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Trump Warns "There Will Be Others" After Comey Indictment; ICE Officer Relieved Of Duties After Pushing Woman; Atlantic Hurricane Season Ramps Up With Two Growing Storms; Russia Tops Agenda As NATO Defense Chiefs Meet In Latvia; Kimmel's Back With A "Trump Bump" In The Ratings. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired September 27, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:01:21]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: 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.

President Trump has a warning for his political opponents: there will be others prosecuted following the indictment of former FBI director James Comey.

An ICE officer shoves a woman to the ground at a New York immigration court. We'll take you through the incident that's fueling outrage over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

And we're following two storms in the Atlantic. We'll look at where they're heading and how they could impact the U.S.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: President Trump says he expects that some of his other political opponents will be prosecuted one day after the indictment of the former FBI director. On Thursday, James Comey was charged with making false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding, which he denies. According to officials and people involved in the case, the alleged leak to the media that underscores Comey's indictment appears to be related to the 2016 investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, not the separate probe of Donald Trump and Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

CNN's Alayna Treene has more on what Trump is saying about his perceived enemies.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Donald Trump on Friday continued celebrating the indictment of his former FBI Director James Comey, but he argued that it was brought against him not for revenge, but for justice. One of the most notable things the President said on Friday when he told reporters that Comey is likely not the only person that will likely face some type of prosecution from his Justice Department. When he was pressed by CNN's Kevin Liptak about whether there are others on his list that could face potential retribution from the Trump administration, this was his response.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Mr. President, on James Comey, now that James Comey has been indicted, who is the next person on your list in this retribution campaign?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not a list, but I think there'll be others. I mean, they're corrupt. These -- these were corrupt radical left Democrats because Comey essentially was a -- he's worse than a Democrat. I would say the Democrats are better than Comey. But, no, there'll be others. Look, it was -- that's my opinion. They weaponized the Justice Department like nobody in history. What they've done is terrible. And so I would -- I hope there -- frankly, I hope there are others, because you can't let this happen to a country.

TREENE: Now, I caught up with several White House officials in the hours after the Comey indictment, and they essentially told me one that, yes, they are likely to be not only other investigations of some of the President's political opponents, but also potentially other charges brought against them. Some of the names that came up are the same names we saw the President post about over the weekend when he wrote a message directly to his attorney general, Pam Bondi, calling on her to look into people like Senator Adam Schiff of California, a Democrat, as well as New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of them widely known enemies, in some sense, of President Donald Trump's.

Now, one thing I think that is really important to keep in mind through all of this is the context of why this is happening. And in my conversations with people here at the White House and in the building behind me, they've told me essentially that the President has been lamenting the fact for months now, really, that he was prosecuted when he was in the between his two terms. When he was out office, he faced several indictments.

And then, of course, there's still that lingering resentment from what he faced during his first term, specifically with the two impeachments brought against him.

[04:05:07]

And so, really, behind closed doors, he's told those, close them, that he believes others deserve to be held accountable and to face this like he did.

Now, of course, White House officials argue that this isn't just personal for the president, which of course it is. But he does believe that there was a sense of wrong doing and that, like he said on Friday, that this is some sort of justice. I think a key thing, of course, to watch for is what could happen next.

In my conversations with people throughout the broader Trump administration, they said one of the reasons that they saw the signs that this was likely to happen quickly, the Comey indictment was when he placed Lindsey Halligan, a former personal attorney of his and, of course, a -- a very strong Trump ally, someone who's considered in that building as a loyalist. When he placed her as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, that was a sign that this was likely to come.

So we're still waiting to see whether or not a judge -- the judge and the jury in this trial and in this case will agree with the President and the Trump administration. But this could be just one of many potential cases we see against others like Comey.

