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Hamas Issues Stern Warning on the Hostages; U.S. and Chinese Presidents Meet for TikTok's Sale; Pope Leo Interviews for the First Time Since His Papacy. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired September 19, 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: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."
U.S. President Donald Trump is now floating the idea of going after others who are critical of him, as Jimmy Kimmel's peers come to the host, defense, and stand up for free speech.
Hamas issues a warning about the fate of the hostages amid Israel's Gaza City offensive, one of the latest on the ground incursion.
Plus, Pope Leo voices some of his concerns in his first major interview as pontiff. We'll hear about the issues he's speaking about.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Donald Trump is now suggesting that the federal government could revoke licenses of broadcast networks if they air negative coverage of him. His comments come after Disney's decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show over his remarks about Charlie Kirk's alleged killer.
President Trump said networks should have to reapply for licenses periodically, and he added that not airing conservative views could be reason enough for losing their license. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: That's something that should be talked about for licensing too. When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump. That's all they do.
If you go back, I guess they haven't had a conservative on in years or something, somebody said. But when you go back and take a look, all they do is hit Trump. They licensed (inaudible), they're an arm of the Democrat party.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: The head of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, is praising President Trump for creating a massive shift in the media ecosystem. He's also warning that Kimmel's suspension isn't the last shoe to drop.
Carr even floated the idea of targeting another ABC show, "The View," which is heavy with opinions from its hosts. He says if any programming is disputed, it warrants an FCC complaint.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRENDAN CARR, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION: Our goal and our obligation here is to make sure that broadcasters are serving the public interest. And if there's local T.V. stations that don't think that running that programming does it, then they have every right under the law in their contracts to preempt it. And we'll see how this plays out.
But I do think that, again, we're in the midst of a massive shift in dynamics in the media ecosystem for lots of reasons, again, including the permission structure that President Trump's election has provided. And I would simply say we're not done yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: CNN's Kevin Liptak has more on President Trump's reaction and his ramped up attacks on American media.
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KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump's campaign against political speech that he sees as objectionable is now taking on a new dimension, unleashing his longstanding grievances against the media industry and threatening further action against networks he says are biased against him. His critics say that this is a disturbing effort aimed at chilling free speech and accused the president, who said when he entered office that he would renew free speech protections and get rid of cancel culture of hypocrisy.
But the President is showing no signs of backing off. He told reporters on Air Force One as he was returning to Washington that networks who criticize him might need to have their licenses revoked. Listen to more of what the President said.
TRUMP: I read some place that the networks were 97 percent against me, I got 97 percent negative, and yet I won it easily; I won all seven swing states, popular, I won everything. And if they're 97 percent against, they give me wholly bad publicity or press, I mean, if they're getting a license, I would think maybe their license should be taken away.
LIPTAK: Now the President's warnings there echo what we heard from the FCC chairman Brendan Carr, who issued a similar warning before ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel off the air, and it's led to new fears among the president's opponents of a clampdown on dissenting speech. The President, even before the Kimmel situation, had already reached
settlements with ABC and CBS over their coverage, he's filed defamation lawsuits against the "Wall Street Journal" and the "New York Times," Republicans in Congress at Trump's urging stripped funding from NPR and PBS, and Trump's attorney general just said this week that, quote, "we will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech, despite First Amendment protections against even the most disparaging remarks."
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Now taken together, these moves all appear like an escalation in Trump's efforts to target his perceived opponents. He doesn't appear to be finished, his team has been spending this week preparing actions against left-wing groups that they accuse of fomenting violence against conservatives. Those could be rolled out in the coming days.
Kevin Liptak, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: And Jimmy Kimmel hasn't yet commented on his suspension from ABC, but fellow late-night talk show hosts are defending free speech and showing their support for Kimmel. Here's how "The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert responded in his Thursday night monologue.
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STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": It is so bizarre to see an American president weighing in so vehemently on T.V. shows. It reminds me of when Reagan said this.
Mr. Gorbachev, cancel the "Golden Girls."
This whole thing, this whole thing is the latest and baldest action in a long campaign against media critics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Jon Stewart, who normally hosts the "Daily Show" only on Mondays, made a special Thursday night appearance to speak out about free speech and Kimmel. Here he is.
