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Jimmy Kimmel Rants on Free Speech on His Return to Late Night TV, Trump Threatens ABC on Kimmel's Comeback; Trump Makes a Big Move on the War in Ukraine; Ragasa Batters Hong Kong. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 24, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming on CNN Max, I'm Erica Hill.

Just ahead here, Jimmy Kimmel returns to the air, we have the reactions and the reviews.

President Trump appears to have a major change of heart about the war in Ukraine.

And Typhoon Ragasa battering Hong Kong after a deadly turn through Taiwan.

Jimmy Kimmel is live once again. The comedian making an emotional return to television a few hours ago after that week-long suspension. Executives at Disney and ABC pulled the show, of course, over comments Kimmel made about the suspected killer of political activist Charlie Kirk and the way some people had reacted to it.

That suspension sparking protests and a heated debate over free speech in the United States. That, of course, following threats from the chair of the FCC and other officials.

Kimmel received a standing ovation from audience members who also interrupted that first monologue back with moments of energetic applause. He addressed the controversy directly, speaking out against government threats to free speech and ABC's decision to pull his show, also setting the record straight about what he said before ABC took him off the air.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

It takes courage for them to speak out against this administration and they did and they deserve credit for it. And thanks for telling your 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, you 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: This is what I see.

Ahead of that taping, fans were ready to see Kimmel back on the air. CNN's Stephanie Elam was there outside the theater in Los Angeles speaking with some of the people who were in the audience.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jimmy Kimmel returned to ear- deafening applause from his audience. That's what we heard from people who actually attended the taping. In fact, take a listen to what some of the people who were inside for his show had to say to us about all they experienced there.

UNKNOWN: I've been to shows before and honestly this one just felt different, but like in a way where people knew there was a gravity, but also happiness of just being back. You could tell they were being very careful about where they went with it, but also there was still the Jimmy Kimmel, the humor, everything else, the silly jokes and stuff.

UNKNOWN: It was a pretty emotional show today, so he actually had some tears in his eyes at some moment and the entire audience was with him 100 percent all the time.

UNKNOWN: A lot about Donald Trump and about him of course and that's just, it's a mistake that he made that canceled the show.

ELAM: Now throughout the day, there were a lot of people walking by here in Hollywood Boulevard, mainly because they wanted to see the theater. Some people who were just here as tourists. We talked to one man from Northern California as well as a woman from Tennessee and both of them saying that it was important for Kimmel to come back and also for freedom of speech.

We also saw protesters out here earlier today supporting Jimmy Kimmel and his show and we're hearing that from audience members as well, that they wanted to be in the audience for this taping because they believed in his right to free speech. We also heard that some people just happened to have these tickets in advance and lucked up on being back on the first show in almost a week since Jimmy Kimmel got pulled. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: And our thanks to Stephanie for that report.

[03:05:00] Joining me now, entertainment reporter and television host Andrew Freund. Andrew, it's great to have you with us. I mean, first, I'm just curious, your overall take on what you saw a few hours ago when Jimmy Kimmel was back on the air.

ANDREW FREUND, ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER AND TELEVISION HOST: You know, Erica, I guess my overall take was I wasn't expecting it to be as emotional as I thought it was going to be. And I also wasn't expecting it to be really kind of a battle cry for the First Amendment. It was overwhelmingly heartfelt, it also felt unifying.

And like, you know, I heard in the SOT before that, you know, the crowd said people it was deafening. People were cheering so loudly that their ears were ringing. I also heard that Jimmy Kimmel's parents were in the audience and his parents were crying.

So it was an overly-emotional night but I think that he knocked it out of the park. He said what he needed to say, he thanked his bosses at Disney, he also thanked a lot of the late night talk show hosts that had come to him over the past few days.

And he even thanked his critics. He did a big thank you to Ted Cruz, making a joke that, you know, he's never thought that he would agree with Ted Cruz on something before. So I was very impressed with Kimmel, he knocked it out of the park.

HILL: Yes, certainly a lot of people. It's interesting the number of people who in the past several days who certainly do not agree with Ted Cruz on much, if anything, coming out and really noting that this is a moment where there was unity. I wonder, too, when you look at that, when we saw a number of Republicans for the first time, frankly, break ranks in many ways to come out and say, hey, hold on, this is a bridge too far.

