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Israeli Protesters Stage "day of disruption" Calling For End To War In Gaza; U.S. Tariffs On India Double To 50 Percent Over Russian Oil Purchases; Trump Again Threatens Sanctions on Russia, No Set Deadline; Orthodox Jewish Rabbis Sign Letter Criticizing Israel's War; Orthodox Jewish Rabbis Sign Letter Criticizing Israel's War; Meet Lucy and Selam: Ancient Fossils Dating back 3 Million Years; Nigerian Company Makes Farming Faster, More Affordable; Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Reveal Enchanting Engagement; GLP-1 Weight Loss Pill Closer to Regulatory Approval; Katseye and The Gap Deliver Jeans Ad for TikTok Generation. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired August 27, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:00:22]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: The high cost of buying cheap Russian oil. Ahead on CNN Newsroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: India is about to face one of the highest effective U.S. tariff rates in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: But why is India being punished when others like China buy even more Russian oil, which helps finance Putin's war of choice in Ukraine?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This war ends when Hamas ends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Israel's all or nothing demand to stop the fighting in Gaza sparks another day of mass protests. Raises fears for the safety of the last hostages still being held by Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It started with a friendship bracelet and now there's an engagement ring.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: After a dozen public breakups and a catalog of hit songs about them. Taylor Swift says yes to longtime boyfriend Travis Kelce.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.

VAUSE: Tuesday was declared a day of struggle in Israel with hundreds of thousands of protesters taking part in a rally in Tel Aviv demanding an end to the war in Gaza and the return of the last hostages. And later Wednesday, the U.S. President is expected to hold a large meeting at the White House. That's according to US Special envoy Steve Witkoff about the war in Gaza.

Protest organizers believe more than 350,000 Israelis turned out, given the size of Israel's population and equivalent turnout in the U.S. would be around 12 million people. These are protesters had to say about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his priorities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMI DROR, PROTEST LEADER: It's a political war that the main goal of this war is to keep Netanyahu in his office. He fears this coalition more than anybody else. He fears the coalition more than the families, more than the protesters. I do believe that with the pressure that will come from the people of Israel stopping the country, plus with the pressure that should come from the rest of the world demanding the immediate end of the war from Prime Minister Netanyahu. I believe if all those things happen together, yes, the war can end now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: On the same day, Israel's security cabinet was meeting and sources tell CNN that two-hour long meeting ended without any major decisions and without plans to consider the latest ceasefire proposal. Qatar, which has put forward this latest proposal along with Egypt, says the ball is now in Israel's court, adding the current deal, which has already been accepted by Hamas, is in line with previous demands made by Israel.

Meantime, the Israel Defense Forces claims the double tap strike on Nasser Hospital, which killed at least 20 people, was aimed at what it believed was a camera position by Hamas. The IDF claims six of the individuals killed were terrorists. CNN's Oren Liebermann reports now from Tel Aviv. But protesters remain relentless in their pressure campaign to bring the hostages home.

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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The fires on the roads burned as hot as the anger on the streets. Across Israel, protesters blocked major highways, burning tires and shutting down traffic. This sign in Tel Aviv says we're stopping everything until everyone returns.

The demonstrations marked the beginning of what organizers called a Day of Struggle, demanding an end of the war and the return of the remaining 50 hostages held in Gaza. Yehuda Cohen's son Nimrod is among the 20 hostages believed to be alive. YEHUDA COHEN, FATHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE: Another day for protest.

Another day to make sure the issue of the hostages stays in high priority. Another day to pressure Netanyahu and forcing to end the war and get a hostage deal.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a two- hour security cabinet meeting Tuesday afternoon. But according to two sources familiar with the discussion, the latest ceasefire proposal was not on the agenda.

HAIM WEISS, ISRAELI PROTESTER: This is a shame. This is beyond words. Beyond words? There are no words to describe this government anymore. This government should be dealing with one and only thing, ending the war and bringing back the hostages.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): On Monday, President Donald Trump said in the Oval Office there's a diplomatic push underway to end the war. But one day later, he walked that back.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: There's nothing conclusive, but hopefully we're going to have things solved very quickly with regard to Gaza and also with regard to Ukraine and Russia.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): It's a promise these protesters have heard too many times to believe. Even so, Idit Ohel, holding a sign with the face of her hostage son Alon, says it's up to Trump.

