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Hundreds Feared Dead In Afghanistan Quake; China Touts Its Leadership, Partners In A Chaotic World; Mass Evacuation Of Gaza City Unfeasible And Incomprehensible; Houthis Storm U.N. Premises In Sanaa, Yemen, Detain 11; Kremlin Says Europe Is Hindering Trump's Peace Efforts On Ukraine; Judge Blocks Trump Administration Move To Deport Guatemalan Children; 250-plus Dead after Earthquake in Afghanistan; China Touts its Leadership, Partners in a "Chaotic" World; Community Gathers, Grieves after Deadly Shooting; France Prepares to Loan Fragile Bayeux Tapestry to London; Free Kick Flare Gives Liverpool the Edge over the Arsenal. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired September 01, 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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[01:00:24]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York City. Wherever you may be watching from, welcome to CNN Newsroom.

China's president hosting world leaders, showcasing his country's partnerships to the West. A live report from China is coming up.

And in the face of pushback from aid groups and international community, Israel appearing ready to go ahead with a military takeover of Gaza City.

And the woven story of the Norman conquest of England is headed back to England. Why not? Everybody's happy about that, though.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

SANDOVAL: We'll get to those stories in just a moment. But first, some breaking news now where state run media in Afghanistan reporting more than 200 people were killed and hundreds more injured. This after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck Eastern Afghanistan late Sunday.

This happened northeast of Jalalabad. That's near the border with Pakistan. As you see there. Resources have already been deployed to the region to search and rescue efforts. Some strong aftershocks have already been reported in that same area and officials fearing that the number of deaths and injuries is likely to rise.

Afghanistan does have a long history of earthquakes. In fact, in one of the deadliest quakes in recent years back in October 2023, more than 2,000 people died after a powerful 6.3 magnitude quake struck western Afghanistan. We'll bring you more details on this latest earthquake as we get them. We now want to take you to Asia where Chinese leader Xi Jinping is

touting his country and its partnerships as a stabilizing force that what he calls, quote, a fluid and chaotic moment in history right now. That message coming on the final day of a landmark security summit in Tianjin, China.

Mr. Xi is hosting leaders and dignitaries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. In fact, on Sunday, Mr. Xi praised a group, the group that's meeting right now, as a pivotal force in advancing a new type of international relations as he positions China as a powerful counterweight to the United States and the West. CNN's Steven Jiang joining us live from Tianjin.

Steve, great to have you again. What are some of the headlines that have come out of the event?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Polo. Russian President Putin just spoke at the summit, really reiterating a lot of Moscow's long standing talking points on the war which he describes as the Ukraine crisis. And remember, that was a full scale invasion he launched back in 2022, just days after returning from China after attending the Beijing Winter Olympics.

But Putin, of course, again blamed the U.S. and the west for this war because of the so called NATO eastward expansion. But he did mention he would brief leaders in attendance of his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska about this war.

Now, he also very much echoing his host, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, about the growing importance and influence of this Shanghai Cooperation Organization that both countries co-founded 24 years ago.

And they're really trying to present this alternative vision for the world in which the international order is not dominated by the U.S. and its alliances, but rather in their words, this is going to be a fairer system for developing countries, for smaller countries to give them a bigger say in regional and international affairs.

Now that of course, is probably made a bit more appealing in recent weeks and months because of what's going on in Washington with Donald Trump continues to upend the global trade system and America's traditional alliances and partnerships, including with countries like India, which for years have been groomed by Washington as a counterweight to a fast rising China.

But now India's Prime Minister Modi is actually here, his first visit to China in seven years after a years long diplomatic deb freeze because of a border dispute. And Modi is now all warm and fuzzy with Xi Jinping talking about friendly neighborly relations and its importance for both nations, with Xi Jinping praising him for making the right choice.

