Return to Transcripts main page
What We Know with Max Foster
Man Arrested After Car Hits Pedestrians At Liverpool FC Parade; Gaza Officials: Israeli Strike On School Kills At Least 20; Trump: "Not Happy" with Putin After Massive Air Assault; Trump Pushes Back 50 Percent Tariff On E.U. Until July 9; King Charles Makes "Impactful" Trip To Canada. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired May 26, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:22]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: I'm Max Foster. We -- I'm Max Foster. We've got some breaking news.
This is WHAT WE KNOW about it. Police saying a man detained now in Liverpool. This is in northern England, of course, after a car collided
with pedestrians.
This was a huge parade for the cup win for Liverpool. There would have been hundreds of thousands of people there. Obviously, it's now dominated by
emergency services. The city center absolutely packed at the time of this incident. It's not clear how many people have been hurt.
Patrick is going to explain to us how huge this event was. But first to Anna, who's looking at what we know about, you know, a crime unfolding, a
major incident at least.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we can say that from the latest wire from PA, who are citing a Merseyside police spokesperson, a 53-year-
old white male has been arrested in the Liverpool area. They're saying they ask people not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding the incident,
which took place on Water Street.
This is where there was a huge parade, hundreds of thousands of people a day of jubilation. This is where the incident took place. The police are
asking for people to not speculate on the circumstances, unclear at this stage whether it was an accident, whether or not there was a motive behind
this, and inquiries are ongoing.
The police are also asking people not to share distressing content online. We're seeing lots and lots of videos of the incident itself. Also worth
mentioning, Max. We're seeing a huge presence, of course, of fire brigades, ambulances, police vans, a huge presence there right now.
FOSTER: Fair enough to ask for no speculation about the motive, but you know, the question I'm constantly being asked on social is how did a car
get there? Because, you know, I mean, Patrick will describe this in a moment, but that would have been jam packed that area. And there was a car.
Have you seen videos of a car right in the middle of it?
STEWART: Absolutely. Two hours earlier, you saw hundreds of thousands of people lining the street. How did a car manage to get onto this route,
which was quite clearly pedestrianized, which quite clearly was set up for a big event? Collisions like this are not, unfortunately, unheard of in
Europe, so there are normally precautions to stop vehicles from being able to access a pedestrian route like this.
These are all huge questions that need to be answered. And as again, ill stress, we do not know whether this was an accident or some sort of act of
terror that is ongoing.
FOSTER: But the prime minister is being briefed. So, it shows how seriously they're taking it. This was his statement from a few minutes ago.
The scenes in Liverpool are appalling. My thoughts are with all of those injured or affected. So, confirmation there of the injuries.
Actually, I want to thank the police and emergency services for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident. I'm being kept updated on
developments and asked that we give the police the space that they need to investigate. This is a bank holiday. The prime minister would be, you know,
not expected to be, you know, working, let's say, unless there was a major incident, right?
STEWART: And he's going to be kept updated. This only happens for really major incidents. So that just goes to show how seriously not only the
police, but of course the government are taking this. They're clearly keeping a close eye monitoring developments which are happening quite
quickly at this stage and looking for confirmation on how many people have been injured.
You know, unfortunately, were there any deaths, what's going to happen next? What were the motives? And there'll be a lot of witness statements
coming as well. We're seeing some through come through on social media right now.
FOSTER: I'm quite struck, Anna, by the statement, the last statement we had from the police saying, pointing out this is a 53-year-old white
British man from the Liverpool area. Is this them trying to address the speculation that were seeing bubble up?
STEWART: It could well be. It could be trying to get ahead of situations that we've seen, for instance, in Southport, trying to quell any --
FOSTER: Yes.
STEWART: -- concerns that this had some sort of racial motive --
FOSTER: Yes.
STEWART: -- and trying to put out there. But as well as that, I would say, Max, that's quite a normal response to give us a very brief description.
FOSTER: Okay.
Patrick, just explain the scale of this event for those who aren't Liverpool fans or indeed football fans.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah. I mean, this was meant to be a day of huge celebration, of jubilation across the red half, at least of the
city of Liverpool. One of the most iconic names, Max, as you well know in the world of football, record equaling now with Man United, 20-time
champions of England, they're six time champions of Europe as well.
