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What We Know with Max Foster

Israel Facing Backlash Over Gaza City Takeover Plan; Preparations Underway For Possible Trump-Putin Meeting; U.S. Doubles Bounty For Venezuela's President To $50M; Sources: Trump Removes Head Of Internal Revenue Service; No Quorum For Texas House Again After Democrats Stay Away; Letitia James Faces DOJ Subpoena Over Trump Organization Investigation. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 08, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:25]

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Israel's new plan for Gaza provoked shock around the world.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

International condemnation of Israel's takeover plan for Gaza city is growing by the hour. France and Canada now joining in.

But the IDF is moving ahead with preparations. Israel's security cabinet approved the move after a marathon meeting, despite the objections of the

military's chief of staff and many hostage families. Hours after that decision, Israel launched new strikes on Gaza City, turning a residential

building into rubble. An Israeli source says the plan calls for the evacuation of Gaza City's 1 million people within two months, moving them

to compounds in the south.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not occupy Gaza, but will free it from Hamas.

Matthew Chance has more from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Gaza City in the hours after Israel's controversial decision to escalate

its war. It's a fierce airstrike, the voice says. As people scatter in panic.

With the newly approved Israeli plan to occupy Gaza City and destroy Hamas there, many desperate Palestinians already on the brink are bracing for

worse to come.

We're going from bad to worse, says this man. We're all praying for a ceasefire and that this Israeli decision to invade won't ever be

implemented.

But from the air, you can see how brutally determined Israel has been so far on this aid flight. We flew over multiple damaged landmarks in Gaza

City, including the Yarmouk sports stadium, now a shelter visited by a CNN freelancer. For thousands of displaced Palestinians.

Under the first phase of Israel's plan, they'd be displaced again, along with up to a million others to areas where Israel says it would provide

humanitarian assistance.

But many Israelis themselves exhausted by a costly war, are also highly skeptical of their government's occupation plan. Concerned that military

escalation in Gaza could endanger hostages still being held there and lead to more Israeli soldiers being killed.

AMI DROR, ISRAELI PROTESTER: We are here demanding the end of the war. The immediate return of the hostages, end to the atrocities in Gaza. This war

is a political war. The only person that benefits from this war is Benjamin Netanyahu.

CHANCE: It is the Israeli prime minister's far right allies, pushing hardest for a stronger military hand. Without their support, he's fragile

governing coalition could fall, fueling criticism Israel's latest plan to escalate in Gaza may be a political, not a necessary war.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, the U.N. Security Council is planning a rare Saturday session to discuss the situation in Gaza. A few hours ago, the secretary general's

spokesperson said that Israel's plan would put many lives at risk for both Palestinians and Israeli hostages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE TREMBLAY, ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: The secretary-general is gravely alarmed by the decision of the Israeli

government to take control of Gaza City. The decision marks a dangerous escalation and risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for

millions of Palestinians. It could further endanger more lives, including the lives of the remaining hostages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also criticized Israel's plans, but U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance says that whilst Britain

and the U.S. may disagree about how to address the crisis in Gaza, they share a common goal in resolving it. Vance met today with the British

foreign secretary, David Lammy, in southern England. Britain has said it will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a

ceasefire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Obviously, the United Kingdom is going to make its decision. We have no plans to recognize a

Palestinian state. I don't know what it would mean to really recognize a Palestinian state, given the lack of a functioning government there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:05:04]

FOSTER: Our Melissa Bell standing by taking in the global reaction here.

You know, in terms of the West, the U.S. is standing out here not making a stronger opinion.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. What's been remarkable over the course of the day, ever since this decision was

announced in the early hours by Israel, Max, has been the near universal condemnation. You're quite right. The American stance really standing out

from the rest of them. And it is condemnation.

You heard there the words of the U.N. secretary general's spokesman that very much echo one of the most recent condemnations we've had this evening

from the French, pointing out, beyond all the other considerations to do with the future and fate of the Palestinians, the fact that, according to

Paris, this move would secure neither the interests of Israelis and their security, nor indeed any hope for the hostage -- that the hostages might be

released.

And you've heard that echoed in a number of statements that have been made over the course of the day. Those by the British prime minister, by Beijing

also, that pointed out that Gaza was a -- belonged to the Palestinians. Ankara calling on the whole world to unite, to bring pressure on Israel,

that it might roll back.

