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Jimmy Kimmel Defends Free Speech In Return To T.V.; Poll Numbers On The Jimmy Kimmel Suspension And Comeback; Donald Trump's Post On Ukraine War Signals "Big Shift"; One Family's Devastating Loss In Israel's Gaza City Assault; Jimmy Kimmel Defends Free Speech in Return to T.V.; Powerful Storm Slams Into Hong Kong and Southern China, Storm Surge Affecting Waterfront Areas of Hong Kong; Some Migrants' Children Stranded as Ice Deports Parents; Escalator Malfunctions During the Trumps' Arrival to U.N. General Assembly; French President Macron Gets Caught in New York Traffic Jam; Zayn Malik Announces Limited 2026 Las Vegas Residency; Global Craze Over Labubu Dolls Reaches Iran. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired September 24, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:40]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to viewers joining us here in the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Just ahead, Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air. There was an emotional apology, plenty of warnings about the threat to free speech and, of course, pointed jokes aimed at the president.

Plus, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Donald Trump is the ultimate change maker for the war in Ukraine, as the U.S. president shares a different perspective on Russia.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" is officially back in the late-night lineup. The comedian made an emotional return to television just a few hours ago, after a nearly weeklong suspension. Executives at Disney and ABC pulled the show over comments Kimmel made about the suspected killer of political activist Charlie Kirk. The suspension sparked protests as well as heated debate over free speech after threats from the chair of the FCC and other officials.

Kimmel received a standing ovation from audience members who interrupted his first monolog back with energetic applause. He addressed the controversy directly, saying he disagreed with the ABC's decision to pull his show and that it was never his intention to make light of Charlie Kirk's death. Kimmel's remarks centered around government threats to free speech in America. Here is part of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": It takes courage for them to speak out against this administration, and they did, and they deserve credit for it. And thanks for telling their followers that our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television, and that we have to stand up to it.

I've been hearing a lot about what I need to say and do tonight, and the truth is, I don't think what I have to say is going to make much of a difference. If you like me, like me, if you don't, you don't. I have no illusions about changing anyone's mind, but I do want to make something clear, because it's important to me as a human and that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: President Trump appears to be threatening legal action once more against the ABC over Kimmel's return. He posted on Truth Social saying Kimmel's 99 percent positive coverage of Democrat garbage amounts to a major illegal campaign contribution. Trump went on to say, last time he went after the ABC, they gave him $16 million and this one sounds even more lucrative. CNN's Brian Stelter has more on Kimmel's monolog during his first night back on air.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hi, there. Yes, with gratitude and also a note of defiance, Jimmy Kimmel showed that he is back, not just back on his late-night talk show, but also back fostering a conversation about the state of free speech in the United States.

Kimmel had a lot to say after being sidelined for almost a week by ABC and his parent company Disney, he expressed thanks to his bosses, although he also said he did not agree with the decision to put his show on pause last week amid the controversy over his remarks about the suspected killer of Charlie Kirk.

I thought it was really telling that Kimmel said his particular show, his platform is not important. What's important is that shows like his are able to exist at all. Here's what he said.

KIMMEL: This show -- this show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.

STELTER: Kimmel also predicted that ABC and parent company Disney would come under further scrutiny from President Trump and the Trump administration as a result of his show being reinstated.

Kimmel called this unfortunate and unjust, and made a comment about President Trump being a leader who, "Celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can't take a joke."

And again, Kimmel tried to broaden the conversation out, saying that this is about way more than an individual host or an individual show. He pointed out that President Trump has also singled out Jimmy Fallon, the host of NBC's "Tonight Show", and Kimmel urged his viewers to speak out if Fallon or other comedians are also pressured, watch.

[02:05:03]

KIMMEL: Now, he's openly rooting for NBC to fire Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers and the hundreds of Americans who work for their shows who don't make millions of dollars.

