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The Situation Room

Farm Aid; Interview With Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter; Trump Speaks With Chinese Leader; U.S. Base in Afghanistan?. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired September 19, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: That is something that Bagram could be used for, but it is actually pretty far away from the Chinese facilities at Lop Nur and other space-related facilities that would be of interest to the U.S. from an intelligence perspective.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And unless the Taliban, which controls that area right now, were to peacefully agree to hand over the Bagram air base back to the United States, it would require military action for the U.S. to go in there, ground troops, Air Force personnel, and take that air base back from the Taliban.

LEIGHTON: It would. And that would require a permanent presence then of the U.S. Personnel would obviously be rotated in and out, but it would mean that in essence, if it was a hostile takeover, so to speak, it could be done, but it would be a very dangerous and vulnerable mission, and that's something that would be -- would really involve us in Afghanistan.

BLITZER: And for all practical purposes it would restart the war in Afghanistan and introduce U.S. ground forces and other forces into Afghanistan, once again, something that Trump has always said he opposes strongly. But if you're going to take Bagram, that's presumably what you might have to do.

LEIGHTON: Yes, that's right. Or if there's a regime change or a faction change in this case, then you could all of a sudden find yourself in the middle of a hostile environment, and that would be very dangerous for U.S. interests, and, like you said, contrary to what Trump has said before.

BLITZER: He doesn't want another war in Afghanistan or Iraq or anyplace else. That's what he keeps saying. Let's see what happens with Bagram.

Thanks very much, Colonel, as usual. Appreciate it.

(CROSSTALK)

LEIGHTON: Wolf, you bet.

BLITZER: And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:35:53]

BLITZER: There's more breaking news coming into THE SITUATION ROOM right now.

President Trump says his call with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, has just ended, calling it -- and I'm quoting now -- "a very productive call."

Let's go to CNN White House reporter Betsy Klein, who's joining us once again.

Betsy, TikTok was the focus, we're told, of this phone conversation. What are you learning?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, Wolf, President Trump appearing to confirm that a deal on TikTok is moving forward after that call with China's President Xi Jinping.

And we had heard from White House official that this call got under way at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time, so about three hours ago. We don't know exactly how long it took, but the president offering a readout of that call.

He said in a post to social media -- quote -- "I just completed a very productive call with President Xi of China. We made progress on many very important issues, including trade, fentanyl and the need to bring the war between Russia and Ukraine to an end and the approval of a TikTok deal."

He said he agreed to meet with Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea and that "I would go to China in the early part of next year and that President Xi would likewise come to the United States at an appropriate time."

Now, the leaders had been expected to discuss trade and a path toward finalizing that bill -- or that agreement on TikTok. This comes, of course, after Congress back in January passed a bill saying that TikTok would be banned in the United States unless the app ceded control of about 80 percent of its assets to an American company.

And there has been a consortium of American companies, including Andreessen Horowitz, Oracle and Silver Lake, to do just that. So President Trump making very clear there was forward moving progress, as he is expected to meet with President Xi in the weeks ahead at that APEC summit in late October -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, we will see what happens as a result of that important phone conversation.

Betsy Klein at the White House, thank you very much.

Just ahead: very strong new words from Hamas, with the terror group warning that Israel's new offensive in Gaza City ends any hope of a safe return for the remaining hostages.

We're going to get a response from Israel's ambassador to the United States, who will join me live here in THE SITUATION ROOM, as his country's government now faces more pressure from the families of those hostages in Israel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:42:33]

BLITZER: Happening now, Palestinians and Gaza fleeing, as Israel says that has launched an expanded ground assault on Gaza City. The offensive is taking place amid international condemnation of Israel and serious concerns about the already very dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Joining us now is the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter.

Ambassador, thanks very much for joining us.

YECHIEL LEITER, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: Good to be with you, Wolf.

BLITZER: As you know, Hamas' military wing has just issued its strongest messaging yet about the situation of the hostages, saying that the incursion, the Israeli incursion, means Israel has lost any chance of getting its hostages out of Gaza dead or alive.

What is Israel's response?

LEITER: Well, that's a mantra that they have been repeating since October 7.

And yet, of the 255 hostages that they're holding, we have managed to secure the release of 207. It's a combination of negotiation, but most importantly of military pressure. Without military pressure, there's not going to be any release of the hostages.

BLITZER: And Qatar, as a mediator, played a very significant role in getting those hundreds of Israeli hostages out, right?

