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Ukraine: Russia Launches Second-Largest Air Assault; Both Children Killed in Minneapolis School Shooting Identified; U.S. Ending Low-Value Package Tariff Waiver on Friday; Teams Take on Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired August 29, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Polo Sandoval, joining you live from New York. Wherever you may be watching, welcome to CNN NEWSROOM.
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A lot to get to in the next few moments, including Russia staging a massive assault in Kyiv. And the U.S. envoy for Ukraine says that it threatens the efforts to end the war.
We're also learning more about the victims of the tragic school shooting in the U.S. state of Minnesota, including the names of two of the children who were killed.
And the tariffs that just made it harder for people in the United States to order cheap goods from overseas.
ANNOUNCER: Live -- live from New York, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Polo Sandoval.
SANDOVAL: Well, in the hours ahead, a Ukrainian delegation is expected to meet with U.S. officials right here in New York for talks on ending the war with Russia.
And this comes just two weeks after President Donald Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And also, one day after Moscow launched its second largest air assaults of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Europe must clearly define the security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any peace deal. He made those response while speaking to a group of European leaders on Thursday, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is casting doubts on whether there will really ever be a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): We have some tasks that we can only solve together. Unfortunately, this includes the ongoing war of Russia against Ukraine.
We have to deal with this topic again today and this before the background of the fact that there obviously will not be a meeting between President Zelenskyy and President Putin, different from what was agreed between President Trump and President Putin last week when we were in Washington together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: The U.S. envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, says that the massive assault on Kyiv early Thursday threatens President Trump's efforts to end the conflict.
President Zelenskyy said that the attack clearly demonstrates that Russia's war goals -- that Russia's war goals, they haven't changed, despite Putin claiming that he is ready for peace.
Officials say drones and missiles killed at least 21 people and damaged a European Union office. The E.U. chief condemning the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: I'm outraged by the attack on Kyiv. Also hitting our E.U. offices. This was the deadliest drone and missile attack on the capital since July.
And as you can see behind me on the screen, it was an attack also on our delegation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: CNN's Salma Abdelaziz reports a toddler is among the victims of the Russian assault.
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If you're wondering how President Putin is responding to peace efforts, well, Kyiv suffered its second largest --
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): -- aerial attack by Russia since the start of the conflict.
That's according to Ukrainian authorities, who say that nearly 600 drones and more than 30 missiles were fired by Russia overnight at the capital. It was a terrifying night for families, some who had to endure a nine-hour air raid siren.
And among those victims are children. The youngest is just two years old.
The strikes hit residential buildings, homes, a kindergarten, and even a building belonging to the European Union mission and another building belonging to the British Council. Both those parties have summoned top Russian diplomats to discuss these strikes.
And this, of course, is happening as President Trump continues to push for peace efforts; for a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine. So far, his attempts at starting a bilateral meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy have fallen flat, with Russia simply dragging its feet on the issue.
It also takes place as E.U., European Union, diplomats are meeting in Europe this week to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. Yet another step in that peace process, which Russia has just simply batted away.
ABDELAZIZ: On Friday, President Zelenskyy says some of his top officials will be meeting in New York with some of President Trump's top officials to continue that peace process.
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But in the meanwhile, we are seeing a tried-and-true Russian strategy. As those diplomatic efforts stall, the offensive on the ground led by the Kremlin has intensified, and those drones and missiles continue to rain down on civilians across Ukraine.
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
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SANDOVAL: To Washington now and Charles Kupchan. He's a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations.
It's so good to see you. Thank you so much for your time.
CHARLES KUPCHAN, SENIOR FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Good to be with you. So, look, we did see the second biggest air assaults on Ukraine since the start of the war. And this happened just less than two weeks after President Trump actually met with Putin during that Alaska summit, Charles.
So, what should we -- what should that tell us about the effectiveness, or perhaps the lack of it, that came out of the -- out of the summit in Alaska?
KUPCHAN: You know, I think you can sort of see -- take -- I think you can get two takeaways.