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JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": But in America, we have a little something called the First Amendment. And let me tell you how it works. There's something called a talent-o-meter.
It's a completely scientific instrument that is kept on the president's desk. And it tells the president when a performer's T.Q., talent quotient, measured mostly by niceness to the president, goes below a certain level.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: Now Trump has celebrated Kimmel's suspension on social media and has even suggested that NBC should get rid of its late night comedy hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers. Here's part of Fallon's take on free speech in his "Tonight Show" monologue from Thursday's show.
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JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW ": Yes, a lot of people are worried that we won't keep saying what we want to say or that we'll be censored. But I'm going to cover the President's trip to the U.K. just like I normally would.
Well, guys, President Trump just wrapped up his three-day trip to the U.K. and he looked incredibly handsome. As always, his tie was exactly the right way. And his face looked like a color that exists in nature.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Now people who work in the Hollywood entertainment industry are voicing their anger over Disney's decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel off the air. Protesters gathered outside the Disney studio in Burbank, California on Thursday. They say the network is caving into the government and stifling free speech.
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DAVID REED, MEMBER, WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA: I know a lot of people who don't want to put money in the pockets of a company that is so willing to turn their backs on their own employees out of fear and out of bullying by the government.
TAYLOR SMITH, FILM PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT: I know things look normal, but we are living under fascism and I really hope this wakes people up.
JAKE FERREE, ACTOR: This affects every aspect of free speech. We should be able to express ourselves. That's the point of art.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: A source familiar with the situation told CNN Disney is hopeful there's a path to bringing Kimmel's show back to ABC. But they said the temperature of the comic's monologues needs to be taken down.
The decision to suspend Kimmel had been brewing since Kimmel commented on his show on Monday about Charlie Kirk's suspected killer. He called Trump supporters the MAGA gang and said many in MAGA-land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk. The matter escalated on Wednesday after the FCC chair threatened to pull ABC affiliate broadcast licenses.
Hamas warned the new ground offensive in Gaza City means that Israel won't get back any of its hostages dead or alive. Hamas said the Israeli prime minister has effectively issued a death sentence for the hostages. CNN has reached out to Benjamin Netanyahu's office for comment.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has vetoed yet another draft resolution by the U.N. Security Council on a Gaza ceasefire. This was the sixth U.S. veto over the war. The resolution would have also demanded the release of all hostages and would have called for Israel to end all restrictions on aid to Gaza.
The U.S. delegation explained its veto saying the draft resolution, quote, fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel's right to defend itself and it wrongly legitimizes the false narratives benefiting Hamas which have sadly found currency in this council.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more details now on the latest warning from Hamas.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, as the Israeli military makes its opening moves to invade Gaza City, Hamas is issuing a dire warning, a threat really, about the lives of the hostages. In a new statement, Hamas has said that Israel's invasion of Gaza City amounts to Israel throwing away its chances of getting Israeli hostages back alive or dead.
Hamas has now said that it has spread out the hostages across Gaza City's different neighborhoods and, quote, "will not be concerned for their lives as long as Netanyahu has decided to kill them."
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That is, of course, a reference to the fact that the Israeli Prime Minister has signed off on this invasion of Gaza City despite the fact that there is significant evidence that Israeli hostages are indeed being held there.
The Israeli military spokesman for his part says that the military will do, quote, "everything to avoid harming them, will operate responsibly and in coordination with Israeli intelligence services." But this speaks directly to so many of the fears that we have heard from the families of those hostages who have been crying out in Israel almost on a daily basis now, in particular in protests in front of the Israeli Prime Minister's residence, expressing their fears that their loved ones will be killed amid this Israeli military offensive in Gaza City, with some of them even accusing the Prime Minister of essentially signing these hostages death certificates and calling for this offensive to be halted and a ceasefire to be reached instead with Hamas.
Now, as all of this is happening, we're also monitoring a situation that took place at the Allenby crossing between Jordan and the West Bank, controlled by Israel. According to reports, a driver of a humanitarian aid truck that was headed from Jordan to the Gaza Strip opened fire at that crossing, killing two individuals.
