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South Korean President to Meet with President Trump; Israel Fire Missile at Houthis in Yemen; Ukraine Marks 34th Independence Day; President Putin to Visit China; Some U.S. States Considering Redistricting for Congressional Seats; National Guard Troops In Washington, D.C. Carrying Weapons; Typhoon Kajiki Causing Mass Evacuations In Vietnam. Aired 2-2:45a ET
Aired August 25, 2025 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, a pivotal meeting at the White House. South Korea's new president is headed to Washington amid a geopolitical shift.
Israel strikes Yemen's capital in retaliation for Iran-backed Houthi rebels firing a new type of missile just days ago. And --
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Tearful reunions on Ukraine's Independence Day. Many families separated for over three years not knowing if this day would ever come.
Plus, it's off to the races unlike anything you've ever seen. And it only comes around once every four years.
In the coming hours, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host his South Korean counterpart in their first summit. Despite being one of the United States' most important strategic and economic partners in Asia, the decades-old alliance is being put to the test. Mr. Trump is expected to pressure President Lee Jae-myung to commit to spending more on defense.
The pivotal White House meeting comes just days after North Korea test-launched two new air defense missiles. Pyongyang had recently accused Seoul of stoking tensions at the border, according to North Korea's state media reports. South Korea's summit with neighboring Japan on Saturday also stoked criticism from its long-time adversary. North Korea dismissed the meeting where denuclearizing the Korean peninsula was discussed, as an attempt to curry favor with the U.S.
CNN's Mike Valerio joins us now live from Seoul in South Korea. Good to see you, Mike. So, what should we be watching for when the presidents of the U.S. and South Korea meet in the coming hours, and what will be top of agenda?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Rosemary, I'm glad you talked about the U.S. troop presence here on the Korean Peninsula. I think that will be top of the list in addition to three or four other items that we wanted to hone your attention towards. So, let's talk about that first, shall we? You know, ever since the campaign trail last year, Rosemary, in the fall of 2024, President Trump has talked about the dollar amount that South Korea pays for the U.S. troop presence, about 28,500 troops here in South Korea.
Since then, he said, you know what, South Korea pays right now just over a billion dollars. They should be paying, his words certainly, not ours, up to $10 billion for that security guarantee. So that was not resolved during the trade agreement that both nations came to a couple of weeks ago. So we're acutely attentive to whether or not that's going to come up at the Oval Office meeting around 12 noon D.C. time today.
Also, you were talking about the geopolitical shift in the introduction to our show here. I think it's interesting whether or not the function of these troops comes into the conversation, the potential shift of these troops, Rosemary, going from a counter for North Korea's purposes, to maybe shifting some of the troops focus to being a counter towards China.
President Lee of South Korea has said before he left for Washington, D.C., that could be a tough ask because South Korea has to maintain positive, good relations with both China and the United States. But he's left that up for discussion. North Korea is certainly the next bullet point. Both President Lee and President Trump likely to find common ground on that front, trying to bring North Korean leader Kim Jong-un back into the fold, back to the negotiating table to talk about the North's ever expanding nuclear program.
Shipbuilding also could be part of the agenda. With South Korea leading the global industry, America falling behind. The political class here in Seoul, and certainly the presidential office here in Seoul, is saying that they want to help make American shipbuilding great again. So we're looking for any sort of investment signal in this meeting coming up in a few hours.
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And then finally, Rosemary, I think it's interesting to look at the personal rapport between the two presidents. They are allies, but they've never met. They are linked by harrowing assassination stories. President Lee Jae-myung surviving a January 2024 stabbing attack when he was stabbed in his neck. Certainly, he has a scar that's visible to this day whenever he certainly lowers the collar of his shirt. President Trump, two attempts on his life in the 2024 campaign for the White House. So it'll be interesting to see how the two bonds, what the two talk about in front of the fireplace in the Oval Office. Certainly, a lot coming up on the agenda, Rosemary.
CHURCH: And we will be watching, as you will, I know. Mike Valerio joining us there live from Seoul. Many thanks. We turn now to the Middle East, where the Israeli military says it has struck several targets inside Yemen following attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis.
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Rocked the Yemeni capital, Israel says they came in response to the latest attack by Houthi rebels who fired a new type of missile at Israel on Friday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Houthis will continue to pay a very heavy price for their aggression.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translation): Whoever attacks us, we attack them. Whoever plans to attack us, we attack them. I believe the entire region is learning about the strength and determination of the State of Israel.
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CHURCH: The Israeli military is also unleashing strikes on Gaza City ahead of its planned takeover of the enclave's largest city. Israel's defense minister is vowing to push forward with the offensive despite international criticism and concern for civilians.
