Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

CNN International: Saudi Officials Say Riyadh's Airport To Remain Closed; Explosion Near Lebanon Border Kills Teen On Israel School Trip; Trump's Russia-Ukraine "Energy Ceasefire" Put To The Test; Trump Stumps In Ohio With Republican Hold On Congress At Risk; Pope Leo To Be Hospitalized Ahead of Lung Nodule Surgery; Foreign Demand Drives Philippines Child Exploitation. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired October 13, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:00:33]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome. I'm Christina Macfarlane here live in London.

Ahead on "CNN Newsroom," Saudi Arabia fends off more Houthi attacks after a series of deadly missile strikes forced its main airport to close. We'll have a live report from the region, next.

Plus, tragedy strikes after a ship carrying hundreds of people capsizes off the coast of Djibouti. Migrants risking their lives on dangerous maritime routes in search of safety and better lives. We'll speak with the International Organization for Migration.

And later, one man's journey home across mountains, deserts, and sea is coming to an end 28 years later. We'll be speaking to Karl Bushby about his remarkable feat as he closes out the final leg of his adventure.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Christina Macfarlane.

MACFARLANE: Now, Saudi authorities say the Kingdom's main airport will remain closed until further notice. The decision comes after a series of Houthi attacks that have killed at least 20 people and wounded hundreds of others over the past week.

The United Nations has condemned the latest escalation in hostilities and is urging the Saudis and Houthis to exercise restraint in Yemen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANE DUJARRIC, U.N. SPOKESPERSON: The attacks on civilians, attacks on civilian infrastructure are a violation of international law and they must stop. The Secretary General also remains deeply concerned about the ongoing military escalation inside Yemen and calls upon parties to exercise restraint and prevent any further escalation. He urges all parties to uphold their obligation under international humanitarian law and to refrain from directing attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure and to take constant care to spare the civilian population, as well as civilian objects.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, the Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attacks on airports and other targets within the Kingdom. The militant group has warned airlines against operating flights to Saudi airports.

Well, let's bring in Leila Gharagozlou live from Abu Dhabi. So, Leila, I mean, these Houthi attacks are causing further air travel chaos now with reports that the King Khalid International Airport is going to be shut until at least Saturday.

We know that President Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince held that call yesterday, but is there any sign yet that the U.S. will intervene at this stage?

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: Hi, Christina. Yes. As of now, we haven't heard from the U.S. on whether they're going to intervene or not, and whether they're going to join in any sort of support.

So far, the international allies of Saudi Arabia have been France, Britain and Pakistan, who've actually committed support.

Now, the U.S., obviously, is already in another conflict in the Middle East with Iran. That is a very unpopular war amongst Americans. So, it's very unclear whether they're going to want to join in on another front of war in the Middle East when they already facing quite an unpopular war with their people.

So, we're going to have to wait and see what they decide. I mean, as of now, President Trump has said that he feels that the Houthis are, quote, misbehaving and behaving quite badly. So, we're going to have to see if he decides that that is badly enough that he wants to intervene into this war or if he is just going to let things be.

Now, just last month, when things reignited, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, did ask the U.S. to intervene and come in with airstrikes against the Houthis. The U.S. rejected that appeal. So, they've been very reticent to get involved in anything.

Now, of course, there's also the Bab el-Mandeb Strait there that is going to be part of that calculation. I think no one really wants to cause any extra chaos in this region when you have the Strait of Hormuz in flux, and you need the Bab el-Mandeb to remain open for shipping and continuing global trade.

So, the -- the U.S. is going to look at the landscape of this and see what they're going to decide. In the meantime, of course, as you say, the international airport in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh, is closed.

A lot of flights are being cancelled to and from Saudi Arabia. And there have been warnings from countries like the U.S. of their citizens being in Saudi.

MACFARLANE: All right. Leila, there live with a report from Abu Dhabi. Thanks very much, Leila.

[04:05:01]

Now, a school trip turned into tragedy near Israel's border with Lebanon after an explosion. Our CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: One teenager was killed and several others wounded after an explosion rocked a school trip in Northern Israel. According to paramedics, there were at least three people who sustained serious injuries as a result of this explosion and at least 10 others suffered light to moderate injuries in addition to that one student who was killed.

This was apparently as these students were hiking on a class trip in Northern Israel near the Lebanese border. This is an area that, of course, was a hotspot during the most active phases of the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah.

