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Israel Accepts Trump's Ceasefire Plan, Hamas Yet to Confirm; U.S. Government Shutdown Happening at Midnight if No Outcome on the Spending Bill from Both Houses; CNN Investigates the Cartel Networks that Recruited Young Teens on Social Media. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired September 30, 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]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
IVAN WATSON, CNN ANCHOR AND SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Ivan Watson.
Just ahead, an ultimatum. The U.S. and Israel agree on a ceasefire plan in Gaza and tell Hamas to accept or else.
No closer to a breakthrough, the U.S. is headed towards a government shutdown with just hours to go.
Plus, a rare look inside America's drug war and the role that social media is playing in recruiting young teens.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Hong Kong, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Ivan Watson.
WATSON: All right, the U.S. President Donald Trump says he's close to a peace agreement that will end the war in Gaza and secure the release of all the hostages. The Israeli Prime Minister says he has agreed to the 20-point plan, while Hamas has not yet responded to the deal. The proposal includes a permanent ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages, living and dead, Israel's gradual withdrawal from Gaza, as well as a roadmap for Gaza without Hamas in power.
Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of dire consequences if Hamas rejects the plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself. This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: In the meantime, Qatar says Israel apologized for its attack on Doha during a phone call with President Trump. Qatar's Prime Minister says his country is still willing to continue engaging in efforts to reach an end to the war in Gaza.
There has been swift reaction across the globe to the U.S. peace plan for Gaza, with leaders in Europe welcoming the proposal. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is among those speaking out. He called the U.S. plan bold and intelligent and said it offers, quote, "the best chance of ending two years of war, misery and suffering."
Also welcoming U.S. efforts to end the war in Gaza, foreign ministers of eight Muslim nations and the Palestinian Authority. And inside Israel, the families of hostages still in Gaza are holding on to hope that this plan will finally bring their loved ones home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNAH COHEN, AUNT OF HOSTAGE HELD IN GAZA (through translator): I am more optimistic. I'm more optimistic, though I'm still a bit afraid to be this optimistic. I'm afraid to be, again, disappointed.
I'm really afraid. We have learned through suffering and very bad experiences of deals that were coming together and then blew up in our faces. But I want to remain optimistic that maybe finally our nightmares will end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Now, CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, Paula.
We're approaching the two year anniversary of the initial deadly Hamas attacks on October 7th. Both President Biden and now President Trump have talked about peace deals in the making and then hopes for peace have fallen through. Does this feel different?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a good question, Ivan. Certainly there appears to be more substantive detail in this plan than we have seen in proposals in the past.
And this plan is different from what we have seen before in the fact that it wants to see all of the hostages released at the same time, as opposed to the more phased approach that we saw the U.S. and Israel pushing for in the past. So it does have differences. There is a lot of different elements within this plan.
Of course, there are concerns that the details and the sensitivities of trying to secure peace in this region is going to derail it at some point. Now, the question is, will Hamas agree to this plan?
We've already heard from another Palestinian militant group in Gaza, Islamic Jihad. They've condemned the plan, calling it a quote "recipe for regional explosion."
[03:05:02]
Now we do know there is a red line for Hamas in here. The fact that it calls for the demilitarization of Gaza. It calls for all of the terror infrastructure, the tunnels underground, the weapons production facilities to be destroyed and not to be rebuilt.
We have heard from Hamas that they agree not to be part of the future governance of Gaza. But they have consistently said that laying down their arms is a red line for them. So that is potentially a stumbling block.
But it's an interesting plan in the way that it sets out two pathways, whether Hamas accepts it or whether Hamas rejects this plan. At the end of either one of those scenarios, there will be, we understand from this plan, a permanent ceasefire and Israel will withdraw gradually from the Gaza Strip.
It obviously is contingent on Hamas agreeing to the plan, though, for those hostages to be released. Ivan?
WATSON: And Paula, you know, the status, the state of the population in Gaza is by all accounts miserable with widespread reports of starvation, death and destruction. I imagine from the people you've been talking to that Palestinians are desperate for an end to this conflict.
HANCOCKS: I mean, it's hard to imagine that the situation could get worse for civilians in Gaza. They have been hopeful in the past that a ceasefire was about to be called, only to have their hopes dashed. And certainly with this Israeli military operation into the heart of Gaza City, we are seeing increased misery in that area.
