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Gaza Ceasefire in Effect, Israel Pulls Back Troops; Aid Groups Preparing for Rapid Response to Gaza; Troops "Planning, Training" in Portland ahead of Court Ruling on Legality; Explosion in Tennessee, 18 Dead or Missing; Nor'easter Expected to Move Up Eastern U.S. Coast; Displaced Palestinians Return to Northern Gaza; Ukraine Reels on Massive Attack on Energy System; NBA Returns to China. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired October 11, 2025 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to all of our viewers watching in the United States and around the world. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, Palestinians return to what's left of their homes as Israeli hostage families wait to see their loved ones again. We'll have the latest on the Gaza ceasefire in a live report from the region.
The Trump administration makes good on its promise to fire federal workers amid the government shutdown. Hear what president Trump is saying about the move.
Plus, what we're learning about a powerful and deadly blast at a military explosives plant in Tennessee
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Salma Abdelaziz.
ABDELAZIZ: You're looking at live pictures of Israel and Gaza, where it is now 11:00 on Saturday morning.
We are expecting a crucial hostage and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. And it could happen at any time before the deadline, which is on Monday at 12 pm local time, just over 48 hours from now.
The Israeli military pulled back its forces to an agreed-upon point in accordance with the ceasefire deal. The military says troops will still be present in some parts of Gaza and is warning people to avoid approaching them.
About 200 U.S. troops have begun arriving in Israel as part of an effort to monitor and facilitate the ceasefire now in its first phase. U.S. president Donald Trump expressed optimism that the ceasefire will last. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think it will help. They're all tired of the fighting. Don't forget, you had October 7th, which was a horrible day, 1,200 people killed. But Hamas has lost 58,000 people. That's big retribution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Thousands of Palestinians displaced by the war hoping to return to what remains of their homes. Crowds of people have been walking from the south of the enclave toward Gaza City. I want to go live now to Dubai and our Eleni Giokos is standing by.
So we mentioned the clock is now ticking with a day into the deadline.
So what details do you have about how this is going to work logistically?
There's a lot of moving parts.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And there are a lot of moving parts. And just seeing some of the images that you were displaying there, I mean just you can see the sheer scale and the devastation in Gaza. You're seeing a big movement of people.
And then, of course, for Hamas, they have until Monday noon local time in Israel to release all the hostages. And from what we understand is that hostages are in different parts of the Strip. There are 48 hostages, 20 of whom we believe are alive. And then 28 deceased.
The remains of the 28 are going to be difficult to locate. And something that was echoed by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he believes, within the 72-hour window, not all of the remains will be found and be able to return home.
Whether that's a dealbreaker or not remains to be seen but it seems that phase one is now firmly on the go.
And I just want to talk about some of the images we're seeing here, Salma. And we've seen these images before, that coastal road, people moving now from the south back to the north. We've seen it time and time again of displaced Palestinians over the two-year period and immense devastation.
Famine was declared in various parts of Gaza; no aid going in for such a long time. And now we've got one -- from what we understand, 1,300 trucks of aid, of medical supplies and food waiting to enter the Gaza Strip. That is part of the deal as well.
But I also want you to take a listen to what some Palestinians had to say about the ceasefire and this phase one that perhaps is going to alleviate some of their reality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NIVEEN SALEH, DISPLACED GAZA CITY PALESTINIAN: Two years felt like
100,000 years. I lost my husband. I lost parents, siblings and nephews. I lost half of my family. Praise God. We experienced a famine that we haven't imagined in our life. The situation was very difficult and may it not be repeated again. And goodness and aid return again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Yes, I mean, we've covered the pain, the trauma that we've seen not only in Gaza but also for Israeli hostage families.
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And they've been putting so much pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to get a deal on the go.
And it seems this is -- a lot of analysts we've spoken to, saying it is very fragile but it seems that both sides, not only Hamas but Israel as well, agreeing to this 20-point plan, this framework that perhaps could bring an end to the war.
The IDF is now moving back to predetermined and agreed lines. Now the extent of how the IDF is going to withdraw overall down the line is going to be very telling of how this will play out after we see the release of hostages on Monday.