The Israeli military calling this shooting a terrorist attack and as a result, halting all humanitarian aid shipments through this land route from Jordan to the Gaza Strip, while there is an inquiry that is completed and the implementation of what they're describing as revised screening procedures for Jordanian drivers. And so that suspension of aid from Jordan to Gaza will likely impact about 100 to 150 trucks of aid per week, according to an Israeli military official, but nonetheless will undoubtedly have an impact inside of the Gaza Strip.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
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BRUNHUBER: I want to bring in Alon Pinkas, who's the former Israeli Consul General for New York. Good to see you again. Thanks so much for being here with us.
So, I just want to start with that Hamas statement that Netanyahu's ground operations mean Israel has basically signed a death warrant for the hostages. I mean, how do you read that threat? Is this real leverage here, or is Hamas just basically trying to back Israel into a corner?
ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Well, both. I mean, it's real leverage in the sense that it's almost inevitable, as tragic as it is to say, that this will be the unintended consequence of a major ground operation.
But I have, listen, I have no expectations from a terror organization like Hamas making such threats, because the same thing has been said by no other than the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff, when he expressed his reservations and implored the Cabinet not to proceed with such an operation, saying that it's going to sacrifice the lives of the hostages.
Now, there are reports that the hostages have been taken out or up from the tunnels, where they have been rotting for the last almost two years, and have been placed, you know, above ground, making them even easier targets. And then Hamas will say, well, we didn't do anything, they were killed in an Israeli attack, and go figure and go find out what exactly happened. So, yes, it's a threat, but it's also leverage.
BRUNHUBER: The threat to those hostages was certainly the focus of so many protesters and families of those hostages in the last couple of weeks. I mean, how are most Israelis responding to all of this?
PINKAS: Look, if you look at the polls, and there's no other way to measure public sentiment here, 65 to 70 percent of the public opposes this operation, thinks that the war should end now, including, obviously, a hostage deal, and this should all begin immediately with a ceasefire. But Mr. Netanyahu, the prime minister, seems to be completely impervious and indifferent and oblivious to these, kind of, public demands.
Polls aside, you mentioned the demonstrations, Kim. Yes, but, you know, these are not mass demonstrations, and no consistency, and there's no, they're not sustainable in the sense, they're not sustained, rather, in the sense that, you know, there's a demonstration today, and then there's another one on Saturday, and another one maybe Tuesday, and you see 10,000 people, 50,000 people, 25,000 people, you don't see mass demonstrations in a way that would make life for the government uncomfortable.
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BRUNHUBER: In terms of proceeding with this ground operation in Gaza City, I mean, presumably Netanyahu wouldn't proceed if he didn't have the, you know, tacit or explicit permission from Donald Trump. Trump has been pretty quiet about this Gaza operation. Is that silence helping Netanyahu?
PINKAS: I don't know. You know, there are two ways of interpreting this, Kim.
One is to say, all right, the Trump administration is displaying a great amount of ineptness and indifference. They don't know what to do, they don't have a plan, everything they tried failed. All those Witkoff drafts for ceasefire agreements have not succeeded, have not been accepted by Israel or Hamas or both.
And so the U.S. just doesn't know what to do. So it's keeping quiet. So this is the indifference explanation.
Another explanation is that there is fatigue, that Trump basically said, you know, plague on both your houses, to hell with this. I have other things to do, I have Ukraine, I'm still interested in Greenland, I have tariffs, I have Jimmy Kimmel to deal with, and I have a state in Britain.
So really, guys, I mean, what's in it for me? Remember, Kim, in February, this very Trump was boasting that he's going to take Gaza away under U.S. control and turn it into some kind of a Riviera.
Who remembers that? That was way back in February in the midst of what was then what seemed to be a stable ceasefire, which was violated in March. Since then, you haven't seen anything from the U.S. I mean, you're right, the President is not saying much.
Secretary of State Rubio was here, said absolutely nothing of significance or value. And you're asking yourself, why is this happening? Because I think you and I had this conversation before.
The President could stop this war with one phone call. If he calls Netanyahu and says, I've had enough, he made promises, you're not living up to these promises, I don't see the utility, I don't see the advantages of this operation, I only see more devastation and death.
And so you have 48 hours to wrap this thing up or there will be consequences without even specifying what those consequences are going to be, he hasn't done that. And I go back to the beginning of this exchange between us. I don't know if it's incompetence or indifference or a combination thereof.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, either way, the consequences for Gaza, certainly, we're seeing them unfold right now. Excellent analysis, as always. Alon Pinkas, thank you so much for joining us. PINKAS: My pleasure, Kim. Good morning.
