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What We Know with Max Foster
Trump Promises "Very Severe Consequences" For Russia If Putin Doesn't Agree To End War; National Guard, FBI, DEA Patrol D.C. As Part Of Trump Plan; Israel Escalates Strikes As IDF Chief Of Staff Approves Framework For New Attack Plan; Mexico Expels 26 High-Ranking Cartel Figures To U.S. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired August 13, 2025 - 15:00 ET
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[15:00:21]
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Donald Trump threatened severe consequences if Russia doesn't agree to make peace with Ukraine this week.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
The threat from the U.S. president, Donald Trump, who didn't elaborate just two days before his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
He's hopeful that meeting will be followed by talks between Mr. Putin and the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would say the second meeting, if the first one goes, okay, we'll have a quick second one. I
would like to do it almost immediately and we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy and myself if
they'd like to have me there. And that would be a meeting where maybe it could be absolutely worked.
But the first meeting will not work that out. A certain great things can be gained in the first. It's going to be a very important meeting, but it's
setting the table for the second meeting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Earlier, Mr. Zelenskyy took part in a virtual meeting with President Trump and European leaders. He called for further sanctions on
Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Everything about Ukraine will be discussed with Ukraine. We have to get prepared for a
three-sided format of the conversation. There should be a ceasefire first, then security guarantees real security guarantees. And by the way,
President Trump expressed his support for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Let's get straight to CNN's Betsy Klein.
It's been interesting. The Europeans and the Ukrainian leader there really trying to get in on this meeting because it's hugely important. And their
suggestion is that there has to be some sort of ceasefire before any negotiation, which seems to suggest we're not going to get any big
announcement on Friday, but it will be interesting nevertheless. It needs to be about a ceasefire initially.
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Certainly. And I think one of the reasons for so much apprehension amongst the European allies is
that President Trump can be very unpredictable, but he also views himself as a dealmaker, somebody who can negotiate peace. And he is hoping to do
so. He really believes in the power of one on one, face to face meetings, including with somebody like Russian President Vladimir Putin. He believes
that this meeting can and should yield significant progress.
But we heard from German Chancellor Merz just a few hours ago after that very high stakes call between the president and his European counterparts
that they expect, quote, major decisions to be made on Friday in Alaska, when Putin sits down one on one with President Trump. So, the European
leaders seeking to get the last word to President Trump and advocate for him to put pressure on Putin to end this conflict, Zelenskyy,
characterizing this meeting as productive and positive.
But the president told reporters this morning that he believes that the fruit that this meeting could bear, his ultimate goal is getting Putin to a
second meeting with Zelenskyy. He says if it goes well and if he gets the kinds of answers that he wants to see, there will be a second meeting and
that he would like to do so almost immediately and include Zelenskyy.
He also warned of, quote, very severe consequences if Putin does not come to the table willing to negotiate a potential peace deal. He declined to
say whether those might be sanctions, secondary sanctions or additional tariffs. But European allies have expressed so much concern about the
possibility of Ukraine ceding territory.
They have also emphatically advocated for Zelenskyy and Ukraine to have a seat at the negotiating table, when any ultimate deal is reached. It's
unclear if these leaders were able to sway the president on any of those fronts, but the White House, already seeking to manage expectations, White
House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters that she would characterize this meeting as more of a listening exercise than something
that is expected to result in a final deal.
The president is his goal is to get a better understanding of where exactly Putin stands. So we'll be watching all of that very closely, heading into
this very critical meeting in Anchorage on Friday, the details of which are still being ironed out as officials scramble to get this to the finish
line.
FOSTER: Yes, very last minute, isn't it? Betsy, thank you.
It appears Russia is working to grab as much Ukrainian territory as possible before that summit on Friday. But President Zelenskyy has
reaffirmed he will not surrender the Donbas. Earlier, he told reporters his position hasn't changed since yesterday when he said he has no right to
surrender his country's land. Tuesday, he said abandoning the Donbas region would open the door for Putin to start a third war in Ukraine.
[15:05:01]
I want to bring in Bob Hamilton. He's the president of Delphi Global Research Center and a retired Army colonel.
Thank you for joining us.
Clearly, you know, there's going to be some sort of, you know, Ukraine is going to compromise somewhere. Russia's trying to compromise will have to
compromise somewhere. So they're trying to set the sort of front lines as we speak as a starting point. That's what it looks like.
