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Storm Slams U.S. Northeast Coast with Rain, Wind and Flooding; China's Latest Panda Diplomats Head to Zoo in Atlanta; U.K. Officials: Several Arrested Near Royal Air Force Base; Trump Rejects Iran's Hormuz Proposal; Russia Slams the West as Bullies; Pope Leo XIV's Historic France Trip. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired September 27, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's get to our headlines.

The Northeastern U.S. is taking a pounding as that powerful Nor'easter comes ashore with deadly consequences. Two giant pandas are headed to the U.S. From China, how panda diplomacy could strengthen ties between the two countries. And unacceptable, that's what President Trump calls Iran's latest proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN Newsroom with Salma Abdelaziz.

ABDELAZIZ: Let's begin this hour focused on the U.S. Northeast where a rare storm is bringing rain, strong winds, and flooding to coastal areas. And the worst may still be ahead. Heavy rain caused street flooding on Saturday and high winds were reported in several states. Falling trees killed one person and injured four others, among them two children in New York City. More than 100,000 customers are without power across the region. This is according to poweroutage.us.

The Nor'easter is driving coastal flooding by pushing water towards the shore. The effect is at its worst in the hours around high tide. And a full moon means the tide will be higher than normal. Despite warnings from officials, some New Englanders wanted to see conditions for themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Running. Well, I'll leave that to you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Well, I'm on a schedule, but I thought it would be exciting to see the storm. And yes, I don't know, it motivated me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Check the weather, and it would be more heavy in the evening. So, we thought we're going to do a morning run, see it, and head home. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: In New Jersey, nine people and a dog had to be rescued from flooded motels. Experts say the flooding risk could last for days since the storm will linger over these coastal areas rather than quickly drifting back out to sea, as Nor'easters often do.

CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is in Massachusetts and brings us a closer look at the extreme conditions coastal communities are facing there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Our monster Nor'easter is still bearing down on southern New England and into the mid-Atlantic, driving in the angry seas of the Atlantic Ocean with these powerful northeasterly gusts that have been relentless, persistent. We have clocked tropical storm force winds in and around situate Massachusetts, where I'm located, and we're far removed from the center of this storm.

It's the duration of this Nor'easter that's setting it apart from other strong coastal low-pressure systems that have formed in this area. I mean, looking at the satellite imagery over the past 24 hours, it looks like a hurricane is bearing down on the East Coast, but that is not the case. This is a Nor'easter.

But we're having semantics here. We're splitting hairs, because still, the impacts are like a tropical system, even though it is not a named storm. I mean, you can clearly see how we are getting battered and shaken by these strong, powerful winds, but this is just a drop in the bucket of what we're experiencing across the Long Island Sound into southern Manhattan, the coastal areas of Rhode Island, and into coastal New Jersey. These areas have been hit particularly hard, especially with coastal flooding, and it's likely to continue as we have multiple high-tide cycles, a full moon exaggerating these tidal swings, meaning that the high tides are higher than they typically are. So, this storm surge is responsible for inundating roads, businesses, and homes.

At low tides, sometimes the water isn't able to get back out into the ocean and recede like it normally would within that cycle because of the persistent northeast winds coming off of the ocean. Those are the concerns, the power outages. The trees still have full leaves on them. They haven't dropped for the autumn season just yet, so they're acting like sails, and they are dropping very easily because of saturated ground and also the powerful winds just getting caught up in these large trees.

So, more power outages and additional downed tree limbs and trees are possible with this powerful nor'easter bearing in on the mid-Atlantic and southern New England.

I'm CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam in Sichuan, Massachusetts. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:05:00]

ABDELAZIZ: For more on the impact of nor'easter, I want to bring in meteorologist and climate scientist Chris Gloninger. He is live for us from Sag Harbor in New York. Thank you so much for joining us in the early hours today. I would like to start just by where nor'easter is hitting right now because it seems to be such a massive system. How is that threat shifting as it moves up the east coast and which communities are most vulnerable today?

