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Genetically Modified Pig Lung Transplanted into Brain-Dead Man; Israel Kills at Least 20, Including 5 Journalists, at Gaza Hospital; Orlando Officials Condemn Removal of Pulse Rainbow Crosswalk. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired August 25, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: ... the pig had six modifications so that it would be a more compatible organ donor for a human. Without these edits, the organ would be almost automatically rejected. In the second step, the scientist surgically transplanted that pig's lung into a 39-year-old man who was declared brain dead after he had bleeding in the brain.

In the third step, scientists closely monitored the lung's functioning after it was transplanted. And the scientists noticed there was severe swelling that developed about 24 hours after the surgery. And a few days later, there were some signs of the body rejecting the lung.

By day nine, the experiment was terminated. That was at the request of the man's family. But over those nine days, scientists say the lung itself was viable, and it was functioning.

So the study demonstrates a major first step in making pig-to-human lung transplantation a possibility. More studies are needed before we see this type of surgery happening among the public. The scientists, they're based in China, and they wrote this in their study.

Quote, This study demonstrates the feasibility of pig-to-human lung xenotransplantation. Substantial challenges relating to organ rejection and infection remain. End quote.

So again, more research is needed to see what long-term supports and medications would help make this type of xenotransplantation successful over a longer period of time.

Now, there have been separate studies on using pig hearts and pig kidneys in humans, and pig valves have been transplanted into human hearts for the past 30 years. We know that pig organs are anatomically similar to ours, plus we know a lot about pigs medically and scientifically.

Pig products already go into dozens of life-saving drugs and medications, and they are a big part of agriculture. So this is definitely a growing space in medicine to watch. And we know there is a growing need.

More than 103,000 people in the U.S. are currently waiting for an organ transplant, and despite that need, last year, just 48,000 transplants occurred. It's estimated, sadly, in the U.S., about 13 people die a day waiting for a transplant. So the potential when it comes to xenotransplantation is a major, major area of research right now in medicine and science.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Jacqueline Howard, thank you for that report.

Still to come, growing outrage over Israel's attack today in Gaza, the IDF reportedly killing at least 20 people, including journalists and medical workers, in back-to-back strikes on a hospital.

[14:35:00]

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KEILAR: Israel facing fierce condemnation today after launching back- to-back strikes on a hospital in Gaza, killing five journalists, as well as medical workers and others.

The health ministry says at least 20 people were killed in the attacks on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The first strike hit a balcony on the fourth floor used by reporters for an elevated view of the area, followed by a second attack a short time later that hit ambulance crews and emergency responders who had rushed to the scene.

Israel's military confirms it carried out a strike in the area of the hospital. It denies targeting journalists.

I'm joined now by Hagar Chemali, a former spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the U.N. I just wonder, as the Israeli attacks hit this balcony that was used by reporters for this elevated view of the city, the IDF is saying it does not target journalists as such. The military chief has instructed an initial inquiry to be opened as soon as possible.

What are you making of this response?

HAGAR CHEMALI, FORMER SPOKESPERSON FOR U.S. MISSION TO THE U.N.: Sure. So we need to take a step back a little bit because this hospital is not really functioning as a hospital. It's been taken over by Qasem Brigades, which is Hamas's military wing. That is a well documented fact. Hamas works there. They have taken hostages and kept them there.

And this hospital in particular has been the target of at least four strikes or raids by the IDF. And what we know as well, by the way, in terms of facts, and I think it's really important to state this, is that the IDF was targeting a Hamas lookout and CCTV camera that was being installed on the rooftop of this hospital that was being used to look out -- to look on or monitor IDF movements. And so that's what was being targeted.

And videos show that a target was struck on the corner of this hospital. Now, why there was a second shelling that struck the staircase that you mentioned, we don't know yet. And so I don't want to speculate as to why there was a second shelling without an investigation that has been promised by the IDF at least.

But I will tell you a few things that don't make me believe that this was a targeted, deliberate effort to target civilians or journalists by the IDF. And the reason for that is first, because both the IDF and the prime minister expressed regret. And that's really something they only do when they know they messed up, number one.

And number two is that these -- it's not -- targeting these journalists at this time does not serve the Israeli interest at a time when they are facing a lot of pressure with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and with the pressure they face from hostage families. When they strike a journalist deliberately, as they did two weeks ago, by the way, that journalist they did was eliminated deliberately, they say it. And so that's why.

[14:40:00]

That's my analysis so far. But it should be known that we don't yet know the exact reason for that second strike that resulted in the deaths of all these noncombatants.

KEILAR: There is a lot of tension between Netanyahu, disagreement between him and hostage families. Domestically, there are issues that he is in very much disagreement with within his own military. And as he's demanding, Hagar, a deal that would release all hostages immediately and end the war entirely on Israel's terms after 18 months of agreeing only to partial phased deals.