Now, there will be Palestinian civilians that will be killed today, that will be killed tomorrow before there is a decision on whether a ceasefire should be called and should be put into place. And it is a very disparate situation for those on the ground. I want to tell you the story of one Palestinian teacher who is currently missing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN (translated): Ghada, this is Civil Defense. Ghada Raba, we have come for you.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Gazan rescue workers search for a well-known and much-loved teacher in Gaza City, Ghada Raba. She may have been under this rubble for days.
Having evacuated with her family, she returned with her brother, Hussam, to their home in Tell al-Hawa in the southern part of the city to pick up belongings. When she arrived, she sent photos and voice notes to a WhatsApp group of fellow teachers celebrating the lack of Israeli tanks.
GHADA RABA, TEACHER IN GAZA CITY (translated): Thank God, it's quiet and I pray that it stays quiet so I can get our belongings out, I brought them to the staircase. Oh God, how beautiful home is, how beautiful and safe, it's amazing. May God keep us safe.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Minutes later, she sent this desperate note to her siblings, saying Israeli drones targeted the area, hitting her brother, Hussam.
RABA (translated): My siblings, the car that came to pick us up was struck, the driver and the car were smashed, our belongings were destroyed. Hussam tried to help with four others, and they were hit by shelling. I don't know what happened to my brother.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Palestine Red Crescent workers retrieved the bodies of Raba's brother and others in the street, but Raba was nowhere to be found.
A friend said Raba called her, she heard her say hello, but then the line went dead. Israeli strikes destroyed her home, her family, and countless students she has helped over the years fear the worst. The IDF did not respond to CNN for comment.
An outpouring of grief for a woman who secured scholarships outside Gaza for her students, a tireless advocate for education.
SAHAR AL BASHA, GHADA'S FELLOW TEACHER (translated): She was loved by all teachers and students. All her students are turning social media upside down for her.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): She drew this picture just three weeks ago, with a poem that reads, "We're spinning in circles, searching for safety." Her brother Ismail believed she was hiding in her home when an Israeli strike destroyed the building.
ISMAIL RABAH, GHADA'S BROTHER (translated): I cannot say that I have lost my sister, because I have hope I will find her. I cannot say I have lost her, I don't know what happened to her.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): It is a perpetual reality of the past two years. Officials in Gaza believe thousands of civilians are still trapped under the rubble across the Gaza Strip. There is no closure without confirmation, and no time to grieve while still under fire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS: The civilians in Gaza will be hoping that this plan is the one that will finally secure that ceasefire. Ivan.
WATSON: All right, Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, thank you for that report.
[03:10:02]
Moving on to another big story of the day, there is less than 24 hours until the U.S. government is expected to shut down. In the coming hours, lawmakers will make a final effort to strike a deal to avoid that. Republican lawmakers have been pushing Democrats to pass a stopgap bill to temporarily fund the government, but top officials aren't hopeful it will work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) J.D. VANCE, U.S. PRESIDENT: As I think we're headed to a shutdown, because the Democrats won't do the right thing, I hope they change their mind, but we're going to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: And now federal workers are bracing for the potential impacts of a shutdown. Some are considered essential and have to continue working. Others are furloughed, but many don't get paid until the impasse ends.
Active duty and reserve military members also will not be paid, but top Democrats say the issues they want addressed are too important to ignore.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), U.S. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Democrats are fighting to protect the health care of the American people, and we are not going to support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the health care of everyday Americans. Period, full stop.
SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): Right now, it's like you're running the risk of plunging our nation into chaos. Millions and millions of lives will be upended, and now that's the kind of message, what kind of message does that send to our country and to our allies and to our enemies?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Larry Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. He's also the co-author of "Campaign of Chaos - Trump, Biden, Harris and the 2024 American Election." Larry, great to see you.
We appear to be heading full speed ahead towards another possible government shutdown. It would be the first really since President Trump's first term. What would the real world implications of this be if this does in fact happen?
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS: The implications are more serious than people think. Yes, we've had 26 of them since 1976, and the longest one was the last one in Trump's first term, 35 days stretching over 2018 and 2019.
The reason the implications are serious is because so much of what the U.S. government does grinds to a halt. Probably the most serious part of it is that the troops and the TSA officers and lots of other people, including air traffic controllers, while they have to show up, are not paid. So if this goes on for 35 days, there are a lot of families who are without food.
WATSON: We've gotten warnings from the White House that if this does in fact happen, this could provide an opportunity, a pretext for laying off many more federal workers. How real of a threat is that?
