Return to Transcripts main page
The Brief with Jim Sciutto
Trump Touts China Trade Truce; Trump Back In U.S. After Asia Tour; Trump Tells Pentagon To Restart Nuclear Weapons Testing; Buckingham Palace: Andrew To Lose All Titles And Honors; Democrats Excluded From Briefing On U.S. Strikes; Palestinian-American Teen Awaits Trial In Israel; Rebels' Deadly Takeover Of Sudanese City. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired October 30, 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, President Trump is back from Asia and touting his meeting with China's leader Xi Jinping. King Charles strips the title of
prince from his brother, Andrew, and evicts him from the Royal Lodge. And I speak to the father of a Palestinian-American teenager who has been held in
an Israeli prison without trial for months now.
We begin, though, in Washington with President Donald Trump back on U.S. soil, hailing the success of his Asia tour, which culminated in a trade
truce with China. He says the two sides came to an agreement on, quote, "almost everything," which included tariffs and rare earth minerals. The
president scored the meeting in South Korea as a 12 out of 10. But for which side?
The U.S. is shaving 10 percentage points off its tariffs on Chinese exports, bringing them down to an average of 47 percent. Washington,
though, will suspend new rules targeting Chinese subsidiaries for a year. In return, China is promising the U.S. it will crack down on fentanyl. It
will suspend export controls as well for rare earths and port fees for U.S. ships, as the U.S. is doing for China. And it will increase purchases of
American soybeans, which it was buying, by the way, before this whole trade war.
On the surface, this headline suggests a victory for both sides. But arguably, it is China that gained and retained the leverage, as it could
easily reimpose restrictions on rare earths or just stop buying soybeans. And has it addressed the core issues President Trump originally claimed as
justification for the trade war? That is, to return manufacturing jobs to the U.S. and China's unfair trade practices.
What's the bottom line? Joining me now, Dan Kritenbrink, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, also
former ambassador to Vietnam, also served in the U.S. embassy in Beijing. Good to have you, sir.
DANIEL KRITENBRINK, FORMER U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC AFFAIRS AND FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO VIETNAM: Thank you, Jim.
Good evening.
SCIUTTO: So, administration calls this a breakthrough. Is it more a breakthrough or a truce?
KRITENBRINK: Jim, I think it's much more a truce. I really like how you teed up the conversation. I see this as a de-escalation and a tactical
stabilization of the U.S.-China relationship. And if it's a truce, it's potentially a fragile one.
But look, I think this outcome is certainly much better than an all-out trade war. And if it goes according to plan, you know, you can see a path
forward where U.S.-China relations could be relatively stable over the next year, given that President Trump should go to China in April of 26, and
it's expected that President Xi will come to the United States at the end of next year.
SCIUTTO: OK. So, let's look at the scorecard, if we can, here, as to who got more out of the deal. The U.S. gets Chinese rare earths, and it gets
commitments on fentanyl. China, though, gets a pass on new export controls, port fees and lower tariffs. Is that even?
KRITENBRINK: Well, look, Jim, I think both sides wouldn't have agreed to this deal if it wasn't in, you know, both sides' interest. I think the
president can tout the grain purchases, the lifting of the restrictions on rare earths. I think he can also tout that China has pledged they're going
to crack down on the flow of precursor chemicals that are fueling the fentanyl and the opioid crisis in the United States.
And to your earlier point, look, both sides believe they have leverage over the other. Both sides are pretty confident that they've got escalation
dominance, and I think both sides have proved they know how to hurt one another. So, I think both sides can sell this domestically as a good deal.
But again, as a tactical, you know, short-term de-escalation.
SCIUTTO: You told me last time we spoke that China believes it can eat bitterness, in other words, survive more pain than the U.S. can in a trade
war. What did we learn from these last several months? Is that true?
KRITENBRINK: Well, it might be. You know, Jim, I've spent much of the last month in China on two separate trips. I will say the level of confidence on
the part of Chinese friends is quite striking.
[18:05:00]
They really do feel confident that they can outlast us in a trade war. I think they believe that they have identified our points of weakness and
they know where we have leverage. So, that's a potential source of trouble going forward if the Chinese think that they have the advantage. But look,
again, I'll go back to what I said a moment ago, I think the Trump administration has shown that we can generate a lot of leverage if we need
to go back to that as well.
SCIUTTO: The timing of this struck me as notable because it's a year. Now, a year gets you just about but not quite to the U.S. midterm elections,
which matter to this president here. And he knows and China knows the political impact of, for instance, China having suspended those soybean
purchases, for instance, that impacts farmers and states that matter for him. So, that's leverage that China retains and retains at quite a key
moment, does it not for the Trump administration?