COL. ROBERT HAMILTON, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Right. So I think this is, as your report made clear, this is going to be a two-stage process. The first stage
is to get a cease fire in place, and then the second stage would be a more durable peace. In terms of a ceasefire, the question is, do you freeze the
lines where they are or will Russia get what it wants. And what Putin and others in Russia have been saying pretty consistently leading up to this
summit is Ukraine must abandon at least all of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, which the problem there is where the frontlines currently are is
much more defensible for Ukraine.
There's a fortress belt in Donetsk province, especially, that extends along the front lines now in their cities like Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, that are
really important operationally, even strategically important militarily. For Ukraine to abandon those as part of a ceasefire and then fall back to
less defensible territory, would just make it much easier for Russia to continue the war as soon as it's ready.
FOSTER: In terms of agreement, which regions there would be the best for Russia to try to keep hold of on this premise coming from Ukraine, that
they will try again?
HAMILTON: Well, it's Donetsk and Luhansk. And of course, if Russia gets what it wants in Alaska and that is a U.S. agreement, which would then put
pressure on Ukraine to withdraw from territory it currently controls in Donetsk and Luhansk provinces that would force it to fall back to less
militarily defensible lines.
The other two provinces along the front line, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south. It's more defensible for Ukraine, especially in Zaporizhzhia and
Kherson, because there's a river that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces and it would be very difficult for Russia to get across that river
again, as it did early in the war, before the Ukrainians pushed them back.
So really, the key here is Donetsk province. And this is why you've seen this Russian push over the last couple of days that's made, made the news
everywhere.
It's really an infiltration. It's not an exploitation or a breakthrough. This is around the little a small town called Dobropillia, which is just
north of Pokrovsk, which the Russians have been trying to capture for almost a year and a half.
So, the Russian push in this area is really intended to make the case or set the conditions for a summit in Alaska that then forces Ukraine or
attempts to force Ukraine to give up the best militarily defensible lines to Russia as part of a ceasefire.
FOSTER: It's pretty clear the Russians, the Europeans today have made it very clear to the U.S. that Russia could not have a veto against Ukraine's
pathway to E.U. and NATO membership, but probably NATO membership is something that Russia is going to push very hard on with the meeting in
Alaska, right?
HAMILTON: Well, unfortunately, I don't think Russia has to push hard, with the U.S. government because the U.S. has already essentially made that
concession publicly. The secretary of defense, right after the Trump administration, took power, after the inauguration in January, Pete Hegseth
went to Europe and announced publicly in February that Ukraine should give up on NATO membership.
So unfortunately, although it's been U.S. policy and NATO policy since 2008, that Ukraine would become a member of NATO, the U.S. seems to have
moved off that position. Which leaves the European allies defending NATO policy, which again has been policy for 17 years, that Ukraine should be
and will be at some point a member of the alliance.
FOSTER: Okay. I really appreciate your time, Bob Hamilton. Thank you.
Ahead of that meeting on Friday, President Trump exerting greater control over Washington, D.C., National Guard troops are still on the streets of
the nation's capital. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro tells Fox News 43 arrests were made overnight.
Meanwhile, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser warns this federal takeover is sending an ominous message to other major cities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MURIEL BOWSER, WASHINGTON, DC MAYOR: He wants to send the message to cities that if he can get away with this in Los Angeles, if he can get away with
this in D.C., he can get away with it in New York or Baltimore or Chicago or any other place where millions of people live, work and are doing
everything the right way. And it is a step in fascism when the federal government can big foot sovereign states.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:10:06]
FOSTER: Armored personnel carriers were seen near the Washington Monument on Tuesday evening.
Today, President Trump spoke on his efforts to maintain this federal control of the D.C. police for the long run as well.
Gabe Cohen has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Trump now says he plans to extend his order federalizing D.C.'s police force well beyond the 30 days
that the initial order called for. The president claiming he can do it through executive order if he wants, although he may go to congress for
approval. The president, also criticizing the police statistics that the Metropolitan Police Department here in D.C. keeps, which show that violent
crime over the past couple years has been dropping pretty significantly after a severe spike back in 2023, the president saying that that data is
incorrect and that violent crime in D.C. is at an all-time high.