And they'd wrapped up the Premier League title several weeks ago. So, we knew this celebration was coming. I will say we're learning from per PA,
the press association, that Liverpool City Councilor John Hughes, estimating in excess of 1 million people in Liverpool City center area,
breaking the 750,000 record for the 2019 Champions League triumph that the club triumphed under Jurgen Klopp, the previous manager.
[15:05:04]
But Liverpool wrapped up the title weeks ago. They won it in the end by ten points and this celebration, Max, in stark contrast to their 2020 Premier
League triumph, the only other time they won the Premier League in the area. That was 2020 was in the COVID era. On that occasion, the players had
to celebrate in an empty stadium at Anfield. They couldn't celebrate with the fans.
So, this is a huge day that the fans were looking forward to. Hundreds of thousands we now know reportedly over a million had been looking forward to
this day, many of them getting in position hours and hours before the open top bus parade. Some of the most famous players in the world of this
massive global brand that is Liverpool football club. On top of that open top bus, as it just weaved its way through Liverpool city center.
And it's just not what was meant to happen. We saw the thousands of flags. We saw the red smoke, as well as the Premier League trophy was shown off by
Liverpool Football Club, and this day has ended on a very sour and very concerning note.
And I do want to say, we're monitoring reaction from rival clubs. You know, because at this time, this is an occasion when the world of football, the
beautiful game as it's known, comes together as one. And whatever transpires with this incident, rival teams will be pulling together as one
in support of Liverpool football club and the people of Liverpool.
I know the city well. I used to live and work there. I was a student there. I know of their passion for sports, but when it comes to football, it is
off the chart, guys. It is absolutely incredible the love they have for the beautiful game there.
FOSTER: Yeah, I've been to parts of Asia where they are huge Liverpool fans as well. They won those brands aren't they, that really break out of
the UK.
Thank you so much, Patrick. We'll be back with you and with Anna as we get more updates this hour.
Meanwhile to Israel, issuing a sweeping new evacuation orders for Gaza, warning of an unprecedented attack ahead. The orders cover parts of the
east and most of the south, including the densely packed city of Khan Younis, an Israeli military official tells CNN.
Israel plans to occupy 75 percent of Gaza within two months as it goes after Hamas. That would force more than 2 million people into just a
fraction of Gaza's already tiny territory.
Some Palestinians seeking shelter in a Gaza city school came under attack overnight. Entire families, including children, were in these buildings
that you see here on fire after the Israeli strike. At least 20 people were killed.
Germany's chancellor is now joining international criticism of Israel's actions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): What the Israeli army is now doing in the Gaza strip, frankly, I no longer understand what
the objective is to inflict such suffering also on the civilian population, as has increasingly been the case in recent days, can no longer be
justified on the grounds of a fight against Hamas terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Jeremy Diamond, following these developments for us from Tel Aviv.
The pressure really is mounting on Israel right now, isn't it?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Without a doubt, Max. And this comes as the Israeli government and the Israeli military are making
increasingly clear what they're actually trying to accomplish in Gaza. And as the German chancellor suggests there, it really seems to be going beyond
simply defeating Hamas. We have heard from the highest echelons of the Israeli government this intention to drive Gaza's population to the
southern part of the strip, to a tiny part of the total territory of the Gaza Strip. And to then encourage this, quote/unquote, voluntary migration
once they are crammed into what will likely be quite unlivable conditions.
And then you see what's actually happening on the ground that matches that rhetoric. The Israeli military today issuing a widespread evacuation order
for effectively the large part of the southern part of the Gaza Strip, likely with the intention of clearing that area first and then pushing
civilians there. For now, we are seeing these warnings of an overwhelming, quote, unprecedented attack that the that the Israeli military is warning
civilians of, telling them to leave the area of Khan Younis unis and Rafah and head for the coastal area of al-Mawasi.
We have seen these strikes growing deadlier and deadlier, especially as it relates to the civilian toll. Over the weekend, you had the a doctor at
Nasser hospital. Nine of her ten children were killed overnight. A strike on a school turned shelter killing at least 20 people, the majority of whom
are doctors at the hospital where the bodies were received, said were -- a majority of them were women and children. Grisly scenes of charred bodies
at that location of that Israeli military strike as well.
And so, with all of that the result is indeed this growing condemnation from countries like France, Germany, the United Kingdom.
