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Cruz Compares FCC Chair to "Mafioso"; Trump Talks TikTok with Chinese President Xi; Poland and Allies Scramble Jets amid Massive Strikes on Ukraine; Trump Wants Bagram Air Base Back from Taliban; Comedians Defend Free Speech, Support Kimmel; CDC Advisers' Recs for COVID Shot, Others; Israeli Military Advances Ground Offensive in Gaza City; London Pub Changes Name to Support Trump. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired September 20, 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 AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 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.
Accusations of mob tactics: a prominent Republican senator is sounding the alarm after Jimmy Kimmel is suspended. Hear what he's warning about and how president Trump is responding.
New concerns over Russian provocation of NATO amid Moscow's war on Ukraine. We'll have a live report with the latest.
Plus details on new vaccine recommendations from advisers to the CDC and what happens next.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Critics are raising concerns about free speech in the U.S. in the wake of Disney pulling Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show. The reaction from Capitol Hill has mostly been split along party lines.
But now Republican senator Ted Cruz is denouncing the head of the Federal Communications Commission for his threats against the ABC television network. Speaking on his podcast, Cruz likened Brendan Carr comments to those of a mob boss. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Carr pressured ABC to take action against Kimmel following his comments about reactions to Charlie Kirk's murder.
President Trump says he disagrees with Cruz's criticism of the FCC and said escalating attacks on American media. Here he is.
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TRUMP: The stories are -- they said 97 percent bad. So they gave me 97. They'll take a great story and they'll make it bad. See, I think that's really illegal personally. You can't take -- you can't have a free airwaves -- you're getting free airwaves from the United States government.
And you can't have that and say and somebody that just won an election. And I had to go through this during the election. I think it's a miracle that I can win when 97 percent of the stories on the networks are bad. That's no longer free speech. That's no longer anything. That's just cheating.
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BRUNHUBER: Protesters gathered outside Disney offices on Friday to defend Jimmy Kimmel and his right to free speech. A source tells CNN Kimmel sat down Thursday with ABC network executives but they didn't come to an agreement about the potential return of his show. CNN's Brian Stelter has more.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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BRUNHUBER: A source tells CNN a U.S. attorney that's been under pressure from president Trump is resigning. Erik Siebert told his staff Friday he will be stepping down after facing calls from the U.S. president to charge New York attorney general Letitia James with mortgage fraud.
But Trump claims that he withdrew Siebert's nomination, writing on Truth Social, quote, "He didn't quit. I fired him."
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TRUMP: When I saw that he got two senators, two gentlemen that are bad news as far as I'm concerned, when I saw that he got approved by those two men, I said, pull it because he can't be any good.
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BRUNHUBER: Letitia James has been a target of the president ever since she won a business fraud case against him and his company. But federal prosecutors don't believe they have enough evidence to indict James for mortgage fraud.
The Trump administration is escalating its fight with Harvard University. It's forcing Harvard to use its own money to pay for financial aid for students before seeking reimbursement from the government.
The Education Department is also threatening sanctions if Harvard doesn't provide more data to prove it's no longer considering race in admissions. The Trump administration cut off $2.6 billion in research funding for Harvard after the school refused to make sweeping changes.
On Friday, the Health (ph) Department unfroze $46 million of that after a judge ordered the government to restore the money.
And the U.S. president is also 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 H-1B visas.
Employers will now have to pay $100,000 for an annual application fee for every immigrant under that program. 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. If 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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BRUNHUBER: And in a separate order, president Trump said the U.S. will offer fast-track visas to foreigners who can pay a hefty fee of $1 million spent to tip the balance of immigrants toward entrepreneurs and high earners.
President Trump said he made progress on a TikTok deal with Chinese president Xi earlier this week. The two countries said a framework has been reached to sell TikTok's U.S. assets to American investors but the deal hasn't been finalized yet.
The two leaders are due to meet at the APEC summit in South Korea at the end of October.
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CNN's Mike Valerio lays out the issues on Trump's agenda at the summit.
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MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So with the U.S. president announcing that he's coming here to South Korea for the APEC Economic Summit, you know, we're really watching two main story lines.
