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First Millennial Saint; Demanding a Hostage Release Deal; Russia Strikes Ukrainian Government Building. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 07, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, wherever you are in the world. You are now in the CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, we are less than an hour away from a first in the Catholic Church. Pope Leo will canonize the church's first millennial saint in a special mass, a live report coming up.

Rallies across Israel as demonstrators demand a deal to bring home the remaining hostages, as the IDF carries out new strikes on Gaza City.

And a Ukrainian government building in Kyiv just one of the targets in a massive Russian strike this morning.

Welcome. Carlo Acutis, an Italian young man who died of leukemia age 15, is about to become the first millennial saint. Thousands are gathering in St. Peter's Square to watch Pope Leo conduct the canonization ceremony that elevates him to sainthood. And that is scheduled to begin in just about an hour. You're seeing live picks there. We're going to have live coverage here on CNN.

Many have visited Carlo Acutis' tomb in Assisi, Italy. Born in 1991, Acutis created a website to document miracles and spread his faith. It earned him the nickname, God's Influencer. His story has attracted wide attention from the Catholic youth. The ceremony was originally scheduled for April, but was postponed because of the death of Pope Francis.

Pope Leo will also canonize Pier Giorgio Frassati, who died in 1925 at age 24. He was also Italian and was known for helping others. He succumbed to polio 100 years ago.

Well, joining me now from Rome is CNN's Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb. Thank you so much for being with me, Christopher.

This feels like a pretty big moment, especially in terms of the church engaging with younger people. What's the latest that you're seeing on the ground?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ben, that's right. It is a big moment and there's a great sense of excitement and anticipation in St. Peter's Square. There's already a big crowd here in St. Peter's. You can see behind me already, I think, thousands of people who have been flooding into the square for this moment where Pope Leo will declare Carlo Acutis the first millennial saint.

Now, Carlo Acutis, since his death in 2006, has developed this huge following from across the world. During his life, he was known as a computer whiz kid who used his computer skills to develop awareness of the Catholic faith. But he's also a very relatable figure, frequently depicted wearing jeans and trainers. And I spoke to his mother, Antonia Salzano, who told me that her son used to like video games, playing on his PlayStation, making funny videos of his pets.

So, there's a sense that this figure of Carlo Acutis can really relate to a younger generation. You're seeing that this morning in St. Peter's with the huge numbers already here with a mass an hour away roughly, but they're already out in their big numbers. Ben?

HUNTE: I was seeing on social media that some people are pushing back against him receiving this. What have you heard about people potentially saying that he didn't deserve to become a saint?

LAMB: Well, look, I think the process to be a saint in the Catholic Church is quite a complex one. It takes a lot of time usually, and, of course, Carlo Acutis has been canonized in kind of record speed. That is because, in part, he has had his message and his life widely disseminated and distributed. So, people have got to know about him.

Some questioning how this has happened so quickly. Some may be questioning the whole process of sainthood that has been criticized in the past. It costs quite a lot of money to become a saint in the Catholic Church, requires a lot of documentation and research.

But I think what I'm seeing today is that in the figure of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, the other saint being canonized today, are two figures who can connect with young people, who young people see something in which they can relate to.

[03:05:03]

And I think that is the message that I think will be communicated today through this canonization.

HUNTE: Very exciting. It's also really nice to start the program with some positive news as well, as we love that. Thank you so much, Christopher Lamb in Rome. We'll speak to you again later.

Some Israeli protesters say they are running out of time as they try to stop their country's offensive in Gaza City. They held a new round of rallies in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Saturday calling for an end to the operation. Protesters say the Gaza City takeover could put the lives of the remaining hostages in danger. One hostage's mother says her son's fate could be decided at any moment as Israel's military carries out new strikes in Gaza City.

As you just saw, Israel struck a high rise in Gaza City on Saturday, and that is the second such strike in the past two days. NN's Paula Hancock's has more for us.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been seeing heavy strikes in and around Gaza City this Saturday as the Israeli military tries to control the whole of Gaza City. They've said that at this point they believe they control some 40 percent of it.