IDIT OHEL, MOTHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE: We still need the United States to be with us. We still need Trump's administration to push to it, make sure that all the hostages return.

[01:05:00]

I think he has the power to talk to Netanyahu and tell him about how urgent it is.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: After almost two years of war in Gaza, more than 80 Orthodox Jewish rabbis are voicing their criticism of Israel signing a public letter titled A Call for Moral Clarity, Responsibility and Jewish Orthodox Response in the Face of the Gaza Humanitarian Crisis.

The letter begins in part, the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza is one of the most severe in recent history. While it began with the horrific terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel October 7, 2023, this does not absolve Israel's government from assuming its share of the responsibility for the profound suffering of Gaza's civilian population.

OK, we'll move on with our coverage. Now we want to go through the new tariffs which are in place India. Those 25 percent tariffs have now doubled. That's punitive measures put in place by the U.S. President for India's ongoing purchase of cheap Russian oil. The 50 percent tariff is the highest on all U.S. trading partners in

Asia. New Delhi says the move is unjustified and unfair while pointing to China, another major buyer of Russian oil but with a tariff of 30 percent. Facing no punitive actions from Washington. One U.S. official says trade negotiations with China are ongoing with an informal meeting set for later this week.

And this coming Friday, a tariff exemption on goods sent to the U.S. valued at less than $800 will expire. That means they will lose their duty free status. And ahead of that deadline, postal services around the world have suspended delivery of those so called small parcels, with Japan, Australia and Taiwan just the latest to do so. For the U.S. though, there has been one unmistakable benefit from Donald Trump's tariffs.

In just one day last Friday, bringing in $22 billion in revenue for the U.S. treasury with economists forecasting the total for the entire month of August could reach $32 billion.

Say hello to Seoul now. CNN's Mike Valeria standing by for the very latest on those tariffs on India. The Indians government said they will retaliate to these new measures put in place by Donald Trump. But what are their options at this point? What can they do?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So their options, they could potentially cut taxes, but you know, their economic calculation is going to hold tight for now because the thinking is that Russian oil is so cheap they can perhaps eat these tariffs. But how long will that stay in play when perhaps orders are canceled in California, the ports of Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey, and then that forces Indian factory owners to cut their staff their number of jobs. So if that happens across India.

John, we have new reporting since last time we saw you last hour of a factory owner saying that what is happening now is from his point of view, worse than COVID in terms of the number of jobs that he has to cut and what that could do on a macro level, we were talking about this the last hour is perhaps, and we stress perhaps move India, move its thinking closer towards new ties with Russia and indeed with China if this action from the United States with these tariffs up to 50 percent holds for weeks or months.

So why that matters is because Russia, India and China have not exactly have been the warmest of friends, especially with China and India. But we have India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi heading to the latest meeting this coming week or in the next few days of the Shanghai Economic Operation Organization and Cooperation Summit, which is a group that is meant to hold regional security together, a group that was founded by Moscow and Beijing to challenge the world order, the Western based world order from its point of view. Putin is going to be traveling to India by the end of the year.

So what is this all doing? Perhaps strengthening ties between India, China and Russia.

To that end, we have Barkha Dutt, a respected journalist India, talking to her own Fareed Zakaria a couple of days ago about the United States continuing its trade with Russia and also China and the E.U. continuing trade with Russia as well. Let's listen to what she had to say.

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BARKHA DUTT, AUTHOR, "THIS UNQUIET LAND": India has pointed out repeatedly to the hypocrisy by the United States, by the Trump administration on this issue. The numbers speak for themselves. $3.5 billion trade value between the United States and Russia in 2024 alone. Millions of value in imports of fertilizers and uranium.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: You know I should say, John, I'm coming off stretch with the flu. Little brain fuzz at the moment bungled that name. Shanghai Cooperation Organization, forgive me forever again coming off the flu.