The first one has to do with South Korea and the United States.
Will president Trump use this meeting to show that relations are improving between the U.S. and South Korea after that ICE raid in Georgia that detained more than 300 South Korean citizens?
And the second story line we're looking at is China and the United States.
Will this meeting be the crescendo of trade talks and will there be real clarity as to a trade deal and the myriad factors of a trade deal between the U.S. and China that so many of us have been waiting for months now?
So that's where we're going to start with China and the U.S., specifically with TikTok. Very interesting to see the different readouts of the phone call between president Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
President Trump on Truth Social writing, "We made progress on many very important issues, which also includes TikTok," and him writing at the end of his Truth post, "Appreciate the TikTok approval."
That's interesting; "approval," that word does not appear in Beijing's version of the call between the two leaders. Instead, China says it looks forward to a TikTok deal that is, quote, "in keeping with market rules" that, quote, "complies with China's laws and takes into account the interests of both sides."
So the point here is that it seems as though both of these leaders want to take the metaphorical car to the same exit, in the same direction. But how they're going to do that still remains to be seen.
So between now and the end of October, October 31st and November 1st, when APEC happens in South Korea, we're going to be acutely attentive to whether or not there are more lower-level meetings between the U.S. and China.
That seems to show a drumbeat of more progress as we wait for this long-anticipated meeting between Xi and Trump happening at the summit.
And then also when we come back to South Korea, finally wrapping up, the president could use this as an opportunity to be on South Korean soil and show that real progress is being made to reform the visa system between the two countries.
Showing that perhaps there's an increase in the quota of visas given to South Korean citizens by the United States.
The point is to show that something like the ICE raid in Georgia will never happen again, with feelings of astonishment and dismay here in South Korea still quite acute and quite raw after those scenes played out -- Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.
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BRUNHUBER: The Trump administration said it has conducted its third- known deadly strike on an alleged drug boat this month, killing three narcoterrorists.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): President Trump attached this video, purportedly of the strike to a social media post. He said the strike targeted a boat operating in U.S. Southern Command
area of responsibility, 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 didn't provide any details on the cargo, where or how the strike happened.
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BRUNHUBER: We're getting word of a new wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine involving nearly 600 drones and 40 missiles. The attack across Ukraine prompted NATO to scramble fighter jets over Poland for a second time since last week. CNN's Barbie Nadeau is keeping an eye on those developments and she joins us now from Rome.
So Barbie, what more can you tell us about those strikes?
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, the strike overnight and into Saturday morning across Ukraine involved dummy drones, attack drones, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles.
But what's really disturbing and is really causing alarm here across Europe is just how close some of this fighting is getting to the borders of Ukraine. Some of these European countries that have had to react. And we've seen across Europe really a harsh reaction to that, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Part of the reaction, as we said, Poland scrambling jets because of those strikes near its borders. And that's following those reported incursions by Russian fighters in Estonian airspace, which Russia denies.
But what's been the reaction there in Europe and in here in the U.S.?
NADEAU: Yes, you know, I mean, the Estonian airspace incursion, those were Italian fighter jets. And so we've seen reaction here in Italy to be quite strong.
People have been worried since February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, that the war would spill over into Europe. And now we're seeing that NATO had to shoot down drones earlier this month.
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Second time the Russian jets have apparently invaded Polish airspace. So there's growing concern here in Europe. But there's also concern in the United States because these are NATO assets that are responding. Let's listen to what president Trump had to say.
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QUESTION: Jets entered Estonia's airspace today for 12 minutes. Do you see that as a threat to NATO?
TRUMP: Well, I'm going to have to look at it. They're going to be briefing me in a short while.
Well, I don't love it. I don't love it. I don't love it when that happens. It could be big trouble.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NADEAU: Yes, you know, and that big trouble is echoed all across Europe. There is growing concern, you know, that this war, which has been mostly confined obviously to Ukraine and developed a refugee situation across Europe now, is actually turning into something that could be quite much more dangerous. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's the worry. Barbie Latza Nadeau, thanks so much.
