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Kremlin Sends Mixed Signals on the Possible Putin-Zelenskyy Summit; Taliban Pleads for Help After the Powerful Quake; Fashion Icon Giorgio Armani Dies; Vatican Prepares for Carlo Acutis' Canonization on Sunday. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 05, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

President Trump is issuing a warning to European leaders, the pressure he's putting on member countries of the E.U. with the hope of getting Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Israel says it now controls 40 percent of Gaza City as the military vows to intensify its operations in the midst of widespread famine in the enclave.

And as kids head back to school in the U.S., Latino students express their fears amid the White House's immigration crackdown.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: The Kremlin is sending mixed signals about a possible face- to-face meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. A short time ago, a Russian spokesperson said a huge amount of work still needs to be done before a top-level meeting could be held.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin said in an economic forum that he's still ready to hold a summit in Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already rejected the ideas of talks in Russia.

Now U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing for a meeting between the two leaders, but the effort is getting little traction. Zelenskyy says peace isn't Moscow's priority. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The meeting is needed. This is not just wishing, it is needed. We have supported the meeting in all formats, trilateral, bilateral.

I think Russia does all it can to play for time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Zelenskyy spoke in Paris, where Ukraine's allies, known as the Coalition of the Willing, discussed possible future security guarantees for Kyiv. The French President says some countries have committed troops for a future peacekeeping force, even though Russia has rejected any NATO troops in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): We have 26 countries that have formally committed to deploy as a force of reassurance in Ukraine to be present on land, at sea, or in the air, to bring this reassurance to the Ukrainian territory the day after a ceasefire or peace.

In the coming days, we are going to finalize the American support for these security guarantees. The United States, as I mentioned, has been involved in every step of the process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Alright. In an interview that will air on "Connect the World" later today, CNN's Becky Anderson spoke with the Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, and here's what he had to say about efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAXIME PREVOT, BELGIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: It's really important if we achieve a ceasefire, if we send an international force for keeping the peace on the ground, that we also have strong commitment coming from the U.S. as well as a backstop in order to be sure that we will be able in the future to avoid any restarting of the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Ben Wedeman is standing by in Rome with more. So, Ben, we heard a couple of different statements about a Zelenskyy-Putin meeting. None of them give me the impression it'll be happening anytime soon.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, in fact, it seems there's a lot of talk and very little actual progress being achieved. Now, Kim, I was in Kyiv three weeks ago today when Presidents Trump and Putin met in Alaska, President Trump saying that within a week he would arrange a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. Clearly, that didn't happen, and it appears it's not going to happen at this point.

We're getting these mixed messages from the Russians, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's top spokesman, saying that a huge amount of work needs to be done before such a summit will take place, and President Putin this morning at this Eastern Economic Summit being held in Vladivostok saying that Zelenskyy is welcome in Russia and that we promise to provide security. And if you believe that, I can sell you the pyramids, Kim. So it doesn't appear that despite all this talk, any real progress is

being made. Now, yesterday we saw the members of the so-called coalition of the willing meeting in Paris arranged by President Macron to talk about post-peace security guarantees. But we also heard President Putin saying that he would not accept the presence of European troops on Ukrainian soil because, of course, he says Russia will abide by any commitments required to achieve peace in the war.

[03:05:05]

President Trump, meanwhile, is sending these mixed signals. He's putting pressure on the Europeans to stop buying Russian oil, which they do, billions of dollars every year, and that he's saying that they should put pressure on China to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, of course, the United States is imposing 50 percent tariffs on India to stop it from buying Russian oil. But, of course, there's no pressure from the United States on China to stop buying Russian oil. So it's a hodgepodge, a dog's breakfast of contradictory statements and positions.

Certainly the United States, with its current erratic and unpredictable leadership, is not making things any easier. So it appears that after an August of intense diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, we are not one step closer. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Yes, sadly. CNN's Ben Wedeman in Rome. Thanks so much.

For more analysis, we're joined by Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House, and she is in London. Thanks so much for being here with us, I really appreciate it. Good to see you again.

So we're hearing about this potential peacekeeping force with some 26 countries signed up, but everyone seems to agree it only works if the U.S. provides that safety net. So what does that actually look like, do you think?