SABATO: Oh, it's a very real threat. In another administration, I would have said that's just a nightmare scenario that they're cooking up in order to get an agreement.
But in Trump's case, given the people who are working on this and their goals, their goals really are shrinking and in some cases eliminating large parts of the federal government. They're going to use this as best they can. Never let a crisis go to waste, that's their theory.
WATSON: Can you explain the politics of this? I mean, during President Biden's term, there were threats to shut down the government. They didn't come quite to fruition.
This seems to be something that the opposition periodically does, this gamesmanship. And now we're in another cycle of that. How would you analyze and explain the politics of this moment?
SABATO: We are terribly polarized as a country. And as polarized as we the people are, those running government, both Democrats and Republicans, are extremely polarized. They barely talk to one another, they don't socialize with one another much anymore.
And I think they view one another as enemies. They're not just adversaries, they're enemies. So we have two enemy camps running America, and only one camp is in charge of everything: The White House, both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court.
And that, of course, is the Republican Party.
So what incentive do they have, really, to compromise?
Yes, they need a few Democratic votes in the Senate to resolve the government shutdown situation. But there's no reason for the Republicans to give in.
We need to remember, this is the anti-government party. They're perfectly happy if the government shuts down. Yes, they worry about some of the key parts of it, defense parts, military spending, and the like, that will stop.
But on the whole, they're pleased with a lot of it. It's the Democrats who are concerned, but they're in the minority everywhere.
[03:15:04]
WATSON: I want to pivot to a different subject, and that is the imminent and expected meeting that will be taking place that President Trump will be attending of generals and admirals from the U.S. military convening all in one place with the newly branded Department of War and the newly branded Secretary of War, Hegseth. Why is this meeting consequential? Why is it changing decades, generations of tradition? SABATO: It seems to be unprecedented. No one can find a precedent for
this kind of meeting. It's beyond extraordinary to draw the generals and admirals from all over the world on the eve of a government shutdown.
Some of them are going to be stuck here. But it's caused a lot of consternation, Ivan. People don't know why they're being drawn together.
You mean you spend tens of millions of dollars, potentially, on bringing them all together for a pep talk? There's something called Zoom. It's incredibly cheap.
So the assumption is there's some ulterior motive. There's a hidden agenda here and people have been guessing wildly. But no one really knows.
WATSON: Larry Sabato, thank you very much for sharing your insights, speaking from Charlottesville and at the home of UVA. I appreciate your time.
SABATO: Thank you, Ivan.
WATSON: OK, still to come, investigators are learning more about the man who carried out a deadly attack on a church in Michigan where hundreds of worshippers were attending Sunday services.
Plus, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia's goals for domination do not end in Ukraine. We'll hear more on his offer to help Europe develop a defense system against that threat.
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[03:20:00]
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WATSON: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Ivan Watson, in Hong Kong.
Russia's defense minister has signed a new conscription order drafting 135,000 more people into the army from October 1st to December 31st. This comes as Russia's president insists his country is fighting what he calls a just cause in Ukraine and winning the war. Vladimir Putin says Russia will accomplish all of its goals in eastern Ukraine though he acknowledges much remains to be done.
Ukraine's President is warning other European nations that they may be the next target for Russia's violent ambitions and that its recent jet and drone incursions into European airspace are a prime example. Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is, quote, "testing how far it can go." He also proposed what he calls a joint truly reliable shield against Russian aerial threats to keep Russia from being able to launch airstrikes on any potential European target.
A community in Michigan is grieving and looking for answers after Sunday's deadly attack on a church in Grand Blanc. Investigators are trying to figure out why a 40-year-old ex-marine drove his car into a chapel filled with worshippers then began shooting with an assault rifle and set the building on fire. CNN's Leigh Waldman brings us the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHIEF WILLIAM RENYE, GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: Evil. This was an evil act of violence.
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Congregants and residents in shock after at least four were killed in a deadly attack at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan.
Everybody in my neighborhood out there is so devastated.
BRANDT MALONE, CHURCH MEMBER: My wife and my daughter were just up here on Saturday night for a youth activity so it's a really raw thing to see it.
WALDMAN (voice-over): A peaceful Sunday service cut short by violence when a gunman drove a vehicle into the church began shooting then set the building ablaze, authorities say.
MALONE: A lifetime of memories is just gone.
