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Sanae Takaichi Becomes Japan's First Female Prime Minister; Donald Trump Pressured Volodymyr Zelenskyy To Give Up Land To Vladimir Putin; Gaza Is In The Range Of 84 Percent Destroyed; Manhunt for Thieves Who Stole Louvre's Crown Jewels; Former French President Sarkozy to Begin Prison Term; Appeals Court Allows Trump to Send National Guard to Portland; Giant Panda Twins Make Their Debut in Chinese Zoo; Millions Celebrating Diwali Around the World. Aired 2- 2:45a ET

Aired October 21, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:41]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, an historic moment for Japan electing its first female prime minister. But Sanae Takaichi inherits a raft of challenges, including a stagnant economy.

Mountains of rubble in Gaza, the destruction so overwhelming, it's almost incomprehensible. We will take an in depth look at one of the many challenges facing Palestinians as they look to start over.

The race to find priceless treasures in France after a brazen daytime theft at the Louvre.

And what's twice as cute as a panda? Well, panda twins, of course.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Good to have you with us, and we begin with breaking news out of Tokyo, where history has been made. Japan has elected its first female prime minister.

Conservative hard liner Sanae Takaichi won the vote in both houses of parliament. In the hours ahead, she's expected to be inaugurated then form a cabinet and meet with the emperor. Takaichi became president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party earlier this month, but a key coalition partner dropped out, making her path to the prime minister's office less certain. But another opposition party got on board Monday, giving her the votes needed to win.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery is following this for us live from Tokyo. She joins us now. Good to see you, Hanako. So, history has been made in Japan with Sanae Takaichi becoming the country's first woman to lead the country. So, how significant is all this?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rosemary. It's good to see you too. I mean, it's hugely, hugely significant for Japan, a country that is deeply patriarchal, especially when it comes to politics. In fact, Japan consistently ranks the lowest among G7 nations in terms of gender parity, especially in the political sphere.

Now, Takaichi herself has actually talked about how difficult it is to be a woman in such a male dominated industry talking about the struggles she's faced trying to get to the top of her career.

Now, on Monday, Rosemary, an announcement that she was able to form a coalition government, Takaichi described some of the challenges that lie ahead for her and for her government now that she will be prime minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANAE TAKAICHI, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHIEF (through translator): Right now, stable politics are crucial. Without that, we can't implement strong economic or diplomatic policies. The same goes for national security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: Now, Rosemary, before we get into her policies, I do want to highlight that she's actually quite a colorful character. Sanae Takaichi, unlike a lot of her male counterparts, actually doesn't hail from a political dynasty. Her mother was a police officer, and her dad worked for a car company.

Now, before she formally entered politics in the mid-90s, Takaichi actually spent some time in the United States interning for a Democratic Congresswoman, and she apparently is a huge fan of heavy metal and also motorcycles. She reportedly rode a motorcycle for many, many years before entering politics around three decades ago, and she reportedly stopped because she didn't want to get into any accidents that would jeopardize her work.

Now within Japan, she is known as a staunch conservative, someone who is very hawkish on China. As she has previously said that China's growing military aggression in the Indo Pacific really threatens Japan's peace and security also in the region.

Now, she has also supported Japan revising its pacifist constitution and boosting its defense spending.

On the economic front, she has supported looser fiscal policy, something that is slightly similar to her predecessor, the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

And again, she is more conservative. She, for example, does not support married couples keeping their own surnames. Now, her first foreign policy test will likely come very soon,

Rosemary, with a visit from the U.S. President Donald Trump expected later in October. But experts tell me that the two leaders are likely to get along because, of course, they are both conservative, and she does support Japan boosting its defense spending, something that the U.S. president has long, long pushed for, Rosemary.

[02:05:09]

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Hanako Montgomery bringing us that live report from Tokyo. Appreciate it.

I do want to bring in Shihoko Goto, who is the vice president of programs at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Appreciate you being with us.