ORYSIA LUTSEVYCH, HEAD OF THE UKRAINIAN FORUM AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF RUSSIA AND EURASIA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, Kim, I think there are two caveats to that. One is that there has to be a peace agreement or durable ceasefire for that reassurance of peacekeeping force to be deployed. And so far, we do not have any indication that this will be the case, right? So it's like preparatory work, but it's good to have countries discussing the outlook of that.

And of course, Europeans would like to see United States providing air backup, intelligence assistance, and sustained military support to Ukrainian armed forces, who still will be on the forefront of policing and manning and ensuring that the frontline that will be frozen will remain non-violated.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, there's still a question as to which countries will actually provide boots on the ground. The U.S. are obviously saying that they wouldn't do that. Donald Trump also said the E.U. should work with the U.S. to stop

imports of Russian oil and gas, basically target Russia's war machine by economic means. Do you think this economic warfare approach is actually going to work out?

LUTSEVYCH: I think absolutely. We have actually released yesterday a paper on oil sanctions and how they can be tightened by Chatham House. And what we are arguing is basically that we need to gradually decrease this oil cap, which is at $60 a barrel, and to start tightening these revenues, because Russia is able to generate foreign exchange. It has a surplus of more than $300 billion U.S. thanks to this trade.

And Europeans especially, because 60 percent of Russian oil goes through Baltic straits, can have power. And that power could be expressed in policing the shadow fleet, making sure that this is not reinsured for this trade, and really tightening this oil flow to global markets.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, of course, many Ukrainians would argue it's no substitute for providing actual military support for Ukraine at the same time.

President Zelenskyy flat out rejected Putin's invitation to meet in Moscow, basically saying that is a non-starter. We heard earlier on the program the Kremlin saying they're a long way away from face-to- face meetings. Clearly, we don't seem to be any closer to having these two leaders in the same room, do we?

LUTSEVYCH: I think everybody would agree an invitation by an aggressor to come for a victim of invasion to his capital is a farce, right? If Putin genuinely wanted to negotiate and to have peace, first there would be ceasefire, because that is the first confidence-building measure between the two belligerents, that is not the case.

And, actually, all Putin does is buying time from Trump that he doesn't impose sanctions, these secondary sanctions on countries either trading on Russia or, for example, seizing Russian sovereign assets together with the Europeans in order to finance Ukraine's resistance.

His summer campaign is not very successful, but he keeps pushing taking more Ukrainian territory in order to have leverage at the negotiating table, rather than negotiating in good faith to achieve peace.

BRUNHUBER: You know, you're talking about playing for time. I mean, there is a clock ticking, supposedly issued by President Trump. He's reportedly getting frustrated with the lack of progress, and he's going to speak with Putin.

[03:10:07]

He did say, I think we are all going to get it straightened out. But do you get a sense he's ready to wash his hands of this? I mean, he's already said he wants Europe to lead and the U.S. to take a back seat. And then we have that Friday deadline that he gave to Russia and Zelenskyy. That'll expire, I guess, later today. Will it come and go without consequences, do you think?

LUTSEVYCH: Yes, well, what troubles many, and especially Ukrainians and Europeans, is that Trump continuously walks back on his deadlines and ultimatums to Putin while putting pressure on Ukraine and Europeans. This is not the strategy that's likely to work.

It has been clear that Putin cannot be trusted, that he is violating all the agreements, and that he has not achieved any political goals in this war. And these goals span far beyond Ukraine. He wants to split the United States from Europe, he wants to undermine their alliance.

And unfortunately, so far, Trump kind of plays into his hands. It doesn't seem like he has a real viable strategy. Perhaps there is something behind the closed doors. We don't know.

But what we see in public, it seems like quite a chaotic policy that plays into Putin's hands.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, certainly chaos. Something that is frequently seen, unfortunately, in the Trump administration so far on many, many levels.

Orysia Lutsevych in London, thank you so much for speaking with us. I really appreciate it.

LUTSEVYCH: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Israel's military says it currently holds 40 percent of Gaza City as it escalates its latest offensive in the enclave. A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces says the military campaign will continue to expand and intensify in the days ahead. Israel started mobilizing tens of thousands of reservists this week as part of its plan to take over Gaza City.

Hospital and health officials say at least 10 people were killed and dozens wounded, including children, in Israeli strikes in Gaza City on Thursday. Residents and displaced people say the strikes hit multiple locations while Israeli tanks advanced and destroyed homes and tents in other areas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): The woman is getting ready to deliver the baby. Here are the pampers for the baby, the clothes of the baby. It is her due month.