CHRIS GLONINGER, METEOROLOGIST AND CLIMATE SCIENTIST: Salma, from Virginia all the way up to Massachusetts, that is our biggest threat for high winds, coastal flooding and torrential rain through the morning and into the afternoon. One more high tide cycle to go through moderate to major coastal flooding then things begin to wane.

The good news is we're kind of at that peak and for the next six hours, things will stay pretty strong. But after that early afternoon along the Mid-Atlantic and New England coastline, conditions will begin to quiet down. But you saw all the wave footage and the coastal flooding video.

That happened because of 157 consecutive hours of onshore winds just piling up that water and in between high and low tide, the water level never had a chance to really drop. So, it just made matters worse. You can see some of that video, a lot of sailboat damage. We are in the heart of tourism season. Again, starting to taper off a little bit but a lot of boats moored out there, breaking free of their moorings. Damage done to trees and power lines throughout the area and also some very heavy rain.

Multiple components, Salma, with this storm. We have another 24 hours before things begin to quiet down. 30,000 customers without power in New York State, 16,000 of them on eastern Long Island showing you just how hard this area has been hit.

ABDELAZIZ: And you're saying it's going to peak over the next hours, but how long after that will rain, wind, and flooding persist? And what should people who are in the storm's path be doing right now, be doing today?

GLONINGER: Stay out of the way of first responders because that's been big. A lot of people wanting to get out and see the big surf, the coastal flooding, but that puts our first responders in jeopardy as well. And for the next 12 to 24 hours, we can still expect strong gusty winds. We can still expect minor coastal flooding.

And that takes a toll on our infrastructure, right? This is about six to seven tides worth of high tide flooding. And that will just make it that much more difficult to recover from. And remember, you see the sprawling storm on the satellite and radar right there. It is sitting over warm waters. And the warm water made 40 times more likely because of climate change, adding fuel into this storm.

And, Salma, since 1910, 1920, we've seen about 11 inches of sea level rise. Six of those inches happening since 1990. So, the big perfect storm, this has about six inches more water on top of what we had back then. And that means all of that coastal flooding can reach farther inland. Just one of the effects of climate change with this storm. Nor'easters have always happened, but they're just getting more fuel and having a farther reach.

ABDELAZIZ: And let me ask you very quickly because you mentioned the impact on infrastructure and our reporting is that there's 100,000 people without electricity already. What is driving this loss in power? And could these outages continue if you're talking about these very difficult conditions that would make it really hard to restore that power?

GLONINGER: Duration, duration, duration. And that has been the problem with this. Maybe not strong winds, 157 hours' worth, but at least half of that, we've had gusts over 40 miles per hour. So, utility crews can't safely go back to restore the power. Typically, they have thresholds where you need 40 to 50 mile per hour wind gusts or less to get out there. And we're still gusting over 50.

So, until those winds subside enough, they're going to be grounded in many cases. And you heard earlier in Scituate, we still have leaves on the trees, so that's added weight. And now, the ground is saturated. And even if the winds start to diminish over the next six hours, any gusts to 40, 45 through the afternoon will be enough to topple those trees on the power lines.

So, it's that cycle where the utility crews, even if they are able to get out there, the winds stay strong, and we may see power problems for the next 12 to 24 hours until Monday afternoon. That's when the storm finally releases its grip. And remember, I was on CNN for the first time Thursday with this storm, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, five days, I'm aware this storm is raging on.

ABDELAZIZ: Chris Gloninger in Sac Harbor, New York, on the Nor'easter that is slamming the Northeast Coast right now. Thank you so much for breaking that down for us.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Hurricane Nolo is bringing rain to Hawaii as it passes south of the island chain. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm is moving away from the Big Island with watches and warnings now discontinued. But it will deliver rain, gusty winds, and high waves throughout the weekend.