Kimmel made only one passing reference to the fact that two major station owners Nexstar and Sinclair chose to preempt his show in many markets across the United States. This happened in dozens of cities and towns. Essentially, about 20 percent of the American viewing population wasn't able to watch the show at the usual time slot.

However, in the streaming era, pretty much everybody will be able to watch Kimmel's show now on sites like Disney Plus and Hulu, and I suspect that in the coming days, we're going to see streaming data and Nielsen ratings that show Kimmel probably had one of his biggest audiences ever.

Brian Stelter, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, earlier I spoke with the Los Angeles Times culture critic Mary McNamara about Kimmel's return. I asked her about the significance of the situation and its political impact. Here's part of that conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY MCNAMARA, CULTURE CRITIC, LOS ANGELES TIMES: I don't think we've ever seen anything quite like this before. I mean, I can't remember there ever being a moment when tuning into a late-night show was like striking a blow for democracy or a sign of patriotism.

I'll be very interested to see what the ratings are like. I mean, obviously I think a lot of people who may be not regular Kimmel watchers are definitely tuning in tonight to see, you know, what he has to say, how he handles the moment.

And as you said, he handled it, I thought perfectly. I mean, he just hit a wide spectrum of emotions. He was genuinely contrite, if people thought that he was, in any way trying to diminish the death of Charlie Kirk. That was not his intention. He became emotional. He praised Charlie Kirk's wife for her ability to forgive Charlie Kirk's murderer. He was funny.

And then, he also, you know, was straight up like this, my show isn't important, but the fact that my show is allowed to exist is important. So, hitting, you know, the important freedom of speech notes.

KINKADE: Yes, and we saw an incredible cameo from Robert De Niro playing a multi style FCC boss. I just want to play some of that sound.

ROBERT DE NIRO, ACTOR: Depends on what you want to say, like you want to say something nice about the president's beautiful, thick, yellow hair, how he can do his makeup better than any broad. That's free.

But if you want to do a joke like he's so fat he needs two seats on the Epstein jet, that's going to cost you.

KIMMEL: Can I just ask just for clarity, because it's a pretty good joke. How much would that one cost me?

DE NIRO: A couple of fingers, maybe a two.

KINKADE: I mean, how did that land and how effective was that to spotlight these censorship concerns?

MCNAMARA: I mean, that was so funny. It also was really, you know, nice because it played off of Ted Cruz's comment about car -- you know, talking like a mafioso. So, you had that kind of across the aisle moment where everybody is agreeing on, I don't think, you know, Robert De Niro usually agrees with Ted Cruz or Jimmy Kimmel, for that matter.

And that is something also that Kimmel said was, you know, he really, he thanked all the people who he does not agree with and who do not agree with him for speaking out about the suspension. But, yes, I mean, that was just brilliant. It was just amazing and very funny, and will become a classic, I think.

KINKADE: Yes, absolutely. And as you mentioned, Mary, he addressed the controversy directly, you know, saying that he didn't mean to offend Erika Kirk and praised her forgiveness of her husband's you know, attacker.

As a critic, how do you gage when comedy pushes too far and becomes something more dangerous when you think back on the comments that were made? I mean, did he push the needle, or was this just a case of a crackdown on free speech?

MCNAMARA: I think that his -- I mean, the jokes that were used as an example -- the example of why he should be suspended were not outrageous. They weren't great and they were poorly worded. I think there was, you know, it was an unclear joke when he was saying about the MAGA group, trying to make it out that the killer was anyone but them, and I think that the implication was that he was saying that the killer was a MAGA supporter, when I don't think that's what he was trying to say.

In no way did he ever diminish the tragedy. In no way did he cast aspersions on Charlie Kirk. He was speaking only about, you know, the reaction to it and the fact that, according to him, certain people were using it as the as kind of a political football, which I don't think is a -- that is not an inaccurate statement.

