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Trump Calls for Release of Epstein Files; Israel Responds to the Catholic Church Attack; U.K. to Lower Legal Voting Age Prior to Next General Polls; Santa Claus' Hometown Now Experiencing Heat Waves. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 18, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

U.S. President Donald Trump calls for the release of some Epstein investigation files as he vows to sue the Wall Street Journal over a new report.

Syria's president calls for restraint for militant groups amid a fragile ceasefire in the south of the country. We'll have the latest in a live report.

Israel responds after its deadly strike on Gaza's only Catholic Church. Details on the fallout.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. President has fired off a furious response to a new report on the Jeffrey Epstein saga and he's now ordering the Justice Department to release any and all pertinent grand jury testimony on the Epstein investigation. Attorney General Pam Bondi says that could happen as early as today. It's worth noting that earlier this week, President Trump called for the release of whatever she thinks is credible.

Now this comes just hours after the "Wall Street Journal" reported on what it called a body letter from Donald Trump to Epstein for the late pedophile's 50th birthday. According to the journal, the letter is framed by the outline of a naked woman. The newspaper wrote, quote, the letter concludes: Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."

Well President Trump quickly denied writing the letter or drawing the picture. He told the journal, quote, "This is not me. This is a fake thing. It's a fake Wall Street Journal story.

I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women.

It's not my language. It's not my words."

He went on to post on Truth Social, quote, "The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch personally were warned directly that the supposed letter they printed was a fake. And if they print it, they will be sued. Mr. Murdoch stated that he would take care of it, but obviously did not have the power to do so."

Well, questions about Donald Trump's relationship with the disgraced financier flared up last week when the Justice Department announced there was no Epstein client list and that it didn't plan to release any more documents in the investigation in an effort to shut down lingering conspiracy theories about Epstein's death in prison in 2019.

Meanwhile, there are growing calls for a special counsel to look into the Epstein investigation. CNN's Kristen Holmes has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Trump would not recommend a special counsel or special prosecutor to look at the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case or to take over the investigation. During a press briefing today, Leavitt was asked a number of questions about the Epstein files, about the handling of this rollout, what information there was.

When asked in particular about this idea of a special prosecutor, something that President Trump's own followers, own loyalists have called for, she said that he wouldn't recommend it. And then she added, that's how he feels.

Now, the reason why this is so critical is the fact that normally in an administration or at least generally in modern history, the Department of Justice has acted independently of the White House, particularly when it comes to the appointment of special counsels.

However, as we know and as we have seen, this Department of Justice really acts in sync with the White House. So President Trump saying that he wouldn't recommend it, or at least Leavitt saying it on his behalf, makes it seem almost zero percent chance that at this point they would actually appoint a special counsel.

Now, I did ask her how much President Trump actually knew about what was in those files.

Does this he have knowledge or an understanding of what is in the files the late Epstein that have not been released?

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Not to my knowledge. And that's a question for the attorney general, as I said. And the President has told the attorney general, if they have any more credible evidence, they should release it.

HOLMES: Is that evidence -- would she have to run that by the president before she released it?

LEAVITT: I don't think so. He said if she has any more credible evidence, she should release it.

HOLMES: Now, I tried to follow up there. Who gets to deem what is credible or not? But you can see she started moving on immediately to other reporters.

We should note the White House has been trying to move away from this story now for weeks and they can't seem to get away from it. Not just because of the media around it, but again, because so many Trump loyalists, so many of these people who helped elect Donald Trump and get him into office have been pushing him and speaking out against the president for the way this was handled, for the lack of clarity, the lack of information here.

And just one thing to note on what Leavitt said to me in that exchange. She said she didn't know what President Trump actually knew or if he had knowledge of what was in those unreleased files.

[03:05:01]

But we should ask the attorney general, Pam Bondi, to be clear, if Pam Bondi did in fact brief President Trump, this is also a question for the White House. What President Trump knows, what he knew and when. And we're still trying to get answers on that.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Syria's ceasefire appears to be holding, but the Syrian President says militant groups keep violating it and Israel won't rule out further strikes. The Israeli Prime Minister said his country will continue to act as necessary, claiming its attacks were in defense of the Druze.

Syrian forces have pulled out of the southern city of Suwayda, where the Druze live. Troops went in after fighting broke out between the Druze and Bedouin communities.

CNN's Ben Wedemann is following all this live from Rome. So, Ben, bring us up to speed on the latest.