But you know, Polo, a lot of times in this kind of summits, what's more telling is not from formal settings or speeches, but rather these so called candid photo moments. We saw one earlier today when Modi, Putin and Xi really just having their huddle before the opening session, all big laughs and smiles, showing this close personal report, which is probably not purely coincidental.

[01:05:06]

Also on Sunday night, we saw that unusual moment when Xi Jinping greeting Putin in such animated fashion. For a leader who is usually very restrained and even stoic, very much sticking to the script kind of leader, but really big laughs and a lot of animated gesturing. Showing again that close personal ties between the two men.

That's why for all the Western pressure and growing pressure on Putin to end this war and for all the pressure on Beijing to do something about it's highly unlikely Xi would do or say much about that, given that personal ties with Putin, despite what Putin doing in Ukraine, is the kind of chaos bringing the kind of chaos and certainty Xi Jinping has very much publicly opposed to. Polo.

SANDOVAL: I thought it was certainly noteworthy when President Xi said that he was calling on SCO members to oppose what he described as bullying practices. So a big question if maybe that was a reference to the elephant in the room, as you mentioned, possibly President Trump himself, who wasn't there.

Steven Jiang, always appreciate your reporting. Thank you.

Israel appears ready to proceed with its military takeover of Gaza City, despite mounting pressure at home and abroad. On Sunday, the Israeli security cabinet reviewed the military plans. Two Israeli officials tell CNN that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also considering a full annexation of the West Bank or partial annexation of selected settlements.

Meanwhile, outside that meeting, Israeli protestors, they called for the release of hostages and a ceasefire deal with Hamas. Israel hasn't responded to the latest proposal, which Hamas accepted two weeks ago already.

Over the weekend, the Israeli military did carry out intense strikes in and around Gaza City, killing at least 71 people. And the International Committee of the Red Cross is one of many groups on the ground condemning Israel's plan to take over Gaza City.

The Red Cross president says a mass evacuation of Gaza City is not just unfeasible, but also incomprehensible. Steve Dorsey is a spokesperson for the International Red Cross and he's also joining us from Baltimore, Maryland. Steve, thank you so much for taking the time.

STEVE DORSEY, SPOKESPERSON, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS: Glad to be here.

SANDOVAL: So your organization insists that a mass evacuation of Gaza is impossible. ICRC's president wrote that such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb, given the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the extreme shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care. Steve, can you describe the conditions that the injured or sick

Palestinian civilians who physically cannot evacuate are being forced to endure?

DORSEY: Yes, they're being forced to endure areas where there are no roads, where there are piles of Rubble where there is no access to clean, safe drinking water, to medical care, to food. And many places throughout the Gaza Strip, there are massive areas of unexplored exploded ordnance as well.

So this is really impossible to do in a safe and dignified way for a city, the largest city in Gaza, a half million people. And we know many of these people, these civilians, will be staying behind because many of them are starving, they're sick, they're disabled, they're elderly, they're injured, and they have nowhere else to go.

SANDOVAL: When it comes to the Israeli military, Steve, they declared Gaza City a quote, unquote, combat zone. They also warned that there will be no longer those pauses in their operations that were meant to allow some aid into the region. So in the face of an Israeli offensive, is your organization planning to remain in Gaza?

DORSEY: Absolutely. We have no plans to withdraw from where we operate in northern Gaza, in Gaza City, or in Rafah, where we operate in the southern part of Gaza, a critical field hospital, 60 bed facility that many times has been overwhelmed in the last five months with dozens of people showing up with gunshot injuries, with shrapnel wounds, trying to access food distribution sites.

The need is immense, not only for medical care, but also for food, of course, because we've been seeing those images, those videos for months coming out of Gaza. We also know that people need infrastructure, power, food, fuel to cook, really anything that can be eaten there. And we're committed to staying as long as possible. But still, there are restrictions to security and logistical restraints, and that's something that we have to navigate as well.