KRITENBRINK: Well, sure, Jim. And, you know, but again, on the flip side, the U.S. can always, you know, go back to its toolkit and the trade weapons
that it's used if necessary as well. I guess the way that I see it is both sides have essentially bought themselves some time here. I would predict
U.S.-China relationship is going to be relatively stable for at least the next six months as President Trump prepares to go to China. In addition to
having that stability, you would think that there's more leverage to potentially negotiate a more far-reaching trade deal.
It's interesting, Secretary Bessent has this three-point frame he always talks about. He says, we're first going to de-escalate, secondly, we're
going to focus on commercial purchases and third, we're going to try to get to broader structural trade talks. The problem is, is in this first year
thus far, we've really not gotten any further than the de-escalation phase. But perhaps this agreement can get us beyond that so we can focus on the
longer-term issues.
SCIUTTO: And to your point, that's no small thing, right? The two largest economies in the world not escalating is something.
KRITENBRINK: Well, again, for those who would criticize this deal as not being ambitious enough, I would say it's certainly much better than where
we've been previously this year when both sides were fighting a tariff war and a supply chain war, and we saw a real negative impact on the stock and
bond markets as well. So, we're certainly in a better position than we were then And look, I think as a near-term de-escalation, I think this is a good
deal for both sides.
SCIUTTO: Ambassador Dan Kritenbrink, good to have you on.
KRITENBRINK: Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Also, in Asia, President Trump says the U.S. will now resume nuclear tests for the first time in over three decades. Trump posted that,
quote, "Because of other countries testing programs. I've instructed the Department of War, actually legally the Department of Defense, to start
testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis."
The administration did not make immediately clear exactly what the president was talking about, whether that's testing nuclear capable weapons
or testing an actual nuclear weapon. The last time one of the world's top three military powers, the U.S., China or Russia, tested nuclear weapons
was back in the 1990s.
My next guest is the author of "The New Nuclear Age." Antkit Panda is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, joins me
now. Thanks so much for joining. So, your best understanding of what kind of testing Trump is talking about here and how that relates to what kind of
testing continues with, say, Russia and China.
ANTKIT PANDA, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND AUTHOR, "THE NEW NUCLEAR AGE": Yes. So, equal measure, I think, is really
important here in the language the president has used. I would just point out that just a few days before he made these statements, Vladimir Putin
talked about a couple of weapons tests that he did. The Russians have not carried out an explosive nuclear test, as he just reminded us. But the
president's language is really ambiguous, because if he really does mean nuclear weapons testing, that would be an extremely dangerous change, I
think, for the United States to make.
It would be the kind of thing that the U.S. has talked about under the first Trump administration. There's been murmurs about doing this for a
number of years, but we haven't done it because we don't need to in the United States. And if we did this, the Russians and the Chinese would
follow and we'd actually have a lot to lose from that.
SCIUTTO: You explained to me before going on the air exactly how far the nuclear testing that takes place today goes and how far it doesn't go. Can
you explain to our viewers in layman's terms?
PANDA: Yes. So, look, when viewers think nuclear tests, they imagine a mushroom cloud, right. We don't do that. We haven't done that since 1992.
We used to do it underground in the United States. Since 1992, we do nuclear tests, but they're what we call subcritical tests. So, the analogy
I use is imagine you're blowing up a balloon, right? You're breathing into the balloon. At some point, you breathe too much. The balloon pops. Think
of that as your mushroom cloud.
What we agreed to do, essentially, in a treaty, there's a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty, we haven't ratified that in the United States, but
we basically agree that this is a useful treaty. We, the Chinese, the Russians, every country with nuclear weapons, except the North Koreans,
have agreed to basically stop breathing into that balloon about five or six breaths before it pops.
[18:10:00]
What we allege the Russians are doing is they're going all the way to that last breath. They're not popping the balloon, but they're going a little
further. So, they are cheating in the opinion of the United States. But if that's what the president means, then that's a very different kind of
thing. That's essentially a very different kind of scientific experiment than what the United States has been doing since 1992, and that would be
something that wouldn't be as devastating as returning to a world of nuclear testing, but certainly is in a completely different ballpark.
SCIUTTO: Now, given that the U.S. has historically done more tests, many more tests, than China certainly and somewhat more than Russia, by opening
this nuclear Pandora's box of testing, does that give them more advantage than the U.S. potentially?
PANDA: Yes. So, look, Jim, I mean, last time I was here, you and I talked about China building up its nuclear arsenal. This is something that the
U.S. is very worried about.