BRUNHUBER: The British Prime Minister walks a diplomatic tightrope in his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump. Still ahead, here's how Starmer works to keep the special relationship alive despite the gap in their policies.
And talking TikTok, U.S. and Chinese presidents are set to speak today about the possible sale of the app. Those stories and more, coming up. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Ukraine is warning that Russian troops are closing in on the key city of Kupyansk. Officials say the situation has become critical, with Russian forces less than one kilometer from the outskirts. The city sits on a key crossroad, and its capture would allow for further Russian advances in northeastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is sending mixed signals about the future of his efforts to reach peace. His push for peace talks has largely stalled, and his deadlines to Moscow have come and gone without major consequences. Here he is.
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REPORTER: It's been a month since our meeting with President Putin. Is it time for a ceasefire to come?
TRUMP: Doesn't feel like it. But at the right time, if I have to do it, it'll be harsh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Trump spoke on his way back from a state visit to Britain. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had a lot riding on that visit as he held talks with the U.S. President on the final day of his trip. As Nic Robertson reports, the leaders played up their common ground but glossed over their differences.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): After a lavish state dinner the night before, Trump bid farewell to King Charles at Windsor Castle and arrived at the Prime Minister's country home, Chequers, switching gears from the previous day's pomp to talk politics and policy with Keir Starmer.
The pair emphasizing the unbreakable bond between the U.S. and U.K. Despite the President and Prime Minister being political opposites, they managed to develop a friendly relationship. KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: It comes down to leaders, of
course, leaders who respect each other, leaders who genuinely like each other.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Trade at the top of the agenda on the visit. A record-breaking $205 billion of investment expected from American companies.
TRUMP: We intend to always be the U.K.'s strongest, closest and most trusted business partner.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Trump praising the U.K. for becoming the first country to make a trade deal with the U.S. during his second term. Even so, Trump already imposing a 10 percent tariff on most British imports, a move that could complicate ties and no indication Starmer was able to get higher tariffs on aluminum and steel cut as he had wanted.
[03:25:02]
Also not getting agreement on Ukraine. Trump and Starmer discussing how to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to get him to agree to a peace deal.
TRUMP: It will all get done right and likewise Russia and Ukraine will get done but it's you never know in war.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Starmer putting pressure on Trump.
STARMER: And it's only when the President has put pressure on Putin that he's actually shown any inclination to move.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Another area where they disagree is the war in Gaza. The Prime Minister hopes recognizing a Palestinian state will help end the dire situation.
TRUMP: So I have disagreement with the Prime Minister on that score. One of our few disagreements actually.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Starmer trying to smooth over any differences.
STARMER: Discussed it with the President as you would expect amongst two leaders who respect each other.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): A reminder that even in the most special of relationships deep undercurrents of division remain.
ROBERTSON: President Trump's leaving now apparently happy with his visit to the U.K. The Prime Minister can also be happy. Big tech deal but no major falling out over their key differences; Ukraine, Russia and over Gaza.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Chequers, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: President Trump is celebrating the ABC network's decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel show. When we come back, how local T.V. stations played a role in getting late night show host off the air.
Plus, Pope Leo won't engage in partisan politics when he says he has some concerns about the U.S. We'll share details after the break. 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.
Hamas says the new ground offensive in Gaza city means that Israel won't get back any of its hostages dead or alive. Hamas says the Israeli Prime Minister has effectively issued a death sentence for the hostages, 48 of them remain in Gaza, 20 of whom are thought to be alive.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he doesn't feel the time is right for a ceasefire in Ukraine, but when it is, he says he will be ready to act in a harsh manner. He didn't elaborate on his statement, which he made on his way back from a state visit to Britain on Thursday.
And President Trump is issuing a stark warning to broadcast networks in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel's suspension, he says they risk losing their licenses over negative coverage of him. The FCC chair suggests that ABC pulling Kimmel's show is just the beginning of what's to come.
Nexstar Media and Sinclair Broadcasting, two of the largest TV groups in the nation, were key players in influencing ABC's decision. Look at how CNN's Tom Foreman takes a closer look.