Now, we have been seeing as well the IDF targeting high rise buildings in the city. There was one in particular on Saturday, the Al-Sousi tower, a 15-storey residential building that we know families were living in, and we believe there would've been displaced families there as well.

Now, the Israeli military issued an evacuation order, and then just over an hour later struck the building, bringing it to the ground.

The IDF says that it was being used by Hamas. They say that there was intelligence-gathering equipment within the building. This has been rejected by Hamas, saying that they weren't present.

Now, what we know of this tower is that before 2021, there was a Ministry of Foreign Affairs presence there. We know that journalists had to go to one of those offices to try and secure permits from Hamas to enter Gaza. It's not clear, though, if Hamas has had a presence there since then.

Now, what this does is it increases the fear of the people in Gaza City not knowing where is the least dangerous place for them to go to. There have been leaflets dropped by the Israeli military on Saturday morning telling residents and those displaced in the city to move south specifically to go to Al-Mawasi, which the Israeli military calls a humanitarian zone.

It is not in the strictest sense of that term though. We know it is an area that is very overcrowded, that does not have humanitarian aid sufficient for the people there. And it is an area that has also been targeted by the Israeli military a number of times over recent months.

It's worth pointing out that this is an operation, the operation to take over Gaza that has widespread global condemnation. The United Nations, countries around the world are calling on Israel not to carry out this these strikes and this effort to try and occupy the city.

We also know that the top military general in the country, the head of the chief of staff, is also saying he doesn't believe that this should go ahead, according to two Israeli sources. He's concerned that the hostages would be at risk. He's concerned that soldiers will be at risk and also that the humanitarian situation could get worse.

Now, when it comes to the hostage situation, we also heard from the U.S. president, Donald Trump, and he really questioned whether or not the number of hostages still alive or believed to be alive that the Israeli military has put out is in fact accurate. There are 47 hostages that are still being held by Hamas and other groups that were taken on October 7th. The Israeli official figure is that some 20 are believed to be alive. Let's listen to the U.S. president.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: But you have many dead people that are coming out as part of the deal. It's 20 people, but I think of the 20, there could be some that have recently died, is what I'm hearing. I hope that's wrong. But you have over 30 bodies in this negotiation. Can you believe? I mean, we negotiate for people that are living. Here we know that at least 30 people are dead. And we negotiated to get them out.

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HANCOCKS: President Trump also said that he believed there shouldn't be these incremental releases of hostages, not two here, two there. He believes that all hostages should be released at once, which goes against the proposal on the table at this point, which was drafted by his own Mid East envoy, Steve Witkoff, alongside Israel. We know that the Israeli prime minister has also changed his strategy, saying he wants a full release of all hostages and a comprehensive deal. This shift in strategy one of the main reasons, really, that the negotiations in the hostage ceasefire proposal deal have stalled.

[03:10:05]

Paula Hancocks, CNN Abu Dhabi.

HUNTE: Tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in a pro-Palestinian march in Brussels in the coming hours, while a separate rally against anti-Semitism is expected in London at the same time. On Saturday, London police made arrests as a protest supporting the group Palestine action. More than a thousand people demonstrated against Britain's decision to ban the organization and declare it a terrorist group. Palestine Action used vandalism to target arms companies reportedly tied to Israel, and that ban will face a judicial review in November.

We have some breaking news now. Officials in Kyiv say an infant and a young woman were killed in Russia's latest strike on Ukraine, the largest aerial assault of the war so far. Ukraine says more than 800 drones were launched, as well as four ballistic missiles and nine cruise missiles.

The early morning barrage of drones hits several residential buildings in Kyiv wounding more than a dozen people. A fire broke out after drones hit the building that houses the prime minister's office and other ministries. And this is the first time the government building has been hit.

Joining me now is a Ukrainian member Parliament, Oleksiy Goncharenko. He comes to us live from Ukraine. Oleksiy, thanks for being with me.