Here's what he had to say a little bit earlier.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've worked with the mayor for six months, and she's been here for many years, and the numbers are
worse than they ever are. Don't let anyone tell you they're not. And the whole statistical charts that they made, the whole thing is a rigged deal.
They got rid of the guy that -- because he didn't want to do the numbers the way they wanted to, and they put their own numbers out, they said it's
the best in 20 years. No, it's the worst in 20 years.
COHEN: And President Trump also criticized D.C.'s Mayor Muriel Bowser, saying that the two have a fine relationship, but that the mayor has not
really been doing her job. Bowser was a fierce vocal critic of the president during his first term, but since Trump took office again in
January, Bowser has really tempered her language, toed the line, trying not to publicly antagonize the president. Although last night she gave really
her stiffest criticism yet of President Trump's actions, federalizing the police force here, saying that it is an authoritarian push.
Although just this morning, both the police chief here in D.C., as well as the mayor said that perhaps surging federal law enforcement resources here
could benefit the district.
I did reach out to the mayor's office after the president's criticisms today, and they declined to comment.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Stephen Collinson standing by.
You know, this could be seen, couldn't it, as one step in this wider power grab, which actually we've seen in a very broad display today, Stephen.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah. If you put a lot of the things that Trump has been doing together, it does add up to a rather
troubling pattern. If he just decided that he was going to federalize the police in Washington, D.C. In a vacuum, that would have been controversial,
but it wouldn't necessarily have got everybody's suspicions up.
This is a president who is also seeking to weaponize the Justice Department against his enemies. You know, he's on a very authoritarian march. He has
just announced that ahead of the 250th anniversary of the American revolution next year, his administration is going to go through all the
Smithsonian museums in Washington to make sure that the, exhibits and the wording around them, comports with what he views as the correct idea of
American history.
Today, he was at the Kennedy Center, a cultural center in Washington, D.C., which presidents usually go up to once or twice a year for a performance.
And the annual honorees, but which Trump has now taken over. And he's decided to purge it of what he calls woke influences.
So, a lot of these things are coming together. The common denominator on everything is that Trump is trying to enter almost every corner of American
life and impose his power.
FOSTER: Yeah. What did you make of his selection there of those honorees as he described them? Because this is, you know, people outside the U.S. may
not understand what a national institution, cultural institution, the Kennedy Center is. He's effectively defining who the national cultural hero
should be, right?
COLLINSON: Right. He chose people like Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford, the British musical singer who's famous for a lot of
Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Phantom of the Opera. He was also in Barnum in the 1980s.
I think, and there's been quite a lot of condescending coverage of this, I think, from established media, you could say in the United States, perhaps
some of these people are the typical Kennedy Center honorees. Some people might consider them somewhat more lowbrow and populist. The glam rock band
Kiss was also included on Trump's list. But this, there's a -- there's a lot of interesting politics behind this. Trump's MAGA voters in the
heartland have long believed that there that liberals have taken over the arts, that they've pushed the arts too much to the left, that that becomes
an expression of liberal thought. And they feel alienated.
[15:15:02]
Trump has seized on to this, and I think that he actually welcomes the condescension of some of the reaction to his choices, because that empowers
him. It binds him closer to his base.
So, this is not just a power move by Trump. It's a very interesting way in which he's trying to shift the culture, I think, backwards to the right
towards more traditional American values that a lot of his people would perceive.
And, you know, it's a redress. These voters see it as redressing the balance.
FOSTER: Yeah. Never underestimate him.
Stephen Collinson, thank you so much for that.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
FOSTER: Still to come, fierce strikes on Gaza City as Israel's military chief approves the main concept of a plan to dramatically expand the war.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Israel is carrying out fierce strikes on Gaza City ahead of a threatened plan to take it over and relocate its 1 million people into
camps in southern Gaza. Israel's military says the IDF chief of staff approved the plans. Main concept it could bring Israel closer to fully
occupying Gaza for the first time in years.
The Palestinian U.N. ambassador spoke last hour to CNN about the takeover plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIYAD MANSOUR, PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: So we don't know exactly what Prime Minister Netanyahu is talking about other than the continuation
of killing Palestinians children and women, starving them to death and continuing to commit these crimes against our people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Israel is facing increasing pressure to end the war in Gaza from countries lining up to recognize a Palestinian state. New Zealand is
amongst those considering the move. Its prime minister is accusing Israel of ignoring the world's demands.