[15:10:08]
But of course, the question will be, will consequences actually be leveled against Israel by those countries beyond just the rhetoric? And so far,
while we've seen some action in terms of trade talks, for example, with the United Kingdom, with the European Union, there has really been much more
rhetoric than actual action to try and change Israel's behavior in Gaza.
FOSTER: Okay, Jeremy, thank you so much for that.
Just taking you back to Liverpool. We're getting updates all the time. A major incident now unfolding after a car collided with some people there.
We've just heard from Liverpool football club. This was a huge celebration today about their cup win. We're in direct contact with Merseyside police,
they say regarding the incident, which is in Water Street. We should be able to show you that, what's happening right now. This happened towards
the end of the trophy parade earlier today.
So, absolutely, you know, awful ending to it. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident, as they're
calling it. Liverpool football club, and they're continuing to offer their full support to the emergency services and local authorities who are
dealing with this incident. More as we get it.
Now, it appears the U.S. president may be running out of patience with Moscow. In a rare rebuke of Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump slammed his
Russian counterpart following a massive aerial assault by Russia that killed dozens of people over the weekend.
In an online post, President Trump wrote that the Russian president has gone absolutely crazy. The Kremlin calls Mr. Trump's comments emotional
overload.
CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson has the detail.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't like what Putin is doing, not even a little bit. He's killing people. And something happened
to this guy and I don't like it.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Outrage from the U.S. president on a weekend had begun with hope. Russia and
Ukraine's largest prisoner exchange so far.
On Friday, he'd hinted possible progress towards his peace initiative. Instead, President Vladimir Putin launched Russia's biggest sustained air
assault on Ukraine yet, 13 killed by Saturday, 12 dead the next night, during Russia's largest air attack yet, 367 drones and missiles, prompting
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to issue this warning, saying the world may go on vacation, but the war continues despite weekends and
weekdays. This cannot be ignored. Americas silence and the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin.
Trump responded Sunday, as he often does, putting Zelenskyy down but also aiming rare criticism at Putin, calling him crazy.
TRUMP: I'm not happy with what Putin is doing. He's killing a lot of people and I don't know what the hell happened to Putin. I've known him a
long time, always gotten along with him, but he's sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don't like it at all.
ROBERTSON: Putin's response Sunday night, 355 drones killing four people, the largest ever Russian drone attack since their illegal, unprovoked, full
scale invasion began 39 months ago, Ukraine says.
The Kremlin spokesman saying Putin is making the decisions that are necessary to ensure the security of our country in a situation with
emotional overload, a jab at Trump.
Here in Ukraine as rescuers crunch through bomb blasted glass, fear is everywhere.
My grandparents are in there, a woman screams. Another shouting, my mom and dad are still in there.
As Putin buys time for war, trading barbs with Trump, his bombs are tearing into the people Trump says he wants to protect.
Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: On this Memorial Day in the U.S., President Donald Trump is honoring the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who died while
serving their country.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
FOSTER: The president marked the somber day by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, just outside
Washington.
Donald Trump's delaying his 50 percent tariff on E.U. goods, meanwhile, from June 1st to now, July the 9th. This is the latest instance of the U.S.
president declaring an impending tariff only to later walk back on the threats.
[15:15:01]
Mr. Trump says his delay comes after a, quote, very nice call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Now, King Charles has arrived in Canada for what's seen as a highly symbolic trip. We'll take a look at the message it sends to Washington,
interestingly, and indeed the world, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: More on our breaking news this hour. Emergency services working on the streets of Liverpool after a car collided with pedestrians at a parade
for Liverpool football club there, a huge celebration it was meant to be. Police say they have arrested a 53-year-old white British man from the
area.
I just want to give you the latest that we've just had from the met police because they're really going out of their way to ask people not to
speculate on the circumstances surrounding this incident, just confirming that it's a white British man.
I want to bring in Dal Babu, former chief superintendent for the London Metropolitan Police, a very experienced police officer.
First question, really, I wanted to ask you. I mean, we've given well talk a bit more about what happened tonight, but they're making a very clear
point, asking people not to speculate. And it's not often they will define a white British man, you know, their ethnicity in a statement like this.
But this perhaps speaks to what they've seen recently with incidents like this.