BEN WEDEMANN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it does seem that this second truce in a week may be starting to fall apart already. We're hearing from locals in the town of Suwayda, which is at the center of this fighting, that some of the Bedouin fighters are taking over multiple villages to the east of Suwayda, and that some of them have actually entered parts of the city itself. So this ceasefire, which has barely been in place for basically less than 48 hours, may be falling apart already.

Now, yesterday, Ahmad al-Sharaa, the president of the provisional government of Syria, warned that those who were attacking the Druze in Suwayda would be held responsible because the Druze, of course, are under the protection, he insisted, of the Syrian government. But the Syrian government has pulled out of Suwayda. That following Israel's bombing of Syrian forces in Suwayda and also in Damascus itself, where they bombed in the very center of Damascus, the Syrian Ministry of Defense. So the Syrian government forces have pulled out, and it seems that the stage is now set for more of this sectarian fighting.

We're still waiting to see how Israel is going to react to this. Of course, the Israelis say that they are doing this to protect the Druze minority in Syria. There is a significant Druze presence in Israel itself, and the Israelis are saying that the pretext for their military action is to protect the Druze.

Now, this Israeli involvement, of course, has raised alarms among other of Syria's neighbors, including Turkey. We heard Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning against the division of Syria by foreign forces.

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RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): We did not consent to the division of Syria yesterday, and we certainly will not consent to it today or tomorrow. Those who dream of damaging the territorial integrity of Syria, of opening a corridor, especially between the south and the north, God willing, will not be able to achieve their goals.

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WEDEMANN: However, this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black, given that, of course, Turkey has in the past invaded and occupied parts of Syria. And what we've seen is that when the government in Damascus is weak, Syria is always very much the theater for regional rivalries. Israeli forces occupy parts of Syria.

Turkish forces are there. There are American forces in the northeastern part of the country. In the past, there have been Russian forces, Iranian forces, and Lebanese Hezbollah as well.

So this is a very volatile situation, and it doesn't seem that it's calming down at all at the moment. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate that. Ben Wedemann in Rome, thanks so much.

Israel's Prime Minister is blaming, quote, "stray ammunition" for a fatal strike on Gaza's only Catholic Church. Officials say three people were killed when the Holy Family Church was hit by Israeli fire on Thursday, several others were injured, including the parish priest.

The church had a special meaning for late Pope Francis, who called the parish almost daily because of the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel deeply regrets what happened, and it's investigating the incident.

Meanwhile, sources now say Israel may be more flexible on a key sticking point. At the ceasefire talks in Qatar, it involves a possible Israeli pullout from the Morag corridor, which was created to split Gaza in the south.

Now for all this, I'll bring in Paula Hancocks, who joins us now from Abu Dhabi. So Paula, let's start with the Gaza church being hit. Take us through the reaction.

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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, we've heard from the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem overseeing this, the only Catholic Church in Gaza. And they say that the church took a direct hit by an Israeli tank. They say that three were killed.

The parish priest, among others, was injured. And they say also that it's not the first time that this church has been targeted, saying that back in December 2023, Israeli snipers shot and killed two women who were sheltering inside this church. So there has been condemnation for this taking place.

We've also heard from the Israeli Prime Minister's office saying that they believe that it was a mistake, that they are investigating what happened.

And we also know that the U.S. President, Donald Trump, has got involved. He spoke to the Prime Minister. Let's listen to the White House spokesperson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEAVITT: It was not a positive reaction. He called Prime Minister Netanyahu this morning to address the strikes on that church in Gaza.

And I understand the prime minister agreed to put out a statement that it was a mistake by the Israelis to hit that Catholic Church. That's what the Prime Minister relayed to the President. And you should look at the Prime Minister's statement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now Pope Leo also saying that he was deeply saddened from a statement from the Vatican as well.

Now, this happens as we also understand that there is some optimism for talks ongoing at this point to try and secure a ceasefire and hostage deal between Hamas and Israel. That's according to sources familiar with what is happening in those talks.

We understand that from that source that Israel is considering showing some flexibility when it comes to the redeployment of its military after the ceasefire is agreed. And during that 60-day ceasefire period where they will be discussing making that temporary pause in fighting a permanent end to the war.

Now, this revolves around the Morag Corridor, which is between Rafah and Khan Younis, two significant parts of Gaza. And it was a corridor that was created by the military back in April as they were trying to divide up Gaza. And there are suggestions from these sources that they are willing to move from that area.