[01:10:00]

And obviously, staying there would make your organization's mission, it would go from extremely difficult to nearly impossible. But as you mentioned, the organization quite determined here. You mentioned logistics. What is the organization right now doing to try to provide that support to civilians in the middle of an expected offensive?

DORSEY: Yes, absolutely. So we do support the limited amount of healthcare facilities that are still operating not only across Gaza, but specifically near Gaza City. We also support, essentially, soup kitchens, community ovens. We provide infrastructure repairs, things like clean water lines, sanitation systems, as best as we can.

And for many of these communities, hundreds of thousands of people have been depending on these services that we provide and that other humanitarian actors provide in a situation that is at risk of quickly deteriorating to an unimaginable level. SANDOVAL: I mean, is there any sort of international mechanism,

perhaps laws in place that are supposed to protect the Palestinian civilians who are, you know, as we've discussed, either too sick or too injured to evacuate?

DORSEY: Well, of course, it's international humanitarian law. That's the laws of armed conflict. Those are the rules of war that the world has come to rely on for decades, especially since World War II. And those require all sides, including Israel, to provide for the protection and essential services and aid of civilian populations in areas that are under siege, including the people that are being forced to evacuate to a small patch of land in Gaza where almost 80 percent is already under an evacuation order, and to provide for the people and protect the people that are left behind as well.

SANDOVAL: Yes, the laws are in place. The question is the infrastructure there to allow the adherence of those laws? Steve, wondering if you could just, you know, to talk a little bit about also the political dynamic here at play. We continue to monitor negotiations and potential for cease fire. What are the nonprofits on the ground, realistically? What is it that they want to see happen amid this ongoing threat from the Israeli military?

DORSEY: Well, the key thing that we need is a ceasefire, Polo. We need something that provides for a surge in humanitarian aid that meets the needs of civilians across Gaza. We need an end to the hostilities going on, an end to the fighting. But we also, of course, need to see the release of these hostages still being held in Gaza and to see them reunited with their families. That's what Gaza. That's what the world really needs right now.

As humanitarian actors, the Red Cross, other humanitarian groups, we're not part of the negotiating team for a political solution here. That's up to the sides and the parties and the states involved in this conflict. We're here to implement the humanitarian relief and aid as part of that agreement. And we can only call for that access for that aid and to be there when it becomes reality.

SANDOVAL: Steve Dorsey, thank you so much for the update and for your perspective.

DORSEY: Thank you, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Houthi rebels stormed the buildings of the World Food Programme and the United Nations children's agency UNICEF on Sunday in Yemen. The militants detained multiple employees from both agencies. And this comes just a day after an Israeli strike killed the prime minister of Yemen's Houthi controlled government. It's still unclear why they chose these office buildings or if their raids were a direct response to Israel's recent attacks.

Tensions in the region, they are rising after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue attacking Houthi targets.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says Russian attacks on Ukraine will not stop until Kyiv shows real signs that it's ready for peace. He also blamed Europe for getting in the way of U.S. efforts to end the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON (through translator): The Europeans are hindering these efforts. The Europeans are putting spokes in the wheels. The Europeans are in every way condoning and probably encouraging the Kyiv regime to continue the absolutely absurd line of intransigence. This is big mistake. It will not do any good to the Kyiv regime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Vladimir Putin's trip to China is just a distraction as Russia ignores calls for a ceasefire.

[01:15:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Now during his visit to China, Putin will once again try to wriggle out of the situation. That's his favorite sport. Everyone in the world has said that the fighting must be seized. Everyone insisted that the war must end. That was everyone's position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Meanwhile, the war rages on. Russia launching a large scale drone attack on Ukraine's southern Odesa region early on Sunday. The strikes targeted critical energy facilities, cutting power to more than 29,000 people.

In an update now, President Zelenskyy says that authorities have arrested a suspect in the deadly shooting of a prominent Ukrainian lawmaker. Police say the alleged killer shot Andriy Parubiy several times in a carefully planned attack on Saturday. He died on the scene in the western city of Lviv.