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JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": Many in MAGA-land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The takedown of Jimmy Kimmel started with the nation's biggest name in local T.V. Nexstar Media owns or partners with more than 200 stations, many of them ABC affiliates. It has a $6.2 billion expansion up for approval by the Federal Communications Commission, and reason to listen when the FCC head suggests stations everywhere could risk their lives for putting Kimmel on the public airwaves.
CARR: These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.
FOREMAN (voice-over): In short order, Nexstar declared Kimmel's comments offensive and insensitive and yanked his show. All just business? Hard to say.
Open Secrets found Nexstar CEO Perry Sook has donated to both political parties, but much more often to Republicans. The corporation has a more balanced donation profile. Yet a few years ago, the company's NewsNation channel drew complaints from some staffers who said management was pushing them to favor the political right.
Still, Sook recently said there is no thumb on the scales.
PETER SOOK, CEO, NEXSTAR: I do not dictate content. No one in the organization dictates any content. We work together on group projects, but no one's handed a script and said, here, read this, and it goes across all of the markets in which we operate.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Smaller than Nexstar, but still a powerhouse, Sinclair Television, with a longstanding conservative bent, preempted Kimmel's show and called on him to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family and make a meaningful personal donation to that family and to the conservative action group co-founded by Kirk.
It all seems to have been too much for ABC, owned by Disney, which turned the lights out indefinitely on Kimmel's show with little comment. And too much for some critics as well.
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ANNA GOMEZ, COMMISSIONER, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION: And what you're seeing here is this administration is increasingly using the weight of government power to suppress lawful expression, not because it glorifies violence or breaks the law, but because it challenges those in power and reflects views they oppose.
FOREMAN: All of this is about one particular incident, but it doesn't seem like the issue is going to die down any time soon, with the administration making more noise about other shows they'd like to see less of.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: Many Republican lawmakers are shrugging off First Amendment concerns raised by Democrats on Capitol Hill. The former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is among those speaking out about the Trump administration's march towards censorship. She sat down with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, here she is.
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FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST, "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": When you look at the Jimmy Kimmel suspension, do you think it's almost state censorship?
HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Well, I think this is a very clear example of using the power of the state to suppress speech. It is a direct government action to try to intimidate employers, organizations, corporations, much of which we've already seen, to remove an opponent, even though it's a comic.
Look, I had no idea when I was in public life and listening to the jokes that were made about me and the attacks that were coming from people like Jimmy Kimmel and others that I could have called up the head of the FCC and said, take them off the air, I don't like what they're saying. I mean, of course, this was a particularly sensitive time because of the terrible crime that was committed, the murder of Mr. Kirk.
But, you know, you defend free speech in terrible times. And you defend free speech that is used against holding people in power accountable through satire, humor, barbed attacks. You defend it even when it is offensive.
And they have unfortunately taken the view that we believe in free speech as long as we're making the speech and your speech agrees with us. Otherwise, we're against free speech.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUNHUBER: And you can watch Fareed Zakaria's full interview with Hillary Clinton on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. in London, 10:00 p.m. in Hong Kong.
The influential publication "The New Yorker" is taking a shot at President Trump with its latest cover. The cartoon "Remote Control" was designed by Barry Blitt. The magazine says it attempts to capture Trump's unprecedented attacks on the media, destruction of federal programs, and abuses of executive power that have ushered in a new era of political vengeance.
Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, has been named the new chief executive officer of Turning Point USA. She takes over the organization that her late husband co-founded and led until his assassination last week.
The group's board announced the move in a post on X, it said Charlie Kirk had, in prior talks, made known that, quote, "this is what he wanted in the event of his death." Erika Kirk said she was committed to continuing his work and legacy.
Donald Trump is set to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping today, and high on the agenda is TikTok. On Thursday, the U.S. President called the social media giant, a quote, "tremendous value." The U.S. and China agreed on a framework for the sale of TikTok earlier this week, with U.S. investors expected to own roughly 80 percent of the platform.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout explains what's at stake.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. President Donald Trump said he would speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday, which will be the first direct engagement between the two leaders since June. On the agenda, trade, a potential face-to-face meeting, and TikTok. Now, Xi and Trump are expected to strike a deal on TikTok. In fact, earlier this week, the U.S. and China reached a framework deal on keeping TikTok running in the U.S. Now, Chinese state media praised that framework deal and called it, quote, "mutually beneficial."
