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The Weapons And Military Units Displayed In China's Parade; Rare Look Inside U.S. Deportation Flight To Cuba; Israeli Army Reservists Refuse To Continue Military Service; Chinese Military on Display at Major Parade in Beijing; Final Phase of Former President Bolosonaro's Trial Begins in Brazil; Anna Wintour Names Chloe Malle to Take Top Vogue Job; Nations Mark 80 Years Since Japan's Surrender Ending WWII. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired September 03, 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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[01:00:30]

LYNKA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Ahead here on CNN newsroom. Xi Jinping ping's unstoppable China, Beijing puts in a massive military parade with the Russian and North Korean leaders in attendance as well.

Donald Trump ramps up his offensive against the cartel striking what the U.S. calls a drug vessel in the Caribbean. Plus, a changing of the fashion god, there's a new head of editorial content for Vogue US but Anna Wintour is not giving up her throne just yet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: China has just wrapped up a massive military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It was designed to send a clear message to allies and adversaries alike that China's military is growing and modernizing and that the country's rise on the world stage is, quote, unstoppable, according to the Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Now he was joined by several foreign heads of state and stood side by side with the Russian president Vladimir Putin and the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, marking the first time the three leaders have appeared together in public.

The parade featured thousands of soldiers marching in tight formations and showcased the country's latest military technology, including new intercontinental ballistic missiles, stealth fighters and drones, as well as air and sea defense systems.

A show of force, the Chinese leader says, is proof that the country is never intimidated by any bully. But Xi Jinping is also saying that China is a champion of peace.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) XI JINPING, CHINESE PRESIDENT (through translator): Today, humanity once again faces the choice between peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win cooperation over a zero sum game. The Chinese people firmly stand on the right side of history and the progress of human civilization. We adhere to the path of peaceful development and work hand in hand with people of all countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: More now from CNN's senior international correspondent Ivan Watson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For around 90 minutes, China put on a massive military parade here in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. We saw thousands of goose stepping soldiers in uniform, followed by wave after wave of weapon systems, all presumably produced here in China. Things ranging from tanks and combat vehicles to attack helicopters and fighter jets flying in formation.

Of note was seeing a new generation of drone warfare. Both helicopter drones and I believe debuted for the first time two large undersea drones. But amid all of this symbolism and this demonstration of discipline and might, the enduring images may be the foreign guests that the Chinese leader Xi Jinping brought along with him to review the Chinese troops.

As he walked up to the Tiananmen Gate, up a red carpet, Xi Jinping was flanked by the Russian president Vladimir Putin on his right side, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on his left. Those two leaders have been cooperating militarily in the battlefields around Ukraine with North Korea supplying troops and weapons to Russia and both of those individuals and elevated during this day when Xi Jinping in his speech called for peace while also commemorating the 80 year anniversary of the surrender of Japan in World War II. Ivan Watson, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: CNN's Mike Valerio is following the developments from Seoul and joins us now live. Good to see you again. So alongside China's president, leaders of Iran, Russia, North Korea, Kim Jong Un even made the journey via a luxury bulletproof train. Just how is South Korea interpreting this very public show of alignment?

[01:05:00]

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So I want to catch these comments, Lynda, in the sense that I think a lot of the images are still sinking in after the pageantry that we saw just across the Yellow Sea. But there is the sense, Lynda, that perhaps this could be the strongest we have ever seen North Korea on the international stage. Because when you have these images that are now spreading around the world of Kim Jong Un, who used to be a reclusive lady leader, not really sharing the spotlight with anybody. Remember, this is his first multilateral meeting with more than two

world leaders present. There are more than 20 world leaders present.

So you see in the pictures of him standing side by side with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin leading these dozens of world leaders. And Xi Jinping seemingly trying to convey to the world that in this group of nations, this new world order that he wants to assemble that is not afraid to challenge the U. S. based and Western democracy led world order, that from his point of view, Kim Jong Un has an irreplaceable spot right next to him in that world order.

And we should say that this is notable for Russia and China having these, you know, brotherly images with Kim Jong Un because there have been some moments in the not so distant past that have had characteristics of perhaps frosty relations between Russia and North Korea and China and North Korea. And we say perhaps, but this is the evidence.