DAL BABU, FORMER CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT, LONDON METROPOLITAN POLICE: Yeah, absolutely. In many ways, this is highly unusual to give the ethnicity and
the nationality of a person, because if you go on social media sites, particularly things like X, there's been absolutely rampant speculation
that this is a Islamist attack and the police will want to make sure that the people who are trying to stoke up fear and hatred and racial tensions
and faith tensions are told to me, told immediately that this is a white -- a white British man.
So that doesn't necessarily mean that somebody doesn't have a faith from a different background, or you have to be a particular ethnicity.
[15:20:01]
But I think what they're trying to do is deal with the speculation that there's been on X and other social media sites, which has been trying to
suggest and whip up hatred.
FOSTER: But it's quite a dramatic change, isn't it? So, this is something they've been considering about how to handle future incidents. I mean, the
one that comes to mind, of course, was Southport, where there was all this speculation that this was an illegal immigrant that just came in. And, of
course, it wasn't.
It was someone that was born in the U.K. Do you think this is what we're really speaking to right now?
BABU: Yeah, absolutely. So, Southport, there was a delay in identifying the individual. And as you say, there's speculation that this was an asylum
seeker who just arrived on a boat from abroad, and he was a Muslim man, and that speculation was particularly from the far right was encouraged and
people were tweeting madly and or putting on X. And I think what the police realized once the review was done that they needed to fill a vacuum.
And I think so in many ways, this is unprecedented in terms of being very, very specific about the nationality and the ethnicity of the person
involved. And it's in many ways to deal with the potential public disorder that may result from people speculating and to make sure that disorder and
it doesn't happen based on, misinformation and plain lies by people who are designed to try and stoke up as much hatred as possible.
FOSTER: Also interesting that they are talking about this being a road traffic incident as well. They're not calling it a road traffic accident,
which is what we often hear, isn't it, because they're trying to keep it to the facts here. But you know, there may well be a motive involved as time
passes and they have time to investigate.
But at the moment, you know, what are you looking at here? I mean, the -- a lot of the comments I'm getting from viewers is they just cant understand
how a car was able even to get into this space. So, there was a problem either way.
BABU: Yeah. So, I think what you've ended up with this situation is that there police often call these incidents these events incidents as opposed
to accidents. So I think that's fairly common. I think what you're seeing now is a significant amount of time the police invested to make sure the
speculation that people have is halted.
Now the police will be talking about keeping people to remain calm, to ensure that people are not speculating. And they'll -- we'll have to find
out what happens with this incident. I mean, this is a -- this is a massive event. I've just come back from Wembley football club myself. Wembley
stadium, where to watch it, where I've been watching playoffs.
We've had the women's European Cup winners in Arsenal, and then we've just seen Crystal Palace parading the FA Cup. So, it's a massive weekend and
bank holiday weekend for people celebrating their clubs' successes.
And you're talking about sort of half a million, three quarters of a million, people in, in these kind of venues. So, so I think the key thing
here is for everybody to understand at the moment the police are trying to give as much information as they can in the circumstances, and we just have
to wait before people start speculating on this incident. And I think that's probably the right thing to do. So just making sure that we're able
to do that, according to.
(CROSSTALK)
BABU: I'm sorry, just the fact that CNN are interested in this story indicates how much of a global story this has become.
FOSTER: Well, we know that Liverpool fans are all over the world as well. But everyone was watching this. It was a fantastic event to watch, wasn't
it, on TV. It was a proper celebration.
BABU: Yeah.
FOSTER: I'm just looking at the latest statement. The other thing that's clearly frustrating the police is that people are sharing distressing
content and not sending it to the police, and they're the ones that need to see this stuff, don't they? Because they're dealing with a live -- I mean,
it happened a couple of hours ago.
BABU: Yeah. I mean, I think it -- I always find it very, very shocking how people do this, particularly on things like X where, you know, there's no
thought to the fact that loved ones have been injured. Some people might have been seriously injured.
And so, you know, and I think, you know, something is just about basic decency, you know, please don't share these videos because it's somebody's
loved ones. And if somebody sees that on social media and then suddenly sees their loved ones being struck by a vehicle, it's going to be extremely
distressing.
So, the police are asking, this is -- this is about compassion and but also having a degree of humanity and humanity and just ensuring that you're not
sharing information which people are going to find extremely distressing.
FOSTER: Can I just ask you one quick question? The prime minister coming out very quickly, saying he's being briefed on this.
[15:25:02]
So, he -- you know, as you say, it's a bank holiday. He wouldn't normally be working full hours.
