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Carlo Acutis Becomes First Millennial Saint; Hundreds Detained in Raid at Georgia Hyundai Plant Thursday; Protesters Against Trump's Federal Takeover Of; Russia Launches Its Largest Air Attack of the War in Ukraine; Japan's PM Shigeru Ishiba Says He's Resigning; Workers Could See Price Hike in Employer Health Plans. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired September 07, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is CNN Newsroom.

The first millennial saint has just been canonized. We'll take you live to the Vatican, where thousands have gathered to honor Carlo Acutis.

Plus, South Korea has struck a deal with the United States to get workers detained by ICE home safely. We'll share what we know about the tense diplomatic situation. And the Japanese Prime Minister reportedly decides to step down. We'll have a live report.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: Pope Leo has canonized the first millennial saint. This is a live look at the Vatican. The pope is speaking right now. Carlo Acutis died of leukemia at the age of 15 in 2006, but his website documenting miracles and spreading his faith earned him the nickname God's Influencer.

All right, joining me now from Rome is CNN's Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb. So, Christopher, as I showed there, the pope is speaking now. What's his message so far?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, what the pope has been emphasizing this morning is that the figures of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati should inspire young people to deepen their faith, to follow their vocation. He talks about -- Leo's talking about how saints have in the past turned down wealth and the riches of this world to follow their faith, follow their vocation, encouraging them to do the same.

Leo has also mentioned the family of Carlo Acutis who are here. It's not often that faith is declared or canonization happens, but the living family is still present. The parents of Carlo Acutis are here, as are his brother and sister. His brother, Michele, reading a passage of scripture earlier during the service, and there was a round of applause when Leo referenced them.

But he's underlining that Carlo Acutus, through his service and his faith, is an example to young people. And also he mentioned Pier Giorgio Frassati, who used to hand out supplies to the forests where he was based in northern Italy. So, Leo trying to, in his homily and reflection, encourage the young people who are listening to him to, as he said to them earlier, consider and try to become saints. He's trying to make the message of these two new saints applicable to the people here.

BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate that, CNN Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb.

For more on this, I want to bring in Katie McGrady, CNN Vatican Analyst and Host of the Katie McGrady Show on Sirius XM's The Catholic Channel, which is operated by the Archdiocese of New York.

Good to see you again. So, we spoke last hour. Before that moment, the two young men were canonized. Now, it's actually happened. So, let's talk about what it means. I mean, you've traveled the world working with young Catholics. What's the buzz been like among young people about, especially Carlo, becoming a saint? How excited are they about all this?

KATIE PREJEAN MCGRADY, HOST, "THE KATIE MCGRACY SHOW": There was this outpouring of excitement, especially this summer, at the idea that a 15-year-old kid who played the same video games that we can still all play now is going to be raised to the altars. That's kind of the phrase that we use in the church. And one of the things that young people especially reference a lot in conversation with them about Blessed Carlo is this idea that what he did was not nearly as important as who he was.

Pope Leo just referenced Carlo's acts of charity. He talked about how he was able to make his life a masterpiece and how that's what we're all called to do in some of those very ordinary moments of life, whether it was forgiving a bully at school or even just having a conversation with his tutor about why he loved going to daily mass. And what young people are so struck by in that is, oh, I can find that holiness in my day-to-day. I can find that holiness in those ordinary moments.

And so, to be able to say now, Saint Carlo Acutis, young people in the Roman Catholic tradition will often take a patron saint when they're confirmed. And Blessed Carlo, super popular. I imagine Saint Carlo will even be more popular now that we can call him saint.

BRUNHUBER: I love that. Finding the holiness in every day, and nothing is more every day for young people than technology. We know it can be harmful and addictive, especially for youth, but Carlo, I guess, was an example of that balance of not living entirely online and being able to avoid some of those pitfalls.

[05:05:05]

MCGRADY: Carlo's mom talks a lot about how when he first got a gaming system and his friends would come over because, you know, he was the first one with a gaming system, they would play for like an hour and then he'd say, all right, now we've got to go outside because he already kind of recognized some of the addictive qualities to it.