Alayna Treene, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Legal experts say Trump is hurting the case against Comey with his social media posts, including one last week where he called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to be more aggressive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN E. JONES III, RETIRED CHIEF JUDGE, U.S. MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA: You can so infect a proceeding with prejudice that you that you violate the Fifth Amendment, the due process clause within the Fifth Amendment. And, you know, everybody's talked about and very rightly so, vindictive -- vindictive prosecution or selective prosecution.

You know, there's more to it than that. I'm sure that Comey's legal team are in the process of downloading and printing every one of the president's social media posts because he single-handedly, and I think this is ironic, the guy who is urging and fostering this prosecution is, in fact, working now, I guess unwittingly to tear it down.

I mean, he is providing every bit of ammunition for the defense to file a motion and say that this is irretrievably prejudiced. And I can see the judge is going to have to handle that.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: And as Judge Jones said, this is going to be a major problem for the prosecutors. This is going to give Jim Comey's defense team a very powerful motion to dismiss this case. I've never seen a stronger case for selective prosecution, because usually, the president doesn't write it out and tweet it out to tens or hundreds of millions of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The Trump administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether the president can end birthright citizenship. He signed an executive order to do just that earlier this year about the 14th Amendment confers automatic citizenship on virtually anyone born on U.S. soil.

In an appeal to the nation's highest court, the administration claims this notion is, quote, mistaken and has resulted in, quote, destructive consequences.

This will be the second time this issue has gone before the Supreme Court. Recently, the judges handed down a decision back in June, but that dealt with a procedural issue.

All right now to a series of incidents involving U.S. immigration authorities. A group of protesters were tear-gassed outside an ICE facility near Chicago.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

BRUNHUBER: People were seen chanting and banging drums as officers came out of the compound. This facility has attracted protests since early September. Last week, Mayor Daniel Biss of Evanston, Illinois, was tear gassed outside the same facility.

And an ICE officer has been relieved of his duties after shoving a woman into a wall and then pushing her to the ground. The incident was caught on camera, and we just want to warn you what you're about to see may be disturbing.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After video surfaced of an ICE officer pushing Ecuadorian immigrant Monica Moreta-Galarza to the floor in New York City's ICE offices, outrage growing in New York.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: The wife of a detained man begging an ICE agent to free her husband. When he ignored her, she pleaded to be taken to and behind her stood two young children. And after taunting her with a response of "adios, adios" suddenly, that agent threw her to the ground. The kids began to cry, traumatized by the sight of their mother being assaulted in a government building.

PAZMINO: According to New York Congressman Dan Goldman, Moreta- Galarza and her family have opened asylum claims and are in the U.S. legally. His office also said she was rushed to the hospital for possible head trauma after the incident.

Speaking to reporters after the incident, Moreta-Galarza said over in Ecuador, they beat us there, too. I didn't think I'd come here to the United States and at the same thing would happen to me.

[04:10:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look this way, walk this way.

PAZMINO: The officer, whose name has not been released, has been spotted frequently in the halls of the immigration center.

BRAD LANDER, NYC COMPTROLLER: That officer to me looked drunk on the -- the violence of it.

PAZMINO: DHS says that they are conducting a full investigation, and that the officer involved has been relieved of his duties.

The officers' conduct in this video is unacceptable. And beneath the men and women of ICE, our ICE law enforcement are held to the highest professional standards. And this officer is being relieved of duties as we conduct a full investigation.

In response, New York City Mayor Eric Adams saying that he is pleased that the incident is being further looked into.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAZMINO (on camera): Many of New York City's local elected officials point out that detentions have become routine here at 26 Federal Plaza behind me is the immigration court, where this incident unfolded.

And day by day, migrants and asylum seekers show up here to their court mandated appointments as they try to navigate the immigration system. The officials and the advocates point out that they are trying to do the right thing, and very often are being detained, taken into custody in that process. That's part of what happened in this incident. We've also learned that Congressman Dan Goldman, who represents this area of Manhattan and whose office is actually across the street and where the family went after the incident, is referring the officer involved in this incident for possible criminal prosecution by the U.S. attorney's office.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

BRUNHUBER: An immigrant advocacy group, is speaking out after one of its members was arrested by plainclothes ICE agents. It happened in Iowa City, Iowa, on Thursday.

