on Epstein.
State lawmakers in Texas plan to reconvene on Friday and attempt to redraw the state's congressional map very much in favor of Republicans. They
failed on Tuesday to reach a quorum because dozens of Democrats fled the state to prevent a quorum and therefore block that redistricting vote.
Governor Greg Abbott is threatening to arrest those lawmakers.
The Trump administration has launched a pilot program requiring some international visitors to this country to post a bond of up to $15,000 to
enter the U.S. The State Department says the 12-month program is designed for people from countries which have a large number of visitors who
overstay their visas.
Turning now to the persecution of transgender people in Colombia where gangs and armed groups are systematically killing LGBTQ individuals.
Colombia's policies are among the most progressive in the region, but gender-based violence there is often deeply rooted in the country's dark
history of social cleansing, as it's called. It sadly carries on with few repercussions.
The story we bring you tonight is part of "As Equals," CNN series on gender inequality across the world. Stefano Pozzebon reports from Colombia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMILLO, GANG MEMBER (through translator): The thing is they are flamboyant.
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (through translator): Is being flamboyant reason enough to kill them?
CAMILLO (through translator): To be LGBT in Carmen de Bolivar is to sign your own death sentence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Trans people are permanently in danger.
POZZEBON (voice-over): In April this year, a video of the killing of a transwoman named Sara Millerey went viral across Colombia. It is hard to
watch.
CNN show only part of it because the calculated brutality of the attack has sparked an unprecedented public reckoning in the country. Police says that
bystanders were told not to intervene by the attackers.
POZZEBON: Locals have told us that this is the place where Sara Millerey was killed, and it's a murder that could not have gone unnoticed.
[18:35:00]
Just in the last few minutes, dozens of people have gone through this bridge. Those who killed her clearly wanted to send a message.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Two people have been charged, but the crime is still felt around Medellin, a city that has been dealing with organized crime for
decades.
POZZEBON: We are in Medellin to meet one of the gangs that control this area. Everything that moves in their neighborhood is under their watch. The
people who are about to see deny any involvement with the killing of Sara Millerey. However, they say they know who did it.
CAMILLO (through translator): That killing is not ours. But the thing is people are homophobic around here. Why? Because -- themselves are
flamboyant. When they come here to do their thing, they find trouble. Here we give them two warnings, the third time is not a warning anymore.
POZZEBON (through translator): Is being flamboyant reason enough to kill them?
CAMILLO (through translator): Once you've been warned, yes.
Millerey had crossed a line he claims and the punishment for that is death.
CAMILLO (through translator): We make the rules here. The era of Pablo Escobar is over, when everyone was going around armed and making a show.
No, that's over. We keep our guns away and we only take them out to do the job. If someone must be killed, so be it.
POZZEBON: While the case of Sara Millerey has sparked the conversation all across Colombia, her murder is far from unique. In fact, one in 40 people
have been killed in anti-LGBTQ violence just in the last six months.
POZZEBON (voice-over): In the rural town of Carmen de Bolivar, a trans or gay person has been killed each year for the past three years.
Most recently, Nawar Jimenez, an activist and sex worker found dead by the side of the road.
VERONICA MARTINEZ, NAWAR'S FRIEND (through translator): They found her here. In this spot.
POZZEBON (through translator): You were the one of the first ones to see her.
MARTINEZ (through translator): When I got here, Paula had already seen her. They had not covered her up yet. So, we found her, and that's when the
police arrived, and it all started and well, here we are.
POZZEBON: Thank you so much. I'm really sorry for that. Thank you.
MARTINEZ (through translator): Thank you.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Nobody has been charged for Nawar's murder. A security camera stands right above the crime scene, but police says they
have not been able to identify the attackers.
NAWAR JIMENEZ (through translator): Hello. My name is Nawar Jimenez.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Colombian authorities told us the perpetrators will be punished. But for Nawar's friend, Tito, the risks are always present.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Just finishing here, sealing there.
POZZEBON: Is it dangerous to be a LGBT person in a place like harm and the believer?
JUAN CARLOS "TITO" BUELVAS, NAWAR'S FRIEND (through translator): To be LGBT in Carmen de Bolivar and to fight for human rights is to sign your own
death sentence. Since I can remember, I've always identified as "fag." And I say so as a political statement, claiming back one's rights. It means I'm
here, you inhabit this space, and I can also inhabit it.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Now, Tito has been assigned armed bodyguards by the Colombian State for protection.
POZZEBON: I mean, to me it's absurd that you are -- have to walk around your own town with bodyguards just because of what you represent. Have you
ever thought of leaving?
BUELVAS (through translator): Yes, I thought of leaving Carmen de Bolivar because it's not one of the most dangerous towns in this region. Here
people are murdered almost every day, and that means anyone who speaks out, especially LGBT leaders, are in danger.