SHIHOKO GOTO, VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS, FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE: It's great to be here.

CHURCH: So, Sanae Takaichi has become Japan's next prime minister, making her the country's first female P.M., after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan innovation party formed a coalition to support her.

So, what all does Takaichi bring to the table, and what sort of leadership will she offer the country as a conservative hardliner in a male dominated political system?

Right. Well, she herself has said that she wants to model herself to Margaret Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister who, of course, was known as the Iron Lady.

Like, Thatcher, she is a conservative, and she is also a woman in a male dominated world. That said, Thatcher was then, Japan is now. It's facing a great deal of change. It's facing a lot of internal, domestic pressure.

One of the reasons why her party, the Liberal Democratic Party, has been flipping and really losing popularity amongst voters, is that Japanese voters are frustrated with the status quo. There is great frustration about economic sluggishness, and there is great fear also about the rapidly changing political and diplomatic landscape that Japan is facing.

So, she will be expected, first and foremost, to deal with those immediate threats. And I'm not too certain whether she would actually promote female empowerment, even though she is Japan -- she is Japan's first female prime minister.

CHURCH: Yes, that seems to be what we're hearing. And of course, Takaichi will now face two big challenges the economy, including the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade tariffs on her country, but also foreign policy challenges with President Trump expected to visit Tokyo next week before he heads to Seoul for APEC, where Takaichi will also attend to promote Japan's interests.

So, how will Takaichi approach these challenges as she pledges to work, work, work?

GOTO: Right. Well, she's going to have to work very hard. This is going to be trial by fire. She -- foreign policy is not the only thing on the agenda. She does need to deal with voter frustration, also within the party politics as well, it was difficult for her to emerge as Japan's new prime minister.

Usually, if you are the leader of Japan's biggest party, the LDP, then you automatically become prime minister. This is not the case, because the LDP does not have a majority. It's had to find new partners. And new partner, the Ishin no Kai, which is the innovation party, has never been in power itself, so it's a new partner, new expectations, a lot of politicking to be done, a lot of foreign policy advancements that need to be made, a lot of summit hearing, and at the same time, she will need to make -- have results as quickly as possible so voters can see immediate change in what she brings to the table.

CHURCH: And how are Japan's neighbors responding to the prospect of Takaichi taking the helm in Japan, given she has a more nationalist reputation and is considered a hawk when it comes to dealing with China?

GOTO: Right, certainly there is a lot of concern amongst Japan's immediate neighbors, especially from Korea, but Korea itself has had some political turmoil, and what we are seeing is that there is greater pragmatism on the part of both Japan as well as Korea, that domestic politics and playing to the voters and to nationalist sentiment does come into play.

But at the same time, both countries are facing a rapidly changing international environment, and they have shared challenges that they can meet better together, and so the expectation is that pragmatism will prevail.

CHURCH: Shihoko Goto, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

GOTO: Thank you so much.

CHURCH: On Friday, Ukraine's president will join a meeting of his country's main allies known as the coalition of the willing. The summit will take place in London. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hoping for a good result after his meeting last week with U.S. President Donald Trump turned hostile. We are learning from European officials briefed on the matter that Trump once again raised his voice at the wartime leader, after Mr. Zelenskyy pushed back on handing over Ukrainian territory to Russia as part of a peace plan.

[02:10:21]

After his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Trump is now pressuring Ukraine to accept the end of the war along the current battle lines, likely meaning Russia would keep the Ukrainian territory it currently holds.

Well, President Trump also says he will meet with Putin in Hungary next month, but it appears plans to make that happen are on hold. U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had intended to meet this week to discuss next steps.

Now, a source tells CNN those talks will not be happening for now, at least, though it's not clear whether this will impact the anticipated Trump-Putin summit in Budapest.