[04:10:00]

Nolo could still strengthen into a major hurricane on Sunday, but is expected to remain south of the island chain. This is Hawaii's third brush with a hurricane in just six weeks.

And in Bangkok, Thailand, roads are flooded. After swarms swept through the city, more rain is expected in the coming days. And the city's governor has declared the area a disaster zone. CNN's Ben Hunte has more for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Floods in Bangkok have slowed the normally bustling city to a crawl. The city's governor declared it a disaster zone on Saturday, and more storms are expected throughout the weekend. Nearly 300 millimeters, or a foot, of rain has deluged the Thai capital since Thursday. Major roads are waterlogged, and officials are warning against unnecessary travel. Yet some residents trudged through the floods to stock up on supplies.

SANSUK LAOWATCHARAKUL, BANGKOK RESIDENT (through translator): I'm worried too, because I haven't stocked up on food beforehand, and I've never faced this kind of situation alone before since my parents aren't with me.

HUNTE (voice-over): The city's pumping stations are working at full capacity, but the governor says it could take up to three days to fully drain the streets once the rain stops, according to the Bangkok Post. The army is setting up emergency shelters, and an emergency advisory was sent out urging people that live near canals to move their belongings to higher ground. But some people say it came too late.

SUPPAKARN JULAVIJITPHONG, BANGKOK RESIDENT (through translator): The warning this time was quite limited. The only real alert came in the morning through an iPhone notification. Before that, I wasn't aware enough to consider relocating.

HUNTE (voice-over): September is the peak of the rainy season in Bangkok, but it's been soggier than usual, according to the city's drainage and sewer department. So, far, the floods haven't caused major disruptions at the city's main airport, but schools will be closed on Monday in another effort to keep people off the flooded streets.

Ben Hunte, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Turning now to Nepal, where at least six people are missing. This is after an avalanche hit a base camp at a remote mountain. Organizers say climbers and support staff were preparing for an expedition. Sherpas and kitchen staff were fixing ropes and setting up tents at a base camp in central Nepal for a group from the UAE when a torrent of snow and rocks swept down the mountainside. The company organizing the expedition says it is now working with Nepal's tourism board to confirm the exact number of people that are missing and is working to send a rescue helicopter to that base camp.

We have breaking news out of South Africa this hour. A manhunt is underway right now after 17 people were killed in a shooting. This was in a township outside of Johannesburg. Police say eight men, allegedly armed with pistols and AK-47 rifles, opened fire on people drinking outside a tavern before entering and continuing to shoot inside. Fifteen people with gunshot wounds have been transferred to medical facilities for treatment. We're going to continue to monitor this story and bring you the latest when we have it. This morning, two of China's giant pandas will officially touch down in Atlanta. Beijing is loading them to the U.S. for 10 years as part of China's long-standing tradition of panda diplomacy. Chinese state media says Ping Ping and Fu Shuang left China Sunday morning with plenty of fresh bamboo and apples to eat during their flight. They'll enter a mandatory quarantine period upon arriving at Zoo Atlanta.

The arrangement comes just days after President Trump extended a trade truce with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during his state visit to Washington. Now, Mr. Xi described the giant pandas as envoys of friendship between the Chinese and Americans.

I want to bring in now from Beijing CNN's Mike Valerio to tell us more about the journey that these pandas are going to be taking all the way to Zoo Atlanta. Mike, I am so excited to hear about this.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I hope you go see them since you're a Georgia girl, Salma. So, it's going to be a 15-hour trip from this side of the world all the way over to Atlanta. And it was a big fluffy effort to engage in two types of training to make sure that this trip would be as easy as possible.

But we want to roll the cute video. We can't get enough of it. The best CNN video all day today. And essentially what those two types of training are, liking the crate and not being as annoyed with the noise that these two pandas were going to encounter as possible.

So, to like the crate, that is important because if you imagine during the very early morning hours, if these two pandas didn't want to go on their own accord, that could have been hugely problematic logistically speaking, you know, to try to move a panda into position.