[02:10:04]

But so, no, I didn't -- I didn't think that that was pushing the line. I don't think most people did. But, you know, there is a way. I mean, when comedians late-night hosts do perhaps offend or cross the line, or whatever, there are ways to correct that, there are -- you know, there are -- they can be warned. They can have -- you know, they can be -- they can have like an alternative host for an evening.

But to yank the show off the air, that was just -- I mean, the reaction was just an overreaction to what he actually said.

And, you know, and given the optics, whether it's the reality or not, but the optics of having the FCC chairman basically threaten the affiliates -- the affiliates then do exactly what he had suggested that he do, and then Disney sort of caved to that. The optics of that was just, you know, astonishing and frightening. And I think that's why you saw this like, just huge reaction to it, because it was, we've never seen anything like that in this country.

KINKADE: Yes, exactly.

MCNAMARA: Suspended like after a member -- an unelected member of the government called on television affiliates to yank someone from the air, and they did it. I mean, that is very frightening, because it's like that is exactly what federal government, the FCC is not supposed to do that, the government is not supposed to do that, the president is not supposed to do that. You know, they can -- no president likes the media. No president likes late-night hosts making fun of them, and they make fun of every president. I mean, like that's part of the job description of being president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: It certainly is our thanks to Mary McNamara there. Will Disney face consumer pushback and boycotts for temporarily taking Jimmy Kimmel show off the air? And now Disney is raising subscription prices for its streaming service. Starting October 21st, the service's ad supported plan will increase by $2.00 a month to 11.99. The ad free plan will increase by $3.00 to 18.99. Hulu, ESPN and bundles containing Disney Plus will raise their prices as well. This will be Disney's third price hike in as many years.

Well, the controversy over Kimmel suspension and the debate of a free speech captured U.S. national attention for almost a week. CNN's Harry Enten looks at the data on the fallout.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air after getting suspended last week, and let me tell you that Democrats are praising the good Lord that he's back. Republicans, not so much.

I want you to take a look at the net likability scores. These were taken before Jimmy Kimmel suspension. I would, if anything, expect the parson gap to be even wider now. Democrats really love Jimmy Kimmel. Look at that. A plus 78 net likability score compared to amongst Republicans. Look at that. Jimmy Kimmel was already 18 points under water, my goodness, gracious, that gap is nearly 100 points.

Again, I expect that gap to be even wider now, after Kimmel's comments last week and then, of course, the aftermath of all of it.

Now, Democrats are not the only ones who are happy that Jimmy Kimmel is back. I think Disney is happy as well. Why do I say that? Well, take a look here. There were so many people on the left who are arguing that you should boycott Disney, that you should cancel Disney Plus and Google searches versus last week's peak. Look at this, for boycotting Disney, down about 75 percent from the peak last week. How about canceling Disney Plus? Down again, down about 75 percent so fewer people on the left are interested in either boycotting Disney or canceling their Disney Plus, which, of course, is good for Disney's bottom line.

Now, the big question is, how many people actually are going to or did tune in to this episode, the new Jimmy Kimmel episode that aired starting, of course, on Tuesday night at 11:35 Eastern time.

Well, I think that there are going to be some really high ratings for this. Why? Because, get this leading into the episode, record high Google searches tonight for a simple question, what time is Jimmy Kimmel on? Get this versus the baseline, about 10,000 percent.

Of course, if you're a regular viewer of Jimmy Kimmel, you know what time he's on, but if you are a unique viewer, someone who usually doesn't tune in, you would Google to find out what time Jimmy Kimmel is on.

Now, what is the baseline? How big could that audience possibly grow? Well, take a look at this average viewership, the average "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" viewership in 2015 it was 2.4 million, in quarter two of this year, 1.8 million. How much higher than this 1.8 million are we going to go? Are we going to exceed 2015, I would bet on it. Could we even double it, potentially, triple it? I don't know. I leave that up to the audiences themselves to determine that number, because they are the ones who are going to decide just how high Jimmy Kimmel goes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Harry Enten. Well, Trump signals a big shift on Ukraine and sets a critical tone at the U.N. General Assembly. We'll have the details when we come back.