What is her fault? This is a people's tent. What is their fault? Make me understand what is their fault? Is it a war against Hamas or a war against the people?

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. is designating two Ecuadorian criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations. He made the announcement during a visit to Ecuador on Thursday.

Now, the announcement comes just days after the Trump administration struck a boat it says belonged to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, 11 people were killed. Rubio says it's important that Latin American countries cooperate with the U.S. when going after drug dealers. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're going to continue to hunt for, like we always have, but this time we're not just going to hunt for drug dealers with their little fast boats and say, let's try to arrest them. The President has said he wants to wage war on these groups because they've been waging war on us for 30 years and no one has responded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. has boosted its naval presence off Latin American coastlines and its increased tensions in the region. Meanwhile, Ecuador's president says he would welcome foreign troops to help combat drug cartels.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to explain the legal authority behind that U.S. military strike on an alleged drug cartel boat in the Caribbean. Hegseth wouldn't say how the Pentagon determined that the people on board were narco-terrorists or how officials knew where the boat was going. He told reporters the Pentagon had the authority to carry out the strike.

Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Foreign terrorist organizations have been designated. We have those authorities. And it's about keeping the American people safe.

There's no reason for me to give the public or adversaries any more information than that. But if you're trafficking drugs and you're a known cartel entity, a designated terror organization, and they're headed for the United States or part of a process that would head to the United States, that will have lethal consequences. The poisoning of the American people is over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The boat targeted in Tuesday's strike left a port in Venezuela. Now Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says he's activating more than 8 million Venezuelan troops on Friday, that includes reservists and militia members who signed up last week. While tensions in the Caribbean rise, one group is uniquely exposed.

Stefano Pozzebon speaks to fishermen who make their living on the seas where warships are now gathering.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): U.S. warships heading towards Venezuela. Tensions are rising in the Caribbean Sea after President Trump announced the U.S. conducted a kinetic strike that took out an alleged drug-trafficking speedboat, killing 11 people.

[03:15:00]

But on shore, the sea looks calm. Work has not stopped for these artisanal fishermen, says Eduardo Ulloa.

You can be a bit nervous, of course, but we still have to go out fishing. Otherwise, what are we going to eat?

Authorities have not issued warnings to keep these boats at bay. And with Venezuela's economy still in dire straits, nobody can afford an idle day.

Small-scale fishermen like Ulloa normally stay within 20 nautical miles from the coast. They hardly risk encounters with the U.S. flotilla, but still spend hours at sea without any combs.

You stand up on the boat and look around, all you see is the sky and the sea.

The government's line, more belligerent. On Wednesday, Nicolas Maduro inaugurated a monument to its alliance with China, boasting close ties to Beijing on the day of Xi Jinping's massive military parade and issuing a direct warning to Washington.

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We're good people - people of peace. But let it be known, we are warriors, fierce when they mess with our land, our history and our rights.

POZZEBON (voice-over): For now, the seas are calm in Venezuela, but choppy waters may lie just ahead.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Chichiriviche, Venezuela.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: America's health secretary is facing calls to resign after some Democrats accused him of lying in a fiery Senate hearing on that story coming up.

Plus, excitement gives way to fear as immigrant students head back to school of one family's heartbreaking story just ahead. Please do stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: U.S. Senators grilled Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Capitol Hill Thursday. He faced criticism over his controversial efforts to restrict vaccines and his overhaul of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The White House is standing behind Kennedy's agenda on public health and praised his combative testimony, it said in a statement that the administration is focused on, quote, "using evidence-based gold standard science to truly Make America Healthy Again."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: This morning, I got the latest numbers from CDC that 76.4 percent of Americans now have a chronic disease. This is stunning.

If we don't end this chronic disease, we are the sickest country in the world. That's why we have to fire people at the CDC. They did not do their job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Arlette Saenz has more on the reaction from Democrats on Capitol Hill.

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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Democrats were united in their criticism of Kennedy as they left this hearing. They believe that he should be fired, that he lied to the committee, and that he is undermining public health in this country.