Kristen Holmes brings us the latest on the White House's efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump, appearing to do yet another 180 when it comes to the war in Ukraine, after last month meeting with Zelenskyy and then posting that he believed Ukraine could actually come out of this war, regaining the territory that it had lost to Russia. He's trying to clarify, essentially saying that he doesn't know if they would win the war, and he never said they would win the war, but instead that they maybe could win the war. Listen.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, they could. They could still win it. I don't think they will, but they could still win it. I never said they would win it.

HOLMES: Now, this comes on the heels of even more reporting about that meeting between Zelenskyy and President Trump on Friday. We had reported already that it had been tense, direct at times, "Uncomfortable."

But now we're learning that it went beyond that. Points one source saying that voices were raised, that President Trump grew frustrated, particularly because he was trying to encourage Ukrainian President Zelenskyy that he was going to have to give up land, that Zelenskyy was kind of pushing back on that notion. President Trump grew frustrated.

Now, we know that this request for land to have Ukraine give up land came as part of the conversation that President Trump had had the day before with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

So, all of this to say it's unclear where things stand with the Russia-Ukraine war, where it stands between Putin and Trump.

At the same time, you're starting to see senators back away from a sanctions bill Republican senators, of course, it's the same time you're hearing President Trump really ramping up this rhetoric against Ukraine, or at least that was separate from what we had heard him saying for the last several months.

Now, of course, all eyes on that meeting, which we believe to be next month, between President Trump and Putin in Hungary. But the question still remains, what exactly is the White House or President Trump hoping to get out of this meeting? Why are they think there will be different results a second time we already saw what happened in Alaska? Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: With the fragile Gaza cease fire holding on, workers are beginning the task of clearing tons of rubble.

Just ahead, an astronomical price tag for recovery and reconstruction.

Plus, the gang of thieves responsible for a dual heist at the Louvre is still at large, and time is running out to locate the stolen treasures. What we know so far, that's still to come.

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[02:18:11]

CHURCH: Israel has identified the 13th deceased hostage returned from Gaza as Sergeant Major Tal Haimi, his body was handed over on Monday, leaving 15 more deceased hostages still to be returned.

The 41-year-old father of four was killed defending a kibbutz during the October 7th terror attacks. His return comes as U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is set to arrive in Israel in the coming hours. He will join top U.S. negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, in working on the next phase of the ceasefire deal, including governance of Gaza.

Meanwhile, Palestinians are returning to their homes only to find nothing left.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASSAM ABU ASHIBA, DISPLACE PALESTINIA (through translator): There's no place, no place for anyone to live in. There are no rentals, nor any necessities of life. We couldn't find a better place than this, despite the danger and the bombardment here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Removing the debris from Gaza and rebuilding in the territory will be a massive task. The U.N. World Bank and E.U. estimate the cost at more than $53 billion. Crews are already working to remove debris, which is essential, of course, to enabling humanitarian access, the return of displaced people and reducing health risks.

Well, joining me now from Jerusalem, Jaco Cilliers, a special representative with the U.N. Development Programme for assistance to the Palestinian people. Appreciate you being with us.

JACO CILLIERS, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE, U.N. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME: Thank you.

CHURCH: Now, you have been to Gaza twice in the past two months. What did you see in terms of the extent of the debris that needs to be removed after two years of war, and how big an undertaking will this prove to be?

[02:20:03]

CILLIERS: Yes, thank you. I returned, actually, for a third time on Sunday from Gaza. The destruction is something that I have never seen in my life before. Gaza is probably one of the most destroyed places on the earth at the moment, and you see rubble and destruction everywhere. It's estimated that about 55 to 60 million tons of rubble have been generated in Gaza. It's equal to 13 Great Pyramids of Giza, or for American audience, if you build a 12-meter wall around Central Park and fill that with rubble, that is the amount that needs to be cleared.

CHURCH: That is unbelievable. And of course, clearing all the debris left behind in the wake of the Gaza war is this massive undertaking. But before that even happens, unexploded ordinances or bombs need to be cleared first. How has that been done in a safe way? Has it already been done?