Now, on Wednesday, a commentary in China's state-run "People's Daily" said this, quote, "China reached the relevant consensus with the United States on the TikTok issue because it's based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation," unquote. It also said China will review the export of TikTok's technologies and I.P. licensing.
Now, TikTok is one of China's biggest high-tech success stories. It's owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, it's used by over one and a half billion people around the world. In the U.S., it's used by more than 170 million people.
And the core of its success is its A.I.-powered algorithm that keeps users hooked to their smartphones. It's also partly why TikTok was threatened with a ban in the first place.
[03:40:02]
U.S. lawmakers are concerned that TikTok could be used by China to spy or to conduct influence operations on Americans.
Now, if this call goes ahead and Trump gets his deal done with Xi, we know who the new U.S. owners of TikTok are going to be. It's going to be a consortium of investors, including Oracle, Andreessen Horowitz and Silver Lake. But it's not clear how a divested TikTok would use the algorithm.
And analysts say that Xi will use Trump's desire for a deal to score points on trade. In fact, William Young of International Crisis Group says this, quote, "Xi will seek to capitalize on Trump's desire to secure a major deal with China and push the U.S. president to make more concessions as trade negotiations continue."
Now remember, the U.S. and China are in a trade truce. They have suspended those sky-high tariffs against each other as trade talks go on, the latest deadline is in November. And TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment about the status of a deal.
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Africa is a continent full of rich stories, but its book industry goes largely untapped. A recent UNESCO report found that Africa only accounts for 5.4 percent of the global publishing sector.
CNN's Victoria Rubadiri visited one of the oldest libraries in Kenya to see what the publishing sector can do to reach its full potential.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VICTORIA RUBADIRI, "CONNECTING AFRICA" CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's mid-morning and peak time here at the Macmillan Memorial Library in Nairobi. This over 90-year-old colonial-era building is the only place one is guaranteed near silence in Kenya's bustling central business district.
It's where I meet David Waweru, he's led some of Africa's largest publishing houses over the last three decades and most recently lent his insights as an expert in the 2025 UNESCO report on Africa's book industry.
RUBADIRI: The report highlights several challenges within the industry. What stood out for you from the findings?
DAVID WAWERU, PUBLISHER AND CREATIVE ECONOMY RESEARCHER: The empirical data showed that educational publishing comprises over 70 percent of the total contribution to GDP by the publishing sector. The 30 percent comprises of religious publishing, which is quite a significant bit, and it comprises of creative writing and publishing for the general market.
RUBADIRI (voice-over): The report blames limited access to books, low literacy rates, and weak reading policies for the poor reading culture. It found that despite having a population of 1.5 billion, Africa has just 13,000 dedicated bookstores and even fewer public libraries, with just 8000 of them recorded across the continent.
JACOB ANANDA, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, NAIROBI CITY COUNCIL LIBRARY IES: We need to establish community libraries. It must start from the community. It should also be able to introduce policies whereby children are introduced to the library at an early age so that it becomes part of their lifestyle. Besides that, we should also have policies on restoring, restocking, and also preserving the libraries.
RUBADIRI (voice-over): As we embrace the digital age, libraries are being reimagined, and Waweru sees this as a massive opportunity for the continent.
WAWERU: What digital has done is to create a borderless society. But again, it's a question of where are the platforms. There are places like Senegal and Ghana with AfriBooks, for example, who have innovated and have created digital platforms to basically ensure that local content is available.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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BRUNHUBER: A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting a number of Guatemalan minors in its custody, he cited concerns that the administration may be violating the children's legal and constitutional protections. The judge questioned why the minors were pulled from their beds in the middle of the night on a Labor Day weekend. The lawsuit covers 10 children ages 10 to 17, their lawyers argue they would face grave danger if returned to Guatemala.
Eleven state and local officials in New York were arrested after they demanded access to an ICE facility in downtown Manhattan. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was among those taken into custody and charged with a misdemeanor.
More people were arrested outside the facility at another protest. Local officials, community leaders, and others locked the driveway to stop ICE vehicles from entering or exiting the building. The NYPD said it's investigating but had no details, another protest in support of immigrant New Yorkers will take place in the area next Thursday.