We've also, of course, been hearing Israeli response to this backlash in the shape of Israel Katz, the defense secretary, saying that this

condemnation, this criticism will do nothing to lessen their resolve to go ahead with the plan.

I think one of the most important statements we had over the course of the day came from Germany. Remember, Max, this has been Israel's staunchest

ally here in Europe. They've really been foursquare behind Israel, and the manner in which its prosecuted this war over the course of the last nearly

two years now. And they announced that they would be pausing arms shipments to Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu expressing his disappointment in that since

October 2022 and sort of mid-May, it is some 480 million euros worth of military equipment that Germany has sent to Israel, that now paused in

opposition to this precise move.

So there's a lot of anger out there, a lot of criticism. And I think what you also need to look ahead to now is what's going to happen next month.

You mentioned a moment ago the recognition of Palestine. This had been a move by France in the context of a conference that was to take place at

just a few months ago, co-hosted by Saudi Arabia. It had to be postponed because of the war between Israel and Iran. It's now going to happen on the

sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, we believe, in September.

And it isn't just France that's announced. It's going to recognize Palestinian statehood, but the United Kingdom indicating that it will as

well, unless Israel brings a ceasefire about in Canada, also threatening now to follow suit -- Max.

FOSTER: Okay, Melissa, thank you.

In terms of this recognition of a Palestinian state, J.D. Vance was quite clear that he didn't think that would make any difference to this

situation. Is it just seen as a symbolic move to show why, where certain countries feel the situation should end up, or is this actually a genuine

threat to Israel you think?

BELL: Well, the French believe that it is much more than simply a symbolic move. Essentially, their logic is that nothing else has brought any

pressure to bear on Israel to change its course or heed any of the pressure from that come from without. But that by giving, by recognizing Palestinian

statehood and the belief is that having two parties then Palestinian statehood recognized in Israel, then discussing the future of a two-state

solution, there might be more hope for that than what we've seen so far, was the idea that was that the two state solution would be found, and then

Palestinian statehood would follow.

I mean, I think it's a measure of the frustration felt by countries like France that they cannot seem to get Israel to listen to them no matter

what. The idea is that by giving a little bit more power and recognition to the Palestinians, it will be easier to bring about the kind of negotiations

that might get everyone back around the table and lead to a two-state solution. Clearly, the Israelis are extremely cross about that. They've

brought a lot of pressure to bear on the French for them to try and backtrack on this idea. And, of course, Washington in line with the

Israelis, they do not think it's a good idea.

But clearly now, it is a growing number of countries that are going to go ahead and recognize Palestinian statehood in September. And I think that is

important for the balance of power in the region, certainly, Max.

FOSTER: Yeah, absolutely. Melissa, thank you for that.

Meanwhile, today marks the deadline that the U.S. President Donald Trump has put in place for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to move

towards peace with Ukraine or else face severe economic consequences. It's after 10:00 p.m. in Moscow, and there's still no word on new sanctions

against the Kremlin. We're also waiting for both countries to finalize plans for a potential Trump-Putin summit.

Fred Pleitgen has more for us from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Russians are saying that preparations are well underway for that potential summit

between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, which is set to happen in the next couple of days.

[15:10:06]

The Russians are saying that they are currently working towards sometime next week, but it's unclear on what date exactly the meeting could take

place. The other thing that still seems to be unclear is where exactly the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could take place. Theres

been some speculation here in Russian state media that it could be somewhere in the Gulf region, but so far it seems as though the venue, at

least officially, has not yet been set.

As far as the topics are concerned, there do seem to be some points where the Russians and the U.S. seem to differ. Of course, we know that U.S.

President Donald Trump not just wants that meeting with Vladimir Putin, but also at a later date, wants a trilateral meeting that would then also

involve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Russians have so far pretty much shrugged that off. They say that idea was floated by Steve

Witkoff, the U.S. presidential envoy, in the meeting with Vladimir Putin on August 6th, but that the Russians did not react to that.

Now, the other thing, of course, is the conflict in Ukraine where President Trump pretty much wants an immediate ceasefire to take hold. The Russians,

however, are saying that they want longer term peace negotiations, even as the fighting still continues. And a senior Kremlin aide has said that the

Russians have not changed their stance on the Ukraine conflict.