In exchange, we know that 250 Palestinians facing life sentences will also be released, as well as 1,700 other Palestinians that are detained will also be released. President Trump expected in Israel Monday. He's been invited to speak at the Knesset. Again, the timing of this super important, Salma.
But I think many people are already asking the question, in two days' time, what will this deal look like?
What will this framework look like and whether it can hold?
ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much for breaking that down for us, Eleni. Thank you.
New satellite imagery reveals the sheer scale and extent of the damage in Gaza after two years of Israeli bombardment.
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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): These images, taken after the ceasefire took effect on Friday, show a colorless, burned-out landscape. Many buildings and infrastructure reduced to rubble.
Our Jeremy Diamond has more on how Palestinians are reacting to the -- as they return to their war-ravaged homes.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is no joy in this homecoming. Only mounds of rubble to step over and sift through. Israeli troops have withdrawn. A ceasefire is in place but at 70 years old, Majdi al-Gor (ph) has returned to find his Gaza City neighborhood in ruins.
"I want to sleep on the rubble but I do not even have a blanket or a cover to sleep on," al-Gor says. "I can't change my clothes. This is the only set I have. I want to take a shower but I can't. I want to go to the toilet but I can't. Where should I go?"
He is far from alone. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have begun to return to their homes in northern Gaza, trekking along the same coastal road many took to flee advancing Israeli troops just weeks earlier.
Here, the mood is still upbeat, despite it all.
"I feel immense joy. My heart is full of love, though also tired and weary," this man says. "Now we will go to see our homes and we hope to find them still
standing," Adel Abu Salama (ph) says. "Because almost everything around them is destroyed and the children were killed. God willing, we will find other people safe and well."
This is the rude awakening that awaits many at the end of their long journey.
The Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City is one skeletal block after the next.
Khalil is still taking stock of the destruction after returning home to find everything destroyed.
"What are we supposed to cry for?
What are we supposed to look for?
Look, these are our cars. These are our homes. These are our lives."
As one chapter closes, another only just beginning.
DIAMOND: As Palestinians begin to pick up the pieces, here in Israel, the families of the hostages are eagerly awaiting their return. The Israeli military on Friday at noon completed its withdrawal from parts of the Gaza Strip. And that set off a 72-hour clock for Hamas to return the hostages back to Israel.
That means that Monday at noon local time is the last possible moment when Hamas can release those hostages. Remember, there are 20 living hostages expected to be released. The bodies of 28 others, although at this point it seems unclear whether all of those bodies will be released right now.
That's because we understand that Hamas does not know the location of all of those bodies. The International Red Cross set to assist in finding and recovering some of those bodies over the coming period of time. And on Monday, we are also expecting President Trump to come and visit
the region. His visit to Israel on Monday set to coincide, it would seem, with the release of those hostages -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
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ABDELAZIZ: President Trump's push to send National Guard troops into major U.S. cities is facing several legal challenges. But now an unknown number of troops are patrolling in Memphis for the first time.
The deployment is backed by Tennessee's Republican governor but was not requested by the city's mayor. Officials say it is part of a multi-agency effort to end violent street crime.
In Oregon, the U.S. military says National Guard soldiers are planning and training in the city of Portland right now but conducting no operational activities.
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A federal court panel is expected to rule in the coming days on whether president Trump has the authority to deploy federal troops in the city.
National Guard troops are now on a similar operational footing in Chicago, where a federal judge is blocking the government from deploying more troops as part of president Trump's immigration crackdown.
Judge April Perry says the administration likely violated the 10th Amendment by sending troops from Texas into Illinois against the wishes of that state's elected leaders.
She also said that, quote, "provocative nature" of ICE enforcement activities in the area is intensifying protests and warned that deploying more National Guard troops could incite, quote, "civil unrest."
The state's Democratic senators are blasting president Trump's plan and demanding access to the ICE detention facility outside Chicago.
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SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): We just want to go in and look at this facility and see what the conditions are and they will not let us in. It is shameful. You don't run and hide if you're proud of what you're doing.
Let me make it clear what the Trump administration is trying to do. They are trying to normalize having troops on our streets and they're doing this all across this great nation. They're trying to normalize an extension of presidential power that is not appropriate under the Constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ABDELAZIZ: A second federal judge is ordering the Department of Homeland Security to dismantle a massive metal fence outside that facility by Tuesday night.
