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CNN International: Official: U.S.-Iran Having "Positive" Talks Through Mediators; Hurricane Polo Makes Landfall In Baja California Sur, Mexico; Funding Cuts Hit Agencies That Deal With Natural Disasters; Five Men Released On Bail Amid U.K. Air Base Investigation; Pope Leo XIV Completes Four-Day Visit To France. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired September 29, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:00:31]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York.

And ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," President Trump considering easing sanctions on Iran, but he's demanding concessions on Tehran's nuclear program in return. We'll head to the region for a live report.

And deadly landslides in Nepal, severe floods in India. We'll speak with an expert about the increasing number of climate disasters amid cuts in relief funding.

Well, CNN with an exclusive report on how young migrant children facing deportation from the U.S. are having to face judges without any legal representation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: Let's begin now with U.S. and Iranian officials who have renewed talks through mediators as part of another effort to end the seven months of war. A U.S. official telling CNN that President Trump is willing to give Iran sanctions relief as well as release some frozen funds in exchange for what's being described as concrete progress on a nuclear deal.

According to that official, Tehran has indicated that they are flexible on nuclear issues. But both sides have not reached an agreement on the timing of any commitments and President Trump is already claiming victory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have the best economic numbers. We have Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. We're going to win that war very soon. That'll be over. And the gas -- gas prices will come tumbling down. So, nobody else could have done that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: CNN's Paula Hancocks joining me live from Abu Dhabi with the latest. Good morning to you, Paula.

So, we heard from President Trump. What are the Iranians saying about these potential for kick-starting these negotiations?

HANCOCKS: Well, Polo, what we're hearing from President Trump is -- is very optimistic, and it's certainly not the first time that we've been hearing such positive words about a potential for an Iran deal. They haven't been born out up until this point.

But what we're hearing from the Iranian side is as -- just as that U.S. official told us, the Iranians have signaled that they are willing to be flexible on nuclear issues. The foreign minister said that's simply not the case. He was speaking just before he got on a plane to leave New York and head back to Tehran and said that Iran's conditions for a deal have not changed at all. So, negating any optimism that we're hearing from the Trump administration.

But the fact is the two sides, through mediators, are talking once again. So, in -- in that very basic sense, that is a -- a positive outcome from what we saw last week on the out -- on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. And also this week, the U.S. officials saying it was positive and constructive discussions through the mediators effectively word for word what they said last week as well.

Now, we did hear from Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister saying that he has been meeting with Qatari mediators. He has put a proposal forward. He is waiting for the Qataris to put it to the United States and he's hoping for a response. Let's listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Today, one of the Qatari mediators held another meeting with us. We discussed ideas on how to find a way to fulfill Iran's conditions and how these conditions could be met.

They had some ideas. And we agreed that they would raise the matter again with the American side, after which the U.S. side's final response would be conveyed to us. I hope this process will be completed by tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: So, when you're saying tomorrow, that is effectively now today. So that's Tuesday. That's -- that the Iranian foreign minister was certainly hoping to hear something from the mediators from the United States.

The -- what we have seen once again, though, with statements from both sides is that the Trump administration very much wants to talk about the nuclear issue, saying that there will be no deal unless Iran's nuclear program is addressed. And what we're hearing from Tehran is they want to talk about anything but the nuclear program. We know that they want to see the -- the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the waters nearby lifted by the United States. We know that that has had a detrimental impact on the -- the economy. In fact, U.S. Central Command claims that no Iranian oil has left that area since July. Iran says that they have been able to get some oil out, however.

[04:05:30]

They also want to see sanctions relief. Tehran wants to see frozen assets lifted and an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. Much of it is what we saw in that memorandum of understanding signed back in June, which neither side has adhered to in recent months.

But there is a very definite divide that the Trump administration wants to focus on nuclear. Tehran does not. Polo.

SANDOVAL: Paula Hancocks, live from Abu Dhabi. Thank you so much, Paula.

Now to the U.S. and China as they've agreed to slash tariffs on $60 billion worth of goods. This announcement comes just days after a highly anticipated meeting between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping happened in Washington last week. Some video of that.

The tariff relief extends to a wide range of products. The U.S. has agreed to lower tariffs on 77 Chinese goods, including toys, car seats, fireworks, and really a number of household items.

Meanwhile, Beijing, for its part, agreeing to lower tariffs on more than 1,600 U.S. goods, including meat, seafood, agricultural products, and that's just to name a few on that front. U.S. soybeans, however, were not included, and that comes as a major blow to struggling American farmers who have been impacted by the trade war.