At the same time, of course, the Russians are feeling the heat from the U.S. The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has threatened

secondary tariffs against countries that buy Russian oil and gas. First and foremost, of course, India and China.

Well, Vladimir Putin has had phone conversations both with Xi Jinping of China and Narendra Modi of India as well. And both of those conversations,

the Russians saying that the Russian president informed those leaders about the talks with Steve Witkoff, about the upcoming summit, the very least. Xi

Jinping said that he was happy that diplomacy seems to be taking hold between Russia and the United States.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Okay. Well, coming up, the fight over redistricting in Texas is heating up. Democrats skip a deadline to return to the state capitol. What

it all means, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:15:22]

FOSTER: The Trump administration doubling the reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to $50

million. Attorney General Pam Bondi accuses Maduro of being one of the world's largest drug traffickers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: The DOJ has seized over $700 million of maduro linked assets, including two private jets, nine vehicles and more.

Yet maduros reign of terror continues. He is one of the largest narco traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, Venezuela's foreign minister calls the reward, in his words, a desperate distraction from Pam Bondi's own problems.

Let's bring in Stefano Pozzebon in Bogota.

Stefano, what does that actually mean on the ground where you are?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I don't think that this measure, Max, will have many consequences, at least on the ground, at least in

Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, or the rest of the country. At the end of the day, Maduro has been living with a bounty of over $25 million over his

head for the past five years. And everybody in Caracas knows where maduro is. He lives in the presidential palace in Miraflores, or in a security

compound in the main army base to the west of the city.

So, it's not really that doubling the bounty will make any change, I think, personally. I don't think that these will provide reasons for members of

the government coalition to break through. I think rather that these measures sends two messages. It's more about the message than the actual

action. I think here, Max.

The first message is from the United States to Maduro himself saying telling him that even though the Trump administration and the Venezuelan

government have found ways of speaking to each other and, for example, just last month they secured a swap for prisoners with Venezuelan migrants

repatriated to Caracas in exchange for the release of at least ten U.S. citizens and permanent nationals from Maduro's jails. So, there is a sense

that the two administrations are speaking. Yet, the ultimate goal in Washington remains to remove Maduro from power. It remains to restore

democracy in Venezuela.

And so, I think that that is the first message to Maduro. Make no mistake, we can do business together. And there is business going on, by the way,

right now between Washington and Caracas, because oil exports have resumed. But at the same time, we still want you out.

And then the second message, I think, Max, is directed to a key constituency for many people involved here. And that by that I mean south

Florida. It's no coincidence that Pam Bondi is used to serve as Florida attorney general and hails from Tampa. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is

from Miami. And of course, Donald Trump has close links to the southern Florida community through Mar-a-Lago.

Well, in south Florida, there is a growing right wing, conservative Latino community that is ideologically opposed to Maduro in the same way that many

people there were opposed to the Castro regime in Cuba in the 1970s and `80s. And so, probably, this community felt, in shock that when last month,

as we were saying, the Maduro government released U.S. nationals in exchange for the relief of oil sanctions and the repatriation.

So, I think that this measure allows the close of the top officials in the Republican Party and in particular in the White House, and by that, I mean

Donald Trump himself, Rubio and Bondi, to go back to their own constituency and say and prove that they still want Maduro out. On the ground, I don't

think much will change.

As I was saying Chevron, the U.S. major oil company, has been allowed to resume oil exports. So, as we speak, there is crude oil being exported from

Caracas to the to the United States. And, well, Maduro seems very strong and happy, frankly, in, in his presidential palace.

It's not that the United States Department of Justice or the FBI don't know where Maduro is. He's there. The measure --the measure is how to actually

remove it from power without causing an open conflict. That is -- that is the real question. I don't think that this measure will answer to that

question.

FOSTER: And in terms of, you know, relations between these two countries, longer term, it's an important relationship, isn't it? But, you know, it

seems, you know, an all time low currently. And as long as the leadership is in place where you are, it seems difficult to get beyond.

[15:20:03]

POZZEBON: Yes. I mean, I think that the -- at the same time, they also served these two administrations so staunchly opposed to each other. They

also serve a purpose to each other.