Carlo died before iPhones were in everybody's pocket and we had access to Instagram and Twitter and every other manner of being able to see everything about everybody's life. But I have no doubt that Carlo would have been the kind of person to say, I'll post, but I'm not going to scroll in a doomsday kind of fashion or that he would be using social media and technology in such a way to share the good news.

And Pope Leo has been pretty pointed in his conversations about encounter and how the Internet must always lead us to an encounter with an individual and not just ideologies and not just an attempt to try to win the argument. And he's used Carlo and Pier Giorgio Frassati as examples of young men who would look to see how they could love the person right in front of them.

And so I think Carlo is a great patron for how to use technology for an opportunity to encounter others and not just a chance to get famous or make a quick buck or share all sorts of information, but to be a chance to connect.

BRUNHUBER: I'm wondering in terms of sort of, you know, lessons that people can take from this here, I mean, you highlighted, well, both of their generosity and care for the poor. What practical lessons do you think parents and kids can take from -- from their example about -- about, you know, raising children with a social conscience and -- and having that -- that generous heart?

MCGRADY: Really great, great question. I have an eight-year-old and an almost five-year-old, and they love Carlo. And literally any time we do an act of charity, whether it's rolling the window down and handing a few dollars to the guy that's always standing right where we have to get up on the interstate after school pickup or going and packing food boxes at our local Catholic charities, there's almost always unprompted. My kids will reference, oh, Carlo would have done something like this because we've told them stories about the generosity.

So, it's -- it's an opportunity, a chance to just when a family is going to do an act of mercy, corporal or spiritual, as we would say in the church, or when a family is acknowledging, we're going to take from what we have, whether that's the -- the excess that we have or even from the first fruits. And we're going to be generous with that to say that's what Carlo did. That's what Pier Giorgio did and consistently referenced back.

And then as Catholics, we believe that we can ask them to pray for us, to ask Carlo to pray for us, to be more generous like he was, to be more temperate in the goods that we use like he was. I think the other really practical thing is when families tell the stories of the saints, whether these two new saints that we got today or even the saints of old, Pope Leo referenced St. Francis of Assisi in his homily. And that's an ancient saint in our church. What we're telling our young people is the stories of the saints are diverse. There's so many different saints that they all pursued holiness in a beautiful and unique way. And so you and your uniqueness, your diversity and the way that you can be generous, the way that you can be loving and charitable and virtuous, you could be a saint as well.

So -- so there's so many different connection points. I can't wait to get back home in a couple of days and talk to my kids all about it because I know they're super excited to be able to say St. Carlo and St. Pier Giorgio. And I'm sure it'll keep coming up from the backseat of the minivan.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, we're talking about Catholicism, but both saints here, they can be examples for -- for all of our viewers watching this around the world, whether they're -- they're Catholic or not. There are so many things that can be taken from their examples.

Katie McGrady, thank you so much for speaking with us. Really appreciate it.

MCGRADY: Thanks so much.

BRUNHUBER: We have breaking news out of Japan, where Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has moments ago said he is resigning. Ishiba is holding a news conference explaining the decision right now. Public broadcaster NHK says the decision to step down comes as Ishiba works 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. And we'll have more in a live report from Tokyo in just a few minutes.

A South Korean official says Korean nationals detained during a massive immigration raid in Georgia will be returned to South Korea on a charter flight. More than 300 South Korean workers were among 475 arrested during a raid at a Hyundai plant west of Savannah in Georgia. A South Korean company has suspended most business trips to the U.S. following the raid. LG Energy Solution is one of the world's largest battery makers. Many of the company's employees were detained on Thursday.

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I want to bring in CNN's Mike Valerio, who joins us from Seoul with more. So, this deal, a significant development since you and I spoke yesterday, Mike. So, take us through it and what South Koreans are making of all of this.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I can tell you, Kim, you can feel the relief on the streets here of Seoul throughout South Korea. This is all people are talking about. The images of seeing South Koreans working at this high-tech EV car and battery plant facility and seeing them handcuffed and have chains wrapped around their waist and then led out to be detained by ICE has hit such an emotional chord that cannot be understated by this critical American ally in this equally critical portion of the world.

So, close to China, we're situated with so many American troops who are here. So, the feeling of betrayal that has emanated from so many news channels, opinion columns, people who are speaking out on social media certainly cannot be understated.