You know, when you were in the police force, what would that indicate to you? What would you have said to the prime minister? I mean, how serious
does it show the incident to be?
BABU: Well, it shows the very fact that the prime minister has come out and said this on national tv and radio indicates how serious this matter
is. So, what would happen when I've been involved in serious incidents? You're required while you're doing everything else to ensure that you've
got a briefing note. That's with all the information you have to hand and that's sent through the home secretary up to the prime minister.
Often, that information will be limited because at the moment it's very, very unclear what the motives are of this individual. And I think what the
police will want to do is make sure that they've got hold of all the information before there's any further speculation. And I should imagine
the prime minister will be told that.
FOSTER: We really appreciate you speaking to us. I know how hard it is when we have so little information, but we need to speak to that as well,
don't we? Thank you so much, former chief superintendent for the London Met.
Liverpool Football Club releasing a statement. We're in direct contact with Merseyside police. They're saying regarding the incident on Water Street,
which happened towards the end of the trophy parade earlier this evening. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this
serious incident.
We'll continue to offer our full support to the emergency services and local authorities who are dealing with this incident. We'll keep you
updated on this.
Britain's King Charles, meanwhile, over in Canada on a trip being characterized as highly symbolic as Canada's monarch and head of state.
Charles will attend the opening of Canada's parliament where he'll deliver a speech. But it's only the second time we've had a monarch do that in
modern times. This trip is only the second time the British monarch has actually opened the parliament.
So, what we want to know is why has Canada invited Charles to visit now?
Paula Newton, there is a political firestorm around Canada right now. A lot of it has to do with Donald Trump.
Obviously, Charles is the head of state there. Talk us through the optics.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, obviously. I will say some people miss that, right? King Charles is the king of Canada, and it is something
that the new prime minister, Mark Carney, wants to be very literal about. He says that the fact that Charles's mother last opened the Canadian
parliament literally 70 years ago, he says, matches the weight of our times.
Max, you know better than most what is the weight of our times. The fact that Donald Trump has spoken often about annexing Canada, and this and the
video that you see there less than 24 hours, but obviously, a lot of importance attached to this visit.
Thankfully, we had good weather in Ottawa. The crowds, I have to tell you, they certainly surprised me. They were large, they were boisterous and
would, you know, spontaneously start singing "God save the king".
It is impressive for Charles as well, right? It's certainly -- given the fact that he decided he would make this quick trip. He is still, as you
remind us, getting treatment for cancer. So, he did not take this trip lightly, and neither does the government of Canada.
The centerpiece here, Max, is the speech tomorrow in parliament. Remember, those will be the words of the Canadian government. And mark carney again
has made clear that what King Charles will say is that Canadians want and deserve, in his words, a new relationship, both economic and security wise,
with the United States.
Listen, many people in Canada who do not support the monarchy even say what is a constitutional monarchy? A king, a queen, whatever good for if they
cannot defend Canada, even symbolically in its hour of need?
This has gone over quite well in Canada. The fact that he is making this visit, which no doubt is good for King Charles, good for Canada, I don't
think I'm not expecting anything really dramatic in the speech. Perhaps some words, obviously, to support Canadian sovereignty.
But all in all, still will remain quite diplomatic. We will keep an eye on it as well. And I want to say that in just a few moments, Queen Camilla as
well will be sworn in as in the privy council of Canada, which means that she, too, will be able to advise the king on matters about Canada. This is
really solidifying his role and their role as king and queen of Canada.
FOSTER: When have you ever seen a dramatic comment, though, in a monarch speech, Paula? It's all about the nuance, isn't it? And you're going to be
right all across it. I know.
Thank you so much for joining us.
And we would expect actually, as this incident in Liverpool unfolds, the king to make a comment on that as well, from Canada to make sure everyone's
aware that he's across what's happened there. Certainly, after we've heard from the prime minister any more updates on that, we'll bring to you right
away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:32:28]
FOSTER: Updating you on our breaking news this hour. Authorities saying a 53-year-old white man from the Liverpool area has been arrested after a car
plowed into a soccer fan. A group of soccer fans during a street parade for Liverpool FC. A massive event here in the UK. Emergency services are
responding at the scene, as you can see, in huge numbers, urging the public not to speculate about the incident.