Now, in the video, you can see the plainclothes officer attempting to arrest Colombian migrant Jorge Gonzalez Ochoa after a scuffle. Gonzalez Ochoa is seen running inside a grocery store before his arrest.

The group Escucha Mi Voz organized a protest afterwards. ICE said in a statement that it arrested Gonzalez Ochoa because he's in the country illegally. Gonzalez, Ochoa's fiancee, spoke through an interpreter after viewing video of the arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA CASTRO, FIANCEE OF JORGE ELIESER GONZALEZ OCHOA (through translator): It's sad to see these videos, to see his face and this how he feels, how he looks so scared when these officers who are not identifying themselves are kidnaping him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says Justice Department agents will be deployed to help protect ICE agents and facilities. The announcement comes just days after a shooting at an ICE field office in Dallas killed one detainee and left two others in critical condition. Bondi says she's also directing the Joint Terrorism Task Force to investigate potential acts of domestic terrorism, including violence and obstruction against federal agents. Well, a busy week ahead in the tropics, where two storms are rapidly

developing. Forecasters are tracking potential tropical cyclone nine near the Bahamas. It's expected to strengthen and become tropical storm Imelda this weekend, and could reach hurricane strength, with potential to impact the southeastern U.S. with heavy rains and flooding early next week.

Meanwhile, in the Central Atlantic, Hurricane Humberto is intensifying into a category four storm, with reports it may grow even stronger over the weekend. Now, it isn't a direct threat to the U.S., but it could bring dangerous surf and high winds to Bermuda next week.

Let's go to CNN's Derek Van Dam for the latest on the storms.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Who would have thought we would be in this tropical traffic jam across the vast Atlantic Ocean? But here we are. We've got major Hurricane Humberto with a defined eye. And then the one we need to all be paying close attention to is this large, disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms, certainly a big difference between the two. But this is the one that has its eyes set on the southeastern United States.

But there's a couple of different scenarios that could still play out. We're still ironing out the details. So let me explain the different players in this setup. We've got our Bermuda high. This is the high that's been responsible for recurving. The majority of the hurricanes this season away from the east coast.

Here's future Imelda. And then we've got a trough and an upper level low pressure system that's going to move over the east coast. So, the way these evolve over the next several days are going to be crucial on where Imelda actually traverses. Is this directly into the southeast coastline of the United States? Is it going to perhaps stall near the coastline and be a heavy rainmaker, or will this be slingshotted out to sea by a phenomenon known as the Fujiwhara effect?

Yes, this has been a hot topic on socials over the past couple of days because it is still a real possibility and its basically based after a meteorologist, a Japanese meteorologist, who said, look, if two cyclones or low pressure systems come close enough, they actually start to influence the track and the intensity of such cyclones, and they even start to rotate around a common center.

[04:15:08]

So, what could happen? The larger, more dominant hurricane in this instance Humberto could slingshot future Imelda away from the southeast coast. Believe me, that is the best case scenario. We would love to see that, but not all of the computer models painting that picture.

So this is what I mean. We still have a very complex kind of tropical tango that we need to figure out going forward. Here's Humberto pretty clear signature to move out to sea, right? But how quickly does it approach future Imelda? Does it drag it out to sea, or does Imelda race ahead of Humberto and move its way inland and cause the potential, at least for some heavy rainfall, especially if the steering curtains collapse along the east coast and it stalls out near the coastal areas of the Carolinas.

There is a signal that continues to increase for the potential for heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding, especially near the border of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, with even some heavier rainfall moving in towards the Piedmont and eventually into the Appalachians.

But the heaviest of precipitation as it stands now depicted here right along the coastline. So, heads up Myrtle Beach into the Charleston region, as well as Wilmington. Not only storm surge, hurricane winds, but also inland flooding, becoming an increased risk across the region.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: NATO's military leadership says it's ready to strengthen its response, as Russia seems to be challenging the alliance with incursions into member nations airspace. A look at what could happen if things escalate. That's coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM.