On Sunday, funerals were held for those killed in the latest attacks. The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 64 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 300 injured in Gaza over the past 24 hours, among them a nine-year-old boy whose family says he was killed while going to buy food. CNN's Oren Liebermann is following all the developments in the Middle East and has more now from Jerusalem.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Israel carried out a series of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday evening, including what appears to be the first time they hit the presidential palace. The Israeli military also says it carried out strikes on two power plants in Yemen in the Houthi-held capital of Sanaa, as well as the fuel supply for those power plants.
Israel says this is in response to a ballistic missile that came over on Friday that for the first time appears to have had a cluster warhead. That is, multiple munitions carried on one missile designed to spread out the damage, make it more difficult to intercept. An Israeli military official says it appears to be the first time the Houthis have fired this type of ballistic missile at Israel.
There have also been other ballistic missiles and drones that the Houthis have launched. Many of those are intercepted, but Israel sees it as an attack on Israel itself and has vowed to respond to those. And that's what we saw with towers of smoke and fire rising out of the capital of Sanaa as a result of the Israeli strikes. Israel warning there will be more such strikes if the Houthi attacks continue. And they have, for the most part, unabated at a fairly steady pace over the course of the last weeks and months.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military carrying out a series of punishing strikes in Gaza City in what appear to be the first phases of the operation the Security Cabinet had approved just a couple of weeks ago. The Israeli military is already operating in Zeitoun on the outskirts of Gaza City, with reports it's also operating in Jabalia.
Meanwhile, we see the video from those strikes and CNN has spoken with Palestinians, some of whom have already made the decision to flee ahead of specific evacuation orders. Others who say they refuse to leave. They either refuse to be displaced again by Israeli evacuation orders, or they refuse to leave their homes ahead of what Israel essentially says will be a forced evacuation of the city to go after what they see as one of Hamas's last remaining strongholds there.
The Israeli defense minister had warned just days ago that Israel would open the gates of hell if Hamas didn't free the hostages there. And that may be the beginning of what we're seeing here. Oren Liebermann, CNN in Jerusalem.
CHURCH: Canada's prime minister vows to support Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv. When we return, what he's saying about putting troops on the ground.
Plus, Vladimir Putin is planning a visit to China next week. We will find out what he and his team will be asking for in Beijing. Stay with us for that and more.
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CHURCH: Countries around the world are showing solidarity with Ukraine as the war rages on. To mark Ukraine's 34th Independence Day, the Eiffel Tower in Paris lit up in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. And this was the view in Rome on Sunday, blue and yellow also covering the Colosseum in a show of support. August 24, 1991 was the day that Ukraine declared itself free of Soviet rule.
World leaders traveled to Kyiv on Sunday to celebrate Ukraine's Independence Day. The Trump administration's Russia-Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, attended the ceremony. And Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made his first official visit to the country.
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He held a press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Carney expressed his country's unwavering support for Kyiv. He also didn't rule out sending troops to Ukraine.
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MARK CARNEY, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: We are working through with our allies and coalition of the willing and with Ukraine the modalities of those security guarantees on land, in the air and the sea. And I would not exclude the presence of troops.
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CHURCH: With peace talks seemingly stalled, Russia says Ukraine launched a drone attack Sunday that sparked a fire at the Kursk nuclear power plant. It's one of the biggest in Russia. Plant officials told Reuters that despite some damage, radiation levels were normal and there were no injuries reported. Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine completed a new prisoner exchange.
Moscow says it included the return of at least 146 prisoners of war from each side. Most were in captivity since 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. CNN's Nada Bashir has more on Kyiv's Independence Day and a letter sent to Zelenskyy from the U.S. President.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, marking Ukraine's 34th Independence Day, U.S. President Donald Trump has sent a letter of support, praising the nation's courage and saying the United States believes in its future as an independent state. The letter was shared on X by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked Trump for his message, with Keith Kellogg, the Trump administration's Russia- Ukraine envoy, in attendance for Kyiv's Independence Day ceremony on Sunday.
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, also delivered his own address to Ukraine, reiterating his determination to triumph against Russia. In recent weeks, Ukraine has ramped up its attacks on Russia, particularly when it comes to Russia's energy infrastructure. According to a CNN tally of attacks, Ukrainian drones have struck at least 10 key Russian energy facilities this month alone.
And while reports have emerged that the Pentagon has, for months, been blocking Ukraine's use of U.S.-made long-range army tactical missile systems to strike inside Russia, President Zelenskyy said Sunday that he has not yet discussed the use of such weapons with the U.S., and that Ukraine is currently using domestically produced long-range weapons.
Efforts to secure a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, meanwhile, appear to have stalled once again, with the Kremlin pouring cold water on the possibility of a meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky in the near future. However, speaking to NBC, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance indicated some degree of optimism, saying that Russia has made significant concessions and that the U.S. will keep on pushing for a diplomatic solution. Nada Bashir, CNN, in London.