[01:10:03]

But the point here is that as we are watching this developing in the days and weeks ahead, we're going to be seeing what cooperation is like between India and the United States. Ministers, between the State Department and India's Ministry of External Affairs met virtually on Monday and they said as far as things go with the Quad, the security group that involves India, the United States, Australia and Japan, things are as they have been. Cooperation was reaffirmed.

President Trump and prime ministers who lead the Quad are supposed to meet later this year. But as stock prices continue to tank, one wonders how much longer this will be able to continue. Will we have a trade deal between the United States and India after five rounds of negotiations failing?

So a lot of dynamics to be watching. Definitely the biggest economic story in Asia happening today. So we will be watching who moves first. What happens with these storylines, John?

VAUSE: Yes, I mean, this is the whole thing. Who's going to blink? And at this point, no one seems ready to blink. So we'll wait and see. Mike Valerio there in Seoul, hope you're getting better. Well, we all hate a cold or flu. Thank you.

VALERIO: Thanks, John.

VAUSE: CNN's Anna Cooban breaks down the numbers on how the new tariffs will affect India.

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ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: It already been hit by 25 percent tariffs. Now an additional 25 percent is being added. India is about to face one of the highest effective U.S. tariff rates in the world. That's the rate that once you calculate various exemptions. That's because after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and Europe started sanctioning Russian oil, Russia focused on selling its barrels to Asia and India became a big customer.

By June this year, nearly 47 percent of Russian crude oil had been sent to China and around 38 percent had been sent to India. Now, last month, Trump announced secondary sanctions on countries purchasing this oil. After that, a crude oil analyst at Kepler noted a slowdown in purchases from India and that those barrels are being snapped up by China. They noted around 15 cargoes had been sent to China.

But that hasn't been enough to stop these sanctions from coming into effect today. That could make certain items that the U.S. gets from India a lot more expensive, from jewelry to jeans. And if that demand is cut down, it could have an impact on jobs in India.

But the actual impact on Indian GDP is not predicted to be that significant. You can see here it's just around a knock of around 0.8 percent based on these tariffs. Now, engineering goods and electricals are a significant portion of the products that India will ship to the US. Earlier this year, India actually overtook China to become the biggest exporter of smartphones to the United States, according to research firm Canalis.

But smartphones are exempt from these sanctions, which could provide some relief. Other goods will continue to be sold to the rest of the world without facing a tariff increase. Anna Coobin, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: U.S. presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff hoping for peace in Ukraine by year's end. Same time Russian troops inch forward in Ukraine's southeast. Those details after the break.

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[01:17:41]

VAUSE: Well, the U.S. President has repeatedly demanded Russia reach a ceasefire with Ukraine within two weeks. A more realistic timeline is coming from his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is hoping for a deal by the end of the year.

Witkoff has also confirmed that in return for an end to the fighting, Russia is demanding all of the Donetsk region, even though 30 percent of the eastern province remains under Ukrainian control. Witkoff added what everyone already knows, the Ukrainians are unlikely to agree to that demand.

And it seems once again President Trump is confused over the roles of Russia and Ukraine in this conflict, implying the Ukrainians actually had a choice to go to war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm sure that Ukraine thought they were going to win, is going to be, you know, we're going to win. You're going to beat somebody that's 15 times your size, but you don't go into a war that's 15 times your size. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The U.S. President has also walked back that two week deadline for Russia to make a deal to end the fighting. Now there's no deadline, even though Trump continues to warn Russia it's facing punitive sanctions. CNN Fred Pleitgen reports now from Moscow on the Kremlin reaction to the latest threats coming from the White House.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Kremlin certainly is taking all this very seriously. They say they're taking it very seriously. And they understand, of course, that threat not just of sanctions but of course also of secondary tariffs against countries that buy Russian oil is still very much out there by the U.S. President.

At the same time, it really appears as though the Kremlin believes that time is on their side. Some of the things that we've heard here in Moscow over the past couple of days, especially from Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, saying that Vladimir Putin on the whole is ready and is willing to have a summit, a direct meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, but that something like that needs to be accurately prepared, as he put it, and needs to be prepared in a way that actual progress can be achieved.