It's something the president's talked about. China doesn't have, to give you one example, they don't have any nuclear warheads that we know of for
their cruise missiles. Cruise missiles are generally much smaller. You need to do a lot more research and development and testing to build a compact
warhead. We in the United States have those kinds of nuclear warheads. We've tested them extensively.
The Chinese have done 45 nuclear tests in their history. We've done more than 1,000. And so, if the United States were to return to testing at a
moment when China is building up and U.S.-China relations are heading in a dangerous direction, you don't have to really have too much of an
imagination just to think through the ways in which that could really harm U.S. security.
SCIUTTO: It's interesting because speaking to Trump administration officials going back to his first term, they have described to me
repeatedly that Trump has a quite sincere and serious interest in reducing the threat of nuclear war and at some point negotiating to reduce the
number of nuclear warheads. So, with that in mind, on this Asia trip, he not only says the U.S. is going to resume some sort of nuclear testing, but
he also gives South Korea permission in effect to build nuclear-powered submarines, which China, of course, is going to pay attention to. Does the
collection of those decisions raise the proliferation risk?
PANDA: Yes. Look, so there's horizontal proliferation, the spread of nuclear weapons to new countries and vertical proliferation, the countries
that have them getting more. And I think the president's talked about the latter a lot, right? He's talked about denuclearization, as you said. I do
think he wants to engage in arms control. It's just that Russia and China don't have an interest in that.
You know, here I'd also point to the fact that the president's plans to build a Golden Dome are unfortunately not taking us in the direction of
creating a case for the Russians and the Chinese to talk to us. You know, those weapons that President Putin tested this week, you know, those are
designed to defeat a Golden Dome. And so, it really requires, I think, the United States to understand that arms control can only take place when you
have mutual interest, right?
And then on the South Korea thing, look, I think that's a different set of issues. The U.S. has changed policy. We've traditionally not supported the
spread of enrichment technologies, which is what the South Koreans would need if they need to build a naval reactor for their submarines. But this
is something the Koreans have asked for for a long time. And I think for the president, this is a way to engage transactionally with an ally that is
doing quite a bit for the United States.
SCIUTTO: The thing is, there is discussion in South Korea of a far bigger step, which is to build their own nuclear weapons, as there is in Japan.
Not decided, but there are some folks, some quarters there who are pushing for exactly that because of the threat from China, concerns about the U.S.
nuclear umbrella perhaps being not as solid as it used to be. Is this a step in that direction for South Korea? I mean, if they're going to be able
to make their own fissile material, right?
PANDA: So, look, it gets them closer. But the current South Korean government, the progressive government in power, their position is that
they don't want nuclear weapons. They're a member of the nonproliferation treaty, so they'd have to withdraw from that treaty to build nuclear
weapons.
But I think what's important here -- and I think we're going to see more of this around the world, maybe we'll see some of this in Europe with the
Germans, the Poles, maybe other countries around the world, they're trying to make sure that they're in a place where if the worst does come to pass
and the mutual defense treaty with the United States, for whatever reason, does not survive a crisis, then South Korea will have options and it will
have a more credible pathway to seek the bomb if they choose to do so.
So, there is a dimension here that I think just, you know, we need to acknowledge that. But at the end of the day, I don't think this South
Korean government is going to take that step.
SCIUTTO: Thank you, Panda. Thanks so much for joining again.
PANDA: Thanks for having me, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well, Britain's King Charles has now begun the formal process of stripping the titles and honors of his own brother, Andrew. The palace says
he will now be known only as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and must vacate the 30-room mansion west of London. You see right there where he used to live.
Andrew is facing renewed scrutiny about his friendship with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and an allegation made
by one of Epstein's accusers who took her own life in April. Her memoir, "Nobody's Girl," came out just last week.
And in that book, she claims Andrew sexually assaulted her when she was just a teenager. Andrew has repeatedly denied all the allegations against
him. On Monday, the king was heckled about his brother in public.
[18:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long are you doing denying about Andrew and Epstein? Have you all (INAUDIBLE)?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Our Richard Quest is in London. Richard, he's had things taken away from him before, but to take away what is the hereditary title of
prince, right, is a pretty remarkable step, is it not?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: Well, you see, the things that he's had taken away before by his
late mother, the queen, they were his honors and his titles, his regiments and things, they were in her gift. She was able to take them away. When it
came to the Duke of York and his HRHs and all of those, he voluntarily gave them up. They were extant, as they say, but they still existed.
