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Trump and Xi Meet at the White House; U.S. and China Battle to Win the A.I. Race; Netanyahu Speaks at U.N.; Tehran Proposes Deal to Reopen Strait; Trump Hesitant To Open Second Mideast Front Against Houthis; NATO Chief: Ukrainian Firepower Is Catching Up Quickly; Nepal's PM Calls For Preventing More Disasters In Himalayans. Aired 2- 3a ET

Aired September 25, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello, wherever you are in the world. You are now in the "CNN Newsroom" with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta. It is so good to have you with me.

Coming up, from trade wars to toasts. Xi Jinping used a White House state dinner to celebrate U.S.-China ties and call for cooperation despite sharp differences. Plus, Iran says it has presented a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks with the U.S. But now, the White House is weighing its response. And CNN has an incredible look inside North Korea. We'll bring you never-before-seen video that shows how people are living there.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte."

HUNTE: Welcome. We begin in Washington where U.S. President Donald Trump is hosting Chinese leader Xi Jinping first state visit. A formal state dinner at the White House wrapped up a short time ago.

On Friday, President Trump is set to take sheets in the National Archives to see the nation's founding documents in honor of America's 250th anniversary. CNN is scheduled to serve as White House press pool for the event, but it's unclear whether the Trump administration will allow CNN to cover it.

The White House denied reporters from CNN and MS NOW access to Xi's arrival for the state dinner, even though both networks were allowed in earlier in the day. Trump banned the outlets, along with Politico, last week, but they were ultimately let back in around noon on Thursday following a court order. More on that in just a moment.

The heads of top artificial intelligence and tech companies were on the guest list for the state dinner. Among those invited, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Elon Musk who leads SpaceX and Tesla, of course, and leaders from Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple were also invited. It is Xi's first visit to Washington in more than a decade and his second meeting with Trump this year as the two leaders work to manage one of the world's most significant relationships. They held closed- door talks at the White House on Thursday, and Chinese state media says the discussions covered trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan, and the U.S. war with Iran.

Live now to CNN's Steven Jiang, our bureau chief in Beijing. Good to see you, sir. This is Xi's first visit to Washington in more than a decade. How significant is this meeting with Trump for the U.S.-China relationship right now?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Ben, of course, this kind of head of state diplomacy is always very important, but especially for this relationship. As you mentioned, perhaps the world's most consequential.

Now, of course, the topics being covered, wide-ranging. But, also, remember, their positions still very much far apart on many of these issues and especially given their disagreements or disputes over a lot of these foundational structural issues. It's just impractical or even impossible to get them resolved any time soon.

So, what the two sides seem to have agreed is to take advantage of this personal rapport between their two leaders, their supposed friendship, to really maintain this fragile stability they have been able to achieve in the past few months, and to really keep this going, setting the stage for more negotiations.

And, of course, remember, what they are trying to prevent is this relationship entering a downward spiral, which is what we saw both during Trump's first term and the opening months of his second term when he launched that massive trade war against Beijing.

Xi Jinping, of course, as you remember, perhaps the only world leader able to withstand that pressure, imposing tit-for-tat countermeasures, and eventually forcing Trump to back down, which is where we are. The two countries reaching that true trace back in November just got extended for another two months.

So, this is really what's being at stake here. This is, a lot of people say, high stakes, low expectations because they're not expecting any major breakthrough, no grand deals, but what they are able to do, of course, is to keep talking and buying both leaders more time for different reasons.

Trump, of course, potentially facing brutal results from the upcoming midterm elections and Xi, of course, has his own set of challenges at home, both economic strong winds, problems with the military, not to mention he needs time to achieve the much talked about goals of not only achieving self-sufficiency, perhaps even overtaking the U.S. in key technologies, including in A.I. Ben?

[02:05:05]

HUNTE: OK. Steven Jiang, our bureau chief in Beijing, thank you for joining us. Speak to you in an hour.