And after getting kicked off the air, late night host Jimmy Kimmel show is back. Just ahead, the reasons behind the major tv networks decision to shut down the show.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:46]

BRUNHUBER: Defense chiefs from 32 NATO member nations are gathered this hour in Latvia for a scheduled meeting of the alliance's highest military authority. Now, the committee's main focus is providing military advice on how the alliance can best address security challenges around the world.

Now, this meeting comes as Russia is accused of violating the airspace of several NATO member nations over the past several weeks, Ukraine's spy agency says the kremlin sent drones into polish airspace deliberately to test NATOs response and to step up pressure on the West.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADMIRAL GIUSEPPE CAVO DRAGONE, CHAIR, NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE: These acts are escalatory, reckless and endanger lives, and the Russia bears full responsibility for these actions.

Today, I express full and unequivocal solidarity with all allies whose airspace has been breached. The alliance response has been robust and will only continue to strengthen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Speaking to G20 foreign ministers at the U.N. this week, top Russian diplomat Sergei Lavrov accused NATO and the E.U. of using Ukraine to declare a real war against his country. Now this comes after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested NATO allies should shoot down Russian jets that enter their airspace. Lavrov is set to address the U.N. General Assembly later today.

Joining me to talk about this is Emil Kastehelmi, military analyst and co-founder of the Black Bird Group.

Thank you so much for being here with us. Really appreciate it.

So, we just heard the chairman there say NATOs response will only continue to strengthen. So, what would a strengthened response actually look like? What kind of cards does NATO actually have to play here?

EMIL KASTEHELMI, MILITARY ANALYST AND CO-FOUNDER, BLACK BIRD GROUP: Well, there's been all kinds of things being discussed at the moment. NATOs response has previously been relatively mild, but now the stance has changed and various countries are signaling, for example, that that there will be more serious countermeasures and, and aircraft will be shut down if they violate the airspace of certain NATO members again.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. We've heard, as I said, President Trump and others talking about exactly that, potentially shooting down Russian aircraft. I mean, that's, you know, a pretty dramatic escalation. What are the risks of going down that path?

KASTEHELMI: Well, there are various risks, of course. The question of shooting down Russian jets or drones should be reviewed on a case-by- case basis as everything that goes up also comes down. So, there are cases where shooting Russian assets down can cause additional risks. For example, for the civilians as heavy and dangerous debris crashes to the ground.

And of course, at the political level there are also some escalatory risks included if actually NATO starts to engage Russian aircraft. But however, ignoring the incursions hasn't worked either. So. we that it has only encouraged Russia to continue this, which is also posing a risk. So, it's a really difficult environment to operate and make decisions in.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. I mean these airspace violations seem to be happening more and more frequently and getting bolder, as you say. So, what are Moscow's goals here do you think?

KASTEHELMI: Well, militarily, Russians likely want to test the readiness of the targeted countries. And this provocative violations, in the political sense, are testing the limits of NATOs response and the decision making. If no response is given, they can go further and try to move the so-called Overton Window, meaning that previously shocking things become more normalized and the threshold for NATO response may rise. So, there are various goals for the Russians at play here.

BRUNHUBER: So then if Russia is testing NATO's limits, I mean, what do you think the kremlin has learned so far from the reaction, not just from NATO, but importantly from President Trump as well?

[04:25:03]

KASTEHELMI: Well, it currently the Russians, as they began to do these, these things, it shows that the NATOs deterrence has decreased. These actions -- they have now learned that that NATO, at least at some level, is giving harder response than previously, but it is likely that they will try to try new things -- try to push, push, deeper in, in a way, because they have not found their limits yet. So, this is -- this is a difficult, difficult, difficult situation.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. You know, obviously this is all in the context of Russia's war on Ukraine.