So, that's why these developments that have just materialized within the past hour or so are so dramatic. This is the president's chief of staff saying that negotiations have been finalized between Seoul and Washington, D.C., to return all of these more than 300 South Koreans detained by ICE in the U.S. state of Georgia from Georgia back home to South Korea. We still don't have a time frame as of yet. Plane has not left here, according to our latest reporting.

Logistics still have to be hammered out. But that is the game plan. And certainly the worst fears seem to have been avoided in terms of South Korean citizens facing criminal charges and being sent to courtrooms in Georgia to be charged under certain immigration statutes.

Now, I think that also is worth noting that we don't know what specific infractions all of these 300 plus people have been facing. To that end, the chief of staff of the president's office has said that he is going to make concrete moves to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again. I want to read the quote that just came out of his news conference.

He says, to prevent a recurrence of similar cases, we will work together with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the companies concerned to review and improve the visa system and state status of people traveling to the U.S. for investment projects. Why this is so important is because, of course, we remember President Lee of South Korea in the Oval Office with U.S. President Trump hailing all of the new manufacturing projects. There's a catchphrase here in Seoul of make American shipbuilding great again. That is a specific industry in addition to electric vehicles and advanced EV batteries that South Korea can contribute as part of the president's agenda to rejuvenate American manufacturing.

But when you have a large group of people in this biggest ICE operation of its kind in the second Trump administration who are part of this investment, the feeling here has been an unmitigated sense of we're trying to help you. And rather than just telling our companies of what visa infractions they might have had, you are putting our employees in handcuffs and putting chains around their waists.

And for so many people, that is unacceptable. So, what we are watching for is when exactly this plane is going to take off from South Korea. And really the fallout, once people return back here, they will be interviewed, telling their families about the treatment that they've had while in ICE detention. So, this story certainly is not over yet, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: No, absolutely. I appreciate the reporting. Mike Valerio in Seoul. Thank you so much.

VALERIO: Thanks, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Mexican Independence Day celebrations went ahead on Saturday in some Chicago neighborhoods. That's despite the looming threats of National Guard troop deployment and increased immigration enforcement. It's not clear when or if either action might take place. But the state's getting ready for a legal fight while the city's told police not to cooperate with federal agents. And residents are being encouraged to make preparations and know their 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 the 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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BRUNHUBER: Several thousand protesters in Washington, D.C., spoke out against President Trump's federal takeover of police in the U.S. Capitol.

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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 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.

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BRUNHUBER: Participants in the "We Are All D.C." march gathered yesterday near the White House, objecting to what they called Trump's authoritarian push to control the district. National Guard troops have also been deployed there. Trump says the takeover is necessary due to what he declared was a crime emergency in Washington. But experts tell CNN the federal law enforcement surge costs about $1 million a day.

Russia launches its largest aerial assault of the Ukraine war. We'll bring you the latest details of this massive, unprecedented attack that's coming up. Stay with us.

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[05:20:04] BRUNHUBER: 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 hit 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. It's the first time the government building has been hit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack a deliberate crime and prolongation of the war. I want to bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks, who joins us now with the latest. So, Paula, the scale and the targets of the attacks, how significant is this?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, the scale is certainly significant. The fact that you had some 810 drones, there was also about nine cruise missiles, four ballistic missiles. It is the largest aerial assault that we have seen since this war began.

And that is why we are seeing that so many of the missiles and drones did manage to get through. Now, the vast majority were taken down by air raid defenses, by the defense systems that Ukraine has in place. But they were simply overwhelmed in some cases.

So, we know that well over 50 drones got through, a number of those missiles got through. And that is where we are seeing the significant damage and the loss of life. Now, we did hear from the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posting on social media that these attacks were, quote, "vile."

Also saying, quote, "such killings now when real diplomacy could have started a long time ago are a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war. The world can make the Kremlin's criminals stop killing. All we need is political will."

Now, the Ukrainian Prime Minister did confirm that the government buildings in Kyiv were hit. Now, this is really the heart of the capital. It is an area that we haven't seen hit before, at least specifically the government buildings.