Maduro is a leader that has been in place in Venezuela for the last 12 years. And by using the scourge, the ghost of the -- of the Northern

American imperialism as a reason for his people he thinks to maintain him into power. So, the United States is a usual target of Maduro's rhetorical

rage. And whenever he takes the stage and speaks frankly for hours.

So, I think that they -- there is a rhetorical war happening, of course, at stake. But at the same time, Maduro has been wanted on an arrest mandate,

international arrest mandate by the International Criminal Court over the last few years. And yet today, his deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, was in Geneva.

He -- she met with the attorneys at the International Criminal Court.

So I think that it's important to distinguish the rhetorical war, as I was saying, between Caracas and Washington and actually, perhaps the fact that,

yes, the relationship is at a minimum, they probably don't want to talk to each other that much, especially now that that Caracas has no longer has

U.S. citizens in their jails. And so, the main purpose for the Trump administration to engage with Maduro was to secure the release and freedom

for those U.S. citizens. And that happened last month.

I expect that the relationship will stay as it is to a bare minimum, at least for the forthcoming future, because, to make a change will create

probably too much change for anyone involved, I think, Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Stefano Pozzebon joining us there from Bogota, thank you for that.

Right. We are going to give you some news just in to CNN. Sources saying the head of the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. tax authority that is,

being removed from his post, just heard that. Billy Long had been in the job for just two months.

Kristen Holmes is at the White House.

This is someone that wasn't pleasing the White House, presumably.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're still trying to get answers on why he was removed. Now, perhaps he wasn't

pleasing the White House, and that was what led to the removal. But we do know one thing. We are told now that he's expected to be nominated for an

ambassadorship, and this is someone who is a former congressman and a staunch ally of President Trump. And I will tell you, talking to sources,

they are stressing the word removed, not the word fired. Clearly, again, this expected nomination for the ambassadorship to be expected to be a soft

landing for long.

Now, as you noted, he's only been in this position for two months. One of his most notable things that he did while he was there was called for a

purge of the workforce within the IRS. And before he was actually even confirmed into that position, he had said that the entire agency should be

abolished.

What we are hearing now, there are no answers on who is going to run the IRS permanently. But President Trump has already asked the secretary of

treasury, Scott Bessent, to fill in this role temporarily. One thing to note, this is an agency that has been under massive turmoil for the last

several months. This now just adding to this as they're adding a new leader, but only temporarily while they wait for someone to fully replace

him.

FOSTER: Okay, and we've got some meetings coming up, haven't we, with some world leaders. Can you take us through them? Because we were expecting some

to happen this hour, right?

HOLMES: Yeah. And right now, just to be clear, it has been very unorganized at the White House as to how exactly this is going to go. So I'm going to

tell you what we believe is about to happen. And if that changes, I apologize in advance because a lot has been changing today.

So, President Trump and you can see that these this is Azerbaijan right now. This is the leaders from Azerbaijan. They are going to meet with

President Trump. They will be greeted outside of the Oval Office. We saw him greet the leader from Armenia earlier today.

This is all expected to be part of a finalizing of a peace agreement between the countries, which will give President Trump and the U.S.

exclusive access to develop a critical transit port that goes through Armenia. They are naming this after Trump, which we can get to in one

second, but they're going to be signing these bilateral agreements that essentially encourage economic opportunity between the two countries.

There also is a very interesting part of what is expected to be signed, which is and I want to read it here, it says in addition to the peace

framework, the countries are expected to endorse a formal request to disband the Minsk group, which of course was established in 1992 to bring

peace between these two countries. The U.S. is part of it, as well as France and Russia. So that is all what we're expected to see now.

We have been told that we were going to see meetings which, with each of these leaders. Now it appears that we're going to see all three of them

together. President Trump, the head of Armenia, the head of Azerbaijan. And we're trying to figure out what that's going to look like.

And just a quick note, if we do in fact see them, this will be the first time we've seen President Trump. And he's taking questions today as

everything is unfolding internationally, particularly what we have seen in Israel. So, there will be questions on that as well.

FOSTER: Okay, Kristen. Thank you. We'll be following it closely. I hope it gets more organized.

New developments out of Texas, Texas as well, which the White House is watching. The state house in Texas has adjourned, leaving again without a

quorum. This after a deadline for Democratic lawmakers to return to the state capitol passed.