Do you think this is Russia sort of trying to stretch NATOs focus and make its members worry more about defending their own territory?

KASTEHELMI: Yeah, I most certainly these actions are also one possible way or one possible goal is to try to divert some attention away from Ukraine as the Russian airspace violations are very blatant. But a simple way to create uncertainty and force the leaders of NATO countries to suddenly think about protecting their own countries instead of just Ukraine and their own airspace more seriously than before. They are forced to face difficult decisions and questions about escalation, which is a new, new setting, I'd say.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, certainly. Many difficult decisions ahead.

Emil Kastehelmi, thank you so much for being here with us. Really appreciate it.

KASTEHELMI: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Iran is recalling its ambassador to Germany, France and the U.K. after the Western nations began to reimpose sanctions over violations of the 2015 nuclear deal. That's after the U.N. Security Council rejected a push by Russia and China to delay the snapback sanctions. Iran's foreign minister accused the West of, quote, burying diplomacy, while Britain's ambassador said her country remains open to a negotiated solution.

The U.S. and Israeli leaders appear to be far apart -- apart rather about next steps in Gaza. Coming up, two opposing messages about the future of the war, as the leaders prepare to meet face to face.

Plus, why President Trump is trying to get Microsoft to fire a top executive.

Those stories and more coming up. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:51]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

President Trump is publicly targeting another perceived political enemy who he blames for investigating him. On Friday, Trump called on Microsoft to fire its president of global affairs, Lisa Monaco. She served as deputy attorney general in the Biden administration. The president wrote on social media that Lisa Monaco, quote, is a menace to U.S. national security, especially given the major contracts that Microsoft has with the United States government and Trump's social media posts about Lisa Monaco putting Microsoft in the position of having to decide whether to give in to his demands.

Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb spoke to CNN about Trump's pattern of trying to get revenge. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TY COBB, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE LAWYER: Extortion is the way of this administration. I mean, whether it's going after intel, whether it's shaking them down for 10 percent, whether it's shaking down law firms, universities, whether it's Todd Blanche, you know, trying to get favorable testimony from Ghislaine Maxwell and put her in a prison where nobody with a, you know, type of offenses that -- serious offenses that she was convicted of has ever been before to treat her kindly. That's -- this is what is going on here. This is a very transactional operation. And, you know, he will exact whatever revenge he can get, with regard to Lisa Monaco out of Microsoft.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: A boycott of Jimmy Kimmel live is over. The ABC network owned by Disney briefly suspended the show over comments Kimmel had made about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. ABC reinstated the show on Tuesday. Major TV station groups Sinclair and Nexstar announced they'd continue to preempt the program.

But as CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter reports, that has now changed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey there. Yeah, the Jimmy Kimmel blackout is over in the U.S. with dozens of local ABC affiliated stations that have been told by their parent companies to preempt the show now being allowed to put it back on the airwaves as of Friday night. This was a very unusual situation, all coming in a politically charged environment in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination.

You remember last week, ABC pulling Jimmy Kimmel show nationwide after two major station group owners, Nexstar and Sinclair, indicated they were going to preempt the show on their local ABC affiliated stations. This immediately gave rise to speculation that the local station group owners were trying to curry favor with the Trump administration, given that Trump's local TV regulator, Brendan Carr, had publicly condemned Kimmel and started to threaten ABC's local station licenses.

Now all of this has played out over the course of about a week with Nexstar and Sinclair initially refusing to return Kimmel to local station airwaves even after ABC brought the show back on Tuesday night. Nexstar said it was in discussions with ABC and then on Friday, both Sinclair and Nexstar indicated that those discussions had ended and Kimmel was coming back on the local airwaves. This means that in cities like Washington and Seattle and Nashville, the program was back as of Friday night, although Kimmel did enjoy having a repeat episode, he didn't have to work on Friday.

This entire episode is a victory for Kimmel and for ABC, and it shows the power of the national networks over these local affiliates. It will also highlight, you know, the Trump administration's attempts to pressure media companies to change content and coverage.