Let's just start with the breaking news from Kyiv. So, fire has broken out a government building in the city center after a massive Russian drone strike. What do we know so far about the damage and any potential casualties?

OLEKSIY GONCHARENKO, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Hello. There is a fire right now and there is a rescue operation, so I can't give you the final numbers. At least two are killed, including one less than one-year-old infant in Kyiv, but also they attacked other cities, Odesa. There is a heavily damaged many residential buildings, Kremenchuk, other cities, Kryvyi Rih, part of the cities are now without electricity.

And, yes, in Kyiv now, the building of the government is in fire. So, we're waiting for the end of operation to say -- to give a final result. But what we already can say that this is the biggest attack. To calculate the number of missiles syndromes all together used against the country, almost 1,000 aims were in air, once again, almost 1,000.

HUNTE: Wow. What does the scale of this assault tell us about Moscow's strategy right now?

GONCHARENKO: The Moscow strategy is clear. They don't want any piece. They are escalating and escalating and escalating, and they just, I don't know, just sort of pissed off or to President Trump tries to make a peace, you know? And the efforts of international community, Europeans who recently just two days ago there was a meeting of Europeans and they also connected with American president, and all of what Ukraine wants and they were pushing is immediate ceasefire. And this is down to Russia. They don't want any ceasefire. They're just escalating.

HUNTE: This appears to be the first time a government building in Central Kyiv has been directly hit. How significant is that escalation and what message is Putin sending by targeting Ukraine's administrative heart?

GONCHARENKO: I think the message from Putin is clear, that he wants to destroy the whole Ukraine. He wants to decapitate Ukraine, and his the goal has not been changed. This is his message but I think it should be answered by the world and that more sanctions, more weapons to Ukraine. That's the only way to have Putin at the peace negotiation table.

President Trump sincerely tried a meeting in Alaska with the red carpet and all this handshaking with Putin. But I think we should already acknowledge after weeks after this meeting with no result in peace agreement and efforts and even movements. There is no movement at all after Alaska, but instead of this escalating from Putin. He has hugs (ph) with a North Koreans leader, with Chinese leader, with Iran, with all the adversaries and enemies of the United States.

So, I think it's time to say we need to change the strategy from American administration towards Putin, because the only language Putin understands is the language of strength, is language of force, so really serious sanctions, much more and many more weapons to Ukraine.

[03:15:03] That's the only way to have Putin at the negotiation table. And also Europe, it's time to seize Russian assets, not just to freeze it, but to seize it and to join the sanction efforts, for example, towards India, which United States already made.

HUNTE: This is breaking news. This is just happening. But looking ahead, what kind of response can we expect to see from Ukraine and allies after such a large scale attack right in the heart of Kyiv?

GONCHARENKO: If Putin believes that by such attacks he will put Ukraine on knees, that will not happen. But the best answer, as I told you is just to hit Putin hard. But to do this, Ukraine has enough courage. We have enough experience. We have enough creativity. We don't have enough weapons. We don't have enough capacity. And we hope very much, and we are begging our partners and allies to help us to do this, to protect international law and to save innocent lives.

HUNTE: Okay, we will leave it there for now. Oleksiy Goncharenko, thank you so much.

GONCHARENKO: Thank you.

HUNTE: There is still so much more to come on CNN, including a South Korean company's response to a U.S. immigration raid where hundreds of Korean nationals were detained.

Stay with us on CNN.

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HUNTE: Welcome back. Donald Trump is said to be planning to head to South Korea next month for an economic trade summit. The trip could possibly cover several bases, offering an opportunity to bring in more economic investment and giving the U.S. president a chance to meet with several world leaders.

Our Alayna Treene has more from the White House.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: This visit is being viewed as a very good opportunity for President Donald Trump to sit down with Chinese President Xi Jinping. I'm told that there have been serious discussions about a potential bilateral meeting between the two on the sidelines of the APEC Summit, though no plans have been finalized.

Now, I think it's important to point out that the officials said that the administration is viewing the expected trip, which is still being finalized, and there are questions of whether the president could add more stops on his visit.