As we mentioned, several A.I. and tech leaders attended a state dinner, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. His company not only dominates the artificial intelligence chip market, but has stakes in leading A.I. labs, including OpenAI and Anthropic. Huang sat down with Anderson Cooper ahead of the state dinner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: The people who are working closest, people on the front lines of the frontier models, frontier of this technology, they seem worried, whether it's researchers, engineers or the CEOs, Dario Amodei, Sam Altman. They are raising alarms, saying we need regulation. Aren't they the ones closest to these models who would know best about what is needed?

JENSEN HUANG, CEO, NVIDIA: If they're worried about it, they should just stop. If the product is not safe, just don't release it.

COOPER: It's that simple? I mean, these are multi-billion-dollar companies. The competition is --

HUANG: No, that's what every company does. That's what we do. That's what a car company would do. That's what, you know, anybody would do. If you're --

COOPER: But there are companies that have gone forward with products that are not safe or are risky, and they go forward anyway because of competition. That's why there's regulation.

HUANG: Well, if a regulation is necessary, if they don't -- if they don't have self-restraint -- first of all, they ought to have self- restraint. If they -- if they're telling everybody that their product is unsafe, they obviously know it, they're publicly admitting it, they ought to just not release it, OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Jing Yang is Asia bureau chief for " The Information" and joins us now live from Hong Kong. Good to see you. So, Trump and Xi have met at the White House. How important is A.I. to the broader U.S. and China competition right now? What else do we know about the talks so far?

JING YANG, ASIA BUREAU CHIEF, THE INFORMATION: So, as of now, we still haven't seen any readout from the White House in terms of, you know, the past days' talk. However, you know, the Chinese side has indeed released a pretty, you know, comprehensive readout. A.I. was mentioned in an entire paragraph which, by the way, considering, you know, the various issues that China wants to talk to the U.S. about, that is a pretty, you know, big sort of chunk of a location.

And in that, you know, readout, it says that President Xi has talked about that, you know, the two countries as the two leading powers in A.I. right now should jointly prevent misuse of A.I., that A.I. should not be developed without human intervention, and a people-centered approach should be upheld in the development of A.I. That is China's stance that it has made it clear.

HUNTE: At the same time, the U.S. is restricting China's access to some of the most advanced A.I. chips. How much is that actually slowing down China?

YANG: In a nutshell, U.S. export controls, starting from the Biden administration, on the advanced chips has been kneecapping China's A.I. development in the last several years. And in China, a lot of the companies, researchers and the funders, in spite of the restrictions, have been, you know, working very hard to not just catch up, but they, you know, managed to show that they still stay in the race, that China as a whole matter in the global A.I. stage.

And then there are various attempts within China that, you know, companies are developing their own, you know, advanced A.I. chips. China still has quite some time, quite some distance when it comes to, you know, developing, you know, chips that can be on par with NVIDIA's, for example. But the direction of travel from China, at least, is that, you know, we are determined to clear this gap, we are determined to be self-sustained when it comes to advanced A.I. chips.

HUNTE: Xi has obviously talked about keeping A.I. under human control, while Trump has taken a much more hands-off approach to A.I. guardrails. How different are the Chinese and American approaches to A.I. safety right now?

YANG: China actually has probably, in my opinion, the most comprehensive set of, you know, regulations and laws governing A.I. and A.I. safety than pretty much any other country right now. And then this is really actually because that, you know, China's top priority or Chinese leaders' top priority is to prevent A.I. from posing any kind of threat to social stability.

[02:09:58]

And then from that approach, you know, it's pretty comprehensible when it comes to, you know, it's not only just cyberthreats, it's also, you know, for example, mental health threats. We've seen examples in the U.S. where, you know, A.I. psychosis, overuse of, you know, tragedy, for example, have been alleged to, you know, contribute to teenage mental health issues, and then China has actually regulations to end up preventing that kind of thing happen.