We know that there are still sticking points, though, according to the sources, on Palestinian prisoners to be released in return for the hostages being released by Hamas and also other deployment plans by the Israeli military. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: I appreciate that. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi. Thanks so much.

Well, after weeks of swelling in his lower legs, President Trump got a comprehensive exam and we now have a medical diagnosis about his legs and the bruising on his hand.

Plus, the U.K. is planning to change the rules on who's allowed to vote and it could happen in time for the next general election. We'll have more on those stories coming up. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: White House says President Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the President recently noticed mild swelling in his lower legs and underwent an examination. According to Leavitt, the President's physician says there was no evidence of more serious conditions like arterial disease and she said he has no discomfort.

Symptoms of the chronic condition can include cramping in the legs, varicose veins and pain or skin changes and treatment may involve medication or eventually medical procedures. Leavitt also explained what caused the bruising on the back of Trump's hand. Here she is.

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LEAVITT: Recent photos of the President have shown minor bruising on the back of his hand. This is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen. This is a well-known and benign side effect of aspirin therapy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: I want to break down the diagnosis with Dr. Owais Durrani, an emergency medicine physician joining us from Houston, Texas. Good to see you again.

So just -- can you walk us through what chronic venous insufficiency actually means in simple terms and why this condition is particularly common in older adults like President Trump?

DR. OWAIS DURRANI, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: Yes, absolutely. So I'll, you know, start with biology 101 in humans. The heart is our pump. It pumps the blood and the arteries take the

blood away from the heart. Once the blood kind of gives the nutrients and oxygen to our body, then it returns to the heart in veins.

And so in order for the blood to make progress, we have these valves. So the blood kind of comes up to the heart. The valves make sure that the blood does not seep or go back.

When we age, those valves can sometimes become leaky. And so then what happens is that blood kind of pools and leads to things like swelling in the legs.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So obviously you haven't assessed the president personally, but typically in someone of his age, sort of what specific risk factors might have contributed to this, to him developing this?

DURRANI: Yes. And as you kind of alluded to, this is very common, millions of Americans over the age of 50 have this. Some of the common risk factors include being obese or overweight, also age is a risk factor, smoking is a risk factor.

Also being immobile for long periods of time. So if you're sitting at a desk for a long period of time or if you're standing stationary for long periods of time, that can also lead to that.

[03:20:05]

In addition to that, if you have general kind of vascular disease in your body, that also puts you at a higher risk.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, okay. So how serious is this then? Should the public be concerned about any complications here?

DURRANI: Yes. So this in itself is not very serious. As I mentioned, it's very common. It looks like they, from what we heard from the Press Secretary, they ruled out some of the serious things that can cause swelling in the legs.

So for example, leg swelling can be caused by heart problems or kidney problems or really bad infections or blood clots. And they ordered the test and ruled out all those really bad things that can cause swelling in the legs. And this would be kind of more in that benign category.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So the job of president obviously involves lots of travel, lots of standing, sitting and so on. So could this condition affect his ability to handle some of the physical demands of the presidency?

DURRANI: Yes. So depending on how bad the swelling is, it can lead to achiness, pain, itching feelings, sometimes almost kind of a restless leg syndrome type picture.

And so obviously that would interfere with the day to day of anyone involved. What I imagine they'll do is use conservative measures to kind of minimize those symptoms so that he can do his job. BRUNHUBER: Yes. So I guess that answers part of my question. But, you

know, specifically from a treatment standpoint, what would you recommend that you recommend for someone in his position in order to stop it from progressing to something more serious?

DURRANI: Yes. So what we have for this is what we call supportive conservative measures. And so essentially easing the symptoms.

So the most common thing that I'll tell a patient is lift your legs up when you're seated. So maybe you're at home and you put your legs up on a recliner or when you're going to bed at night, maybe throwing a few pillows under your legs. Those will kind of decrease the swelling.

Secondly, putting on compression stockings. That's going to kind of push that blood and fluid, kind of help those valves get that blood back up to the heart. Also exercise and having a healthy weight, that is very important.

And then finally, there are some procedures that can be done, but usually we kind of stick to the supportive measures and that'll ease most patients' symptoms and kind of allow them to do their day to day activities.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So bottom line here is, you know, nothing to be too concerned about, but good to get all those details for us.

