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What We Know with Max Foster

Official: Netanyahu "Leaning Toward" Escalating War; U.S. Envoy Witkoff Expected To Visit Russia Wednesday; Trump: New Labor Statistics Chief To Be Named Within Days; Texas Governor Threatens To Remove State House Democrats; Tesla's Board Giving Elon Musk $29 Billion Stock Package. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 04, 2025 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:26]

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Israel considers expanding its war in Gaza as ceasefire talks appear to be at a standstill.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

An Israeli official says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leaning towards escalating the conflict in Gaza, saying he wants to free the

hostages through the military defeat of Hamas. Israel accuses Hamas of abandoning ceasefire talks. Hamas is demanding the humanitarian catastrophe

in Gaza be addressed before negotiations can resume, Mr. Netanyahu says he'll convene top officials soon to decide how the Israeli military will

move forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We must continue to stand together and fight together to achieve all our war objectives, the defeat

of the enemy, the release of our hostages and the assurance that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel. Later this week, I will convene the

cabinet to instruct the IDF on how to achieve these three objectives, all of them, without exception.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: So what we want to know, will the war in Gaza become a forever war?

Joining me is CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force colonel, Cedric Leighton.

Thank you so much for joining us, Cedric.

I mean, there is talk about the war. They're expanding, obviously, a huge amount of pressure to get the hostages out as well. Are the two compatible?

Because that's a big debate in Israel right now.

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah, it sure is, Max. And one of the key things here is that if you get into a forever war, that is really

going to be a huge drain on resources. The Israeli army is already talking about special requirements for soldiers that have left military service,

and they're looking at how to handle suicide issues. You know, there's an increase in suicides within the Israeli armed forces. And what that really

speaks to is a readiness issue for the Israeli military.

Militarily, they have achieved many of the original goals that they had in response to the October 2023 attacks that killed so many people in Israel.

Now they've basically moved the goalposts and what they've done with those goalposts, Max, is basically made them such that they, in essence, can

expand the war to the liking of the political leadership. Prime Minister Netanyahu's leadership. And that expansion is really risking a large, you

know, movement of IDF forces into Gaza, into places that they've never occupied within the context of this particular conflict.

And if they do that, that really risks bringing, bringing them and pulling them in into a time where they really will find it very difficult to

extricate themselves, and it will also be difficult to bring the hostages home. So this is a this is a big mess that's waiting to happen here.

FOSTER: Yeah. And he's going to have to explain it, isn't he, Prime Minister Netanyahu, if he does decide to expand the war, because many would

argue that he's already achieved his goal, which is taking out the military capability of Hamas, they clearly unable to do much right now. So many

people would argue the war is technically over already. So why continue? It?

LEIGHTON: Yeah, exactly. And this is one of the big problems. You know, you almost never achieve -- in military conflict, you almost never achieve a

situation where you have utterly and completely destroyed an enemy. There is very little historical precedence for it except for some, you know,

cases in mythology.

But when you're looking at this kind of a situation, you really need to pull back. Youve got a major humanitarian crisis happening right now in

Gaza that is impacting the civilian population there. And it is really important. Its really incumbent upon the IDF, no matter, you know, who's to

blame for it. It's really incumbent upon them to do what they can to either ameliorate that crisis or to solve that crisis.

FOSTER: In terms of the precedent, were looking at here and, you know, the images that are coming out from Gaza and, you know, increasingly in Israel,

people feeling very uncomfortable with that, compounded by the fact that obviously, we've seen the images as well, of the Israeli hostages looking

really unwell as well. At what point does the humanitarian argument assert the military argument here? I mean, what's the precedent for that in

similar conflicts in the past, would you say?

LEIGHTON: Yeah. So I think that, you know, when you look at some major conflicts in the past, like let's say World War Two, you know, when you

look at that particular comparison, the military imperative did outweigh the humanitarian imperative, but the humanitarian imperative was only

really known once the concentration camps were occupied by the allied forces.

[15:05:15]

So once that knowledge came about, it in essence, became an impetus to destroy or continue the destruction of the Nazi war regime, war regime in

that particular conflict. But in more modern conflicts, you get to a point such as Rwanda, for example, you get to a point where the carnage is just

so great, and modern media coverage has made it such that it becomes really impossible from a public relations standpoint, to continue with these kinds

of military movements that result in even more death or destruction.