I think the U.S., obviously, we know it is very hard to have, you know, federal level regulation, and then also various states have their own legislative processes. This is really where I think the difference is.

HUNTE: There is enormous pressure in China to move quickly on A.I. Are Chinese companies and researchers worried that the U.S. could ultimately pull ahead if China doesn't move fast enough?

YANG: I think right now, let's be, you know, objective that America, the American labs are in general are already ahead and have been ahead, right? The Chinese labs, yes, they want to play catch up. They want to at least not -- they want to at least see the gap with the U.S. labs not widen, right? Whether they are still being -- and then, you know, while they're trying to, you know, also compete against each other.

I think something that hasn't really been fully appreciated is that the Chinese labs also, you know, are competing within themselves quite fiercely. And then as a result of that internal competition in China, what do you see is that, you know, by and large, you know, Chinese labs can stay, still stay, you know, competitive when it comes to the U.S. ones.

And I think this is also why, you know, I think it's very unlikely that, you know, the leading labs in China would want to, you know, slow down, for example, because, you know, they see this as tomorrow's problem, whether A.I. is really going to kill humans. But our problem today is to survive, then to stay competitive, and not be left behind in the competition.

HUNTE: All right. Jing Yang from "The Information," thank you very much. Appreciate it. Speak to you soon.

YANG: Thank you.

HUNTE: More now on the battle between the White House and the media. The Trump administration has allowed CNN, MS NOW, and Politico back into the White House, but a judge's order overturning the president's ban lasts only 14 days. The media outlets are requesting a longer-term commitment from the judge.

In the meantime, CNN's participation in the T.V. press pool that covers the president is still in a holding pattern. CNN's Betsy Klein explains how she got back into the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: At 6:10 a.m., I arrived here to an initial intersection right where we go to the Secret Service checkpoint. I showed them my driver's license and my CNN badge, and they said that I was not in the system. I was turned away. We tried that again at 8 o'clock, 9 o'clock, and then again at 11:28 a.m. All, four times, denied entry here at the White House.

I resubmitted some of my vital information, my name, date of birth, social security number to the White House. In the six o'clock hour, I re-upped that request over email right after I was denied around 11:30 this morning. And then around 11:45, I got an email from a White House press wrangler who said that they would come to escort me. So, we were able to get back into White House grounds right around noon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: President Trump reacting to the situation on social media, even though he was the one who banned CNN from the White House, prompting a suspension of pool coverage. He lashed out at the media for not covering Xi Jinping's visit. The president says it was a magnificent event, but the media didn't want to give him credit. Hurricane Polo is making its way up Mexico's Pacific coast, bringing strong waves, winds, and sudden downpours to the southwest mainland. The Category 4 hurricane is expected to move out into the Pacific Ocean in the coming hours, potentially as a Category 5. It is anticipated to head towards the Baja Peninsula, where it could make landfall next week as a Category 2.

Meanwhile, an early fall nor'easter is gathering strength along the U.S. East Coast, already hitting beaches in several states with heavy surf and potential coastal flooding this weekend. The nor'easter, named for the direction its punishing winds come from, could dump up to a month's rain in parts of New England. The coincidence of a full moon on Saturday is compounding the problem by raising high tide levels day by day. The storm system is currently sitting several hundred miles off the mid-Atlantic coast. It will begin tracking north over the next two days and is expected to affect more than 40 million Americans.

There is much more to come, including the Israeli prime minister's prediction about how much longer the Iranian regime will last.

[02:15:00]

We'll hear what he said in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly. Plus, protesters rally outside the U.N. building where Mr. Netanyahu spoke with a very different message. See you in a moment.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: You've falsely, repeatedly accused Israel of genocide. Here's the simple truth: Israel didn't commit genocide, Israel prevented genocide.