POZZEBON (voice-over): There were also threats in flyers that armed groups used to impose their law, a legacy of Colombia's decades of civil war. This
one gives gays, lesbians, trans, and HIV positive persons 24 hours to leave town or face the consequences.
CRISTIAN DE LA ROSA, LOCAL ACTIVIST (through translator): Sexual dissidence, sexual freedom, is something that must be criminalized.
POZZEBON: I mean, just looking at the language, it's frightening. It's a really violent language. The terms that they use against the members of the
LGBT community, but also the concept of social cleansing. Who are you to impose a social cleansing?
DE LA ROSA (through translator): The armed group joins in, saving morality and bringing back order. They create social legitimacy within the
community, because they start taking out what is considered undesirable.
[18:40:00]
POZZEBON: Cristian, do you think Colombian society as a whole agrees with this? Do you think Colombia is transforming as a country?
DE LA ROSA (through translator): Transphobia, I think Colombia is not only transphobic, it has multiple forms of structural discrimination.
POZZEBON (voice-over): The recent wave of killings has pushed a wider LGBTQ community to come out in full. Andres congressman who met Nawar is
presenting a new to grant trans people further protection.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Trans people are permanently in danger. We need a law that protects their life, their rights and their
dignity. That's why it's urgent to pass it in Congress.
POZZEBON (through translator): Can you explain why in Colombia the situation is so extreme? 456 murders in the last six months.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Because without a doubt, it's a society that threatens life, and especially against the lives of trans
people.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Only three of 155 criminal investigations into LGBTQ killings last year have reached a verdict. And yet, opposition remains.
Conservative lawmakers and Christian influencers accuse the trans community of exploiting the security crisis to push a woke agenda.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): On July, they are going to file the famous trans law that seeks to use our taxes to enable people to take
hormones and change their sex.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This law wants to impose transsexuality upon children.
POZZEBON (voice-over): A claim that is not true.
POZZEBON (through translator): You don't consider yourself transphobic?
JONATHAN SILVA, CHRISTIAN INFLUENCER (through translator): Not at all. A trans person could be sitting here and get a coffee with them. But what I
am not OK with is that because of this ideology you are censoring other people.
POZZEBON (through translator): But for example, aren't you responsible for this rhetoric? For heating up the confrontation? People are killed here.
SILVA (through translator): Not necessarily for that specific comment, because that's just an opinion.
POZZEBON (through translator): Yes, but you share opinions with more than 65,000 followers. You're an opinion leader. Doesn't your opinion carry any
responsibility?
SILVA (through translator): That is an opinion, and when you say something backed up what you believe in, it cannot be censored.
POZZEBON (voice-over): But Nawar's friends in Carmen de Bolivar say that opinions can also kill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Long live the fags.
POZZEBON (voice-over): At this year's Pride March, her photo joins those of many others murdered this year. Their anthem, defiant in the darkness.
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Carmen de Bolivar.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Such an important story. Well, still ahead, a stunning new security threat aminating from North Korea. A CNN investigation uncovers
Pyongyang's audacious plan to gets its IT workers hired by U.S. corporations with the help of U.S. facilities.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:45:00]
SCIUTTO: A CNN investigation has uncovered it in an elaborate North Korean scheme to get its tech workers hired by large U.S. corporations. Security
experts say that thousands of North Koreans posing as U.S.-based remote workers have infiltrated firms to gain sensitive information and raise
money for Pyongyang's defense program. Prosecutors say, U.S. facilitators have been actively helping those North Koreans land jobs. Ivan Watson has
the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Arizona resident Christina Chapman takes what may be one of the longest walks of
her life, trailed by a documentary crew. She's going to court for sentencing after pleading guilty to criminal charges, including wire fraud
and identity theft.
WATSON: Did you know that you were working with North Koreans?
WATSON (voice-over): U.S. Law enforcement says Chapman ran laptop farms for North Korea.
MATTHEW GALEOTTI, ACTING ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: She was involved with an extremely dangerous and serious and sophisticated criminal scheme
in which individuals were directed by the government of North Korea to apply for information technology jobs to make it appear that they were
either U.S.-based workers or workers in third party countries that were not sanctioned.
CHRISTINA CHAPMAN: Hi, everybody. TikTok --
WATSON (voice-over): Chapman documented her life extensively on TikTok, from poverty in 2021.
CHAPMAN: I'm classified as homeless in Minnesota.
WATSON (voice-over): To two years later when she had a new job in what she described as the computer business. It allowed her to rent this house in
Arizona.
CHAPMAN: I start at 5:30, go straight to my office, which is the next door away from my bedroom.
WATSON (voice-over): The FBI raided Chapman's house in October, 2023. Seizing more than 90 laptops and accusing her of helping North Koreans use
stolen and purchased U.S. identities to get remote IT worker jobs at more than 300 U.S. companies. Earning North Korea more than $17 million.
WATSON: Why is this case important?