One is that the Russians are trying to improve their position at the negotiating table by showing that they can keep taking the fight to the Ukrainians, keep killing Ukrainians, bringing down infrastructure.
And secondly, it raises a broader question about whether Putin is negotiating in good faith and has any real interest in bringing this war to an end anytime soon.
And after these several weeks, this flurry of diplomacy, one really have to -- has to ask whether Trump is making any progress, or whether Putin is just playing for time, going through the paces of diplomacy, but really has no intention of ending this war anytime soon.
SANDOVAL: Yes, to your second point. We heard from the president, from President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, recently say that he felt that Putin wants to end the war, but still, that strike tells us otherwise. But the reality is we don't necessarily know what's happening in these
back-channel conversations that are taking place. So, there could be some strategy there, albeit with real lives on the line.
Is President Trump perhaps emboldening Putin, do you think, to continue with these strikes by continuing to extend his deadline for -- for Russia?
KUPCHAN: You know, on some level, I think Trump is emboldening Putin, because he's said, Hey, here's the deadline. If you don't stop these attacks and negotiate in good faith, I'm going to hit you with sanctions. I'm going to hit countries that buy Russian oil with new tariffs. I'm going to start giving more aid to the Ukrainians.
But he isn't yet ready to use more coercive pressure against Putin. And as a consequence, the -- the signal that's being sent is, Hey, keep coming. We're not going to stop you.
And I do think that Trump, in the big picture, is doing the right thing by trying to end this war. Ukraine is not winning. The Russians are chipping away at Ukrainian territory.
But if he's going to convince Putin to stop, he's got to turn up the heat. And that means tighter economic sanctions and a clear signal to the Ukrainians that Trump is going to give the Ukrainians the weapons that they need to stop Putin.
Putin will stop when he is stopped. And that's going to take a lot more weapons.
SANDOVAL: Where do the Europeans fit into all of this, Charles? I'm wondering if you could just explain for our viewers around the world, perhaps, what they're thinking right now, how they're approaching, and how they're watching these ongoing negotiations at the trilateral level.
What hope should the Ukrainians have that their European allies will continue to support them and, hopefully, bring things to a peaceful end, whenever that may happen?
KUPCHAN: You know, I think that the Europeans are playing Trump well. It may not be pretty. It may not be easy, but coming over to the White House with Zelenskyy and flattering Trump and showing that there's unity, I think, is the right thing to do.
And that's because the Europeans don't want the United States to walk away from the table. They don't want to be left in a situation where it's on their tab alone to help Ukraine survive.
And as a consequence, they're hugging Trump. They're encouraging him to stay in the game, to keep the negotiations going. Yet, there's no clear sign that Putin is going to meet with Zelenskyy, that Putin is going to pick up the offer for a trilateral dialogue.
And I do think that Europeans are panicked on some level. And that's because there's a war going on not far from the border of NATO, not far from the border of the European Union. And they don't know where Putin is going to stop.
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And there are a couple of things that just show the level of anxiety.
No. 1, there is a bill that's moving forward in Germany to reintroduce conscription. That's a big deal.
Another thing that I heard just in the last few days -- I was in Hamburg, Germany. Some of the residents of the city told me that wealthy Hamburg residents are buying apartments in Spain in places that are far away from this war, because they're not sure whether Germany may end up being the target, the next target of Putin.
That just gives you some sense of how much this war is rattling European publics.
SANDOVAL: It tells us more of those far-reaching fears just beyond the conflict zone.
Charles Kupchan, thank you so much for your insight and taking the time. We'll certainly monitor along with you what the next phase brings. Thank you.
KUPCHAN: Good to be with you. Bye-bye.
SANDOVAL: Well, we are learning new details about Wednesday's deadly school shooting in the U.S. state of Minnesota, including the names of the two children who were killed.
Ten-year-old Harper Moyski and 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel were each identified Thursday by their families. Both were killed after a shooter opened fire on Wednesday at a mass for students at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. As officials have described it, they were praying on the pews.