The Trump administration says it has begun firing federal workers as the government shut now enters its 11th day. It is on track to stretch into next week, with Congress still deadlocked on a funding plan. A court filing revealed that more than 4,000 federal employees were given layoff notices on Friday across seven different departments.
President Trump is vowing to target workers he says are aligned with Democrats, who he blames for this closure.
Republican senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins are speaking out against the mass layoffs, with Collins saying she strongly opposes the move. Our senior White House correspondent, Kristen Holmes, has more from Washington.
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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we first became aware of these massive layoffs underway when Russell Vought, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, who has really been the architect behind the government cuts as well as this shutdown, posted that these RIFs -- reductions in force -- had begun.
President Trump was later asked about the layoffs. And here's what he said.
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QUESTION: How many layoffs have you authorized for this first round?
TRUMP: Well, it'll be a lot.
QUESTION: And from which agencies?
TRUMP: And it will be Democrat-oriented, because we figure, you know, they started this thing, so they should be Democrat-oriented. It will be a lot and we'll announce the numbers over the next couple of days but it will be a lot of people, all because of the Democrats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now according to a court filing that we've just seen, 4,000 or more than 4,000 federal workers have been laid off.
And just to give you an idea of what this looks like, that includes around 315 workers from the Department of Commerce, 466 workers from the Department of Education, around 187 workers from the Department of Energy. And that goes on and on and on.
And I will tell you, when we had these conversations with the White House as to what exactly this was going to look like, all they would tell us was that the cuts to federal workers or the number of federal workers that were going to be losing their jobs was, quote-unquote, "substantial."
That was the word they used. But they didn't give us any of these details that I'm reading you about the agencies or what it looked like. And we know that there has been some hesitation within the White House to actually go through with these cuts.
They'd gotten pushback from other Republicans who thought it was a bad idea. And to be clear, this is really unprecedented. This is not something that generally happens during a shutdown.
Yes, you have federal workers who are furloughed. Yes, you have federal workers who don't get paid and then they eventually get back pay when the government opens back up.
But this idea of reshaping the government and using the presidential powers, which are expanded during a government shutdown, to reshape the government in your image, essentially, is not something that is commonly done.
And the reason why I say in your image is because president Trump himself, as you heard him talking, has said that the agency's cut or the jobs cut were Democratic aligned.
And we have heard that the jobs that the agencies were looking at and the different programs to cut were all essentially programs and jobs that didn't align with president Trump's agenda.
So again, we're really entering into unprecedented times. This, coupled with a lot of fear that federal workers were already feeling about the fact that president Trump floated the idea that these furloughed workers might not get the back pay at the end of the shutdown.
So a lot of people wondering if they still have their job. A lot of people learning that they've lost their jobs on Friday -- Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.
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ABDELAZIZ: Eighteen people are feared dead or missing after a huge blast devastated an explosives manufacturing plant in Tennessee.
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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Before and after, images show the extent of the damage.
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The facility, shown here on the left, was obliterated in the blast, which officials equated to a mass detonation. It was felt up to 15 miles away. CNN's Isabel Rosales has the latest.
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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): About 11 miles from the military explosives plant, a neighbor's doorbell camera captured the early morning blast, leaving multiple people dead or still unaccounted for.
SHERIFF CHRIS DAVIS, HUMPHREYS COUNTY, TENNESSEE: Can I describe the building?
There's nothing to describe. It's gone. It's probably been one of the most devastating situations that I've been on in my career.
ROSALES (voice-over): The company, Accurate Energetic Systems, about an hour southwest of Nashville, specializes in making military grade explosives like TNT and C-4 for the U.S. Department of Defense, according to its website and explosives for uses like controlling avalanches and clearing roads.
The cause of the early morning explosion, still unknown, the stark before and after images show the large-scale devastation left behind. Debris found half a square mile away, according to the sheriff.
DAVIS: Do I see a short-term explanation?
No. Do I see us being here for many days?
Yes, I do see that.
ROSALES (voice-over): The small community left shaken and trying to come to terms with their loss.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard to go anyplace in this rural community and not run into someone who has some kind of connection with this, with this business.