Zelenskyy says that the suspect has given an initial testimony and an investigation into the murder that's underway. Parubiy previously served as chair of Ukraine's parliament and also as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

Still to come here on CNN Newsroom, a powerful quake strikes eastern Afghanistan. The latest update on casualties right after the break.

Plus, a U.S. Judge blocks the Trump administration from deporting unaccompanied Guatemalan minors. More on the order as officials continue to push for answers.

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SANDOVAL: And we want to get you back to breaking news out of Afghanistan where state run media is now reporting that at least 250 people have been killed. And this after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck on Sunday, the location of that quake just northeast of Jalalabad near the border with Pakistan. We expect, according to authorities, that more than 500 people have been reported injured. A reminder, these numbers are preliminary.

Resources have already been deployed to the region to assist in rescue and relief efforts. And we are already getting word of some strong aftershocks that have been reported in that same area, likely further complicating the situation. And officials do fear that the number of both deaths and injuries is likely to rise.

We're certainly going to continue to monitor this story, bringing those developments as soon as they become available here on CNN.

Catastrophic flooding swept through parts of Pakistan on Sunday, destroying homes and also leaving devastation in its wake. Torrential monsoon rains along with India releasing water from dams. It's all causing three separate rivers to overflow their banks.

The flooding affected an estimated 1.5 million people across the country. And India administered Kashmir, flash flooding from a cloudburst killed four people on Friday while damaging hundreds of homes. Experts blaming climate change for the recent rise in the frequency of these cloud bursts.

And this week, Brazil's Supreme Court is set to determine the fate of former President Jair Bolsonaro in a landmark case. This over allegations that he carried out a plot to overturn his country's 2020 presidential election. But his supporters seem to be keeping the faith.

Some of the former president's supporters, you see them here gathering outside of his home on Sunday. This ahead of what some media outlets are calling one of the trials of the century. The former president famously lost to current President Lula da Silva in the last election.

Prosecutors had alleged part of the coup involved a plan to potentially assassinate Lula, his vice president and His Supreme Court minister. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing.

Stay in South America for this brand new drone video from Venezuela's government showing a build-up of U.S. Naval forces near the entrance to the Panama Canal. You can see how close they are. Seven warships and a nuclear powered fast attack submarine. They are either in the region or expected to arrive soon with a total of roughly 4,500 sailors and Marines.

U.S. officials insist that this is part of their fight against drug cartels. Venezuela's defense minister asking for continued peace. But he also says that he is ready to fight if the U.S. violates Venezuelan sovereignty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PADRINO LOPEZ, VENEZUELAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): So we call on the international community to reflect a call to respect the people's sovereignty, a call to uphold international law, a call for mutual respect among nations and to observe closely this new aggression from the North American empire here in this very region with no need to cross the Atlantic here in this same region that as we've said, will not only impact Venezuela, but the whole Latin American region and the Caribbean. No to war. Let's work together for peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to deport unaccompanied minors from Guatemala back to their home country. Attorneys representing the children, potentially hundreds of them, they argue that the migrant children have special protections and cannot be removed without due process or without a chance to get relief from deportation. CNN's Betsy Klein the White House.

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BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It was a remarkable scene on Sunday after the Trump administration in recent days had identified hundreds of Guatemalan children to be repatriated to Guatemala. And according to a federal judge, overnight Saturday into Sunday, some of those children were woken up in the middle of the night and put on planes set to return to Guatemala. Their providers were told to prepare them to be discharged within hours and to collect their belong and prepare them a pair of sack lunches.

[01:25:08]

A federal judge says that she was woken up at 2:35 in the morning and notified that a complaint had been filed in this case. Trying to get in touch with the federal government and those children loaded onto planes and essentially stuck on the tarmac while an emergency hearing played out on Sunday afternoon.