[15:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER LUXON, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: What's happening in Gaza is utterly, utterly appalling. I think Netanyahu has gone way too far. I think
he has lost the plot, and I think that, you know, what we're seeing overnight with the attack on Gaza City is utterly, utterly unacceptable.
And that's what we have been calling for as international community now for a long period of time. He is not listening to the international community,
and that is unacceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: I'm joined now by Gideon Levy, a columnist with the Israeli daily newspaper "Haaretz".
Obviously, the language coming from many of Israels allies, you know, key international players like New Zealand has been getting stronger and
stronger. But that was pretty extraordinary, wasn't it, to say that Netanyahu has lost the plot? Not very diplomatic.
GIDEON LEVY, COLUMNIST, HAARETZ: Yes. Not very diplomatic, but also not very effective because not only because New Zealand is the most great
country in the world, but also because talkings are talking as long as the world does not take any measures, Israel can handle on Netanyahu can handle
the condemnations the criticism, even the recognition of a Palestinian state. Those are lip services. And that's not the way to stop the war.
FOSTER: There is this grouping, isn't there? Some of the European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Canada that's really forming to try to
put pressure on Israel.
Do you think it's ever going to get to the point to have actual pressure on Israel, or does the United States just have to be the one to lead that?
LEVY: I wonder why is it so hard to take real measures with the Russia invading Ukraine? It took few weeks and the E.U. took measures. South
Africa's regime fall because of measures, not because of condemnations. And when it comes to Israel, the West is trying all kinds of ways to bypass
real measures, and therefore it will not be effective.
I understand that Europe is pale and very passive and quite scared of Donald Trump, but this will not end the genocide. Talkings will not end it.
FOSTER: In terms of Donald Trump's movements on this, do you think he's just going to carry on and allow many of his key allies to get more and
more upset with what's happening? In Gaza and not change his tone or his policy towards Israel?
LEVY: So, first of all, as you know better than me, Donald Trump is unexpected. It's already a cliche. And he can say one thing today and do
the opposite tomorrow. My feeling is that he gave Israel a green light now. But not unlimited in time.
If Israel will succeed, so to say, I don't see any possible success here, but if it will succeed in its outrageous plan to conquer Gaza, to push the
population to the south, and maybe then to transfer them to some other countries, if it will work, he might support it. If it will fail, then he
might change his mind. But in any case, right now Israel has at least the coming weeks, maybe coming months, a freedom to do whatever it wants. And
I'm not sure those are good news.
FOSTER: Okay, Gideon Levy, thank you so much.
Well, the U.S.-Russia summit is just days away now. There's still no meeting between Ukraine and Russia. After the break, what it'll take for
that to happen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:27:17]
FOSTER: U.S. President Donald Trump warns Russia will face severe consequences if it doesn't agree to end the war in Ukraine. These comments
from president Trump come just days before a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting will only be between those two leaders.
However, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country needs to eventually be involved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENSKYY: Everything about Ukraine will be discussed with Ukraine. We have to get prepared for a three-sided format of the conversation. There should
be a ceasefire first, then security guarantees, real security guarantees. And by the way, President Trump expressed his support for that. Also among
those principles, Russia cannot have a veto as to European or NATO perspectives against Ukraine. We have to combine the negotiations with
pressure against Russia. Sanctions should be strengthened if Russia will not agree to a ceasefire in Alaska.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The leaders of Britain, France and Germany have made clear to president Trump their conditions for ending the war. The so-called
Coalition of the Willing spoke with Mr. Trump ahead of his meeting with Vladimir Putin. They reiterated that further negotiations can only take
place during a ceasefire. Sanctions should be imposed on Russia if it doesn't agree to a ceasefire. Borders must not be changed by force and
Ukraine must receive security guarantees.
Nick Paton Walsh is in Kyiv.
Presumably the U.S. is listening to that, Nick. And if Donald Trump is listening to that, we're really talking about a ceasefire being agreed on
Friday, right?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Ultimately, that has been the European and Ukrainian goal for a number of
months, and something that Putin has resisted. Whether it is ultimately the kind of binary thing that President Donald Trump needs to get from his
Alaska bilateral with President Putin. We don't know.