ROSALES: The same property suffered another blast back in 2014 that killed one worker and injured four others. That's according to CNN affiliate WSMV. Now during that time, the building where that explosion happened was operated by a different company.
Meanwhile, Accurate Energetic Systems, federal data shows, has been fined in the past due to work safety practices, something that the company contested and eventually that was -- that came to a formal settlement -- Isabel Rosales, CNN, Hickman County, Tennessee.
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ABDELAZIZ: President Trump's threat to hike tariffs on China sends a shock wave through Wall Street. What led to a rapid selloff when we return.
Plus, how delays and reports of short staffing are weighing down travel plans at American airports as the federal shutdown drags on.
And a powerful weekend storm is churning up nasty weather for millions of Americans, further complicating an already trying time for travelers. Please stay with us.
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ABDELAZIZ: U.S. President Donald Trump is now saying his upcoming meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping is not canceled. That's despite his earlier comments on Friday saying he no longer sees any reason to meet with Mr. Xi during his trip to Asia later this month.
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QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
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TRUMP: And so but I don't know that we're going to have it. But I'm going to be there regardless, so I would assume we might have it.
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ABDELAZIZ: President Trump is threatening to slap a new 100 percent tariff on China on top of tariffs they are already paying. He says it will take effect by November 1st. It comes after China ramped up efforts this week to bring in export controls on critical rare earths.
The president's announcement, escalating his trade war with China, sent markets reeling. U.S. stocks closed sharply lower on Friday after hovering near record highs in recent months. The Dow fell nearly 900 points. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 each posted their worst day since April.
Travelers are being warned to expect delays at U.S. airports over the holiday weekend. The Federal Aviation Administration reports that a dozen facilities were short staffed on Friday amid the ongoing government shutdown.
The reasons for the staffing issues are not clear but the Transportation Secretary has claimed some air traffic controllers are not going to work, accusing them of, quote, "lashing out" over the shutdown.
They are considered essential workers, which means they are not paid but still have to work. The air traffic controllers' union is urging its members to continue to show up.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll keep it plain and simple. We swore an oath to protect the flying public.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Even though some aspects of the government may shut down, we never do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The flying public may not know who we are but they trust we will continue to safely guide them home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I urge you, if you're fit for duty, continue to serve the American flying public.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Thursday was the 12th busiest day for travel so far this year. The rest of the weekend is also expected to be busy ahead of the federal holiday on Monday.
Another potential issue facing travelers this weekend, the weather, with both sides of the U.S. facing storms and the potential for flooding. The Southwest is experiencing heavy rains while a developing nor'easter threatens the eastern coast.
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ABDELAZIZ: President Trump's doctor is proclaiming he's in excellent overall health after he visited Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday for his second checkup this year. He got health screenings, an updated COVID vaccine and a flu shot. Trump had a physical back in April, which his doctor called his annual exam, making a second trip to the medical complex in a year considered unusual.
Mr. Trump is one of the oldest presidents in U.S. history and he has faced scrutiny over regular bruising on his right hand. It appears at times to be covered with makeup.
The White House recently disclosed that Mr. Trump suffers from chronic venous insufficiency. It's common in the elderly but it has sparked questions when swelling in his legs was seen in several photos.
Still ahead, international aid groups are preparing for a rapid response to help the people of Gaza now that a ceasefire is underway.
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ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back to all of you watching in the United States and around the world. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London.
This just in to CNN. The release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza could happen overnight Sunday into Monday. And it is likely to happen from different locations. This is according to a source familiar with the matter. The timing of the release is not definite yet and could still change.
But this timeline would ensure the hostages are out before U.S. president Donald Trump arrives in Israel on Monday. The exchange is part of the first phase of a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage release deal that hopefully ends the war in Gaza.
UNICEF says more than 1,300 trucks are loaded and ready to bring vital aid into the enclave. U.N. officials from a number of agencies say they promised a surge of humanitarian aid that has not happened yet.
As part of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli security officials say 600 aid trucks will be allowed into Gaza every single day. The supplies will include cooking gas, food, medical supplies, shelter, equipment and more.
Also allowed in, equipment to repair critical infrastructure, such as water lines, sewage systems and bakeries. Now it's not clear when the increase in deliveries will begin.