Now, there's a lot of questions about what comes next after this hearing. Democrats want to bring the ousted CDC director, Susan Menard, up to Capitol Hill to testify. She outlined in a "Wall Street Journal" op-ed ahead of the hearing that she was pressured to accept recommendations from a vaccine advisory panel that Kennedy has handpicked before that group was even set to meet.

In the hearing, Kennedy has said that Menard was lying about some of her statements in the "Wall Street Journal." Democrats want to see her come testify to clear the air on that matter.

I also spoke with Senator Tillis, who told me he plans to meet privately with Menard as well as he is seeking more answers. But there's a lot of questions, even as some Republicans were challenging Kennedy on vaccine policy, what steps they might take after this as they have tried to grapple with his impact on public health in this country.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BEUNHUBER: A controversial migrant detention facility in the Everglades is allowed to continue operating. For now, a federal appeals court temporarily blocked a judge's order forcing Florida and the U.S. government to shut down the site dubbed Alligator Alcatraz. The makeshift facility has faced intense criticism for its treatment of migrants.

The next step in the case will be a new panel of appellate judges tackling the issue. That group will decide whether to reinstate the injunction, forcing the facility to shut down or strike down the injunction and let the facility stay open.

September means back to school for many students across the U.S. But the excitement is giving way to fear this year as immigrant students face ice raids and deportations.

CNN's Maria Santana has one family's story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN (through translator): Scared, full of fear, anxiety.

MARIA SANTANA, CNN EN ESPANOL ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This immigrant mother of two breaks down in tears, torn between taking her children to school and the risk of being taken away by ICE agents.

UNKNOWN (through translator): I'm afraid the same thing will happen to me as to my husband, that they'll arrest me. Where I fear that at school during these raids they talk about, they could take my children. All of this haunts me every day.

SANTANA (voice-over): She says her husband was detained by federal immigration agents over Memorial Day weekend during a family outing in New York. At the family's request, we are not using their names.

Originally from Venezuela, she says they both had temporary protected status and pending asylum claims. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not replied to our request for details about the father's arrest. Court records show that he had no prior criminal history, but he remains in federal custody.

[03:25:02]

UNKNOWN (through translator): I used to pick them up. He took them to school. I feel this year will be very hard for me.

SANTANA: I hear you're learning English? Yes.

SANTANA (voice-over): The children, heading into third and eighth grades, say they are excited to go back to school and see their friends, but they desperately miss their father.

UNKNOWN (through translator): I wish he was here to see us, to see how we're doing, because whenever we left school and he picked us up, sometimes we went to the park or he took us out somewhere.

SANTANA (voice-over): Their mother says that they are also terrified, worried that she might get arrested too.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Since what happened to their dad, they don't want to leave my side. They say, Mom, what if I'm at school and you go and you don't come back? What if they take you? Mom, why is this happening to us?

MANUEL CASTRO, COMMISSIONER, NYC MAYOR'S OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS: We understand our families have a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety.

SANTANA (voice-over): City officials acknowledge that some parents may want to keep their children at home, even as they insist that schools are safe.

CASTRO: There are strict protocols that our teachers, our principals, our school systems must follow because it is the law. We cannot cooperate with immigration enforcement and any other families and children in our school systems.

SANTANA (voice-over): But for this mother, this year feels more like a leap of faith, praying that her family can stay together as her children continue to grow and learn.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Children are meant to be happy. Why does this happen? I don't understand it. Because we all have children.

SANTANA (voice-over): Maria Santana, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Ten years ago, Germany's then-Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed refugees fleeing wars in their homelands. Now the country's new leader is facing a backlash of anti-immigrant sentiment from the growing influence of the far right. CNN's Sebastian Shukla reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Europe a decade ago. More than a million migrants fleeing war-torn homelands trekked through the fields in the heart of the continent. Most, if not all, seeking a better, more peaceful life.

ANAS MODAMANI, SYRIAN REFUGEE LIVING IN GERMANY (through translator): When I think about the trip today, I wouldn't do it again, because it was so dangerous. All I remember is how many people died.

SHUKLA (voice-over): A huge majority were Syrians seeking the safety of Germany. Anas Modamani was one of those. Aged 17, he left Damascus alone.

MODAMANI (through translator): When I came to Germany, it was the best moment of my life. People were waiting for me at Munich Central Station, all refugees, and they clapped for us and then gave us water.

