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CNN Transcripts for August 18, 2025

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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
• Trump, Trying to Arrange A Meeting Between Putin And Zelenskyy; Trump Pauses Talks With Zelenskyy, Euro Leaders To Call Putin; Joint Chiefs Chairman And His Staff Working Through Potential Security Guarantees For Ukraine; Zelenskyy Says He Had A Long Discussion With Trump Over Map Showing Russian-Occupied Territories; Russia Rejects "Any Scenarios" Involving Appearance Of NATO Troops In Ukraine; Tropical Storm Watch Issued For NC Coast. Aired 8-9p ET


Amanpour
• Did Not Air, 1:00-2pm ET


CNN's The Arena with Kasie Hunt
• Now: Trump, Zelenskyy, & European Leaders Meet At White House. Aired 4-5p ET


The Lead with Jake Tapper
• President Trump And President Zelenskyy, European Leaders, Meeting In The White House Today; President Trump To Talk With President Putin After The Meeting; Rep. Comer Says DOJ Will Start Sharing Epstein Records On Friday; Trump Touts Show Of Force, D.C.'s Mayor Expresses Frustration; Forecasters Warn Of Life-Threatening Surf And Rip Currents. Aired 5-6p ET
• Source Says, Trump Paused Meeting With Zelenskyy And European Leaders To Speak With Putin; Trump Questions Whether Ukraine Ceasefire Is Necessary; Trump Says, I Started Plans For Meeting Between Putin And Zelenskyy; Tariffs Overwhelm Virginia Tea Shop Reliant On Global Imports; "Ketamine Queen" Accused of Selling Fatal Dose To Matthew Perry Agrees To Plead Guilty. Aired 6-7p ET


CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip
• Putin And Zelenskyy May Meet, Trump Open To Sending U.S. Troops; Trump Walks Back Ceasefire Demand After Putin Chat; Trump Signals U.S. Open To Security Guarantees For Ukraine; Trump Plays A Throwback Declaring To Lead A Movement Eliminating Mail-In Ballots. Aired 10-11p ET


CNN News Central
• Trump Ratchets Up Pressure on Zelenskyy Ahead of Key White House Meeting Today; Storm Threatens Dangerous Rip Currents, Waves Along East Coast; Scheffler Wins BMW Championship for Fifth Victory in 2025. Aired 7-7:30a ET
• Trump Ratchets Up Pressure On Zelenskyy Ahead Of Key White House Meeting Today; Texas And California Set To Push Forward In Redistricting Fight; Manhunt Underway After 3 Killed, 9 Hurt In Brooklyn Lounge Shooting. Aired 7:30-8a ET
• Zelenskyy Returns to White House Today After Disastrous February Visit; Trump Pressures Zelenskyy to Cede Territory to End War; Key Europe and Leaders to Join Trump, Zelenskyy for White House Meeting; Former Attorney General Barr to Testify Before House Committee on Epstein Case. Aired 8-8:30a ET
• Three GOP-Led States Sending National Guard Troops To DC; Zelenskyy: Russia Must End The War It Started; Israel-Hamas War; Trump's Trade War. Aired 8:30-9a ET
• Trump Ratchets Up Pressure on Zelenskyy; Key Putin Aide Shares Trump Post; Trump Says Zelenskyy Should Give Up Crimea; Storm Threatens East Coast; Three GOP-Led States Send in National Guard. Aired 9-9:30a ET
• Cecilia Agular-Curry is Interviewed about the Redistricting Fight; Trump Ratchets up Pressure on Zelenskyy; Court Hears Challenges to Florida Detention Site. Aired 9:30-10a ET
• Trump Hosts Zelenskyy at White House. Aired 1-1:30p ET
• Trump Holds Meeting With Zelenskyy in the Oval Office; Trump Doesn't Rule Out Sending U.S. Troops to Ukraine for Security; I Don't Think You Need a Ceasefire in Ukraine Says President Trump; Zelenskyy Says Rearming Ukraine and Strengthening Its Military Will Be Part of Security Guarantees; Trump Says He Will Telephone Putin Right After Meeting With Zelenskyy. Aired 1:30-2p ET
• Trump Hosts Zelenskyy After Summit With Putin; European Leaders Join Zelenskyy for Trump Meeting; Trump Says He'll Have Trilateral Meeting With Zelenskyy and Putin if Everything Works Out Well Today. Aired 2-2:30p ET
• Trump, Zelenskyy Meeting at White House; Trump Host European Leaders and Zelenskyy at White House. Aired 2:30-3p ET
• Trump Hosts European Leaders & Zelensky At White House. Aired 3-3:30p ET
• Trump Meeting with Zelenskyy, European Leaders. Aired 3:30-4p ET