Police say a number of pedestrians were struck. We don't know how many, we don't know whether or not the operation is still underway, but clearly some
injuries are happening there. Many questions about how on earth this happened. We'll keep you updated, of course.
But Israel also warning of an unprecedented attack in Gaza, ordering civilians in most of the south and parts of the east to evacuate. That
includes the densely packed city of Khan Younis. People displaced multiple times say there's nowhere safe to go.
Some Palestinians seeking shelter in a Gaza city school came under attack overnight. At least 20 people were killed, a UNICEF official told CNN last
hour that civilians in Gaza are not only facing bombs and starvation, but psychological torment as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE ENGLISH, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST, UNICEF: For children and families in Gaza every single day is a day of terror and horror for any one
of your viewers. I want them to imagine the worst day of their life. You know, it may be that they lost someone special to them. It may be that they
went through a traumatic or stressful experience. It may be that they saw their child hurt or in discomfort or in pain. Parents in Gaza have been
going through this every single day for 19 months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Joined now by Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, also author of "The Great Betrayal: The
Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in the Middle East".
And it's interesting -- well, I mean, I don't know how to describe it. Hearing that comment there, seeing those pictures, I mean, what we're
seeing, I mean, is so exceptional, isn't it? But we're seeing it every single day.
How do we, you know, how can anyone really understand what's happening there right now?
FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Thanks for having me, Max.
I -- really, I have no words, truly, to describe the loss, the suffering, the pain and the trauma of the Palestinian population, 2.2 million people
for the past 19 months, starved, battered, killed, 50,000, 53,000 people killed.
[15:35:05]
Just today, Israel bombed a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, killing 33 Palestinians and injuring 50 people. Israel now controls
directly controls, Max, 40 percent of Gaza strip and has operational control over 75 percent of the strip.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has repeatedly said, repeatedly, he wants to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, and he's squeezing
the Palestinians into a tinier and tinier piece of land in Gaza because his ultimate goal, and he has made it very clear he and his coalition members,
is he wants really the Palestinians not to be able to survive. He wants the Palestinians to leave Gaza. He wants to displace the Palestinians and bring
about -- and bring about President Trump's vision, which is really ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians.
FOSTER: Fawaz, thank you so much for your thoughts on that. And we're seeing, aren't we, European leaders in particular, coming out and speaking
much more strongly. And it's because these images are there. And obviously, we've reported throughout the day, Israels point of view on this as well.
I mean, can you try to express to us how Israel is explaining all of this right now? Of course, they felt under attack, too, and they see all of this
as self-defense.
GERGES: Well, you know, Max, this is not about Hamas. Hamas committed a major crime on the 7th of October.
This war now is not about Hamas. This war is about the Palestinian people. The collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
This is not about Hamas. Hamas is desperate for a ceasefire. Hamas wants to basically have a comprehensive deal. It wants to end the war.
But of course, the Israeli prime minister has a more ambitious strategy. He wants to occupy Gaza. He wants to expel Hamas, and he wants to displace the
Palestinian people.
I mean, just to give you an idea, Max, and I know you think some of your audience think I'm talking politics. I'm not talking politics. I'm talking
about humanitarian, the humanitarian catastrophe, the Palestinian people.
On Friday in Khan Younis, on Friday in Khan Younis, Israel, the Israeli army bombed a home of a doctor. Her name is Alaa al-Najjar, a civilian
home, and killed nine of her children while she was in Nasser medical complex, treating children. Her nine children had seven children who were
dead, burned to death, were brought to her in the clinic, in the emergency room.
How many times -- 16,000 children have been killed in Gaza, 16,000. This is -- raises big question. Truly it's politics. The hell was politics, Max.
I mean, I think the tragedy of the Palestinian is a moral strain on humanity, on all of us, myself included, because you don't need a professor
at the London School of Economics to tell you the traumas and the tragedy and the pain and the suffering and the multiple displacement of a people
who are left to their own devices.
They're starved for the past since March the 2nd. No food, no aid, no fuel, no medicine. Just in the past few days, Israel, under tremendous pressure
by the European leaders and president Trump, has allowed, you know, 200 trucks to enter Gaza.
FOSTER: Fawaz Gerges, Professor Gerges, thank you for this. It's very -- you know, it's hard work, isn't it, every day trying to sum these things
up. But thank you for coming on to the -- to the show, as you say, not expressing politics, just talking about the facts there.