Does that signal to you at all that this is actually perhaps a shift in the way the country views free speech, views comedians, views what they see on T.V., or is it more of a blip?

FREUND: I think it could be a slight shift because, you know, when we all heard that Disney was pulling him off the air, I mean, it was like it was palpable in this country. People went crazy because they were so up in arms about it.

I mean, even Mitch McConnell, you know, said something about it. Joe Rogan, Candace Owens, like these people, Ben Shapiro, that you would never think would kind of come out about that.

But I am hoping it's a shift in the right direction. So I think it's a little bit more than a blip, Erica. I think it might be the start of something big.

HILL: It's also impossible to ignore. There is the free speech part of it and the genuine outrage that a lot of people felt, which led to then the business part of this.

And I'm not just talking about the business that certain companies are hoping to have done or to get the approval for, but the number of people who talked about Howard Stern, Cynthia Nixon was on with me yesterday. She, of course, posted a TikTok about canceling her Disney subscription. This was a big financial hit for ABC and for Disney.

FREUND: Yes, you know, it's estimated that their market share value went down over $3 billion. I'm still not exactly sure what's the true figure and what's the media spin on that.

But yes, they definitely did -- they definitely did take a hit and Jimmy Kimmel even made a joke tonight reading how people can reactivate their Disney Plus and Hulu accounts. So, you know, he made some light of it. But yes, Disney definitely did take a financial hit for sure.

HILL: Yes, I did think that was a very funny moment for folks who didn't see it. He pulled out of his pocket and said, I know there is something that ABC asked me to air because there were questions about whether there would be any restrictions and he said, you know, how to reactivate your subscription.

For those who were thinking there would be some restrictions rather on his speech. It seems to me that this would be a tough way for him to come back if he had to agree to any sort of conditions. So I wasn't surprised that there don't seem to be any, were you?

FREUND: I wasn't surprised at all, you know, I think that Bob Iger and Dana Walden who are running Disney right now, they know who Jimmy Kimmel is. He's done that show for over 20 years. They know how he operates.

I also think from what I saw is he's a very rational and considerate man and he's a company man, quite frankly. I mean, he's been a company man at that company for over 20 years.

I don't think he's necessarily going to rock the boat if he has to, but he's also going to stay true to himself, true to the show. And that's exactly what he did.

HILL: All right, well, we'll be watching. So this, of course, night one, we'll see what night two and beyond brings. Andrew, great to have you with us, thank you.

FREUND: Thanks, Erica.

HILL: Donald Trump signaling a big shift on the Ukraine war, also discussing the future of Gaza and Palestinian statehood on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Those details when we come back.

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[03:10:00]

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HILL: Ukraine's president is due to speak at day two of the United Nations General Assembly here in New York, that's in the coming hours. Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address comes after talks with his American counterpart on the sidelines of the UNGA on Tuesday. That meeting followed by quite the social media post from President Donald Trump, who signaled what is frankly almost a 180 when it comes to his perspective on Russia's war in Ukraine.

The President posting in part, and I'm quoting this here, "Ukraine would be able to take back their country to its original form and who knows, maybe even go further than that." Zelenskyy calling Trump's post a, quote, "big shift" and also praising the American leader as a, quote, "game changer."

CNN's Kristen Holmes has the latest now on President Trump's sudden shift in his position on the war between Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump, after a meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, appearing to completely change his stance when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine war.

He posted this on Truth Social. He said, "After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine-Russia military and economic situation, and after seeing the economic trouble it has caused Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and win all of Ukraine back in its original form."

To be clear, this is not something that we have ever heard from President Trump. If you go back to even that meeting in the Oval Office months ago with Zelenskyy, where President Trump said, you don't hold all the cards, you're going to have to give something up, that has been a pattern.

[03:15:05]

And we know that President Trump has been trying to get to a peace deal, but those talks have pretty much stalled. He's been growing increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is not trying to schedule that sit down meeting with the Ukrainian President. It was supposed to be on the books weeks ago now.