So we're about at that point, I think, in this particular situation, of course, it depends on the decisions made by the Israeli government, whether

or not they'll continue with this kind of a plan to potentially move forward with even greater military force against Gaza. But the problem is,

in essence, you're running out of targets and in a very confined area, geographic area like Gaza. It becomes really difficult to find more targets

and in essence, eliminate them.

They are doing some of that right now. In fact, last week, the 98th brigade of the Israeli military was terminating their mission in northern Gaza

because they had completed some of the objectives that were local objectives for them there. But there's only so much of that that you can

do. And at some point, you need to keep some infrastructure standing for there to be some kind of civil government for the period that comes after

the conflict.

FOSTER: Cedric, as ever, thank you so much for your insights on this very complex, but still developing conflict.

Turning now to what could be a pivotal week for Ukraine, President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is traveling to Russia on Wednesday,

according to the White House. The trip comes just days ahead of Mr. Trump's Friday deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to make peace with

Ukraine or face new U.S. sanctions.

Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow.

The impression you get from the state media is that, you know there won't be a deal this week, but certainly the pressure coming from the U.S., Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think a lot of pressure coming from the United States, especially the threat of

secondary possible sanctions by the Trump administration, is certainly something that's weighing at least to a certain extent, on the mood here.

One of the things that the Russians have said, of course, there are experts by now at dealing with sanctions, so many sanctions against Russia have

been levied by the United States, by the European union, by European countries and by others as well, and the Russian economy certainly is still

very much afloat.

And the Russians are saying that the Russian economy is actually in fairly decent shape. However, the threat of those secondary sanctions, in other

words, against countries like China, against countries like India, if they buy things like Russian hydrocarbons, oil and gas is definitely something

that is certainly a narrative, if you will, here in Moscow as well, because they know that these two countries in particular, Max, are very important

to keeping Russia's economy afloat, to helping Russia out.

And it really is, of course, relations that go both ways. On the one hand, for instance, China buys hydrocarbons from the Russians. But of course, at

the same time, the Russians also import a lot of things from China.

So, these are certainly things that the Russians are going to want to talk about with the Trump administration, with Steve Witkoff when he comes here.

But I think one thing is very important to point out, and that is the Russians have made pretty clear that as far as Ukraine is concerned, they

are not going to budge from the things that they want to achieve. Vladimir Putin essentially said that end of last week when he met with Alexander

Lukashenko in Saint Petersburg, where he said he believes Russian forces are making headway in Ukraine, that Russia's adversaries, as he put it,

want to stop -- the Russians want to blunt their progress.

And so, certainly as important as any sort of deals with the Trump administration may be, and as big a threat as sanctions might be, the

biggest issue for the Russians, and the thing that they want to achieve and Vladimir Putin wants to achieve is his goals, as far as Ukraine is

concerned -- Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Fred Pleitgen in Moscow, thank you.

U.S. President Donald Trump saying he'll name a new Bureau of Labor Statistics chief in the next few days in domestic news. That's after he

fired the previous one last week over dismal job numbers. Without evidence, the president accused the now former labor official of rigging employment

data. A White House adviser defended Mr. Trump's decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: They could be politically -- politically manipulated because they're so untransparent.

There's a black box system out there making the jobs numbers that needs to be improved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Kevin Liptak is in Washington, D.C.

I mean, the data coming out from organizations like this are vital, aren't they, for the markets to follow. And there's some question about how

reliable it might be if there's a political appointee in that position.

But take us through how it works.

[15:10:02]

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. And the way that these numbers work is that the Bureau of Labor Statistics sends out this survey

to employers every month to try and ascertain where the labor market stands. The rate of response has been declining in recent years, so they

don't get the numbers back that they necessarily need to provide a full picture. Nonetheless, they released the numbers monthly and then revise

them as they get more and more responses from these various workplaces.

And so, that's why these revisions have been so dramatic. The president seems to be suggesting that there's some sort of political motivation at

play, but in reality, they are a normal part of this process, and there's no evidence to suggest that the woman that he fired on Friday, who's the

commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one, had any role in manipulating these figures, or two, that any of the numbers or any of the

people who are working there are somehow politically motivated.

Neither the president nor his advisers, including Kevin Hassett, who you just saw there, have provided any evidence on that front as they sort of go

out over the weekend and today to try and defend what the president has done here.