The big difference here, Jim, is that the palace says the king is formally removing not only the titles from letters patent in 1917, the prince bit,
the birthright, if you will, but also starting the eviction procedures for Royal Lodge. This is different. And I think the reason it's happening is
because the waters of danger to the existential survival of the monarchy were now starting to lap way too close for the king's liking. He had to do
something. He had to be seen to do something. And it couldn't be voluntary for Andrew.
SCIUTTO: Do those waters, those rising waters, do they include the possibility of either criminal or civil prosecution?
QUEST: Well, here's where it gets really tricky, because the offense for which of underage, of course -- I mean, the trafficking thing is one thing,
and that's a U.S. matter. In the U.K., could he be charged? It's not entirely clear because Virginia Giuffre was over 16 when the alleged act --
because remember, Andrew still denies all of this ever took place. So, one would have to be talking about consent. One would have to be talking about
the sexual assault.
The issue for the U.S. is very clear, and whether or not he could be prosecuted there would depend on a prosecutor being prepared to come
forward. But again, where's the evidence besides a he said, she said? Where's the other -- nobody's going to want to take this on in a court
unless they were pretty certain they had a very solid case. And that's why this has been allowed to rumble on for so long in the U.K. to the point
where it did become existential, where it did raise the waters of republicanism. Not hugely.
Don't get me wrong. Once -- Andrew -- the way I define it is this, Jim, Andrew is being sent into self-exile in the U.K. He's not going overseas
like the Windsors did. He's going into exile in the U.K., to disappear and never be seen again on the Sandringham estate.
SCIUTTO: Or Napoleon to Elba, right? Richard Quest.
QUEST: Yes, yes.
SCIUTTO: Thanks so much.
QUEST: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Still ahead, Democrats left in the dark, cut out of a key intelligence briefing on U.S. military strikes targeting alleged drug
boats. Joining me next, Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:00]
SCIUTTO: U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner strongly criticized the Trump administration and his Republican colleagues
in the Senate for holding a Republicans-only briefing on U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats near Venezuela.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): We got a ham-handed, oh, maybe you're right, whatever. I say bullshit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he has seen, quote, "zero evidence" to justify the strikes. The military campaign initially
focused on the Caribbean. Recent operations have now, however, expanded into the Pacific.
Joining me now, Democratic Congressman Greg Stanton. He sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Thanks so much for taking the time.
REP. GREG STANTON (D-AZ): Good to see you.
SCIUTTO: So, first question, very basic one. Do you believe these strikes are illegal?
STANTON: Yes, they're clearly illegal. The president is taking an act of war against Venezuela and the boats off of Venezuela. He has not presented
the evidence to Congress. As you mentioned, there may have been a meeting with Republican members of Congress. But when it comes to acts of war, it's
not a Republican or Democratic. He has an obligation to come to Congress, make the case, and it's up to us to vote whether to declare an act of war.
I know Tim Kaine and Rand Paul are working together on an authorization of use of military force. As it relates to Venezuela, I think that will pass.
And if put on the House floor, I think it would pass as well. Because this president cannot take unilateral action -- acts of war like this. He needs
to work in partnership with Congress.
SCIUTTO: The trouble is the House speaker doesn't currently have members of Congress in Washington. I mean, can you even get anything on the House
floor? Because this has been the question about a whole host of things, including seeding a duly elected Democratic congresswoman from Arizona.
STANTON: Now, I don't want to get too partisan on this TV show, but you mentioned that the speaker of the House has not brought Republicans back
for over six weeks. Six weeks we haven't had a single vote on the House floor, whether it be on budgetary issues, marking up other bills, or taking
an action on the AUMF as it relates to Venezuela. It's completely unacceptable.
And obviously, this president is going to continue to take power away from Congress. Mike Johnson, the Republicans, refuse to do anything about it.
And that goes against our form of government, our checks and balances that are necessary for the American form of government to work successfully.
This president is going to take advantage of every loophole and it's up to Congress to say no. And that's not really a Republican or a Democratic
thing, it's what our obligation is as members of the United States Congress.
SCIUTTO: The U.S., as you know, has deployed an enormous amount of firepower around Venezuela at this point. You've got a destroyer there, got
a missile destroyer. You've got the most advanced aircraft carrier in the Navy on its way there now. Do you believe the president intends more than
just to strike drug boats and perhaps drug sites on land, that he is planning or at least wants the option of broader military action against
the Venezuelan government?
STANTON: Of course. I think he's hinted at that directly. Beyond the legality, which we talked about earlier, we have the other question, which
is, hey, Mr. President, what are you trying to accomplish? What's your strategy? What's your goal? Do you want to have a war, a ground war with
Venezuela? Is regime change what your policy is going to be? Are you just trying to scare the drug cartels in Venezuela and other parts of the world?