GALEOTTI: It's funneling money back to North Korea, which is sanctioned for its nuclear weapons program. So, in other words, we are resourcing one of
the most hostile nations in the world, funding their weapons program.
BRIAN JACK, CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER, KNOWBE4: If you post remote software engineering jobs and those positions are listed on a site like
Indeed, I can guarantee you, you are fielding resumes from North Korea.
WATSON (voice-over): Brian Jack knows firsthand. Last year his company discovered it had unwittingly hired a North Korean. Now, he says his teams
are experts on spotting North Korean job Applicants.
JACK: In the last year I know of and have looked at least a hundred North Korean resumes.
WATSON (voice-over): They often use similar generic names and almost identical job and educational experience. They also use A.I. generated
photos and even A.I. face filters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like are you using something to like change your camera view?
WATSON (voice-over): Such as this one, where the man on the left used a Caucasian filter to hide his identity in an online job interview.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can see that you're using some kind of software.
MICHAEL BARNHART, PRINCIPAL I3 INSIDE RISK INVESTIGATOR, DTEX: This is an instruction manual by them, for them.
WATSON (voice-over): U.S. Army veteran and IT security expert Michael Barnhart has been collecting evidence that the North Koreans accidentally
share.
BARNHART: We've seen their chats, we've seen their emails, we've seen their faces.
WATSON (voice-over): Including Google and ChatGPT searches that show how they're trying to fit in with American society. Asking questions like, I
want to know about American football and when is lunchtime in the USA? U.S. law enforcement can't physically catch North Koreans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was working in remotely most of the time.
WATSON (voice-over): Believed to be running their schemes out of China and Russia. But American laptop farmers are a different story.
[18:50:00]
GALEOTTI: These schemes always happen with U.S.-based facilitators, whether they're financial facilitators, allowing their bank accounts to be used,
whether they're hosting laptop farms, or whether they're helping create or sell false identities.
WATSON (voice-over): Christina Chapman's prosecution is a warning to corporate America about the North Korean threat that can come with every
job application.
WATSON: Moments ago, I watched a judge in this courthouse sentence Christina Chapman to eight and a half years in prison. He said the safety
of the nation was at issue in this case. As for Ms. Chapman, she told the court weeping that she hates herself for what she did and that she feels
like a monster.
WATSON (voice-over): Ivan Watson, CNN Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Coming up, this week is the 80th anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. How Japan is remembering those killed
and honoring survivors eight decades later. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: A somber anniversary. This week marks 80 years since the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Oshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The first
and so far only time that a nation has detonated nuclear bombs as a weapon of war. They remain to this day some of the deadliest attacks in human
history. Now, some of those who survived the initial blasts and fallout that followed are dying of old age. Many continue to share their stories,
warning the world about the continuing danger of nuclear war.
Hanako Montgomery joins me now from Tokyo. Of course, these ceremonies are annual events, but I wonder how are they commemorating things given it's
been 80 years since that day.
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Jim, as you said, I mean, this is a very dark and solemn anniversary for Japan and really for the entire
world to commemorate. Hiroshima is just one of only two cities to have ever been hit by an atomic bomb during wartime, and that nuclear weapon killed
tens of thousands of people. I mean, the repercussions of that weapon are still felt to this day, and it forever changed our global political
structure.
Now, today, we'll be hearing from local politicians, from the prime minister of Japan, and also from atomic bomb survivors at a peace ceremony
that's set to begin in about 10 to 15 minutes time in Hiroshima City. There'll also be a moment of silence held to commemorate the lives lost.
And, Jim, for the survivors of the atomic bomb, this anniversary holds even more weight. Many of them are getting very, very old and have said that
this could be the last significant anniversary that they commemorate. That they're able to share their message of peace.
In fact, here's what one atomic bomb survivor said last year, right before his group won the Noble Peace Prize for their work in nuclear disarmament.
[18:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHIGEMITSU TANAKA, NAGASAKI SURVIVOR (through translator): 80 years ago, the atomic bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. However, today in
the world, there are now more than 12,000 such weapons existing in this world. We do all that we can to ensure that no one else becomes a
hibakusha, that no one else suffers as we have done as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MONTGOMERY: And, Jim, his message feels more urgent now than ever. This year alone, we've seen tensions rise between Israel and Iran, between India
and Pakistan, all four powers that possess nuclear weapons.
Now, at some point during these conflicts, some experts feared that they could use their nuclear weapons. And fortunately, it didn't come to that.
But the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima really serves as a stark reminder of what's at stake here should these weapons ever be
used again. The total devastation, the tragedy, the heartbreak, and the survivors of the atomic bombing today will remind the entire world the
tragedy that they lived through and how very -- you know, how possible it is that this could happen again. Jim.
SCIUTTO: They're watching the world very closely. Hanako Montgomery, thanks so much for joining. Those were live pictures there of the commemoration
events.
Thanks so much for your company today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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