He has said, yes, there will be very serious consequences if there isn't some kind of move towards peace, but that could be another meeting to
discuss peace. He held out the possibility of an almost immediate meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy or Trump. Putin and Zelenskyy together, the
trilateral format, something Ukraine offered back in May that Putin -- Trump supported, that Putin rejected.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz saying that there could be serious decisions made in Alaska, somewhat a change in tone around this meeting
after the call with the Europeans and Zelenskyy and Trump virtual as it was. Zelenskyy flew to Berlin to be by Merz's side for it.
Trump had called this a listening exercise, or a spokesperson did, at the White House yesterday. Now he's talking about serious consequences and also
holding out the possibility that he's not really sure whether Putin really wants genuinely a peace.
[15:30:03]
These very serious consequences, what could they be? Well, secondary sanctions, he threatened, just a matter of over a week ago. Now, that kind
of evaporated. It seems to be back now. A European official I spoke to familiar with the call with Trump and European leaders said that they felt
the threat is on, quote, that secondary sanctions, particularly those against India, which this official said obviously had an effect on Russian
thinking that they are potentially part of consequences if Putin doesn't edge towards a peace.
But look, the timing here is utterly vital. We're already seeing Russian forces making significant gains, almost turning incremental moves forward
into something more strategic, in the days and the weeks previous to. And so, Putin is clearly buying time here. Whether he's really concerned about
upsetting India and China, we don't know.
Just before you joined us, Max, the sirens went off again here in Kyiv. There have been noticeably quiet over the past weeks that may or may not be
connected to the uptick in Trump's diplomacy here, but there are deep concerns in Ukraine that something unpredictable could happen between Trump
and Putin, that Putin could play his usual ability to convince Trump to go closer to the Russian narrative. And that could leave Europe and Ukraine in
the phone calls that Trump says he'll make afterwards, reeling to try and reconcile or dissuade Trump from continuing a path set by the Kremlin --
Max.
FOSTER: Nick, thank you.
Moscow dismissing todays virtual talks as insignificant, a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson accused European leaders of sabotaging the diplomatic
efforts of Russia and the United States ahead of that Friday summit between President Putin and Trump. He also rejected the idea that Russia and
Ukraine must swap territory in order to reach a peace agreement.
Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow.
I mean, we're hearing a lot from Europe. We're hearing a bit from the U.S. were not hearing an awful lot about how Russia is going into this.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, we're not hearing almost anything at all, Max. It's actually a very significant
point. You just mentioned that there was a foreign ministry spokesman who said some of those things, but the Kremlin has essentially been silent
since last Friday. That was when they confirmed that this meeting between President Trump and Vladimir Putin was going to take place, and that it was
going to take place in Alaska. Since then, there hasn't been anything official, but certainly the words from the foreign ministry spokesman today
did seem to be very significant.
The Russians once again making clear that for them, this summit, on the one hand, obviously is about Ukraine, the conflict in Ukraine and how the
conflict in Ukraine can be solved. But they also talk about accumulated issues between the United States and Russia, which means they want to talk
about a broad array of topics. One of the most important of them, of course, is a possible reset in relations between Russia and the United
States. The Russians are already talking about possible sanctions relief, and of course, also talking about offering up possible business agreements
between the United States and Russia, for instance, in the Arctic, as far as commodities are concerned. But in other areas also as well.
And you mentioned the fact that the Russian foreign ministry spokesman seemed to pour cold water on one of the things that President Trump is
saying is that there would be a swap in territory. What that foreign ministry spokesman said was that Russia's territory is enshrined in its
Constitution. Now, one of the things that the Russians did when this conflict started in 2022 is the Russians declared that those four regions
that right now a lot of people are speaking about, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk, that they consider those to be part of Russia in their
entirety, in their administrative borders.
So, it's unclear whether or not the Russians are going to demand that the Ukrainians vacate all of that area, whether there is going to be some sort
of swap or whether or not Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, is willing to compromise at all.
And one of the things that Nick just said, I think is extremely important, because the fact that the Russians have been making gains on the ground is
really playing very big here in Moscow, in Russian state media. And the message seems to be very clear where the Russians are saying that Putin
right now has the momentum on his side. He has victories on the battlefield, on his side to show for it, and that that is also going to
give him a lot of momentum going into those talks with U.S. President Donald Trump to then make a case to get some of what he wants out of the
summit.