So just a couple of things to keep in mind. It is unclear what exactly this means. Is this a threat, a shot across the bow to Putin, or does this mean that the U.S. is considering more tangible actions?

One thing to note is we have reported time and time again over the past several months that President Trump would be near to sanctions, near to issuing some kind of punishment against Russia, against Putin, only to have the president walk back from the ledge there, to actually not take any of that action.

So it's unclear, again, if this is going to be part of that. This is just him issuing a warning because he's unhappy about where the talks are going, or if this means he has actually shifted his mindset.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Well, President Trump met with a number of leaders from Arab and Muslim nations on Tuesday as well, which he held as the, quote, most important meeting of his day. Mr. Trump meeting with the leaders of Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, among others, of course, on the sidelines of the UNGA. Before entering that room, he told reporters he would be discussing Gaza and also said, quote, "we're going to end something that should have probably never started."

Let's get more now on President Trump's rather busy and news making day at the United Nations. Steven Erlanger is the New York Times chief diplomatic correspondent for Europe, and he's joining me now live from Berlin. Steven, it's good to have you back with us.

You know, just I'd like to pick up where Kristen left off. The fact that we saw, first of all, on the heels of this speech that was quite something, a bit short on foreign policy, if you will, which is typically how U.S. presidents use that moment.

But then to have this Truth Social post about Ukraine coming out of his meetings with President Zelenskyy, that shift is remarkable. The question, of course, of whether it will last. It is difficult for Ukraine to plan moving forward, not knowing the answer to that question.

STEVEN ERLANGER, CHIEF DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT FOR EUROPE, "NEW YORK TIMES": Well, I think you're right, and Trump seemed to be in a particularly bad mood yesterday. We got all his greatest hits, and I'm sure U.N. leaders were a little surprised to hear them, but that's what they got from climate change, being a fraud to immigration, ruining all of their countries.

On Ukraine, I think it's more he's giving up, at least for the moment. He's very frustrated with Vladimir Putin, as he's made very clear. I think he's absolutely sincere in wanting to bring an end to the war, but he's failed to do that.

And as he's often warned, if the parties don't want to end the war, I'm going to walk away. So that was the feeling I got whether Ukraine is now capable of winning back all its territory, I think very few people think that's likely. And it's much more likely that the war is going to go on for some time and we'll see what happens.

HILL: It's interesting, too, this is not the first time that there seems to be a rising frustration level on the part of President Trump when it comes to Vladimir Putin. And yet we have seen each time he seems to give Vladimir Putin another chance, right?

Whether it's rolling out the red carpet in Alaska, continuous sort of vague, but two week deadlines. And the threat of actions that don't really ever seem to materialize. Was there anything different that you noticed in what we are actually hearing from the President this time around?

ERLANGER: Not really, to be honest, he's given no indication of putting pressure on Vladimir Putin. He didn't talk about the Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal bill to try to raise tariffs on Russia's customers. It really felt like he was saying, Russia, you've done this, you've made big mistakes, your economy is in trouble. Good luck, I've had enough.

That was really my takeaway. And again, tomorrow, Trump could feel differently. After all, only a day or two ago, his officials were warning Ukraine, you'd better take this deal.

So, you know, American policy, I'm afraid, depends a lot on the moods and wishes of President Trump at the moment. And they're very hard to predict. At the same time, he certainly gave no indication he was walking away from American operational intelligence helping Ukraine, which is very important.

[03:20:00]

And obviously, you know, he's quite happy to have European countries buy American weapons to give to Ukraine. But again, my sense here was he's saying, I've had it. Good luck, boys.

HILL: And we will see. I did also want to get your take on the President, noting that that these were his most important meetings of the day in meeting with leaders of a number of Arab nations, given where things stand, given the reaction that we have seen from President Trump in reaction to a number of both U.S. and Israeli allies, frankly, announcing that they will, in fact, recognize a Palestinian state. Do you believe there was some progress made in those meetings in terms of a discussion about ending the war in Gaza?

ERLANGER: Well, I hope so. I mean, again, I think he's also sincere about trying to get that to stop, but he's also turned against Hamas and has said he wants all the hostages and all the dead hostages out at once, that he's tired of playing this game of body trading.