WALDMAN (voice-over): In an exchange of gunfire officers killed the gunman they identified as a 40-year-old Iraq war veteran from a nearby city. Complicating the investigation on Monday a 21-year-old drove a sedan through a barricade at the scene and was quickly apprehended by police.
Photos taken by a CNN crew shows what appears to be a long gun in the front seat of the car. Authorities have not provided additional details about the individual or the motive.
RENYE: We are still in the process of investigating that incident whether or not it's related or not.
WALDMAN (voice-over): The motive in the attack remains unclear. Chris Johns, a candidate for a Michigan City Council, told CNN he spoke to the alleged shooter a week ago while door knocking on the campaign trail.
KRIS JOHNS, BURTON, MICHIGAN CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE: He did make the statement that Mormons are the Antichrist, which is a shocking statement. This is somebody you're just meeting for the first time. He had very strong opinions nothing that was related to violence that would indicate violence just somebody who had a very, very strong held belief that really he had maybe a philosophical animus but not necessarily a desire to do what he did.
WALDMAN (voice-over): Eight people were injured in the attack and everyone else has now been accounted for, officials say.
SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): It doesn't matter what party you're from this kind of thing just chills you to the bone.
WALDMAN (voice-over): Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin surveyed the scene on Monday. It's near her home.
SLOTKIN: No community can ever believe that they would be on the receiving end of an attack like this.
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): This place has been shattered by bullets and broken glass and this might be a familiar pain but it hurts all the same. Every time we cannot keep living our lives like this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[03:25:10]
WATSON: Alright, still ahead on "CNN Newsroom."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SR. U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You all are using social media to get to young people young teens and recruiting them to be part of it. Some of them many of them are American citizens too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: CNN goes inside the world of cartel smuggling. How criminal groups are using social media to recruit young people, even teenagers to break the law for an easy payout.
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[03:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WATSON: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Ivan Watson, in Hong Kong. Let's check today's top stories.
There's less than 24 hours until the U.S. reaches a deadline, forcing a government shutdown. Lawmakers have been trying to reach a deal to keep the government funded, but both Republicans and Democrats have agendas neither is willing to budge on. This would be the third shutdown under President Trump, with the most recent one lasting a record 35 days during his last term.
Madagascar's President says he is dissolving the island nation's government after days of youth-led protests. At least 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured amid demonstrations against water and power cuts. The President said he acknowledged government failures and wants to create space for dialogue with young people.
Donald Trump says he believes a ceasefire in Gaza is closer than ever after unveiling a new proposal to end the war. That came after the U.S. President met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has agreed to the 20-point plan. The proposal still requires the sign- off from Hamas. Earlier, I spoke with Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat, on
whether Netanyahu's cabinet, notably his far-right allies, will support this latest proposal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: No, they're not behind him at all, Ivan. And in fact, if he brings the entire 20- point plan for the cabinet to approve, which is, by the way, what he is required to do, then the cabinet will not support him, and that could very well mean the end of his coalition.
But this is political speculation. What is probably more important is to look at how he presents it. Don't worry about this article's, you know, three to seven, it won't happen. Don't worry about the Palestinian Authority's involvement, it requires reform, we all know they'll never reform.
Don't worry about the mention of a Palestinian state, I had to go along with President Trump on this, but it won't happen. Don't worry about the redeployment in Gaza, we're going to stall for time. Don't worry about Hamas agreeing to this, they will renege on it pretty soon.
If he presents this to them as, look, guys, I had to do this because I was cornered, I was pressured, I was put under. In fact, I did it under duress, then they will buy into that.
But here's the problem, Ivan. This is not a secret deliberation. Things are going to come out from that cabinet meeting, and Mr. Netanyahu has reached a crescendo in which he can't lie to both sides anymore.
He's either going to misinform and lie to his cabinet, or, conversely, he's going to do the same to President Trump. He can't keep on doing both, which is why I think he's going to stall for time, he's going to say that we need to study the exact details and timetables of Israeli withdrawal, we need to first wait for a full and, you know, unmitigated Hamas agreement to this. And he's going to hope that, you know, a week goes by, two weeks go by, no one remembers this, Trump is back dealing with Ukraine, Portland, Oregon, or Greenland, for that matter, and no one's going to care anymore.
If this is how he sells this to his cabinet, then his cabinet will support this, but we don't have a deal. So it's either or.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: To Afghanistan now. That country has been plunged into a nationwide Internet blackout, according to Internet watchdog NetBlocks. Afghan media outlets have reported severe disruption to their operations and more than 43 million citizens have been cut off from global communications in a move that the Taliban calls, quote, "morality measures."