Pope Leo sat down for his first interview since his election to the papacy. In a wide-ranging conversation with the Catholic news site Crux, he voiced his concerns over some things going on in the United States, particularly with the treatment of migrants.
CNN's Christopher Lamb has more.
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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Now Pope Leo gives an insight into his relationship with President Trump and the Trump administration in this interview. He says he hasn't had direct contact with President Trump, but points out that his brother, Louis Prevost, has been to the White House and met with the President.
Leo says that he's not on the same page as his brother politically, although they're very close. Now the key message from Leo is that he wants to be a conciliator. He wants to bring people together.
He doesn't want to get involved in partisan politics in the U.S. He wants the bishops in the U.S. to engage with President Trump. But he does have concerns about some of the things happening in the U.S., particularly around immigration. And he cites a letter that Pope Francis sent to the U.S. bishops where he rebuked the Trump administration for its immigration deportation plans.
He said that letter was very significant, so he's sending a message there. He also says that he raised the question of the treatment of migrants when he met with Vice President J.D. Vance.
Now, Leo covers a large range of topics in this interview, including the question of LGBTQ Catholics and the role of women. He says that, broadly speaking, he will continue with Francis' line of welcoming LGBTQ people and appointing women to senior positions in the church.
But he's going to be perhaps more cautious, he's going to be a consolidator. He's going to try and bring people together as a unifier.
He also talks about artificial intelligence, saying that he is concerned about some of the developments of A.I. He even says that someone tried to propose an A.I. avatar of him as pope, but he refused that request.
Leo, in this interview, really giving an insight into where he is at on a whole range of topics, both in the church and outside.
Christopher Lamb, CNN, London.
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BRUNHUBER: Japan recorded its highest temperature ever this summer, still to come, why the nation's elderly appear to be most vulnerable when it comes to the dangers of extreme heat. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Average temperatures across Japan are climbing after hitting a record high this summer. Health officials say the nation's elderly in particular have been struggling with the extreme heat. CNN's Hanako Montgomery reports.
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HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At this hospital in Japan, patient after patient arrives on stretchers, many of them elderly and suffering from heat stroke.
You have a high fever, a doctor says to this woman in her 70s who collapsed at home from the summer heat.
Hospital staff here desperately trying to cool off a man who was found unconscious on the street.
Japan suffered its hottest summer ever this year, with average temperatures nationwide more than four degrees Fahrenheit above normal. Among the hardest hit are the elderly.
TAKASHI SHIMAZAKI, NERIMA CITY OFFICIAL (through translator): The elderly often don't feel the heat as much, have more difficulty regulating body temperature and don't notice thirst as easily.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Heat stroke is deadly, killing hundreds of seniors annually in Japan. But here, the crisis isn't just a climate one. Japan's growing elderly population is increasingly living alone, cut off from support networks that could help them in emergencies.
To save its elderly, local government conduct home visits. Toshiaki Morioka lives alone since losing his wife three years ago.
He has no income, he says, so A.C. is a luxury. But he does what he can to live a long life.
TOSHIAKI MORIOKA, PENSIONER (through translator): It was a promise with my wife to live until 99. Talking about it makes me tear up. I spend every day sweating like this in this heat. And on top of that, living alone is really tough.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): For Japan's vulnerable, surviving the heat isn't just about staying cool. It's about being checked on and remembered.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.
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BRUNHUBER: Tropical storm Gabrielle is struggling to organize after it formed Wednesday in the central Atlantic Ocean, the storm is churning more than 1000 kilometers or 665 miles east-northeast of the Caribbean's northern Leeward Islands, its sustained winds of 85 kilometers or 50 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center believes Gabrielle will strengthen into a hurricane by Monday. Now, it isn't expected to directly impact the U.S., but it might whip up the surf on the east coast next week.
Egyptian authorities say they know what happened to a missing 3000- year-old bracelet. The gold trinket belonged to a pharaoh and disappeared from a museum in Cairo earlier this month. Now authorities traced the theft as it moved from person to person, ending up with a gold smelter who melted down the historic artifact.
The suspects were arrested and the proceeds from the bracelet's sale were seized. Now, in the end, the once-priceless artifact fetched near $4,000.
That wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom," I'm Kim Brunhuber. "Amanpour" is coming up after a quick break, followed by "Early Start."
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