[04:15:00]

Luckily, they voluntarily went to their crates. They were trained for about a month to want to do it on their own. And also, pandas somewhat, they don't like a whole lot of noise. So, over the past month, they were slowly gently exposed to similar types of plane noises. So, they would have as comfortable a trip to Georgia as possible.

Now, if you do see these pandas, if you're visiting Atlanta between now and, oh, I don't know the next 10 years, you should know that their main highlight is that these two pandas have very different personalities. We have Ping Ping, the male, who is very demure. He's very chill. We're told that if you hold an apple up to his snout, he will whimper and let you know that he wants that treat. Fu Shuang, though, I'm not going to say that she has chaotic energy, but sometimes she does. Just little bursts of chaotic energy. She's very lively, playful. When you open up a pot of honey, her keeper's words, not mine, she goes a little crazy. She's very energetic.

But the name of the game here, the goal is for both of these pandas to find love. And who doesn't like a good love story? Atlanta is perhaps a very good place to find it because it has the most successful panda breeding program in America, where seven panda cubs over the past 10 years were bred.

Now, Salma, I know that you used to call Atlanta home, so what we're going to do here in the Beijing Bureau in China is FedEx you one of these guys. We have all of these pandas in the Bureau because they're included in the Shenzhen APEC Summit swag bag that all of these foreign leaders, all these delegations, including from President Trump, Xi Jinping, are going to get these pandas because they're such a symbol of China's soft power.

It's just a small, pint-sized symbol of the cultural cachet that China attaches to its pandas, and so many people in this town and throughout China are so glad that these two are making their way to Georgia right now, Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: This is just too cute. You have melted my heart. Self- declared cutest video of the day. I have to agree, and I'm going to wait for that panda because it's going to my son. Thank you so much, Mike Valerio, in Beijing there. It's great to have you with us.

VALERIO: Good.

ABDELAZIZ: There is much more to come here on CNN Newsroom. President Trump speaks out on Iran's latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks. What he said and what is likely in the offer just ahead.

Plus, Russia's top diplomat takes the podium at the U.N. and castigates all Western countries together why he believes they are the bullies, but not Russia, despite its actions in Ukraine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back. We have breaking news for you out of the U.K. Police in England say that several men have been arrested on suspicion of explosive offences. This is near a Royal Air Force base that is often used by U.S. forces. A number of properties have been evacuated in the Welford area of Gloucestershire following the declaration of a major incident. Officials say the Army Specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal team are currently examining several vehicles. We're going to bring you the latest as we get it here.

U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran's latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks is quote unacceptable. Tehran's top diplomat says he's seen President Trump's public reaction to the proposal but is waiting for an official American response delivered by mediators before making any decision. He could be waiting for a while though. A White House official tells CNN, quote, "The U.S. is in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz so we are not in a rush." CNN's Julia Benbrook has more from the White House for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump says he has rejected Iran's latest proposal calling it unacceptable. Now, the details of what is in the proposal are scarce but Iran's foreign minister said that it did nothing more than what was in the memorandum of understanding. The agreement signed by both the United States and Iran back in June but that was scrapped shortly thereafter.

This recent proposal Iran says would have led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for some of its long-standing demands of the United States. The Strait of Hormuz, that critical waterway, has been a key area of focus for this now months-long conflict and there are conflicting messages on it. Trump has remained adamant that the United States is in full control of it and watching every inch of it. He spoke on that part specifically at the White House on Saturday. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: He said let's close it and cause a problem for the world and then I came along and we put up the greatest blockade ever in military history. It's a wall of steel. I would put it up and guess what? They don't have any money now because they wanted to close the strait and I said that's fine we're going to close it on you but everybody else is able to use it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: These comments come not long after Trump spoke at the United Nations General Assembly and he said that he was in deciding mode when it comes to Iran. He said that he believed there could be some sort of an agreement to end the conflict shortly after the midterms, suggesting that Tehran is trying to put some political pressure there. But as he said that there could be an agreement in the coming weeks. He also said that he could annihilate Iran. He added that he could drive Iran into, quote, "hell with no chance of survival."