We go back to 2006 when Russia approved and voted in favor of UN Security Resolution 1718, which were approving sanctions for North Korea's nuclear program. Russia did the same three years later in 2009. Hard to think that Russia would ever do that in this day and age.

And then we rewind to just about a year and a half ago from where we are now, when really the standing with Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping was not crystal clear. Because as he was getting closer to Vladimir Putin, with the war in Ukraine raging on, there was a year of friendship that was celebrated last year between China and North Korea, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations established between the two. Xi Jinping did not visit North Korea and Kim Jong Un did not visit China either.

Even small things like when there was a new resort that was inaugurated a couple months ago, Russian tourists were the one to visit, not Chinese tourists. And that did not go unnoticed by a lot of a huge segment of the public in China.

So now with this invitation, in this tableau, it seems as though the message is clear that Xi Jinping wants Kim Jong Un back in his orbit, sees him as a valuable partner in this new world order that he wishes to lead challenging the West. Lynda.

KINKADE: All right. Mike Valerio covering it all for us from Seoul. Good to have you with us. Thank you.

VALERIO: Thanks.

KINKADE: Well, President Trump says the U.S. military has killed at least 11 people in a targeted strike at a vessel allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean. He claims the boat came from Venezuela, was linked to the Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization the U.S. considers a terrorist group and one which President Trump has cited in his aggressive immigration crackdown.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is promising more details on what the U.S. calls a counter drug mission. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It was a lethal strike. I think the Pentagon will have more details and other things to offer you here in the next few hours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What kind of a vessel?

RUBIO: Yes, that's the drug vessel is carrying drugs size. I'll refer you to the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean has angered Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. President Trump accuses him of controlling the cartel involved. President Maduro has said Venezuela will not bow to threats from the US.

Tens of thousands of Cubans migrated to the U.S. during the Biden administration and they are expected to get preferential immigration status as many had for generations. But now the Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency is sending some of them home in shackles.

CNN was the first international TV network allowed to see how they were processed after the Trump administration sent them Back to Cuba. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more from Havana.

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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The ICE deportation flight lands with 161 Cuban deportees, the largest number ever aboard a single plane. Officials here tell me all returned to their homeland in shackles.

For decades, Cubans arriving in the U.S. were considered refugees fleeing communism and received preferential immigration status. But under President Trump's second term, their political fortunes have shifted radically. Potentially tens of thousands now face the threat of deportation. This is the first time the Cuban government has allowed international media to film the arrival of a U.S. flight transporting their deported citizens.

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OPPMANN: This enormous plane that has just landed behind me is full of Cuban deportees. For many of them, it will be the first time they touch Cuban soil in years. And despite the fact that U.S.-Cuban relations are at their worst point in decades, these deportation flights have continued.

OPPMANN (voice-over): The deportees are unshackled and disembark the plane a few at a time to begin reprocessing. This man complains to us that he had tight handcuffs on for hours and lost feeling in his arms and legs.

Immediately we notice a woman coming off the plane who is visibly distraught. We are only able to ask the woman, Yudierquis Reyes, a few questions before her reprocessing begins, but the story she tells us is chilling.

They left behind my two year old daughter. I lost her, she tells me, referring to ICE officials. They told me the girl was American and could not leave the country.

According to Reyes, she was arrested in June during a routine check in with ICE in Nebraska, where she was living with her U.S. born daughter. Reyes says she then spent more than three months in detention centers. She was being deported, she said ICE officials told her, for having pleaded no contest to a second degree assault charge in 2023, for which Reyes was placed on probation and served no jail time.

In a statement to CNN, the Department of Homeland Security called Reyes a, quote, criminal illegal alien and child abuser, although court records don't show any such conviction. Raise faced a child abuse, no injury charge as her infant daughter was in the house during the 2023 assault incident.

But a search of Nebraska court records shows that prosecutors dropped the child abuse charge against Reyes as part of her plea deal.

The DHS statement goes on to say Reyes; child, who she had custody of, remained with her father, a quote, U.S. Citizen. At his request, CNN spoke with the girl's father, who said he was a U.S. resident, not a U.S. citizen, and had crossed illegally into the U.S. with Reyes from Mexico and that he did not want the girl to travel to Cuba as life would be too hard for her there.