CILLIERS: So, the United Nations have already started to clear and identify some of the unexploded ordinances. I can tell you, when I was in Gaza over the weekend, I heard of one child who was picking up some of the unexploded ordinances and lost a hand. These are the tragic incidents that will continue to happen while people are moving back and the dangers of unexploded ordinances are still in the rubble. It's a massive undertaking, and these areas will have to be identified and cleared as soon as possible.

CHURCH: And of course, as we mentioned, it is imperative this debris is removed as soon as possible so that humanitarian aid can get into Gaza, and of course, the civilian population can return to what's left of their homes and for reconstruction to commence.

But what happens to all the Palestinians made homeless in the wake of the war and as this cleanup operation and reconstruction gets underway?

CILLIERS: Yes, so the challenge of finding shelter for people just to stay in is a massive undertaking at the moment, part of the clearance process for the rubble is also to make spaces where people can put either temporary shelters or some sort of housing structures that they can stay for a longer period of time, that they can also start to rebuild their lives and their homes.

When I was in Gaza, you can already hear some construction happening. People are very eager to return and also taking up the task, and are very resilient to start rebuilding their lives as soon as possible.

CHURCH: And in the end, what do you expect a reconstructed Gaza will look like? Or what's your idea of the vision ahead here?

CILLIERS: Well, it's very difficult to imagine that at the moment, because the destruction is so massive. But if you look at what Gaza was before, and determination and resilience of the people, you can also see that there's hope. People want to return, and they are determined also to overcome the challenges that they face. I was actually talking to a leader of civil society, you know, and

they said, the war has ended now, but the war against poverty starts. So, there is a real understanding that this will take a long time, but the people in Gaza are really determined to overcome these issues.

CHURCH: And how long do you think it will take, firstly, to clear the area ready for reconstruction?

CILLIERS: It's estimated, you know, that it will take anywhere from five to seven years to clear the rubble. Obviously, this depends on the international community and also the donor funding that will be able to come into Gaza, also access for heavy machinery and construction equipment to clear that every will be a important first step.

So, there's a number of factors that will be contributing to this. It is estimated that the first year will cost about $3 billion the first -- you know, the first and up to, actually, at the moment, the estimates are in the region of 70 billion. This will be verified through a rapid damage needs assessment, as you may -- as you mentioned, jointly conducted by the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank. So, we hope to finish that within the next three to four months.

CHURCH: That is a massive undertaking indeed. Jaco Cilliers, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

CILLIERS: Thank you very much.

CHURCH: A sign of strengthening ties between the U.S. and Australia, as the two countries strike a deal on rare earth minerals, that came during a meeting between President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who says the deal signifies an $8.5 billion pipeline that's ready to go. Australia has rich deposits of many rare earths that are used in a wide range of modern technology.

As part of the deal, the U.S. and Australia will pay $1 billion over the next six months for new projects, the subject of rare earth minerals, has become a sticking point between the U.S. and China, after Beijing ramped up restrictions on its exports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:25:17]

TRUMP: I've been invited to go to China, and I'll be doing that sometime fairly early next year. We have it sort of set, but I think we're going to have a very good relationship with China.

And again, they will threaten us with rare earths. I don't think they're threatening us too much right now, but they could do that, but I threaten them with something I think is much more powerful, and that's tariffs.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: President Trump went on to say he doesn't foresee China invading Taiwan, which it views as its own territory. The self- governing Island strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims.

Well, French President Emmanuel Macron is vowing to bring those who robbed the Louvre Museum to justice. Coming up, the latest on the investigation and the stolen treasures that might never be recovered.