They're viewing this as an opportunity for the president to clinch more economic investments in the United States, something that has been a key focus for him on other trips abroad, including his travel to the Middle East. I spoke with one official who said a lot of this is going to be about economic collaboration with other countries, but they also said other goals, including a focus on discussions around trade, defense and civil nuclear cooperation. Now, another interesting part to all of this is that it could also be an opportunity for President Donald Trump to sit down with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. Now, it is a question of whether or not Kim is even attending this summit, but I would note that when the South Korean president visited the White House last week, he talked a lot about wanting President Donald Trump to sit down with Kim. He invited Trump to the summit in South Korea and he also said that he should look at it as an opportunity to try and set something up with the North Korean leader.

Now, all of this comes at a tenuous time in the president's relationship with both President Xi and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. And that's because just recently we saw Xi hold a very big military parade, something the president referred to as being impressive. But he invited the leaders of Russia, India, and North Korea, all to that summit.

And we saw the president who often says that he has great relationships with each of those leaders kind of strike back and criticize the summit. At one point he said that he understood the reason that they were doing the parade and having all of those leaders there and said, quote, they were hoping I was watching, and I was watching. He also issued a series of posts attacking them over this meeting. One of them reading, looks like we've lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together.

All to say there are a lot of dynamics at play when the president likely goes to South Korea next month, another one of them of course being trade and the tariffs between both the United States and China. We are still gathering more information on what the nature of this visit is going to look like, but we should likely see the president heading to South Korea next month.

Alayna Treene, CNN, the White House.

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DAVID REINKE, PROTESTER: It feels so wrong to have the federal government, which obviously is a huge part of D.C. It's -- I mean my dad worked for the government. All of my neighbors worked for the government. I was a contractor for the government. It's such a huge part of it, and it can work as a community that it's part of. But to see the destruction of the federal workforce and the importation of the National Guard to try to keep peace where crime is at the lowest it's been in 30 years, it's just -- it moved me to protest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: That is just one of the protesters in Washington, D.C., who are angry with President Trump's federal takeover of police in the U.S. Capitol. Participants in the We are All D.C. March gathered near the White House objecting to what they call Mr. Trump's authoritarian push to control that district. National Guard troops have also been deployed there. Mr. Trump says the takeover is necessary due to what he declared was a crime emergency in Washington. Experts tell CNN, the federal law enforcement search costs about $1 million a day.

Mexican Independence Day celebrations went ahead on Saturday in some Chicago neighborhoods, and that is despite the looming threat of National Guard troop deployment and increased immigration enforcement. It is unclear when or if. Either action might take place, but the state is getting ready for a legal fight while the city has told police not to cooperate with federal agents.

[03:25:00]

And residents are being encouraged to make preparations and know their own rights. One Pilsen neighborhood resident said she won't let fear stop her from celebrating her culture.

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CLAUDIA VILLAGRANA, PILSEN RESIDENT: Whatever's happening in an environment, you can't really dampen our pride. And that's really what's getting all of us through it.

And we're feeding off of that and we're here representing our country and our values and our beliefs. And we're happy to have this opportunity to display that for the world.

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HUNTE: L.G. Energy Solution, that's a South Korean company and one of the world's largest battery makers, has suspended most business trips to the U.S. after hundreds of Korean nationals were detained by immigration authorities here in Georgia. Company employees were among more than 300 South Korean workers arrested during a raid at a Hyundai plant west of Savannah. A total of 475 people were detained by immigration authorities on Thursday.

CNN's Rafael Romo has more for us.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Shortly after the agents arrived at the plant, then workers realized what was happening after word spread across the property. Chaos ensued with many workers attempting to flee and some even running into a sewage pond and others hiding in air ducts. What we know is that Georgia State troopers blocked roads leading to the plant and set up a security perimeter setting the stage for nearly 500 federal state and the local officers to conduct the raid of the Hyundai plant located in a quiet, southeast Georgia community.

