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Trump Talks TikTok with Chinese President Xi; Trump Imposes $100,000 Annual Fee on H-1B Visas; Vigil for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University; Jimmy Kimmel Supporters Protest outside Disney Offices; ICE Raid Turns Birthday Celebration into Heartbreak; Bad Bunny's Final Puerto Rico Show; Runaway Nuns Escape Care Home and Return to Convent. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 20, 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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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): 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, president Trump talks with Xi Jinping about TikTok and says the two will meet next month in South Korea.

Trump says overly negative coverage of him is illegal, as some conservatives break from him over his efforts to silence critics.

And musician Bad Bunny will stream his final Puerto Rico concert to the entire world. How it's shining a spotlight on the culture of the superstar's home island and giving the economy a big money boost.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Ben Hunte.

HUNTE: Welcome.

President Trump says he's made progress on a TikTok deal with Chinese president Xi. The two leaders spoke on the phone on Friday on social media. Trump said they discussed trade fentanyl and, quote, "the approval of the TikTok deal."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The TikTok deal is well on its way, as you know and the investors are getting ready. And I think China wanted to see it stay open, too. They wanted to see it. And I can tell you the young people in our country wanted to see it stay open very badly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Well, that's what he says.

But China had a very different take on the call. CNN's Beijing bureau chief, Steven Jiang, has more.

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STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: The Chinese statement echoed Mr. Trump's characterization of the phone call in his social media post, also using words like "positive" and "constructive." But they did not use the term "approval" when it came to TikTok.

They did mention Mr. Xi reiterated the Chinese government's longstanding position, saying they will be happy to see a resolution to be worked out based on Chinese laws and regulations, as well as market rules.

And unlike Mr. Trump's social media posts, the Chinese statement did not mention the fentanyl issue or the war in Ukraine. Perhaps a sign of different priorities on both sides.

And on trade, the Chinese actually had a subtle warning to the U.S., saying Mr. Xi urged the U.S. not to take any unilateral restrictive measures that could harm the results from recent trade talks.

Now also noticeably missing are any Chinese commitments to buy more American goods and services or any commitment to speed up the process of resuming export of those critical rare earth minerals and magnets that so many American companies and industries need.

But what's included in the Chinese readout, interestingly, is Mr. Xi highlighting the fact that the U.S. and China were allies during the Second World War and how the Chinese people would never forget America's help.

That seemed to be a direct response to Mr. Trump's complaint when he was live posting his reactions about the recent massive Chinese military parade, with Mr. Trump back then accusing China of ignoring America's contribution to their war efforts.

And even suggesting Mr. Xi was colluding with his Russian and North Korean counterparts to conspire against the U.S. So the Chinese obviously have taken notice and made a direct response, another sign of how much they have learned in dealing with the U.S. president's leadership style and personality to their advantage.

So now that this phone call has set the tone or, as the Chinese put it, set the strategic direction for the next phase of bilateral relations, what's likely to happen in the coming weeks is more low- level official meetings and talks.

And perhaps in the absence of a major comprehensive trade deal to be reached, there could be more ad hoc deliverables to be hashed out by those officials.

Paving the way for that meeting, as Trump mentioned, between the two leaders on the sidelines of the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea, before the two leaders pay a visit to each other's countries next year -- Steven Jiang, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: The U.S. president is revamping America's work visa program and putting new pressure on American tech companies to shun foreign workers and hire from within.

Donald Trump signed an executive action on Friday that drastically hikes the cost of what's known as an H-1B visa. Employers will now have to pay a $100,000 annual application fee for every immigrant under that program.

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For now, some 85,000 H-1B visas are offered annually. But the price jump is expected to cause a huge financial strain for smaller companies and startups. This is just the latest move in the Trump administration's wider crackdown on immigration.

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HOWARD LUTNICK, U.S. SECRETARY OF COMMERCE: The whole idea is no more will these Big Tech companies or other big companies train foreign workers. They have to pay the government $100,000. Then they have to pay the employee. So it's just not economic.