(APPLAUSE)

[02:19:57]

And that's exactly -- that's exactly what Mr. Mamdani's Hamas buddies would have done to us had we not stopped them. They would have killed every last one of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: That is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking about New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly. He also said on Thursday that it's only a matter of time before Iran's regime falls. He lashed out at European countries and pro-Palestinian protesters. Many diplomats left in protest as he began his speech.

But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas focused on keeping a two-state solution alive. He spoke remotely because the U.S. denied him an entry visa. He slammed Israel's plans to expand West Bank settlements, which would effectively split the area in two. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD ABBAS, PRESIDENT OF THE PALESTINIAN NATIONAL AUTHORITY (through translator): We have long warned the international community through the United Nations General Assembly and through the Security Council that these Israeli policies, in violation of international law, would destroy the two-state solution and that this is what -- and this is what is happening now. The Palestinian people will not accept displacement, will not accept displacement and will not disappear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protesters held rallies in New York during the general assembly. A number of them were detained, including actress Susan Sarandon. It is still unclear why she was held and whether she was later released. Our Shimon Prokupecz reports some rallies were held just outside the U.N. building.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: As the United Nations General Assembly comes to close, the largest protest that New York City has seen here outside the U.N. Thousands of people have gathered here to protest Israel, to support Palestine, what many of them call is a genocide.

Of course, this is all happening just hours after Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the UNGA. Many of the people coming out here to express their anger over what they say he has done, over what is happening in Gaza.

The protests will go on here for several hours. So far, it has been mostly peaceful and the police are just allowing them to gather here in this area which is just outside the U.N.

Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Well, Iran says it has presented a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks toward a final deal with the U.S. Iran's foreign minister says the proposal was delivered to U.S. mediators this week. It would call for the U.S. to meet certain conditions within seven days in order to restart talks and reopen the strait.

Iran's foreign minister declined to elaborate on those conditions but said it was nothing more than what was in the June memorandum of understanding.

In response to those comments, a White House official tells CNN the two sides are having -- quote -- "positive and constructive discussions through the mediators."

Let's discuss it. Joining me now is Danny Citrinowicz. He is a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies and the former head of the Iran branch in the research and analysis division of Israel Defense Intelligence. Sir, good to see you. Netanyahu's U.N. speech has created a lot of headlines. What was your reaction to that speech and what were your standout moments from it?

DANNY CITRINOWICZ, SENIOR FELLOW AT INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES, FORMER HEAD OF IRAN BRANCH IN RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS DIVISION OF ISRAEL DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE: Thank you for having me. I want to say that regarding the speech, the most important thing happened before the speech, as you hinted, the fact that so many delegations left the room, left the general assembly, actually highlighted that Israel problem is much bigger than Iran. The problem starts with Israel's legitimacy given the war in Gaza, what's happening in the West Bank.

I think Israel needs to understand that regardless of Iran, the most important thing is actually taking care of Israeli status within the international community. And I think even more than that, you know, Netanyahu's speech was nothing to write home about, same messages, but I think the most important thing for the Netanyahu government is to rebuild Israeli connection with the international community. That's the most important thing.

HUNTE: Netanyahu said destroying Iran's nuclear facilities was one of the easiest decisions that he has made as prime minister. Does Israel still believe the military campaign has achieved what it set out to do?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, I think, definitely, the Israeli public do not believe that, according to recent polls. And yes, we had major achievements in the two wars, I have to say that, but strategically, we are worse than we started. I think nothing from the great target that was set in the beginning of the second war, on the 28th of February, no regime change, no depriving Iranian nuclear capabilities. Iran still has the capacity to launch missiles, support its proxies and partners in the region, like we see with the Houthis in Yemen.

[02:24:58]

So, no, I don't think that we have achieved the achievements. Yes, Iran is under a lot of pressure, but we have to assume that this situation has not ended, and Israel -- in achieving those goals.

So, Prime Minister Netanyahu can claim things are happening regarding the nuclear issues. Definitely, Iran is not enriching today. That's a good thing. But in terms of the motivation of Iran to reach a nuclear weapon, I think it's actually intensified after the war, and this is something that we have to deal with in the future.