Now, the Trump administration had been fixated on this idea of unaccompanied minors in the United States. These are children who arrive here without a parent or legal guardian. They are then placed into U.S. Department of Health and Human Services care and then officials work to place them with U.S. based family members while they go through that immigration process.

What's unprecedented here is that these children were identified to be returned to Guatemala before that process could play out. Now, advocates for those children say that some of them are afraid to go back to Guatemala. Some of them have experienced abuse or neglect, while the U.S. government says that they have been requested to be returned to Guatemala by their parents or legal guardians. So a clear disconnect here.

The judge in this case seeking more clarity and facts on the matter and stepping in with a temporary restraining order to stop those flights from taking off as they sort out some of these next steps, she set a new Friday deadline for the federal government to send a formal response back.

And one of that judge's main questions was what happens to those children? In the meantime, she received assurances from the Trump administration that they would be taken off of those planes and returned to U.S. custody. Betsy Klein, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Still come here on CNN Newsroom. We'll be taking a closer look at China's landmark security summit as the country's leader promises to be a counterpoint to chaos from the United States.

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[01:32:17]

SANDOVAL: I'm Polo Sandoval in New York.

We're continuing to follow breaking news out of Afghanistan, where state-run media now reporting that hundreds have been killed and injured after a powerful earthquake.

For the latest now we want to go to CNN's Hanako Montgomery, who has been following the situation, gathering the very latest.

Hanako, at this point, do we know if first responders are really having a tough time getting to the affected region?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Polo.

I think first responders are definitely going to be having a very difficult time getting to those in actual need because of this earthquake.

We've heard from the central government that landslides have occurred because of this earthquake, which have hindered rescue operations.

Now, also according to the government, some rescue teams have been dispatched from the capital and nearby provinces to help in these operations. But again, it's a little bit unclear as to how those operations are going, whether they've been actually able to help anyone from underneath rubble, for example.

Now, in terms of what we know so far about this earthquake, and it is very little because this earthquake happened late at night in Afghanistan and day has just now broken in Afghanistan. And we're only now just kind of ascertaining the extent of damage.

But we know that an earthquake of a magnitude 6.0 hit the eastern part of the country. Now, this earthquake was quite shallow. It had a depth of about eight kilometers, and usually with earthquakes, the more shallow it is, the more damage it inflicts.

Now also, again, this earthquake hit the eastern part of the country near its border with Pakistan and according to the Pakistani government, parts of the country also felt the earthquake. But so far no casualties or damage have been reported in Pakistan.

But of course, this is a fluid situation and that could change in the coming hours, if not days.

Now also, this earthquake occurred at 11:47 p.m. local time in Afghanistan, a time when most people are getting ready for bed or are just going to sleep, which could also contribute to a higher death toll.

And that's because when an earthquake happens late at night, it usually means that people aren't able to respond quickly. They're not able to evacuate as quickly.

So again, it could mean that rescue operations need to continue throughout the days and find people underneath collapsed homes.

Now, another factor, Polo, in a higher death toll potentially, is the fact that most homes in rural Afghanistan, where this earthquake happened are not earthquake-resistant. They're not built to be earthquake-resistant. They're made of mud blocks and mud bricks, which means, again, that these homes can collapse quite easily.

[01:34:43]

MONTGOMERY: And the third and final factor, Polo, that could contribute to a higher death toll is the fact that in Afghanistan, we've seen years and years of conflict ravage the country. Also economic and political turmoil, which could mean that response systems are not as apt (ph). They're not able to respond as quickly and get those people out who are in dire need of rescuing.

Now, these are similar factors that Afghanistan faced back in 2023, when a similarly very large earthquake of a magnitude 6.3 hit the country and killed more than 2,000 people.

Back to you, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Yes, there's so many factors that are working against first responders.

Hanako, do come back to us as you learn more. Thank you.