LEITER: Well, Qatar plays an interesting game. It's kind of they're on both sides of the equation. They kind of fund the arsonists and the fire department at the same time.

So they have been helpful sometimes in negotiations. And other times, they have actually told Hamas to harden their position. So they play this duplicitous game.

BLITZER: But Israel and the United States both asked Qatar to play this mediatory role. This is not something that they just did on their own.

LEITER: Well, that's when they're funding the fire department. And that's something that we need to do everything to get our hostages out. And if they're playing that role at that particular time, that's helpful and that's fine.

But at the same time, they're also telling Hamas at different intervals to harden their position. So it has to be an operation where on the one hand we're conducting negotiations wherever we can, and at the same time applying military pressure, because Hamas doesn't understand any other language.

BLITZER: In the last hour here in THE SITUATION ROOM, I interviewed a senior Qatari official who's now in the United States getting ready for the U.N. General Assembly meetings next week. Listen to what he told me. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJED AL-ANSARI, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: I must say, we have been involved in this issue since 2006, when the United States asked Qatar to play the role of mediator.

But the fact that one of the parties decided to bomb the mediator and to bomb the meeting where the Hamas political office were discussing the Trump proposal that was on the table at the time questions the viability of any negotiations over the release and the seriousness of Israel.

[11:45:00]

BLITZER: I just want to clarify. Israel, in addition to the United States, asked Qatar to play this mediatory role. Is that right?

AL-ANSARI: Yes.And, of course, both parties have been engaged heavily in the negotiations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What's your response to him?

LEITER: Well, Qatar has been spreading chaos in the Middle East for many years. They have been funding all the extremists, both of the Shiite and Sunni versions.

They belong to the Muslim Brotherhood, which believes not in the Palestinian state, but in an Arab-Muslim caliphate throughout the Middle East. So we have asked them repeatedly not to give refuge to Hamas leadership in Doha. They do. And it has to stop.

BLITZER: But, despite all of that, Israel has repeatedly spent a lot of time sending senior officials from the Mossad, other intelligence agencies in Israel to Doha to participate in these talks.

LEITER: We will do everything we can to get our hostages out. Sometimes, it means sleeping with the devil.

BLITZER: Because the Israeli delegation has been at the -- one of the major hotels in Doha now for months. LEITER: Whether it's a major hotel or a major office, whatever it may

be, we're going to do everything we can to get our hostages out.

Look, they have -- the Qataris have given the -- humanity natural gas and poison gas. That's what they have got. They have got Al-Jazeera, which poisons the minds of people around the world.

BLITZER: You say Qatar is a devil? That's your word. You use the word devil. Qatar is a devil?

It's a major strategic ally of the U.S. The U.S. military Central Command has a huge air base at the Al Udeid Air Base, has a huge ground base, the Camp As Sayliyah. I have been there. I have seen it. This is a major U.S. strategic ally that Israel launched this attack against.

LEITER: And, at the same time, where they're a major ally, they're funding Al-Jazeera, which is poisoning the minds of people around the world against the United States.

So this is a duplicitous game, and they need to be called out on it.

BLITZER: So you're going to stop working with Qatar to try to get the hostages out to achieve a cease-fire? Is that what I'm hearing?

LEITER: We will work with anybody we can to get our hostages out any time, anywhere.

At the same time, we're going to apply a military pressure on Hamas, a terrorist organization that understands only defeat. We are going to press this war until Gaza is free from Hamas.

BLITZER: Even if that means that the hostages will not be released and could be killed?

LEITER: We have taken chances throughout this war.

BLITZER: Because you know the hostage families in Israel want a deal right now.

LEITER: Wolf, Wolf, there are hostage families that want the deal. And there are many families in Israel demonstrating against leaving Hamas in power.

OK, we have lost 900 soldiers. They have got families too. All of Israel is united in one thing. Hamas cannot be allowed to remain standing. And we're going to do everything we can through negotiation and through military pressure to get those hostages out and leave a situation where Israel is not being held hostage.

Until October 7, the country, entire country, was being held hostage, and we paid a price of 1,200 people slaughtered and another 900 soldiers killed. We can't be held hostage again.

BLITZER: I want to get your reaction on another sensitive issue. An independent United Nations commission has just concluded, for the first time, that Israel has committed genocide, genocide, that word, in Gaza, becoming just the latest example of multiple groups to do so.