Hurricane Polo has officially made landfall along the coast of Mexico's Baja California Sur. Communities there are currently facing life-threatening winds as well as widespread flash flooding. Polo is expected to remain a hurricane as it makes a second landfall in mainland Mexico.

Forecasters showing the storm system will rapidly weaken on Tuesday as it tracks further inland. But the National Hurricane Center is warning of increased rainfall that could produce mudslides in areas with steep terrain.

CNN's Valeria Leon reports on how communities are preparing for harsh conditions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hurricane Polo could hit Mexico twice after crossing the Baja California Peninsula, home to resort destinations, including Los Cabos. Officials say the storm could make a second landfall on the central coast of Sonora on Tuesday.

LAURA VELAZQUEZ, NATIONAL CIVIL PROTECTION COORDINATOR (through text translation): We expect a second impact on Tuesday along the central coast of Sonora.

LEON (voice-over): Authorities are restricting movement in vulnerable areas. In Baja California Sur, residents are stacking sandbags outside their homes. Also, businesses have shut their doors and covered their windows. At restaurants, the chairs are up on the tables, and owners say they've had to pack away almost everything.

JORGE ALTAMIRANO, RESTAURANT OWNER (through translator): We have to take the whole business apart. And then we have to back and set it all up again.

LEON (voice-over): But crowds at gas stations where drivers are lining up to fill their tanks.

Some supermarkets have also seen rushes for supplies.

JOSE LUIS HERNANDEZ, RESIDENT (through translator): We have a baby, so diapers, milk, everything that's basic.

LEON (voice-over): Officials say the first residents have arrived at temporary shelters. And for those staying home, the priority is keeping their families safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Protect yourself, protect your children, get you documents out.

LEON (voice-over): Black warning flags are flying along the coast. And Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is urging people whose homes may not withstand the storm to seek shelter.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If there are issues due to the type of housing they have, they should go to the shelters.

LEON (voice-over): The government has set up 169 temporary shelters across Baja California Sur with a space for more than 24,000 people.

JOSE LUIS GARCIA, LOS CABOS RESIDENT (through translator): Here in Los Cabos, it rains a little and everything floods. We hope the storm loses strength as it moves along and calms down a bit

LEON: For now, residents are being told to follow official alerts and stay away from the water.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: At least 21 people have been killed as heavy rain triggered new flooding across Nepal. Some of this video we're showing you here actually shows the scale of destruction as a massive landslide crashed into a river near a northern mountain village. [04:10:04]

Authorities there are warning of possible flash flooding in dozens of districts as river levels continue rising. Nepal is still recovering from last month's catastrophic floods. The United Nations now saying at least 1,450 people were killed with more than 5,000 of them still missing or 5,000 others still missing.

Well, homes, infrastructure, they were destroyed, displacing thousands of families. An estimated 2.2 million tons of debris still need to be cleared out.

And aid agencies are warning that funding cuts are having a major impact on their ability to prepare for and deal with climate-related disasters.

One group is estimating that melting glaciers, monsoons, and landslides are endangering food, water, and energy security for nearly two billion people across Southern Asia.

And cuts to U.S. foreign aid by the Trump administration have sharply curtailed aid programs worldwide. And countries in the Himalayan region have been especially hard hit by those cuts.

Programs have been cut that monitor landslide and -- and flood forecasting, which provided training programs as well, as well as regional collaboration.

And countries are having to take out some costly loans to try to recover from climate-related disasters.

Let's talk more of the impact and speak now to Teresa Anderson. She's a climate justice lead with ActionAid International. Teresa, it's good to see you. Thank you for joining us.

TERESA ABDERSON, CLIMATE JUSTICE LEAD, ACTIONAID INTERNATIONAL: Hi, Polo. Lovely to see you.

SANDOVAL: It's great to have you with us. We just touched on it a little while ago. I'm wondering if you could help me expand on what some of those funding cuts are to disaster preparedness that have already had real tangible impacts on communities that have been hit by catastrophic incidents.

ANDERSON: The kind of work that needs to be done to help communities prepare is so important, as we see escalating climate disasters. Communities urgently need early warning systems so that when a flood happens upstream, they have time to get to safety.

They need training, they need information, they need monitoring of weather, they need deeper and stronger infrastructure investments to help become resilient and cope.

And then when these disasters happen, they need funding to be readily available quickly so that they can stay safe, so that they can have food, they can have shelter, and so that they can rebuild and recover to these disasters.

And the cuts that we've seen in the region and beyond have really affected the world's ability to cope with this escalating crisis, even as the impacts get worse.