CNN Newsroom
• Trump to Meet with Zelenskyy, European Leaders on Monday; Israelis Hold Nationwide Strike to Demand a Hostage Deal; Spain Battles at Least 14 Wildfires Over the Weekend; U.S. Farmers Aim to Compete as Tariffs Target Coffee Imports. Aired 12-1a ET
• European Leaders To Join Ukraine's Zelenskyy For Meeting With Trump; Israel's Growing Frustration Over The War In Gaza Erupts In Nationwide Protests; Erin Re-Intensifies Into Category 4 Hurricane; Spain Battles At Least 14 Wildfires Over The Weekend; Spain Battles At Least 14 Wildfires Over The Weekend; Trump, Zelenskyy To Meet At White House On Monday; Bolivia's Presidential Election Heads To First-Ever Runoff; Flight Attendants Defy Back-To-Work Order; California Hosts Multi-Event Pokemon World Championship. Aired 1-2a ET
• President Trump Set to Meet with President Zelenskyy on Monday; President Putin Agrees to NATO-style Security Protections for Ukraine; Palestinians Flee Ahead of Israel's Planned Take Over of Gaza Strip; Nationwide Strike in Israel for Hostage Release; Three Republican-led States to Send National Guard to Washington; Outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease in New York; Key European Leaders To Joint Zelenskyy For White House Meeting; Hurricane Erin Intensifies To A Category 4 Storm; Tomorrow: Hearing Over Legality Of "Alligator Alcatraz"; ICE Transfer Flights Now Becoming Harder To Track. Aired 2-3a ET
• Trump, Zelenskyy Meets Again At The White House With European Leaders; Israeli Protesters Demand Return Of Hostages Despite Gaza's Looming Takeover; Hurricane Erin Traverses Puerto Rico. Aired 3-4a ET


CNN This Morning
• Today: Trump Hosts Zelenskyy after Putin Summit; Trump May Ease U.S. Federal Rules on Marijuana. Aired 6-6:30a ET
• Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-MD) is Interviewed about Protests in Israel; California Pushes for New Map; John Bolton is Interviewed about Ukraine; New Leaked Audio from Israeli Military Intel Chief; Sandwich Becomes Symbol of D.C. Defiance. Aired 6:30-7a ET


Connect the World
• Trump & Zelenskyy Meet Days After Trump-Putin Summit; Ukrainians Bury War Victims as Zelenskyy Heads to White House; Trump Pressures Zelenskyy to Agree to Terms, End War; Egyptian FM, Palestinian PMVisit Egyptian Side of Rafah Crossing; Arsenal Beat Man United 1-0 to Open Title Campaign. Aired 9-9:45a ET
• Russia Attacks Ukraine Again As Volodymyr Zelenskyy Heads To White House; Russian Media Ramps Up Attacks On Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Donald Trump's Social Media Post Puts Pressure On Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Egyptian Foreign Minister Talks To CNN About Gaza, Aid And Displacement; Massive Protests In Israel Demand Hostage Deal; United States Suspends Visitor Visas For Palestinians From Gaza; Texas Democrats Returning To State After 15 Days Away; Runoff Presidential Election Set To Take Place On October 19. Aired 10-11a ET


Erin Burnett Outfront
• Kremlin: Putin, Trump Had "Candid" 40-Min Call Amid Zelenskyy Meeting; 1,000 More Guard Troops Deployed To D.C. Amid Trump Crackdown; Monica Lewinsky On Her New Mission Based On Unlikely Friendship. Aired 7-8p ET


Early Start with Rahel Solomon
• Trump, Zelenskyy to Meet at White House in Hours Ahead; Trump Puts Federal Agents, National Guard On D.C. Streets; U.S. Judge to Hold Hearing Monday Over Notorious Florida Migrant Detention Center; Funeral for Ukrainian Soldier ahead of Trump-Zelenskyy Talks. Aired 4- 4:30a ET
• Trump and Zelenskyy to Meet at White House in Hours Ahead; Gallup Poll: Most Ukrainians Want a Negotiated End to War; U.S. Suspends Visitor Visas for Palestinians from Gaza; U.S. Farmers Aim to Compete as Tariffs Target Coffee Imports. Aired 4:30-5a ET
• Zelenskyy to Meet Trump Today in Washington D.C.; U.S. Suspends Visas for Palestinians from Gaza; Israelis Hold Nationwide Strike to Demand a Hostage Deal. Aired 5-5:30a ET
• Key European Leaders To Join Zelenskyy For White House Meeting; Hurricane Erin Intensifies To A Category 4 Storm; Florida Migrant Detention Center Facing Two Lawsuits. Aired 5:30-6a ET