By the time they were done at 8:00 P.M. on Thursday, agents had arrested 475 people, most of them Korean nationals, making it the largest sweep yet in the current Trump administration's immigration crackdown at American job sites. A Homeland Security investigation special agent describes some of the objectives of the raid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STEVEN SCHRANK, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS: This operation underscores our commitment to protecting jobs for Georgians and Americans, ensuring a level playing field for businesses that comply with the law, safeguarding the integrity of our economy and protecting workers from exploitation.

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ROMO: In a statement sent to CNN, Hyundai said the following regarding the immigration raid in Georgia. We are reviewing our processes to ensure that all parties working on our projects maintain the same high standards of legal compliance that we demand of ourselves. This includes thorough vetting of employment practices by contractors and subcontractors. The company also said that Hyundai has zero tolerance for those who don't follow the law.

In an interview with CNN, former Deputy Homeland Security Secretary under President Trump Ken Cuccinelli said, this type of immigration enforcement operation sends a clear message to employers across America.

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KEN CUCCINELLI, SENIOR FELLOW, CENTER FOR RENEWING AMERICA: This is becoming much more common in this administration, and so employers who have never had to worry about this before now know their own butt is on the line if they're going to break these laws.

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ROMO: Regarding how some of the people that were detained came to the United States, Special Agent in Charge Schrank said that there were some that illegally crossed the border. He also said that others came in through a visa waiver program, although they were prohibited from working. Another group had overstayed their visas.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

HUNTE: Breaking news now out of Japan where Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has reportedly decided to resign. Public broadcaster NHK says Ishiba is making the move to avoid a split within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The LDP has lost its majority in elections for both houses of parliament since Ishiba took power. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on Monday on whether to hold an extraordinary leadership election.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery joins us now from Tokyo. Hanako, thank you so much for being with me. What is the latest?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ben. It's good to see you. So, as you said, local media is reporting that the Japanese prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, has decided to resign.

Now, this news is actually not at all that surprising because in recent weeks, Ishiba has been facing mounting pressure, mounting calls from within his own party to step down. In fact, on Monday, as you described, members of the Liberal Democratic Party, the LDP, said that they were going to hold a vote to see whether they should have an early presidential election, really meaning that they wanted to see whether or not Ishiba should be replaced with another member from within their own party.

Now, again, Ishiba has been facing a lot of criticism within its own party, and the reason for that is because of a bruising defeat in the upper house elections back in July. Now, normally, the LDP has the majority, but because they lost really big time at the elections, they've lost that majority and they now have a lot more trouble and really issues in passing resolutions, in passing bills.

Now, normally, when a party suffers a defeat like that in Japan, the leader will step down, will take responsibility.

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But so far, Ishiba had refused to do that. He refused to step down, but, clearly, now the timing has shown to him that he needs to resign.

Now also, Ben, it's important to note here that even within the own public, Ishiba has been suffering a lot of really reputational damage and also just criticism. The LDP hasn't really been able to solve issues related to higher household spending related to inflation, and also really a weak yen. Of course, there's also the issue of tariffs moving over Japan, which has made a lot of people within Japan hope for a different party, hope for different, really, resolutions that would help the Japanese economy.

So, again, Ishiba, according to local media reports, has decided to step down, clearing the way for another member of the LDP to step forward and become prime minister. Ben?

HUNTE: Thank you for that. That's the latest. CNN's Hanako Montgomery there, I appreciate it.

Pope Leo is preparing to create two new saints for the Catholic Church, including the first millennial saints. We will have coverage and commentary from St. Peter's Square just ahead.

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HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's take a look at today's top story.

Anti-war protesters rallied in two Israeli cities on Saturday as the Israeli military moves ahead with its assault in Gaza City. Israel destroyed a residential high rise on Saturday saying it was used by Hamas. The Israeli military struck another high rise in Gaza City on Friday.