Dr. Owais Durrani in Houston, Texas, I really appreciate it. Thanks so much.

DURRANI: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Well, the Jeffrey Epstein case caused an upset on Capitol Hill on Thursday, delaying a vote on President Trump's federal cuts package and House Republicans eventually passed the bill. The final tally was 216 to 213 with Republicans Mike Turner and Brian Fitzpatrick voting against it. The package is expected to cancel $9 billion in funding to foreign aid and public broadcasting.

Passage out of committee stalled earlier mid calls from a number of Republicans for more transparency on Epstein. A non-binding resolution was also advanced that calls for the release of Epstein related materials.

The Brazilian president is criticizing the White House for attempting to meddle with the Brazilian justice system. Now this comes as Trump has threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazil. And again on Thursday, he expressed his support for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing trial for allegedly trying to overthrow Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

In a letter, President Trump claims Bolsonaro is a victim of an unjust system. My House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shot back on Thursday that Trump is, quote, certainly not trying to be the emperor of the world.

Here's part of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

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LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): What we cannot have is a President Trump forgetting that he was elected to govern the U.S. He was elected not to be the emperor of the world. It would be much better to establish a negotiation first and then to reach the possible agreement because we're two countries that we had very good meetings and we have good relations for 200 years.

And so he's breaking away from any protocol, any liturgy that should exist between the relations between two heads of state.

It was very unpleasant. We're trying to talk with the people there, but we're also preparing ourselves to give an answer to that. What I've been saying publicly is that we will use all the words that exist in the dictionary in trying to negotiate.

If we don't manage to reach an agreement, I can reassure you that we will go to the World Trade Organization or we can gather a group of countries to response or we can use the reciprocity law that was passed of this bill by the National Congress.

This is how it's going to work. I regret that two countries that have an historical relationship of 201 years prefer to be fighting through judicial means because one president does not respect the sovereignty of the other president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Sources say Israel may be open to more compromise in its ceasefire talks with Hamas. The issue involves the position of Israeli troops in Gaza after the guns go silent. We'll explain.

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And as Russia's war on Ukraine looms over Europe, leaders of the U.K. and Germany are hailing what they say is a historic treaty between their countries. More details after the break.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kim Brunhuber. In Atlanta, let's check some of today's top stories.

A tenuous ceasefire in southern Gaza appears to be holding, but the Syrian president says militant groups have been violating it, and Israel has stopped bombarding Damascus in defense of the Druze minority but wouldn't rule out future attacks.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a chronic condition affecting the veins in his legs. Weeks of swelling led him to get a doctor's exam. The White House also says the recent bruising on the backs of the president's hand is caused by his frequent handshaking and taking aspirin.

Sources say Israel may show more flexibility on a key sticking point in its ceasefire talks with Hamas. The sources add the stumbling block involves a potential Israeli pullout from the Morag corridor. Israel established it in southern Gaza, trying to split the territory and turn up the pressure on Hamas.

For more on that, we're joined by Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli Consul General in New York, and he is in Tel Aviv. Good to see you again.

So the reporting suggests that most issues have already been settled, so just give us a sense of where things stand, and how significant is it that we've moved sort of from these broad framework discussions to more specific and hopefully solvable details?

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Well, Kim, the sticking point until now was the exact contours of the Israeli withdrawal or redeployment and whether or not it would encircle Rafah, which is on the southern tip of Gaza.

From a Hamas point of view, and indeed from the mediators' point of view, Israel's insistence on basically encircling Rafah was meant to advance that plan, so to speak, of creating a humanitarian city, which is a dystopian word for an internment camp. But apparently in the last two or three days, due to some American pressing on Israel and Qatari and Egyptian pressure on Hamas, there seems to be a new map in which Israel does not have complete control of those axes, and that would enable a deal.

But let's not forget, Kim, that, you know, while everyone welcomes the deal and certainly the return of the hostages from an Israeli point of view, this is only a partial deal. This is only a 60-day ceasefire, not a permanent ceasefire. This is more like a hiatus than a permanent settlement.

We've been here, we've been there before in January, it was violated in March, so we're basically going back to the same idea, along the same lines of the deal in January. Again, it's welcome, but it's only partial.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, good point to stress here. One wild card, potentially here, one of the ultra-Orthodox parties announced it'll withdraw from Netanyahu's coalition, turning this into a minority government in a way. So does it, I mean, I guess it weakens Netanyahu politically, but in terms of a Gaza deal, does it in any way create some space for Netanyahu to make the compromises needed here, sort of freeing him from the constraints of his far-right coalition partners, or is that going too far?

