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Trump Tells Israel to "Finish the Job" as Starvation Grips Gaza; U.S. Review Shows No Evidence of Widespread Hamas Theft of Aid; U.K., France and Germany Meet with Iranian Delegation in Turkiye; Trump Visits Scotland to Play Golf, Talk Trade; Landmark Taiwan Vote Comes amid Rising Tensions with China; Bookshop Dedicated to Romance Novels Opens in London. Aired 3-3:45a ET
Aired July 26, 2025 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta. It is so good to have you with me.
Coming up on the show, U.S. president Donald Trump tells Israel to finish the job as starvation grips Gaza.
A third day of clashes at the Thailand-Cambodia border. More than 160,000 people have been displaced.
And a new bookstore is capturing the hearts of Londoners. We'll take you there this hour.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Ben Hunte.
HUNTE: Welcome.
U.S. President Donald Trump is suggesting it is time for Israel to ramp up its military campaign in Gaza. That is despite the horrific pictures emerging of starving children and rising reports of Palestinians dying from hunger. Here is what president Trump told reporters after his negotiators pulled back from ceasefire talks this week.
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It was too bad. Hamas -- Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die. And it's very, very bad. And it got -- it got to be to a point where you're going to have to finish the job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Anger over the humanitarian crisis is growing. A large crowd marched through a majority Palestinian city in northern Israel, demanding an end to the war. Some of the protesters held up photos of emaciated Palestinians in Gaza, with signs saying, "We stand together against starvation."
U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer says he is rushing to get aid onto planes after Israel's decision to let foreign countries airdrop supplies in Gaza. He added that it's far too late but promised to do everything he can to get aid into the enclave. For the latest on the ceasefire talks, CNN's Jennifer Hansler reports.
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JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Diplomatic efforts toward a Gaza ceasefire are largely on ice after the U.S. and Israel recalled their negotiating teams from Doha, citing a lack of serious seriousness from Hamas.
Although the main mediators, Qatar and Egypt, have said they would continue in that mediation role, president Trump on Friday suggested that Israel's military could, quote, "finish the job in Gaza."
There had been a lot of hope that a ceasefire, even temporary, would provide the opportunity for badly needed humanitarian aid to surge into the Gaza Strip.
However, for the time being, major restrictions are still in place by the Israeli government on the amount and type of aid that is reaching those desperately needy people within the besieged enclave. They did give the green light to airdrops that they expect in the coming days.
However, the U.N. and aid officials say that this is not the most efficient way to get aid to those in need, that it is costly and dangerous. The Trump administration has not appointed an official to deal exclusively with humanitarian issues, in the same way that the Biden administration had.
This person had been a special envoy, whose entire job was to focus on the diplomatic efforts to pressure the Israeli government to increase the flow of aid into the Gaza Strip. The Trump administration says that they are dealing with Israeli officials on the matter.
However, publicly, they have thrown their support behind the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. This private group, which is backed by the U.S. and Israeli government, has seen sites of violence and deadly shootings around their aid sites within Gaza over the past two months.
Trump administration officials claim that they are the only group to stop alleged Hamas looting from happening at their aid sites. This is what State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on Thursday.
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TOMMY PIGOTT, DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: It is the dedication of this administration. That's why we've seen the 90 million meals -- the support of that effort from this administration.
So of course we want to see as much aid getting into Gaza as possible in a way that is not being looted by Hamas. And this mechanism, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has been a way to do that. So we're calling for additional support of that foundation to deliver that aid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANSLER: Now it is important to note that an internal U.S. government review found no evidence of widespread Hamas theft in Gaza over the course of two years of the war.
This analysis from the U.S. Agency for International Development looked at more than 150 incidents reported by aid groups on the ground. And they were not able to determine who exactly was responsible for these thefts and diversion.
[03:05:00]
However, they did not find evidence of a systemic theft by Hamas, which contradicts the continued claims by the Trump administration. A State Department spokesperson said that they have video of such theft and looting but they did not provide further details -- Jennifer Hansler, CNN, the State Department.