And the Russians, at least for their part, are saying they believe that things are still very far away from that being the case. They certainly aren't talking about this two-week deadline or whether or not there's going to be a summit in those two weeks. They are saying that it is still very much a long road ahead before the, a summit like that could take place.

And there's really two things that the Russians are focusing on. One of them is those security guarantees for Ukraine that of course the Ukrainians and their European allies keep talking about and of course the White House as well. Possible Western troops on the ground in Ukraine, possibly the U.S. also chipping in, for instance, with air power.

[01:20:00]

The Russians are saying that they don't want Western troops on the ground. They are saying that would be detrimental to Russian security. They, in fact, want to have a say in Ukraine's future security as well. That's something that, of course, could be very difficult to breach.

And then as far as territories are concerned, the Russians still saying that they believe the Ukrainians are going to have to give up territory. And that's something that, of course, needs to be discussed. So right now, the Russians are saying that from their vantage point, Vladimir Putin is ready to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But it certainly doesn't appear from the Russians that all of that is in the cards anytime soon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Ukraine is partially ending a travel ban which has prevented men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. The ban has been in place since the war began. But in the near future, Kyiv says Ukrainian men aged 18 to 22 will be able to travel abroad for education as well as international experience. We'll be right back. You're watching CNN at a moment

[01:26:06]

VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN Newsroom. More now on the criticism from more than 80 Orthodox rabbis about Israel's war in Gaza. They've signed a public letter titled A Call for Moral Clarity, Responsibility and a Jewish Orthodox Response in the Face of the Gaza Humanitarian Crisis. Live for Warsaw. And Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland, whose signature is on that letter. Chief Rabbi, thank you for being with us.

RABBI MICHAEL SCHUDRICH, CHIEF RABBI OF POLAND: Thank you.

VAUSE: I want to read a little more from the letter in which you argue the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 does not mean Israel can act with impunity. It reads, Israel's prolonged military campaign, now approaching two years, has devastated Gaza. The death toll is rising with very significant losses of life. And Israel's limiting of humanitarian aid, at times completely halting the entry of food and medical supplies, has raised the specter of coming starvation. We affirm that Hamas's sins and crimes do not relieve the government of Israel of its obligations to make whatever efforts are necessary to prevent mass starvation.

I'm wondering if the events on that day almost two years ago were so horrific that for many Israelis, they are understandably bent upon revenge and justice. And what may -- they may have lost sight of those values and those qualities which are an essential part of being Jewish.

SCHUDRICH: Well, that was a very long and important statement. For me the letter really focused on starvation and medical help. Whatever Hamas did was horrific. No question. They are just bad, bad people. They estimated before the war 40,000 Hamas in Gaza out of 2 million people.

So first we need to focus on the fact that Hamas, there's no question, with no way accepting their behavior and the fact that they still have about 30 hostages in Gaza is completely unacceptable and the world needs to say no. The other point that I think is very important to stress is that we, our rabbis that signed the letter are completely behind the state of Israel, the land of Israel, the people of Israel. And this in no way diminishes from our love of Israel and a very strong commitment to Zionism.

VAUSE: Yes, sorry, go, sir.

SCHUDRICH: Yes, sorry. When we see something, when a human being sees something they think could be not moral, the human being has an obligation to speak out. And that's what's happening here. We don't really know what's happening in Gaza, but from the little -- from the information that we're receiving, there is a concern --

VAUSE: Yes.

SCHUDRICH: -- that the Israel is not doing what it can be doing and I would say should be doing to supply aid to food for civilians. And again, I'm not there. I don't know what's happening.

VAUSE: What's interesting, though, about this letter -- so just want to get on to this point. What's interesting about this letter, though, is that it's criticism which is framed within the moral obligation of Judaism. And again, here's a part of the letter which you've signed.

This moment demands a different voice, one grounded in our deepest Jewish values and informed by our traumatic history of being victims of persecution. We must affirm that Judaism's vision of justice and compassion extends to all human beings. Allowing an entire people to starve stands in contrast to that teaching.