HUNTE: We are now hearing that U.S. and Iranian negotiators are discussing a possible phased deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. How seriously should Israel be taking those talks?

CITRINOWICZ: Israel is taking that very serious because the last thing that Israel wants to see is an agreement between Iran and the U.S. That actually will strengthen the same regime that Israel seeks to topple. So, Israel is against this agreement. I have to say that, again, we're not seeing a change in the Iranian perspective. The Iranians are identifying, I think, that Trump is actually uptight before the midterm elections, oil price and things like that. So, they believe they can return him back to the MOU that actually served their interests. This is what they're trying to do. They're not capitulating, unfortunately, although the U.S. is pressuring them hard.

But from the Israeli standpoint, the last thing that the Israeli government wants to see is an agreement between the U.S. and Iran that actually will -- it will be very hard to bypass Trump from the right. This is something that Israel is really cautious and, I think, will try to work against it.

HUNTE: Hormuz remains the central pressure point in negotiations, obviously. What would reopening the strait actually mean for Iran, for Israel, and I guess the wider region, too?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, definitely for Israel, it's not that we care about the Hormuz strait, but we care about the fact that Iran will have the ability to sell its oil again and strengthen its economic situation. The region, especially Gulf states, wants to see stability. Yes, they have problem with Iran controlling the strait, but I think they want to see stability, they don't want to see returning back to war.

And from the U.S. standpoint, definitely, it will serve the interests of the president in terms of lowering the oil prices before the midterm election. The problem is that they will have to accept the Iranian demands, first and foremost, to have some sort of control over the strait. So, this is the dilemma now in Washington.

And I really think that if the answer of the administration -- will say no in that regard, I think we might see escalation from the Iranian side, thinking that now they can pressure Trump, it cannot escalate.

But, again, from the Israeli standpoint, it's all about strengthening Iran. If opening the strait will strengthen Iran, this is going to be a bad thing for Israel. But Israel's ability to influence what's happening now between Iran and the U.S. is highly limited, we have to say that.

HUNTE: Looking ahead a bit, what is the biggest risk that you're watching for over the next few days that could potentially derail all of the current diplomatic efforts here?

CITRINOWICZ: A very good question. I think that the status quo is not stable. I have to say that, you know, President Trump might think that, you know, increasing the economic pressure actually is working good for the U.S.

The economic situation in Iran is very bad, but I think that it's not stable. The Iranians won't accept the fact that countries in the region can export oil, even through the strait, and they cannot. So, in that regard, I think that if there won't be a political solution, escalation is definitely on the table from the Iranian side or from the U.S. side.

Even more than that, we can see what's happening now in the Saudis and the Houthis. This is something that's going to continue as well until the Saudis capitulate or escalate.

So, the bottom line of things is that the situation that we're seeing right now is highly unstable. If we won't find a political solution, I'm afraid that in the end of the day, we'll find ourselves in escalation.

HUNTE: OK. Danny Citrinowicz, senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, thank you so much for joining us today, sir.

CITRINOWICZ: Thank you very much.

HUNTE: As the war with Iran nears its eighth month with no end in sight, Donald Trump is being courted by another Middle Eastern power for support. CNN's Matthew Chance has the latest on what the Saudis are after.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Saudis certainly want more robust American support. They're already getting intelligence sharing and satellite targeting data and things like that to allow the Saudi military to sort of pound Houthi strongholds in Yemen and to try and push back on their offensive.

What they really want is for President Trump to send in U.S. aircraft and missiles and strike at Houthi positions. There have been a couple of phone calls over the past few days by the Saudi crown prince directly to Trump, basically appealing to him to step in. But both of those appeals have, according to one source familiar with this, been rebuffed.

It seems that President Trump is at the moment saying that his red line is engaging in that kind of kinetic war with Yemen. There's a couple of reasons why that might be.