So I think a lot of what is being discussed is how to put more pressure on Hamas. It's also what might happen to Gaza later. And also, don't forget the Iran nuclear issue still hovers.

The Iranians are about to get big multilateral sanctions reimposed on them because they're not living up to what Europeans have asked for them. There's no real negotiations going on with Washington. But perhaps the meeting will start to change that.

I do think Iran would like to escape these sanctions and may be willing to open up negotiations with the United States, even if they're quiet and secret.

HILL: All right. Well, we will see. Steven, I always appreciate your insight and your perspective, thank you.

ERLANGER: Thank you.

HILL: Jimmy Kimmel making an emotional return to T.V. after being suspended under political pressure. Reaction from the audience and also a look at the politics of this moment when we return. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:25:00]

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HILL: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom". I'm Erica Hill, it's good to have you with us. Let's check today's top stories.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel calling on Americans to stand up against government threats to free speech, making that impassioned plea during his return to late night T.V. on Tuesday after ABC had pulled his show from the air last week. Kimmel says he didn't agree with that decision, but thanks supporters, critics and defenders of free speech.

U.S. President Donald Trump criticizing the United Nations during his address to the General Assembly and boasting about U.S. achievements in largely off-script and very lengthy remarks. Trump criticized other nations, immigration policies and also called climate change the quote "greatest con job." He offered little new information, though, when discussing the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

A Florida jury has convicted a 59 year old man of trying to kill Donald Trump on a golf course last year. Ryan Ruth tried to stab himself with a pen after hearing that verdict. Authorities, though, did manage to stop him. Ruth was found guilty on all charges. Sentencing is scheduled for December 18th.

A standing ovation for Jimmy Kimmel at his first show back from that nearly weeklong suspension by ABC.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

There was a lot of anticipation, of course, about just what Kimmel would say for his return to "Jimmy Kimmel Live" Tuesday night. You hear the thunderous applause there in the studio. The audience cheering, chanting Kimmel's name as well as he took the stage.

His show, of course, sidelined by ABC after the Trump administration publicly pressured the company to punish the comedian for remarks he made related to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirch -- well, that's Charlie Kirk, rather. His suspension drawing fierce backlash against ABC and its parent company, Disney, as well as calls for the government to step back with its pressure on free speech. Audience members described what it was like when Kimmel returned to the stage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: I've been to shows before and honestly, this one just felt different. But like in a way where people knew there was a gravity, but also happiness of just being back.

You could tell they were being very careful about where they went with it. But also there was still the Jimmy Kimmel, the humor, everything else, the silly jokes and stuff. UNKNOWN: It was a pretty emotional show today. So, yes, he actually had some tears in his eyes at some moment. And the entire audience was with him 100 percent all the time.

UNKNOWN: A lot about Donald Trump and about him, of course. And that's just it's a mistake that he made that canceled the show.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Well, President Trump, maybe threatening legal action against Kimmel or against ABC rather over Kimmel's return. You see this post from the president on Truth Social. So this is before Tuesday's show even aired.

Trump saying that Kimmel's 99 percent positive coverage of, in his words, Democrat garbage amounts to a major illegal campaign contribution. Trump went on to say the last time he went after ABC, they gave him $60 million. This one sounds even more lucrative.

Joining me now, Ron Brownstein, he's CNN's senior political analyst and a Bloomberg opinion columnist. Ron, great to have you with us.

That is quite the statement there from the President on Truth Social, calling this an illegal campaign contribution. Also, some interesting math, if that's what we're using. I wonder if the President feels that those who are big fans of his and regularly praise him, if that would also be considered an illegal campaign contribution.

[03:29:54]

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST, AND OPINION COLUMNIST, BLOOMBERG: Yes, it's a good point. You know, I also take from that statement, I think one of the big takeaways from that statement is the mistake that so many institutions are making on the assumption that if they capitulate to demands that Trump is making, that he'll stop, you know, I mean, capitulate.

I mean, I think the pattern is pretty clear that capitulation, you know, inspires more pressure. And, you know, he noted ABC conceded once before and he had no reason to think they might not. Again, I mean, if you look at the breadth of what we are watching in these first eight months, I mean, it's not only free speech in the sense of using the FCC, seeking the FCC on a T.V., you know, host who is critical of him.