[02:15:08]

Plus, the U.S. President also met with leaders of Arab and Muslim nations at the U.N. to discuss the situation in Gaza, we'll look at the devastation on the ground next.

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KINKADE: Ukraine's president is due to speak at day two of the U.N. General Assembly in the coming hours. Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address comes after talks with his American counterpart on the sidelines of the UNGA Tuesday. Their meeting was followed by a surprise social media post from President Donald Trump, who signaled a possible change of perspective on Russia's war in Ukraine. Saying, in part, Ukraine would be able to take back their country in its original form, and, who knows, maybe even go further than that. Here's how Zelenskyy responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Trump is a game changer by himself, if he will be sure in Ukraine, and I think that he is more close now to this situation, and that's why -- and between us, only Trump can for today. We know some, not too much players in the world who can be game changers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:20:15]

KINKADE: Joining me now is CNN Global Affairs Analyst Kimberly Dozier, great to have you with us.

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Good to be here.

KINKADE: So, let's start with Ukraine. Earlier this year, Trump was openly critical and dismissive of the landscape. Let's just play that sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Your country is in big trouble. No, no, you've done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: But after the UNGA meeting today, he said, Ukraine can win back all its territory, and even backed NATO shooting down Russian drones violating airspace. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, do you think that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace?

TRUMP: Yes, I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Kimberly, is this a major shift in Trump's stance on Ukraine, and can allies expect any consistency in that position going forward?

DOZIER: I mean, it's a shocker. It makes you wonder if will he say the same thing tomorrow? What led him to come out with these statements? I mean, at his actual U.N. General Assembly speech this morning, he gave some very anodyne comments about Russia's war on Ukraine. He didn't lay the blame on Ukraine, as he sometimes does, but he sure didn't say anything like Russia needs to get out, and if not, Ukraine is going to make them get out.

So, it makes me wonder what sort of briefing he's just gotten about the state of the Russian war effort, and inside in Kyiv, among Ukrainian officials, it is cause for temporary celebration, but they have to see if he's going to follow it up with action. KINKADE: Donald Trump, again, said that climate change was a hoax and claimed that renewable energy does not work. Take a listen

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Climate change, it's the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion. Climate change, no matter what happens, you're involved in that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: But in 2024 renewable energy and nuclear energy made up 80 percent of all new electricity generation and 40 percent of global power, according to the IEA. So, who is he really speaking to with his rhetoric, especially given we're seeing a rise in climate related deaths?

DOZIER: He's speaking to his base, the American energy companies that make up a lot of his funding for his election, the second time and the first time around, the people that backed him because he promised to lift the restrictions on where and how they can drill and mine for energy resources.

But inside Europe, when you talk like this, even conservatives in Europe pretty much buy into the solar energy industry, the wind energy industry.

So, when he talks like this, officials that I speak to say they basically tune him out. They listen to comments that he makes on the world stage with an ear to what do I have to deal with. It's sort of a triage. And what can I ignore for as long as possible?

It's kind of like a storm they're trying to withstand, as opposed to thinking of this U.S. president as they used to think of past U.S. presidents as someone that they could have a reliable partnership with.

The other thing I've had multiple officials tell me is you just never know when he's going to change his mind. He can tell you one thing one week, you fly back home to your capitol, and the next week, he's talked to somebody at Fox News, and the story changes.

So, with the renewable stuff, I think there was, you know, a collective sigh, but they knew he was going to pull out of the U.N. Climate Accord. He'd already telegraphed all of this, so it wasn't a surprise. It was just, oh, here he goes again.

KINKADE: And Kimberly, you've mentioned that the U.S. is no longer seen as a champion of democracy or human rights. Which global actors do you see stepping into that vacuum, if any, and does that shift the global power balance long term?