I want to go live now to Deir al-Balah in central Gaza to Rachael Cummings. She is the Gaza humanitarian director for the aid group Save the Children.
First of all, good morning. Thank you so much for making the time to talk to us today. Rachael.
The toll on children --
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RACHAEL CUMMINGS, GAZA HUMANITARIAN DIRECTOR, SAVE THE CHILDREN: Hi, good morning.
ABDELAZIZ: -- good morning. The toll on children during this conflict has been enormous, perhaps greater than any conflict, any modern conflict we've seen.
And according to Save the Children, according to your organization, at least one Palestinian child has been killed every hour on average by Israeli forces in Gaza over the course of this war, with the number of children killed now surpassing 20,000.
I want you to break this down for me, because there are so many numbers. But I want you to break down for me what has happened, what trauma has an entire generation of Palestinian children in Gaza endured during these two years of war?
CUMMINGS: You know, over the last two years, children in Gaza, as you said, have experienced extraordinary atrocities. We have experienced here the constant bombardment, the forced displacement, the lack of food, the lack of clean water.
And all of these are compounding challenges for children over the space of two years. Now we have seen and we continue to see high rates of malnutrition with children coming into our clinics. We see high rates of diarrhea, of pneumonia. The situation in terms of public health remains absolutely critical.
But, of course, what we're seeing is not only the impacts on health but also on mental health and well-being of children. And this collective trauma across a whole generation of children. What we've been doing for the last two years as Save the Children and
with our partners has been really, you know, a sticking plaster in terms of what we're able to achieve for children in the immediate term.
But what we're very concerned about is the medium- and longer-term impact of this collective trauma on a whole population, group of children here.
ABDELAZIZ: And, of course, a ceasefire is now in place. But I imagine that fear, especially for a child, of airstrikes in the middle of the night, of hunger, of displacement, how can you ever make these children feel safe again?
Do they feel safe now a ceasefire is in place?
CUMMINGS: Well, these are very, very uncertain and precarious times. There are still some jets and drones flying overhead just in Deir al- Balah.
[04:35:00]
But for now, you know, the bombing has ceased. But children have this two-year collective trauma that they are still processing and will be doing for a very long time.
The needs of children have not changed in the last 48-72 hours. There is still a need for food, for clean water. And what we need, of course, is the humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza at scale consistently.
And for organizations like Save the Children, alongside the U.N. with our partners, to be able to support children and their families in this immediate moment with lifesaving supplies, including food, including water.
ABDELAZIZ: Rachael, I want to share some drawings that you provided with our viewers. These were drawn by children in Gaza who attended Save the Children's child-friendly spaces for mental health support and educational activities.
I mean, this drawing, which shows someone struggling to get water, drawings that show people struggling, dreaming of a future.
Can you tell me what these images, what these drawings tell us about these children?
CUMMINGS: You know, I think these images, they're very brave for children to share their experiences. And this exercise is really about supporting children to process their emotions, to process their experiences and also, of course, to share their hopes for the future.
But hundreds of children have shared these drawings with us in our activities. And you know, what they've shared is really what they've witnessed. And what they've witnessed no child should have experienced. In Gaza, they've witnessed their homes being bombed, their families
being destroyed. And, of course, this forced displacement and extreme uncertainty and how children share this, as I said, is very brave.
But how it manifests in their behaviors is very, very concerning in terms of some of their behaviors that they demonstrate and that their families share with us.
So the support for, again, this medium-, longer-term impact, really, we're hoping, with the ceasefire, with the pause in hostilities to be able to now look at longer-term support for children, to provide them with that protection, that security and for them to have hope and to start to rebuild also.
ABDELAZIZ: Rachael, thank you so much for explaining the needs and the obstacles that you have on the ground in Gaza. Thank you.
Now to Ukraine, where the energy system is taking damage from a growing number of Russian strikes, which hardly bodes well ahead of the country's bone-chilling winter. That story is just ahead.
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ABDELAZIZ: The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize says it belongs to the people of Venezuela. Maria Corina Machado was awarded the coveted prize on Friday for, quote, "keeping the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness." That's according to the Norwegian Nobel committee.
The Venezuelan opposition leader has been in hiding since last year after a disputed election.