To Asia now where Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosting the final day of a major security summit in Tianjin, China. He praises the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a group of, quote, "friends and partners" opposing the dominance of the West.

The summit is also visible -- it's a visible display of China and Russia's growing ties, with India, joining in.

Earlier, Mr. Xi huddled with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi and Putin embracing, figuratively and literally here, as you see, a time -- during a time of extraordinary tension with the United States and President Donald Trump. Richard McGregor is a senior fellow for East Asia at the Lowy

Institute. He joins us from Sydney, Australia. It's so good to have you. Thank you so much for joining us.

RICHARD MCGREGOR, SENIOR FELLOW FOR EAST ASIA, LOWY INSTITUTE: Hi there.

SANDOVAL: So for our viewers, perhaps unfamiliar with the SCO, just how influential is this non-western aligned group? And do you think that the White House should have reason to worry about some of its partners, perhaps India being won over by China?

MCGREGOR: Well, yes and no. The SCO, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, is about 20 -- 25 years old. It was really set up for, you know, security, connected security between China and Central Asia.

But I think these days, as China has become much bigger and more powerful, it's a platform for things that China wants to do, in this case, to have all these world leaders come to Beijing under China's leadership.

And even though there's no, you know, great number of initiatives coming out of the meeting, it's kind of the meeting (ph) is the message. Plus, as you mentioned, the chance for Xi to host Mr. Putin and for Xi to host Mr. Modi from India. Mr. Modi hasn't been in China for seven years.

SANDOVAL: Yes. The two countries certainly with a troubled past, a complicated past, perhaps. Is there a sign in your view that Beijing is beginning to fill a void that's been left by the U.S., by its upending of some of its alliances?

MCGREGOR: Yes, I think it was happening gradually for many years before Mr. Trump came along. It's being accelerated slightly now, but it's pretty difficult for China to fill, you know, to become like America, if it were. It's just a different country, a different sort of security philosophy.

But absolutely, they are looking for opportunities. And it's two things.

Number one, China can portray itself as a stable, predictable partner, the opposite of what it says the U.S. is and it's also, you know, what we might call narrative power.

It's, you know, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization later this week, China will host even more world leaders for the 80th anniversary of the end of what they call the world anti-fascist war.

And it's really creating a sort of alternative institutions, alternative narratives, alternative power centers. And that is an alternative to the West, to the so-called U.S.-led world order. And of course, the U.S. doesn't really want to lead it anymore. So in that respect, China is filling a void.

SANDOVAL: Let's talk more about the Chinese president's messaging to the West. We touched on it just a little bit a little while ago.

What does the guest list in general of the summit tell us? You mentioned some intentionality there. It's certainly no coincidence that the red carpet is rolled out for the Russian president but other guests as well.

What message not only the West, but the rest of the world receive, do you think?

MCGREGOR: Well, I think it's showing China as a great power. I mean, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, they have annual meetings. And so that's a kind of set format, if you like.

It's just that China is so good at the theater of these events that it seems grander than if it were held anywhere else, because it's a sort of, you know, the platform is the platform of Chinese convening power.

I think the really important one will be the meeting, which is added on to it on Wednesday, I think when we're going to get the massive military parade through Beijing. You're going to have all other manner of world leaders and sort of retired world leaders there.

[01:39:48]

MCGREGOR: I think Kim Jong-un from North Korea will be on one -- stand on one side of Mr. Xi; Mr. Putin on the other side.

And it's an attempt to sort of, you know, get China's narrative of the Second World War to be on par with and eventually really surpass, that of the American narrative of the Second World War, particularly the Pacific War. You know, China and the Soviet Union are being made central to the war rather than the United States.

SANDOVAL: You read my mind, Richard, by mentioning that parade. I'm curious if you could just expand a little bit more on the message that they hope to send, especially as you point out with the North Korean leader on one side and perhaps the Russian leader on the other, and then adding to that, what we heard today from the Chinese president calling on SCO members to oppose, not just bloc confrontation, but bullying practices.