These haphazard, excruciating family separations are likely to become more common if the Trump administration is able to follow through on deporting tens of thousands of Cubans who came to the U.S. on the parole program during the Biden administration.

It remains to be seen if Cuba is willing or able to accept all of those deportees. As the island reels from worsening shortages of electricity, water and food and increased U.S. economic sanctions. Cuban immigration officials say deportees are treated humanely and in most cases, processed and released within hours.

They're Cuban, this official tells us. They go home where their family is. They don't have a problem with immigration to be reinserted into society. Many of these deportees, though, say they sold everything they owned to finance their journey to the U.S. and little remains for them in Cuba

. Others, like Yudierquis Reyes can't bear to be separated from the family they left behind. If I don't get her back, I am going, she says. I hope Cuba doesn't ask for me back. No country. They will have to let me go. Whatever amount of time I have to be locked up, I will be.

For some, there is simply nothing more that they can lose. And even as the Trump administration ramps up deportations from the U.S., many of these Cuban deportees say they will find a way to return. Patrick Oppmann, CNN. Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Israel's military is mobilizing tens of thousands of reservists despite growing tensions of political leaders over the looming operation to seize Gaza City. The latest on that story next.

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KINKADE: Dissent is brewing within the Israeli military ahead of a full scale operation to seize Gaza City. On Tuesday, as thousands of Israeli reservists began reporting for duty to prepare for the takeover, a growing movement known as soldiers for hostages announced that they will refuse orders to participate in what they call Netanyahu's illegal war. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is following developments from Jerusalem.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Tens of thousands of Israeli military reservists were mobilized on Tuesday in preparation for Israel's major assault on Gaza City, a city where nearly 1 million people are currently living and now at risk of being displaced.

But what is especially extraordinary about this moment is that this operation is moving forward with the call up of 60,000 reservists, despite the fact that Israel's top general, the military's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, has effectively expressed opposition to carrying out this operation.

And that's because we've learned that in a series of security cabinet meetings, General Zamir has effectively made clear that he doesn't believe this operation will lead to the total defeat of Hamas, which the Israeli prime minister has made clear is his goal.

[01:20:00]

And he has also warned that it will lead to the loss of life of Israeli soldiers and also could put at risk the lives of the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Instead, the chief of staff has been urging this Israeli government to take up the ceasefire proposal and hostage release deal on the table, which Hamas accepted about two weeks ago, in which the Israeli government has yet to respond to.

Instead, the Israeli government has indicated, the prime minister himself has indicated that a partial deal for the release of some of the hostages is no longer something that he is interested. Instead, he is looking for a total deal that would secure the release of all of the hostages, lead to an end of the war in Gaza and critically, something that's been a red line for Hamas, Hamas demilitarizing and disarming in the Gaza Strip.

And so this is quite a significant moment, one that carries enormous risk for Palestinians in Gaza City, where we've already started to see waves of thousands of people beginning to flee the city, hundreds of people who have been killed in the early steps of the Israeli military bombing and shelling Gaza City over the course of just the last few days.

In addition to that, we are also seeing a wave of countries that are preparing to recognize a Palestinian state, partially in response not only to the starvation, the famine that we have seen in parts of Gaza, but also in response to this impending Israeli military assault on Gaza City.

And in response to that, the Israeli government is now weighing potential retaliatory measures for those countries that plan to recognize Palestine as a state. The prime minister set to hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss these proposals to annex parts of the West Bank.

And his options that are now on the table range from a limited takeover of several Jewish settlements to recognizing all of Area C, which is already under Israeli security and administrative control and amounts to 60 percent of the West Bank.

That would effectively be a major step to preclude the possibility of a Palestinian state ever actually existing on the ground. And that is exactly the goal of many of the right wing members of this government. It's not clear that the Israeli prime minister will actually move forward with annexation. There are other retaliatory steps that he could take, but certainly this is one of the options now on the table. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Donald Trump is hinting at what he calls some very interesting developments in bringing peace to Ukraine. But the US President also continues to voice his frustration with Russia's Vladimir Putin over the stalled peace efforts.