It's important to note that following those first joint U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran, Trump said that this could last a number of weeks. It is now nearing that seventh month mark. And as those midterms are quickly approaching, poll after poll shows that the majority of Americans do not approve of the way that Trump has handled this.

[04:25:00]

In fact, a recent CNN poll found that just 26 percent said that they approve of the way that Trump has handled this conflict so far.

Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: President Trump is also adding fresh uncertainty into the potential production of Patriot missiles in Ukraine. On Saturday, he refused to say whether he'll give Kyiv a license to manufacture the weapon. But a day earlier, Ukraine's president said Mr. Trump told him he would do that. The U.S. president floated the idea of allowing Ukraine to manufacture Patriots in July, but he later appeared to backtrack. Patriot interceptors are one of the few weapons that can actually shoot down Russia's ballistic missiles.

Meanwhile, we're just getting word of a new wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine. Its air force says the Kremlin has fired 170 drones on targets across the country overnight. 14 people have been killed in the past 24 hours and dozens of others wounded, including in the city of Odessa. But Russia also claims it shot down close to 100 Ukrainian drones overnight. Russia used one of the world's biggest political stages to rip into the entire Western world on Saturday.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed the U.N. General Assembly on day five of its annual debate. Despite Russia's brutal invasion and never-ending airstrikes on Ukraine, he accused Western countries of being bullies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): The Western minority, which dominated for 500 years thanks to others' resources, continues to try to maintain its privileges and to oppose its own rules upon everyone else. The West continues to use brute force to act unpredictably, to engage in all sorts of ventures, putting at risk the life and prosperity of millions, if not billions, of people on our planet. As President Putin said, the dictatorship of one hegemon is spiraling out of control. It is dangerous for everyone else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Lavrov later spoke with his German counterpart in the first such meeting since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Sources say Germany pushed Russia to reach an agreement with Ukraine on grain exports through the Black Sea. Lavrov also dismissed recent reports that Moscow may be planning limited military action against a NATO country.

I want to bring in now to this conversation Max Seddon. He is the Moscow Bureau Chief for the Financial Times and is coming to us live from Berlin this morning. Thank you so much for joining us.

I want to start -- I know we only just played a small clip there from Lavrov's very confrontational speech at the U.N. in which he sort of attempts to turn the tables and accuse Western nations of weakening the multilateral system and international governance. What did you make of it? And more importantly, what do you think it tells us about the Kremlin's worldview?

MAX SEDDON, MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF, THE FINANCIAL TIMES: I think it's pretty obvious we're more than four years into the Russian invasion of Ukraine now that Russia and President Vladimir Putin have absolutely no intention of agreeing any kind of peace deal to end this war unless it's essentially a surrender for Ukraine. They are willing to engage in some sort of peace talks, but there's other demands that they have set out as a preconditions for any peace deal. Ukraine has said that basically amounts to surrender and Putin himself made this very clear as well when he was last speaking in public on Friday night. You know, he said that Ukraine needed to be punished for its increased drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure during the Russian parliamentary elections last weekend. This does not look and sound like someone who is really interested in the deal. He thinks that he has the military advantage in this war. He thinks he's going to win. He thinks he can inflict more pain on Ukraine, especially this winter attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Power and heat will go out in Ukrainian cities. He thinks that will help push for more concessions from Ukraine in any negotiations that then follow. But he's been very clear that they are not interested in any compromise. And Lavrov also made that very clear when he was speaking on Saturday.