DOZIER: Well, in a very ironic way, you've seen the US pull out of the U.N. human rights bodies, and you've seen China, among others, step in to fill the void China, which the U.S. has long accused of human rights abuses against Uyghurs, forcing them to work in slave like factories, being denied their religion, that sort of thing.

[02:25:11]

But instead, you have Trump and his vice president, J.D. Vance lecturing European countries about freedom of speech.

So, when I was just in Europe for a conference in the past few days at the Helsinki Security Forum, the Jimmy Kimmel controversy was just breaking at the time, and I had a lot of officials wanting to talk to me about what is going on in your country.

I mean, really? Taking a comedian off the air? So, that's what they think of the Trump administration. So, when he says things like this, they don't really pay attention.

KINKADE: Yes, they don't blink. Kimberly Dozier we'll leave it there for now. Great to have you on the program. Thanks for your time.

DOZIER: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, President Trump says he discussed the Gaza war with leaders from Arab and Muslim nations, calling it, "Most in -- the most important meeting of Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly." It comes as Israel pushes further into Gaza City with heavy shelling and explosions. Israel's assault on Gaza has taken a human toll on the people in that city, while many Palestinians have fled, others remain either unwilling or unable to leave.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has the devastating story of one family's loss. And a warning, some of the images you're about to see are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She's my only child. I had her after six years of trying, Nidal (ph) cries. They didn't take their little Noor (ph) out with them, thinking she'd be safer staying here with her grandparents.

They warned saying they were going to strike that building. They didn't say they would hit this one, he says, Nidal and Mervot (ph) were out searching for a place for a tent for any shelter in the south of Gaza when an Israeli strike hit this building in Gaza city, where many displaced, including their family, were sheltering somewhere in this smoldering rubble is their 4-year-old Noor.

Noor, my darling daughter, Mervot screams, holding on to the hope that somehow Noor may have survived this. Please, get her out, she pleads, my daughter is tough. She's smart. No words are enough to comfort parents so distraught. God bless her soul, he tells them. No, no, my soul will be gone with her, Mervot cries, refusing to accept what is now clear to all those around her.

With their bare hands, they dig, searching for their Noor, the rescuer emerges from the rubble carrying the lifeless body of a little girl. It's Noor, my daughter, my only daughter, Mervot wales, I love you. I swear I love you. I told the kindergarten I would get them the 50 shekels they asked for. I said that they'll be happy in her final days. But she still refuses to believe her baby girl is gone. She tries to resuscitate her. She's suffocating, she says.

Noor is one of hundreds of victims in Israel's renewed military offensive in Gaza City, one out of a daily death toll that may or may not make headlines on this day, but this one for Nidal, his Noor was his whole world.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:32:07]

KINKADE: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Lynda Kinkade. Well, Jimmy Kimmel was given a standing ovation at his first show back from a nearly week-long suspension by broadcaster the ABC. Fans were eager to see Kimmel return to his program, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday night. Kimmel's show was sidelined by the ABC after the Trump administration publicly pressured the company to punish the comedian for remarks about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. That suspension drew a fierce backlash against ABC and its parent company, Disney and the Trump administration. In his monologue, Kim will criticized President Trump for calling for his show to be canceled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST OF "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!" ABC NEWS: The president of the United States made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fired from our jobs. Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can't take a joke.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well ahead of Kimmel's return, critics and supporters of Charlie Kirk expressed their feelings on ABC's reversal of that suspension.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It doesn't shock me. It was symbolic. They just kicked him off for a couple of days and they're going to bring him back and he can spew his crap. I don't care.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Morality, right? Morality says when someone gets murdered, you don't laugh at them. So for Jimmy Kimmel to make a joke about Charlie Kirk being murdered, it's just not human decency.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I told my wife if I catch her watching Jimmy Kimmel, that her T.V. will go in the garbage because to me, all these left-wing people are what's causing a lot of this problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Right now, tens of millions of people in Hong Kong and southern China are feeling the force of Typhoon Ragasa. The massive storm killed 14 people when it swept past Taiwan on Tuesday. 124 people are still missing. Video shows a bridge washed away after widespread flooding on the eastern side of the island. Typhoon Ragasa is the most powerful storm on the planet this year. At its peak, it was the equivalent of a Category 5 Hurricane.