CHURCH: The Russian President will travel to China for four days next week. Major talks between Russian and Chinese delegations will precede Vladimir Putin's visit. He will then join more than 20 other leaders for a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and finally a military parade in Beijing on September 3rd, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
For more on the visit, I'm joined now by CNN's Marc Stewart in Beijing. Good to see you, Marc. So, what is the significance of this visit, and of course its timing, coming after the recent Alaska summit meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents?
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Rosemary. This is significant for many reasons, but in particular, it's the fact that Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have this very longstanding friendship based on tremendous loyalty. In fact, it's been described as a no- limits friendship. In fact, if we look at the war in Ukraine, China has never officially condemned Russia for its invasion. So, that's the strength of this relationship between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, and as you mentioned, it comes after this meeting with Putin and President Trump.
Are things at perhaps a breaking point, where Xi Jinping will perhaps try to influence Vladimir Putin or push for some kind of end of the war? It's something that those of us who are in Beijing are certainly going to be watching when this meeting takes place in the days ahead. China has a big stake in all of this. As we have seen, India has faced the possibility of increased tariffs because of fuel purchases from Russia by the United States. China could perhaps face further tariffs from the United States because of its purchase of Russian oil.
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That's just how interconnected everything is here. As you mentioned, this is part of a broader conference, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It is a who's who of Eurasian leaders. We will see the Prime Minister of India here. We will see the President of Iran as well as the U.N. Secretary General.
It comes at a time when especially Russia and China are trying to establish themselves as leaders of an alternative or a new world order that differs from the perspective that we see from the United States or from the West. And after this meeting takes place on September 3rd, many leaders, including Vladimir Putin, are expected to come here to Beijing for this massive military parade.
It will be 70 minutes long and is a chance for China to really show off its military arsenal. There have been rehearsals weekend after weekend here in Beijing. You can see the blockades in the streets here. It's quite a big event, Rosemary. There have been shots of perhaps what appear to be missiles going through the streets of Beijing as part of this dress rehearsal, but covered in tarps. It's going to be a big opportunity, Rosemary, for China to show off its military, especially as it faces potential conflicts in areas such as the South China Sea and Taiwan. And to really tell Chinese citizens and the world as a whole, Rosemary, that China is a force.
CHURCH: All right. We'll be watching very closely, of course. Marc Stewart joining us there with that live report, I appreciate it.
And still to come, some U.S. states are racing to redraw congressional districts in an effort to pick up more seats in Congress. I'll speak with an expert about the effects it could have on the midterms. Back with that and more in just a moment.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The next U.S. midterm elections are more than a year away, but lawmakers are already trying to come up with ways to secure a majority in Congress. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tells CNN that House Democrats are ready to act to prevent the U.S. president from trying to, quote, "steal the midterm elections."
It comes amid a Trump-backed Republican redistricting effort in Texas to gain five more congressional seats. Jeffries says Democrats have made too much progress, and it'll be difficult for Republicans to overtake them.
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REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES, U.S. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: In Texas, this is a racial partisan gerrymander ordered by Donald Trump as part of an effort to rig the midterm elections. And we're not going to let it happen. And at the end of the day, we were 24 seats down during Donald Trump's first midterm election in 2018. We won 40 seats in 2018. There's no way that Republicans can mathematically gerrymander their way to an artificial victory next year.
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CHURCH: Over the weekend, the Texas Senate approved a new congressional map, which now heads to Governor Greg Abbott's desk for approval. California is retaliating with a plan of its own led by Governor Gavin Newsom. That measure will go before voters in November.
Eric McGhee is a policy director and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. I appreciate you joining us.
ERIC MCGHEE, POLICY DIRECTOR & SENIOR FELLOW, PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE IF CALIFORNIA: Thank you for having me.
CHURCH: So a redistricting war is escalating, first in Texas, where a new congressional map was passed Saturday that would help Republicans flip as many as five House seats. And now California is threatening to do the same to create new Democratic leaning seats. Other states will likely follow suit. So what could this potentially mean for the 2026 midterm elections?
MCGHEE: Yeah, so the number of seats that are potentially at issue here is really constrained by a number of factors. First, it's just the number of seats that each state has available for one party to take from another. Another variable here is just how many seats, additional seats you could draw for your party within each state.
We have the Voting Rights Act at the federal level that does put still constraints on what you can do with minority representation. And then there's just the question of which of states have complete control from -- by one party or the other, and that's going to constraint things as well. So you put all that together and we're probably talking about, you know, maybe as many as 15 seats for Republicans and maybe as many as half of that for Democrats. That's if all goes well for each side. Yeah.