You're going to train somebody, you're going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land; train Americans, stop bringing in people to take our jobs.

That's the policy here, $100,000 a year for H-1B visas. And all of the big companies are on board.

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HUNTE: And in a separate order, president Trump said the U.S. will offer fast track visas to foreigners who can pay a pretty hefty fee of $1 million. That's meant to tip the balance of immigrants toward entrepreneurs and high earners.

The Trump administration said it has conducted its third-known deadly strike on an alleged drug boat this month, killing three narcoterrorists. President Trump attached this video you're seeing there, apparently, of the strike to a social media post.

He said the strike targeted a boat operated in U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility -- you're seeing it there -- which includes Central America, South America and the Caribbean. According to the president, no U.S. forces were harmed during the operation but three men on board were killed.

He claimed intelligence confirmed the vessel was affiliated with a designated terrorist organization but he didn't provide any details on the cargo, the location of the strike or the method of the attack.

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HUNTE: Russia is denying that its warplanes violated NATO's airspace during their flight on Friday. Estonia says three Russian MiG-31s flew over its territory for 12 minutes before NATO fighter jets reportedly chased them away.

European officials say the Kremlin is testing NATO's boundaries and trying to split the alliance. This incident comes after Moscow's drone incursions into Poland and Romania and after massive military drills by Russia and Belarus at NATO's doorstep.

As Nic Robertson reports, those events make Moscow's latest denial hard to buy.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The European Union believes -- or at least the European Commission President believes that those drones that flew into Polish airspace a week or so ago, that was intentional by Russia, even though European Intelligence officials at NATO are still trying to figure that one out.

Absolutely, when you get three MiG fighter jets, they fly at about 1,900 miles an hour. They are really fast fighter jets for 12 minutes in Estonian airspace, it is hard to imagine that that was an accident of some description.

NATO is already, you know, well placed inside of Estonia and that was actually Italian F-35 fighter jets that helped intercept those Russian MiGs. There were Swedish and Finnish fighter jets up there as well. And in the words of the prime minister, the Russian fighter jets were chased away but no accident.

And you know what?

Just a couple of hours later, over a Polish oil platform in the Baltic Sea, spotted by Polish border guards, a couple of Russian fighter jets did a low flypast there as well.

Right now, NATO believes that Russia can be economically run into the ground as it tries to fight the war in Ukraine but it appears that Russia also thinks it can divide NATO. Look at the division that there was between Keir Starmer and President Trump.

President Trump saying, well, Putin has disappointed me.

Keir Starmer saying, well, Putin only responds when you, President Trump, put pressure on him.

It wasn't a blowup between the pair but the gap was there. And that's the sort of thing Putin thinks he can exploit.

Plus, as we saw in Poland, they invoked Article IV. There are now more NATO fighter jets flying over the skies of Poland to protect Poland.

Estonia has called for an Article IV meeting of NATO to discuss probably a similar response, additional NATO fighter jets to be flying over the skies of Estonia. That's going to cost more money. And there will be perhaps some NATO members that are a little more

reluctant than others. And that's precisely what Russia would like to see, what Putin would see, to peel the United States away from NATO, take money out of NATO nations' pockets to pay for this and divide and weaken NATO.

But in the words of the Romanian foreign minister, who was talking to Isa Soares a little earlier on CNN, she said what it has done to NATO is actually made us more united. We've put more money up front to pay for defense. And we are quicker to respond, the precise opposite of what Putin is hoping to achieve.

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HUNTE: Students at Utah Valley University gathered on Friday to pay tribute to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist assassinated during an event on the campus 10 days ago.

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The vigil comes ahead of Kirk's funeral on Sunday, which is expected to draw thousands of mourners, as well as president Trump. At the end of the ceremony, the community lit candles as quotes from Kirk and others appeared on the screen.

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CALEB CHLICUTT, CHAPTER PRESIDENT, TURNING POINT USA: In times of loss and hardship, it can be easy to focus on differences. But Charlie reminded us that our true strength is found in what brings us together. He also reminds us about courage. Charlie said, if you believe in something, you need to have the courage to fight for those ideas.