Dozens of Democrats have fled the state in their mission to block Republican efforts to redraw the state's congressional map. The move could

produce as many as five more U.S. House seats for Republicans. At least 12 Democrats had to be present at the Capitol to meet quorum. Just five showed

up, though one state representative says Democrats will remain absent for the next two weeks.

CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us from Austin, Texas.

The Democrat strategy does appear to be working, whatever you think of it, Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. And it's a very delicate strategy because, you know, as you mentioned, there are 62

Democrats in the Texas State House of Representatives. If they lose 12 of them and they come back, there will be enough representatives in the

chamber to do business. So, they realize that this is a very delicate situation.

And, you know, with that many people and this is obviously a very tense situation for all of them, not just politically but personally as well. In

terms of the different pressures that they're under. You know, so this is obviously a day-by-day basis, but clearly, Democrats were relieved that

there was once again, not enough presence here to have a quorum. Republicans attempting to continue ratcheting up the intensity and the

pressure and trying to do a variety of things, you know, sending out state troopers around the state.

Republicans are convinced that there's a number of Democrats who actually haven't left the state. So, they continue to do that. But the -- and then

the other thing that the speaker of the house here is doing is trying to force these lawmakers to come in person to pick up their paychecks for

serving in this. So, you know, a lot of the times that that was electronically deposited, they kind of shut that off in hopes that they

would come here, pick up their paycheck, and then get brought into the House of Representatives.

So, this political saga is continuing. This is a little bit of the back and forth we heard from Republicans and Democrats just a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUSTIN BURROWS, TEXAS HOUSE SPEAKER: We have all hands on deck. We are continuing to explore new avenues to compel a quorum and will keep pressing

forward until the job is done.

RICHARD PENA RAYMOND, TEXAS STATE HOUSE DEMOCRAT: I tell you, every single Democrat, 62, here in the House of Representatives and everyone in the

state senate, and probably Americans all over this country are united and saying, we do not think you should be registering every two years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: So really, what Democrats are banking on is that they hope that their message of this, what they describe as an anti-democratic

redistricting process here, that Texas Republicans are engaging in, that that message will compel them. They want other states to latch on to what

they're doing. They want other Democratic leaning states to consider also redrawing and redistricting their own states as well.

In the meantime, Republicans here are also going to the courts trying to get these Democrats who have left the state removed from office. So, this

political saga is only continuing to intensify, and appears that it will continue well into next week -- Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Ed, thank you so much.

Still to come, how Israel could try to force Palestinians to leave their homes and tents in Gaza City as part of its new takeover plan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:32:18]

FOSTER: Germany says it'll stop exporting military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza after Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to

take over Gaza City.

An Israeli source says the plan calls for the evacuation of Gaza City's 1 million people within two months, moving them to compounds in the south.

Another source says Israel plans no aid distribution within Gaza City during its new offensive as a way of forcing hungry Palestinians to leave.

Critics say this is no evacuation but ethnic cleansing instead.

Israel's decision will be a death verdict for the hostages left in Gaza. That's the view of Israel's former prime minister, Ehud Olmert, he told CNN

this new operation had no chance of getting any hostages out alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EHUD OLMERT, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: It's going to be the -- unfortunately, this verdict for the hostages. This is the assessment of the

Israeli chief of staff who opposed this plan on the basis of a very thorough analysis of all the general staff of the Israeli army. The truth

is very simple. For 22 months, we were fighting. We destroyed most of Gaza. Anyway, more than 60,000 people were killed. Many of them were Hamas

fighters and they deserved the punishment. But many were not.

And now we are going to embark on a military operation, expanded military operation, which is not going to save the hostages, which is going to cost

the lives of many soldiers, and which is going to cause the lives of many non-involved Palestinians. There will be a natural, inevitable victims of

this operation. And no one really believes that there is any chance that this operation will help save any of the hostages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER The New York attorney general who investigated the Trump Organization is now being targeted by Donald Trump's own Justice

Department. Letitia James has been subpoenaed as part of a criminal probe into her role in investigating the Trump Organization and the National

Rifle Association. The Justice Department declined to comment. Jamess attorney said it was a blatant and desperate example of political

retribution and weaponizing the DOJ.