PINKAS: Well, you're going too far. I'll tell you why.

Because the problem with the hostage deal and the Gaza ceasefire is not, was not, and is not the only problem. All of which left the coalition, all of which pledged not to topple the government. Go figure.

But technically they're capable of doing so. The problem in terms of an opposition and resistance to the deal was those very far-right parties that you just mentioned, and Mr. Netanyahu himself, who did not want this deal, and still seems to be reluctant to accept it, but feels that right now he has no other choice, given the, you know, the cross-pressures from within Israel and from outside. But it's not the ultra-Orthodox.

Them leaving the government has nothing to do with a deal, and if the deal is submitted in the cabinet, it would have a majority in every scenario.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So you and I have talked at length before about the importance of the U.S. and the U.S. pressure when it comes to a deal.

[03:35:07]

So how engaged is the Trump administration now? And the fact that Special Envoy Witkoff didn't travel to Qatar this week as planned, is that a sign of patience, maybe, or is that disengagement?

PINKAS: Well, no. I think it's neither. In the past it was exactly what you said.

In the past it was sort of disengagement, whether it was tactical or substantive. Go figure. You know, anyone who's trying to predict or find sense and patterns in Trump's policies and behavior should be welcome, because I can't.

But right now I think it was a tactical move that allowed for the Qataris and the Egyptians to press Hamas rather than the Americans. The Americans are more concentrating on pressing Israel.

And I wouldn't be surprised if, again, I don't know this, I'm speculating, I'm guesstimating, to put it accurately, I would not be surprised if in the next 48, 72 hours there's going to be an angry phone call from Trump to Netanyahu saying to him, get this done, for God's sakes, because you made this promise to me as early as January, even before I was sworn in as president, and it's been six months since, and it hasn't been resolved yet.

I want you to do this, and I want you to do this in the next two, three days. If that call indeed comes, then we're going to have a deal. The fact that Mr. Witkoff is absent, conspicuously absent, from the talks in Doha I think is purely a tactical move to allow the mediators to do their thing.

BRUNHUBER: Always great to get your expert analysis on all this, Alon Pinkas, in Tel Aviv. Thanks so much.

PINKAS: Thank you very much, Kim. Good morning.

BRUNHUBER: Russia and Ukraine carried out another exchange as part of an agreement brokered during peace talks in Turkey. A senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia delivered the bodies of 1000 Ukrainians back to Ukraine. In return, Ukraine delivered the bodies of 19 Russian troops.

Meanwhile, Moscow appeared to reject what it calls Trump's threats. On Monday, the U.S. President gave Russia a 50-day ultimatum for a ceasefire with Ukraine or face sanctions. The Russian foreign ministry says the language of ultimatums and threats is unacceptable, and it's focused on achieving the goals of its so-called special military operation in Ukraine.

Russian forces launched a number of attacks across Ukraine over the past 24 hours. Local authorities say at least six people were killed and 48 wounded. Ukrainian troops say it's become harder to shoot down the waves of drones Russia is launching at an increasing rate.

The leaders of the U.K. and Germany are touting a wide-ranging treaty between their two countries amid the backdrop of Russia's war on Ukraine. The treaty impacts a number of key issues, including defense and immigration. More details now from CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Berlin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This agreement is being hailed as historic by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Keir Starmer saying that it is the first of its kind between these two nations.

Now the agreement covers 27 pages, and there's a lot of important things in it. First and foremost, cooperation between Germany and the United Kingdom on immigration, the economy, transport, energy, but then also, and this is very important, on defense as well.

Now all this comes, of course, as the war in Ukraine continues to rage on, causing a lot of uncertainty here in Europe, but then also as a lot of European NATO partners are uncertain with the Trump administration whether or not the United States would still fully stand up for European nations if there was a larger conflict here on the continent.

Now Keir Starmer called Germany one of the United Kingdom's closest allies as he met with Friedrich Merz. Here's what he said.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I see it very much as evidence of the closeness of our relationship as it stands today, the strength of our values, the strength of our joint approach, but also very much as a statement of intent, a statement of our ambition to work ever more closely together, closest of allies, and whether that's on defense, security, trade, the economy, energy, it covers so much in this treaty. And so this is a really historic signing of a historic agreement, and it's very good to have you here in order to do so.