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HUNTE: U.S. Senator Ted Cruz is slamming the head of the Federal Communications Commission for his threats against the ABC TV network. Brendan Carr pressured the broadcaster to take action against late- night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, following his comments about Charlie Kirk's murder.

Senator Cruz has become the most prominent Republican to criticize the Trump administration's attacks on American broadcasters. Speaking on his podcast, Cruz likened Carr's comments to those of a mob boss.

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SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): But look, I like Brendan Carr. He's a good guy. He's the chairman of the FCC. I work closely with him.

But what he said there is dangerous as hell.

He says, "We can do this the easy way but we could do this the hard way." And I got to say that's right out of "Goodfellas." That's right out of a Mafioso coming into a bar, going, "Nice bar you have here. It'd be a shame if something happened to it."

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HUNTE: President Trump pushed back against Cruz's remarks, calling the FCC chair "a great American patriot."

CNN's Brian Stelter takes a closer look at the president's escalating threats to free speech.

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BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey, there. Yes, this whole week has been one long stress test of free speech rights in the United States. There has been a roiling debate about polarizing political commentary in the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder.

And now ABC's ongoing suspension of Jimmy Kimmel is a key part of that discussion. But this free speech debate is happening on other fronts as well. You know, free speech groups, free expression advocates are also raising concerns about the Trump White House's warnings that it wants to target opposition groups.

And there are also alarm bells ringing about Trump's latest audacious lawsuit against a news outlet. This week, it was "The New York Times" that Trump sued, charging defamation.

On Friday, however, a judge threw out the suit, saying the complaint was way too long and promotional. Trump's legal team indicated that they will refile the lawsuit and try again.

But the main flashpoint right now involves Trump, ABC and the FCC. That's the federal agency that oversees local TV station licensing.

Trump keeps floating his ideas about pulling TV station licenses if they air coverage or content that he doesn't like. He has been clear that he wants some station licenses to be revoked.

In practice, it would be very difficult for the government to go ahead and do that. But Trump keeps saying that networks like ABC are too critical of him. And he had a telling exchange with ABC's Jon Karl about this on Friday. Watch what happened.

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TRUMP: I mean your network wrote very badly about me and they had to pay me $16 million.

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JONATHAN KARL, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: -- Brendan Carr has a right to take away the license?

(CROSSTALK) TRUMP: -- I think Brendan Carr is a courageous person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: So there's two things to note there.

Number one, Trump gives a strong endorsement to his hand-picked FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, the man who publicly urged ABC to take action against Kimmel hours before ABC did just that.

Number two, it's revealing that Trump said ABC had to pay him $16 million because ABC did not have to pay Trump a single penny. ABC chose to settle a lawsuit with Trump last December when he was president-elect. ABC chose to settle that lawsuit to make it go away. It was a practical business decision but one that was widely criticized at the time.

And now many media critics have been making the argument that that act of capitulation last December set the stage for other media companies to reach settlements with Trump.

We've seen that happen at Paramount, also at Meta and X. It also perhaps emboldened Trump to turn the heat up even higher, resulting in the moment we're now in, with Kimmel benched.

So on Friday, there were further protests outside Disney's offices, both in New York and in California. And around the edges, at least, those protests and possible boycotts, they are a concern because Disney tries to have a squeaky-clean, all-American brand.

You know, the company doesn't even like to have a single piece of trash lingering on the ground at Disneyland. And now they have protesters outside the Disneyland gates, having a rally for free speech.

So I think the reality is Disney has an incredibly sticky brand. It has tens of millions of subscribers to its streaming service. It's unlikely for the company to have a big hit to its financial bottom line because of this controversy. But the network does have a perception problem.

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If you take a look at Trump's approval ratings, he does not have a majority of Americans behind him. It is very clear the average American does not agree with Trump on numerous issues and doesn't want the government to be bullying the American press into submission.

So the appearance of caving to the president can do long-term reputational harm, both for Disney and for other media companies that are criticized for allegedly bending the knee -- Brian Stelter, CNN.