ABDELAZIZ: So, President Putin, very clear, very plain that he does not intend to pursue peace, yet the United States says that it wants to restart talks, that it wants to attempt diplomacy. Again, I have to be honest, it feels like deja vu. It feels like we've been here before. What is the intention here behind the Trump administration's yet again push for diplomacy, when as you said, it is obvious that that is not what Moscow wants?

SEDDON: Well, I think the Trump administration, their policy has been fairly clear from the outset of Donald Trump's second term. They would just like this war to be over. And they are certainly less concerned than the Biden administration was on what the actual terms are, how favorable they are to Ukraine. You know, they have tried to push Ukraine in the past to accept some pretty difficult terms.

[04:30:00]

But even with the pretty generous offers, from most people's standpoint, that the Trump administration has made in the past, Putin has not shown any interest in anything unless he gets everything he wants.

And so, formally, they're open for talks. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's main negotiators, visited Putin a few weeks ago, and they went to see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. But this isn't going to go anywhere until you get some serious buy-in from Putin for top-level talks. And their position has been that they will only have a meet Zelenskyy if Zelenskyy comes to Moscow, which is a complete non-starter for Ukraine. And they think it shows that Russia isn't being serious.

I think with the U.S., they're certainly with the midterms coming up and high gas prices, Trump has said that they want to do something about diesel. Russia has suspended its diesel exports because of the Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, which have cut into Russia's diesel production, and this is affecting world diesel markets. But at the end of the day, even if they did get some kind of deal, getting Ukraine to stop hitting Russian refineries, it wouldn't affect global energy markets as much as an end to the war in Iran by the U.S. And there's no sign of that ending anytime soon either. So, they're kind of clutching at straws here.

ABDELAZIZ: And if I may, because you are there and we only have a little bit of time left here, but I do want to very quickly tap into that point you're making about the calls by President Trump for Zelenskyy to stop hitting Russian oil refineries. And I think that is a comment that raised eyebrows. He's essentially blaming Ukraine, as you mentioned there, for the sky-high price of diesel.

Quickly, what do you make of that comment from President Trump? Is that him appeasing Putin? Is that an olive branch? What's your takeaway?

SEDDON: I think he wants this just to be over. But at the same time, after he last spoke to Zelenskyy, it appeared that Zelenskyy made the point that he'd be very happy to stop attacking the refineries if Russia stopped invading his country. And Trump's comments in the last few days have actually put the onus more on Russia to stop this war. And it seems that even with his sympathies to Russia, Trump is realizing that this is something that Russia has to row back for there to really be any progress.

ABDELAZIZ: Russia will not agree to anything unless it gets everything. That is my takeaway there from Max Sedan, the Moscow bureau chief for the Financial Times. Thank you so much for that analysis.

Still to come here on CNN Newsroom, including Pope Leo's trip to France will bring you his message to faithful Catholics and to the rest of the world, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:35:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London.

We have live pictures for you of Lourdes, France. This is where Pope Leo XIV is right now on his first official papal visit to France. In nearly 20 years, it is day three of his trip to France. He's received a very warm welcome so far. Lourdes is a world-famous Catholic pilgrimage town that is located in the foothills of the Pernice Mountains in southwestern France. He is there to do an open-air mass for the faithful.

On Saturday, he celebrated mass in Paris in front of around 800,000 people. And later, as you can see there, he arrived in the town of Lourdes and prayed at a Catholic pilgrimage site. He will preside over yet again another open-air mass, as I just mentioned there, in the coming hours. CNN's Christopher Lamb has been traveling with the pope and brings us up to date with his trip.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: It is almost two decades since a pope has visited France, and it's the first time an American pope has ever visited the country, and he is drawing in big crowd and a lot of interest in his visit and what he's doing. Almost 800,000 or around 800,000 people gathered in Paris for that huge open-air mass.

Pope Leo really keen, whilst in France, to encourage young Catholics and young people who are interested in becoming Catholics. France has seen a surprising rise in those numbers of young people showing an interest in faith and wanting to become Catholic. So, that's been a key theme of his trip.