(BEGIN AUDIO TAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We'll see what happens, but I'm very disappointed in President Putin. I can say that. And will the doing something to help people live. .

(END AUDIO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, he did not get into specifics about what the U.S. is planning, but the comments come as Russia continues to bombard cities across Ukraine.

Last month, President Trump gave Vladimir Putin an extra two weeks to try to agree to a meeting with Ukraine's president or face potential consequences. That deadline is set to expire Friday. During his visit to China, President Putin insisted that Russia is not an aggressor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Any sane person is perfectly aware that Russia has never had, does not have, and will never have any desire to attack anyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: French President Emmanuel Macron plans to meet with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, a day before Paris hosts a summit on that conflict. Ukraine's allies are expected to discuss security guarantees, including strengthening the Ukrainian military and developing a European peacekeeping force backed by American firepower.

On Tuesday, President Zelenskyy thanked European partners for raising more than $2 billion for Ukraine last month. He says the money will help to replenish Ukraine's dwindling supply of U.S. weaponry, including missile and air defense system.

We're getting reaction to Beijing's military parade with experts, what they're saying about China's new hardware and its growing alliances with Russia and North Korea.

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

China is marking 80 years since the end of World War II in Asia with a huge military parade. Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong-un to Beijing for this occasion.

The growing alliance is an attempt to reverse decades of U.S. superpower dominance. And Beijing has the military might to back up its claims. The parade featured hypersonic weapons, nuclear capable bombers and the latest in drone technology.

For more, I'm joined by CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. Great to have you with us, David.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to be with you.

KINKADE: So we've just witnessed a massive show of firepower from China displaying cutting edge weapons, hypersonic missiles, stealth aircraft, underwater drones. And of course, in attendance were the leaders of Russia, Iran and North Korea. What do you make of the symbolism here? And who is this message really for?

SANGER: Well, remarkable day, multiple messages. The Chinese don't do parades very often but when they do, they don't mess around. And I'm sure that point probably has been made to President Trump who wasn't terribly impressed with the parade the U.S. put on a few months ago in Washington.

The first is they displayed an array of armor -- new weapons, new airplanes, missiles that a few years ago, they wouldn't have had. Second, everybody knows their nuclear force is now being expanded

considerably. You saw some indication of their missile capability there, or at least of the missiles themselves.

Thirdly, having this group of other leaders -- Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, the president of Iran -- all there reinforce Chinas role as the centerpiece of a new coalition that is basically there to challenge the West.

(CROSSTALKING)

SANGER: And his message was, this is what we challenge it with.

KINKADE: I want to ask you about that alliance. I mean, this parade, of course, marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. But how should we interpret this alignment of China, Russia and North Korea, especially given the fact that President Trump said today that he's not at all concerned about it?

SANGER: Well, he just turned out a Truth Social post in which he congratulated them and told President Xi to give his best to the other leaders as they conspire against the United States. So it sounds like he is a little bit concerned about it. He may not want to say so directly.

Look, do I think this is an alliance like NATO? No. Go ask the Iranians who were looking around for who was going to come help them when the Israelis attacked in June. And the answer was that the Chinese, the Russians -- they sat on their hands.

But it is a coalition of the aggrieved, right, who believe that the United States has been setting the rules on the international stage, and there needs to be an alternative.

KINKADE: Donald Trump did say that he believes the U.S. military remains unmatched, and that an attack on the U.S. is unthinkable. Does that confidence hold up in light of China's recent military advancements and, of course, its closer ties with authoritarian regimes?

SANGER: Well, what American presidents wouldn't say the U.S. remains unmatched? Now, I think he's right. We still spend three or four times as much in our defense budget as the Chinese do. Whether we're spending on the right things is an interesting question.

But I suspect that when the president says that, he is thinking in conventional military terms, you know, number of tanks, capability, reach of weaponry, the capabilities of our nuclear infrastructure. He's probably not thinking about asymmetric forces -- drones, anti- drone technology, cyber -- all the elements that make up the other parts of modern warfare.

And in some of those areas, and including in artificial intelligence, which obviously can be weaponized, the Chinese have moved up very quickly.