Brynn Gingras joins us from New York on that.

This is quite complex.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Listen, if you were to make a list of people that Donald Trump did not like in the state of New

York, Letitia James would be pretty much at the top of that list. And we're starting to see that. And to what you just said, her attorneys point, she

they feel like this is a total weaponization, particularly from that lawsuit that they filed back in 2022 that prompted that civil fraud trial

where Donald Trump lost and now owes nearly a half billion dollar -- yeah, half a billion dollar at this point, which he's appealing to that.

[15:35:11]

But that is what we're learning from sources, is sort of this is now going into subpoenas being filed, a grand jury being seated and questions being

asked. What we're learning from sources is that the DOJ is essentially investigating whether or not civil -- Letitia Jamess office violated Donald

Trump's civil rights, his constitutional rights when conducting that investigation that led to that civil fraud trial.

So that's the big question that's on the table for people who are seated in that grand jury. But, of course, as you mentioned, Max, certainly her team

is saying this is completely political retribution.

Let me read part of the statement that they sent to us. Abbe Lowell, James's attorney, says weaponizing the Department of Justice to try to

punish an elected official for doing her job is an attack on the rule of law and a dangerous escalation by this administration.

Now, you also mentioned another subpoena going to the NRA. Letitia James also filed a suit somewhat successfully against the National Rifle

Association, and in some ways, winning, having that whole organization sort of be not completely dismantled, but reorganized. So that's another issue

that were learning from sources where the subpoenas were handed out.

But certainly, this is something that doesn't seem to be stopping and almost just escalating. So we'll have to see where this goes from here.

FOSTER: Okay. Brynn, thank you so much for that.

Still to come tonight, a man in Syria fighting to have his British citizenship restored. Our Clarissa Ward talks to him about why it was

revoked and his chances of success as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Some more breaking news this hour. Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell has died at the age of 97. The famed NASA astronaut commanded the harrowing

mission that was forced to abandon a lunar landing attempt in 1970.

Actor Tom Hanks portrayed Lovell in the 1995 movie "Apollo 13".

Now a man is fighting the British government for stripping him of his citizenship. The U.K. accuses him of working for an al Qaeda affiliated

group in Syria, but the leader of that group is now the president of Syria and meets with Western leaders.

The man tells CNN's Clarissa Ward that it's a double standard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since 2012, British aid worker Tauqir Sharif, known to many as "Tox", has been a

fixture in northern Syria, one of thousands of foreigners known as Muhajirin, who came to Syria to participate in the uprising against the

brutal dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad.

We sat down with Tox for breakfast at his home in the city of Azaz by the Turkish border.

Were you always an aid worker? Were you involved in the armed component of the uprising as well?

TAUQIR "TOX" SHARIF, BRITISH AID WORKER: So I would say I was always a humanitarian.

WARD: But you're like smiling while you're saying that.

SHARIF: Because a humanitarian encompasses many things, right? Saving lives. So sometimes in order to save lives, you have to, you know, fight

and defend people. So what I say that I'm an all in -- all out fighter. No, that wasn't my, you know, bread and butter. Wasn't fighting in battles

every single day.

But during the course of this conflict, I had to fight. And that was because I had to defend people that were around me. I had to defend aid

that was being delivered to, you know, oppressed people. And I'm not shy about saying that.

I mean, if I was a fighter, if that was my gig where I was fighting and I was a military commander, I would be very proud of that.

WARD: We first met Tox in 2016, in rebel-held Idlib province.

SHARIF: We need to look at what do the people really want? And if the people are Muslims, this is not me saying it, if the people are Muslims and

they want some form of Islamic governance, then it's important that we help them to establish that.

WARD: Is that what they want?

SHARIF: In my opinion, that's what I believe.

WARD: One year later, Tox was stripped of his British citizenship.

Why did the British government take away your passport?

SHARIF: That's -- that's the question that we all want to know the answer to.

WARD: What's the official reason that you've been given?

SHARIF: The official reason was aligned to a group that is aligned to al- Qaeda.

WARD: Tox denies the charges, saying he has always maintained independence while pointing out that the former leader of al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria,

Ahmed al-Sharaa, is now the country's president.