But look at, you know, what this is of a piece of what's been going on with universities, with law firms, with directing the Justice Department to openly directing them to investigate his political rivals, arresting Democratic local officials, cutting off money to blue states and cities if they don't agree to policies that he is demanding.

You know, across the board, we are seeing a systematic effort from the administration to suppress dissent and to weaken any institution they consider an adversary. And, you know, you don't know what's going to become the flashpoint in that. It's kind of unlikely that it's a late night talk show host. But I

think Kimmel's monologue made very clear the points of what we are watching, you know, at this remarkable and really unprecedented moment in peacetime in American history.

HILL: You know, to that point, Ron, I think there's a lot of and I would say myself, myself among them, a lot of people as we're watching this are trying to figure out what is this moment? Is this perhaps the start of something bigger, of more pushback?

ABC, too, in this case, when we're talking about Disney, a little bit different than what we saw, right, with ABC News and George Stephanopoulos and that $16 million. When we look at this, there's the business part, obviously, for Disney. But this widespread backlash that also brought together people in this country who rarely agree on anything.

You had Jimmy Kimmel essentially thanking Ted Cruz for his stance, as well as Ben Shapiro to bring together these people who would never agree on anything. Is that, in your view, potentially the start of a moment?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think clearly the backlash here is going to make it harder for other media organizations to give in to similar threats. But, you know, we thought the many people thought that the Harvard lawsuit, when they said no to the demands from Trump, that was the beginning of the backlash. And then ABC conceded here.

And then even as ABC reversed direction under pressure from, you know, all the various forces that were converging on it from the open letter from other entertainment figures to boycotts and so forth, you know, you have Nexstar and Sinclair, two enormous local affiliate chains that own, you know, hundreds of T.V. stations between them, basically continuing to accede to Trump's pressure and refusing to air this.

So, you know, I'm not sure there is a turning point in what we are watching. I think it is just more of a day by day trench warfare struggle that is going on many fronts. I mean, it's not only, you know, what's happening at the FCC with T.V. networks or T.V. stations.

As I said, there are many other dimensions of this larger, you know, struggle and dynamic playing out. And, you know, there is no you know, there is no turning of the tide there. It's more like World War One and it's trench warfare, I think, for quite a while here.

BROWNSTEIN: And I know, as you noted in your recent column, it is the pressure tactic, right? It's pressure from the top, it's pressure from its pressure from the bottom. It's also, as you pointed out, when we look at it, there is this business component that we can't ignore here. Right?

And that part of that pressure campaign is, hey, you want to get this deal done. Looking at you, different station groups looking at you, you know, if you want that approved by the FCC, then you better fall in line. Right? Which brings us back to Chairman Carr's comments, if we can do this

the easy way or the hard way. And yet those I mean, we're still waiting to see if that's going to get the green light. There's a good chance it still goes through.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, well, look, I mean, you know, as we as we're saying, I mean, you know, that particular pressure, you know, was aimed at the affiliates, not at the network. Right?

And so you have these affiliate chains who have all sorts of business in front of the FCC who are required to be licensed by the FCC to operate in the public interest. And he was directly threatening them. That's their point of leverage here.

And as we're saying, it's not like those affiliates have, you know, have backed down under the ABC and Disney back down. Those affiliates are still refusing to broadcast, you know, Kimmel.

Now, you know, this is part of like, as you're saying, I think there is a two track strategy of one top down, one bottom up.

[03:34:54]

The top down strategy is directly threatening these various institutions that the Trump administration considers impediments with direct government action against them, whether it's cutting off research grants to universities or cutting off federal funding for blue states and cities or this kind of FCC action. And then the other side is essentially recruiting from the bottom up these institutions operating in red America to voluntarily, in effect, or maybe under some coercion, join arms with him against blue America.

I think the arguments that Carr was raising to the affiliate chains was essentially the same argument that Trump has been making to red states on gerrymandering. You owe it to the red team to join in this effort to keep us entrenched in national power.