[03:35:00]

Israel's defense minister says the offensive will continue despite widespread pushback at home and abroad. A number of protesters were arrested on Saturday at a rally supporting the group, Palestine Action, in London. Police say at least a thousand people protested against Britain's ban on the activist organization. The decision sparked a debate about civil liberties in the U.K. and it's facing a judicial review in November.

U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to travel to South Korea next month for a gathering of Asia Pacific trade ministers. The trip could offer Trump the chance to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korea's Kim Jong-un on the sidelines of the APEC Summit.

A live look here as crowds are gathering in St. Peter's Square. In just a short time, Pope Leo will lead a ceremony elevating to sainthood two men who died a young age. Carlo Acutis was born in 1991 and died of leukemia at age 15 in 2006. He's been dubbed God's Influencer for his online work to spread his faith. He will be the first person canonized by Pope Leo and the first millennial saint.

The second will be Pier Giorgio Frassati, also Italian. He died of polio a century ago at age 24. His short life was dedicated to helping others.

Let's keep talking about it. I'm joined now by Bill Staley. He's social media manager for the Institute for Catholic Formation at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and he joins us from Rome. Hello, Bill. How you doing over there?

BILL STALEY, SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER, INSTITUTE: Buongiorno, Ben, I'm doing very well. How are you?

HUNTE: I'm good. I'm good. It's good to see you at this time.

So, let's talk about this. Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati lived a century apart. One loved coding, the other loved mountain climbing, but both are being celebrated in Rome today. What unites their stories for the Catholic Church?

STALEY: Oh my gosh, I think it's that they both prioritized their relationship with God. Their interior life was so beautifully reflected in the works that they did. Pier Giorgio, a hundred years ago, he was the son of very influential parents up in Turin and he would go out and help the poor and the needy. And when his funeral came, his parents expected the finest folks to show up. But instead it was droves and droves of the marginalized and those who needed his help. And they loved him so much for that. And then flash forward a hundred years, and you've got Carlo, who, 20 years ago, which in 2006, he was creating websites for Eucharistic miracles. So, both really prioritized their relationship with God in a fantastic way.

HUNTE: I love that you work closely with young people. When you see Carlo, a teenager in sneakers who built a website about miracles, what kind of impact does his story have on Catholic youth today?

STALEY: They can see themselves in that very space. A lot of them struggle with the same things that Carlo struggled with. You know, he really monitored his screen time. We didn't call it that then 20 years ago, but he really made sure to only have an hour or so of computer time a day throughout the week. He really monitored that -- he wanted to go to daily mass and he wanted to pray and have a regimented life of prayer. And these young people are actually seeing themselves in him and trying to do the same thing, which is fantastic.

HUNTE: And just for our viewers there, we are seeing some live pictures of Pope Leo just speaking just there while we are chatting.

The church has a long and detailed process for canonization, which includes the investigation of miracles. Can you break down for me what it took for both Carlo and Pier Giorgio to be recognized today as saints?

STALEY: Sure, absolutely. Usually, there's a five-year waiting period after the death of the person just to make sure kind of the emotions and any kind of drama plays down. And we're talking about popes, we're talking about laypeople like Pier Giorgio and Carlo.

From there, they petition for the cause for the canonization through the dicastery for the cause of saints. And if they affirm that, if they become a servant of God, from there, they open the investigation. And if that gets going and it gets approved, they become a venerable. So, you'll hear Venerable Fulton Sheen and different people like that.

From there, they look for miracles. Once that first miracle has happened, that means they've got to be with God in heaven. And so they're beatified because they've seen that beatific vision of heaven. And then when the second miracle, number two comes in, that's when it's like, okay, they've got to be there. Let's canonize them as saint, and that's what we're doing today.

HUNTE: Wow. We got there. So, many Catholics grow up hearing prayers to saints for help. How do you expect that Carlo and Pier Giorgio will be called upon in the years to come?

STALEY: Oh my gosh, in so many wonderful ways.

[03:40:00]

I know that many of us know Tony, Tony, look around, something's lost and must be found, and then young lady's looking for Saint Anne to help them find him a man. Saint Anne, Saint Anne, help me find a man.