Does it strike you as bizarre or maybe even unfair, surreal, I don't know, you choose the word that President al-Sharaa is leading the country. He's

meeting with Western leaders. And yet you are not even able to go back to your home because you had your passport taken away, because you were

aligned with a group that was aligned with al Qaeda, right? Like, I mean, that's a tenuous, nebulous connection to --

SHARIF: Yeah, guilty by association with a degree of separation.

WARD: And association with a man who is now the president of Syria.

SHARIF: So who had clear ties, someone who had clear ties, who was a part of al Qaeda is now legitimate. Whereas people like myself are, you know,

still in limbo.

WARD: And you're not the only one. I mean, there's --

SHARIF: Yeah, there's -- there's others. Of course, I think 100 percent, it's 100 percent unfair. But this is the world we live in, right? I mean,

look, these are the -- these are the double standards and the hypocrisies of the West, right?

You come out to help Syrians free themselves of oppression from Bashar al- Assad. You're stateless.

You go and fight in the IDF. Be a part of an army that is being accused of genocide, of war crimes, and you can come back to the U.K. You have no

questioning. You have no issues at all. No inquest.

Those are blatant double standards. And they are problems.

WARD: With that in mind, we see now Syria moving closer to the West. What was your reaction when you saw President al-Sharaa and President Trump

meeting and not just yours, but like your community, let's say the other Muhajirin, the foreigners and be honest.

SHARIF: Look, I think me as a muhajir, I'm a bit of an anomaly. So, my position is way more nuanced.

Look, I understand that this was a political victory. It wasn't a -- it wasn't a military victory. So, concessions were going to have to be made.

Obviously, where people are upset is when it comes to the Israel-Palestine issue because obviously signing the Abraham Accords and stuff like that.

WARD: As Trump actually asked President al-Sharaa to do.

[15:45:00]

SHARIF: Yeah. That is something that people are obviously very upset about, not just Muhajirin. I think most Syrians and most people in the -- in the -

- most people in the Arab world, you know, don't like the idea of that. The other thing that people are uncertain of is, okay, al-Muhajirin are going

to be given citizenship, et cetera., what's their status going to be?

WARD: Syria has started absorbing thousands of foreign fighters into the army, but many others remain stateless. While some hardliners grumble that

the country is not moving in the right direction, talks is more optimistic.

Driving around Damascus, there's billboards everywhere saying, "Thank you, President Trump", lifting the sanctions, normalizing relations.

Do you want to say thank you to President Trump?

SHARIF: Thank you, President Trump. I mean, look, look, I mean, it's politics. It's politics, right? It's politics.

Again, I'm not a politician. So, you know, I mean, Trump said he's going to bring peace to the Middle East. Let's hope that the Palestine issue can be

solved. Syria seems to be in a better place.

And, you know, if Trump had a hand in that and, you know, there was some good intention there, then you know what? Then that's a praiseworthy thing,

right? But at the end of the day, politics is about power, right? And we'll see. Only time will tell. Only time will tell where Syria is going to go.

WARD: Now, Tox's views are actually pretty moderate in the context of some of the more hardline foreigners inside Syria. I spoke to one Westerner

there who said that he felt outraged and ashamed by President al-Sharaa's meeting with President Trump. We did, of course, reach out to the UK Home

Office as well to ask about Tox's case. They didn't give any specific details relating to him, but said simply, quote, deprivation of citizenship

only happens after careful consideration of the facts and in accordance with international law, and always comes with a right of appeal.

Clarissa Ward, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still to come, the WNBA hits back and denouncing an unacceptable trend from fans in the stands. We'll explain, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Now, for a fourth time, a WNBA game has been interrupted by a fan throwing a sex toy onto the court.

[15:50:02]

It happened in the closing seconds of Atlanta Dreams win over the Chicago Sky last night. Creators of crypto meme coins are taking responsibility for

some of the incidents, saying they're a publicity stunt to promote a new coin. The leagues commissioner says the trend is unacceptable and coaches

aren't amused either.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHERYL REEVE, MINNESOTA LYNX COACH: This has been going on for centuries. The sexualization of women. This is the latest version of that. And it's

not funny. The sexualization of women is what's used to hold women down and this is no different. This is just its latest form.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: What we want to know is, why are trolls targeting the WNBA?

Joining me now, CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan.