And I do think it is actually quite striking that you have not heard reports of any kind of internal dissent about this decision that the

president has made. You know, when you think about the president sort of ruminations about firing, for example, Jay Powell, the chairman of the

Federal Reserve, you had heard that a number of the president's advisers, whether it's Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, or Hassett, warning

that that could potentially cause market turmoil that would be challenged in court. The president obviously has stopped short of doing that.

You don't hear about that during this current sort of controversy, which I think is somewhat striking, just given how every sort of economist outside

of the White House and outside of the administration has really been up in arms about this, suggesting that it's something that you would see in a

banana republic saying that its quite a disturbing development on the part of the president, including the person who occupied this role during

president Trump's first administration, who President Trump actually put into this job, saying just over the weekend that this was something of a

disturbing trend and also that whoever the president replaces, even if they are highly qualified and even if they are not, you know, cooking these

numbers to satisfy the president, anything that comes out of that agency, once that person is in place, will immediately be questioned by the

presidents critics. And so, it is something of an ongoing controversy.

One thing that it has done is kind of obscure any question about the state of the U.S. labor market, which the numbers on Friday did show was

weakening significantly. Obviously, the president has created this own controversy by dismissing the head of the statistical agency, but it does

raise questions about, for example, what the presidents tariffs are doing to the state of the U.S. jobs market, what the overall state of the economy

will be, all of that kind of left to the side, as this question of this dismissal and firing really occupies Washington.

FOSTER: Yeah, what a story, Kevin. Thank you.

Now it is a Texas sized political standoff that has major implications for next year's critical midterm elections in the U.S. Democratic lawmakers

have left the state in order to stall Republican efforts to redraw the electoral map. That redistricting could lead to five new Republican House

seats in 2026.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN JOHNSON, TEXAS STATE HOUSE DEMOCRAT: Republicans keep changing the game. Not only changing the game, but changing the field midway through the

game. We -- constitutionally, the Texas constitution says you redraw districts once every ten years. Thats the norm. People need to know this is

not normal.

GENE WU, TEXAS STATE HOUSE DEMOCRAT: We really didn't have a choice. We tried to negotiate Republicans. We tried to talk to them. We tried to be --

we tried to reason with them. We tried to tell them that the public is very angry at what they're doing, and they simply wouldn't listen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, the Texas governor has threatened to remove lawmakers who don't show up when the state house convenes, which is in less than an hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GREGG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: The reports are these legislators have been both -- they sought money and they offered money to skip the vote, to leave

the legislature, to take a legislative act. That would be bribery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Straight now to CNN's Ed Lavandera in Austin, Texas, trying to work out who's on the wrong side of the law here, because you can understand one

point of view, saying lawmakers have a duty to show up, but also the other point of view that we can't allow this to go ahead. And this is our only

option.

So where does everyone stand on this, Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is really divided along party lines. And well find out in about an hour, Max, whether

or not enough Democrats have left the state to essentially grind everything to a halt in this legislative session.

[15:15:00]

And that would include this controversial redistricting bill. Democrats say that leaving the state and breaking quorum, as it's called, is, a last

case, last resort kind of effort to block this. And they know that ultimately, Democrats do not have the votes to stop this bill, that

Republicans are pushing through. But they hope that by leaving the state and bringing everything to a halt, that they will ratchet up the pressure

on Republicans and make this very difficult for them.

The question is, how long are they willing to stay away? Like I said, were about halfway through what is called a special legislative session. It

lasts about 30 days. There are about two weeks left in that. So, they would theoretically have to be gone for at least that long.

But the caveat is, is that the governor here in Texas, the way it works, is that the governor can call a special session after special session after

special session, and they would eventually get exactly what they wanted. So, lawmakers still, the Democratic lawmakers tell us this is about

ratcheting up that pressure and getting people to understand what this fight is about and the efforts to block redistricting. This is what one of

the lawmakers told us just a little while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAMON ROMERO JR., TEXAS STATE HOUSE DEMOCRAT: Everyone across our nation know what's actually their goal. And their goal is to take away the voices

of black and brown people, especially Latinos in Texas, that now make up 40 percent of the population in Texas.

LAVANDERA: How long are you and the Democratic caucus able to stay away from Texas?