PLEITGEN: As far as defense is concerned, we did read a little bit of that agreement, and the U.K. and Germany say that they want to work together to create longer-range weapons, deep-strike capabilities as they put them, capable of reaching up to 2000 kilometers, then also cooperation on drones, and as they put it, on strengthening NATO's eastern flank.

[03:39:59]

All of this, of course, coming as we are seeing European countries increasingly standing up for the continent's security, especially if we look at the United Kingdom, France, Germany, but also Poland as well, coming together as the United States and its commitment to European security seem to be hanging up in the air.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: There's growing outrage in Eswatini after the Trump administration sent foreign deportees to the tiny African nation. The government there confirmed that five migrants sent by the U.S. are being held in isolated units in the country's jails. The Trump administration says the deportees are nationals from Cuba, Jamaica, Yemen, Laos, and Vietnam, and that their home countries refused to take them back. The spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said they were convicted of various crimes, including child rape, murder, and robbery.

While the move has been met with widespread public anger in Eswatini, one opposition party tells CNN, quote, "Our country must not be treated as a dumping ground for those deemed unfit to live elsewhere." The government says there are no timelines at present for repatriation.

Well, every year, millions of Africans living outside their country of birth send money back home. In sub-Saharan Africa, the World Bank found these remittances told $54 billion in 2023. But it also found that it costs more to send money to sub-Saharan Africa than other regions in the world.

CNN's Victoria Ubadiri looks at how Tanzanian fintech companies called NALA are attempting to cut fees for cross-border payments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICOLAI EDDY, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NALA: In about 30 seconds, you should receive funds on your M-Pesa wallet.

VICTORIA UBADIRI, "CONNECTING AFRICA" CORRESPONDENT: And there it is. Wow, that was like seconds.

UBADIRI (voice-over): The United Nations estimates that about 200 million Africans rely on remittances, but getting that money can be a daunting task due to high cross-border fees.

The World Bank found it costs the sender around 8 percent of the amount they transfer to sub-Saharan Africa in 2024.

NALA is a cross-border payment company. Founded in 2017, the Tanzanian company operates in 11 African countries. I visited one of their largest hubs in Nairobi, Kenya. EDDY: Anybody who's from the African diaspora or many countries from Asia as well, who live in the U.K., 19 countries in Europe, as well as the USA, can use our product to send money home with no fees.

UBADIRI (voice-over): With half a million users, the platform aims to reduce international transaction fees.

EDDY: And we have a B2B fintech called Rafiki. And Rafiki sits as the underlying payment infrastructure that powers the transactions of many of the other remittance companies or trade businesses who conduct business across the African continent.

If you want to send money, it's as easy as clicking a button.

UBADIRI: Wow. And this is interesting because this, of course, is the interface for a U.S. user, right? So they wouldn't need to get the Kenyan line to send money to another Kenyan line.

EDDY: That's right. That's very important. So as a user of our product, we will send funds directly into existing bank accounts and existing telco wallets.

UBADIRI (voice-over): The company says one of its biggest challenges is navigating the continent's fragmented financial landscape.

EDDY: So what makes it very difficult to build a fintech across the African continent is these are very diverse markets. And in order to build a very sustainable and strong operating business, you have to understand the nuances of each particular market.

It's so diverse. And I think that's what makes it very challenging, but also what creates a massive opportunity.

UBADIRI (voice-over): Wanting to harness that opportunity, NALA is working to expand its operations across the continent.

EDDY: We have Morocco as well as South Africa coming online very soon, the DRC as well. And as we continue to expand these markets, we also want to continue to eat into the payment infrastructure.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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[03:45:00]

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BRUNHUBER: What's being described as the largest expansion of voter rights in the U.K. could soon be a reality, with the voting age lower to 16. If Parliament approves, the plan could be in place for the next general election. CNN's Max Foster has more from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: 16-year-olds are allowed to vote in some other European countries, and it's not entirely new in the U.K. either, because in national elections in Scotland and in Wales, parts of the U.K., 16-year-olds can vote there. And all the evidence is that when they do vote, they tend to go towards left- leaning parties, so the Scottish National Party, for example, north of the border in Scotland.

The question is, would that be reflected in wider U.K. elections? Because whilst younger people tend to vote towards the left here in parts of Europe, there's also a rise in young male voters voting for the right, so it could cancel out.