The Russians have not yet commented whether or not they think any sort of agreements can be made. We know, of course, that the U.S. president has
said that its more a feel out summit as he put it, but certainly the Russians definitely taking all of this very, very seriously and themselves
saying that right now for them, every word that is said is obviously one that could be very important down the line, Max.
FOSTER: Fred Pleitgen, thank you.
The godfather of artificial intelligence has a new warning. In short, A.I. models have a maternal instinct or risk it wiping out humanity, would you
believe? The warning comes from Geoffrey Hinton? He's a pioneer of artificial intelligence.
[15:35:01]
He believes developers need to make sure A.I. models genuinely care about humans the way a parent cares about their child, rather than trying to make
sure humans remain dominant over the technology. What we don't know is how do we stop artificial intelligence from destroying humanity?
Clare Duffy is with us.
I mean, it sounds like an extreme and an emotional question, but I think what you know, this, you know, this godfather really of A.I. was suggesting
was that if things carry on as they are, then humans could be sort of cut out of the loop effectively by A.I.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yeah, Max, I think that's right. I mean, a very casual Wednesday question is A.I. going to wipe out humanity? But
Geoffrey Hinton is one of the original and leading voices in this space. He has been warning about these sorts of existential risks around A.I. since
he decided to leave Google two years ago.
And now, he's really sort of taking aim at the tech bros, as he calls them, who are leading A.I. companies right now, who he says are taking the wrong
approach to A.I. safety by trying to ensure that humans can dominate A.I. systems. Instead, in Hinton's mind, if A.I. systems become smarter than
humans, as many people predict they will, he says basically that they'll be able to manipulate us, he says. There's a 10 to 20 percent chance that A.I.
could wipe out humanity, that AI. could control humans as easily as a parent can manipulate a three-year-old candy or three-year-old child with
candy.
And these are the sorts of things that he's warning about and the reason why he thinks that A.I. systems need to be trained to have a maternal
instinct so that they care about humans, even if they become smarter and more powerful than us.
I want to just give you a listen of some comments that he made during this A.I. event yesterday in Las Vegas. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEOFFREY HINTON, "GODFATHER OF A.I.": I think people have been looking at this all wrong. So people have been saying -- because they're tech bros,
they've been saying, we have to stay in control of these A.I.s, we've somehow got to be stronger than them. Weve got to be dominant and they've
got to be submissive.
That's not going to work. They're going to be much smarter than us. They're going to have all sorts of ways of getting around that.
So, we need to reframe this problem. It's not that we have to be stronger than them in staying control of them. We have to make it so that when
they're more powerful than us and smarter than us, they still care about us.
So the right model is the only model we have of a more intelligent thing, being controlled by a less intelligent thing, which is a mother being
controlled by her baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DUFFY: But, Max, I think the challenge here is Hinton doesn't necessarily have any sense of how exactly how technically the A.I. companies could be
training their models to have that maternal instinct.
FOSTER: Okay, Clare Duffy, thank you. Fascinating.
At this hour, dozens of Mexican cartel members are sitting in a U.S. jail. We'll tell you about the rare agreement with Mexico that landed them there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:41:10]
FOSTER: Mexico has turned over 26 high ranking cartel members to U.S. authorities as part of a new deal with the Trump administration aimed at
increasing pressure on major drug trafficking networks. Amongst those now in U.S. custody are the leaders of the Jalisco new generation cartel, which
the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization and a suspect accused of killing a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy.
Valeria Leon is live from Mexico City for us -- Valeria.
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Max.
Well, the Mexican government said today, just a few hours ago, it decided to hand over 26 high ranking cartel members to the U.S. because they
continued operating their criminal organizations from inside Mexican prisons. This was revealed today by security secretary Omar Garcia
Harfouche during a press conference in Mexico City. And this morning, while it's no secret what Mexican prisons can be, a school of crime, this
prominence of the criminals sent to the U.S. raises questions about cartel operations in the country.