Because, of course, the air defense systems would be very intense in this area to protect the heart of the capital. But we did hear from the Prime Minister that the -- the top floors of the building that houses the Prime Minister's office were damaged. The roof was damaged. There were fire crews trying to put out the fires. We saw significant damage in some of the -- the overnight images. And we know that this is close to the President's office as well. It's right next to the Parliament.

So, the fact that it was able, these Russian missiles and drones were able to get through to the heart of Kyiv is significant. We know as well it would have been a terrifying night. For the civilians in Kyiv, for example, the air raid sirens sounded for 11 hours. Just imagine having that happening overnight and then hearing the impacts of these drones and missiles that got through. Now, we also heard from Kyiv's mayor. Let's listen to what he said.

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VITALI KLITSCHKO, KYIV MAYOR (through translator): Yet another attack. The two city districts of Darnyts'kyi and Sviatoshynskyi have suffered the most. We are now in Sviatoshynskyi district where a Shahed drone hit a residential building. The government quarters have also been hit. A government building is on fire now. There is also a warehouse on fire in the Sviatoshynskyi district. You can hear the helicopters extinguishing the fire.

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HANCOCKS: That's in those neighborhoods, some in the western parts of Kyiv. There was an infant that was killed, officials saying. They found the body of a child less than one year old under the rubble. A young woman also killed in these attacks.

Now, we know that a number of residential buildings were hit. There was a nine-story building, we understand, that was severely damaged by these impacts. There was also a 16-story building where the top two floors were on fire. So, this was a significant attack. It's been described by the prime minister of Ukraine as a massive attack.

And it wasn't just in the capital. It was across the whole of the country. In fact, in western Ukraine, we know that Polish aircraft was put on standby as they were concerned that some of those attacks were close to the Polish border.

Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate that, Paula Hancocks, thanks so much.

Some Israeli protesters say they're 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.

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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.

Well, you saw it there. Israel struck a high-rise in Gaza City on Saturday, saying it was used by Hamas. After the attack, Israel's defense minister said the operations will continue despite widespread pushback at home and abroad.

Well, the Roman Catholic Church is in the middle of a jubilee year with the theme Pilgrims of Hope. Ahead, a historic moment for the Vatican for LGBTQ plus worshippers. Plus, Pope Leo canonizes the first millennial saint.

Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Let's check some of today's top stories. Thousands of protesters yesterday called for the end of the D.C. occupation in the wake of Donald Trump's surge of federal law enforcement in the American capital. President Trump deployed National Guard troops to D.C. last month to, quote, re-establish law, order, and public safety.

President 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.

Pope Leo has created two new saints for the Catholic Church in a ceremony in St. Peter's Square, and one of them is the first millennial saint. Carlo Acutis, who died at the age of 15, has been dubbed God's Influencer.

[05:30:04]

At the same time, another significant event for the Catholic Church. In this Jubilee year, the church recognized a pilgrimage by LGBTQ plus Catholics for the first time. Now, with that recognition comes the hope that Pope Leo will continue the legacy of Pope Francis.

On Friday about 1,000 people gathered in a broke church, open only in Jubilee years. Saturday they made a procession to St. Peter's Basilica to pass through its holy door of forgiveness and reconciliation and today they attended the service in St. Peter's square canonizing the church's two new saints.

Now for more on all this, I'm joined from Rome by Father Sam Sawyer, editor-in-chief of American Media. Thank you so much for being here with us, really appreciate it. So, you've been watching along with this historic ceremony. Take us through what stood out to you most about what you saw and what you heard from -- from the Pope.

FR. SAM SAWYER, EDITOR IN CHIEF, AMARICAN MEDIA: Well, you know, I really think that the energy around the canonization, especially of Carlo Acutis along with Pier Giorgio Frassati, it's -- it's been really impressive. I think you see a great desire, particularly among Catholic youth, to embrace this first millennial saint, a saint really in whom they see themselves, whose -- whose life they can recognize and emulate, and it's been really exciting to see that energy and that joy come through during the canonization.

BRUNHUBER: One reason so many young people see themselves in Carlo is because of technology. I mean, he created this whole website about miracles when he was just a kid. Yourself as someone who's helped transform Catholic media online, what -- what do you think the church can learn from Carlo's approach to digital evangelization?