I mean, you combine all of that, what is that message to the White House do you think?

MCGREAGOR: Yes. I mean, Donald Trump's been trying to get a meeting with Xi Jinping. He hasn't managed it so far. So there's one message for you. I think it's also, you know, the Chinese Communist Party likes to talk about the "correct", quote, unquote view of history.

The Soviet Union was neutral in the war against Japan until very late in the day. The Chinese Communist Party did not fight much against the Japanese imperial army. It was the, you know, the Kuomintang, the Nationalist Party.

So its elevating the role of the CCP as much as China in the war. And it wants to put, and this is reasonable enough, at the center of the war narrative, the number of Chinese that were killed.

But it wants to add to that other countries, it wants other countries to rally behind its view of history. And once they can do that, that's a much better platform. You know, you control the past, you can manage the future. I think that's what China is trying to do.

SANDOVAL: Richard McGregor, really appreciate your insight and helping us better understand the last couple of days out of China.

Thank you so much for your time.

MCGREGOR: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: Well, in Minnesota, a community coming together to grieve and begin to heal after a deadly shooting there. Details after the break.

Plus, France is preparing to move a sprawling Bayeux tapestry to London's British Museum. Still ahead, we'll explain why thousands are fearing that the artwork could be irreversibly damaged.

[01:42:21]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.

Now, a call for action from Pope Leo as a Catholic community in Minnesota begins to heal from the deadly shooting in a sacred space. The Pontiff made his first public comments on gun control Sunday in Saint Peter's Square, as he also offered prayers for the victims at Annunciation Catholic Church and School.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH: We include in our prayers the countless children killed and injured every day around the world. Let us plead God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And back at the site of the tragedy in Minnesota, Sunday morning's mass for the Annunciation parishioners was held in the school auditorium, just steps away from where two children were killed in yesterday's shooting.

The shooter fired through stained-glass windows while the students prayed, killing ten-year-old Harper Moyski and eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel.

CNN's Leigh Waldman reports on a community that continues to grieve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first masses at Annunciation Catholic Church were somber, filled with grief and emotion.

Father Dennis Zehren sharing his message with the congregation, telling them to sit low in their faith, sit low with Jesus, to work through the grief and emotion that they're feeling.

These were the first masses held since that devastating shooting took the lives of two young children, eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and ten-year-old Harper Moyski. 18 others were hurt. That includes 15 children.

Now the masses held on Saturday and on Sunday were at the school's auditorium. This is feet away from where those shots came through the stained-glass window less than a week ago.

The father telling his congregation to lean on their community, to lean on their faith and to find the rocks in their community during this difficult time.

FATHER DENNIS ZEHREN, PASTOR, ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC CHURCH: All of you -- all of our neighbors, all of our community police, first responders -- they've been a rock underneath us, Will continue to be rock for us.

So many people will be continuing to hold up our hands in prayer for these children, the families. They will continue to be the rock underneath us.

Harper and Fletcher will always be that rock underneath us.

WALDMAN: We did learn that the parish offices will reopen on Tuesday. That's less than a week after this shooting took place. There's still no word on when kids will be going back to the school that's associated with the Annunciation Catholic Church.

[01:49:44]

WALDMAN: We're hearing from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis that a rosary will be held on Friday, September 5th to pray for healing and to pray for an end to violence against children.

In New York, Leigh Waldman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And crowds flocked to view the priceless Bayeux tapestry in France over the weekend before it moves to London's British Museum. While the loan is temporary, there is growing concern that relocating the nearly 1,000-year-old work of art could cause some significant damage to it.

Here's CNN's Ben Hunte with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN HUNTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The story of a famous battle nearly a thousand years ago unfolds scene after scene on the famous Bayeux tapestry.

Tales of a shipwreck, a broken oath, the death of a king and the victory of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 embroidered on a 70-meter-long linen cloth.