Now in the last hour, I spoke with Max Seddon, the Moscow bureau chief for the "Financial Times"," and I asked him what Russia's goal for that incursion was into Estonia. Here he is.
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MAX SEDDON, MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF, "FINANCIAL TIMES": For Russia, this is a war that isn't just taking place on the battlefield. And Putin has been very clear about this. This is something that goes beyond the front in Ukraine. There are diplomatic fronts. There is the hybrid campaign of sabotage going on in Europe.
And this testing of NATO's preparedness and defensive is very much another element of that, of that all-out conflict. Not all of it is all-out war. Not all of it is taking place in Ukraine.
But this is very much in terms of that kind of posture. And it and it mirrors things that we saw under, under the Soviet Union at the highest points of tension with, with the West in the in the early 1980s, for example.
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BRUNHUBER: This just in: a cyber attack is disrupting operations at several European airports and causing flights to be canceled or delayed. Have a look.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): This is the view from London Heathrow, which is one of the airports affected, along with Berlin and Brussels. Airports are warning that automated check-in and boarding systems are currently inoperable, meaning those processes now have to be done manually.
So far, we're hearing the Frankfurt and Zurich airports aren't impacted. We'll bring you more information when it becomes available. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: All right. Coming up, president Trump is calling for the U.S. to take back a key Afghan airbase from the Taliban. Just ahead, why he wants and what it could mean for America's foreign policy.
Plus, advisers to the top U.S. public health agency have new recommendations for when and who should get the COVID-19 shot and other vaccines. We'll have a report on their meeting that wrapped up Friday. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: President Trump is making a surprising announcement about a major Afghan airbase. Sources tell CNN he's been pushing for months to find a way to get Bagram back from the Taliban.
The group took control of it following the U.S. military withdrawal in 2021. The Trump administration wants the base for a number of reasons, including the ability to surveil China, to fight terrorism in the region and to gain access to rare earth minerals.
But that would require U.S. troops on the ground, which goes against the deal Trump made with the Taliban in 2020. Here's what the president had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We'll see what happens with Bagram. We're talking to Afghanistan. It should have never been given up. It was the most embarrassing day in the history of our country. There was no reason to give it up.
I was leaving Afghanistan. I was leaving, I was the one that got it down to 5,000 soldiers. But we were going to -- we were going to keep Bagram, the air base. I said it yesterday.
And we had an incredible trip, as you know, to U.K. And I said it during the press conference, it's one of the most powerful runways ever built in terms of weight, length and load, what it can -- what it can take. And we just gave it up for nothing.
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BRUNHUBER: And joining me now is Brandan Buck. He's a foreign policy research fellow at the Cato Institute.
Thanks so much for being here with us. Really appreciate it. So we'll get to the whys in a second.
But just to start off, were you surprised when the president brought this up?
Is this an idea that's been circulating for a while?
BRANDAN BUCK, FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH FELLOW, CATO INSTITUTE: Well, I mean, a surprise, yes. But it's certainly -- it's been an idea that has circulated in his circles for a few years now.
His former national security advisor and former representative from Florida, Mike Wallace, had floated this idea in 2021. And this narrative had been percolating around Trump and his -- and his allies for a few years.
But nevertheless, yes; I'm a little bit surprised for him to make this announcement in such a platform.
BRUNHUBER: So just to clear it up for our viewers, when president Trump says take it back, I mean, does he mean by force or would it need some agreement with the Taliban?
BUCK: Well, according to "The Wall Street Journal" yesterday afternoon, there are indeed some talks going on between the United States and the Taliban. Now, of course, publicly, the Taliban have has said no to this, to this idea.
So if there is some diplomatic track, it's not one that's being acknowledged by the Taliban. And I and I would think that any plans to take it back by force would be just too fanciful for reality.
BRUNHUBER: All right. So let's go through some of the reasons that the White House is giving here. One of the reasons is to keep tabs on China.
Why would having boots on the ground in Afghanistan help with that?
BUCK: Well, in theory, the base could offer as a sounding board for surveillance flights of western China, which, according to the president, that's where they're building their nuclear missiles. I can't attest to that being true or not.