Mighty winds have whipped up waves that have inundated shorelines in Hong Kong, crashing into this waterfront hotel. The city is virtually shut down, with businesses closed and flights halted at the airport. The storm is expected to make landfall shortly in China's Guangdong Province, one of the most densely populated coastlines in the world.

Well, still to come, how a tea estate in Malawi is rewriting the story of social responsibility, sustainability, and innovation in the industry.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:38:06]

KINKADE: The world's poorest countries, recent data shows that more than 70 percent of the population lives on around $2 a day, placing it among the four lowest-income nations globally. One family-run company is standing out for its commitment to social responsibility, sustainability, and innovation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOUTER VEREIST, MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, ALEX KAY, DIRECTOR, SATEMWA TEA & COFFEE ESTATE: The first commercial tea in Africa was planted in Malawi and grown in Malawi. So there is a long, long tradition of Malawi tea.

ALEX KAY, DIRECTOR, SATEMWA TEA & COFFEE ESTATE: We're a huge employer of people and there's no tea without people.

VEREIST: We were the first Fair Trade Certified tea estate in Malawi, the first estate employing woman in the tea industry in Malawi. I think we are very proud of that.

ALICE NDENYA, FACTORY MANAGER, SATEMWA TEA & COFFEE ESTATE: My name is Alice Ndenya. I am the factory manager at Satemwa Tea Estate. When I was joining Satemwa, I never had that mentality of me managing the whole factory. It feels motivating, having in mind that someone else there is looking up to me to achieve what I've achieved.

VEREIST: It's the second biggest income generator in Malawi, the tea industry. So it's still very important, but we see that currently in the current commodity landscape for tea globally, there is a lot of tea in the system. And there is -- the demand is not always following the same path or the same speed as the production. So, we encounter very low prices for tea and to keep sustainable, we decided about 20 years ago to diversify into specialty teas, tourism, herbals and specialty coffee. And we try to keep on innovating to be ahead of the challenges we are meeting.

[02:40:00]

FADSON MANDALA, HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER, SATEMWA TEA & COFFEE ESTATE: Primarily fair trade comes with the fair trade market, which brings a fair trade premium which are funds that will be used for projects that will benefit the workers for Satemwa and farmers those that are coming from the surrounding villages.

VEREIST: It's not only about tea, it's about, yeah, the nature. It's about the wildlife corridors that we have here. It's about the value addition we try to do. It's, yeah, that makes it very unique.

MANDALA: The surrounding community workers are looked after by way of providing them with education for the children, medical care services.

NDENYA: Previously, people would've walked from like 10 kilometers to access the next health facility.

KAY: So our vision is really to contribute towards improving living standards of the workers and the communities around us.

MANDALA: So the impact is quite huge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: We're going to take a short break. You're watching "CNN Newsroom." For our international viewers, "World Sport" is next. And for our viewers here in North America, I'll be back, right back with much more news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:21]

KINKADE: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Lynda Kinkade. Late- night comedy host, Jimmy Kimmel is officially back on the air defending free speech, following his nearly week-long suspension from the ABC. Company executives had decided to pull the program after Kimmel's commentary on the alleged shoot of political activist, Charlie Kirk drew federal backlash. The move triggered widespread protests as well as the heated debate surrounding the First Amendment, which Kimmel addressed at length during his return on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIMMEL: This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.