ROMERO: Look, I don't want to stay away from my business or my family for one day. So, this is really in Governor Abbott's hands right now to

understand that he needs to be a governor of Texas, not Donald Trump's boy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And, Max, this can continue to get even more heated. The speaker of the house here in Texas has the ability to issue what is a civil arrest

warrant and be able to send out state troopers to collect these Democrats and bring them back. It's not clear if they'll be able to do that outside

of the state of Texas. And with Democrats and Democrat friendly states like Illinois, New York and Massachusetts, that seems highly unlikely.

But the rhetoric here has escalated, and the calls for punishing the Democrats who have left have really intensified. So we'll see how this

plays out. Once the lawmakers hit the floor, at least the Republican lawmakers were not expecting to see enough Democrats to make this quorum --

Max.

FOSTER: It's going to be fascinating to see just a few hours to see how it plays out. Ed, thank you so much.

Now, a big payday for Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Still ahead, we'll tell you how much the Tesla board is giving to Musk and why shareholders may not be

pleased.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:50]

FOSTER: The alarm bells are ringing for economists across the U.S. as Donald Trump tries to undermine the bodies that put out official U.S. data,

allegedly. This isn't something you tend to see in places like the U.S. We've seen it in countries like Argentina or Greece, where official figures

covered up the true state of the government's finances until it was too late.

Now the White House's own top economist is claiming the numbers could be politically manipulated, and his predecessors are wondering if people will

ever trust the numbers again. What we don't know is can economic data be trusted under the Trump administration?

Joining us now are Martha Gimbel, executive director at the budget lab and former senior advisor at the White House council of economic advisors.

Martha, thank you so much for joining us.

We should say that, you know, there's a strong system in the U.S. there are lots of checks and balances in place. Are you concerned, though, that those

are being undermined right now?

MARTHA GIMBEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE BUDGET LAB AT YALE: Are they being undermined at this exact moment? I don't know, I certainly am not seeing

any sign yet. But the fact that President Trump felt that it was a good idea to fire someone who was simply reporting numbers using the same

collection and statistical methods that have been used for quite some time because he didn't like the numbers. Certainly makes me more worried about

where we could be headed.

FOSTER: Just explain how important these labor numbers, for example, are.

GIMBEL: So we really do rely on these numbers, jobs day, for our major understanding of the U.S. economy and also the U.S. labor market. And I

should say, you know, viewers may be wondering why there are revisions. Isn't that a sign of a problem? Its a thing that economists know and

expect, and it's actually a thing we look to as a signal about the economy, because the revisions reflect updated numbers from businesses who report

late.

And so, what that means is, if the economy is speeding up, you may not respond to the survey because you're doing so much hiring, you don't have

time to respond. And then revisions will generally be positive or if you're firing a bunch of people, you may not have time to respond, and the

revisions will be negative.

And so, we track the direction of the revisions to give us a sense of whether or not things could be speeding up or slowing down.

FOSTER: And this, you know, matters all around the world, doesn't it? Because U.S. is a safe place to invest. It's where you're putting your

money generally, or your advisors or funds are putting money into America when they're unsure about other markets around the world. But that all

relies on those fund managers effectively getting the right information.

GIMBEL: Yes. I mean, one measure of how reliable this data is, is that people who have to put money on the line and make bets based on it are

willing to do so. I will say my team put out a report last year about what we called the risks to the U.S. safe harbor premium, and was basically

making the point that political risk has been on the rise in the United States, and that we felt that markets were underpricing that, and we

certainly feel that markets are continuing to underprice political risk in the United States.

FOSTER: In terms of, you know, the Fed, which is the big concern, isn't it? That's the one body, the most powerful independent economic body in the

U.S. Obviously, there's some pressure there, isn't there, from Donald Trump. He thinks that the Fed should be lowering interest rates. Thats not

a problem at the moment because the Fed is standing firm.

But it might be a problem next time round because everyone's going to be questioning whether or not the Fed chair is making political decisions

because, you know, obviously someone that's pro-Trump is perhaps more likely to get that job. Is that right?

GIMBEL: We'll have to see who President Trump nominates for the new seat that just opened. We'll have to see who he makes Fed chair at the end of

Jay Powell's term. But obviously, Federal Reserve independence is absolutely a concern. It's incredibly important for the functioning of our

economy. And you have seen repeatedly economies that undermine the independence of the Fed come to really regret it.

[15:25:01]

FOSTER: Okay. I really appreciate your time, Martha. A lot for everyone to consider in the financial world. Thank you for joining us.