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HUNTE: CNN colleague Van Jones says Charlie Kirk sent him a message one day before his assassination. They'd been debating over the killing of a Ukrainian refugee and its relationship to race. Jones says that Kirk's pushback sparked an online torrent of racist death threats.

But then Kirk reached out to him.

His message on X read, quote, "Hey, Van. I mean it. I'd love to have you on my show to have a respectful conversation about crime and race. I would be a gentleman, as I know you would be as well. We can disagree about the issues agreeably."

Jones says he didn't see the message until the next day after Kirk was murdered. Here's what he told CNN's Anderson Cooper.

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VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, look, I mean, we were beefing. We were going at it online, on air and then after he died, after he was murdered, my team called and said, "Van, he was trying to reach you, man."

Like what?

And what was he doing?

Dialogue?

Let's be gentlemen together. He says let's disagree agreeably.

So I'm sitting on this and I'm watching the whole country talk about civil war, censorship, justifying murder about this guy?

This guy is reaching out to his mortal enemy, saying, we need to be gentlemen. Sit down together and disagree agreeably. And the next day, he's killed.

And I've sat on it long enough and I just said, you know what?

We're going to memorial weekend for this man. We disagree; everybody knows, we were not friends, OK, at all. But you praise the good when it's time to memorialize somebody and what he did -- and I didn't even know it -- was good.

He was not for censorship. He was not for civil war. He was not for violence. He was for dialogue, open debate and dialogue, even with me, even with me.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: If you have -- would you have gone on his show?

Would you have done --

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JONES: No, look, I would probably try to get him on your show. I mean, I wasn't trying to build his platform but I would have called him. We would have talked and we would have started the process of trying to figure this stuff out.

And I think what happens is, people get so worked up, Anderson, seeing us go at it, they think they're supposed to go out and kill somebody or go out and talk about civil war or go out and silence people or cancel people or fire people or censor people.

About Charlie Kirk, Mr. Debate?

I did not agree with him on literally almost anything. But we were words, not weapons guys. We were words, not weapons guys. And we were getting into a position where we could get some real debate going, whether it's going to be on CNN, on his show; that wasn't worked out. But I would have taken him up.

I wanted to beat Charlie Kirk in a debate. I didn't want somebody to shoot him. That's how we do it in America. And the idea that now people on both sides are justifying murders and calling for civil wars, we've got to calm this down, Anderson. We need to calm this down, to lower the temperature.

Yes, we disagreed. But, like you said, we can disagree agreeably. Was his last words to me, let's disagree agreeably.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

A raid by Immigration and Customs officers during a traffic stop leaves an immigrant family celebrating a birthday near Chicago absolutely devastated. We'll have their story after this break. See you in a bit.

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HUNTE: Welcome back. A protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Illinois turned violent on Friday. The mayor of a Chicago suburb, who is running for Congress, says he was hit with tear gas. He says it was really, really scary when ICE officers drove a van into the protesters.

A former journalist, who is also a candidate for Congress, says one officer picked her up and threw her to the ground.

The federal agents blame the protesters, accusing them of assaulting law enforcement, throwing tear gas canisters, slashing car tires and blocking the entrance to the building. Three people were arrested.

In another suburb of Chicago, one family's birthday celebration turned to heartbreak as ICE agents detained two Mexican immigrant parents and left their children crying on the roadside. CNN's Maria Santana has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA SANTANA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A family celebration shattered by heartache and tears. A teen can be heard comforting her little

brother and sister as they witnessed their parents being taken away by federal immigration agents last Sunday on the boy's 10th birthday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just need somebody to talk to me, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen, I just need somebody to talk to me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's OK. We're OK.

SANTANA (voice-over): Mexican immigrants Constantina Ramirez and Moises Enciso have lived in Cicero, a suburb of Chicago, for more than 15 years.

Their attorney says they were driving down this street with their eldest son, heading to his university, before meeting the rest of the family at

church.

SHELBY VCELKA, FAMILY LAWYER: So they accidentally did a U-turn on a side street that they were not supposed to be on and then the -- they got

pulled over.