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[02:30:35]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Welcome back, everyone. A global manhunt is underway for the gang of thieves who carried out a heist that's become a national humiliation for France. Officials say two suspects broke through a window on a balcony of the Louvre Sunday and stole priceless crown jewels. Two accomplices waited on the ground with a ladder and getaway scooters. CNN's Melissa Bell has more on how it went down and why it's likely the jewels are lost forever.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELLISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over: It was 9:30 a.m. when a witness calls the police from outside the Louvre to report suspicious individuals wearing motorcycle helmets breaking into the museum using a truck with a lifting platform. By 9:37 a.m., a museum alarm was triggered, shortly after a camera catches one of the robbers wearing a yellow vest as they break into a display case. Then quickly escaping through the window they used to get in. By 9:38, the thieves flee the scene on scooters. The entire heist was done in just seven minutes and involved the most rudimentary of tools, this angle cutter and blowtorch.

ARIEL WEIL, MAYOR OF PARIS CENTER: It does appear that these were extremely well-trained robbers. The planned this meticulously, obviously.

BELL (voice-over): The thieves made off with priceless jewelry worn by French queens in the 19th century, like this tiara necklace and a single earring of Queen Marie Amelie, this large bodice bow broach of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, and her tiara.

BELL: One thing the robbers dropped as they fled from that window on the first floor was the crown of the Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III. What they made off with though were eight pieces of jewelry of inestimable value in historical and cultural terms, and they did so on the back of scooters as they headed down this bank of the Seine River.

NATHALIE GOULET, FRENCH SENATOR: I think the pieces are already far from the country. It's the Ocean's 13. It's Thomas Crown, so easy and not sophisticated. It's a drama for the French culture and also for our image.

BELL (voice-over): By Monday, the Louvre remained closed as investigators tried to piece together how so much could have been stolen so quickly and why.

LAURE BECCUAU, PARIS PROSECUTOR (through translator): Either it was commissioned by a collector, in which case, if we identify this collector and commissioner and can't find the jewels in good condition, or could also happen that it was commissioned by people who just want the stones and pearls that they were made of.

BELL (voice-over): Authorities say the investigation continues, but the longer it takes to identify the suspects, the slimmer the chances of recovering the jewels.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to begin his prison term in Paris less than two hours from now. The 70-year-old former French president was sentenced to five years for criminal association in connection with the financing of his successful 2007 presidential campaign. Last month, a court ruled that Sarkozy plotted to receive funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favors, and it required that he be incarcerated despite his intention to appeal the verdict. Sarkozy has denounced the ruling and reasserted his innocence, but said he would comply.

We are following developments in a showdown over presidential power. A U.S. appeals court has handed the Trump administration a legal victory after ruling it can deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, despite strong objections from leaders in the state. And this comes after a judge last week ruled to extend a temporary restraining order barring the deployment of troops while the appeal plays out.

President Trump has cited protests outside Portland's Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility to justify the call up of troops. Two Trump appointed judges sided with the administration while a third judge dissented saying the decision is not merely absurd, but also erodes core constitutional principles. Oregon's attorney general is set to file a petition for a hearing with a larger panel of appellate judges.

Still to come, twin panda bears are charming visitors at a zoo in southern China. We will take a look at the brothers' new home when we come back.

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[02:39:42]

CHURCH: A Zoo in southern China is showing off its brand new superstars, twin giant pandas, Jiu Jiu and You You. They made their official public debut on Monday, playing in the zoo's new panda pavilion. Their new home includes indoor and outdoor activity areas and of course, plenty of fresh bamboo to snack on.

[02:40:00] The brothers were born four years ago at the Madrid Zoo in Spain and returned to China recently. Their names mean forever and friendship in Chinese. They are set to participate in China's 15th National Games.

And before we go, at a time of so much darkness, it is more important than ever to look for the light. Fireworks were set off in India on Monday, marking the first day of Diwali or the Festival of Lights. Millions of people are observing the festival that marks the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.

I want to thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is coming up next. Then, I'll be back at the top of the hour with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stay with us.

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[02:45:45]

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