The board of Tesla, meanwhile, giving CEO Elon Musk a big payday. A letter to shareholders board said its giving Musk a pay package worth about $29

billion. The package includes 96 million Tesla shares.

Let's take a look at the market reaction. Tesla is actually up on that news.

Anna, you have to explain this to us because from everything we've reported on this show in recent times, the company is doing terribly. And yet, the

boss is being rewarded for that.

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: Well, you have to sort of understand from the perspective of the board, they want to keep Musk in

helm. Tesla, as you said quite rightly, has been dealing with a litany of issues. Rising competition from China, Chinese EV makers, an EV tax credit

that the Trump administration has pulled recently. Thats going to make it less enticing for people to buy EVs. And of course, the fallout from Musk's

own political involvement with the Trump administration in recent -- in recent months.

And these board members want Musk to be concentrating on Tesla, to be incentivized to work for the good of Tesla. And so, naturally, a pretty

hefty pay packet is something they think will keep him on board.

FOSTER: So, the price of losing him is worse than the price of, you know, punishing him ineffectively for coming up with some pretty bad sales

numbers.

COOBAN: Well, clearly, they clearly think that it's lucrative to keep Musk on board. He's obviously a big name. The analysts have been saying that he

still draws lots of people to want to work for Tesla. So, they clearly think that he's doing something right by staying on.

And, you know, you have to remember that the way that he is paid is not through cash that's given into his bank account at the end of every month.

Like most people, it is through these lucrative package of stock options that are he can only sell in a number of years' time. So, this is a similar

mechanism, and it's a way to keep him in the company.

FOSTER: A lot of defenders of Musk is are saying that actually the whole industry is facing the same problem. The Chinese makers are producing a

better product right now effectively. But if that continues, that is a genuine sort of structural problem that even Musk won't be able to handle.

It's not a must problem, as it were.

COOBAN: Exactly. There are forces bigger, bigger than Musk. BYD may actually dethrone Tesla as the world's biggest EV maker in the near future,

which was something that was pretty unthinkable, even a matter of a matter of a few months ago. But that's a situation we're in. Chinese EV makers are

able to produce these EVs at scale and at cheaper costs, so it remains to be seen how Tesla is going to be dealing with this in the long run.

FOSTER: Okay, Anna, thank you so much for joining us.

Still to come hostage families in Israel urge the government not to escalate the war in Gaza, amid reports it could dramatically expand the

conflict.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:31:14]

FOSTER: Hostage families are calling for an end to the war in Gaza, with a new urgency after Hamas and Islamic jihad released propaganda videos

showing two emaciated hostages, protesters once again took to the streets of Jerusalem demanding a ceasefire.

Hostage families say Mr. Netanyahu is, quote, preparing the greatest deception of all by claiming he can free their loved ones through military

victory. Mr. Netanyahu is calling on the international Red Cross to bring food and medical aid to the hostages in Gaza. But it says a ceasefire is

needed first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACOB KURTZER, COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR, ICRC: The security conditions remain very, very difficult. And so what we need to know is for the safety

and security of our own colleagues, that the environment in which they would be able to do such a visit if it were granted and if the parties came

to such an agreement, is one that we could ensure the safety of our colleagues as well as the safety of the people that we seek to meet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, just yesterday, the Palestine Red Crescent, crescent society said an Israeli attack killed one of its workers in Gaza. It said its

headquarters in Khan Younis was deliberately targeted as well.

Matthew Chance has more on the fate of the Israeli hostages.

And we warn you this report contains images that you will find disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fragile figure of Evyatar David. One of the surviving Israeli hostages

still being held in Gaza, now 24 years old, and just skin and bone.

I haven't eaten for days, he says. In this latest Hamas propaganda video cramped in a tunnel.

There's not enough food. And barely enough water. Look how thin I've become, he says.

CHANCE: And this here is your brother, right here. This is two photos of him.

ILAY DAVID, BROTHER OF EVYATAR DAVID: Yes.

CHANCE: Family members have approved use of the images released at the weekend.

But his brother Ilay, told me he could only bear to watch a few solitary frames.

DAVID: That was a young healthy man before he was abducted. Even a bit chubby. And now, he looks like a skeleton, a human skeleton buried alive.

That's how he looks. And I don't exaggerate.

CHANCE: Do you think he's being starved because there is a shortage of food in Gaza? Or do you think he's being starved intentionally by his captors?