SANDOVAL: We talked a little bit about Southern Asia being impacted, Teresa, I wonder if you could tell us what are other examples of countries that you would consider climate vulnerable right now because of these funding cuts.

ANDERSON: Well, we've actually done some analysis of the third, the top third most vulnerable countries to see how much countries are able to spend using their own budgets on -- on climate action.

And we've seen that the -- with the escalating impacts of climate change, countries are having to take on more and more loans in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, both for the costs of recovering from disasters, but even to invest in preparedness or even to transition to greener pathways.

So, we're seeing actually that there is a toxic relationship between the climate crisis and the debt crisis because the climate crisis is supercharging debt in countries. And the debt crisis is actually supercharging the climate countries because they're becoming more and more vulnerable.

Countries are unable to spend the money that they would like on climate action, on recovery, on resilience, on -- on going green and leaving them more and more vulnerable.

And so we really see that the debt crisis and the -- the climate crisis are supercharging each other. Yes.

SANDOVAL: Yes. On the issue of the climate crisis too, Teresa, as you know, the frequency, also the intensity of some of these extreme weather events that we're seeing really around the world.

And because of that, how crucial is the funding to agencies that are dedicated to not just increasing awareness about looming natural disasters, but also to keep people safe, to get people to higher ground, to -- to -- to make sure that people have the resources they need to remain sheltered long after a storm has passed, for example.

[04:15:02]

ANDERSON: That's such a great question. And it is really such an essential part of the climate conversation. You know, climate is not only about cutting carbon, it's about making sure humans can be safe. And a big part of that is both the infrastructure and the training and the knowledge, including the technology, the -- the weather observation, and -- and helping communities to learn how they can quickly hear that a disaster is heading their way and find safety.

And there are many strategies that are really, really important for disaster risk reduction and for adaptation to impacts such as drought or rising sea levels that are -- that are slower to hit, but equally devastating. That -- that -- that funding is urgently needed and is sadly being cut.

And in addition, there is -- there is so much funding needed now to deal with the aftermath of these disasters as well. The U.N. has set up a loss and damage fund to help communities cope with loss and damage, but the money going towards that is still very minimal and -- and still slow to come out.

And so Nepal has yet to benefit a month after the disaster from any loss and damage funding. So, the cuts that you alluded to earlier from the USAID are really compounding this crisis.

SANDOVAL: Yes, of course, previously the Trump administration has defended these cuts, claiming that it is merely going after wasteful spending, but the reality is that the United States certainly has a leadership role to play when it comes to providing some of these more vulnerable countries with the support they need. We've seen too many just tragedies and catastrophic examples of what can happen.

Teresa Anderson, we are so grateful for your insight as always. Thank you for your time.

ANDERSON: Thank you very much.

SANDOVAL: And there's still much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom." Five men arrested near a U.K. air base have been released on bail. We'll bring you President Trump's reaction to that decision.

Plus, the top names in A.I. They are set to meet at the White House amid calls for more regulation of the technology. We'll tell you how some companies are working to make their A.I. models safer.

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[04:20:18]

SANDOVAL: U.K. authorities have released on bail five men arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosive offenses. They were initially detained near an air base that's used by U.S. long-range bombers for missions that have to do with the war with Iran.

President Trump criticized that decision to release the men and suggested that he knows who was responsible for the alleged plot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm surprised that they've released them. I wouldn't have done that. Look, they've been very good. They worked with us very closely. We know everything about them. We would not have released them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you said "might be." Iran might be? Can you elaborate on that?

TRUMP: Well, I don't know. I'd rather not. I mean, I know the answer. I can be very specific, but I'd rather not say it. But I would not have released them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: CNN's Nic Robertson is in Fairford, England with the latest on the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Early Sunday, they were cuffed in police custody. Now, the five men arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosive charges outside a U.K. base, used by the U.S. Air Force are out on bail.

LAURENCE TAYLOR, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER, U.K. COUNTER TERRORISM POLICE: To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Police, after searching their vans, appear to lack evidence for now to support their suspicions.

TAYLOR: Those vehicles have been subjected to extensive examination with the support of military assets and forensic experts.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): It was finding those vehicles that triggered this farmer who took pictures of them to raise the alarm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First thing I noticed was there's a vehicle on our farm drive. And then I realized there's three of them and they're parked in a really strange formation.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Right after, she spotted the now released men.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's such a flash moment of seeing them, but there were definitely more than five. We think maybe between eight and 10 of them were there at that point.