(APPLAUSE)

I've had the opportunity to meet and spend time with comedians and talk show hosts from countries like Russia, countries in the Middle East, who tell me they would get thrown in prison for making fun of those in power and worse than being thrown in prison. They know how lucky we are here. Our freedom to speak is what they admire most about this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, when Donald Trump took office in January, he quickly implemented a massive immigration crackdown. And since then, the Department of Homeland Security estimates that 2 million undocumented migrants have either been removed from the country or self-deported. Among them are parents, some of whom have left behind their children with no friends or relatives to care for them. Our Kyung Lah shares one family's story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: What happened to mommy?

ANGELO PEREZ, MOTHER WAS DEPORTED TO HONDURAS: ICE took him.

LAH (voice-over): For more than a month, six-year-old Febe, nine- year-old Angelo, and 14-year-old Isaac have been in Galveston, Texas, separated from the only parent they have. ICE arrested and deported their mother to Honduras. The siblings can explain they miss their mother. Why it's happened is what they don't understand.

ISAAC PEREZ, MOTHER WAS DEPORTED TO HONDURAS: Do you know what ICE is? Say immigration.

A. PEREZ: Immigration?

LAH: Do you know what that means?

Did you guys get to say goodbye?

A. PEREZ: Yes.

FEBE PEREZ, MOTHER WAS DEPORTED TO HONDURAS: Yes.

I. PEREZ: Those two did.

LAH: Did mommy say something?

F. PEREZ: I love you.

LAH (voice-over): Those were the last words they heard at home. Their mother's arrest was just the beginning of their goodbyes. The eldest, Isaac, is leaving. He came to the U.S. at age eight and is undocumented, now self-deporting to join their mother in Honduras.

LAH: Your brother is leaving tomorrow?

A. PEREZ: Yes.

I. PEREZ: Don't cry. Don't cry. You are strong, don't cry. LAH (voice-over): Febe and Angelo in limbo. They're different from Isaac and their mom. They were born here and are U.S. citizens.

Their mother is Kenia Perez, who raised the kids alone after her husband died during the pandemic. She fled Honduras 10 years ago and was detained at the border. She was eventually released. She had a legal U.S. work permit, no criminal record, paid taxes, never missed an ICE check-in.

What's happening to citizen children like Febe and Angelo is unfolding across the country. CNN found more than 100 U.S. citizen children, many through public GoFundMe pages, essentially orphaned in recent months because of ICE enforcement. No one is tracking these children and experts say it's just the beginning. Estimates show nearly two million citizen children live in households where both parents are undocumented, vulnerable to ICE's new immigration enforcement. These children met their new reality on June 4th.

I. PEREZ: Like I woke up to like calls and texts on my phone. It was my mom. She was like, run -- like runaway as far as she can. I jumped out the window. I just kept running because I'm like, if I get taken too, there's not going to be a way for Angelo and Febe to like figure out what's going on.

LAH (voice-over): Without their mother, the kids were left in the care of friends like Jeff Chaney.

JEFF CHANEY, FAMILY FRIEND: This is my first time ever coming here.

LAH (voice-over): Who Kenia had asked to become a temporary legal guardian for the children one day before she was picked up by ICE.

CHANEY: If you would've told me, no, they're going to get families too, I'd say you're crazy. That's not going to happen.

LAH: But it's happening.

CHANEY: No, it's happening. It's happening now. It's shameful. It's shameful what our nation has become.

[02:50:00]

LAH (voice-over): Today, Isaac is leaving the U.S. for Honduras. We're following him on his journey.

LAH: What is it like to leave your siblings behind?

I. PEREZ: I hate it because I know my brother is going to be scared, my sister is going to be scared.

LAH: What is it like to say goodbye to them?

I. PEREZ: I was crying. I didn't want to leave them. I thought I was going to go with them to Honduras.

LAH (voice-over): Isaac is flying alone. His younger siblings were supposed to join him, but since they don't have U.S. passports yet, they can't legally fly out of the U.S.

I. PEREZ: I never thought I would leave.

LAH: Were you worried about your brother and sister too?