DAVID: I'm sure he's intentionally --

CHANCE: Because that's an issue right now.

DAVID: I'm sure he's intentionally, cynically, being starved by his captors. We know that his captors have plenty of food. They haven't lost a

pound.

And they are doing the same to their own people, to the people of Gaza, they are starving them, although they have food.

Israeli television, the newly released videos of emaciated hostages held captive since October the 7th, 2023, are provoking outrage amid calls for

negotiations with Hamas to quickly restart very quickly.

This is 22-year-old Rom Braslavski, another Israeli hostage shown writhing in pain in his Gaza prison.

There's barely anything to eat. I can't sleep. I can't live, he sobs.

His own mother who approved the release of these latest horrifying images say her son's weak voice sounds like he's accepted. He may never come out

alive.

And now, hostage families are calling for renewed international pressure on Hamas, not just Israel, for the agony in Gaza to end.

[15:35:02]

DAVID: If they want the people of Gaza to stop, let's do it. And they are the ones to blame and we cannot -- we cannot blame only Israel for that.

Hamas is holding all of us hostages right now. All of us, the people of Gaza as well. And they need to be out of the picture.

What I'm doing now is digging my own grave, says Evyatar David, as he scrapes the dirt in his cramped tunnel.

Everyday, my body becomes weaker and weaker, he says, and time is running out.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now it's been a critical week between the U.S., Russia and Ukraine. Donald Trump's deadline for peace in Ukraine is now just days away. As we

mentioned earlier, the U.S. president continues to pressure his counterpart, Russian President Vladimir Putin, to either reach a ceasefire

with Ukraine or face new sanctions. The White House says. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff will head to Russia on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Ukraine

says it hit Russian fighter jets and a weapons depot in a nighttime drone operation in Russian occupied Crimea.

Nick Paton Walsh joins us now from southern Ukraine.

How much hope is there there, Nick, that the Americans can really lean on Russia at this time?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, time for that rapidly diminishing and frankly, very little signs that

Moscow are about to come up with the peace deal that Trump said he needed to see by Friday. Or is it Saturday in order to avoid secondary sanctions?

In fact, we got a flavor, potentially, of what those secondary sanctions might look like today in a truth social post by the U.S. president who

talked about how India was continuing to fund what he called the Russian war machine, and indeed the oil it was buying at cheap rates from Russia.

He claimed India was selling on again for great profit, saying he would be imposing extra tariffs on India, as a result.

India and China, the two key energy customers of Russia who potentially might face American measures if indeed Putin ignores the deadline, likely

looks set to do hopes potentially. That is, Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, in a visit on Wednesday to Moscow, might be able to find some kind of

leeway. But the rhetoric we've heard from the kremlin has been, frankly, defiant and disinterested in Trump's diplomacy.

But, Max, a story of a different nature. We bring to you tonight one of some degree of hope. The remarkable story of survival, of one Ukrainian

soldier who was delivered an e-bike by drone as he was injured on the front line. But he drove out, surviving a blast from a landmine to safety.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH (voice-over): This Russian assault, brutal, even throwing land mines into the bunkers, had left all three of his fellow soldiers dead in the

trench next to him.

And Andriy, with his leg wounded, unable to run, thought like so many Ukrainian soldiers in tiny isolated positions pinned down by Russian drones

that he was done.

ANDRIY, RUBIZ BRIGADE: I didn't think I would get out of there because I couldn't move. My leg was seriously injured. I couldn't walk.

WALSH: But back at his command bunker watching on drones, they had an idea. Maybe Andriy had the strength to cycle out. So they attached an electric

bicycle to a drone like this, moving it slowly, perilously in pieces to the front. It was dropped to Andriy whole, and then remarkably, he cycled out.

ANDRIY: I thought, do or die. Either I make it or I don't. I was just riding in one direction. Whatever happens, happens. If I make it, good. If

I don't, so be it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, "Tankist." Speed up, speed up. As fast as you can. As fast as you can.

WALSH: The Ukrainians who try to insure the skies were free of Russian drones, but that wasn't enough. Andriy hit a landmine.

The drone operator's heart sank, had it all come to nothing. But then this tiny figure emerged limping out of the smoke, somehow alive, walking on his

bandaged leg visible.

ANDRIY: It grazed my forehead a bit. The wheel and fork were torn apart, but I was fine. I just fell on my side. That's all.