It also raises this question that how can those who have suffered so greatly throughout history, who were the victims of, you know, despicable evil the world has ever seen, be one of the main causes of what is essentially turning out to be a mass tragedy playing out in Gaza?

[01:29:42]

SCHUDRICH: I'm sorry. Ask that last, last sentence again. I'm sorry.

VAUSE: How can Israel sort of oversee what is essentially turning out to be this mass tragedy, this starvation, which is happening in Gaza. Israel isn't to blame for all of it, but it is to blame for part of it.

SCHUDRICH: I don't use the word "blame". I'm not the blame game. If you want to blame, it's Hamas.

VAUSE: Yes.

SCHUDRICH: But no matter how bad Hamas is, we as Jews have an obligation to provide food and medical care for civilians.

Again, and I've said it -- I just said it before, I don't know exactly what's happening in Gaza, but even if there's a question that maybe were not doing what we should be doing, we have a responsibility to speak out and to say we don't starve civilians.

That's not what that's not what Judaism teaches us. That's not what we -- the way we've been explained to us what the Torah values and the Jewish values are.

VAUSE: You also write that the future of Israel depends not only on its military strength, but on its moral clarity. Let us be resounding voices for justice, righteousness, and peace for all people, even and especially in the hardest of times.

I'm just wondering how far have the actions of this current Israeli government strayed from what were the founding principles of the modern state of Israel?

SCHUDRICH: It's a very important question. I'm not going to make judgment on that. Clearly, the letter speaks for itself. I'm not going to start criticizing the Israeli government because it's a government that represents a country that I love.

But clearly, through the letter, we have questions on whether or not they're living up to what they should be doing.

VAUSE: What would you like to see happen with the Israeli government right now? What would be an appropriate course of action for them at this point in time?

SCHUDRICH: That's a very big question. I'm not sure I'm big enough to answer that. To be able to finish the war in Gaza, to bring all the hostages home and to secure the state of Israel and its citizens from any further Hamas attacks.

There are certain voices which are different than that. And that's what we need. We need to end the conflict. We need to bring our soldiers home. We need to bring the hostages home. We need to make sure Hamas can never do it again. And we need to make sure that the 2 million or so civilians live or its 2 million, minus 40,000 terrorists are able to also to live in peace with a proper access to food and medical care.

VAUSE: (INAUDIBLE) Hashem, Rabbi, thank you so much for being with us, sir. We appreciate your time and your insights.

SCHUDRICH: Thank you so much. Thank you.

VAUSE: Well, in the coming hours, Kilmar Abrego Garcia will appear before a U.S. federal judge as he tries to avoid being deported again. The Trump administration is threatening to send the Maryland man to Uganda months after he was unlawfully sent to a brutal El Salvador prison.

Abrego Garcia is also renewing his bid for asylum in the United States. If an immigration judge agrees to reconsider his application, officials would be barred under federal law from removing him from the U.S. until the matter is resolved.

Abrego Garcia says he fled El Salvador more than a decade ago to escape gang violence.

In a moment here on CNN, building the technology to make farming faster and more affordable. We'll meet the company making it happen.

Just ahead right here on CNN NEWSROOM.

[01:33:39]

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VAUSE: At last. Finally, a successful test flight for SpaceX's giant Starship, the first success since November last year. It's good news for NASA, which is relying on the starship to take astronauts back to the moon. It's the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built.

Two ancient fossils on display in the Czech Republic are thought to be skeletal remains of early humans dating back more than 3 million years.

CNN's Allison Chinchar has details.

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ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Europe now has a front row seat to some of the earliest fossils of human ancestors. The National Museum in the Czech Republic is featuring two fossils of the australopithecines, believed to be skeletal remains of early human ancestors dating back more than 3 million years.

The fossils, named Lucy and Selam were unearthed in Ethiopia, Lucy in 1974 and Selam in 2000. The scientists who discovered them were at the opening.

Here's Donald Johanson, who discovered Lucy.

DONALD JOHANSON, "LUCY" DISCOVERER: The roots lead back to Africa. It's where we first separated from the African apes. It's where we first stood up. It's where our brains, our brains first grew large, where we first began to make art and specialized stone tools, and where we, as we call ourselves homo sapiens, evolved.