I think the president has an obligation to tell the American people what he's trying to accomplish. You don't get to do something like this in
secret.
SCIUTTO: What is his aim in your view? I mean, does it up to -- is it up to and including regime change? That's the concern of many folks I speak to in
the region.
[18:25:00]
STANTON: I think Machado is not the appropriate president of that country. I think that's the policy of the United States. And I think working with
our partners in the region to put diplomatic pressure as well as appropriate sanctions is the right course of action. But the president is
doing actions that are an act of war. That's a whole different ballgame, and the president does not get to continue to unilaterally do that under
our system of government, under our constitutional system he has to come to Congress and give us the evidence for why he's doing it and seek
authorization to take these actions. Otherwise, it's completely illegal.
SCIUTTO: Do any of your Republican colleagues say to you privately at least that they believe that their speaker and that the president have
effectively robbed Congress of its constitutional powers or that Congress - - current leadership of Congress has given it up?
STANTON: Yes. I mean, obviously, it's been six weeks since we've been able to see our Republican partners in Congress. We've been there most of those
weeks because we still want to demonstrate to the American people that we are working hard, particularly on the issue of health care, as you've
covered a lot on CNN. But, yes, of course, they express their frustration that the president is taking so much power that really belongs to Congress
and their concern politically. Obviously, they stand up to him. He will try to get a primary against you, you've seen with Thomas Massie and other
members of Congress. But that shouldn't matter.
Look, our first obligation is not to party, it's to our country, it's to our constitutional system. And by simply rolling over and letting President
Trump continue to just take power and take power, I think it's bad for America because I disagree with what the decision is making. But certainly,
those are decisions that should be made by the United States Congress.
SCIUTTO: Congressman Greg Stanton, good to have you on.
STANTON: Thank you so much.
SCIUTTO: In today's Business Breakout, a weekday on Wall Street. Tech stocks took the biggest hit, falling one and a half percent. Investors
showed little enthusiasm for that trade truce between the U.S. and China. They also remain concerned about the massive amount of money the tech firms
are currently spending on A.I. After the closing bell, tech giants Amazon and Apple reported their latest quarterly results. Both companies beat on
both the top and bottom lines, but Apple's iPhone sales to China slipped.
Checking some of today's other business headlines, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators say they have found a possible path to reopen the federal
government. One of the senators described their talks as a sort of shadow negotiation with the goal of resolving the impasse over health care. The
U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the shutdown has now cost government contractors close to $12 billion. The heads of major U.S. airlines urge
Congress to reopen the government soon, with the busy Thanksgiving travel period just two weeks away.
Russia's second largest oil company, Lukoil, is selling its foreign assets to the commodity trading firm Gunvor. This comes after the U.S. announced
those new sanctions on both Lukoil and the Russian energy giant Rosneft. Gunvor's chair and co-founder is Swedish, but his fellow co-founder is
actually a Russian oligarch with close ties to who? Russian President Vladimir Putin. He sold a stake in Gunvor after the U.S. targeted him with
sanctions in 2014.
Shares of the casual dining chain Chipotle have tumbled after it cut its full year sales outlook for the third time this year. The company says
young people that used to be its core customers are having a hard time affording its food due to economic pressures such as unemployment and
slowing wage growth. Shares of restaurant chains Sweetgreen and Cava also fell today on fears they will report slowing sales next week.
Coming up on "The Brief," his teenage son has been in an Israeli prison for months now with no trial and no answers. A Palestinian American father
joins us to share his family's story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciuto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.
King Charles has begun the process of stripping Prince Andrew of all of his royal titles. Buckingham Palace says he will now be known simply as Andrew
Mountbatten-Windsor. Andrew has also been served formal notice to surrender the lease on the Royal Lodge. For years, Andrew's association with Jeffrey
Epstein has been a source of deep controversy.
President Donald Trump is back in the U.S. following his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea. Trump says the two countries
reached critical trade agreements on rare earths and soybeans. The U.S. agreed to lower tariffs in exchange for a pledge from China to crack down
on fentanyl.
The Trump administration is restricting the number of refugees it allows into the U.S. to just 7,500 a year. And those it will allow in will be
mostly white South Africans, this according to a note in the Federal Register, it is a dramatic turn. The U.S. previously allowed some 125,000
people every year, many of them fleeing war and persecution.