Now, Kimmel had some fun with the fact that his show was blacked out in dozens of markets in his Thursday night monologue.

Take a look at what he said.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": Even though we are still being preempted in 60 American cities, on Tuesday, we had our second highest rated show in almost 23 years on the air.

(CHEERS)

KIMMEL: Our monologue from Tuesday night has more than 21 million views just on YouTube alone.

And I want to say, we couldn't have done it without you, Mr. President. Thank you very much. We got the Trump bump and we appreciate it.

STELTER: So, if you could hear him over the applause, he said, we got the Trump bump and we appreciate it. So, he was jokingly thanking President Trump for all the newfound attention.

Now, that ratings spike was very real for Kimmel's show, it probably will not last.

[04:35:02]

But Kimmel has certainly been given a boost by this entire controversy. And now, if and when the Trump administration makes moves against Disney or ABC or other local stations, people are going to wonder if it all traces back to Kimmel's late night comedy and his outspoken criticism of President Trump.

Keep in mind, Kimmel's contract to host this late night show is up next May, so that's also going to raise questions about what ABC will do when it comes time to renew him next spring. Brian Stelter, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. and Israeli leaders are set to meet on Monday, but there appears to be daylight between their ideas about what to do in Gaza. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a fiery speech at the U.N. General Assembly, pledging that is military will finish the job. He also had a direct message to the militants, who are still holding Israeli hostages in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Lay down your arms. Let my people go. Free the hostages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: But President Trump has a very different take, saying his latest peace plan has a good chance to work. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think we have maybe a deal on Gaza. Very close to a deal on Gaza. I think it's a deal that will get the hostages back. It's going to be a deal that will end the war. It's going to be a deal -- it's going to be peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, Netanyahu took some political flack at home for his speech. Some hostage families accused him of trying to rewrite history because he didn't mention deceased hostages in his address. While Israels top opposition leader called Netanyahu tired and whining.

For more, Larry Madowo joins us now from Nairobi.

So, Larry, before we get to Monday's meeting between the two presidents, the two leaders, walk us through what Netanyahu had to say at the U.N. and the reaction.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim, I have been spending this past week reporting in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, and my sense was that Israel has lost much of the world. And you saw that in real time, with most delegations walking out before the speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that reflects that growing international pressure for Israel to end this war in Gaza immediately. It's not just the typical Arab States and African states that have always stood with the Palestinian people, but also with this recognition of the Palestinian state by Canada and Australia and the U.K. and France and other countries, that reflects that growing international pressure for this to come to a close.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was still very defiant, combative in this speech. He brought visual aids, as he always does. He had a QR code, which, takes you to some of the atrocities committed on October 7th, and he accused the Western nations of capitulating to the mob, of not paying attention, of forgetting the plight of the hostages.

There's still 20 believed to be alive in Gaza City, and he said he has to finish the job. Listen, especially to his response to all these claims of Israel committing genocide in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NETANYAHU: I want to ask you a simple question. A simple, logical question. Would a country committing genocide plead with the civilian population it is supposedly targeting to get out of harm's way? Would we tell them, get out if we want to commit genocide? We're trying to get them out. And Hamas is trying to keep them in.

What? Did the Nazis ask the Jews to leave, kindly leave, go out? The -- others -- you want me to name all the genocidal leaders of history? Just go one by one. Did anyone do this?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: Netanyahu and the Israelis may have lost much of the world, but they still have the steadfast support of President Trump, even though he has also shown signs of impatience. He has put out a 21- point peace plan, which should come up when President Trump meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. This calls for the release of all hostages within 48 hours of this getting adopted.

There's still some kinks to work out here, and Prime Minister Netanyahu in his speech, didn't essentially signal that he was open to this. But that was something that is something that will certainly be center in their meeting on Monday. I'm not sure if there will be an announcement in this meeting on Monday, but at least a lot of people are expecting there to be some kind of way forward on how to end the war, to bring back the hostages. There's still a said 20 who are believed to be alive, but the Israelis are asking for every single one of the hostages remain in Gaza City to be there.