[03:34:59] Observers warn the shutdown could further isolate Afghans from the outside world and have devastating consequences for the education of girls who are already barred from most in-person learning.
A CNN investigation has found young Americans are being recruited by cartels to smuggle drugs, weapons, and even people into the United States. Using social media, the cartels are offering large amounts of cash to new recruits, but authorities are hot on their trail.
CNN's David Culver spoke with law enforcement and even a cartel boss about these dangerous operations. Here's his report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER: I'll do another drive-by, westbound.
UNKNOWN: Copy, I'm moving in. And then we'll do kind of like a fill-in and stop.
CULVER: Right now we're with several Cochise County deputies in several different units as they're moving in on their targets.
You guys should just hunker down where you're at.
UNKNOWN: Okay, we'll stand. Hands up, please don't move.
CULVER: Some of them, you'll notice, are undercover. You won't see their faces, you won't hear their names.
UNKNOWN: And is there anyone else in the car with you?
CULVER: And they're fanned out here just north of the U.S. southern border to dismantle a smuggling network, one arrest at a time.
An investigation, mind you, that's been going on for 18 months.
UNKNOWN: It's not just your everyday criminal. It's definitely taking the bigger fish off the streets.
CULVER: The suspect's just handed over his phone, revealing what investigators say are key details about a migrant smuggling operation that's happening right now.
It's a coordinated pickup. That's all playing out in real time. And there's several more that you're trying to arrest.
UNKNOWN: 18 in total.
CULVER: 18 in total.
UNKNOWN: We have a section right now still alive in the car.
CULVER: Are these Americans we're talking about?
UNKNOWN: With the exception of one. All are U.S. citizens. CULVER: Wow. They're tied to a faction of the cartel. They're a tight-
knit crew all working together for the betterment of a larger organization.
CULVER (voice-over): Cochise County spans 83 miles of border. South of this line, an underground network tied to the fractured but powerful Sinaloa cartel. Plaza bosses control each corridor, deciding who and what gets through, with lookouts posted on nearby hills, constantly watching for U.S. patrols.
To keep undetected, migrants and their cartel-backed guides often dress in camouflage, moving through the rocky desert terrain. They follow a pin drop, often to a road a few miles from the border. Drivers race in for the pickup and cash payout, many are young Americans recruited online.
For six months, we tracked hundreds of cartel recruitment posts on social media. Some aimed at luring teens.
Coded language, emojis, and cash offers, offering thousands per pickup.
UNKNOWN: Yes, I've never seen a duke in the parking lot yet.
CULVER (voice-over): Deputies are going after the drivers. In the past six months, the Justice Department reports 431 people charged with smuggling in Arizona alone, many recruited online. Attorneys say most of their clients are between 18 and 25.
After the pickup, drivers head to stash houses on the U.S. side, run by cartel syndicates.
CULVER: We're looking for a bright orange trailer.
CULVER (voice-over): Inside, deputies say they hold people, drugs, and weapons. Guns, sourced in the U.S., head south into Mexico. Migrants and narcotics move north to Tucson, Phoenix, and beyond.
Every step closely coordinated.
To understand the impact this cartel crackdown is having, we spend weeks trying to get a senior cartel leader to speak with us. He finally agrees, meeting us in a Phoenix parking lot.
UNKNOWN: Well, I work with the Sinaloa.
CULVER: The Sinaloa cartel.
CULVER (voice-over): From killing to coordinating smuggling operations, he says he's done it all.
CULVER: Do you help in bringing people, drugs, weapons?
UNKNOWN: People and drugs.
CULVER: Are you a citizen here? UNKNOWN: No, sir.
CULVER: No, and so you're able to still come in and out?
UNKNOWN: Yes.
CULVER (voice-over): Among those helping with transportation, U.S. citizens.
CULVER: You all are using social media to get to young people, young teens, and recruiting them to be part of it. Some of them, many of them, are American citizens, too.
UNKNOWN: That's what it is. It's like that.
CULVER: That's life.
UNKNOWN: It's like that, you know.
CULVER: So, even though they may get caught and spend many years in prison, that's their fault, as you say.
UNKNOWN: Yes.
CULVER: When you see, for example, the impact of violence and everything that is caused from the cartel movements, from essentially your employer, do you feel like you're part of this problem?