He is now, though, in Lourdes, which is a major Catholic pilgrimage site. It's a place where the sick and the infirm come on pilgrimage. It's a place associated with healings, and Leo will be celebrating a mass with thousands of people gathering in this very important spiritual heart, really, of France.

And also, he is going to be addressing the crisis and the scandal of clerical sexual abuse. France has been shocked by revelations of abuse in the Catholic Church. The pope is going to be meeting with survivors later on Sunday, and he's going to be meeting with bishops and church leaders.

And we expect him, maybe not publicly, but certainly privately, to be talking about that to them. So, a jam-packed schedule for Pope Leo on this third day of his visit to France.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Tens of thousands of people in Madrid are demanding solutions to Spain's housing crisis. This is after an 87-year-old woman was forcibly evicted from her childhood apartment. Protesters say it is nearly impossible to afford to buy a house or rent an apartment or even to find a place to live in the first place. CNN's Pau Mosquera has more for us on this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's what growing anger over Spain's housing crisis sounds like.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I spend a big part of my salary on housing, and I cannot spend the money on other things. I cannot buy a house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm 28 years old. I've been working for 12 years, and I still can't buy a flat or even afford the down payment. I'm still living with my parents.

MOSQUERA: Protests like this, over soaring housing costs, both to rent and to buy, have become increasingly common in Spain's major cities in recent years.

[04:40:00]

But this particular one was sparked by the controversial eviction of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old neighbor of Madrid's Retiro district. She was evicted on Wednesday after the real estate company that owns her apartment won the legal battle to put an end to the longstanding rental contract that she inherited from her parents years ago.

So, those taking part in this demonstration are protesting not only on Maricarmen's eviction despite her vulnerability, but also calling for better access to housing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Maricarmen's case is disgraceful. And the real problem is that there are many Maricarmen, many young people who simply cannot access housing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm older now. I have my own home. And it doesn't affect me personally, but it clearly affects many people. We need to look not only at what happens to us individually, but also at what we see around us. Many people are facing serious problems.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I earn an average salary, but it's still not enough for me to move in with my boyfriend. I simply can't do it. I can't afford to pay 1,200 euros for a home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We live in Madrid, and we're forced to keep sharing flats with people we don't even know, while rents climb above 1,500 or 2,000 euros a month.

MOSQUERA The protesters say they want to prevent cases like Maricarmen's eviction from happening again, but Spain's government has yet to agree on how they will handle the case. So, far, we know that they want to propose next Tuesday a decree as to tackle the impact of the country's housing emergency. But its coalition partners remain divided over how to deal with evictions and whether they should or not expropriate the apartment where Maricarmen was living.

Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Coming up next on CNN Newsroom, immigration advocates are raising concerns over the deportation of LGBTQ migrants from the U.S. CNN speaks to one of those migrants who says she is living in fear.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:45:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back. The Trump administration is now moving to cancel $810 million in Congress-approved funding for immigrant services, calling it unnecessary. The proposed cuts across various departments include funds intended for refugees, immigrant detainees, and other services, including minority businesses. The White House says that money is for, quote, unconstitutional race-based purposes.

Normally, funding is paused while Congress has 45 days to act. But the fiscal year ends September 30th, and Congress is in recess. So, it's very likely the funds will be canceled. As the U.S. immigration crackdown continues, LGBTQ migrants are being deported to countries that immigration advocates say put them at extreme risk. For years, migrants were allowed to stay in the U.S. if they convinced an immigration court that they would be in danger if deported. But all of that is changing, as CNN's Isobel Yeung reports.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm bisexual. In my country, that is illegal. That is a sin. That is a crime.

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, this 21-year-old woman says that because of her sexuality, she and her family have been targeted in Ghana and even accused of witchcraft. So, she says she fled Ghana to the U.S., where she sought refuge, and a U.S. judge actually granted her protections.