CHURCH: Right. Okay. Well, I mean, they're considerable numbers. So now that two of the country's largest states are trying to seize power through gerrymandering, how many more might do the same? And do red states have a distinct advantage at this game? It sounds like with those numbers. MCGHEE: Yeah, they do. And it has to do with some of the constraints
that Democratic states have placed on themselves.
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Some states have -- you know, California is having -- is going to try and get five more Democratic seats, but they have to do a special process because they have a commission that draws districts. New York is kind of a similar situation where they have provisions in their constitution that prevent them from doing mid-decade redistricting. So, it really does, in the end, benefit Republicans more than Democrats.
Beyond Texas, the number of states is kind of a question mark, right? So there's Indiana, there's Kentucky, there's North Carolina. Ohio actually has to draw its districts again for some complicated reasons. So, they're going to probably get another 2 or 3 seats for Republicans there.
But beyond that, it's kind of a question of each state. And we're just going to have to see how it all unfolds. But there is definitely a Republican advantage to this whole process.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And, Eric, what are the numbers show you about how fair and Democratic redistricting efforts have been up to this point?
MCGHEE: Well, it's kind of a funny situation where individual states often are very heavily gerrymandered, but at the national level, we have a pretty fair balance between the two parties. In some ways, the Democrats are actually just a little bit advantaged because even though Republicans have a majority of votes and seats, they don't have quite as many seats as you might expect, given the votes that they have.
So, there is kind of a -- but overall, kind of a balance at the national level. This could actually throw that balance out of whack. But we'll just have to see what -- what transpires.
CHURCH: And as this redistricting battle continues, what will it mean for the once a decade census aligned redrawing of congressional maps? If parties start doing this at will in an effort to shift the balance of power in their favor? And how can this be stopped if the U.S. president himself is asking this to be done?
MCGHEE: Yeah. So, there's no way to really stop it at this point. You could have congress and the president some, perhaps some future president, decide to regulate this process at the national level and that could constrain all of the states. That's in the constitution, Congress and the president have the power to regulate congressional elections. So, this could be stopped.
As far as the next census is concerned. The main thing that the census does is it requires new districts to be drawn in order to make the new districts be equal in population, to reflect changes in population that have occurred since the last census. That's all the courts tell you.
Otherwise, it's kind of fair game. What you do in between census counts. And that's a decision that the Supreme Court made about 20 years ago. So, it's a long-standing precedent. We haven't seen anything quite this aggressive occur before now, though.
CHURCH: Eric McGhee, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
MCGHEE: Yeah. Thank you for having me.
Members of the U.S. National Guard deployed in Washington, D.C., are now carrying weapons. A spokesperson for the mission told CNN the troops started carrying sidearms on Sunday. And a CNN reporter saw two guard members carrying rifles in the city. It's a drastic shift in the guards' presence since President Trump deployed them. The president says Chicago could be next.
But Chicago's mayor is pushing back, threatening legal action for what he calls unlawful actions.
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BRANDON JOHNSON, CHICAGO MAYOR: What he is proposing at this point would be the most flagrant violation of our Constitution in the 21st century. The city of Chicago does not need a military occupation. That's not what we need. In fact, we've been very clear about what we need. We need to invest in people to ensure that we can build safe and affordable communities.
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CHURCH: And it appears many people in Washington, D.C., are not happy with federal troops in their city. A "Washington Post" poll shows 69 percent of residents strongly oppose the president taking control of D.C.'s police and deploying the national guard.
Typhoon Kajiki is stirring up panic across coastal communities in Southeast Asia. Coming up, we will bring you the very latest out of China and Vietnam as the storm gathers steam.
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CHURCH: You are looking at live pictures of the coastline in central Vietnam as the country braces for typhoon Kajiki. With the storm expected to make landfall today, officials are making plans to evacuate over half a million people. The typhoon strengthened as it grazed China's island province of Hainan on Sunday. The tourist destination, Sanya, issued a red typhoon alert, the highest security warning, as torrential rainfall drenched the area. Boats have been banned from leaving several coastal provinces in Vietnam, with dozens of regional flights already delayed or canceled.
Well, some people race horses, but in one German town, they race oxen. This unusual race began in 1983 and happens every four years. The jockeys ride without a saddle and only have a harness to hold on to. It can lead to a wild ride.
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ANNA STEIDI, OX JOCKEY: So, you can't compare it to riding a horse. It's really gigantic. The feeling is massive. You have to really push yourself onto the ox so you don't start bouncing.
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Otherwise, you fall off.
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CHURCH: Race organizers stress the importance of animal welfare. Sticks, whips and spurs are banned, and the oxen must be checked by a veterinarian before the race.
I want to thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church.
"WORLD SPORT" is coming up next. Then I'll be back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. Do stick around.
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