Last week, Hamas agreed to a phased deal similar to a 60-day ceasefire that Netanyahu agreed to last month. What do you see as his calculation here, the prime minister's?

CHEMALI: So I'm glad you pivoted to this because this is really actually the more important question. And not to be insensitive, by the way, I think what happened is awful and tragic. And many people have said as such, and nobody's happy about it.

But the bigger picture is important because what you have right now is a result of an escalation of the war by the IDF in Gaza, which is the result of a decision made by the prime minister and the cabinet two weeks ago. They decided to expand the war and to expand the IDF's control over Gaza following the collapse of the ceasefire talks, which collapsed because Hamas walked away.

And so now the cabinet and the Israeli prime minister took this decision against the advice of the IDF general, who said that it would be more dangerous to do this and that it would imperil hostages because the further the IDF encroaches on territory, the greater the likelihood that Hamas militants could kill those hostages.

And so unfortunately, what you see is you've got a lot of goals that are trying to be achieved that are -- it's too difficult to achieve all of them well. The Israeli government wants to defeat Hamas completely. They also want to get the release of hostages, of course.

But why the ceasefire deals collapsed, aside from the fact that Hamas walked out, is because Hamas wanted a promise of the end of the war now, and that's not something the Israeli government wants to give because defeating Hamas is paramount to their goal. And so you've got this chasm, if you will, that is very difficult, a very hard square to circle. And then on the other side, you have the pressure that he's facing domestically from the hostage families.

That pressure does matter for sure, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to force Prime Minister Netanyahu's hand in ending this war. And of course, he's got his own domestic issues regarding corruption investigations and so on. And that factors into his decision-making as well.

It's very ugly and very difficult. And you're going to see more of this, unfortunately, because of those difficult goals they're trying to achieve.

KEILAR: His office is also welcoming the Lebanese government's intention to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year. They're calling it a momentous decision. How much ability does the Lebanese government have to actually make that happen, though?

CHEMALI: Thank you for asking me this. This has been a very exciting development, actually, because the Lebanese government has really made a lot of progress over the last few months to get to this point where you've got the President and the Prime Minister in particular who are pushing for disarmament, who have been very loud about it, including when Hezbollah's leader and Iran have pushed back and who have said, no, the state will have the monopoly over the arms and Iran can mind its own business or go pound sand. And so they've made that decision.

And the fact that you've got the Israeli government responding and saying, hey, we recognize this and we're going to be there to help you in this very difficult process, it's a very good sign. It's going to be tenuous. I don't want to pretend it's going to be without tension or potential flare-ups or things of that kind.

But Hezbollah is very weak and Iran is licking its wounds and they're trying to thump their chest, but it's not working. Everybody knows how weak they are. So I think it'll be very difficult, but I have a lot of hope for it.

KEILAR: Hagar Chemali, thank you so much for being with us.

CHEMALI: Thanks.

KEILAR: Boris.

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. Starting in Asia with Typhoon Kajiki bringing strong winds and heavy rain to southern China and Vietnam today, forcing seafront businesses, airports and schools to close and leading officials to order mass evacuations. The storm has now weakened but is still bringing significant rainfall to the region.

Also, Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, the former Mexican cartel kingpin pleaded guilty today to U.S. drug trafficking charges. His plea comes two weeks after prosecutors said they would not seek the death penalty for his role in flooding the United States with cocaine and other narcotics. He's facing a mandatory life term in prison. Sentencing is set for January.

And watch this meltdown at the U.S. Open tournament. This is Russian player Daniil Medvedev completely annihilating his tennis racket after his first round loss to France's Benjamin Bonzi. Tempers began flaring after a photographer stepped onto the court as Medvedev faced match point, halting play for six minutes, with a crowd booing the umpire's decision to return Bonzi to his first serve.

Bonzi went on to defeat Medvedev, face match point, halting play for six minutes, with a crowd booing the umpire's decision to return Bonzi to his first serve. Bonzi went on to defeat Medvedev after five sets. Yikes.

Still to come, controversy in a crosswalk after crews covered up the rainbow colors to honor victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre. LGBTQ supporters pushed back and picked up chalk to bring it back. The fight, though, not over yet.

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[14:50:00]

SANCHEZ: A crosswalk controversy is unfolding in Orlando, Florida. That's where on Sunday, Sunshine State Troopers were seen keeping watch as people used chalk to color in a memorial crosswalk outside Pulse nightclub.

This comes after state-directed crews painted over the rainbow stripes that honor the 49 people killed during that 2016 mass shooting at the LGBTQ friendly nightclub. Our next guest, Brandon Wolfe, survived the shooting but lost some of his best friends in the attack. He's now National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ plus civil rights group.

Brandon, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us. I wonder what your reaction is to the removal of the rainbow crosswalk.

BRANDON WOLF, PULSE NIGHTCLUB SURVIVOR; BEST FRIENDS KILLED IN ATTACK: Yes, thanks for having me. I want to put all of this in context. This is not just about paint on the ground.