Inside Politics
• Soon: European Leaders Arrive For WH Meeting With Trump, Zelenskyy; Happening Now: European Leaders Arrive At White House. Aired 12-12:30p ET
• European Leaders Arrive At White House; Zelenskyy To Arrive At White House Any Moment for Historic Meeting. Aired 12:30-1p ET


Isa Soares Tonight
• Trump Hosts Zelenskyy and European Leaders at WH; Russia attacks Ukraine again as Zelenskyy heads to WH. Aired 2:00-3p ET


Laura Coates Live
• Trump Floats Potential Putin-Zelenskyy Meeting; Trump Vows to End Mail-In Voting Nationwide; Bill Barr Testifies in Congressional Epstein Probe; ESPN Scraps Spike Lee's Kaepernick Doc Over "Creative Differences." Aired 11p-12a ET


One World with Zain Asher
• Russia Attacks Ukraine Again as Zelenskyy Heads to White House; Trump's Social Media Post Puts Pressure on Zelenskyy; Israelis Stage Nationwide Strike to Demand Hostage Deal; Spain Battles At Least 20 Wildfires; China Wraps Three-Day World Humanoid Robot Games. Aired 11-12a ET
• Any Moment: Trump To Welcome E.U. Leaders To The White House; Zelenskyy: Russia Hit Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia And Sumy Monday; European Leaders Arrive At White House; Soon: Trump To Welcome Zelenskyy To The White House; Aired 12-1p ET
• Trump to Welcome Zelenskyy to the White House; Zelenskyy Arrives at the White House; Trump Hosts Zelenskyy at White House. Aired 1-2p ET


Quest Means Business
• Trump Hosts Zelenskyy, European Leaders At White House; Trump Says He Plans To Phone Putin After Talks; Russia And Ukraine Trade Attacks As Trump Pushes Diplomacy; Potential Land Swaps Key Issues In Negotiations; Donald Trump Hosts Volodymyr Zelenskyy And European Leaders At White House. Aired 4-5p ET


The Situation Room
• Key European Leaders Will Join Zelenskyy at White House; ACLU Sues Trump Administration Over Facility Marketed as Alligator Alcatraz; Former Attorney General Barr Testifies on Epstein Case to House Panel. Aired 10-10:30a ET
• Key European Leaders Will Join Zelenskyy At White House; Nationwide Strike, Protests As Israelis Demand Hostage Deal; Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Is Interviewed About Zelenskyy With Europeans In D.C. After Trump-Putin Summit. Aired 11-11:30a ET
• Key European Will Join Zelenskyy at WH: Hearing Over Legal Authority of FL Detention Center; ACLU Sues Trump administration; Draft of MAHA Report Forgoes Aggressive Action on Pesticides and Processed Foods. Aired 10:30-11a ET
• U.S. Coffee Farmers Hope For Boost; Trump Hosts Zelenskyy at White House; Brooklyn Shooting. Aired 11:30a-12p ET


The Source with Kaitlan Collins
• Trump Claims He's Setting Up Meeting Between Putin & Zelenskyy; Trump Moves To Get Rid Of Mail-In Ballots & Voting Machines; California Dems Kick Off Sprint To Redraw Congressional Maps. Aired 9- 10p ET


The Brief with Jim Sciutto
• CNN International: Trump Meets with Zelensky and European Leaders; Trump Pauses Meeting to Call Putin; Russia Attacks Ukraine Again as Zelenskyy Visits WH; Mourners Gather in Kyiv for Soldier's Funeral; Ukraine Detects Takeoff of Two Russian Strategic Bombers; Hamas Agrees to Ceasefire Proposal; Massive Israeli Protests as the IDF Readies Gaza Offensive. Aired 6-7p ET


What We Know with Max Foster
• Trump Hosting Zelenskyy, European Leaders At White House. Aired 3-4p ET