A piece of history that will soon go on loan to the British Museum in London while the Bayeux Museum in France undergoes renovations. Over the weekend, visitors lined up to see the exhibit before it closes to the public.

NEIL KLOTZ, MUSEUM VISITOR: Well, we came specifically to see it in France because we knew it was going to England. We thought, well, we could just wait a year and we'll see it there. But what the heck, let's see it where it's from.

HUNTE: The Bayeux tapestry, which is technically an embroidery, will be viewable again next year in September at the British Museum until July of 2027, as part of a cultural exchange that was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

But critics say moving the 11th century artwork could seriously damage it. And there is an online petition with more than 66,000 signatures to stop the loan, saying the tapestry is too precious and too fragile to risk such a transport.

DIDIER RYKNER, ART HISTORIAN (through translator): If we could loan it, we should do so. I have no problem with that. But we just cannot. We can't just loan an object that will get damaged. That's unacceptable.

HUNTE: Historians say the ancient artifact has rarely been moved from Bayeux except for brief periods in Napoleon's rule and World War Two. But the British Museum says it will take the greatest care with it, saying its conservation team is experienced with handling this type of material.

A French official in charge of the move says no decision has been made yet on how to transport the tapestry, but some museum goers in Bayeux getting one last look at it before its hiatus, say they understand why people are so fascinated with it.

NICOLE LAWLER, MUSEUM VISITOR: They're worried that it won't which would be horrendous. But I can also see why in the U.K. they would want to have it available there, because it is a significant part of that history.

HUNTE: Ben Hunte, CNN.

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SANDOVAL: Liverpool and Arsenal, last year's first and second place teams, they match for the first time this season on Sunday. The finish (ph), when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANDOVAL: Spain's Carlos Alcaraz is moving on to the U.S. Open quarterfinals. He swept three straight sets against France's Arthur Rinderknech. The knee pain that haunted him in the third round no longer appearing to bother him.

[01:54:39]

SANDOVAL: The 22-year-old even managed to pull off a daring behind- the-back trick shot early on. With this win, Alcaraz will face 20th seed Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday.

And Liverpool remains undefeated with three wins out of three after an audacious strike guns down Arsenal at Anfield.

Here's CNN's Don Riddell with more.

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DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Once again, Liverpool are on top of the table. No question about the game of the weekend that Anfield between the reigning champions and the side that finished second in each of the last three seasons, Arsenal.

It was a pretty tight affair but this proved to be the decisive moment when the Reds Hungarian star Dominik Szoboszlai killed in a stunning free kick in the 83rd minute.

It was an audacious strike that settled the game, giving Liverpool their third win out of three. The Reds are the only team now left in the league with a 100 percent record this season.

ARNE SLOT, LIVERPOOL MANAGER: If we play this game ten times more in the same fashion, then I think it's eight time a draw, eight times a draw. We win it one time and Arsenal wins it one time because it was an eventful (ph) game.

MIKEL ARTETA, ARSENAL MANAGER: Well, obviously very disappointed with the result. Very proud of my players. I think we both teams, we elevated the game to a level that it was no margins between the two and very little happens.

A lot of action in many areas. Not that much in the boxes. And it was going to be decided in two possible actions -- an individual error or a magic moment. And it was decided in a magic moment from the side.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: As for the Badminton World Championship, wrapped as in Paris on Sunday with several big wins. China's Shi Yuqi (ph) earning his first championship in the men's singles final. He beat the defending champion from Thailand in a pretty tense match lasting more than an hour.

And the women's singles final, Japan's Akane Yamaguchi (ph), claiming her third world title as well. She's only the second woman to win three world singles crowns in badminton coming to an end in Paris. And we want to thank you so much for watching the last 60 minutes of news. I'm Polo Sandoval.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Ben Hunte. He continues to follow the breaking news out of Afghanistan.

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