But nevertheless, you know, the United States has intelligence assets and mechanisms that can surveil China, including Western China, remotely and would not incur the same kind of liabilities that occupying a base on the other side of the planet would incur, of course, satellites and then a number of other more sensitive means.
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So I think this idea that the United States needs this particular base to surveil Western China is just nonsense.
BRUNHUBER: I want to get at some of the liabilities. You just spoke of that. I mean, the administration says they want to use the base to go after ISIS.
I mean, how realistic is that plan?
And how dangerous could it possibly be?
BUCK: Well, it's certainly dangerous. I mean, I think the idea that the United States could reoccupy this base, even if it's possible politically, is not something that could be done with a few troops, which I believe is what the caveat to the president said.
It would take at least several thousand, depending upon the footprint, onset base and the missions that they would embark upon.
But if there truly is some counterterrorism goal here with reoccupying the base, reintroducing troops into Afghanistan would only elevate the terrorist threat. It would offer a narrative win to organizations like ISIS-K, as ISIS Khorasan Province, the regional affiliate there.
And it would also undermine the Taliban's already tenuous control on government there because it would again offer, to competing groups like ISIS-K, this image of American troops once again in the country. And it would serve up several thousand troops to attack organizations like ISIS-K.
BRUNHUBER: All right. So it sounds as if you think it might be counterproductive. They're also talking about getting better access to rare earth minerals through Bagram.
I mean, how exactly would that work?
And is that worth the risk, do you think?
BUCK: Well, the actual mechanics of that, your guess is as good as mine. But I mean, as far as the rare earths problem goes, the good news is that rare earths are not as rare as we think.
I mean, the larger problem with rare earths in the global economy is not extraction, it's actually refinement. And the good news is that the market is starting to address this problem, both here in the United States but also in friendly countries.
So again, this idea of putting those troops in Bagram is some springboard to rare earths extraction is a solution to a really nonexistent problem.
BRUNHUBER: OK. So it sounds like you're pretty skeptical about the value of this idea. You know, the Taliban, as you said, have kind of poured water on this idea. So far, I mean, ostensibly, if a deal were to happen here, they'd have to get something out of this.
What do you think that quid pro quo might be?
BUCK: Well, some recognition from the United States government. You know aid packages for sure. I mean, like, historically, Afghanistan has served as a buffer state between competing powers. And it looks like that that paradigm is starting to shape up again, with Afghanistan sitting between countries in Russia's sphere, China.
And then, of course, American interests that still linger on the periphery. So this might very well be a play from the Taliban, as many of their predecessors in the past, to play various powers off against one another for their own benefit.
BRUNHUBER: Interesting. We'll have to see if anything comes of this. I really appreciate getting your thoughts on it. Brandan Buck, thank you so much.
BUCK: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Still to come, an emotion-filled call for unity on the campus where Charlie Kirk was killed.
Plus, Jimmy Kimmel supporters protest in Los Angeles and New York. We'll look at what we're learning about the fate of his show. That's coming up next. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Let's check some of today's top stories.
Big changes are coming to U.S. visa programs. President Trump signed an executive action Friday that hikes the application fee for H-1B visas to $100,000 a year. He's also pushing a gold card fast-track visa for immigrants in exchange for a fee of $1 million.
President Trump is claiming that he fired U.S. attorney Eric Siebert but a source tells CNN he's choosing to step down. Siebert has been under pressure from the president to charge New York attorney general Letitia James with mortgage fraud, even though prosecutors don't believe they have enough evidence.
Russia is taking aim at more targets in Ukraine, launching a barrage of new strikes overnight. Ukraine says the attacks involved more than 600 drones and missiles launched against infrastructure, residential areas and other civilian targets. The strikes prompted NATO to scramble fighter jets over Poland for a second time since last week.
BRUNHUBER: We're learning that the crew for Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show will be paid through next week while the future of the program remains in limbo. Kimmel was pulled from the air following his comments about reaction to Charlie Kirk's murder.