[03:30:02]
UNKNOWN: Yes. You know, because they're going to kill you, because, you know, family, when they want to kill you, you defend.
CULVER: So you see it as defending yourself?
UNKNOWN: Yes. That's what I say. I don't like problems.
You have something wrong to me, I do something bad to you.
CULVER (voice-over): A not-so-subtle threat. And yet, he seems to regret some of his own life choices.
CULVER: What is your motivation for wanting to talk?
UNKNOWN: Why I come to you?
CULVER: Exactly.
UNKNOWN: When people listen, and I tell them it's not a life, it's not a good, you know, it's not good, it's not...
CULVER: Have you had to kill people?
UNKNOWN: Yes, you've asked me.
CULVER: And does that not weigh on you? UNKNOWN: Because I'm not bad. I'm not a bad person.
CULVER: You don't think you're a bad person?
UNKNOWN: I'm not a bad person, but I do what I have to do.
CULVER: Why do you say you do what you have to do? Wouldn't you stop doing this? You can't?
Once you get in, you can't get out? Do you think what President Trump has been doing has been making your job tougher?
UNKNOWN: Oh yes.
CULVER: Yes, but it's becoming more difficult, you think?
UNKNOWN: Yes.
CULVER (voice-over): For now, the cartels are still at it.
CULVER: Where we're at right now, it's a very remote area.
CULVER (voice-over): And so too are the Cochise County deputies, jumping in to help Border Patrol.
CULVER: Camera lost visual shortly after he watched them cross the border.
CULVER (voice-over): They're tracking four people who crossed illegally, either by scaling or cutting open a section of the border wall, or by walking through open floodgates like these.
CULVER: This is all being coordinated and they're being guided by the cartel.
UNKNOWN: It's about a mile that way.
CULVER: It sounded like somebody had eyes because they called them running.
CULVER (voice-over): After a nearly two-hour pursuit, agents catch up with the migrants and their suspected cartel-backed guide.
CULVER: I think what stands out to us is going back to late last year, when we were last here, you would have never seen this many Border Patrol focused on four individuals. Most of that was because they simply didn't have the bandwidth.
CULVER (voice-over): With fewer migrants crossing, agents say they can finally focus on enforcement. As for local deputies, they press ahead.
UNKNOWN: You got some pending charges, right, dude?
CULVER (voice-over): Not so much targeting the migrants, but rather those who they're paying to cross illegally.
UNKNOWN: They're going to be charged with criminal syndicate.
CULVER (voice-over): A criminal enterprise that they warn is growing increasingly desperate.
David Culver, CNN, Cochise County, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: New restrictions could be costing the U.S. top talent. Why some researchers and scientists are now choosing China. That's coming up on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:45:00]
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WATSON: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." This is your Business Breakout.
Financial markets in the Asia-Pacific region are mixed with Tokyo's Nikkei Index moving in and out of positive territory. You see the Hang Seng and Shanghai Composite are up just a bit, and Seoul's KOSPI Index down just a little bit.
Now checking out some of today's other business headlines.
Japan's largest beer maker says it has been forced to pause key operations due to a cyberattack. Asahi Group says it has suspended orders and shipping services at its Japan-based companies, and paused production at some of its 30 domestic factories. The company revealed the existence of the attack on Monday, but said it did not lead to a leak of customer data, Asahi says it doesn't know when it will be able to fully resume operations.
Donald Trump has ordered hefty new tariffs that could affect the costs of many common household products. Starting October 14th, a 10 percent tariff is set to go into effect on imported lumber and timber. And for things like kitchen cabinets and vanities, it will be 25 percent, that could mean higher home building and furnishing costs which have already surged in recent months.
But that's just the start. Trump said on Truth Social these rates will go even higher to 30 and 50 percent on certain furniture and cabinets starting January 1st.
YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump. The U.S. President had filed suit after he was suspended by social media platforms in 2021 following the January 6th insurrection.
Meta and X settled claims earlier this year, and now, according to a court document, YouTube will pay $22 million to the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall to support the construction of the White House State Ballroom. It will also pay more than $2 million to settle with other plaintiffs.
Ok, this week China kicks off a new visa program meant to attract the world's smartest minds, including up-and-coming tech and science talent from other countries.