Also, Mexican authorities confirmed today that it was for security reasons that they've decided to send these criminals to the U.S., along with
meeting Trump administration demands. So, marking this marks a way or of security relations between the U.S. and Mexico. And this extraditions to
the U.S. may alarm drug kingpins in Mexico because they are used to the corruption of the country's prisons. However, there is no indication that
any of this has had any real impact on the cartels business. The suspects were flown north Tuesday, and this move, Max, came in lockstep with ongoing
negotiations between the two countries in the midst of near-constant tariff hike, threats from the U.S. on Mexican exports.
While Mexico has managed to fend off the latest round of tariffs by a month and a half, it's now taking a more cooperative stance in response to
pressure from the White House. Even the U.S. embassy in Mexico emphasized that this new transfer of criminals marked a new era for U.S.-Mexico
relations. The U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, put out a message thanking Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum yesterday, saying that he's
deeply grateful to President Sheinbaum and her administration for demonstrating determination in the fight against organized crime.
Meanwhile, yesterday, the U.S. government updated its travel warning for Mexico and its citizens to stay away or use caution in 30 out of the 32
Mexican states due to serious security issues, including terrorism, Max. This is something that we haven't seen before. Using this word in this type
of warnings.
So, this latest round of extraditions opens a new chapter of Mexican collaboration with the U.S. though concern is growing here that this may
only increase the Trump administration for further concessions from Mexico. -- Max.
FOSTER: Valeria, thank you.
Now, glacial outbursts set a new record in the state of Alaska. A wave of water has been rushing out of glacier near the capital city and sending a
river surging to record breaking levels. The enormous amount of water from melting snow, ice and recent rainfall led to evacuation orders as water
started to pool in some neighborhoods there.
Let's bring in Stephanie Elam.
[15:45:02]
I mean, it's amazing how much water is produced here.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and this is just another sign, Max, that the globe is warming because this is what we've seen there
Augusts in a row at this Pacific glacier. That is just about ten miles outside of Juneau in Alaska, where we have seen this sort of outbreak of
water happening from this glacier.
And what has happened is that there's a base and it's called suicide basin, which is where part of the glacier used to be. And now during the cold
months, it's collecting snow and ice and all kinds of other little debris may be in there as well. And eventually as things start to warm up and it
gets more water in there with the rain, it goes over the side of its ice bound -- sides, I should say.
And so that water is what's coming out, what's seeping out as it's just so much warmer there than it has been. And that water is now threatening down
to Juneau. You see this map here? That's the Mendenhall glacier there, and its coming around the side and curving around that area there, where about
a thousand people and businesses reside in that part of Juneau.
Now, the good news is that it has crested already and that water is starting to go back down here. But still, it is of concern through
Thursday, what this could mean. But Wednesday, just Wednesday alone, it rose seven feet in 24 hours. Just imagine how scary that is, knowing that's
just up above you.
Just last year, they put in these flood barriers because they have seen this happening more and more and more. And so they're hoping to keep some
of that water away. But still they've declared an emergency there. And they're also telling people what they say to evacuate, to get out, that
they want people to do this and to not take it as something that they could perhaps get away from, because like I was saying, it's not just water.
There's also trees in there. There may be some rocks in there.
This water is moving swiftly and it's taking a lot of things with it, but it looks like the overall cresting is done, but still, three Augusts in a
row, Max. That gives you an idea of how things are changing because of human-induced climate change. And using all these fossil fuels for as many
years as we have been.
FOSTER: Yeah, I'm just imagining what it's like living there in those houses there.
Stephanie, thank you so much for bringing us that.
Typhoon Podul has made landfall in mainland China's Fujian province. Earlier today, it struck southeastern Taiwan, injuring at least 33 people
and leaving one missing before losing strength as it moved across the Taiwan Strait. The storm is expected to continue to weaken as it travels
inland from Chinas southeastern coast, but heavy rains over the next three days raise risks of landslides and flooding there.
Now you've got to catch them all. That's the slogan for Pokemon. But in Japan, it seems that's causing a big mess. We'll tell you why after the
break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:27]
FOSTER: Limited edition Pokemon cards at McDonalds have sparked an outcry in Japan after fans started dumping their Happy Meals on the streets. Many
bought the meals just to get the cards, ignoring the food entirely. The promotion was canceled just hours after it launched on Saturday, as litter
and food waste piled up. The Happy Meal in Japan cost less than $4 in most places, but the cards were being sold on eBay for up to $28, rising as
well. Pretty fast as well.