I. PEREZ: No. I never wanted to leave them behind. I wanted them to come with me but --

I'm here again.

KENIA PEREZ, DEPORTED TO HONDURAS: I love you. Thank you for coming.

I am happy but not complete.

LAH: You're not complete?

K. PEREZ: No. I need my two kids. My daughter today tell me, "Mom, I need a hug." No, it's not easy.

LAH (voice-over): Kenia now lives in San Pedro Sula, a city in the northern part of Honduras. This country tops Central America in its murder rate.

LAH: This is a working-class community that is heavily controlled by gangs. The big concern about her kids coming back to this community is that the recruitment age for gangs is between 13 to 15.

Hello, Kenia.

K. PEREZ: Hello. Good meet you one more time.

OK.

LAH: Yep.

K. PEREZ: Welcome for my new room. This is the bed for baby Angelo and me. Probably Isaac go for my mother.

LAH: All three of you will sleep here?

K. PEREZ: Yes. Yes. I need my kids here, my daughter, my son. Not easy. Not easy to see for the camera. No, he tell me, "Mom, it's OK, it's OK." But, no, it's OK. No, it's OK.

[Foreign Language]

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: The White House is calling for an investigation after an escalator malfunction, as Donald Trump arrived for the U.N. General Assembly. The U.N. spokesperson said the escalator's built-in safety mechanism was triggered, causing it to stop as the Trump stepped on it, forcing him to walk the rest of the way up. The U.S. president later joked about the less than smooth welcome during his address to foreign leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle. If the first lady wasn't in great shape, she would've fallen. But she's in great shape. We're both in good shape. We both stood.

(LAUGH)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The White House Press Secretary has raised concerns over whether the incident was intentional. She referenced a recent British newspaper article that claimed U.N. staff members had joked about deliberately turning off the escalators, elevators, and telling President Trump they ran out of money.

Well, traffic in New York is notoriously bad and during the U.N. General Assembly, even world leaders can't escape it. French President Emmanuel Macron found himself stranded on a sidewalk on Monday after failing to reach his car. CNN's Saskya Vandoorne reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: Traffic during the U.N. General Assembly can be brutal, even for presidents.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: If you don't see it, let me cross.

VANDOORNE: Emmanuel Macron suddenly found himself in a very awkward, very New York situation, stranded on the sidewalk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, Mr. President. I'm really sorry. It's just that everything has been frozen right now.

VANDOORNE: Why? Because President Donald Trump's motorcade had the street on lockdown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a motorcade coming right now. That's why. I'm sorry.

VANDOORNE: So Macron picked up the phone and called the man apparently responsible for the gridlock.

[02:55:00]

MACRON: Hi, guess what? I'm waiting on the street because everything is frozen for you.

VANDOORNE: Eventually the barricades opened, but only for pedestrians. So the French president had to keep the call going while walking to the embassy. And if that wasn't unusual enough, a bystander grabbed the chance for a quick kiss with the French president.

[Foreign Language]

VANDOORNE: Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris. (END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Singer Zayn Malik is the latest star to announce a Las Vegas residency. He'll play a limited series of shows at the MGM for one week in January, after finishing a solo tour earlier this year. Malik is best known as one of the members of the former U.K. boy band "One Direction," which shot to fame on Britain's "X Factor" talent show. He has gone on to release four albums of his own, becoming the first British male solo artist to hit number one on both the U.K. and U.S. charts for the first week of release.

With a global craze over the wide-eyed, sharp-toothed figurines known as Labubus has reached Iran. Despite economic hardship caused by international sanctions, Labubus have gained popularity among young Iranians. Iranian media report more than one million was sold by the end of August, generating millions of dollars in revenue. But an Iranian newspaper reports many of the dolls imported to the country are counterfeit.

That does it for this edition of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Lynda Kinkade. Erica Hill picks up with much more news in a just a moment. Stay with us. You are watching CNN.

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