A Palestinian American teenager from Florida has been held now in an Israeli prison without trial for some eight months. This despite growing
pressure from U.S. lawmakers for his release. Israeli forces arrested 16- year-old Mohammed Ibrahim, you see him there, back in February. They accused him of throwing rocks at Israeli settlers in the occupied West
Bank. The teen told his lawyers that he confessed to the accusation out of fear. His cousin, also a Palestinian American, was beaten to death by
Israeli settlers in July. Mohammed's next court hearing scheduled for November 9th.
Joining me now is his father, Zaher Ibrahim. Thanks so much for taking the time to join us.
ZAHER IBRAHIM, FATHER OF MOHAMMED IBRAHIM: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: So, first let me ask you, you've described the last eight months as hell. I can only imagine, as a father myself, what it must be like to
have a 16-year-old son in prison. What information, if any, have you received about his health?
IBRAHIM: It's the same. His weight loss and scabies, the skin disease. And, you know, the food is very, very bad. And they barely -- they just eat to
survive. So, they're not getting proper food. They're not getting no medical treatment at all. So, it's a nightmare just thinking, you know,
what he's going through every day.
[18:35:00]
SCIUTTO: Do you believe he's been falsely accused?
IBRAHIM: Yes.
SCIUTTO: U.S. officials have told you that they're negotiating a deal now to secure his release. And, of course, you had this letter from 27
lawmakers to Secretary of State Rubio asking for his help. Do you believe that those efforts are moving forward?
IBRAHIM: Yes, I do. There's a lot of progress -- we have a lot of progress these last couple of weeks and a lot of movement on Mohammed's case. So,
we're getting a lot of phone calls from a lot of the representatives, some congressmen, congresswomen, some senators. And they're putting a lot of
effort now, and we see it. You know, we see it. It was in court yesterday. And, you know, there was some negotiation between the lawyer and the
prosecutors. And there's a lot of movement.
You know, the -- all the other courts that we had before was -- you know, you just go wait five, six hours, and they just -- you walk in two seconds,
and it's delayed and delayed and delayed. This time they actually had -- you know, like a 20-minute talk between the lawyer and the prosecutor. So,
they're trying to work something out from the pressure that they're getting from the United States.
SCIUTTO: You know, I can tell talking to you that you just must be exhausted by this and stressed. Are you able to speak to your son at all or
communicate with him in any way?
IBRAHIM: No. The day he stepped out of this house, there was no phone calls and no visitation at all until today.
SCIUTTO: As you know, the Israeli Supreme Court itself ruled in September that Palestinian detainees have been deprived of even a minimum subsistence
diet. I wonder, have you gotten support from Israelis for your son's case?
IBRAHIM: No. From inside Israel, no. You know, we got support, you know, like -- not support, you know. You know, we have a lot of Israelis, you
know, that live in the United States that contact us and say, you know, we feel with you. And whatever they're doing is wrong, and we're against it.
You know, we had that kind of support from them where they're kind of trying to distance themselves from the action of the Israeli government.
SCIUTTO: I can only imagine that your concerns are made worse by a case that somewhat mirrors Mohammed's, a 17-year-old, Walid Ahmad, who died in
prison after months of detention and mistreatment. Do you get assurances while these negotiations continue from U.S. officials that they've received
assurances from Israel that your son will be kept safe?
IBRAHIM: You know, the U.S. embassy did visit Mohammed maybe four -- three or four times -- I don't know exactly the amount, but they did visit him
three or four times. So, you know, they say that Israeli will make sure he gets his proper meals and his three meals a day, you know. But when other
inmates, you know, his age was with him, you know, in the same prison, when they come out, we'll find out any of the kids that came out, you know,
we'll try to contact them, get their phone numbers so we can ask about, you know, my son. And we'll ask him, is there any different treatment for
Mohammed, you know, or -- they'll say, no, he's just like us, you know. He gets his minimum meals every day, two meals a day, but very small meals,
you know, doesn't fill them up. And, you know, so he's not getting no special treatment inside the Israeli prison at all.
SCIUTTO: Well, Zaher Ibrahim, we hope that you get good news soon so that you can be reunited with your son. Thanks so much for joining.
IBRAHIM: Thank you. I appreciate it.
SCIUTTO: Just after the break, rebels have taken over a key city in Sudan. Now, humanitarian groups are raising the alarm. We're going to bring the
latest just after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
SCIUTTO: Now, to the city of El Fasher in Sudan, where rebel forces are accused of massacring hundreds of civilians in the past several days.