Thank you for joining us. I mean, it's truly bizarre, isn't it? This story, but the these this crypto group is basically saying it's nothing to do with

the sort of sexism that you were hearing about from the coach there.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Right, Max. Yeah. Well, it's easy for the crypto bros to say that, but what else is the message, right? Here

you have the greatest time in the history of the WNBA and the absolutely peak in terms of interest, TV ratings, attendance of any women's team sport

on earth. And that is, of course, what's gone on with Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever and the WNBA, and the incredible interest in the in the

United States and around the world in Caitlin Clark, in that team. And of course, all the other players.

And at this exact moment, now you've got these people throwing these -- the sex toys on the court at least I think six examples, as you said, for

games. That certainly cannot be a coincidence. What other reason do you have?

Obviously, let's hope they stop. Enough is enough. It was. The players thought it was funny, Max. The first time there were some funny comments.

It's not funny now. It is the epitome of sexism, of misogyny, of trying to embarrass the WNBA at the most important and at the best time in the 28-

year history of the league.

And that is exactly what they're doing. So they can say whatever they want. But we can certainly see what the truth is here.

FOSTER: Well, the organizers of these matches you know, they're allowing it to carry on, aren't they, arguably? They need a better system to stop this

because no one agrees that it's a good idea and it's offensive.

BRENNAN: Right? Oh, that's for sure. You know, I mean, I have bought tickets to WNBA games with family, taking, you know, the girls and the

family, nieces, et cetera to watch Caitlin Clark play and to watch you know, the other players play even as a journalist, I've covered it, written

a book about her. But now, you know, I've also done that. So, you go through metal detectors, but these things aren't metal, right? They're

plastic or whatever they are.

Someone could hide them easily, but women's purses are looked at, and they're tiny little purses. You're allowed to bring in. But clearly, it's

not women that are doing this. So yes, they need to be able to be vigilant immediately. Try to cut it out.

And also, you know, when people are throwing things and this happens in soccer, football matches, you know, I mean, there's terrible dumb things

that happen throughout sports. Sports fans have certainly cornered the market on some ridiculous and stupid things over the years.

So, fans can see it, you can see it coming. Somebody's showing what they're going to do. And call the -- call the guards. Call the security and get

them. They need to be more vigilant about something that, again, is just its well, it's ridiculous, except at how it is targeted at a women's sports

league that is literally exploding in the world's consciousness. And now this is the moment they're doing it.

Again, it's time for everyone to step up and make sure that this ends.

FOSTER: Are we partly to blame here, if it was a publicity stunt?

BRENNAN: Sure, because here we are talking about it, right? But it's also - - it's news and we can't, you know, it's obviously you and I and all of the all of our wonderful producers and bookers and everyone that's involved

with this, you know, you do need to discuss it because all eyes are on the WNBA.

Caitlin Clark has turned the WNBA into a major league, must see sport. That is a fact. We've never been able to say those words about a women's team

sport in the United States. And really around the world.

Olympics, yes. You know, Wimbledon tennis. Absolutely. But in terms of just day to day domestic play, and that's where this is.

So, we would be remiss if we didn't cover it. And we would be remiss, in my humble opinion, if we didn't talk about what it stands for, which is the

attempt to try to make fun of or put down a woman's sport that is absolutely thriving.

FOSTER: Yeah, absolutely, Christine. Well said. Thank you so much for joining us. We'll see if it carries on and what the league can do about it.

Now, any minute now, we are due to hear from the U.S. president at a crucial juncture for two of his biggest foreign policy problems. Mr. Trump

is set to unveil a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The White House there.

[15:55:01]

But it's the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine that will dominate the headlines, with Israel vowing to take control of Gaza City. Russia, also

facing a deadline to end its war in Ukraine or face major sanctions.

We are expecting to hear from Mr. Trump and the Armenian and Azeri leaders very soon. The crowds gathered there. The media is there and we are

expecting him to take some questions. So, we will hear a lot about his response, a lot of questions about Gaza today.

And we are hearing from J.D. Vance about that. He's visiting the U.K. and he's very much put the ball in the president's court about how the U.S.

will be responding to that plan by Israel to go into Gaza City. But, it's going to happen any moment now.

But for now, that is WHAT WE KNOW.

Richard's up next with "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" to take that away.

END

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