What's your reaction to that?

LEITER: Well, it's the favorite pastime internationally now for everybody to condemn Israel.

BLITZER: But there are Israeli groups who are saying that as well, B'Tselem and others.

LEITER: There are communist groups in the United States that criticize every administration, whether Democrat or Republican. We have extremists in Israel. You have extremists here.

The claim of genocide is a blood libel. It's nothing short of a blood libel. We don't put blood in our wafers on Passover. We don't commit genocide. We have done everything possible to avoid collateral damage in this war. Nobody has ever had to confront 450 miles of terror tunnels under a territory which is 24 miles long and eight miles wide. Who has ever had to contend with something like this?

They are not only hiding behind their civilians in Gaza, Hamas. They're actually using them as human shields. And they celebrate their death. This is a death cult that we have to do away with. Otherwise, Gazans won't be free and Israelis won't be safe.

BLITZER: How concerned are you that U.S.-Israeli relations now are deteriorating, and there are so many members of Congress, especially a lot of Democrats, including plenty of Jewish members of Congress, who are now speaking out against Israel?

LEITER: Well, I'm glad that somebody has discovered their Jewishness now that they condemn Israel.

Look, the relationship between Israel and the United States has never been stronger. And that was demonstrated in Operation Rising Lion and Midnight Hammer. Never has been there that level of cooperation between our two countries.

So this is going to pass, and those who are condemning us now are going to regret it and they're going to apologize.

BLITZER: Because there are a lot of people, especially a lot of Democrats right now, who are condemning what Israel is doing, and they're voting against providing Israel with additional military equipment.

LEITER: You know what, Wolf? I know -- I'm on the Hill every week, two or three days a week, and there are many Democrats that are standing strong, despite progressive pressures on them.

And they're standing very strong in support of Israel. And we applaud them and we embrace them. Israel will remain a bipartisan issue in Washington, because that's what we're focused on doing.

[11:50:04] BLITZER: All right, Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, thanks very much for joining us. I know next week is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. Happy new year to you.

LEITER: Thank you very much. I appreciate that, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, we will take a quick break. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Minneapolis right now is getting ready for Farm Aid 40. The annual festival will feature performances from Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews and Bob Dylan, among many, many other legends.

Farm Aid was founded back in 1985 with the mission of raising money to support and promote American farming and agriculture.

For more right now, we're joined by CNN's chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir, who's joining us from New York.

Bill, you have been reporting on how this event became a cultural touchstone in America. Tell us how this all came together 40 years ago.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, it started in 85, which was kind of the year of compassion, the year when empathy was cool, when Bob Geldof or The Boomtown Rats saw footage out of Ethiopia of these families starving to death.

He rallied the best musicians in England. They made "Do You Know It's Christmas? with Band Aid, which went to number one. That inspired Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson to do USA for Africa, which are the biggest stars in the world raising more money.

And then that gave rise to Live Aid, the dual continent concert, Philly and London. And on the Philadelphia stage, about 10:30 that night back in 85, Bob Dylan came to the microphone flanked by a couple of Rolling Stones. And he gave a shout-out to farmers. He says, I'm glad we're doing this for folks in Africa, but maybe we can save a couple million bucks for the farmers.

Because, in '85, crop prices were crashing, family farms were getting foreclosed on at stunning rates, farm suicides were going up. And about 10 weeks after that offhand comment from Bob Dylan, they put on Farm Aid because Willie Nelson saw Bob say that on his bus. He was in Texas. He got Neil Young and John Cougar Mellencamp together.

[11:55:03]

And then a whole parade of other A-listers came and performed in the heartland, spreading some love. They raised about the equivalent of $20 million just that one day, but they have been going every year since for 40 years now.

And so we're in Minneapolis tomorrow night, the first time Farm Aid has been in Minnesota. It started in Champaign, Illinois, 40 years ago, still in the heartland there, and Bob Dylan is going to play. So it's this full circle moment of these giants in music who influenced each other to spread a little love, raise some money and awareness, and here we go one more time. It's going to be great.

BLITZER: It certainly will be. I love all these music giants indeed.

Bill Weir, thank you very, very much.

And, to our viewers, don't forget, CNN is airing this year's Farm Aid benefit concert live. CNN's John Berman and Laura Coates will host. That's Saturday night 7:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning. We will see you back here Monday, and every weekday morning, 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

"INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" is coming up next, right after a short break.