Donald Trump is not backing down one inch in his battle with Harvard. Meanwhile, earlier today, he threatened to cut off $3 billion in federal
funding to the world's most prestigious university, some would say, and give it to trade schools. Instead, he's frustrated at Harvard's refusal to
do more to crack down on anti-Israel protests, and has demanded that the school give him the names and countries of thousands of international
students who attend Harvard.
What we want to know is, will foreign students be put off from applying to other U.S. universities?
Joining me now is Doug Heye. He's a Republican strategist. He also sits on the University of North Carolina's board of visitors.
And I know, Doug, that you feel that wherever this goes now, the damage could already be done.
DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Sure. I think a message has been sent pretty loud and clear. If you're a foreign student. And let me tell you,
Max, when I was a student at the University of North Carolina, I remember exchange students coming from the INSEEC Business School from Paris and
Bordeaux, people who I'm still in touch with and what an impact that had on them and that it had on me.
[15:40:01]
There's a value there. And one of the things that Donald Trump talked about in the campaign was we want them to come here, to study here and let staple
a green card to their diploma.
Obviously, what he's talking about is, is pretty far away from that now. I think we've sent a message don't come to the United States and a lot of
students, whether they're in France or the U.K. or anywhere else, are looking at other places to go. And the main beneficiary may be China.
FOSTER: In terms of the decisions that international students make, these are very big decisions, aren't they? Particularly, a university like yours.
For local students, it's cheaper. But for anyone coming outside of the state, outside the country, it's more expensive. They have to really think
about that.
Are you concerned that they're just going to. Decide not to go because there's an element of risk with something you just don't want to take a
risk with?
HEYE: Without question. Weve seen examples of students who are still here and studying, who are being told by their universities, don't go home yet.
Stay here, because if you go home, you might not be able to return.
And that has a real disruptive factor. Donald Trump is a big disrupter, we know that. But it's disrupting how these students are learning and then
ultimately, what decisions, not just they make, they make, but their friends, their siblings and obviously their colleagues who are looking at
maybe studying abroad in the United States, whether that's for a semester, a year or longer. And that has an impact to those universities, to those
students, and also globally, we're attracting real smart talent to the United States and disrupting that could come at a very real cost.
FOSTER: But you're also a massive export, aren't you, on this matter? Which is interesting because a lot of the president's talk has been about
promoting U.S. businesses over international ones. But this will have the opposite effect, because, you know, if you were thinking about going to
Harvard, you may well be thinking about going to oxford now instead.
HEYE: Look, no question about it. And let me give a shout out to my niece, who's watching right now at Exeter. In the U.K., she went from North
Carolina to Exeter. And look, obviously the university system in the United States and globally is very international now. And you have students, you
know, cross-pollinating in record levels.
That's a good thing. It's a good thing for those students individually. It's a good thing for the United States as we've attracted so many great
students from throughout the world, from India, from China, certainly from Europe as well, from Africa to come here quite often, stay here, help
develop businesses here and technologies here. And a lot of the money that is spent in our university system from the federal government is then spent
on research grants for Alzheimer's disease, combating cancer, things like that.
We're creating doctors and should be keeping those doctors here to do the great work that those universities have done for so long, basically, since
World War II.
FOSTER: Doug Heye, really appreciate you coming on. And giving this wider context as well. I know from here in the U.K., there are so many
international students who are, you know, dreaming of going to the U.S. and now feel like those dreams are drying up. But thank you very much indeed
for joining us.
HEYE: Thank you, Max.
FOSTER: Explaining what it means from your point of view.
We're closely monitoring developments in Liverpool. Meanwhile, a car plowing into crowds of Liverpool fans celebrating a great triumph in their
sport. An update on the situation there after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:46:27]
FOSTER: Back to our top story. Police in the U.K. here saying a 53-year- old white man has been detained in Liverpool. It came after a car collided with pedestrians at a parade here for Liverpool football fans.
The city center was packed with fans at the time of the incident. Now it's packed with emergency services. It's not clear how many people have been
hurt.
CNN law enforcement contributor Steve Moore joins us now. He's a former FBI supervisory special agent involved.
Sadly, in incidents like this that happen all over the road, all over the world, right, Steve? The prime minister is being kept updated on a national
holiday today. You can see the scale of the event there, away from, you know, whether there was a motive here or not, whether it was an accident.