I mean, first of all, I expect President Trump may be very reluctant to open a second front in this region while the Iran war is still, you know, undecided and unresolved.

[02:30:11]

You know, American military, assets are incredibly stretched across this region. Opening a second front could be problematic, but it's risky, of course, as well not, you know, kind of, you know, backing up the Saudis and responding to their appeal because it, you know, it once again undermines the credibility of the United States as a security guarantor for the region.

And that's something that I think is really being acutely felt in the United States and here as well. And of course, there's the economic risk as well. If Saudi oil exports

are successfully cut off, not just in the Strait of Hormuz, where theyre already incredibly limited, but also in the Red Sea on the other side of the country, through the Bab El-Mandeb strait, which the Houthis in Yemen essentially control, that means millions of barrels of oil every day is going to find it much harder to get on the market. That's going to create an upward pressure on the global oil price.

And it's not just people around the world that are going to feel that pinch. Its going to be motorists and consumers in the United States as well, who are already suffering record high prices at the gas pump.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Matthew Chance there for us in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

All right. Still to come, why thousands are taking to the streets in Madrid to protest one woman's apartment eviction. See you in a moment

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[02:36:12]

HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta.

Let's take a look at today's top stories.

An early fall nor'easter is slamming the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Coast before ramping up and heading north. Areas from Boston to New York will feel the storms biggest punch by late Friday or early Saturday. Millions of Americans are already under flood warnings and flood watches.

Pope Leo is expected to arrive in Paris soon for a four day visit to France. He departed from Rome in the last hour. During his visit, hell be meeting with French leaders, including President Emmanuel Macron, as well as holding a prayer service. He's also celebrating mass in Paris's largest public square, where up to a million people are expected to attend.

Starbucks says it's closing nearly 250 stores across North America. It is part of a years-long $1 billion plan to revamp the coffee chain business and reignite growth. Starbucks says the affected locations either failed to meet its standards or were not financially viable. Customers can expect to see closings as early as this weekend.

Thousands of people have flooded Spain's streets in protest after police evicted an elderly woman from her Madrid home on a stretcher. She grew up there but can no longer afford the skyrocketing cost of rent.

CNN's Pau Mosquera has the details for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This image has sparked outrage across Spain on Wednesday. They showed the eviction of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old woman from Madrid Retiro district, from the home where she had lived for around seven decades. Specifically, Maricarmen grew up and lived with her parents in this building. She inherited an old rent control list that allowed her to pay a rent of around $570 per month. But everything changed after a real estate company bought the apartment in 2018 and began asking for a much higher rent, one that she couldn't afford on a 1,500 pension.

After months of legal battle, rejected appeals and three eviction attempts, the eviction was finally carried out on Wednesday, and Maricarmen ended up being taken to Madrid Gregorio Maranon Hospital, where she remains today without a housing alternative.

Her case immediately triggered reactions. Thousands took to the streets in Madrid, while solidarity rallies and messages spread to cities such as Barcelona, Seville and Valencia. For many, Maricarmen has become a symbol of a much wider issue. This is the housing crisis in Spain and this is why many are asking the authorities to change the law, not just to make housing more affordable, but also to make sure that cases like Maricarmen do not happen again.

Pao Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: The U.S. and Russia are keeping diplomatic efforts going to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Sources say envoys from both sides held talks in New York on Thursday. They followed up on the talks that they had in Moscow earlier this month. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also met his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday.

But in his speech to the forum, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Mr. Putin patient zero, who spreads the idea of war and must be stopped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Ukrainians are fastly catching up, for example, when it comes to jet powered drones. And what were seeing when it comes to Ukraine on the front line, we thought only a year ago that when it comes to this vital part of Donetsk, these fortified cities, that the Russians might be able, in a not too distant future, to really move against them.

[02:40:03]

At the moment, our assessment is this will take much, much longer.