SHUKLA (voice-over): Anas and the millions of others owed his acceptance to Angela Merkel, the then-German Chancellor, days before she'd thrown open Germany's doors and promised a warm welcome. ANGELA MERKEL, THEN-GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): We have

accomplished so much. We can do this. We can do this, and wherever something stands in our way, it must be overcome. It must be worked on.

SHUKLA (voice-over): Days later, Anas took a photo that catapulted him to fame.

MODAMANI (through translator): I thought she was an actress or a movie star. I wanted to take a picture with her. I did, but I didn't know that the picture was going viral.

SHUKLA (voice-over): In 2015 and 2016, first-time asylum applications to Germany exploded, of the 1.1 million requests, over half of them were from Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans. And over the decade, Germany has remained the promised land. Across the European Union, more than 8 million applied for the first time, with Germany being the preferred destination for around a third.

Since that time, far-right parties have emerged across the continent, pushing anti-immigration policy. The Alternative for Germany, the AfD, have ridden that wave. From obscurity in 2013 to the second most popular party in February's election, their campaign focused on a spate of terror attacks carried out by migrants.

SHUKLA: Many see that rise as being behind the current chancellor, Friedrich Merz's tougher migration policy. It's to show that he's tackling the issue. Talks of strengthening Germany's borders and even deportations but many experts have told me that the move is largely symbolic and actually doesn't really change anything.

SHUKLA (voice-over): Anas now calls Berlin home, but he does see Germany and perhaps his decisions changing.

MODAMANI (through translator): I want to feel like I belong, I don't want Germany to change. Germany supports people who need help. And when that call is gone, I have to think again about whether I can stay here.

SHUKLA (voice-over): Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Berlin.

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BRUNHUBER: Portugal is observing three days of mourning after a funicular derailment killed 16 people. What we know about the crash and the victims of the accident, that's coming up.

Plus, a desperate plea for help from the Taliban, as powerful actor shocks from this week's earthquake rocked northeastern Afghanistan. Stay with us.

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[03:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom." Let's check today's top stories.

The Kremlin is sending a conflicting message about a possible meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. A short while ago, President Vladimir Putin says he is ready to host his Ukrainian counterpart in Moscow. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already rejected talks in Russia, but a Kremlin spokesperson says conditions for the summit are far from ready.

Israel's military says it currently holds 40 percent of Gaza City as it escalates its latest offensive in the enclave. A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces says the military campaign will continue to expand and intensify in the days ahead. Israel started mobilizing tens of thousands of reservists this week as part of its plan to take over Gaza City.

The U.S. is designating two Ecuadorian criminal gangs as foreign terrorist groups. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement during a diplomatic trip to Ecuador on Thursday. He also stressed the importance of Latin American countries helping the U.S. combat drug cartels in the region.

Portugal's Prime Minister now says the derailment of a funicular railway in Lisbon killed 16 people and wounded more than 20 others. A witness says one of the tram's carriages came off its tracks and hurtled into a building at full speed. Isa Soares has the latest.

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ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR, "ISA SOARES TONIGHT" (voice-over): Lisbon in mourning and shaken to its core after a deadly funicular crash. As the sun rose over the Portuguese capital, it revealed the extent of the damage of Wednesday evening's accident with one of its two linked cable streetcars in tatters.

The Gladia funicular is extremely popular with both tourists and locals. Its cars have carried passengers up and down a steep cobbled street in the heart of the city for over 140 years. Each car operates as a counterweight to the other, but last night something went horribly wrong.

BRUNO PEREIRA, EYEWITNESS (translated): I'm looking at the funicular, which came from Bairro Alto, from the Sao Paolo de Alcantara viewpoint, completely unrestrained. It looked like a toy, banging from side to side on the Gloria street cobbles, I hear screams, and then, all of sudden a big bang.

SOARES (voice-over): More screams and a massive plume of smoke followed, as passengers from the lower car frantically tried to climb out of the windows and flee the scene. Abel Esteves was one of them.

ABEL ESTEVES, SURVIVOR (translated): Well, when I saw the other funicular going down, I shouted to my wife, 'we're all going to die here,' because I thought the elevator was coming to hit this one.

SOARES (voice-over): But the funicular crashed into a building, stopping it from plunging even further. Local authorities say it's too early to determine the cause of the derailment, but the Lisbon Firefighters Regiment says that a cable detached along the line, causing the descending funicular, to lose control.