Sources tell CNN the host is incredibly mindful of his staff as he weighs his options during ongoing discussions with the ABC television network. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more.
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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Jimmy Kimmel, I hear from a source familiar with ongoing conversations, had a meeting on Thursday with top Disney executives at his lawyer's office in Century City, California.
Jimmy was present. His attorney was present and his manager was present, along with top Disney executives. But I hear that there was no resolution to the meeting, which means we have no indication of any path forward for Jimmy or his show at ABC.
Now I have also been talking to sources who say that Disney is very hopeful that Jimmy Kimmel Live could come back. Everybody at ABC loves Jimmy Kimmel and they love the show.
But after threats from the FCC and after the show was pulled by different station groups that were refusing to air Jimmy Kimmel's show, I hear that Disney executives said that Jimmy Kimmel needs to take the temperature down.
But he did not want to do that. He wanted to return with a monologue that I was told was coming in very hot, taking aim at MAGA, taking aim at FOX News and not as one ultimately Bob Iger and Dana Walden made the decision to say, let's put the show on hiatus.
Now Hollywood has been rallying around Jimmy Kimmel, everyone from comedians like Conan O'Brien, who hosts the Oscars on ABC. Here's what Conan had to say.
Quote, "The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel and the promise to silence other late night hosts for criticizing the administration should disturb everyone on the Right, Left and center. It's wrong and anyone with a conscience knows it's wrong."
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The late night comedians on other networks, which are competing with Jimmy Kimmel, they also all took to the stage to support Kimmel. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY FALLON, NBC HOST: 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.
STEPHEN COLBERT, ABC HOST: If ABC thinks that this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive. And clearly, they've never read the children's book, "If You Give a Mouse a Kimmel."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): From Comedy Central, it's the all-new government-approved "Daily Show," with your patriotically obedient host, Jon Stewart.
JON STEWART, COMEDY CENTRAL HOST: Are the -- are the naysayers and the critics right?
Is Donald Trump stifling free speech?
COMEDIANS: Of course not, Jon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WAGMEISTER: There have also been protests outside of Disney's offices, both in Los Angeles and in New York, with Hollywood unions like the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA backing Kimmel -- back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Now to Utah Valley University, where Charlie Kirk was killed during an on campus event 10 days ago, there's been a massive outpouring of grief. And on Friday, thousands of students gathered for a vigil. CNN's Nick Watt was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're on the campus where Charlie Kirk was assassinated, a vigil; a vigil for unity. The
This was remembrance, this was warning but it was also unity, the watch words, unity, peace, respect.
The choir sang, "Let There Be Peace on Earth."
We heard a St. Francis of Assisi quote, "Where there is hatred, let me sow love."
You know, there was division on this campus before Charlie Kirk came here. Some kids didn't want him to come, some kids did. His death, there was unity, unity in decrying his murder.
The local element of this story, this is more (INAUDIBLE). They want use of this (ph). One woman inside with tears in her eyes said, the bubble has burst. Now we have to get used to things like the security (INAUDIBLE), metal detectors. No bags inside. No live broadcasts inside. Things have changed here.
I was speaking to one guy in a MAGA cap, red tie. And he said to me, we all need to find our common ground. And we also need to treat others the way we want to be treated ourselves.
Perhaps the people of Utah had a message and a lesson for the rest of us -- Nick Watt, CNN, on the UVU campus in Orem, Utah.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: A protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Illinois turned violent Friday. The mayor of a Chicago suburb who is running for Congress says he was hit with tear gas. He says he was scared as 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 blamed 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.
Dawn approaches in Washington, D.C., and so does a government shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson garnered enough support to pass a stopgap bill that would fund the government through to November. But that bill was defeated in the Senate, as was a different proposal from the Democrats.
It leaves lawmakers with a week to find a solution before the deadline. And president Trump admitted that a government shutdown is a possibility. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We'll continue to talk to the Democrats but I think you could very well end up with a closed country for a period of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Vaccine advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have voted unanimously to shift away from recommending the COVID-19 vaccines for everyone. Instead, they're advising that people who want the vaccine must consult with a health care provider.