KINKADE: And David, Trump repeated a familiar line today. I just want to play some sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: China's having a massive military parade that President Putin and Kim Jong-un will be attending. Do you interpret that as a challenge to the U.S.? And are you concerned at all about those countries?

(CROSSTALKING)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- at least try to sort of counterweight?

[01:34L42]

TRUMP: Not at all. China needs us, and I have a very good relationship with President Xi. As you know. But China needs us much more than we need them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: How accurate is that given China's global integration and, of course, the evolution of international supply chains.

SANGER: I'm not sure he's right about that. Does China need us? Yes. Do we need the Chinese? Absolutely. You know, just think about the interruptions in rare earths. Magnets that are made from those other critical elements that we need.

And there's always the question if they decide to move against Taiwan, either in overt military action or a slow squeeze, what happens to Taiwan's semiconductor, the most critical supplier to the United States of advanced semiconductors in the world? They make 95 percent of the worlds most advanced semiconductors, including the microprocessor that's in your iPhone and including much of what is used by Nvidia for our artificial intelligence activities.

So I'm not sure I would say with such confidence that they need us more than we need them.

KINKADE: Much more to discuss, but we'll leave it there for now. David Sanger, always great to get your analysis. Thanks so much.

SANGER: Great to be with you.

KINKADE: Well, a landmark trial against Jair Bolsonaro is underway in Brazil, and it could reshape the country's political landscape. The former president is accused of plotting to overturn his election defeat in 2022 and stay in power.

Stefano Pozzebon has the latest details from Bogota.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, the final phase of what Brazilians are calling the trial of the century has begun on Tuesday in the capital, Brasilia. This means that the fate of the former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been accused of orchestrating. A coup d'etat in an attempt to overthrow his loss in the 2022 presidential election could soon be determined.

Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing throughout all the stages of this trial. However, the closing arguments were delivered before the five member panels of the Brazilian supreme court. It is the first of eight televised hearings that are going through the end of September 12th.

The long-awaited trial follows a year's long investigation from federal police and investigators into the alleged coup.

Justice Alexandre De Moraes, who's overseeing the trial, has this to say in his opening remarks Brazil arrives.

JUSTICE ALEXANDRE DE MORAES, BRAZILIAN SUPREME COURT JUSTICE (through translator): Brazil arrives today in 2025, almost 37 years after the 1988 Constitution and 40 years after re-democratization with a strong democracy, independent institutions, a growing economy and an active civil society.

Obviously this does not mean that there were 37 years of political, economic or social tranquility. But it does mean, Mr. President that the guidelines defined by the federal constitution for our democratic state under the rule of law have proven to be correct and have prevented setbacks.

POZZEBON: Now, adding another twist to this story, De Moraes himself was the subject of retaliatory actions from the White House. His visa to go to the United States was revoked on in July, as President Donald Trump has openly criticized the trial and has raised tariffs on Brazilian imports to 50 percent, apparently in an attempt to come to the rescue of his close ally, Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro, who is in his 70s, risks up to 40 years in prison if found guilty. However, analysts believe that because he still holds the right to appeal, the punishment might not be as immediate. We will know more in the next couple of weeks.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, it is a changing of the fashion guard as legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour names her successor. We'll look at how Chloe Malle might reshape the magazine, next on CNN NEWSROOM.

[01:39:10]

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KINKADE: After months of speculation over who will replace fashions most famous editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has announced a new top editor at Vogue. Chloe Malle, the current editor of Vogue.com and the co-host of the magazine's podcast, will become head of editorial content for Vogue U.S.

Malle is the daughter of actress Candice Bergen and the late French film director Louis Malle. Although Wintour has stepped down as Vogue's editor-in-chief, she will stay on as the global editorial director and serve as Conde Nast's global chief content officer.

I'm joined now by Joe Zee, fashion journalist and professor at Arizona State University, as well as a former fashion director at "W Magazine". Great to have you with us, Joe.

JOE ZEE, FASHION JOURNALIST AND PROFESSOR AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: Nice to join you.

KINKADE: So after nearly 40 years as editor-in-chief of American Vogue, Anna Wintour has officially named her successor, 39-year-old Chloe Malle.