CARLOS MOEDAS, LISBON MAYOR (translated): Obviously, it's an accident that shouldn't have happened, this is a tragedy that has never happened in our city.

SOARES (voice-over): 40-year-old and father of two, Andre Marques, is the first victim to be identified. He was the vehicle's brakeman, according to the Transport Workers Union. There are also multiple foreign nationals on board.

Lisbon City Council suspended operations of other streetcars in what is known as the City of Seven Hills, and ordered immediate inspections, according to local media. The Prosecutor General's Office is opening a formal investigation.

As Lisbon mourns, there are already calls for accountability over how something so tragic could happen.

Isa Soares, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The Taliban are appealing for international aid in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan. A magnitude 5.6 aftershock hit on Thursday, the strongest since Sunday's 6.0 quake. At least 2200 people were killed and 3600 injured. Heavy rains, landslides and damaged roads are making recovery operations difficult, many international aid groups suspended operations in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over in 2021.

Hurricane Lorena in the eastern Pacific has weakened to a tropical storm, and it's heading for western Mexico. The storm is expected to make landfall on Saturday near Baja California.

[03:40:03]

Lorena passed over Los Cabos on Wednesday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds that damaged roads and flooded streets in the popular tourist area and heavy rainfall could continue into the weekend across parts of Mexico before some moisture spreads northeast into the southwestern U.S.

Rescuers are searching for some six people believed trapped after a landslide hit the Kulu district of northern India. Officials say three people were rescued and one person killed, as heavy rain caused major rivers to overflow and flood area houses.

Bad weather continues to hamper rescue efforts, and more downpours are expected in the coming days. The monsoon season has been especially fierce this year, nearly 150 people have been killed in India last month alone.

Well, the fashion world is mourning a legend of elegant style. Coming up, we'll look at the life and legacy of designer Giorgio Armani. Stay with us.

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[03:45:00]

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BRUNHUBER: The fashion industry has lost a giant in the business. Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani has died at the age of 91. The Armani Group said in a statement Thursday that he passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.

Known for his elegant, deconstructed designs, Armani was born in 1934 in northern Italy. He got a job as a window dresser in Milan in 1957, and that was the start of his lifelong passion for fashion. For the first time in his long career, Armani wasn't present at this year's Men's Fashion Week in Milan in June, a time his company said he was recovering at home from an undisclosed health condition.

Alright, I want to get more on Armani's legacy from Simone Marchetti, the European Editorial Director of "Vanity Fair" and Editor-in-Chief for "Vanity Fair Italia," and he joins us from Venice. Thank you so much for being here with us, I really appreciate it.

So, I want to start at the beginning. Armani didn't start out wanting to be a fashion designer. I understand he was studying medicine, he joined the army, ended up, as I said, as a window dresser.

I mean, how did that unconventional path actually shape the revolutionary designer he became?

SIMONE MARCHETTI, EUROPEAN EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, "VANITY FAIR", AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "VANITY FAIR ITALIA": And that was really unconventional. He came in the fashion world very late, compared to (inaudible) or maybe Karl Lagerfeld, who were in their 20s. He was in his late 40s.

So, that was just a strange thing. But then, I wouldn't call him a minimalist or a teacher of elegance. It's more about, he gave women and men a kind of sureness, safety, their place in the world.

So, his creations were able to bring back the power to the people. This is why all the celebrities are still choosing Armani on red carpets, because they feel safe.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, I want to get to the celebrity angle in a second, but I'm curious as to what you mean by this idea of safety and so on, because he did change the way we think about suits. I mean, for men, he gave men softer suits, he gave women the power suit. Talk to me about what was so radical about his approach and why that resonated so much. MARCHETTI: Yes, that softness is what I call safety, it's not about

tradition. So, he was one of the first to allow women to reach the places and the jobs and in their career that were only obtained by men at that time. But he was not dressing women like men, he was giving them another kind of tenderness, another kind of sophistication, that at the end, if you look at it now, it's more about confidence, it's not only about style.

I think this is his most important revolution, even for men and women, to give them a kind of dress that can feel them safe and comfortable, which is really important.

BRUNHUBER: You mentioned the red carpet. I mean, I'm thinking that moment with Richard Gere in "American Gigolo" in 1980. He was wearing Armani head to toe. I mean, that was huge for the brand. How did Armani use Hollywood and dressing the stars to change fashion globally?