So the Ukrainians are really successful on the front line. Ukrainians are also successful in striking deep into inside Russia. It's true that the Russians are constantly pummeling and attacking key industrial infrastructure and innocent civilians and cities, residential areas.

And that is why it is so important that we keep the flow of interceptors to which are able to take out those missiles as much as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Rutte went on to say, NATO can't let down its guard as Vladimir Putin continues to build up Russia's armed forces and defenses.

Nepal sends a big message about climate change at the un general assembly. What the country's prime minister said after his nation's recent flooding disaster.

And still ahead, a veteran aid worker shares footage of some of the most difficult years in North Korea's recent history.

See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:46]

HUNTE: Welcome back.

Nepal's prime minister says his country is paying a devastating price for a problem that it didn't create. He spoke after a glacier collapse and flooding killed more than 1,400 people last month. Experts say climate change likely played a part. The prime minister put it this way in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALENDRA SHAH, NEPALI PRIME MINISTER: Climate change does not recognize borders. Glaciers and floods do not travel with stamps and passports. Nepal contributes less than 0.1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. We did not create this crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: For more, Hanako Montgomery joins us from Tokyo.

Good to see you.

We have heard that Nepal's prime minister described this climate change as a development emergency. What does Nepal need from the international community now?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Ben, we heard from the Prime Minister Balendra Shah, during his U.N. address, really talk about climate justice in the form of two things. One is reparations and also greater awareness that climate change isn't just something that Nepal is dealing with, but it is a global problem.

Now by reparations, what I mean is that Nepal believes that climate change should not really be paid by the countries that are most affected by it, by the countries that contribute the least to the problem, but by the countries that have missed the most greenhouse gas emissions.

We know, according to Nepal government estimates, that recovery will cost at least $5 billion U.S. dollars, which is more than 11 percent of the country's GDP. And the government has already requested a $20 billion aid fund from the United Nations, which helps cover some of those climate related costs. So that is one element that Balendra Shah is requesting for reparations.

And the other thing is again, greater awareness that climate change is not one issue that's affecting a singular country, but it is really a global effort to reduce the impact of this climate disaster. Balendra Shah actually highlighted this in an analogy. He pointed out about how our world is very good at waging wars, but isn't so great at figuring out how to protect the most vulnerable from climate change. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAH: And a world that can deliver a weapon anywhere in 72 hours has no excuse for leaving a farmer without means of decent livelihood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: And, Ben, also, you know, what Shah was really pointing out here was that it could take years for Nepal to recover. And his great concern, or his warning to the world is that while it's still recovering, another disaster could hit, especially again, as the wealthier countries that contribute more to climate change continue to stand by and watch -- Ben.

HUNTE: Okay. Hanako Montgomery reporting from Tokyo -- thank you very much.

It is difficult to know what the daily lives of North Koreans are like, given the hold that Pyongyang has over access. Now, an aid worker who spent decades helping North Koreans is sharing her experiences and never before seen video with CNN. We should warn you that some of these images are disturbing.

Senior international correspondent Will Ripley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are images the North Korean government does not want you to see -- far away from the showpiece capital, Pyongyang, inside the homes of everyday people struggling to survive, during the darkest days in the North Korean famine in the 1990s.

KATHI ZELLWEGER, SWISS AID WORKER: And this child had the same old face than her grandmother. That struck me.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Kathi Zellweger is a Swiss aid worker who spent nearly 25 years running humanitarian programs in North Korea, 75 trips, five years living there. Foreign journalists have never been granted this kind of access, not even me on my 19 trips.

RIPLEY: We're looking at them, but they're looking at us as well.

[02:50:00]

Every time I try to take a picture of those girls, they run away.

What is it like to be born and to grow up in North Korea?

ZELLWEGER: I think, you know, parents try their best to look after children well, but it's challenging, especially in the countryside to provide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thirty-two hundred tons of rice arrived several days ago.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Kathi brought in massive shipments of food, but she still had to verify where it was going. Following the food took her deeper and deeper into North Korea.