So what we want to know is why are these Pokemon cards so valuable?
Joining me now Steve Saremi, he's the man to ask. He's a full time Pokemon trainer and host of the podcast, "It's Super Effective".
Thank you so much for joining us. Just explain why they're so in demand, these cards.
STEVE SARUMI, TWITCH STREAMER: I think -- I think Pokemon cards in general are very liquid. I think they're very easy to get and then turn around and
then resell very quickly. So, that's kind of been the deal with Pokemon cards, probably for a long time, but more so in recent times.
FOSTER: They didn't have some particularly special ones. Or I mean, what was special about the McDonald's ones?
SARUMI: The ones that were at McDonalds were exclusive to the McDonalds, so you could only get them there. So, for somebody to just order a $4 happy
meal and then, you know, sell that card for $28. And I think it is correct that that card is only going to go up in price. So, the demand -- the
demand is very high for that specific card because people, people like the t rare card only Japan -- only McDonald's.
FOSTER: Yeah. But would it happen in, you know, if they did this in the U.S., do you think it would be a similar effect or is it uniquely Japanese,
this madness?
SARUMI: I don't think it's uniquely Japanese. I think the card art is very cute. I think it's one of the cutest cards they've made in a long time.
Obviously, American McDonald's and U.K. McDonald's, they get Pokemon cards from time to time and, it kind of depends whether people are interested or
not. But I think this specific card is just the demand is there for, for this artwork, for this card, for this character.
FOSTER: If you were in Japan and you were offered one of these Happy Meals, what would be the right thing to do?
SARUMI: With the right thing to do? I mean, I wanted the card. I wanted the card pretty badly as well.
My -- I have a friend who lives in Japan and she tried to get the card as well, and she couldn't just, you know, as a as a native citizen in Japan,
she couldn't get the card because of the scalpers and because of the issue.
I'm surprised that they canceled it after a couple hours, but I think, I don't know, I think the only option is if you like, if you really want it,
you have to kind of go to eBay to buy prices. I -- I don't know if Pokemon is going to do anything to remedy the solution. They have in the past.
There was an Amsterdam promotion that went kind of just as bad as this, and it took them a couple months, but they remedied it, remedied it the best
they could. But I don't -- I don't know if there's, I don't know if there's a solution for this one.
FOSTER: I think the issue people have is that I guess you should eat the meal. I guess if you get the card, I guess, that's what I'm getting at.
SARUMI: Yeah. No, I can't stand food waste. I -- there was -- it was around the time of COVID, there was a Pokemon distribution at McDonald's. And I
did see I did see some youtubers buy a bunch of the Happy Meals. And then they proceeded to take the Happy Meals to a local shelter. I don't know how
sanitary that was, but at least giving the food to somebody who might need it is a way better solution than just leaving it to pile up at the
McDonald's, which I'm sure people have seen pictures of, just like food waste piling up as people just took the cards out and left.
FOSTER: Yeah, I mean, I think that's the -- that would help a lot, wouldn't it? But it's been brilliant publicity for Pokemon and it's been going on
for years, as you say.
Steve, thank you so much for joining us. Sorry you didn't get one. I'm sure you will at some point.
SARUMI: Thank you for having me.
FOSTER: A new take on a classic game, meanwhile, attracting the Gen Z crowd here in London.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
FOSTER: It looks and sounds like a nightclub with loud music, colorful drinks, lots of youthful energy, as you can see, but they're actually
playing bingo. We know bingo has long been popular with the older crowd, of course, but now almost half of the new bingo fans in the U.K. are under 35.
Thanks to nights like this.
And finally, stargazers gathered at an observatory in the Balkans to watch the brilliant annual meteor shower known as the Perseids.
[15:55:03]
Time lapse footage captured dozens of bright meteors, leaving long streaks in the sky.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TORNISLAVA DVORNIK, VISITOR: So my husband, daughter and I came here to the observatory to take a look at this phenomenon, and we saw about a dozen
stars. I made a wish. But for now, let's keep it a secret.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Make a dozen wishes, don't you? The meteors appear to shoot out from the constellation of Perseus at the peak last night, happening after
the conjunction of the two brightest planets in our solar system, Venus and Jupiter.
If you missed this week's phenomenon, your next chance to see meteors should come in early October. So, nail it down.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW.
"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" next.
END
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