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China's new K visas are being launched as the Trump administration cuts research funding, restricts student visas, and hikes the cost of its visas for specialized foreign workers. At least 55 established and rising researchers in fields like A.I. and neuroscience have left the U.S. for full-time positions in China in recent months. This so-called reverse brain drain is a brain gain for Beijing.
CNN's senior China reporter Simone McCarthy is covering this live here in Hong Kong. Good to see you, Simone. I would urge viewers to take a look at your article on cnn.com, which explains this phenomenon in detail.
Simone, would you mind sharing what some of these researchers, these scientists, have told you, reasons for why they left the U.S. and moved to China?
SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN SR. CHINA REPORTER: Absolutely, Ivan. So that 55 number that you quoted in terms of those rising and established scientists who have left U.S. universities to take up these full-time positions at Chinese research institutions, that is a tally that CNN has compiled since the start of this year.
If we go back to 2024, that number hovers at around 85. Of course, this is just a subsection of what we're able to look at based on different public notices and open-source research that we're doing.
However, researchers are coming back for a range of reasons. Many are originally from China, people who decided to pursue their education and careers in the United States. Some have become pioneers of American science and mathematics, who are now assessing for a number of reasons to return back to China.
We spoke with people who'd made that decision in recent years. People were talking about family reasons, professional reasons, but also a climate of U.S.-China competition and also suspicion against scientists of Chinese heritage in America that was certainly a factor that was making the U.S. a less desirable place to live.
But now, as we look at these sweeping changes that the Trump administration is making to the landscape of American science, the H- 1B restriction changes that you just spoke about, but also freezing of grants and slashing of federal research budgets, these are all things that China is seeing as an opportunity to enhance its own efforts, which are longstanding, to attract overseas scientists, including those who are originally from China and left, as well as other overseas global talents, to its research institutions.
This is an incredibly important thing for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who really sees the country's ability to innovate, its ability to compete with the United States, especially as the U.S. has slapped tech export controls on Chinese access to high-tech goods from America. This is a critically important thing for China at this moment.
WATSON: Simone, is this a national policy, or is it piecemeal, university by university? What kind of carrots are they offering to attract this talent to China?
MCCARTHY: Yes, that's a great question, Ivan. We're seeing this play out at a lot of different levels, according to our reporting. You mentioned that K-1 visa, that is a national initiative.
Basically, this week, China is adding a brand new visa category into its immigration system. And so basically, that targets young science and technology talents. They can apply without having a job offer, which is certainly significant, because that's very different from the H-1B process and they can apply to come to China and seek work there.
But we also see that universities are in a more low-key level, putting out feelers, putting out offers, and hoping to attract more scientists, saying that the departments want to recruit more faculty. So this is happening at a number of different levels as China seeks to become the new global hub for innovation.
WATSON: Alright, Simone McCarthy, live here in Hong Kong, not far from where I'm sitting. Thank you very much for that update.
MCCARTHY: Thanks, Ivan.
WATSON: Alright, now just ahead, an update on Tropical Storm Imelda and Hurricane Humberto. We'll show you how the storms are affecting each other and what to expect in the coming days.
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WATSON: Let's look at some weather now.
Two powerful storms, Hurricane Humberto and Tropical Storm Imelda, are stirring up trouble in the Atlantic. Imelda is expected to strengthen into a hurricane later today. It's moving parallel to the southeastern U.S. coast, but is forecast to shift to the east.
While it probably won't make landfall, Imelda will likely bring heavy rain, dangerous surf, and possible flash flooding to the Carolinas. Hurricane Humberto briefly got to Category 5 strength. It's now a Category 4, and its massive circulation is actually steering Imelda away from the U.S. Bermuda, though, is facing a rare one-two punch from both of these storms.
At least 13 people are dead and dozens injured in Vietnam from Typhoon Bualoi. The storm has weakened as it moved into Laos, but its strong winds and heavy rain caused flooding, power outages, and damage to homes along Vietnam's coast. Authorities say another 13 people are missing, including fishermen whose boats were washed away, the government evacuated more than 28,000 people before the typhoon made landfall on Monday.
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have separated after nearly 20 years of marriage. CNN has confirmed the Oscar winning actress and Grammy winning musician are no longer living together, the couple married in 2006 and have two daughters. They have been based in Nashville, Tennessee, with Kidman calling it home on Instagram just last week, CNN has reached out to representatives for both stars for comment.
Thanks for watching, I'm Ivan Watson, in Hong Kong. "Early Start" with Brian Abel and Becky Anderson is next after a break.
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