SAWYER: Well, you know, I think one thing is that Carlo certainly shows the power of embracing new technology, of treating whatever new means were offered as a way to spread the gospel and to help people come to know God's love, and he really leaned into that by creating a website in the early 2000s focused on Eucharistic miracles. And I think that continues now with the church figuring out how to embrace podcasts, how to embrace short-form video, all these new opportunities. Certainly one of the things Pope Leo said that he's going to focus on is how the church can engage with the advent of A.I. technologies.

And I think, you know, if Carlo were still around, I imagine he'd be probably trying to lead the way on that as well. But he also enjoyed technology in other ways. One of the things I've heard a lot of young people say really helps them relate to Carlo is that he played video games.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's right, although only in moderation, apparently, he had great self-control.

SAWYER: Only in moderation, yes.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Now -- now, the process here, I mean, this canonization was originally scheduled for April, but was postponed due to Pope Francis' death. Now, it's happening under Pope Leo. So, how has the delay affected sort of the anticipation, the mood, the preparation among young Catholics?

SAWYER: Well, I would say this has been a little bit of a moving target in the church's calendar. So, it was originally scheduled and got suspended when Pope Francis passed away, which actually meant I was here for the funeral back in April, and it was actually kind of beautiful to have so many young people who had traveled to Rome planning for the canonization of Carlo to be there to be able to celebrate Pope Francis' memory and legacy instead.

And then we were -- we were thinking that the canonization might get scheduled for the Jubilee of Youth that happened last month here in Rome, but instead Pope Leo decided to link it together with the canonization of Pier Giorgio Frassati, another saint who died young, although he was from the early 20th century, and to make this an event here in early September.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah.

SAWYER: So, I think there are, you know, a lot of people who are very excited, also some people who are disappointed because they had planned for other dates and tried to get to Rome for those, and then this one hopped around quite a bit.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Finally, there were sort of two notable events going on. I mentioned earlier this historic LGBTQ pilgrimage. I mean, what's the significance of Pope Leo allowing both events to happen sort of in the -- in the same weekend during his first months in office?

SAWYER: Yeah, so I've actually been here in Rome with a pilgrimage connected to that LGBTQ event and the Jubilee progression through the Holy Door there with Outreach, which is a ministry under the sponsorship and auspices of America Media.

And I think really, you know, one of the things that Pope Leo is giving witness to here, and he said recently, you know, continuing Pope Francis' vision of inclusion and welcome, Francis famously said, "todos, todos, todos," the church is everyone, everyone, everyone. And I think what we're seeing here with the welcome of -- with the welcome of youth, with the welcome of LGBT people is really that vision of a church that is open to all and wants to embrace all.

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BRUNHUBER: Yeah, we'll leave it there, but it's been such a historic day. Great to speak to you about it, Sam Sawyer in Rome. Thank you so much.

SAWYER: Thank you very much.

BRUNHUBER: All right, I want to go back to our breaking news out of Japan, where Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has moments ago said he is resigning. Ishiba is holding a news conference explaining the decision right now. Broadcaster NHK says the decision to step down comes as

Ishiba works to avoid a split within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The LDP has lost its majority in elections from 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. So, Hanako, the prime minister's press conference is still going on, but what has he been saying so far about his decision to step down?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Kim, it's good to see you. So, the reason why Shigeru Ishiba, the Japanese Prime Minister, has decided to step down now is because trade talks with the United States have finally come to a head. Here's what the Japanese Prime Minister said just moments ago during his emergency press conference.

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SHIGERU ISHIBA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Now that negotiations over U.S. tariff measures have reached a certain conclusion, I believe this is the appropriate moment. And so I have decided to step aside and make way for my successor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: Now, Kim, last week, Japan and the United States finally finalized a trade deal in which Japan would invest 550 billion U.S. dollars in the United States in exchange for lower tariff rates on Japan's key autos sector.

Now, again, Japan and the United States have been in negotiations for several months now, ever since the U.S. president, Donald Trump, first imposed those very high tariff rates on Japan. And as Ishiba said just there, now that Japan has finally reached a deal with the U.S., he felt as though the timing was now. Now, also in his press conference, Kim, Ishiba stressed the different

policies that he spearheaded, the different ways in which he helped the Japanese people. He also very clearly stated that he does not intend to run in the next liberal Democratic Party leadership elections.