[01:39:48]

CHINCHAR: Lucy's remains indicate she was about 106 centimeters tall and died between 12 and 16 years of age. Selam also was likely a girl and died at about two and a half years old. Scientists estimate Selam lived more than 200,000 years before Lucy.

A French artist reconstructed the two into hyper realistic sculptures to show people what they likely looked like.

Lucy has only ever been exhibited for a short tour in the United States in the early 2000, but never in Europe. And Selam has never been on display abroad.

Johanson spoke about his discovery with CNN affiliate CNN Prima News.

JOHANSON: I didn't know who it was. I didn't know if it was a new kind of human, a new species. I didn't know if it was a male or female. I didn't know much about it.

But I knew it would be important. And it was of course, the discovery that defined my career as an anthropologist. It was my childhood dream.

CHINCHAR: Lucy and Selam will be in Prague until late October, as part of a 60-day loan from the National Museum of Ethiopia.

Allison Chinchar, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Three skulls taken from Madagascar and put on display in a French museum for more than a century have finally been returned. The skulls belong to members of the Sakalava ethnic group. One of the skulls could actually be a 19th century king.

Madagascar's minister of communication and culture calls the return significant for the community and the country. It's the first return under a new law meant to expedite the restitution of human remains held in French collections.

For this month's African insider, we visit Nigeria. Bennie Technologies is building homegrown machines designed to make farming faster and more affordable while training the next generation of local engineers.

Here's the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JERRY ISAAC MALLO, CEO, BENNIE GROUP: My parents were farmers. I was born in a society where we went to the farm as early as 6:00 a.m. and sometimes came back as late as 10:00 p.m.

So I started to think of machines that will reduce my time being on the farm, so I could get more time to study about cars.

In my (INAUDIBLE) one I made my first thresher.

SOLOMON SAMUEL, HEAD OF FABRICATION, BENNIE GROUP: This machine is an easy machine that will help farmers to ease their farming time frame and lessen the cost of labor. And actually it's very fast and efficient.

VICTOR SAMUEL, HEAD OF DESIGN, BENNIE GROUP: We look at how foreign machines are being made, and we try to see how we are going to make it in a way that is going to suit our own environment here, because we realized that when we import some of these machines, they don't suit our own needs here.

For example, this is the crawler tractor, which we try to see how we are going to redesign it to the way that it's going to fit into our own farmers.

S. SAMUEL: Bennie beyond just fabrication, we see ourselves as the matchstick. Always tightening the jaws of the vise for the young minds that wants to build value in Nigeria.

So we organize trainings at intervals where we bring in young minds that wants to learn more about manufacturing and about fabrication, and we give them the basic training from the designs to understanding what they need to do and converting their ideas into workable values that the end users will be able to use.

MALLO: In the next five years, we see ourselves being a major household name within Africa. We want to see how we are the -- we are one of the key players in mechanized agricultural space. We want to see how we make agricultural equipment mostly available and affordable to the end users focusing on small and medium scale farmers.

Africa is gradually getting to that point where it wants to consume indigenous products, so there's increase in demand for vehicles. We see ourselves developing day to day vehicles, utility vehicles, SUVs, trucks and tricycles, and a couple of others.

So as we develop in the agricultural sector, we equally want to develop in the automotive industry to have more affordable and available vehicles around.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Very green. We'll be right back. You're watching CNN.

[01:44:44]

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VAUSE: Taylor Swift may be an intergalactic pop queen, but for a long time seemed incapable of a long-term relationship. Not now. Boyfriend Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs has popped the question, dropped half a million bucks on an engagement ring, and now it's happily ever after.

It seems there was zero effort to keep the news private with the happy couple posting these images on social media Tuesday. The announcement comes ahead of the October 3rd release of Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl". And for all the Swifties out there, there's now new excitement about what this love story will bring.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taylor Swift is engaged. She's engaged. She's engaged.

DAVE PORTNOY, FOUNDER, BARSTOOL SPORTS: UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mother gets engaged. Travis Kelce, so happy for her. She deserves the world. And love wins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: To Nashville, Tennessee now and Bryan West, Swifty reporter for "USA Today". Bryan thank you for being with us.