And overwhelmingly, when younger people are allowed to vote, the turnout tends to be quite low, so it doesn't have a huge impact normally. But here in the U.K., a very fractious political scene. It might be enough to tip the balance.

[03:50:06]

The question is, would they vote for the ruling Labor Party? Some in the Labor Party want this move, because they feel the Labor Party will benefit or will go further left to the Green Party, so lots of questions.

Academics in the U.K. also pointing out some other interesting things that happen as well when 16-year-olds are allowed to vote. First of all, they get more involved in the political process at a younger age, and they raise some evidence to suggest that they're more likely to vote later on. So it does stimulate democracy generally.

Also quite interesting to see some research as well that when 16-year- olds are allowed to vote, their parents are more likely to vote as well, to set a good example. So it's going to be an interesting experiment, if you like, at this next U.K. election if indeed this does come into force. But frankly, the U.K. hasn't been terribly engaged in this.

It wasn't one of the most popular manifesto promises from this government, but they're going ahead with it anyway. It's not a huge debate, but it could be interesting at the next election.

Max Foster, CNN, London.

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BRUNHUBER: Officials in Mexico City have announced a plan to tackle housing and gentrification problems. It includes a law to regulate rental prices, strike a balance between the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants, and regulate short-term rentals. The capital's government will also set up an agency to enforce the law and penalize offenders.

Now, the plan comes after protests this month against gentrification and the rising cost of living in Mexico City, with some blame on an influx of foreigners from the U.S. and Europe. In the past 20 years, the city's housing prices have soared almost 300 percent, while real wages have fallen.

Winter wear is usually a requirement for visiting the hometown of Santa Claus. Coming up, why this year may mean packing a lighter wardrobe with a lot less fur. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: OpenAI is taking its artificial intelligence technology to the next level. The company says its new feature on its ChatGPT model can, quote, think and act using its own virtual computer and help you cross off some items on your to-do list.

According to the company, that can include things like briefing you ahead of business meetings or buying ingredients and planning a breakfast. Other A.I. companies are also developing technologies that would help users with their tasks.

OpenAI admits its new feature includes some risks. As a result, the model is trained to refuse certain requests, like conducting bank transfers. It's not clear just how human-like the ChatGPT's thinking really is.

[03:55:09]

While it looks like Santa Claus may have to put his sled in storage for now, there's no snow in the official hometown of Father Christmas in Finland. The area is actually experiencing a heat wave. CNN's Allison Chinchar reports.

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ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Santa's helpers are trading snow for swelter in Finland. As temperatures in the northern town of Rovaniemi, the official hometown of Santa Claus on the Arctic Circle, are reaching over 30 degrees Celsius, or 86 degrees Fahrenheit. And the Finns are soaking up the rare hot weather.

TOIVO KOIVU, ROVANIEMI RESIDENT AND D.J.: It's pretty good. I like it. It's hot.

I don't think it's this hot too often here.

CHINCHAR (voice-over): Summer temperatures typically fall around 20 degrees Celsius, or 68 degrees Fahrenheit, in northern Finland. But this warmer weather is only becoming more common, and even rivaling parts of mainland Europe.

KOIVU: I was on vacation for a few weeks, going down through Europe with the interval -- with a few of my buddies, and it was very hot. And we thought that when we would come back to Finland, it would be cooler like normally. But no, it's actually the same weather as down south.

CHINCHAR (voice-over): It might be time for Santa to retire his sleigh and pull out a floatie instead.

Allison Chinchar, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: So while the golfing world is focused on the British Open in Northern Ireland, a significantly cooler tournament is taking place, or at least it took place recently, 19 players from across the world swapped the greens for ice to compete in the inaugural North Pole Clock Golf Championship. The modified game saw competitors putt from numbered points, arranged like a round clock, face towards a single central hole. James Elliott Square, a Brit, clinched the contest with 16 strokes in 33 seconds.

An indigenous dog breed in India is getting national attention for its new and growing role in the nation's security forces. This is Haofa, a breed often compared to a bear because of its sturdy frame, bluish black coat, long muzzle and powerful jaws. They're known for their sharp hunting instincts and loyalty.

India's paramilitary force are now training the dogs at their facility in Assam. The number of purebred Haofa has declined in recent decades and now found exclusively in just one district of northeast India.

All right, that wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom," I'm Kim Brunhuber. "Amanpour" is next, followed by "Early Start."

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