And the Israeli military, which sent soldiers to the scene shortly after this explosion took place, said that the soldiers indicated that the explosion was likely caused by unexploded Hezbollah munitions, very likely cluster submunitions, these small bomblets that would have been dispersed by Hezbollah rockets fired over the course of the conflict.

Now, it's not clear how long that munition had been in that location before it exploded amid this school trip. But this is one of those dangers of these cluster munitions, is that many times, you see these munitions don't explode and sometimes they explode later on when they are picked up or when somebody walks by them. And in this case, it happens during this class trip in Northern Israel.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, the British Prime Minister says Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard was almost certainly behind the suspected plot to attack a military base used by U.S. forces in England.

Tehran has categorically rejected what it calls baseless accusations. Well, here's what Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Parliament.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY BURNHAM, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We will not tolerate these threats on our soil. We will crack down on Iran's use of criminal networks, using our full range of powers to target them and their funding streams. And we will bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to do us harm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, President Trump's so-called energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is being put to the test. He declared on Sunday that the ceasefire was effective immediately.

But on Monday, Trump appeared to acknowledge that neither side had explicitly agreed to it before his announcement, telling reporters that Kyiv and Moscow agreed to the deal because he said they agreed.

Ukraine says new Russian attacks on energy facilities in Kharkiv have already violated the agreement. President Zelenskyy is still voicing his support for a ceasefire, but says Russia must also agree to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We continue to engage an entirely constructive dialogue with the U.S. President's team. In fact, our negotiating team is in contact with them virtually every day.

Everyone in the U.S. is aware of and many support our position that everything must be conducted fairly. Ukraine is ready for an energy ceasefire. And we have, in fact, proposed such a ceasefire on more than one occasion. Russia must take steps toward calm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, this video shows the aftermath of an overnight Russian attack on a suburb near Ukraine's capital. The strike reportedly hit a high-rise residential building there. Officials in Kyiv say two people were killed and at least seven others were injured.

Joining us now from London here is CNN's Nada Bashir. And, Nada, look, it appears the tide is continuing to turn against President Zelenskyy.

Just a few hours ago, President Trump once again doubled down on his support for Putin, claiming Putin wants to make a deal more than Zelenskyy and this, of course, despite the attacks from Russia continuing against Ukraine overnight.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, and this just coming days after the U.S. president announcing a deal with Russia to supply Russian diesel. Of course, this has raised concern amongst Ukrainian officials and, of course, in the E.U. where allies are, of course, trying to bolster up support for Ukraine. And, of course, we are seeing those attacks ongoing and continuing as you mentioned in Kyiv, Christina.

But around this so-called energy ceasefire that the U.S. president has had announced on Sunday, there are, of course, still real questions as to what that will look like in practical terms and whether that is something that can be implemented and agreed upon by both sides.

As you mentioned, it does appear as though this was an announcement made by the U.S. president without any clear prior by either the Ukrainian side or the Russian side, appearing to take both parties by surprise to some extent.

Of course, have been hearing from Zelenskyy saying that he is willing to agree to the terms of an energy ceasefire, so long as the terms are also upheld by Russia as well.

[04:10:04]

Of course, we have since seen attacks by Russia targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure, targeting a power plant in Kharkiv, for example, on Monday. So, this has, of course, raised questions as to whether this is something that can actually be agreed upon.

President Zelenskyy, for his part, saying, we agree if they agree, and that we have already shown that we mean it by not continuing to target Russian energy infrastructure. They accused Russia of using jet- powered Shahed drones to strike Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Monday.

And again, for the -- on the part of the Kremlin, there hasn't been any clear rhetoric of support for this so-called energy ceasefire. We've heard from the Kremlin simply saying that contact is ongoing between Kremlin officials and counterparts in the United States in the Trump administration.

But, of course, this all really centers upon the possibility of direct talks or intermediary talks between Ukraine and Russia. The hope on the part of the U.S. and the Trump administration is that an energy ceasefire can be sustained.

Clearly, that has not been the case simply in the opening of this alleged and so-called ceasefire. But what we have been hearing from E.U. counterparts is that there is said to be a further crackdown and bolstering of support for Ukraine if indeed we continue to see such attacks by Russia targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

MACFARLANE: All right. Nada, thank you so much for that update. Obviously, it's a story we'll continue to follow closely.