In a statement posted on social media, she writes, "We have forged a formidable civic moment, overcome the barriers the regime built to divide us and united the nation in one powerful yearning, peace and freedom."
U.S. President Donald Trump says he spoke with Machado on Friday.
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TRUMP: The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today, called me and said, I'm accepting this in honor of you because you really deserved it. A very nice thing to do. I didn't -- I didn't say, then give it to me, though I think she might have --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: That conversation happened after the White House denounced giving the peace prize to Machado. The U.S. president has been pitching himself as someone who rightfully
deserves it and the Nobel committee's decision has been perceived by some as a snub of Mr. Trump. On Friday, Russia's president weighed in on whether his U.S. counterpart should get the prize.
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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): He's definitely trying. He's definitely working on these issues, on achieving peace and resolving complex international situations.
The most striking example is the situation in the Middle East. If Donald can achieve everything he's strived for, everything he's talked about and is trying to accomplish, it will be a historic event.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: It's a very cruel practice which Ukraine is now used to seeing at this time of the year. Russia is targeting the energy system and anything else that can provide heat ahead of Ukraine's harsh winter.
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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): The latest attack came overnight into Friday, when Russia reportedly launched close to 500 drones and missiles. They caused power outages across Ukraine, including in the capital, Kyiv.
Ukrainian officials say one person was killed and dozens others were injured and the energy infrastructure took significant damage. Now president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Russia is, in his words, "going after anything that sustains a normal life."
For more analysis, we're joined by Jill Dougherty, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She was also a former CNN Moscow bureau chief. She's in Krakow, Poland.
Good morning. Jill. I just want to start with these most recent attacks that we've just mentioned. It's become a predictable part of this conflict that when the temperatures drop, we see that there is airstrikes, strikes on energy infrastructure.
How has Ukraine sustained these assaults in the past?
How has it survived these types of attacks?
JILL DOUGHERTY, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: You know, probably, ironically and sadly, they are used to this, as you said. You know, the war has been going on for 3.5 or more years. And this is a pattern.
So right now it's getting colder in this region. And it's a -- it appears to be a deliberate attack on any type of, you know, electricity or generating, anything like that. And the Ukrainians would say that there are several reasons.
Number one would be to beat down, you know, the infrastructure. But it's also to create some terror and fear and make life extremely difficult for people in Ukraine.
And we have to add that the Ukrainians have been hitting back. They actually have been quite successful in their eyes of hitting oil and gas production facilities in Russia. And so this is really taking a toll.
As CNN has been reporting, you know, that there are lines for gas; gas prices are going up in Russia. And this is having an effect. So there is an energy war on both sides. But you'd have to say that, you know, the daily pounding of Ukraine is really very serious.
ABDELAZIZ: An energy war. It's very interesting to hear you break down how that plays out.
[04:45:02]
I also want to ask you about this sound bite that we played from President Putin, where he's praising president Trump for his work on a ceasefire and seems to be indicating he should have won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Is there something more than just flattery at work here?
Are we seeing indications of that peace process being nodded to?
DOUGHERTY: Well, I think, you know, the way some -- I try to approach it is, what can President Putin get out of it?
What will he do so that he can benefit in some way?
And right now there are a couple of things. Number one, he probably does, as many people in the world think, that, if there really is a peace agreement that holds, that it would be historic, it would be important, it would be very good news.
But I think also, yes, it's a certain, you know, currying favor, pandering, praising president Trump, which he does as part of his negotiating over the peace agreement that president Trump is trying to carry out in Ukraine. And so that is not going very well. That seems to be stalled.
So the attention now is going to the Middle East. And in a way, if you were Putin, you could look at that and say, that's actually probably pretty good, because, right now, not as much attention.
Putin can continue to do pretty much what he wants in Ukraine without the pressure of the mercurial president Trump, who changes his mind very frequently. So I think, you know, whether there's peace or whether there's war or conflict or chaos, President Putin tries to benefit or exploit the situation for his own purposes.
ABDELAZIZ: Very interesting to hear what happens when the world's eyes are elsewhere.
I want to ask specifically about Poland, which is where you are. It is on the front line of what some are calling hybrid warfare, with Russia testing the resolve of Warsaw, of NATO, with these drones that have violated sovereign airspace.