[01:44:49]

KINKADE: She'll take over as head of editorial content of the U.S. edition. What does that signal about where the industry is headed?

ZEE: I think it's an incredibly exciting moment in this industry. You know, I think anytime there's a change in this industry, I always say fashion is the one industry that really exists on change. And I think when there is change, it can be scary and unsettling but at the same time, extremely exhilarating and exciting.

And I think the era of Chloe right now to succeed Anna will be so exciting because we're in a very specific moment with media and with fashion in terms of what the world is and all the different platforms and the way that people consume content and see the world of style and how that exists around you.

And I think there's no one better to really lead that I think. In my eyes, I think that's Chloe Malle.

KINKADE: And of course, Anna Wintour isn't exactly stepping aside completely. She'll still oversee all the global editions of Vogue.

So what kind of balance do you think Chloe will need to strike between honoring the brand's legacy and bringing her own voice?

ZEE: You know, I think she has been there since 2011. She has pretty much touched every aspect of what the Vogue brand is. So she has a lot of deep institutional knowledge already.

So having done everything from digital to print, and from social to video to audio, she hosts a podcast, she already understands what she needs to do. She understands how to work with someone like Anna Wintour.

And I think a lot of the conversation is like oh, Anna is still there. I think it's incredible that she's still there. You have someone who you can go to who has such a deep knowledge of what the place and the brand really is about to guide you. And I think if you read the story on Chloe today in "The New York Times", she is so articulate. She is very no nonsense. And she's very just straightforward about saying, if I can't make this mine, it wasn't really worth doing.

And I think she is so spot on in that, that she's going to find those moments to really take this and run with it and make it her own.

And coincidentally, in a meeting today this morning at the office, Anna said about Chloe that she was both a mentor to her and a student of hers. And I found that comment incredibly enlightening to say that like, yes, I mentor her, but I'm going to be learning a lot from her along the way.

And if you think about when Anna first took over Vogue, she was 38. Chloe is 39. It really is like a changing of the guards in that specific way.

KINKADE: Yes, quite -- incredible comparison. And Anna Wintour, of course, became a global symbol of fashion power. Do you think the next generation of fashion leadership will be as centralized, or is the power now more dispersed across platforms and influencers and creators.

ZEE: I mean, the shift of power has changed, but I think also how you influence people have changed.

We're going into unknown territory. We're moving into the world of A.I. We're moving into a world of technology that has yet to be discovered and used.

We're moving into a world of where people are much more isolated and segregated, but at the same time, really united, and far across the world, seems really close.

And I think, how do you do that as the editor of an incredibly huge legacy fashion brand and an authority, and someone who has incredible IP to bring that. How do you bring the world of Vogue to everyone and retain that authority?

And I think what Chloe was saying that the idea of like wanting to find that smaller, deeper, more passionate, connected audience isn't wrong because that person, those group, that community is going to propel it into the future. Those are the people that are going to make it influential.

KINKADE: And some do say that this shift from legacy print editors to digital savvy leadership is long overdue. But what do the critics think of this choice of Chloe Malle?

ZEE: I think, you know, you're going to always have critics on both sides of the of both sides of the debate. You know, I think, yes, I think people liked and appreciate the change and want to change.

And then people want to say, oh, but is Chloe the right choice if she is from a family of privilege? I don't think for one second Chloe -- Chloe is very aware of the privilege that she comes from. Chloe is very aware of her upbringing, you know, and she is -- and that self- awareness, I think brings a lot to her work ethic.

Like, like reading about her and hearing what people say who work with her, that have the utmost respect for her. She's widely loved and respected and very different from "The Devil Wears Prada".

And I think when you look at that, it's going to be ushering a whole new era, a whole new culture, a whole new sensibility of how fashion is going to be digested by people down the road.

KINKADE: Joe Zee, exciting future for Vogue. Good to get your perspective on all of that.

ZEE: Exciting times.

KINKADE: Thank you.

ZEE: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, while there is concern and it's often spoken about in terms of what artificial intelligence will replace, the technology also has the power to restore what has been lost.

[01:49:50]

KINKADE: Young researchers are enlisting the help of A.I. and robotics to revitalize endangered indigenous languages.