And this speech by Prime Minister Netanyahu was also broadcast in loudspeakers in Gaza City. The Netanyahu believes that the last remnants of Hamas leadership are in Gaza city. Thats why he's going ahead with this assault plan on the city, to make sure that they exterminate all remaining leadership of Gaza and bring the hostages home -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate that. Larry Madowo, thanks so much.

In Asia, back-to-back typhoons have battered millions, leaving destruction in their wake.

[04:40:02]

We'll take you to some of the hardest hit regions after the break. Please do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BRUNHUBER: Well, have a look here at flooded streets, blocked roads, abandoned vehicles, some of the scenes left by heavy storms that swept through parts of Arizona on Friday. Heavy rainfall caused roads and parking lots to flood. Drivers in Phoenix had to move slowly through streets submerged in high water. One driver recorded a Waymo self- driving car trapped in the high water. Elsewhere, police were forced to block off streets and firefighters attempted water rescue.

Well, Asia has been facing a brutal typhoon season with storms striking one after the other, disrupting millions of lives across the Philippines, Taiwan and China. And with more storms forming in the Pacific, officials warn the danger isn't easing anytime soon.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has more on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Back-to-back storms have barreled through a wide swath of Asia, leaving behind floods, power outages and a trail of destruction. Fast-moving Bualoi is now heading toward Vietnam after battering the Philippines, which just days earlier was struck by a powerful typhoon.

More than 400,000 people who live in flood and landslide-prone areas were evacuated to emergency shelters, this ahead of the latest storm, according to civil defense officials. Bualoi was the 15th tropical storm to hit the Philippines this year, and some residents say that they're not taking any chances.

BECCA FERNANDEZ, EVACUEE: We were scared, so we moved here. The floodwaters rise fast in our neighborhood. It reaches higher than us. The roof is high, but the floodwaters reach that high.

SANDOVAL: But many parts of Asia are still trying to recover from the damage caused by a previous storm, Typhoon Ragasa, which at one point reached super typhoon status and it blew through the region earlier in the week. Rescuers in eastern Taiwan, they're still searching through thick mud for survivors after a natural dam burst, sending a wall of water into a nearby town.

[04:45:08]

YUAN, LOCAL RESIDENT: My friends are buried inside over there, so who am I supposed to speak to? How can we find them? Their bodies have been washed over in the floods.

SANDOVAL: China also cleaning up after floodwaters from Ragasa wreaked havoc in the southern part of the country. One shop owner says she's been in this location for about 10 years and hasn't seen a storm as intense as this.

YANG YANNA, SHOP OWNER: I thought the floodwater would be the height of these chairs or a bit higher. No problem. But it rose higher than we expected. It rose to this level. Everything at this level is now ruined.

SANDOVAL: Polo Sandoval, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: We'll be right back here on CNN NEWSROOM. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Well, have a look at this. An unusual gathering of polar bears has been spotted at an abandoned Soviet research base in the Russian arctic. Drone footage shows a group of bears roaming through crumbling buildings, possibly using the abandoned island facility as shelter.

[04:50:00]

Now, while seeing so many of the animals in one place may seem encouraging, experts say the species is far from thriving. Climate change and the loss of sea ice they rely on to hunt seals is stripping away the habitat polar bears need to survive. And it's a loss that's already reflected in shrinking populations across the arctic.

All right. It is that time of year again where the biggest beefiest bears in Alaska go head-to-head for the heavyweight title of fattest bear of the year. Now, the annual fat bear week is down to the semifinals, and you're looking at fan favorite, 128 Grazer. She's determined to defend her crown. The march madness style bracket pits brown bears against each other with rounds of public voting, and its all aimed at deciding, once and for all who is the fattest of them all.