SANTANA (voice-over): Their 22-year-old son, who is awaiting approval for DACA, was also detained but later released, their lawyer said.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't answer questions. We know what you're doing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please. If you tell me this instant, we'll let him go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not -- we don't answer questions. I'm sorry.

SANTANA (voice-over): After getting a frantic call from her mother, the 19- year-old ran to the scene, where she repeatedly refused to answer the agent's questions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't answer questions until our lawyers -- that's it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm trying (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did already. [03:25:00]

SANTANA (voice-over): At the family's request, we are not naming the children to protect their identities.

VCELKA: I think her reaction comes with being in a mixed-status family. You learn from a young age how to watch out for either ICE presence or you

learn your rights.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How can --

SANTANA: How are the kids doing after what happened?

VCELKA: You know, they're really resilient, smart kids but you can tell that the event has been incredibly traumatic for them. As you know, the

oldest son was detained along with his parents.

SANTANA: And the younger kids are how old?

VCELKA: They are 12 and 10.

SANTANA: And they were born in this country?

VCELKA: Yes.

SANTANA (voice-over): In a statement requesting their parents' release, the elder son described the ordeal as a bad dream. He said, the house feels

dark. Their seats at the dinner table are empty now.

A review of court records found no criminal history for either parent. They are now being held in separate detention centers in Kentucky and Michigan.

In a statement to CNN, the Department of Homeland Security said that Ramirez and Enciso entered the U.S. illegally and will remain in custody

pending removal proceedings.

VCELKA: The entire exchange was heartbreaking to me. Now she has responsibility for her two younger siblings and these cars. She doesn't

know where her parents are going. It broke my heart.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's OK. It's OK.

SANTANA (voice-over): Maria Santana, CNN, Chicago

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's fine. It's fine. It's fine. (END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: OK. We'll be right back with more news.

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

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HUNTE (voice-over): President Trump spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday. On social media, Mr. Trump said they discussed trade, fentanyl and, quote, "the approval of the TikTok deal."

But it's unclear if that means a deal has been finalized. In their recap of the call, Chinese state media did not mention the word "approval."

Big changes are coming to the United States' visa programs. President Trump signed an executive action on Friday that hikes the application fee for H-1B visas to $100,000 per year.

He's also pushing a gold card fast-track visa for immigrants in exchange for a fee of $1 million.

Mr. Trump announced another lethal military strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat bringing illicit narcotics to the United States. This is a third strike this month. He said no U.S. forces were harmed. Three men on board the vessel were killed. The president did not reveal any details of the strike.

HUNTE: Bad Bunny is giving his hometown fans one final show in Puerto Rico today and, this time, everyone can watch remotely. The superstar rapper is closing out his residency in San Juan with an extra bonus concert tonight before starting his world tour. The show is reserved for locals on the island but it will be streamed live on Amazon Prime, on Twitch and the Amazon Music app. Bad Bunny residency hasn't just filled stadium seats, it's filled Puerto Rico with cultural pride and hundreds of millions of tourism dollars. CNN's Isabel Rosales filed this report from San Juan.

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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny has closed out his sold out 30-show residency -- a run unlike anything his home island has ever seen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (from captions): Are you going to put on lipstick? LUCIA COTO, 101-YEAR-OLD BAD BUNNY FAN: Si.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Si?

OK.

ROSALES (voice-over): Lucia Coto may be his oldest fan. At 101 years old she was born six decades before reggaeton even existed. She once wanted to be a nun. Today, Lucia is proof reggaeton and Bad Bunny has no age limit.

COTO (from captions): I like reggaeton. It gives you joy. And then suddenly your feet start moving.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (from captions): That's what you're going to do at the show?

Show me again.

COTO (from captions): Everyone starts shouting and it's contagious.

ROSALES (voice-over): It's clear this isn't just a concert; it's a cultural moment. Tourism agency Discover Puerto Rico says around 600,000 visitors have flocked to the island in just two months and more than $200 million pumped into the local economy.