Now, just in terms of why Ishiba has been facing mounting pressure, as you described, from within his own party to step down, we saw the LDP suffer a bruising defeat in the upper house elections back in July, in which the LDP lost its majority after having a majority for several, several years.

Now, after losing a majority, the party has a lot of difficulty passing different resolutions, passing different bills. And normally, when a leader of a party suffers a defeat like that, they step down, they assume responsibility. But Ishiba was quite stubborn in this regard. He held on to power, but again, he felt as though the timing was now in terms of stepping down.

Now, also important to note here, Kim, is that the LDP, Ishiba's party, is suffering quite a lot in public opinion polls, as well. Japan's economy is not in a great state right now. It's yen. The currency is very, very weak. We're also seeing household spending skyrocket. And also, inflation is hurting a lot of households.

So, the LDP hasn't really been able to pass many policies that have appeased the public. And this is why the Japanese Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, says that he needs to step down.

Now, in terms of what's next for Japan and for its premiership, the Liberal Democratic Party will hold an election in which it will elect a new party president, who will likely become the next Japanese prime minister. But it's not clear at this point in time whether this election will be a simple election, one that's only held among LDP lawmakers, in which case we might see a new prime minister by mid- September, or if this will be a wider election among party-registered voters, in which case we could see a new premier in about mid-October.

But again, Ishiba has said very clearly in his press conference that he does not intend to run again. He does want to make way for his successor. And who will that be? We don't really know yet. There are no clear frontrunners, but, of course, that will become clear in the days ahead as many more politicians step forward and state their intent for running.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, we'll see on the reverberations of this. Really appreciate you bringing us the latest on this breaking news, Hanako Montgomery in Tokyo. Thank you so much.

All right, still to come, a new report suggests American workers can expect to see a huge increase in the cost of health insurance. We'll look at what's driving the price spike. That's coming up next. Please stay with us.

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[05:43:05]

BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump's former Surgeon General tells CNN he believes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should be fired from his position as Health and Human Services Secretary. Jerome Adams comments came after Kennedy was grilled by both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill this week over his views on vaccines.

Adams served as Surgeon General during President Trump's first term. Speaking with CNN, he said he worries that Kennedy has got President Trump, quote, "in a thrall." Here he is.

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JEROME ADAMS, FORMER SURGEON GENERAL UNDER DONALD TRUMP: I'm deeply concerned about the health and safety of our nation under RFK's current leadership. I absolutely believe he is uniquely damaging the credibility of federal agencies like the CDC, NIH, FDA, and he's putting us at risk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: So, Adams says he's hopeful the president will recognize the danger Kennedy poses to the country and to Trump's own legacy. People in the U.S. who get their health insurance through their employers could be hit with a big price hike next year. Mercer's national survey of employer-sponsored health plans says businesses across the country are preparing for the steepest increase in health benefit costs in 15 years, an additional 6% to 7% in premiums.

Consulting firm PWC says medical costs for employers are also expected to grow. Cancer care and pricey prescription drugs are the top drivers of employer cost increases over the last four years. Now, that's not expected to change.

All this comes as President Trump's cost-cutting agenda is impacting people on government-funded health insurance. Analysts say it's too soon to tell exactly how much Trump's so-called big, beautiful bill could impact Americans.

Joining us now is Mark Pauly, a Professor Emeritus of Health Care Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate getting your expertise as one of the nation's top health economists. Workers, as I mentioned, looking at possibly the biggest jump in health insurance costs in 15 years. I mean, what is really driving this steep increase that we're seeing?

[05:45:11]

MARK PAULY, PROFESSOR EMERITUS, HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: Well, we think the primary reason is it's a continuation of the recovery of health care spending from and use of health care that obviously fell during the COVID period when the health care system was basically shut down and the increasing use of hospitals for people with COVID was more than offset by reduction in face-to-face visits and things like elective surgery for joint replacement and so forth.