CNN tech reporter Clare Duffy explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: The United Nations estimates that one indigenous language will die every two weeks, and that half of the world's languages will disappear by 2100.

So now there's this growing group of researchers and technologists who are. Looking to reverse that trend with the help of A.I. and robotics.

Many of them are young members of indigenous communities who want to help others like themselves connect to their language and culture.

I spoke with 24-year-old Danielle Boyer. She's a member of the Anishinaabe community in northern Michigan. And she said she grew up speaking only a little bit of her community's native language because of generational language loss.

So she created the SkoBot. This is a small robot that sits on the wearer's shoulder. It comes in designs that look like woodland creatures. And when a user says a word to it in English, it uses A.I. speech recognition technology to respond with a corresponding prerecorded audio file, saying that word back to the user in the native language.

She provides these SkoBots to students in classrooms who get to build them, and then interact with them to learn the language.

And I asked Danielle why it was so important to her to preserve and document this language. Here's what she told me.

DANIELLE BOYER, INDIGENOUS ROBOTICS INVENTOR: When you lose your language, you lose such a key component of your culture and of your ways. It's the way that we communicate about the world around us. It's the way that we tell stories.

DUFFY: Now, young technologists who are working in this space say they're being very intentional about how to apply artificial intelligence to the problem of preserving endangered languages because of a history where resources from indigenous communities have been taken without their consent, without compensation.

So, for example, Danielle says that it was a very intentional choice for her to use pre-recorded audio files of kids from the community in her SkoBot rather than an A.I.-generated synthetic voice because, in her words, language learning should be a community endeavor, not just something that you do between you and a robot.

Back to you.

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KINKADE: We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back with much more news. You're watching CNN.

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KINKADE: Well, Tuesday marked 80 years since Japan officially surrendered to Allied Forces, including the United States, formally ending World War II in the Pacific. That signing ceremony took place on the USS Missouri. And this week, a commemoration ceremony was held aboard that very same ship.

CNN's Tom Foreman brings us the story of John DeLeo, one of the service members who witnessed that signing firsthand so long ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Near the thundering end of World War II, in a scrap of film that captures the moment, it's difficult to see the Japanese planes streaking toward the American battleship and bursting into flames.

JOHN DELEO, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: We got hit by a kamikaze.

FOREMAN: But it wasn't hard for John DeLeo. He saw it firsthand on board the USS Missouri.

[01:54:42]

DELEO: He had a 500-pound bomb. He didn't create any damage because he hit the strongest part of where the ship meets it's (INAUDIBLE) the steel is like that. It just bounced off.

FOREMAN: That was a while ago.

DELEO: Well, right now, at the present time, I don't feel my age. I'm 99.

FOREMAN: A boy from Rhode Island, just 17 when he joined the Navy. DeLeo was part of the original crew for the Mighty Mo.

Seeing battle in Iwo Jima, Okinawa, learning the ways of war and life at sea.

DELEO: I fell in love with my ship. She took me out there. She took me back. She had her curves in the right place. She had two coats of paint on her.

FOREMAN: Amid the fighting and fear, he was homesick at times.

DELEO: The Pacific's a big place and I really thought I could swim home. Then I figured the best I could do was make it halfway. And then turn around and come back.

FOREMAN: But DeLeo stayed on his ship and was once again on deck for one of the biggest moments of the entire war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world.

FOREMAN: The Japanese surrender under the watchful eye of General Douglas MacArthur.

DELEO: As soon as the Japanese signed the surrender, he slammed it shut. He said these proceedings are closed. And that was the end of surrender (ph).

But the table that he signed on was an ordinary mess table, an old one. Could have been one I ate on.

FOREMAN: Back home, a combat veteran at 20, DeLeo got married, raised a family, and over decades watched his old shipmates fade away.

So many that as he boarded the Missouri for what may well be his final visit, John DeLeo was among the last living witnesses to the Japanese capitulation. Among the last to truly know how this ship, his ship and crew made history.

Tom Foreman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, thanks so much for your company. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Do stick around, CNN NEWSROOM continues with the wonderful Rosemary Church in just a moment.

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