HILL: It would be fascinating to see a little experiment, though, if they left him on the air, whether people would tune in or not in those markets. Ron, always good to talk to you. Thank you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

HILL: So right now, the most powerful storm on Earth so far this year is hitting Hong Kong and southern China. Massive waves seen battering the shoreline, look at that. We're going to bring a live update next.

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HILL: These waves whipped up by a powerful storm. You see them this is crashing through a waterfront hotel in Hong Kong. You look at that one gentleman being swept away.

Typhoon Ragasa is slowly now moving away from Hong Kong set to make landfall soon in China's Guangdong province. CNN's Hanako Montgomery is joining us now live from Hong Kong. These

images have just been really something as the storm continues to wreak havoc across the region.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. I mean, the damage that we're seeing in this area called Chan Kwan Oh is actually pretty severe. This area was one of the hardest hit areas during the typhoon.

And as you can see, I'm just by this waterfront here where there are a line of establishments. The ocean is just right there. And when the typhoon was at its peak, we saw massive sea swelling and storm surges and huge waves just coming on to this waterfront here.

[03:40:00]

And as you can see, it caused a lot of damage. I mean, the front door of this establishment has been completely blown off its hinges inside the restaurant. The furniture is all strewn about, there's also flooding here.

And I mean, we're seeing the same thing at different establishments just along this waterway here. I mean, if you take a look right here as well, front door completely gone, glass blown in furniture again, just completely destroyed, and also some flooding.

Now, we're also told that there was some furniture outside along this waterfront. And when we saw those massive waves come on, it just pushed all the furniture down the end here. It was almost like a tsunami, we're told.

And now the furniture has just collected. I mean, just complete destruction here.

And Erica, of course, the typhoon has moved on from Hong Kong. But as you can tell, it's still overcast. The wind is still pretty strong, it's also still raining.

And we know that at least dozens of people have been injured from this typhoon. And as the Hong Kong city government is ascertaining the extent of damage, we are expecting to hear more stories like this, seeing more damage like this. And it can be pretty tough to just recover from this storm, Erica?

HILL: Absolutely, the recovery is, it is significant, as you point out, and just the size of that storm. Every time we put up that image, it really just gives you a sense of why the devastation, the destruction here is going to be so widespread.

Hanako, I appreciate it. Thank you.

Thanks so much for joining us this hour, I'm Erica Hill. For our international viewers, "Marketplace Europe" is up next. For those of you here in the United States, "CNN Newsroom" continues after this short break, stay with us.

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[03:45:00]

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HILL: The White House is now calling for an investigation after an escalator malfunctioned as Donald Trump and the First Lady were arriving for the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. The U.N. spokesperson said the escalator's built-in safety mechanism was triggered, which is what caused it to stop as the Trumps stepped on. They then had to walk up the rest of the way.

The U.S. President later joked about the less than smooth welcome during his address to foreign leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: 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 have fallen.

But she's in great shape. We're both in good shape. We both stood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The White House press secretary is now raising concerns over whether the incident itself was intentional, referencing a recent British newspaper article that claimed U.N. staff members had joked about delivery, turning off the escalators and elevators and telling President Trump they had simply run out of money.

Meantime, as the threat of a U.S. federal government shutdown next Wednesday hangs over Washington, President Trump canceled his meeting with top congressional Democrats that was set for later this week. Trump says he had decided it wouldn't be productive because Democrats are making, quote, ridiculous demands.

Democratic minority leaders Hakeem Jeffries of the House and Chuck Schumer in the Senate said they had been planning to address the rising costs, including the Republican health care crisis, as the Democrats referred to it.

Meantime, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says that the bill to fund the government through November 20th is a so-called clean, continuing resolution. We'll be continuing to watch that development for you.

The U.S. Federal Reserve chair, meantime, pushing back against Donald Trump's accusations that he's playing politics. The U.S. President has repeatedly berated the chair and the central bank for not lowering interest rates until last week.

On Tuesday, though, Jerome Powell said the Fed is carefully working to balance the risks of more inflation and a slowing labor market, which, of course, are the two jobs of the Fed. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has those details. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS REPORTER: Yes, this was a wide ranging conversation with the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, at the Chamber of Commerce in Providence, Rhode Island. Powell talked about A.I. and how it was too soon to tell what it would mean for the labor market, but that it would replace some jobs, but also add new ones. And that historically, in his experience, technology has been helpful to the job market.