YEUNG (voice-over): We recently traveled to Central Africa because this woman is one of a growing number of LGBTQ individuals who ICE has deported, not to their home country, but to a third country instead. The Trump administration has signed at least 35 deals with various countries to accept migrants who can't be deported to their countries of origin, including a number of African nations.

YEUNG: So, this woman, for example, is now in Cameroon, where homosexuality is criminalized.

It must be scary.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's terrifying. It's like you're a criminal.

YEUNG (voice-over): In the Central African Republic, I asked locals what they thought.

YEUNG: What about people of different sexualities, people who are homosexual? Are they welcome here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We don't like them. They should be killed.

YEUNG: what would you do if you came across a person of a different sexuality?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Well, what do we think? There's no question. They should all be killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We don't want them to live. They've men like us. They let themselves be penetrated from behind. We don't like that

YEUNG (voice-over): Several migrants are from Turkey, where the government has recently carried out a widespread crackdown on LGBTQ activists. Many migrants deported to third countries are living in limbo. Terrified to leave the buildings they're being held in, they say they'll be killed if they return to their home countries. But with few options, some have now repatriated and are living in fear.

YEUNG: Has your opinion about America and American people changed? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd be lying if I said it hasn't, because I was going to America to seek protection, to seek safety. Because America has given an image of accepting all, of a free world.

YEUNG (voice-over): The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has argued that migrants are receiving due process and that third country agreements are lawful tools to carry out removal orders.

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ABDELAZIZ: Hundreds of people took part in the La Paz Pride March in Bolivia this weekend. The march usually takes place in June, but it was rescheduled in part for safety reasons in May. The Bolivian Abdezman's office raised concerns about the removal of the sexual diversity unit from La Paz's government. The office registered 72 reports of human rights violations against LGBTQ people in 2025.

Still to come this hour, an ancient tradition takes place yearly in Hong Kong. Ahead, we'll take a look at the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance.

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[04:50:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back. People flocked to Rome's ancient Colosseum on Saturday after a fatal accident had shut down the tourist attraction for nearly three days. The 2,000-year-old amphitheater was closed temporarily after a worker who was installing a new lighting system fell to his death. At first, only part of the monument was shut down, but Italy's largest union, concerned about safety, argued that the response did not go far enough. The Colosseum attracts nearly 15 million visitors. That was in 2024, according to official data.

The Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance is a famous yearly event in Hong Kong held during the Mid-Autumn Festival. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout explains this more-than-century-old tradition.

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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 incessant sticks. So, we got to be careful when it swings by. This is a tradition that's been happening here in Taihan District since 1880. And take a close look at the dragon. It's made out of rattan. It's made of straw and rope. The face, in particular, very impressive, with glowing electric eyes and teeth made out of iron and a dragon gear that's made out of the roots of a banyan tree.

[04:55:00] 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 moon cake.

But here in Tai Hang, it takes a very different dimension. Here in Tai Hang, the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated this way by unleashing the beast and by dancing with the fire dragon. And there we have it. You did one good job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

LU STOUT: That was fantastic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Thank you.

LU STOUT: It's great. Thank you. How are you feeling?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, exhausted.

LU STOUT: How are you feeling right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, pretty good. It's my second time here.

LU STOUT: Second time here? Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to you too.

LU STOUT: And it burns?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little bit in my shirt.

LU STOUT: Yeah. I got a little bit too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have it.

LU STOUT: That was fantastic, guys. Good job.

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: And finally, Prince Harry says it's great to be back on British soil about his recent return to England with his family. He made the statement at an event near Toronto, Canada on Friday, where he was keeping a promise made to a 102-year-old World War II veteran, Ed Marshall. The Duke of Sussex, had apparently vowed to accompany the former paratrooper on his next skydive. Marshall was unable to make the jump, but his grandson completed the mission with Harry.

Thank you so much for watching. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. I'll be back with another hour of CNN Newsroom right after a quick break.

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