WALSH: Greeted by a Ukrainian and helped into another bunker where he had to wait two more days for rescue.

Necessity is the mother of invention in Ukraine, but nothing can beat luck.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH (on camera): Andriy, a soldier for ten years, clearly hardy and lucky, but it also is a reflection, I think, of how isolated so many

Ukrainian troops are lacking in manpower positions, sometimes only 2 or 3 soldiers now bearing the brunt of Russia's summer offensive that is

gathering pace, frankly, across the eastern front. That too as well as the night falls here in Ukraine, many Ukrainians deeply concerned about air

raid sirens and the potential for more Russian aerial assaults, Max.

FOSTER: Nick Paton Walsh in southern Ukraine, thank you.

Still to come are particularly severe fire season blazes in extreme heat threatening southern Europe and North America. We'll take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:26]

FOSTER: Wildfires and heat are still threatening parts of Europe. Portugal is under a state of alert. Authorities have closed access to forest areas,

and the alert prohibits fireworks, some machinery and outdoor burning is expected to last until Thursday. Neighboring Spain, also dealing with high

temperatures.

As CNN's Pau Mosquera reports, people are doing whatever it takes to cool down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Many of these sites to seek shelter in the shade, while others prefer to cool themselves off in public. Fountains like

these ones located southwest of Madrid. This Sunday marked the beginning of the second heatwave of the summer in the Iberian Peninsula, and the

responsible is no other than a dry and warm air mass coming from the African continent that is pushing temperatures well above normal.

The Spanish National Weather Agency is forecasting that the mercury will be around 5 to 10 Celsius above normal, and in the case of the capital, the

temperatures will be hovering around the 37 to 38 degrees Celsius.

YACA, RESIDENT IN MADRID: In previous summers, we have had hot weather, but not as hot as this one.

CARLA, RESIDENT IN MADRID: In Madrid, the heat is quite suffocating, isn't it? It's not humid, it's very dry and it's a little bit bad.

MARCIO, BRAZILIAN TOURIST: We are from the northeast of Brazil, from Recife. We are already a bit used to the heat, so it is not very different

from the temperatures here.

MOSQUERA: But the situation is going to be way worse in some parts of the country, as for example in the south, in cities like Seville or Cordoba,

the agency is expecting the mercury to reach up to 45 degrees Celsius.

[15:45:08]

And this is a situation that will last at least until Sunday.

Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Smoke from Canadian wildfires moving across large areas of the United States, official monitors say air quality indices have reached

unhealthy levels in the Northeast and Great Lakes region, along with alerts in at least nine states. The wildfire smoke is also reducing visibility.

Firefighters in California are working to put down their second largest wildfire of the year, the Gifford Fire, in the southern part of the state

is only around 3 percent contained. Evacuation orders are in place for two counties, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. The National Weather Service

says extreme heat and gusty winds are expected through the middle of the week.

All the workers trapped after a copper mine in Chile, partially collapsed have been found dead. This brings the death toll to six. Nine others were

injured, according to authorities. The collapse happened after an earthquake struck the region.

Cristopher Ulloa has the latest from Chile.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CRISTOPHER ULLOA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Authorities in Chile have confirmed that they have found the six bodies of the six miners that were trapped in

the mine of El Teniente, one of the largest copper mines in the world. Everything started on Thursday, according to Codelco, the state firm that

runs and operates the mine when an earthquake of 4.3 on the scale of Mercalli provoked a collapse inside the mine.

President Gabriel Boric also came to the offices of Codelco here in the city of Rancagua. He confirmed the information and also declared three days

of national mourning from Codelco. He is president of the directory. Maximo Pacheco said they have no warnings from the miners about a thing like this

could ever possibly happen, and also the families of the miners were gathering around outside the offices of Codelco, asking for their loved

ones. They say they had no specific information. They had no information when are they going to receive the mortal rest of their loved ones.

The public ministry is also doing the investigation to find out if there is any responsibility on this tragic situation.

For CNN, Cristofer Ulloa, Rancagua, Chile.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now, how long would you wait to live in a dream apartment in Paris?

We'll explain the unique arrangement offered by some elderly homeowners, and it's on the rise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:18]

FOSTER: The Vatican has wrapped up its Jubilee of Youth, a huge multinational festival of faith, music, religious services, all for the

Catholic youth. The high point came on Sunday with a mass by Pope Leo. Flags were flying and deep dish pizza on the menu as hundreds of thousands

of young people from around the globe met, mingled, connected with peers.