He also talked about it being a tough time for college graduates to find jobs and that retailers seem to be the ones absorbing the bulk of the tariffs, but questioned for how long. There's still concerns about inflation and that the tariffs will impact price levels throughout the end of next year. Yet his most poignant and pointed comments came when he pushed back on accusations that the Fed was playing politics, something that was challenged by the Trump administration.

Here's what he said.

JEROME POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: Whenever we make decisions, we're never, ever thinking about political things. And so we, you know, we're based in Washington, D.C. and many, many people, you know, in Congress. And, you know, they're often things are seen through a lens of is it good for this party or bad or bad for this party or this politician.

We're just not looking at things that way. We're looking at what's the best thing for the people that we serve in the medium term. What's the best policy?

And no one, many people don't believe us because they, you know, come on, come on, you're really political. But the truth is, mostly people who are calling us political, it's just a cheap shot.

YURKEVICH: Now, President Trump has accused Jerome Powell and the Fed governors of trying to help Democrats.

You also have other people from the president's administration, including Kevin Hassett, who is the head of the National Economic Council, who has said that the Fed intentionally cut interest rates before the election when Biden was president. But listen, the Fed did make its first cut to interest rates. The last time it did so was in December of 2024.

The Federal Reserve also penciling in two more cuts by the end of this year. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: All right, Vanessa, thank you.

New security measures are in place outside of an ICE facility near Chicago. A riot fence has been put up around that building to apparently keep demonstrators at a distance, they've been clashing with federal agents outside the facility. ICE officials accused protesters of throwing rocks and fireworks, putting both officers and detainees at risk.

[03:50:05]

Well, now dozens of elected officials are pushing back against what they are calling a heavy handed federal response after journalists and activists were hit with tear gas and pepper spray.

When Donald Trump took office in January, he quickly implemented a massive immigration crackdown. And since then, the Department of Homeland Security estimates some two million undocumented migrants have been either removed from the country or have self-deported. Among them, though, are a number of parents, some of whom have left behind their children with no friends or relatives to care for them.

Kyung Lah has one family story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

UNKNOWN: I took him.

LAH (voice-over): For more than a month, 6-year-old Febe, 9-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 (translated): Do you know what ICE is? Say Immigration.

UNKNOWN: Immigration.

LAH: Do you know what that means?

Did you guys get to say goodbye?

Yes. I do.

I. PEREZ: I do too, dear.

LAH: Did mommy say something?

UNKNOWN: 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's leaving tomorrow.

I. PEREZ (translated): Don't cry, don't cry. You are strong, don't cry.

LAH (voice-over): Bebe 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 Bebe 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, run away as far as you 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 Bebe 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 Kenya had asked to become a temporary legal guardian for the children one day before she was picked up by ICE.

CHANEY: If you would have told me, no, they're going to get families too. I would have said, you're crazy. That's not going to happen. But it is happening.

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

LAH (voice-over): Today, Isaac is leaving the U.S. for Honduras. We're following him on his journey. What is it like to leave your siblings behind?

CHANEY: I hate it because I know my brother's going to be scared. My sister's going to be scared.

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

CHANEY: 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 don't want to dump the car with them, but --

[03:55:06]

PEREZ (translated): I'm here now.

KENIA PEREZ, DEPORTED MOTHER (translated): I love you. Thank you for coming.

K. PEREZ: I am happy, but not complete.

LAH: You're not complete?

K. PEREZ: No, I need my two kids. My daughter today told 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: Nice to meet you one more time.

Okay. Welcome to my new room.

This is the bed for Bebe Angelo and me. Probably Isaac goes for my mother.

LAH: All three of you sleep here?

K. PEREZ: Yes. I need my kids here, my daughter, my son.

Not easy. Not easy to see for the camera. He tell me, Mom, it's okay.

It's okay. But no, it's okay. No, it's okay.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: And thanks again to Kyung and her team for that reporting.

Thanks to all of you for joining me this hour, I'm Erica Hill. "CNN Newsroom" continues after a short break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)