MIKE CHINOY, FORMER CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: There are thousands, if not tens of thousands of North Koreans who are alive today who would be dead if it wasn't for the work that Kathi Zellweger did.

RIPLEY (voice-over): In later years, she could feel the government tightening its grip, especially after diplomacy with the U.S. fell apart and North Korea was no longer interested in engaging with the West.

ZELLWEGER: The world control was used much more widely than before.

RIPLEY: So, you thought it was getting more restrictive and more controlling in more recent years?

ZELLWEGER: Yeah.

Bye-bye. Can you say bye-bye?

RIPLEY (voice-over): Then suddenly, the door slammed shut.

Kathi often thinks about all the people she met, people she may never see or hear from again.

Will Ripley, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: There is much more to come, including a look at one of the liveliest, most colorful autumn festivals anywhere in the world. That's next on CNN NEWSROOOM. See you in a moment

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HUNTE: Welcome back.

The calendar in the northern hemisphere has finally turned to autumn, and that means millions of people are celebrating harvest season. One of the most colorful events is taking place in Hong Kong.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is there for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The streets here are erupting with party energy and fire. I am in the Tai Hang District of Hong Kong. This is the home of the annual fire dance festival for the Mid- Autumn Festival. This is when every year, across three nights, hundreds of dancers carry this very impressive fire dragon through the streets of Hong Kong. It's coming our way right now.

The fire dragon is some 67 meters long. That's 220 feet long. It's also covered with 12,000 burning incense sticks. So we got to be careful when it swings by.

[02:55:00]

This is a tradition that's been happening here in Tai Hang district since 1880.

And take a close look at the dragon. It's made out of rattan. It's made out of straw and rope. The face in particular, very impressive, with glowing electric eyes and teeth made out of iron. And a dragon beard that's made out of the roots of a banyan tree.

This is all part of the mid-autumn festival celebrations that are underway in many parts of East Asia and Southeast Asia. You know, like this is a time for families to get together, to feast, to celebrate the harvest, to admire the full moon, to also bring out lit lanterns and of course, to eat those moon shaped treats like pomelo or of course, the mooncake.

But here in Tai Hang, it takes a very different dimension. Here in Tai Hang, the mid-autumn festival is celebrated this way by unleashing the beast and by dancing with the fire dragon.

And there we have it. What a good job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

STOUT: That was fantastic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

STOUT: Great.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

STOUT: How are you feeling?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exhausted.

STOUT: How are you feeling right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh. Pretty good. It's my second time here.

STOUT: So second time here. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy mid-autumn festival to you, too.

STOUT: You get burned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little bit in my shirt.

STOUT: I got a little bit.

That was fantastic, guys. Good job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, thank you, thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Cities across the U.S. are celebrating Dolly Parton Appreciation Day. It is not her birthday or the date of her death, after a very brief battle with cancer. Instead, the date is a nod to the late country legend's classic film and tune "9 to 5". Celebrations across the country, such as in New York and New Orleans, will include parades and music events, too.

Also honoring Dolly Parton, Irish rock band U2 are announcing theyre releasing their first new album in nearly a decade. They say it features Parton's final recorded vocal performance before her death. That collaboration is titled "Torn", and its one of 12 new tracks on U2's 16th studio album.

And it's also a very big day for Swifties. She is releasing new music for "The Life of a Showgirl". The encore arrives today and even has a song titled "Cleveland", near where her husband Travis Kelce was born. Its lyrics include "Hate all you like, this is the love of my life". That is apparently a barb pointed at critics of their relationship.

On social media, Swift credited her fans for the album's original success, and it was the biggest first week of her career.

All right. Thanks for joining me in the team. That's all I've got for you. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. I'll be back with more news after this quick break. And after these live pictures of Paris where Pope Leo will be arriving in the hours ahead. See you in a bit.

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