MARCHETTI: By the way, he was the first one and somehow he invented the relationship between fashion and movies as we know it today. And that was the first chapter, "American Gigolo" and Richard Gere. But then many other movies and many other actors and his relationship with actors was super strong, I think he's one of the strongest in the fashion world.

But again, he was able to give them the proper dress to feel comfortable, but at the same time, very good looking.

[03:50:01]

But again, he invented this relationship, this red carpet thing. Since then, American celebrities were just dressing, let's say, casually for premiere or red carpets. From that moment on, everything has changed.

BRUNHUBER: Stepping away a little bit from the fashion element to the business sphere, other fashion houses, they were all bought up by these big conglomerates. Armani stayed fiercely independent and he built this massive empire. How did he manage to keep control for so long?

MARCHETTI: He was a control freak. So he was controlling until I think the very last day of his life, everything from a window to a dress, everything.

But fashion history tell us that there is only one good case of succession plan, which is Prada. But all the other brands, from the French brands to the Italian brands, from Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel, Cristobal Balenciaga, every brand was bought by other people. And other designers that are not somehow very similar to the founder are now the creative directors of this brand.

So I think that this is going to happen to Armani. Maybe not in the next two years, but I think later and it will only bring, in my opinion, a huge success to the brand. Armani is the most important and famous Italian brand in the world, so I think that it can only grow in the future. BRUNHUBER: Well, a legend who simply changed fashion. We'll have to leave it there. Simone Marchetti in Venice, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

MARCHETTI: Thank you to you.

BRUNHUBER: Pope Leo has a big weekend ahead at the Vatican. Just ahead, we'll tell you about his plans to canonize the 15-year-old known as the Millennial Saint. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Catholics young and old are flocking to Rome for a special ceremony this weekend. Pope Leo is set to canonize a 15-year-old boy who's credited with two miracles. CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb has the story.

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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): God's influencer. An Italian teenager who is a computer whiz kid and love video games. Carlo Acutis will become the first Millennial Saint.

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LAMB: Now when people think of saints, they often imagine men with beards and robes and something from the past. But Carlo Acutis, as you can see, is someone who was laid out with jeans and trainers. So he's a very relatable saint.

And at a time when the Catholic Church is seeking to connect with a younger generation, this figure of Carlo Acutis has a lot of resonance today.

LAMB (voice-over): He died aged 15 of leukemia in 2006 and has developed a global following.

OLIVIA SANTARELLI, PILGRIM: He's just like us. He's just like a regular teenage guy and he had the same interests. He liked sports, he liked the internet, of course. And so, yes, he really just represents young people.

GARY FRIESEN, PILGRIM: I feel like I have a closer connection to him because I was born on the year that he died and I have the same hobbies as him and on Instagram I try to spread the gospel as best as I can.

LAMB (voice-over): Carlo's path to sainthood has been swift, but his mother Antonia said he wasn't raised in a religious household, his faith partly nurtured by his Polish nanny.

ANTONIA SALZANO, CARLO ACUTIS' MOTHER: I was converted by my son, he was my savior.

LAMB (voice-over): He grew up in a wealthy family but used his privileged position to help others, donating pocket money to the homeless while setting up a website to document reports of miracles. Candidates for sainthood usually need two miracles attributed to their intercession.

Carlo's included a reported healing of a Brazilian boy with a birth defect and a young woman from Costa Rica injured in a bicycle accident in Florence.

Interest in Acutis is global, his tomb here in Assisi received almost a million visitors last year and an official shrine has been set up in Pennsylvania.

Carlo's mother describes him as a normal child who enjoyed playing on his PlayStation and made videos of his family pets. He also stood up for pupils being bullied at school. Antonia believes his message can resonate with young people today.

SALZANO: It's a message of hope because Carlo said, yes, you have to use for the good. This is the motive why Pope Francis called Carlo influencer of God.

LAMB (voice-over): Acutis' canonization comes as the church is still reeling from the damage done by the scandals of clerical sexual abuse of children. But also when research shows a rise in interest in Catholicism among Gen Z, many of whom are expected in Rome to witness this video gaming teenager being declared a saint.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

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BRUNHUBER: Thank you so much for joining me, I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta. "The Amanpour Hour" is next.

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