This is how one pilgrim summed up the experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAEHUN LEE, SOUTH KOREAN PILGRIM: Korea isn't a country with the main religion of Christianity. So I wanted to meet a lot of people from around

the world who believes in the same religion as me. The religion brings people together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The Vatican estimates that more than a million young people turned out for the Sunday mass, the largest event of Leo's papacy since he was

elected, which was only back in May.

Of course, but a part real estate, part roulette. Meanwhile, in another part of Europe, interest surging in the French property market for

discounted listings that include both the sellers age and life expectancy. The reason behind this is a -- is a French property scheme that few

foreigners know about, as seniors run up against higher living costs.

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: On the day that Andre dies --

ANDRE HELMAN, SELLER: Uh-huh.

VANDOORNE: -- will he be pleased that you'll be able to move in?

Buying an apartment in Paris isn't cheap, but there's a quirky, slightly morbid loophole that can land you on at half the price. You're essentially

betting on how long the seller is going to stick around. It's known as viager.

YLLA HERON, BUYER: I have a lot of time in front of me.

VANDOORNE: Ylla was hoping to finally buy a dream home in Paris. After nearly a year of searching, she found a gorgeous south facing place for

half the price of the others.

HERON: And I think it's really well arranged.

HELMAN: For such a small apartment, it's exceptional.

VANDOORNE: This place is owned by Andre, who has no intention of moving out.

HELMAN: I needed the money and I needed the place, so this system allowed me to stay here as long as I wanted and get the money I needed.

VANDOORNE: To buy Andre's apartment, Ylla gave him a single deposit in the range of 200,000 euros.

HELMAN: Once a year, there is a party here. The neighbor's party. It's very pleasant.

VANDOORNE: But in a typical viager, a buyer pays an upfront sum and then small monthly payments to the seller who keeps living in the home until

they die.

Viager sales make up just 1 percent of the French property market, but interest surged during COVID. And it's not just locals rolling the dice.

More and more foreign buyers are getting in on the gamble, too.

Homa Raevel, an American Iranian, already has four viager homes for her kids, and she's eyeing her fifth.

HOMA RAEVEL, BUYER: I think in the beginning, friends and family were like, oh, really? You got involved with that? But this is helping the person like

me. This is a comfortable situation for them.

VANDOORNE: But it's quite a bet. The longer the seller lives, the more you end up paying. And that upfront discount starts to shrink.

And you're comfortable with it being a gamble.

HELMAN: Oh, quite. After my death, I really don't worry about myself. The gamble is mainly for the owner.

VANDOORNE: It's all remarkably transparent. Listings don't just include the sellers age, they often estimate their life expectancy, too. Most cases are

uneventful, but in one instance, a buyer was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in a case involving a madeleine (ph) and the death of an

elderly seller.

So does it take a special type of person or a special type of mindset to accept the viager system?

HELMAN: Because of the death issue? I think that's why people feel uncomfortable. It's not my case. I'm -- as I said, I'm very lucky.

For me, death is not an issue. It's just the end of life and it's okay.

VANDOORNE: Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Fascinating.

Now, it's not for every sport where you can play for 25 days and end in a draw, but that's test cricket for you. England and India finish what will

go down as an all-time classic series this morning, with rain in London on Sunday delaying the final innings until this morning. India managed to bowl

out England and win the fifth test by just six runs, which means their series finishes in a 2-2 draw.

Spare a thought for England's last batsman of the day, Chris Woakes. He dislocated his shoulder earlier in the match, meaning he had to play in a

sling and bat one handed. What a hero.

England were hoping they could wrap things up before bringing him out, of course, but India's bowlers had other ideas. They took four wickets this

morning to win the day and bring a classic series to an end.

[15:55:04]

And finally, tonight, you'll know her as a CNN business and royals correspondent and a favorite with our team. Always. But tonight, we'd like

to bring you some breaking news about Anna Stewart herself.

Anna and her husband David, welcoming a lovely little baby girl. She's known as Tiggy. We'd like to wish this gorgeous little girl and her parents

the best of luck with the next few months of sleepless nights.

Congratulations, Anna, David. Tiggy, we're sending you all of our love.

I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW.

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" up next.

END

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