But Carlo and Pier, we can call on them in the same way because the saints are our friends. They're with God. And who better to ask for help with a situation or a problem? So, when you're dealing with computer, your printer's not working, ask Carlo to help you out. When you get lost hiking in the mountains Pier's your guy.

HUNTE: I love that, awesome. For people who may feel disconnected from faith, or maybe they're skeptical about the church, what do you hope that these canonization show them about what it means to live a life of faith and of service in 2025?

STALEY: Oh my gosh, well, especially with Carlo, because he was the digital influencer. So, many people can witness his life in a way that we've never been able to witness the lives of saints before. They can actually see photos of him in his everyday life. They can research him. And we're seeing a huge influx of people joining the church in recent years because of that. People are reading the early church fathers. People are YouTubing their way into the faith. And so it's a beautiful time to be Catholic. It's a beautiful time to welcome our brothers and sisters into the church. Record numbers every Easter vigil every year right now. So, we're just blessed.

HUNTE: I wonder if we could also just very quickly just touch on some of the controversy as well, because there are some people on social media who say that Carlo maybe doesn't deserve this status. What would you say about the fact this process has been very swift and Carlo is very young?

STALEY: Well, it sounds like those people's parents didn't put sprinkles on their ice cream sundaes, and I can't help them with that. But church law is very, very thorough, and it is -- I appreciate church law as much as I do the laws of gravity because it keeps everything grounded and the due processes has been done. So, he is very much so a saint and any naysayers just need to go get their sprinkles for their Sundays.

HUNTE: I just wonder if we can just talk about the impact that this is going to have for young people. When you were growing up and you were within this church, did you ever think that something like this could happen?

STALEY: No. I mean, he's right around my age. I'm a millennial. I think you are too. He was born in 1991, like it's wild to think that he'd be 34 if he were alive today. But to think that he has this -- that we have the potential within us.

And the cool thing about Pier Giorgio and Carlo, both, they lived very ordinary lives. Pier Giorgio loved hanging out with his friends, going up in the beautiful mountains. Carlo loved playing soccer with his pals going to school. He just took it to the next level, and so did Pier Giorgio, by really focusing on that interior life, that beauty built within them, that now shines forth and will affect generations for decades to come.

HUNTE: Isn't it nice to talk about positive things? That was amazing.

Bill Staley in Rome, thank you so much for being with me. I can't wait to see the rest of the day.

STALEY: Hey, praying for you, Ben. Take care.

HUNTE: Thank you. Okay, we're seeing some more live pictures there and, of course, CNN Newsroom will be right back after a very quick break. Don't go anywhere.

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[03:45:00] HUNTE: Welcome back. From red carpets to closets around the world, legendary Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani defined elegance for half a century. In Milan, mourners are saying goodbye and paying tributes to the style visionary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE (voice over): Crowds line up at the Armani Theater in Milan for a more somber occasion from the fashion shows usually held here. Hundreds of people attended Saturday's public viewing to pay tribute to legendary designer Giorgio Armani, who died on Thursday at the age of 91. Fashion VIP Donatella Versace also paid her respect.

Whether on the red carpet or in well-heeled closets around the world, some fans say they were inspired by Armani's impeccable style.

JONAH LIU, VISITOR: When I grew up in China, Armani's name is equal to Italian, so it's -- to Italy. And I think he's a perfect embodiment of Italian design.

HUNTE: Inside the venue, mourners filed by a wooden casket with a bouquet of white flowers on it, a minimalist silhouette befitting Armani's creative vision. Colleagues who attended the viewing say he was dedicated to the iconic brand that he built over the past 50 years.

CRITINA VIANO, FORMER ARMANI EMPLOYEE: I remember that before the fashion shows, he would come by to greet all of us employees with a, good morning girls, are you ready? So, he always gave us strength and courage. And I'd say that this strength and courage also came through in his shows.

HUNTE: On Monday, there will be a private funeral for Armani. The future of his multi-billion dollar empire, which ranges from fashion to perfume to furniture, will likely fall to his longtime collaborator and family already within the company.