Now later today, Donald Trump plans to campaign in reliably Republican Alaska three weeks before the midterm elections. He's due to hold rallies in Arizona and Montana later this week.

And on Monday, the U.S. president railed against Somali and Haitian communities during a stop in Youngstown, Ohio, while members of the crowd chanted, "deport." And he made this request of voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, what happens is every time I run, we do great. We have a tremendous turnout, 48, 49 percent more than when I don't run. So, I'm asking everybody to pretend, just pretend that I'm on the ballot, because in a way, I am on the ballot.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MACFARLANE: Well, the crowd in Ohio was not as jam-packed as some might expect. CNN's cameras captured many empty seats in the venue, as you can see here.

Our White House correspondent wrote on X, these seats are obviously obstructed by the press rises and by an American flag. But CNN observed the seats near the press rises were not obstructed. The president has long been sensitive about crowd size.

More now from CNN's Betsy Klein.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, as President Trump embarks on this midterm travel blitz, taking him to Republican strongholds, places like Tennessee, Montana, Alaska.

And here in Ohio, the goal according to his advisors, is to juice turnout among his MAGA base. They're not necessarily looking to pick up new voters or to find independent voters. Instead, they are looking to turn out the voters they already have.

And we are seeing some candidates place strategic distance between themselves and the president with very low approval ratings. But there are some who are making the calculation that holding him close could boost their chances. That includes here in Ohio, where there are two very close state-wide races for governor and for Senate.

Tonight, we heard from gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, as well as Senate candidate, John Husted. Both of them in very tight races here.

President Trump painting Senate candidate, the Democrat, Sherrod Brown, as a radical Democrat who he said wants open borders and wants men in women's sports, repeating a refrain that was popular and worked for Republicans back in 2024.

He also talked about the gubernatorial candidate, Amy Acton, who he said was, quote, a radical left lunatic. The president also had this message for voters who may be considering splitting their ticket this November. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's one vote, but that one vote can steer Congress into a direction that you're not going to be happy with and it's not Ohio values.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: The president also spent time during this rally talking about other candidates in other states across the country. That includes Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. And he spent a lot of time taking a dark turn as he talked about Somalis who he said., quote, "come from a part of the world that only knows how to kill each other." He said they, quote, "cheat on everything" and that they are, quote, "low IQ people."

The president also taking aim at Michigan Senate candidate the Democrat, Abdul El-Sayed, whom he called a, quote, "jihadist."

And there were two other Ohio Republicans that the president briefly mentioned. One of them, the embattled congressman, Max Miller, who has been embroiled in his bitter custody dispute with his ex-wife, who is the daughter of Senator Bernie Moreno. The president's speaking glowingly of Moreno, briefly referencing Miller.

[04:15:04]

But this should not be a competitive race for Miller. He won by 15 points back in 2024. Democrats see an opening, underscoring how tough that map is going to be for the House of Representatives for Republicans in the next couple of weeks.

Betsy Klein, CNN, traveling with the president in Youngstown, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, there's much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom." Pope Leo will be hospitalized today ahead of his upcoming lung surgery. We'll bring you the latest updates on his health.

Also ahead, a months-long CNN investigation reveals demand from the U.S. is fueling a horrifying trade in the Philippines, where families subject their own children to live stream sexual abuse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: The Vatican says Pope Leo will be admitted today to a hospital in Rome for his surgery. The procedure aims to remove an early stage lung nodule that was discovered during recent health checks.

The pontiff is expected is to remain hospitalized for at least a week as part of his recovery. The Vatican has announced that all of the Pope's audiences are cancelled until October 20th.

[04:20:01]

Of more on this, we're joined by CNN's Stefano Pozzebon live from Rome. So, Stefano, tell us more about what you were hearing about the Pope's surgery plan and how the hospital are preparing for his arrival.

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, we and pretty much every doctor and nurse in that hospital, just behind my back, are waiting for the arrival of Pope Leo, who is due to arrive here at the Gemelli Hospital, which is just a stone throw from the Vatican City here in Rome.

He should arrive within the next hour or so, in the late morning, we heard from the Vatican. So, it's 10:20 A.M. local time here in Italy, 4:20 up in the East Coast of the U.S. So, within the next couple of hours.