Eighteen other people were injured during the attack. One student who was in the church during the shooting said that people hid under the pews while others started to run to various parts of the building. They also said that it felt like the gunfire seemed to intensify.
Meanwhile, officials investigating the shooter say that they had a quote -- that the shooter had a, quote, "deranged fascination with previous mass shootings."
Police have not been able to identify a specific motive for the attack yet. So far, officials have recovered approximately 116 rifle rounds from the site of the shooting, telling investigators that the shooter likely reloaded their weapon multiple times.
And this comes as the Minneapolis chief of police says that procedures at the church likely may have saved lives.
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CHIEF BRIAN O'HARA, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: We believe that the church doors had been locked yesterday morning, and that's a procedure that they had in place.
So, this coward committed this act by shooting from outside the church through the windows into the church. The shooter was never able to get inside of the church, because the church doors were locked.
And so, we think that action, in and of itself, in addition to what we will believe will be countless stories of heroism from children, from staff members, from parishioners, all of that combined ensured this -- this tragedy was not far worse.
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SANDOVAL: As the Minneapolis community continues to mourn, parents are sharing the stories of their children. CNN's Whitney Wild reports from Minnesota.
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JESSE MERKEL, FATHER OF VICTIM FLETCHER MERKEL: Yesterday, a coward decided to take our 8-year-old -- year old son, Fletcher, away from us. Because of their actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming.
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Emotional words tonight from the father of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, who was killed in the deadly shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church.
MERKEL: Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life. Give your kids an extra hug and kiss today. We love you, Fletcher. You will always be with us.
WILD (voice-over): The family asking for privacy and space to grieve as they deal with the loss of their son following the shooting on Wednesday.
MERKEL: While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing. I pray that the other victim's family can find some semblance of the same.
WILD (voice-over): Outside, a memorial grows for the two students who were killed and the 18 others who were wounded, 15 of them children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Glass was broken from when people got in and when we got out, all of us went to, like, different rooms. My group went to the gym, and that's where I saw my little sister.
And then when we got out, there were like a lot, like a lot, a lot of police cars. And there were some ambulances and fire trucks.
WILD (voice-over): Danielle Gunter (ph) tells CNN her 13-year-old son was shot in the stomach and survived surgery. In a statement, she says, "Our hearts are shattered not only for him but for everyone who was harmed. We grieve and we pray for the others who were shot, for their families, and for those who lost loved ones." The Minneapolis police chief says officers recovered approximately 116
rifle rounds from the scene, one live round from a handgun, and three shotgun shells.
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O'HARA: Literally, hundreds of pieces of evidence have been recovered thus far, which include electronic devices that will be further searched and processed.
The motive remains under investigation, but officials say the shooter was obsessed with the idea of killing children and had a deranged fascination with previous mass shootings.
JOE THOMPSON, ACTING U.S. DISTRICT ATTORNEY, MINNESOTA; The shooter left behind hundreds of pages of writings, writings that described the shooter's plan. Writings that described the shooter's mental state and, more than anything, writings that describe the shooter's hate. Pure, indiscriminate hate.
WILD: Police are still investigating where the shooter bought those firearms. In a journal, the shooter mentions plans to buy a rifle from an acquaintance and even says, in their own words, quote, "It should be harder for people like me to carry out these attacks."
Whitney Wild, CNN, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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SANDOVAL: still ahead, video of the arrest of two migrant brothers spreading online. Now, one of them deciding to speak out. What he's asking federal agents to do when it comes to future arrests, after the break.
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SANDOVAL: To Washington now, where the White House says that it will be complying with the judge's order to shut down the Florida immigration detention center the administration describes as Alligator Alcatraz.
But it will also says -- will also keep fighting that decision in court.
The judge says that the facility must wind down operations over the next two months. The order stemming from a lawsuit filed by an environmental protection group and also a Native American tribe, concerned about the facility's impact on the environment.