But it's that feeling of wearing something elegant and timeless that some people say will be what they remember most about Armani.

RENATA MOLHO, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR OF ARMANI BIOGRAPHY: He's still here. He's still here. He's like the great authors who remain beyond time. They may change in form, but, in fact, they're still there.

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HUNTE (on camera): Next, to some, it's just a tree. To others, it's a sacred wish-granting miracle. Why a cracked pine tree in a Bolivian cemetery is inspiring religious devotion and drawing crowds, that is up next. See you in a bit,

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HUNTE: Welcome. We are seeing some live pictures here from St. Peter's Square, where moments from now, Pope Leo will elevate two new saints of the Catholic Church. Carlo Acutis will be the first millennial to become a saint, an Italian-born in 1991. He's been nicknamed God's Influencer and he is popular with Catholic youth.

The second saint is another young man, Pier Giorgio Frassati died from polio as century ago at age 24. And we're going to have all of the live coverage as the mass begins at the top of the hour.

In Bolivia's capital, a so-called Miracle Tree is drawing crowds to La Paz's largest cemetery. Believers say it has sacred powers after surviving a lightning strike ten years ago.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has more for us.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It might look like an ordinary tree at first, but locals will tell you it has sacred powers. The large gash slicing through its trunk is a mark of survival. Locals at the cemetery in La Paz, Bolivia, say it was struck by lightning ten years ago.

JAVIER CORDERO, BELIEVES TREE HAS SACRED POWERS: But the difference from the other little trees here is that lightning struck this one, and the lightning itself gave it that power. It gave it that magnetism. It gave it that power. It transmitted that energy from the cosmos to the little tree into our astral plane.

SANDOVAL: Devotees now visit the giant pine hoping for luck or asking it to grant their wishes.

TANIA ARCE, BELIEVES TREE HAS SACRED POWER: Since I started coming, the little tree has given me many options, meaning things are going well for me, better than they were. And, honestly, I have a lot. I didn't have much respect or reverence for it before, but now I have confirmed that it's true. This little tree has a lot of energy.

SANDOVAL: They took offerings of coins, flowers, sweets, or even heartfelt letters into its bumpy crevices.

The belief that surviving a lightning strike can cause divine power stems from ancient indigenous culture, a way of understanding the world called Andean cosmovision. Word of the tree's powers even spread on TikTok. But whether they found it on the internet or through the cosmos, worshippers are convinced the tree will change their lives and they say they will keep returning to visit the mystical conifer for years to come.

Polo Sandoval, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: The world number one tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka swung her way to a second straight U.S. Open Championship yesterday.

[03:55:01] After a dominant first set, she held on to win a second set tiebreaker over American Amanda Anisimova, claiming her first Grand Slam trophy of 2025.

Sabalenka, a Belarusian, is the first woman to win two straight U.S. Open titles in more than a decade, following a three-peat by Serena Williams from 2012 to 2014.

All right, too much of a good thing can be bad, especially for a Turkish bear who loves fruit to excess. CNN Turk reports that Okan the bear got an upset stomach after gorging on sweet produce. He had to be taken to a vet.

His story went viral after a video of the 200-pound patient went viral showing him being wheeled on a stretcher and scanned in an MRI. Bears are known to have a taste for berries and apples, and Okan was laid up three years ago with a similar condition.

The Wildlife Center says he is better now and they're adjusting his diet to avoid future tummy troubles.

Winning tickets for Saturday's nearly $1.8 billion U.S. Powerball jackpot were sold in Missouri and Texas. Lucky ticket holders can either split the full amount, paid out over 30 annual installments or an immediate lump sum cash payout estimated at $826 million. That is before taxes, of course. The jackpot is currently the second largest U.S. lottery history behind the Powerball Jackpot won in 2022 of just over $2 billion.

That's all I've got for you. We've got there. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and I will see you tomorrow.

CNN Newsroom continues after this short break. See you then.

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