And have a look at this. Just look at how much Grazer has grown in only a few months. Now, its not all fun and games for the bears. This competition has real implications. The bears are packing on the pounds for survival ahead of their winter hibernation.

All right. Joining me now from King Salmon, Alaska is Matthew Johnson. He's a park ranger and public information officer for Katmai National Park.

Really appreciate you coming on to talk to us about this. One of our favorite stories that we get to do.

So, we're down to the semifinals now. How intense does the competition get at this stage? How invested are people out there in their favorite bears?

MATTHEW JOHNSON, RANGER, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, KATMAI NATIONAL PARK: Well, they're extremely interested. It's amazing to go. You look on social media and the chats online at fatbearweek.org, explore.org, and the people are putting in their own artwork. And our votes have topped 1 million votes so far. It seems like the highest voting totals ever for the bears, and it's only been in operation for 11, 12 years so far. So, it's amazing, heartening to see the reaction from people. BRUNHUBER: Yeah, it's something people, really have taken to -- we

were just showing some of those before and after shots. Maybe we can pop them up again. I mean, they are pretty dramatic. I mean, just how much weight are these bears putting on during salmon season? There you see it.

JOHNSON: Typically, a boar will weigh 750 pounds at the beginning of the year. And they're over 1,000 pounds by this time. And it's been an especially good year for salmon in Alaska. It seems that more salmon than ever.

It's surprising -- you have to see it for yourself. The rivers are practically boiling salmon. It's amazing to see this year, the bears are. They've had more than enough to eat, and they're all pretty fat.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. I want to ask you about the salmon a little bit later, but just to start, since we had the picture of Grazer up there, one of the fan favorites, trying to trying to defend her crown while raising a cub, I understand. I mean, what makes her the bear to beat and who's her biggest competition, would you say so far?

JOHNSON: She's gone up against number 32 Chunk in the past two years and defeated him twice. Chunk is in the semifinals right now. It's down to just four bears. Theres 602, the Potato. He's known as 32 chunk 128, grazer and 856. She's the only sow. The only female in the competition. And three other big males are facing her.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. That's amazing -- to be holding off the males as it were. I mean, this is obviously a, you know, a fun competition, but there are serious issues at play for the bears. As I mentioned, this is about survival, right? Fattening up as they head into the winter hibernation. You don't want to be, you know, the loser when it comes to getting fat, right?

JOHNSON: That's right. Fat means success for bears heading into the winter. During the hibernation season, which is coming up, they lose a third of their body weight and their breathing slows, heart rate slows. They need that fat to survive. They don't eat or drink and when they come out in the spring, they're still facing food shortages. It's not food that's readily available for them in the spring. So, it -- we face some hardship during the winter.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. I imagine we were just showing the video there of the bears perched on top of the river with the salmon just literally jumping into their mouths. Obviously healthy bears depend on healthy salmon. You mentioned it's been a great year. Obviously, so all these environmental factors are connected, right?

[04:55:06]

I mean, we saw earlier how polar bears are struggling because of climate change. How are Alaska's brown bears doing overall?

JOHNSON: They're doing really well in Katmai National Park. There's -- we have one of the largest populations of brown bears on the planet here. And you see a lot of them are lucky. You see a lot of them congregate at Brooks Falls. And during the summer, especially in July. And it's wonderful to see them out of Liverpool. Compared to healthy ecosystem to an auto engine.

You go underneath the hood. And you start taking out parts, however big or small they are. You find that the engine doesn't run so well anymore, and were lucky here that we have such an intact ecosystem. The clean water is coming from the mountains.

The plentiful salmon that that the bears have. It's been an especially good year. It's amazing for them. They're -- the river is just full of salmon.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

JOHNSON: Amazing to see.

BRUNHUBER: Well, it's great to see and to hear about this competition. As you said, so many people really rooting for these bears, and we're rooting for them as well.

Matt Johnson, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

JOHNSON: You're welcome. Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, on that fun -- fun note, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.