But the panel was split on whether a prescription for a COVID-19 vaccine should be required.
On Friday, president Trump praised the vaccines, which were developed under his first administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: (INAUDIBLE) determination is but I had the vaccine. I was very happy with it. Here I am.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The CDC advisers had recommendations for other vaccines as well. Here's CNN's Meg Tirrell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This two-day meeting concluded with a vote essentially to soften the recommendation for COVID-19 vaccination to one that, for everyone, they say, should be based on individual decision-making.
Now that essentially leaves the decision up to the person in consultation with a health care provider. They further emphasize that, for people under the age of 65, they say that the risk/benefit profile should be emphasized, that it's most favorable for people who are at an increased risk of severe COVID-19.
[05:40:00] They also voted on whether the COVID-19 vaccine should require a prescription. That was a very close vote, 6-6 and the chair of the committee actually had to break the vote and he voted against that.
And some of the concerns among the committee members who voted against were that that could make access to the vaccine more difficult. We should also note that the Department of Health and Human Services says that this vote would provide for insurance coverage of the vaccine.
We also know from private health insurers that they've said they'll cover COVID shots at least through 2026.
Now we should also note there were two other vaccines considered through the course of this meeting, the hepatitis B vaccine and specifically the dose of the vaccine administered at birth to prevent chronic infection with that virus. That was a pretty controversial vote.
And the committee had discussed pushing it back to at least age 1 month for babies whose moms test negative for hepatitis B. Ultimately, they decided to delay that vote because there were some disagreements on what the vote should be. And so we don't know exactly when or if they might revisit that.
There also was a change to the recommendation for the measles/mumps/rubella and chickenpox vaccine. It's offered as a combination of all four. And they changed the recommendation to say that, for kids under the age of 4, typically you get your first dose around 1 year of age.
They said that you should get the chickenpox vaccine separately. Essentially, that's because of a small but increased risk of febrile seizures, which doctors say haven't shown to -- been shown to have long-term health consequences. But the people on the committee said they wanted to reduce that risk.
And some of the reasons, they said, were because they thought that might reduce vaccine hesitancy. We should also note that some of the criticisms of this were that this could potentially take away from parent choice. So that wraps up this meeting. We'll see how the CDC adopts these recommendations, because that is the next step.
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BRUNHUBER: Deadly mudslides have slammed Southern California after heavy storms fueled by the remnants of tropical storm Mario. Homes were damaged and roads buried in San Bernardino County. Ten people trapped in vehicles on a highway had to be rescued after spending hours surrounded by debris.
And tragically, a 2-year old boy died after floodwaters swept away his family's vehicle. Officials say that the mudslides hit the same area impacted by a wildfire, where weakened soil has triggered landslides before.
County teams are assessing the damage as residents are asked to stay in their homes as more than a foot of mud and rock still covering parts of the region.
All right, still ahead, displaced Palestinians are fleeing Gaza City. Israel's ground offensive advances from the outskirts toward the city center. Details in a report from the region after the break. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: In Gaza, Israel's military is getting closer to capturing Gaza City with tanks and ground forces moving in from the outskirts. CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli military is slowly but decisively moving forward with its planned invasion of Gaza City as Israeli tanks and troops have been spotted getting closer to the center of Gaza City, although for the moment they do remain around the city's outskirts.
We know that the Israeli military is now warning that they will operate with, quote, "unprecedented force" against Hamas inside of Gaza City, where there are still hundreds of thousands of civilians who are sheltering there.
Many of them unable to leave, even as the Israeli military is calling for them to immediately evacuate that city. We know that some 450,000 Palestinians are estimated to have fled the city so far but many more still remain.
And either lacking the resources, the financial means to leave the city or unwell enough, not sufficiently able to make the hours-long journey by foot in order to get out of Gaza City.
And then they know that what awaits them in southern and central Gaza is an area that is already overcrowded with displaced Palestinians, as the entire population of the Gaza Strip is being pushed into a smaller and smaller area of Gaza.