Lucia is on her way to see her favorite artist live for the first time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (from captions): Where are we going, Grandma?

COTO (from captions): To see Bad Bunny.

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ROSALES (voice-over): For fans, it's a cultural homecoming.

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ROSALES: This house just a little bit famous.

JORGE PEREZ, JOSE MIGUEL AGRELOT COLISEUM OF PUERTO RICO: Famous -- La Casita.

ROSALES: La Casita.

PEREZ: Very typical in our culture. This is where family and friends meet to have a good time. People are here for three hours and they have a great time but they're out and about for days exploring our island.

ROSALES (voice-over): So we went to see it for ourselves deep in the mountains of Ciales, We joined the Cafe con Ron tour.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Atlanta.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Atlanta.

ROSALES (voice-over): Foreigners coming from near and far and staying to immerse themselves in the culture, music and heritage of the island. Here they're discovering plena, Puerto Rico's so-called "sung newspaper." Born from African roots it tells the story of everyday people.

Bad Bunny giving the traditional music new life. And touring with him, Jenith Rivera's three (INAUDIBLE) children.

JENITH RIVERA, TOUR ORGANIZER, CAFE CON RON (from captions): And for Benito or Bad Bunny to recognize their work and bring them into the residency is very gratifying and beautiful.

ROSALES (voice-over): These tourists will leave the island but the spirit of Puerto Rico goes with them.

[03:35:00]

RIVERA (from captions): The residency transitions into a new chapter but it has left us a legacy that we will continue to build on. And I think this is the start of something bigger that we will be able to do collectively as cultural ambassadors of Puerto Rico.

ROSALES (voice-over): Isabel Rosales, CNN, San Juan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: OK. A trio of elderly nuns have captured the world's attention after their daring escape from a care home. Up next, how their community has rallied around them and their fight to stay in the convent that they think of as home.

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HUNTE: Welcome back.

It is not exactly a Hollywood-style thriller but, in Austria, three elderly religious sisters had to resort to a relatively extreme measure to stay in the place that they call home. CNN's Sebastian Shukla has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Three nuns in their 80s staged a daring escape from their nursing home in Austria and broke back into their old convent.

SISTER RITA, 81-YEAR-OLD NUN: I was so happy when I heard that we are allowed to return to our convent. My heart beat faster and it will like breathing freely again.

SHUKLA (voice-over): Sisters Bernadette, Regina and Rita are the last remaining nuns of Schloss Goldenstein in Salzburg, which is now run by the archdiocese of the same city and the Reichesberg Abbey. They say they were taken out of their convent against their will in December 2023 and have been living in a Catholic care home.

SISTER RITA: We signed a contract with the Reichesberg Abbey saying that we are allowed to stay in our convent until the end of our life.

SHUKLA (voice-over): Earlier this month, the nuns got back into the convent with help from their friends, former students and even a locksmith.

[03:40:05]

They discovered that the cloister didn't have any water and electricity and that some of the senior living adaptations, like the stair lift, had been removed. They've since restored the water and electricity and are determined to stay, documenting it all on Instagram.

SISTER RITA: I do have to add, we had nothing missing. But it was not our convent.

SHUKLA (voice-over): The nun's agreement with the abbey says that they may remain in the convent as long as it's reasonable in terms of their health and spirituality.

There is some concern over their well-being in the dilapidated space but they have received frequent visitors bringing food, medical care and well wishes.

SISTER RITA: We have enough to eat, we have everything. We're very content.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: A rediscovered painting by the Spanish master, Pablo Picasso, will soon be sold at an auction house in Paris. The "Bust of a Woman with a Flowered Hat" is expected to fetch more than $9 million.

The artist, known for his cubist style, completed it in 1943 and a private collection acquired it a year later. It's believed to be a portrait of Picasso's muse and partner, the French photographer, Dora Maar. The auction will be held on October 24th.

All right. That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. At 3:41 am in Atlanta, I am Ben Hunte in Atlanta and I will see you at the same time tomorrow. "WORLD SPORT" is next. Have a good day. See you in a bit.