Florida's governor has also vowed to fight the judge's order. According to an email exchange obtained by CNN, a top Florida official says that the controversial immigration detention center will likely be empty in a matter of days. And a migrant who was deported from the U.S. to Mexico speaking to CNN
about how federal agents treated him and his brother during their arrests. That encounter, captured on video, and some may find some of these images disturbing.
Video showing two officers aggressively grabbing Leonel Chavez's arm while he's sitting inside a vehicle in Norwalk, Connecticut.
There's also a second video recorded by a bystander showing Chavez's brother running away before an agent then tases him, causing him to collapse.
Chavez says federal agents should use less force to detain migrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEONEL CHAVEZ, MIGRANT DEPORTED TO MEXICO (through translator): They treated us badly. We don't even treat animals like that anymore. We even take care of the animals over there.
All I ask is that they do their job well and nothing more, because there are many injustices: dragging people. People run out of fear, get run over, die, break their feet. If they already have us there, why use more force?
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SANDOVAL: Well, for years, Americans have been shopping online for cheap goods from China. But a new tariff change by the Trump administration could end all that. What the end of the de minimis exemption means for low-cost shoppers, ahead.
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SANDOVAL: And welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
The two students killed in Wednesday's school shooting in Minnesota, they've been identified as 10-year-old Harper Moyski and 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel.
Harper's family describing her as a bright, joyful and deeply loved person; and Fletcher's family calling the shooter a coward, noting just how much the boy -- their boy loved his family, friends and fishing.
And senior Ukrainian officials, they are set to hold talks with Trump administration officials in New York on Friday. But the U.S. envoy for Ukraine says a massive assault on Kyiv earlier Thursday threatens President Trump's efforts to end the war.
Ukrainian officials say Russia launched more than 600 drones and missiles, killing at least 21 people, including children. And the E.U. is soon expected to remove tariffs on imported U.S.
industrial goods. This is all part of a trade agreement made with Washington just last month.
In return, the U.S. will lower its tariffs on imported European cars.
E.U. governments have acknowledged that the deal is uneven, but they say it was necessary to avoid Donald Trump's threatened 30 percent tax on all E.U. goods.
Well, Americans who love to shop online for cheap goods from overseas, they are soon going to have some pretty major sticker shock.
You see, for years, the U.S. has waived tariffs on package shipments valued at less than $800. But that exemption just expired about half an hour ago. And Donald Trump says that change is permanent.
Anna Cooban with more.
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ANNA COOBAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: De minimis. It's a term you may be hearing a lot today. It's Latin for something lacking in significance or importance.
But some people may not quite agree with that.
You see, President Donald Trump has scrapped the so-called de minimis exemption, a rule that has allowed products worth $800 or less to enter the United States from all around the world without, crucially, paying an import tax.
That exemption has allowed low-cost goods like clothes, makeup, home decor, really anything that you can think of, to flow into the U.S. relatively easily and helped fuel a booming global e-commerce industry like these brands here.
And as you can see here, over the last decade, this number has grown significantly. And that is partly why Trump is ending this de minimis exemption. It's to help discourage Americans from buying overseas and incentivize homegrown manufacturing.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimated that over 1.36 billion shipments entered the U.S. during the last financial year under this de minimis exemption, and that more than 4 million were processed every single day.
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Sellers will face different tariffs depending on which country they are in. They'll face an $80 tariff if -- per item for -- if they're in a country with an overall tariff rate of 16 percent -- below 16 percent. And an up to $160 tariff per item, if they're in a country with an overall tariff rate of between 16 and 25 percent.
And then a brutal $200 per item tariff if they're in a country with an overall tariff rate above 25 percent.
Right now, for example, Brazil and India have a 50 percent tariff placed on most of their goods flowing into the United States.
Sellers may decide to pass those extra costs onto U.S. consumers, and that means that those late-night impulse purchases will come with an even bigger dose of morning regret.
Or they may simply not arrive at all. Postal services around the world, including in Japan and Australia and across Europe, have temporarily suspended shipments to the United States. That's because some say they are simply unsure of how to navigate the new system.