We understand that the Pontiff will be here. We don't understand, we haven't had confirmation on whether he will go under the knife today or perhaps most likely tomorrow on Wednesday morning to have this very minimal and clean operation to remove this lung with this nodule which is essentially a nodule of dense tissue on his lung, which could develop perhaps in the future into -- into a more malignant condition for Leo.

However, this should done very quickly and very discreetly. And then after a week of -- of recovery here in the hospital, Leo should be able to go back to his normal life in the Holy See, especially preparing for that trip to South America, which is upcoming in November. Christina.

MACFARLANE: Yes, and which he still intends to take at this stage. And we just said just then that the Vatican has announced that all of the Pope's audience are cancelled now until October 20th.

I mean, how -- do we know how this is going to affect the day-to-day running of the Vatican? Will the Pope still be in charge while incapacitated?

POZZEBON: Yes. The Pope is still in charge no matter how many days he actually spends in -- in the hospital. You don't have a vice Pope or a deputy Pope here. He's still the only person allowed to make a certain number of decision.

However, the day-to-day operations essentially will run itself. The Catholic Church is such a big institution and has been around for literally 20 centuries that they're not going to stop as long as Leo is here in -- in the hospital.

However, some decisions, for example, that will require his direct engagement or for example decrees that he has to sign himself will be postponed until he's after -- he's recovered and fully engaged out of this operation.

In the past, for example, what Pope Francis was spending a lot of time here at the Gemelli, you would see people carrying royal decrees, papal decrees for him to actually sign and these are for example nominations of cardinals or bishops or edicts that the church runs, but in this case, we understand that all of that would on hold for at least a week, 10 days until Leo is actually out of the hospital and able to return to active people duty.

MACFARLANE: All right. Well, until that time, all -- all eyes on the Gemelli hospital behind you, Stefano. We'll check back with you later in the day. Thanks very much.

And now, a months' long CNN investigation. American men are directing and paying for the live stream sexual abuse of children in the Philippines, children who are often forced by their own mothers and aunts to produce content for profit. The Philippines has become the global epicenter of this trade with nearly half a million children exploited as U.S. buyers and millions over encrypted apps for images and live sessions involving victims as young as three.

This report contains graphic descriptions that some viewers may find disturbing. CNN's Hanako Montgomery has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE, CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE SURVIVOR: He told me that when he goes to the Philippines, he will bring one of his guns and -- and then put it inside me.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the fastest growing crimes online is live-streamed child sex abuse. The Philippines is a hotspot for this content. Up to half a million children a year are put in front of cameras, usually by people the kids trust most.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): That's my child. I don't use other children, sir.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): For Kate, who was 13 at the time, it was her adoptive sister.

KATE: Instead of thinking, why is she making me do this? I just kept thinking if we don't do something at all, we won't be able to survive.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Kate can't remember the number of men she had to perform for, but a lot of them, she says, were American, exploiting families desperate for money.

JOHN TANAGHO, IJM CENTER TO END ONLINE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN: A lot of the perpetrators in the Philippines are women, are people in their 20s and 30s. And they're not sexually motivated.

The only reason they're abusing a child and live streaming it is because somebody in the U.S. is willing to pay for that abuse.

[04:25:00]

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): For over a decade, the U.S. has been the number one buyer of child sexual abuse materials from the Philippines, according to the country's Anti-Money Laundering Council.

This material was harder to find, traded largely in hidden corners of the dark web. But in recent years, sellers have moved to encrypted messaging apps like Telegram. Private channels let horrific abuse material fester unchecked, making it just a few clicks away.

We entered some of these groups.

MONTGOMERY: I mean, it's just video after video of naked girls in extremely compromised positions with their genitals out.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): We try reaching out to a few sellers advertising content. Almost all got back to us within minutes.

MONTGOMERY: It's only taken us three exchanges with an anonymous user to be offered pre-teen child sexual abuse content. This is how easy it is for people to get this type of abuse of thousands and thousands of Filipino children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Hanako Montgomery with that report.

Now just ahead, a deadly boat disaster off the coast of Djibouti is highlighting the dangers migrants face in search of a better life. I'll speak with the regional director at the International Organization for Migration, next.

Plus Hurricane Simon is causing damage in Mexico even before it makes landfall. We'll show you how.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Welcome back. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London.

The U.N. says its refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration are now working to provide support to the survivors of a deadly migrant ship disaster off the coast of Djibouti.