BRYAN WEST, SWIFTY REPORTER, "USA TODAY": Thank you so much for having me.

VAUSE: It's a pleasure. Now not a lot of engagements are discussed before a cabinet meeting at the White House. But President Trump, who has had this fraught relationship with Swift, was asked for his reaction. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I wish him a lot of luck. I think it's -- I think he's a great player. I think he's a great guy. And I think that she's a terrific person. So I wish them a lot of luck.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Keep in mind, just three weeks ago, Trump went after Swift, seemingly out of nowhere, posting this on Truth Social. "Just look at woke singer Taylor Swift. Ever since I alerted the world as to what she was by saying on Truth that I can't stand her -- bracket "hate" in all capitals, exclamation point, close bracket. She was booed out of the Super Bowl and became "no longer hot" in all caps. The tide has seriously turned. Being woke is for losers.

It's quite the 180 today for the president. But I wonder, is that sort of reflective of the sentiment out there, you know, which is love her or hate her, at least in this moment, most people can be happy for her, given her past relationships where she's always often been the one who's been dumped.

WEST: This is definitely one of those engagements that stopped the world. And it even, as you said, went into the White House before the cabinet meeting asking for his reaction because it just speaks to the power of Taylor Swift.

I know when this news went wild, our newsroom was just shouting and I was thinking, oh my gosh, we have to get a story out within five minutes of this happening.

Even tonight, we're learning more details about how Travis Kelce asked. Swifties have just been saying it's pure happiness and that seems to be the sentiment for most people online.

By now, unless you've been out on an expedition with no cell service, everybody has heard about this engagement.

VAUSE: Well, if you say your newsroom went a little crazy with the news, check out the CBS White House correspondent, Olivia Rinaldi. Here she is just learning of the news. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLIVIA RINALDI, CBS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Taylor Swift is engaged? Taylor Swift is engaged. Taylor Swift is engaged.

This -- come back to me, she just posted it.

Oh my God. Oh, my God.

Oh its huge. The ring is ginormous. This is so exciting.

I feel like Paul Revere right now. Like. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Explain to me why. Why has this news caused so much -- so many people to hyperventilate.

WEST: This just shows the power of Taylor. Ever since the Eras Tour, she is a global phenomenon. She does have huge name recognition and a huge fan base around the world.

And fans have been with her for 20 years. This is somebody who wrote in her diaries at an early age. She's always wanted to be proposed.

[01:49:51]

WEST: She even said on the New Heights Podcast that she had written songs about wanting somebody to be like in a John Hughes movie, outside of her window, holding a boombox. And Travis Kelce basically turned that podcast into his private dating app.

So she said unless he's crazy, he's exactly what I've been wishing for. We learned that he actually asked her that Sunday after the taping at his place.

So Ed Kelce is telling ABC in Cleveland that Travis had set up this beautiful garden arrangement. He said, hey, before we go to dinner, we should have a little glass of wine. And that's when he got down and he popped the question.

VAUSE: Well, speaking of that podcast, because that was in the lead up to all of this and, Taylor Swift's appearance on Kelce's podcast set a new world record. According to the folks at Guinness, with a total of 1.3 million, it pulled in the most concurrent views for a podcast on YouTube on 13th August and has been viewed more than 20 million times on that platform.

We've also heard from the music editor at "Variety" saying, this engagement will be the gift that keeps giving for the media. Here he is. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEM ASWAD, EXECUTIVE EDITOR-MUSIC, VARIETY: This is beyond a huge Christmas present For the media world, ok? Because nothing gets clicks like Taylor Swift. And it's just -- it's going to be Christmas --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: How overwhelming will you expect -- do you expect, rather, the coverage to get? And is there a point of maybe Swift burnout when the saturation coverage becomes just too much and people start to tune out?

WEST: That is always a question that's happened even over the past two years. I mean, think about the Eras Tour and how often I was writing articles on that daily. I would say with this though, as soon as the Eras Tour wrapped in

December, there was a drought for five years, but it seems to be the year of Taylor Swift.