How do they make sure the tariffs are paid? What paperwork is needed? And it's not yet clear when these services will be back up and running.
For now, Americans wanting to indulge in some retail therapy will simply have fewer options.
Anna Cooban, CNN, London.
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SANDOVAL: Teams revved up in Australia to push the limits of technological innovation in a challenge that involves a need for speed and harnessing the power of the sun. We'll explain.
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SANDOVAL: And welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.
Car teams across the world, they converged on Australia last week with one mission in mind: to be the fastest team to travel the outback in a vehicle powered by the energy of the sun.
It's called the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. CNN's Lynda Kinkade tells us which team came out on top.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Celebrating their victory in Adelaide, Team Brunel from the Netherlands, the fastest solar powered car across Australia from north to south in this year's Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.
Thirty-four solar-powered cars from around the world set off on the challenge last weekend, at speeds sometimes topping 100 kilometers per h.
The cars zipped along a 3,000-kilometer route, stopping at 5 p.m. each night and taking off again at 8 in the morning.
The challenge starts in Darwin and ends in Adelaide, with the vast outback in between. Held every two years, the event requires designers and engineers to find the best mix of speed, endurance, and energy efficiency.
DANNY KENNEDY, GLOBAL SOLAR COUNCIL: Effectively, they've turned the Stuart Highway into a 3,000-kilometer sandbox to just create new, better, faster ways of driving on sunshine.
KINKADE (voice-over): This year, many of the fastest cars featured fins of varying sizes and shapes. When deployed, they can harness wind power to join forces with solar power.
DAVID MOL, AERODYNAMICS ENGINEER, BRUNEL SOLAR TEAM: So, a fin uses crosswinds to generate lift, and the lift points forward. So, it creates an extra force forward, which makes sure that our car's more efficient and can cut through the air.
MATTHEW ANDERSON, MICHIGAN TEAM MANAGER: It's a vertical airfoil that, has two main benefits. First, it draws out forward thrust like a sail on a boat. And second, it steadies us in crosswinds. So, kind of like a rudder on an airplane, it helps us drive more straight in the harsh winds of the outback.
KINKADE (voice-over): In the past, new innovations tested in this race have become mainstream in the auto industry, like aerodynamic design and lightweight materials.
Kennedy: And I bet you in ten years' time, we'll all be taking it for granted that the cars coming out have, you know, weird little foils and things that, you know, you're wondering how they came up with that.
Well, here you go. This is how they came up with it. It was tested by these teams on this trip, on this track At this time.
KINKADE (voice-over): In 2019, the Brunel team from the Delft University of Technology suffered a car fire, a memory that made this year's win even sweeter.
KEES BROEK, BRUNEL SOLAR TEAM: It feels great to rise back from the ashes, come back stronger every time. And yes, we drove a record time today in Adelaide, so I'm really glad.
Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
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SANDOVAL: There's a new exhibition in London that's giving fans a glimpse at the Beatles when they were on the cusp of superstardom.
The photographs were taken by Paul McCartney in 1963 and 1964. They chart the early years of the Beatles' success just after the release of their debut album.
It's basically the period where the Beatles were popular in the U.K., but not yet the global phenomenon that they became. McCartney discovered the long-lost photos during the COVID pandemic.
They're now on display at London's Gagosian Art Gallery. So, see them there.
And staff at a hospital in London, they have opened a time capsule that was sealed by Princess Diana more than 30 years ago.
Diana actually visited children at that hospital regularly, and two children selected the items that were preserved, including a pocket- sized TV, some tree seeds, and even a CD of Kylie Minogue songs.
The capsule was unearthed to make way for the construction of a new cancer center.
Other memorabilia recovered included a solar-powered calculator, a European passport, and a collection of British coins. Some items were damaged by moisture, but the hospital says that they intend to restore them.
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Thank you so much for watching. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. I'll be right back with you with much more news at the top of the hour. For now, though, we leave you with WORLD SPORT.
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