Atrocities so large you're able to see them by satellite. Nada Bashir reports on the growing brutality more than two years into Sudan's civil
war. A warning, her report contains disturbing images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With each passing day, more harrowing videos emerge from El Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region. In the
wake of the retreat of the Sudanese armed forces and a violent takeover by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, civilians in the besieged city have
faced atrocities on an unthinkable scale.
Some of the footage we have obtained from El Fasher is simply too graphic for CNN to broadcast. Civilians gunned down as they attempt to flee. Bodies
strewn on the ground, lying in pools of blood, filmed by RSF fighters.
In this video, two men are stopped by an RSF vehicle. Within seconds, one of them is shot. The other is heard pleading with the soldiers. Moments
later, we hear another gunshot. As the camera pans back around, the man is seen lying motionless on the ground.
DENISE BROWN, U.N. RESIDENT COORDINATOR IN SUDAN: We have received credible reports of summary executions of unarmed men lying on the ground, being
shot, and of civilians as they try and flee the city. There are still civilians who remain in El Fasher. We're not sure how many. It could be
120,000, it could be more than that.
BASHIR (voice-over): The scale of these attacks are such that evidence of the RSF's atrocities are now visible from space, with indicators of bodies
and what appear to be large bloodstains detected by experts at the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab.
In satellite imagery of El Fasher's Al Saudi hospital, clusters of white objects consistent with the size and shape of bodies and reddish
discoloration nearby appear to reflect reports of mass killings in the area, as documented by the Sudan Doctors Network, which claims that the
RSF, quote, "cold-bloodedly killed everyone they found inside the Al Saudi Hospital, turning it into a human slaughterhouse." The RSF has described
the claims as baseless, but according to the U.N., nearly 500 people were killed in the assault.
NATHANIEL RAYMOND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YALE HUMANITARIAN RESEARCH LAB: We have seen over the past 48 to 72 hours the proliferation of objects across
El Fasher that are consistent with human bodies to the point where we can see piles of bodies across the city from space. They're moving neighborhood
to neighborhood. They're systematically wiping out those they find that remained.
[18:45:00]
BASHIR (voice-over): While many remain trapped in El Fasher, thousands have fled the violence on foot in search of safety. The accounts of those who
survived the journey are distressing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They harassed the people and beat some of them. They separated the young men from the women. I don't know
where they took the men.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There have been many tragedies. Men and women have been killed. We hope that the International Community will
stand with us.
BASHIR (voice-over): The leaders of both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces have faced Western sanctions due to their involvement in alleged war
crimes. But U.N. officials say the RSF has displayed a pattern of systematic and often ethnically motivated attacks on a large scale.
According to a report presented to the U.N. by a panel of experts, the RSF and its allied militias have allegedly received support from the UAE in the
form of weapons, though the UAE has denied backing the paramilitary group. The RSF has also been accused by the United States of committing a genocide
during the ongoing civil war. The paramilitary group has acknowledged what they've described as violations in El Fasher.
Its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, saying in a statement that an investigation will be carried out to hold those responsible for criminal
acts accountable. In a directive issued to its fighters, RSF leaders also called on all personnel to adhere to rules of conduct and to ensure the
protection of civilians. Evidence on the ground, however, tells a very different story.
RAYMOND: The Rapid Support Forces have surrounded this city in an earth wall called a berm that's as high as nine feet. So, the context here is
these people are inside what we call a kill box. They have been walled in to be killed systematically.
BASHIR (voice-over): The fall of El Fasher could mark a dangerous turning point in the conflict, allowing the paramilitary group to consolidate and
strengthen its grip on the broader Darfur region, all the while putting civilian lives at greater risk of violence, persecution, and what aid
groups are already calling a humanitarian catastrophe.
Nada Bashir, CNN in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: So, much suffering there over so much time. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Parts of South Asia are now the most polluted cities in the world. Pakistan's Lahore and India's Delhi are currently ranked first and second
according to IQAir when it comes to smog. Our Chris Warren has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Each winter, a thick blanket of smog settles over parts of South Asia. The region is known as a global
hotspot for air pollution due to things like vehicle emissions, industrial activities, and agricultural fires. Currently, IQAir reports that Lahore,
Pakistan is the most polluted major city in the world, followed by its eastern neighbor, Delhi, India.
[18:50:00]
The Air Quality Index attributed fine particulate matter as the city's number one pollutant. Breathing in those particles can cause serious health
issues, and hospitals in both areas have reported an uptick in emergency visits.
DR. RANDEEP GULERIA, DELHI-BASED PULMONOLOGIST: There's worsening of the underlying condition. If a person has asthma, COPD, his wheezing or his
breathlessness is increasing. They're not able to breathe. Patients with heart disease, their breathlessness again is increasing. Heart failure is
becoming more. And because of this, there is increasing emergency visits, doctor visits.