What is the feeling right now in Poland, weeks after these incidents have happened?
And after we heard some in Poland calling for a no-fly zone?
DOUGHERTY: Oh, yes. Well, I can say -- and I've been on the border, literally up to the border, in Latvia, Lithuania and now in Poland. And the border, mostly, for the two of the countries, would be with Belarus, which is an ally of Russia.
And then in Lithuania, it was the border with Kaliningrad, which is a Russian enclave. So right along these borders -- and I can tell you, seeing it up close, it is very militarized from the European side now.
Remember, in the Cold War, the Russians were building, you know, like a Berlin Wall and an Iron Curtain to keep their people in. And right now, this steel fence or steel-reinforced fence is going up, up and down this entire region.
There's concern. Not only you mentioned the drones, there also are cyber attacks. And one of the things that I saw in Latvia, Lithuania and here in Poland is them -- the using, exploiting migrants to cross the border from Belarus and into these European countries in quite large numbers.
And this is according to the Polish authorities, who gave a very good briefing. All of them have they said that these are international criminal groups that are used and work with Russians and Belarusian governments.
And they actually bring people from regions where people need jobs and have problems -- Africa, Afghanistan and many other places. They actually bring them to the border and assist them illegally in going through those fences, sometimes cutting these fences.
So it's a big threat to the West because, you know, huge numbers of people, who are just, essentially, you know, being taken by criminal gangs is very dangerous. So I would say that, you know, it's a lot of, I would say, not necessarily tension; it's more concern, serious concern over what Russia will do next.
ABDELAZIZ: Extraordinary to hear that hybrid warfare playing out. Not in just -- not just in drones, not just in cyber warfare but also in the weaponization of migrants. Thank you so much, Jill, for breaking that down for us.
DOUGHERTY: Sure.
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ABDELAZIZ: We'll be right back.
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ABDELAZIZ: The Las Vegas Aces are the champs in the Women's National Basketball Association in the U.S. after sweeping the Phoenix Mercury four games to none.
The Aces' 97-86 win marks their third title in four seasons. The Mercury fought to come back from a 16-point deficit. But the effort fizzled when their head coach was ejected after arguing a foul call.
Aces superstar Aja Wilson was named Most Valuable Player in the finals for the second time in her career. She was also named the league's MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
And after a six-year break, the NBA is returning to China, with the second of two preseason games happening on Sunday in Macau. The Phoenix Suns will be facing off against the Brooklyn Nets. One of the games was already played on Friday in Macau.
Basketball and the NBA are extremely popular in China, drawing huge crowds from all over. The games come at an increasingly intense time between the U.S. and China, providing a rare moment of sporting peace for the two geopolitical rivals. Our Ivan Watson has more for us.
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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The NBA is back in China for the first time in six years.
And as you can see, fans can take photos next to this statue of Steph Curry, play all sorts of different kinds of games here at this enormous casino in Macau, where the NBA has basically pulled out all the stops, with games and stars coming out here.
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And there's a tremendous amount of enthusiasm because the NBA is incredibly popular in China. The association boasts that it has more than 420 million social media followers in this country.
And people are thronging here to attend two sold-out preseason games between the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets. I talked to a dad who spent thousands of dollars on tickets and he says people in China are crazy about basketball.
So this is a big deal, the NBA coming back to China, huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WATSON: Huge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huge. We hope that NBA can come every year.
SHAWN MARION, FORMER NBA PLAYER, PHOENIX SUNS: You hear the rumble in the arena right now before the game even started. So that's telling you how big the game is and how much they love it here in China. And I love coming here.
WATSON: The NBA was effectively kicked out of China because of a tweet. In 2019, the Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey, he posted in support of protesters in Hong Kong during what had been a year of political unrest there. The Chinese government clearly didn't like it and the NBA was no longer welcome here.
So it's taken six years to see NBA teams once again playing here to the enthusiastic response of fans and there are hundreds of millions of Chinese fans, hundreds of millions of Chinese basketball players.
So if this relationship is to continue, players and teams will have to navigate some pretty challenging political and cultural minefields. And as we've seen, the stakes are incredibly high -- Ivan Watson, CNN, Macau.
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ABDELAZIZ: Thank you for watching this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. I'll be back with more news after a very quick break.