This is a memorial to the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil since 9-11. It's a memorial to 49 mostly LGBTQ plus people of color who were gunned down when they were out for a drink with their friends. It's a memorial to the hundreds of us who escaped the club barely with our lives that night.

It's a memorial to a community that has been torn apart. It is a state-approved, by the way, memorial approved by then Governor Rick Scott that was visited by this governor, Ron DeSantis, in 2019. It is very meaningful to this community. When I'm in that space, it's when I feel closest to the people that were stolen from me. It's when I, you know, think about how they laughed, how they smiled, when I remember the last words that we got to speak to each other before it was clear that they were not coming home to say goodbye.

So it is, I think, an absolute disgrace for the governor and, yes, for President Donald Trump to desecrate those memories by rolling in in the middle of the night under the cover of darkness like cowards and painting it over with black paint.

But I just have to also say that the response has been really inspiring, and that's the Orlando community I know. That's the LGBTQ plus community I know, and I'm cheering them on from Washington.

SANCHEZ: I do want to ask you more about that response, but I am curious regarding the intent here on behalf of Governor DeSantis. As you noted, it was a Republican governor turned senator that saw all of the response to Pulse in Rick Scott, and then DeSantis visited the memorial back in 2019.

When asked about a local state senator, Carlos G. Smith, who spoke out against the removal, DeSantis wrote this quote, We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.

Why is the crosswalk, do you think, in the eyes of the governor a political statement?

WOLF: Well, first of all, give me a break. This is the governor that named a road in Florida after Rush Limbaugh. So I'm not taking the, you know, thought process here with much more than a grain of salt from the man who literally names roads after political commentators.

But to your bigger question, it is not political to memorialize people who had their lives stolen. It's not political to put up a message that we will not let hate win. It's not political for us to honor the people that we loved and lost.

It's not political, as it would not be political in any other community, to memorialize one of the deadliest terror attacks in this nation's history. None of that has to be political. The only person making it political is Governor Ron DeSantis, is President Donald Trump, are the people who are rolling, you know, state troopers out in large numbers to babysit a crosswalk because they want to score clicks online because, I don't know, they want to own the libs in this moment.

There is nothing political about saying that we loved and lost and that we will continue to stand together to ensure that it doesn't happen again. The only person making that political right now is Governor Ron DeSantis.

SANCHEZ: You posted this picture of folks using chalk to recreate the Rainbow Crosswalk, and you spoke about the emotion that this elicited in you. I wonder if there are steps the Orlando community can take to negate the governor's actions here. If this is a local road, doesn't the city determine what goes on that road?

WOLF: Yes, I think that's a really helpful question to ask. I will say that I'm, in part, inspired because people are not just responding to the crosswalk being torn up, although it is a deeply emotional thing for them. They're also responding to years of onslaught from Governor DeSantis.

This is a man who's made it his entire personality to terrorize LGBTQ plus people. He's made it his political identity. So in that chalk, they're also saying that you can't erase us with one bucket of paint or one law or one executive order or one tweet.

[14:55:00]

I think in terms of what happens next, one, the Orlando community is coming together. I've seen local business leaders allowing people to paint parking spaces in their parking lots or sidewalks outside of their businesses. I think you'll see people continue to come together. It is my understanding that the city is looking at all the options to push back against the state.

Remember, they were also caught off guard because they were in active conversation with the Department of Transportation about being able to keep this crosswalk rainbow. So I think you'll see, you know, Mayor Buddy Dyer, I think you'll see the entire city commission look for whatever options they have to push back against this overreach from the governor to send those state troopers home to put the rainbow back where it belongs and get back to the business of memorializing the 49 people who had their lives stolen at Pulse.

SANCHEZ: And on that last note about remembering those folks, before we go, Brandon, I wanted you to tell us about the friends that you lost at Pulse. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 10 years.

WOLF: Yes, it feels both like yesterday and a lifetime ago at the same time. My best friends, Drew and Juan, were the best of us. I moved to Orlando from rural Oregon because I wanted to find someplace where I could be fully and authentically myself.

And I found that for perhaps the first time in friendship with Drew and Juan. They, you know, like to laugh, they liked music, they loved Eurovision, we went on vacations together. And the last words we got to speak to each other were, I wish we said I love you more often.

As I mentioned, I hold that so close and I feel it especially close when I'm at the Pulse memorial site. That's why that space means so much to me. It means so much to other people.

And it's why you'll see people continuing to fight to ensure that we never, ever, ever forget those who were stolen from us.

SANCHEZ: Brandon Wolf, thank you so much for joining us and for sharing your friend's stories.

WOLF: Thank you. SANCHEZ: Still to come, President Trump's latest executive order taking on cashless bail, proposing a new penalty also for burning the American flag. The changes he's proposing in the next hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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