WARREN (voice-over): Our affiliate CNN News 18 reports that this week Delhi's government launched a first-of-its-kind cloud seeding operation. An
aircraft flew into clouds and released silver iodide and salt-based compounds aiming to trigger rainfall. But so far, officials say it hasn't
worked due to insufficient moisture content in the clouds. They've also deployed water sprinklers around the city.
In Lahore, Pakistan, authorities are similarly trying to step in by using vehicles with extinguishers to patrol and put out agricultural burns. But
citizens are still urging they do more.
SABIR HUSSAIN JUTT, LAHORE RESIDENT (through translator): The pollution in Lahore is primarily coming from these factories, which burn dirty plastic
and other waste. The iron factories on the other side are also contributing to the pollution. If these factories are closed, Lahore will become a clean
city.
WARREN (voice-over): The air quality was so bad on Monday that the Punjab school system shortened their hours to lower children's exposure time to
pollution.
MOHAMMED NADEEM, SCHOOL PARENT (through translator): I'm glad schools are starting late, but the smog is getting worse and our kids are suffering.
They should consider a second shift or extra holidays. These poor kids are struggling with sore throats, coughs, and fevers. Please, let's take some
action.
WARREN (voice-over): And taking action could save lives. A new report from the state of Global Air found that in South Asia, more than a million
people died from particulate matter pollution-related causes in 2023.
Meteorologist Chris Warren, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: All right. Now to something a little lighter, Field of Play. Pitcher Trey Yesavage led the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-1 dominant win over
the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series. Toronto now has a 3- 2 lead. He's just 22 years old. He made his Major League debut only in September and set a World Series rookie record with 12 strikeouts. At one
point, he struck out five consecutive Dodgers for another rookie World Series record. Pretty amazing performance.
Well, from the base pass to an underground corridor dating all the way back to ancient Rome. For the very first time, visitors to the famed Colosseum
will be able to take a truly unique step back in time. Our Ben Wedeman went there and he shares his story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOAQUIN PHOENIX, ACTOR: Slave. You will remove your helmet and tell me your name?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was the arch villain in Ridley Scott's epic drama "Gladiator," the Emperor
Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix, squaring off against Russell Crowe.
RUSSELL CROWE, ACTOR: My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): This week, visitors to the Colosseum will, for the first time, have the chance to enter a long, closed-off passage named after
Commodus.
WEDEMAN: This corridor was constructed after the completion of the Colosseum in 80 AD. It was designed to allow the Emperor to reach his seat
without mingling with the common folk. Many of the emperors weren't very popular.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Commodus, who fancied himself Hercules reincarnated, was more into bread and circuses than managing the complex affairs of a
vast empire. His 15-year reign marked the beginning of Rome's decline. It may have been in this 180-foot-long subterranean corridor that, according
to one Roman historian, someone tried but failed to assassinate the erratic Commodus.
The Colosseum's chief architect, Barbara Nazzaro, believes this was indeed the place.
BARBARA NAZZARO, CHIEF ARCHITECT, COLLOSEUM PARK: It's the only corridor that comes underneath. So, it's the only corridor that could be. So, if it
happened, it happened here.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The Colosseum sits on watery ground. The only way to properly renovate the passage of Commodus was to use ancient Roman methods,
says restorer Angelica Pujia.
ANGELICA PUJIA, CHIEF RESTORER, COMMODUS PASSAGEWAY, COLOSSEUM: So, we restored the gallery using exactly the same materials that Romans used back
then. Natural putty lime, pozzolana sand. So, materials that Romans found around here, but create it in a modern way.
[18:55:00]
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Last year, more than 14 million people visited the Colosseum, but only 24 people per day will be allowed into the passage of
Commodus. Better book now.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Walking through the footsteps of history. All right. In today's Good Briefing, the story of survival for a tiny glass bottle tossed into
the ocean, well, more than a century ago, containing messages from Australian forces on their way to fight in World War I. A bottle found on a
beach more than a century later.
The Brown family were out collecting litter on the beach in Western Australia when they discovered an old bottle from Schweppes. Inside were
notes handwritten from two soldiers on their way to fight in France. They described their voyage as cheerful. They said the food was mostly good.
Their spirits were very high. The Browns then managed to track down living relatives of both soldiers. One family member described it as a miracle, as
if her grandfather had reached out from the grave. The bottle, its letters, a reminder of the human face of war buried in the sands of time.
Well, thanks so much for your company. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