Now meanwhile, Hamas is also issuing a dire threat about the state of the hostages and the potential for them to be killed as the Israeli military moves into Gaza City. Hamas' al Qassam brigades, its military wing, says that it has now spread out the remaining hostages throughout different neighborhoods of Gaza City.
And saying that, effectively, the blood will be on the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hands if they are killed as Israeli forces advance.
The Israeli military, for its part, has said that it is keeping the hostages in mind as it advances; will proceed with caution, do everything that they can to avoid harming them in cooperation with Israeli intelligence.
But this latest, very dire warning from Hamas really goes directly to so many of the fears that we have heard from the families of those Israeli hostages, which they have been voicing very loudly over the course of the last few weeks in almost daily protests in front of the prime minister's residence, for example.
Calling for a halt to this Gaza City offensive, an end to the war, fearing that their loved ones could be killed if Israeli forces continue to advance.
Meanwhile, at the U.N. Security Council, we saw on Thursday this latest effort to put a resolution forward, calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, failing once again as the United States vetoed the resolution, claiming it didn't sufficiently condemn Hamas.
And for now, there is no real progress in terms of getting those ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations between Israel and Hamas back on track -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
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BRUNHUBER: Former hostage Edan Alexander says he will return to Israeli military service next month. The Israeli American appeared in New York on Thursday at an event sponsored by the U.S. Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
It was the 21-year old's first public statement since his release from Hamas captivity in Gaza less than six months ago and he spoke of the plight of the remaining hostages.
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EDAN ALEXANDER, FORMER PALESTINIAN HOSTAGE: I dream of a day when every hostage will walk free, when no soldier, no child, no parent will face what I faced.
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BRUNHUBER: While thousands took to the streets of London to protest Donald Trump's U.K. state visit, one pub was pouring pints in his honor. We'll take you there next. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: In London, one pub is raising a glass for Donald Trump, even while protests against his U.K. state visit drew thousands into the streets.
The temporarily renamed Trump Arms hosted its own celebration, highlighting just how divided opinion is on the U.S. president, even across the pond. CNN's Isa Soares has more.
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ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What's a pint in a pub without a little politics?
The beer is flowing in this conservative bar in London. So, too, support for U.S. president Donald Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we just do it every time that that president Trump comes to the U.K. We're just talking about president Trump was coming to town but there was going to be huge protests against him. And I said, this is crazy. You know, this can't be.
SOARES (voice-over): Thousands of people in London protested against Trump's second state visit. But it was celebrated here at Biddy Mulligan's Olympia pub, which temporarily named itself the Trump Arms during the U.S. president's stay in the U.K.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people around here are, you know, nice, decent, hard-working people and they're quiet, a quiet, you know, Trump supporters, supporters, you know. They're just, you know, they're really good, decent, hard-working people. You know, they won't say out loud or shout or be like these fellows downtown.
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SOARES (voice-over): The pub also unveiled a debate room as a tribute to the slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Recent polling has shown that Britons generally disapprove of Trump. A poll published Tuesday by Ipsos found that 61 percent of Britons say they do not like the U.S. leader but that's not the case here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you've got is you've got a elite around Westminster bars who don't like president Trump. And because that gets amplified. But you know, the hard-working people don't get their voices heard.
SOARES (voice-over): Strong feelings in London, both for and against Trump. The pub wasn't on Trump's itinerary but many here raised a glass to him anyways (sic).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Love him or loathe him, you're going to get what -- he's going to say what he feels. And it's as simple as that. All we want is someone that's honest and strong. We need strength.
SOARES (voice-over): Isa Soares, CNN, London.
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BRUNHUBER: All right. And before we go, a welcome surprise for Swifties. Their girl is returning to the silver screen. Her new film, Taylor Swift, "The Official Release Party of a Show Girl," will launch in theaters the same day her new album drops. That's happening on Friday, October 3rd.
But the movie can only be seen in theaters for that one weekend. The theatrical release will include the world premiere of the first music video from her album, which will be the first single, "The Fate of Ophelia," as well as behind the scenes footage of the production.
That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber for our viewers in North America. "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "AFRICAN VOICES: CHANGEMAKERS."