People cannot get their head around the fact that a car managed to get into a crowd, literally of hundreds of thousands of people.
STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Yeah. And I understand that, Max. People are not going to grasp how somebody could be let that close in.
I would say that it's not impossible.
There are people -- when the busses went by, they were trying to release roads back to the public as much as they could which meant that, they let
down barriers. People got into the streets, things like that. There are always possibilities that, at that point, lapses can occur in security and
outer perimeter.
For him to get into this inner perimeter. He first had to get through an outer perimeter. So there's going to be a lot of investigations regardless
of the of the motive or the purpose or just the accidental nature of this. There's going to be -- there's going to be a reckoning as to how this was
allowed to happen.
FOSTER: Traditionally, you wouldn't give an ethnicity or nationality. Quite often of someone that they've arrested in the U.K. They're very
sensitive to releasing any information before anyone's arrested, but they've, you know, are speaking to a former senior police officer saying
this is something that they have to do now because they're so concerned about the speculation online. Are you surprised the British police have
been so clear about these -- these details? And what are the risks?
MOORE: Yeah, I do -- I do have a little bit of surprise that they were this specific, on the ethnicity of this person which to me means that they
are, as you say, concerned about their public reaction here. At the same time, they haven't said that this was a horrible accident. They haven't
said this was a person who accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake.
I believe if they're already briefing the prime minister, they have a lot of information because the prime minister doesn't need to be briefed with.
We don't know yet.
So, I believe the fact that they have taken this person into custody, leads me to believe that this might be an intentional act. What the police saying
regarding his ethnicity to me means that they don't want you to jump to a specific conclusion about why they may have done it.
FOSTER: But it's going to create its own risk, isn't it? Because white British males have their own motives as well, that people stereotype?
[15:50:02]
MOORE: You're absolutely right. And that's why, as a general rule you don't make any statements about the individual. I mean, even saying male is
an indicator. If it was a female, I think you would say a huge downgrade of the potential for violence historically by women, especially in this, in
this way.
So, by saying male, 50 years old and white, first of all, they obviously are afraid of a reaction to this being perpetrated by somebody who was a
different ethnicity. And we all know what that means.
But I think you open a can of worms when you say, oh, he's white. So let's -- so everybody online can now figure out, oh, what is a white 50 year old
man want to kill people about? And so, you're absolutely right. All you're doing is changing the audience that's going to be potentially upset.
FOSTER: Steve Moore, thank you for bringing your experience into this. You know, they're really struggling. It seems the police have been being very
clear of their frustration as well about videos being shared online. Getting views when they're saying send them to us.
I mean, they are the ones that actually need whatever information they can get. But clearly a huge operation underway in the north of England. And
we're expecting at some point a press conference. We don't know when that will be, but we'll bring that to you, of course, live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: We've been covering this hour. The developing situation in Liverpool in northern England. Emergency services responding.
As you can see to a major incident, a car plowing into football fans gathering for an enormous parade for Liverpool football club. They were
celebrating their cup win. Hundreds of thousands of fans were out celebrating in fantastic scenes today, which took this horrible turn
towards the end.
Police say a 53-year-old white man from the Liverpool area has been arrested, a rare reference to ethnicity at this point in the process. But
they are concerned about speculation online. Authorities are urging the public not to speculate or share distressing content online, but to send
those videos to the police so they can investigate. Police say a number of pedestrians were involved in the incident. We don't know yet how many were
injured.
[15:55:00]
Liverpool FC releasing a statement in the last few minutes. We are in direct contact with the police, they say regarding the incident, which was
on water street, right at the heart of this parade. It happened towards the end of the trophy parade in the evening. As I was saying. Now our thoughts
and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident, says Liverpool.
And just in the last few moments as well, a big sign, really, of solidarity from the football world. Liverpool's archrivals Everton, the other football
club in that city, saying in a statement our thoughts are with those who've been affected by these serious, this serious incident in our city.
The British prime minister being briefed and kept across this, showing how concerned he is. He says the scenes in Liverpool are appalling. My thoughts
are with all of those injured or affected. I want to thank the police and emergency services for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking
incident. I'm being kept updated on developments and will keep you updated, too.
I'm Max Foster, that is WHAT WE KNOW.
"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" with Richard is up next.
END
TO ORDER VIDEOTAPES AND TRANSCRIPTS OF CNN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS