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HUNTE: Jeremy Diamond has more on the suffering inside Gaza. And a warning: his piece includes images that are disturbing.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As starvation tightens its grip on Gaza, the most vulnerable are the first to find themselves in its clutches.
Amid months of Israeli restrictions, 3-year-old Mohammad weighs just 13 pounds. His cries speak to all that he is lacking. Mohammad suffers from a muscle disorder but with physical therapy and the right nutrition, his mother, Hedaya, said he was healthy, active and could sit upright.
Not anymore. His small body has shed six pounds in short order.
"If there's food, we eat. If there isn't, we have no power except to rely on God. Some days, we go one or two days without eating."
Gaza's hospitals are filled with babies like Mohammad and worried mothers like Hedaya, who are doing all they can to prevent their babies from becoming the next statistic.
At least 54 people have starved to death in Gaza just this week, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
"It's impossible for women to breastfeed without food.
"How is a mother supposed to build immunity?"
There seems to be no end in sight to this misery, at least not anytime soon. Gaza ceasefire talks that would've surged humanitarian aid now faltering. In its place are only the smallest flickers of hope.
The World Central Kitchen has been able to reopen some of its kitchens. And facing global outrage, Israel agreeing for the first time in months to authorize airdrops of food aid into this ocean of despair.
DIAMOND: Amid those images of starvation that we are seeing in Gaza, this is one of the largest anti-war gatherings that we have seen in Israel. And you can see behind me the people who are reflecting what is happening in Gaza, people who are dying while trying to get food inside Gaza or simply not being able to get food at all.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Many here are Palestinians with Israeli citizenship.
SHADAM ABO YOUNIS, RESIDENT OF SAKHNIN: Because it was important to raise our voices in front of everyone and to show that we are always here and we always stand for Gaza. And, yes, we want this to end, the war end.
DIAMOND: There are also Jewish Israelis here, part of a small but increasingly vocal minority who believe Israel's actions in Gaza are criminal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think also people are starting to realize what's being done in their name. And things are starting to leak into the Israeli media, which were hidden away.
DIAMOND: Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Sakhnin, Israel.
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HUNTE: Catholic and Greek Orthodox church leaders recently visited Gaza to show their support for Gaza's Catholics. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, described what he witnessed in Gaza, to CNN's Erin Burnett.
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CARDINAL PIERBATTISTA PIZZABALLA, LATIN PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM: What I saw, first of all, the level of destruction is enormous, much more than the previous time.
Last time I was there in the last December before Christmas and a sea of tents everywhere, especially on the sea shore. But not only people living hundreds of thousands, maybe millions living just in tents without nothing, with no hygiene. You can imagine.
And the lack of food was very evident talking with the -- first of all, the community, our community, they can cook just twice per week and only rice. The only thing they have now is some bread.
But -- and we are privileged, many others have nothing and also talking in the dock with the doctors and the hospital and the Caritas Center. They say that they cannot, cannot even receive now the blood for the transfusion because of the malnutrition, people are not able anymore to give -- to donate blood.
The way they -- people work, the children, so it's something visible. The long queue of people waiting in the few places of the distribution of food, waiting for just a meal, something very humiliating, as I said.
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HUNTE: Iran began nuclear talks with the U.K., France and Germany on Friday. These are the first talks since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran's nuclear facilities last month. The delegations met in Turkiye after the European countries threatened to impose sanctions that were suspended under the 2015 nuclear deal.
[03:10:07]
The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog says he hopes the talks will lead to new nuclear inspections.
Thailand and Cambodia are clashing along their disputed border for the third day, prompting mass evacuations and growing fears of a prolonged conflict. Both sides have accused the other of starting the conflict and are blaming each other for the ongoing fighting across both countries.
The clashes have displaced more than 160,000 people in the border regions and the death toll is rising. More now from CNN's Kristie Lu Stout.
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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thai artillery fire pounds Cambodian positions on the second day of deadly conflict between two Southeast Asian neighbors. Their 500-mile shared border now a conflict zone.
The flareup has already claimed several lives, displacing over 100,000 people in Thailand, according to its ministry of interior and thousands more in Cambodia, AP reported, citing an official where families are sheltering on the grounds of temples.
VENG CHIN, 74-YEAR-OLD CAMBODIAN RESIDENT (through translator): I was so scared, shaking so much, I didn't bring anything with me and then my son tried to pull my child's hand up onto the tractor.
STOUT (voice-over): The roots of the conflict go back to the colonial era when many of Asia's borders were drawn by European powers, including the areas of religious and archeological significance.
THITINAN PONGSUDHIRAK, CHULALONGORN UNIVERSITY: Both sides, Cambodians and Thais feel resentful of history. Thais think that the French took some land from Thailand, gave to Cambodia. Cambodians think that this is their civilization from a long, long time ago.
STOUT (voice-over): In Thailand's Surin Province, evacuees shelter in a university, a hospital in the area abandoned after being bombed. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I don't want this war to happen. I don't want fighting.
STOUT (voice-over): But the violence continues. Cambodia accuses Thailand of using banned cluster munitions. CNN has contacted the Thai military for comment.
On Friday, the Thai Army released this footage, showing its drones destroying Cambodian ammunition stocks. CNN cannot verify the video, which purports to show jungle positions destroyed. Washington has called for restraint.
TOMMY PIGOTT, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: The United States urges an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
STOUT (voice-over): But Beijing is watching, too, as the border battles threaten to develop into something bigger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And as far as China is concerned, we are going. We are mediating between the two sides and we do hope that the situation can stabilize as soon as possible.
STOUT (voice-over): Kristie Lu Stout, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: At least seven children are dead after a school's roof collapsed on Friday in India. Officials say the building was old and heavy rain caused the roof to cave in. The children who died were students at the school. Authorities say all of those who were trapped under the rubble have been accounted for.
There's much more to come on CNN NEWSROOM, including details on the second day of Justice Department meetings for the convicted accomplice and former girlfriend of late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
Plus, president Trump is mixing work on trade with golf play this weekend in Scotland. A look at his plans and what the Scottish locals are saying about him after this break. See you in a bit.
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HUNTE: Welcome back.
A second day of questions on Friday for the convicted accomplice and former girlfriend of late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Ghislaine Maxwell was given limited immunity for her meetings with the deputy attorney general. She's currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein groom and sexually abuse underage girls. Later on Friday, Maxwell's attorney seemed to suggest that she's
hoping for clemency from the U.S. president. Donald Trump told CNN that he hadn't thought about giving Maxwell a pardon but said he was, quote, "allowed to" and didn't rule it out.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Scotland, Donald. So glad to have your two amazing golf courses. I've played Turnberry. I'd love to play the one up in Menie. Please invite me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I absolutely loathe president Trump and I wish he wasn't at Turnberry or in Aberdeen. And I think it's costing the country a fortune. And I don't care whether eventually some of it'll come back to us or not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Some Scots there, talking about Donald Trump's five-day visit to Scotland.
The U.S. president is expected to play golf at his two resorts and hold trade meetings with the European Commission president. Protesters, including trade unions, climate justice campaigners and Palestinian and Ukrainian advocacy groups are planning demonstrations against him on Saturday.
"The New York Times" White House correspondent Luke Broadwater joins us from Edinburgh.
Luke, thanks so much for being with us. How are you doing?
LUKE BROADWATER, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": I'm doing well. Thanks for having me.
HUNTE: You're so, so welcome. In your article about president Trump's visit, you described the chaos in Washington continuing even as he left for Scotland.
What can you tell us about the political backdrop here in the U.S. and how it might influence the optics and the messaging of this current Scotland trip?
BROADWATER: Right. Well, obviously the Scotland trip was planned before this whole Jeffrey Epstein matter blew up in America. But few issues in Donald Trump's second term have overtaken the news cycle the way that the clamoring for the Jeffrey Epstein files has.
It's been now almost three weeks where this has been the dominant story in America, where, you know, politicians from both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have been demanding the Trump administration release more information about the Jeffrey Epstein case.
And they've been quite critical of the way his administration has handled the files that they have released so far. [03:20:00]
Of course, during the campaign, the president promised to release these files and they only released part one of the files. That was quite disappointing to many people.
And then there was never a part two. And the administration said, basically, the public should move on. But the public isn't moving on. And so there's this domestic turmoil that's taking place while Donald Trump has now flown over here to Scotland to play golf and take the trade meetings.
So there's a lot of -- a lot of tensions back at home. But we'll see if they follow him here to Europe.
HUNTE: You just mentioned the trade meetings, that Trump plans to meet British prime minister Keir Starmer in Scotland to finalize a previously agreed trade deal.
How significant is that trade deal in the context of the U.S. and U.K. relations?
And why do they even choose Scotland rather than London as the venue?
BROADWATER: Right. Well, I think the trade deal was significant because it came at a time when Donald Trump was really desperate to cut one of these deals. If you recall, the Trump administration promised to cut 90 deals in 90 days in response to the very heavy tariffs he imposed on countries across the world.
And weeks and weeks had gone by without a single deal. And so the U.K. did come through to sign this deal. It's been kind of bare bones. We know some of the details. But there, you know, many trade analysts say there needs to be a lot more detail. So we'll see if some more information comes out when they meet.
And then significantly it came out while we were here in Scotland, that the European Union and the Trump administration might be getting close to a deal. Trump put the chances at a 50-50 chance between the United States and the European Union, striking a trade deal while he's here.
So if that were to occur, that would be the big news out of this trip. Obviously, that would be a huge deal. Perhaps the biggest deal he would have signed to date.
And then as for why did he choose Scotland over, say, going to London?
I think that has to do with golf. You know, Donald Trump has golf courses here in Scotland. He wants to play them. This started as a golf vacation. You know, pretty much every weekend in the United States, Donald Trump goes to a golf course either in New Jersey or in Florida.
And so this is him getting to some of his international courses. That said, his mom is -- was born in Scotland. And so he does have ties to this region from his family ancestry.
HUNTE: You kind of mentioned it there but this trip has been described as exceptional because president Trump is touring his own golf resort and seeing the opening of a brand new Trump-owned course in Aberdeenshire.
What do you think this visit reveals about the president's balancing of personal business interests and official presidential duties?
BROADWATER: Yes, there's always a mixing with the Trump administration. You know, the president is a huge promoter of his own businesses.
I think some ethics experts raise the questions all the time about whether taxpayer money should be used to fly him to his various golf courses and promote, you know, essentially the function of this.
The capstone of this trip is the opening of a new golf course at one of his facilities. And so he's going to have great international attention here on this course being opened. Him playing it, lots of TV cameras, lots of media coverage. And so that's free publicity for the Trump businesses, you know.
And if you'll recall, his first international trip from his second term was to the Middle East, where the Trump family, if not Donald Trump himself, has a lot of business interests as well in Saudi Arabia, in Qatar and in the United Arab Emirates.
So you know, a lot of critics will look at this and say he's only going to places that he does business with to help promote them and help promote his own, his own properties. But again, there is some real business on this trip. There is -- there are those trade talks. So it is a mixing of the -- of his personal interests and the country's interests.
HUNTE: Yes. Well, we're certainly talking about all of it. So Luke Broadwater in Edinburgh, thank you so much for now. Appreciate it.
BROADWATER: Thank you.
HUNTE: Russia claims it does not target civilians in Ukraine. But the facts on the ground tell a very different story. We'll look at the latest nonmilitary site to be hit when we come back.
Plus, Taiwan's war games simulating a Chinese invasion and today's recall election that could reshape Taiwan's future. See you in a bit.
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[03:25:00]
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HUNTE (voice-over): Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is growing as 1 million children are at risk of starvation or malnutrition. New video shows crowds of Palestinians struggling to get food at a soup kitchen in Gaza City. Palestinian health officials say dozens of people have starved to death in Gaza over the last few weeks.
Thailand and Cambodia are clashing along their disputed border for the third day. Both sides have accused the other of starting the conflict and trade blame for the ongoing fighting across both countries. The clashes have displaced more than 160,000 people in the border regions.
At least seven children are dead after a school's roof collapsed on Friday in India, officials say the building was old and heavy rain caused the roof to cave in. The children who died were students at the school. Authorities say all of those who were trapped under the rubble have been accounted for.
HUNTE: Russian guided bombs struck a medical building in Kharkiv on Thursday night. That is according to the state emergency service of Ukraine; 14 people were injured when the three-story facility in the city's industrial section was hit.
A 12 -year old girl was among the injured. Russia denies targeting civilians but has increased attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities as talks for a potential ceasefire have stalled.
Taiwan is holding a recall vote on 24 opposition party lawmakers accused of a pro-Beijing bias. It's a landmark vote that could help reshape Taiwan's political landscape. It comes as worries rise over a threat of invasion from China and whether the U.S. would abide by pledges to defend the island.
[03:30:00]
CNN's Will Ripley reports on Taiwan's war games that are preparing for a worst-case scenario.
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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to Taiwan in 2025, where military police hold midnight drills on the subway as folks watch from the soybean milk shop next door.
Armed convoys get a friendly welcome from kids leaving the pool. U.S.- supplied military hardware showing up in places civilians never expected.
JASON LIAO, TAIPEI RESIDENT: And I just bump into the missile.
RIPLEY: The Patriot missile battery.
LIAO: Yes. And at first, it's quite shocking. It's also a really great reminder that war is really close.
RIPLEY: Ten days of war games all over this island democracy imagining how a Chinese invasion might unfold.
Taiwan holds military drills every year. But this year, they're twice as long, largely unscripted and for the first time in a long time, happening in crowded, everyday spaces.
Not just remote areas like 10 years ago when Lin Jing-da was a full- time soldier. He says military drills then were out of sight and heavily scripted.
Do you think the government by putting the drills so close to everyday people is trying to prepare Taiwanese for the possibility of a war with China soon?
"We need to let the citizens know about the possibility of war and prepare them for it," he says.
Because China is getting ready too.
These are believed to be PLA landing barges designed to rapidly offload tanks, soldiers and equipment onto a hostile beach. Analysts say they're built for one job -- taking Taiwan.
Top U.S. officials now say Chinese leader Xi Jinping told PLA leaders be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027.
This is the island's dress rehearsal for war.
We just got this presidential alert that says, "Missile attack. Seek immediate shelter."
When the sirens go off, everyone takes cover.
This busy street in the middle of a workday totally empty except for the police making sure that people are not out on the sidewalks.
Even the local supermarket joins in, guiding shoppers to a basement bomb shelter.
"I think people would feel nervous when they're down there," she says.
Taiwanese leaders say that's the point.
LIN FEI-FAN, DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL, TAIWAN NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: I think we need to be more prepared in any kind of situation.
RIPLEY: Taiwan is proudly displaying its U.S.-made arsenal HIMARs, Avengers, HESCO barriers, billions of spent on full display, a message aimed far beyond Taipei.
TRUMP: Taiwan took our chip business way.
RIPLEY: But not everyone believes the U.S. will come to Taiwan's aid.
What do you think President Trump would do if Taiwan were attacked? LIAO: Me personally, I think that Trump will only do things that will benefit himself. Once he got a deal with China that is more appealing then he might just abandon us.
RIPLEY: You think he could abandon Taiwan?
LIAO: Yes.
RIPLEY: Taiwan's leaders say they cannot afford to wait for help. They're making war feel real because it could be. And they want the world and their own people to be ready.
Could these massive military drills influence Taiwan voters?
Was that the point?
We'll soon find out. Thanks to a legal quirk in Taiwan's constitution, voters have the power to recall their lawmakers midterm. That power is being tested today. Taiwan's biggest ever recall vote is underway; 24 opposition lawmakers, seen as pro-China, could be ousted.
If they go, President Lai Ching-te may flip parliament and push for tougher China policy. If they don't, he could become a lame duck and his U.S.-friendly agenda could be at risk -- Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: A business owner is turning up the heat at her London bookshop.
Coming up, why she thinks focusing on romance will have customers loving her new bookstore. See you in a bit.
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[03:35:00]
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HUNTE: The Peruvian government is showing off artifacts which have been repatriated from countries, including Belgium, Switzerland and the U.S.; 133 cultural artifacts were voluntarily returned to Peru from private citizens and a museum.
The items include ancient ceramics and a mask and vary in cultural style and historical periods.
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CARLOS ARMOZAGA, PERUVIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (through translator): We have also recovered an altar that was in a church in Cusco. This altar left Peru in 1921 and has been in Sweden during these last years; 100 years later, the family that had it decided to return it, return it to Peru.
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HUNTE: Romance writers are used to having an aisle dedicated to them at bookstores. But one London shop has taken that a step further. It's completely dedicated to romance novels. CNN's Isa Soares reports.
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ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you looking for romance?
Well, this could be just the place for you.
This is London's first romance-only bookshop. Come with me.
SOARES (voice-over): Here you can swoon, sigh and daydream to your heart's content. There's the classics, of course, but this isn't your grandmother's romance section.
There's romantasy, cowboy romance, hockey romance, fiery enemies-to- lovers stories and even, yes, slightly saucier and steamier ones. But founder Sarah Maxwell tells me there's nothing to blush about.
SARAH MAXWELL, FOUNDER, SAUCY BOOKS: So many of these amazing books have been dubbed as quote-unquote, "smut." And I think that's really unfair, because they have, you know, great character building, amazing plot. A lot of time, it's very political. It's not, you know, it isn't smut.
So I felt like we should reclaim that word. So we have a "smut hut," which is where -- the destination for all the most popular books, actually.
SOARES (voice-over): Saucy books is part of a growing trend: romance-only bookstores popping up across the U.K., the U.S. and Canada.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've always been a little bit unashamed but shy about kind of saying that I like reading romance, because it feels then that people will not take you seriously as a reader.
SOARES (voice-over): The appetite is voracious. Romance sales in the U.K. alone totaled more than $90 million last year, a surge partly fueled by BookTok.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love this book because it's so relatable. It's not a fluffy romance book.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This book is the blueprint for good romance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Over fantasy romance, I would recommend that you start with either the "Powerless" trilogy or the "Crimson Moth" duology.
SOARES (voice-over): Which has brought in a wave of new, younger readers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nowadays, people are coming out about it more and being able to connect and bond.
[03:40:00]
And I know that's one of the reasons why I love romance so much, is being able to talk with friends and, like, analyze the plot. And it's really a community-building aspect.
JULIE ANDREWS, ACTOR (voice-over): Dearest gentle reader.
SOARES (voice-over): Adding to the success, hit TV adaptations like "Bridgerton" --
NICOLA COUGHLIN, ACTOR: There's nothing that makes me happier than being with you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm an opponent.
SOARES (voice-over): -- and "Rivals."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Makes life much more exciting.
SOARES (voice-over): From the screen to the page, modern romance, it seems, is blooming.
MAXWELL: I think people really recognize themselves in these characters and they feel very empowered by them. And so, they are almost proud to acknowledge that they have read that book.
SOARES (voice-over): And as author Jack Strange, who writes gay romance novels, points out, it's also relatable.
JACK STRANGE, AUTHOR: And from my perspective, being able to write, like, more diverse stories for people, because people want those stories.
SOARES: Yes.
STRANGE: And especially now with, like, everything going on, we want fun and we want excitement --
SOARES: Yes.
STRANGE: -- and escapism.
SOARES (voice-over): And readers are lapping it up -- Isa Soares, CNN, Notting Hill, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: With temperatures soaring, residents of Sofia, Bulgaria, are sweltering. And that includes animals at the local zoo.
So caretakers have been dousing the elephants and rhino with cooling showers. They're sprayed twice a day, depending on how moody they get. Zookeepers start with their legs and work their way up, finally reaching their heads.
Love that.
Thanks for joining me and the team this hour. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. "WORLD SPORT" is next. And then there is more CNN NEWSROOM in around 15 minutes. See you at the same time tomorrow. 'Bye.