And a lot of them were -- had their faces covered.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): She called the police hotline, 999, and then her friends.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I put a message on our village WhatsApp group just saying, because I didn't want people to be scared. I just said, just to let you all know something very odd has happened today in our -- in -- or tonight in the village and told them what I'd seen.

Literally within five minutes of that, everything sort of kicked off and armed police arrived.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): After them, the bomb squad showed up, next several hundred local residents, including the farmer, evacuated.

But the circumstances leading to the short-lived arrests are raising concerns.

ROBERTSON: Local residents, including the farmer who called the police, have questions. They say over the past week, the base appeared to put in place what looked like additional security measures, big vehicles, concrete blocks, blocking the gates, giving access to the airfield.

I just can't process how that base was on such high alert and that the men were even there, never mind how many and how many they caught. And they reacted very quickly to the 999 call. But before that, where were they?

ROBERTSON (voice-over): The area's local lawmaker has questions too.

[04:25:01]

ROZ SAVAGE, MEMBER OF THE PARLIAMENT, SOUTH COTSWOLDS: But I have so many questions that I really want to ask the Secretary of State for Defense, even the Prime Minister, about who knew what and when.

If there was advanced intelligence, then it seems that a lot of people who should have known that didn't know that.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): For now, more unknown than known. The U.K. counterterrorism chief's leaving the possibility open. The men acted wittingly or unwittingly, working for a foreign state.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Fairford, England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: President Trump will be hosting a meeting at the White House in the coming hours with the leaders of top A.I. companies. This meeting will come amid increased calls for A.I. regulations, as well as recent threats to government security.

The heads of Anthropic, NVIDIA, Palantir, OpenAI, and also Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, are all among those expected to attend.

Sources are telling CNN that the meeting is meant to get the government and top tech officials on the same page in regards to A.I. oversight. House Speaker Mike Johnson also expected to be there.

Meanwhile, chipmaker, NVIDIA, has released new software hoping to help stop A.I. agents from going rogue. It's called the "Open Agent Safety Platform." CEO Jensen Huang says that the company worked with more than 100 industry partners on this project.

In a statement, he said in part, "Trust and innovation are not in conflict. Safety is how trust is earned. We must build not only the most capable A.I., but the most trusted A.I. so that this extraordinary technology can realize its enormous promise for the world."

OpenAI is also taking steps to ensure its technology is secure. The company announced that it will not release its latest model because it doesn't meet the bar for safety. Company executives say that the model called ChatGPT 6.1 Astra wasn't doing enough to stay within the scope and authorization. OpenAI, as well as major competitors like Anthropic, Google, and Meta have all reported models that have either breached their testing environments or tried to do so.

Pope Leo's trip to France included a warning about artificial intelligence. He spoke about how the threat -- about how the threat that it poses to humanity.

It's not a new topic though for the Pontiff. In fact, he addressed the ethical and moral concerns about A.I. in his first major theological documents this year.

CNN's Christopher Lamb has more about that and also the rest of the Pope's trip to France.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think this is a very significant visit by Pope Leo because France, despite it being a highly secularized culture, there were really very big numbers turning out for the Pope. And a mass with 800,000 people in the center of Paris, 150,000 people turning out in Lourdes, a major pilgrimage site for the Pope.

And I think it was really striking to see the numbers of young people who also were there for Pope Leo. The Catholic Church in France, despite having years of declining numbers going to church, has seen an increase in conversions among young people.

Pope Leo mentioning that on the way back from Metz to Rome saying that he was there to encourage young people who he said he felt were searching for something. So, that was a really important part of his visit.

On board the plane, he also addressed A.I., which is something he talked about in France. And he was asked about the threats of A.I. to humanity. And this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: If someone were to ask me, am I in panic mode? No, I'm not. I sleep at night. I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in A.I. should be taken seriously. I don't think that that is a fake news, as some have said, to try and cause, whether financial or some other kind of benefit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAMB: Well, Leo also cited the head of the A.I. company, NVIDIA, who he suggested was not taking it seriously enough in terms of the risks of A.I. That's very unusual for the Pope to do that.

He also said the Vatican has set up a special commission to look at the risks and benefits of A.I. This is something that Leo has devoted a lot of attention to during his pontificate. But I think broadly speaking, the trip to France was a success for Leo. He was able to connect with people to draw really big crowds and to deliver a number of important political messages.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Thanks, Christopher. And Pope Leo will be visiting several South American countries in November.

And Peru is already anticipating for his arrival. You see here, sculptors in Lima are carving a 14-meter tall.