So, at least the official government projections suggest that the highest growth of spending should have occurred in 2024. We don't have the official figures on that yet, but probably they're right. And it's -- it's bled over into 2025. So, what we're seeing is -- is the result of a sort of echo of the result of depressed use of health care during COVID --

BRUNHUBER: Right.

PAULY: -- for the most part.

BRUNHUBER: Right. I mean, during COVID, as you say, I mean, companies kind of absorbed some of the rising costs to protect their employees. They're now passing more of the burden on to workers. I mean, why do you think there's been that change?

PAULY: Well, of course, one thing is, as we know from last week's data, that the labor market is softening. So, economists like me think that the primary way that people who get their insurance through their job pay for it is not in the explicit premium they pay, although that's going up, too. But that's only about 20% of the total. Most of it comes out of the raises they would have otherwise gotten being canceled.

And when the labor market was very tight, it was very it was more difficult for employers to reduce money, wage growth, to pass on the cost of health insurance. So, they ate it for a little while. But now that's all come that sort of a perfect storm that the labor market is softening just as the spending echo is happening.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah.

PAULY: And the consequences of a surge, according to Mercer, anyway, they -- they tend to be more pessimistic than what actually happens because they're asking employers about their anticipation of spending growth rather than the fact of spending growth. But the punchline is this looks like a pretty difficult year for -- for workers having to pay for their health insurance.

BRUNHUBER: Well, you talked about those sort of broader economic trends. I mean, the cost of many things are rising or expected to rise due to President Trump's tariffs. I mean, is that affecting health care costs as well?

PAULY: Well, I don't think tariffs particularly are, but the overall economy wide inflation probably is health care spending actually grew at the same or less than the rate of GDP from -- from -- over the -- over the -- until 2023. So, the rate fraction of GDP going to health care in 2023 was about the same as it was in 2009.

The projections are for it to tick up now to a rate of growth modestly in excess of GDP going forward after we get over this surge that we're seeing right now.

But -- but and that's partly because of the everything's more expensive, including the things that -- including labor for health care is primarily labor-intensive product and including real products. The one thing that we're seeing -- we have seen is that health care employment has been one of the bright spots in the employment picture for years and years and years. And sooner or later, if you're hiring a lot more people and paying them well, the price that you have to charge for your final product is going to have to go up. And I think that's partly what we're seeing, a delayed response to the growth of employment in health care.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Bottom line is workers are going to have to compensate somehow for these rises that are projected, as you say, in in their insurance costs for health.

PAULY: That's right.

BRUNHUBER: I will have to leave it there, but I really appreciate getting your expertise on this. Professor Mark Pauly, thank you so much.

PAULY: Oh, sure.

BRUNHUBER: Well, from Milan to Hollywood, Giorgio Armani's timeless style to find elegance for generations now mourners in Milan are lining up to say goodbye to the man behind the brand. We'll take you there next. Stay with us.

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[05:53:37]

BRUNHUBER: From red carpets of the stars to simple closets around the world, legendary Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani defined elegance for half a century. He died this week. Mourners in Milan remembered him at a memorial. CNN's Ben Hunte has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (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.

[05:55:13]

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.

Ben Hunte, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The world number one tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka, swung her way to her second straight U.S. open championship yesterday. After a dominant first set, she held on to win a second set tiebreaker over American Amanda Anisimova. She was the Sabalenka's first grand slam trophy of 2025.

And the men's U.S. open title will be decided later today. The world number one and defending open champion, Jannik Sinner, takes on world number three, Carlos Alcaraz, who's looking for his sixth major title.

Well, it's well known that bears love fruit, like wild berries and apples, but just like us, too much of a good thing can be bad. Have a look at this. CNN Turk reports that Okan, the bear in Istanbul, gorged on so much of the sweet products that he got a stomachache. Well, it was apparently so bad he was taken to a vet.

Now, his story went viral after a video showed the 200-pound patient being wheeled on a stretcher and scanned in an MRI. It's not the first time Okan got into a jam with fruit. He was laid up three years ago with a similar condition.

The Wildlife Center says they're adjusting his diet to avoid future tummy troubles. I can't believe he only weighs 200 pounds. That's less than me. Gosh.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom.

I'm Kim Brunhuber for our audience in North America. CNN This Morning is next. For the rest of the world, it's Connecting Africa.

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