She got her Masters back. Now she has her man. She has an album that's coming out this fall. It is something, though, that she has always had to balance, which is this oversaturation of impacting the news headlines.

You know, even just yesterday, fans were growing fatigue over all these variants. And today there's a brand-new conversation. So today the narrative is people are really happy. They're excited for this couple. They are questioning when is the big day going to be?

I'm wondering, is this going to be private or similar to the podcast? Will she have kind of a public lens for this? What you saw with the royals? And so those are all the questions that I'm sure her team is figuring out also, all the details of when this is going to be.

I have been told, though, that Travis is fully dedicated to football. That is now his main focus. I know her focus turns to this album and supporting him at games.

But come next year especially, everyone's going to be asking, when is this wedding?

VAUSE: The comparison with the royal wedding was probably a good one, and they seem like a nice, you know, couple of kids.

Bryan West in Nashville, Tennessee thanks so much for being with us.

WEST: Thank you so much.

VAUSE: A pill form of the popular weight loss injection Mounjaro is a step closer to reality. Eli Lilly plans to file for global regulatory approval of its GLP-1 pill based on the results of a recent trial. The injectable version is used for treating obesity and type two diabetes.

CNN's Jacqueline Howard explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: The company Eli Lilly says that its GLP-1 pills were found to be safe and have compelling efficacy results in new phase three trial data.

Based on these results, the company says it plans to move forward with filing for regulatory approval. Now, what we know about the phase three trial, it included adults with diabetes who also had obesity or were overweight.

Some of the participants were given the GLP-1 pill, some were given a placebo. After 72 weeks, the company says the participants who were given the GLP-1 pill at its highest dose lost on average 22.9 pounds. And in comparison, the adults who were given the placebo only lost about 5 pounds. Also, during those 72 weeks, the company says that the GLP-1 pill

lowered A1c levels on average by 1.8 percent. So based on these positive results, the company says it wants to file for approval and if approved, it wants to make the GLP-1 pill available to the public.

Now, in the trial, some of the side effects were similar to the side effects we tend to see with the GLP-1 injections. This is nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, again, gastrointestinal symptoms.

And this medication at its core it is a GLP-1. So it's very similar to the current injections on the market. The only difference is how the medicine is delivered.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Cadillac has revealed its Formula 1 team for its inaugural season, signing Grand Prix winners Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas on multi-year deals. Both drivers are returning to the grid after they were dropped from their previous teams at the end of last year.

Between them, Perez and Bottas have racked up 16 wins, more than 100 podium appearances and more than 520 race starts.

[01:54:53]

VAUSE: So what's in a haircut? A lot, it seems, if you're Carlos Alcaraz. Lots of talk about the Spanish second seed arriving for his first-round match at the U.S. Open with a new and fairly severe buzz cut.

Alcaraz blamed his brother for the new look, saying he botched the cut. But he added he feels more aerodynamic now and can move faster. He may be right. The world number two cruised to a straight sets victory in the first round.

Global girl group Katseye has teamed up with The Gap to give us something new, something borrowed and something blue -- attention Taylor Swift -- in their new viral jeans campaign for the TikTok generation.

"The better in denim" campaign, with its catchy throwback tune, has become an Internet sensation.

Lisa France has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA FRANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Gap is hoping that its milkshake brings all the customers to the yard.

The clothing company has a viral commercial featuring girl group Katseye. The ad hits all the sweet spots for the TikTok generation. Katseye is a girl group that was formed on a reality show. It's got a hit song from the early 2000, "Milkshake", by Kelis and a dance that people are dying to learn the steps to. Now we're hearing a lot about jeans these days, and the timing of this

commercial is really stirring conversation because of American Eagle and their controversial ad with Sydney Sweeney, which has sparked a lot of backlash.

But when it comes to the Gap ad, it seems like they just stuck to the tried and true. They've been doing these types of ads for almost 30 years. Featuring a monochromatic background, lots of fun, dancers, and of course, a song that everybody can groove to. It feels as comfy as an old pair of jeans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Some call it retro, I call it yesterday.

Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church after a short break.

See you back here tomorrow.

[01:56:43]

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