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Trump Arrives in Ireland to Meet Leaders, Attend Golf Event; Saudi Arabia Shuts Down Pipeline after Attack Causes Fires; Putin and Modi Meet in India Ahead of BRICS Summit; Nigerians Extradited to U.S. to Face Charges in Romance Scams; 2026 Emmy Awards. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired September 12, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London.

U.S. president Donald Trump is now in Ireland, arriving in Dublin just a short time ago, as you can see on your screens there. In the coming hours, he is set to hold meetings with Irish leaders and business figures.

First up, though, is an arrival ceremony at the official residence of the Irish president, Catherine Connolly, in Dublin. There he'll meet the country's prime minister, Micheal Martin. CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook was standing by for that red carpet arrival and joins me now live from Dublin.

Look, he's only in Ireland for two days. He's only on the ground in Dublin for a few hours. He is keen to get to the Gulf.

What is he going to accomplish and what have you seen so far, Julia?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This is a quick two- day trip. It is not an official state visit. In fact, it is a mixture of these presidential acts, meeting with Irish officials as well as some personal engagements.

He is headed to Doonbeg. That is where his golf course is and that's where the Irish Open will be taking place.

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BENBROOK (voice-over): He is the first president to attend, first sitting president to attend the Irish Open. And I do need to step aside here. The ceremony is starting. The honor guard is going to be welcoming him. Hopefully you can see some of those visuals.

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ABDELAZIZ: I want to bring in now our international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson. He is also standing by and looking at these images right now from Dublin.

Look, Nic, again, president Trump is only going to be on the ground here in Dublin for, I think it is about just four hours' time, to meet with Irish leaders. It seems that his primary focus is the Gulf but there's going to be a bit of diplomacy here.

What can you tell us?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, this is a meeting here that's not going to have high political content, at least it's not expected to. And perhaps one of the reasons for that is, you know, the understanding that Catherine Connolly, the Irish president, is not of the same political inclinations as president Trump.

Indeed, she's criticized his policies in the past. She comes from a very left-wing tradition of politics. And obviously, that's not -- that's not president Trump's cup of tea. And there are concerns expressed in Irish media and other media that this is the one meeting that everyone's going to worry about.

Does -- it is something said that president Trump then takes exception to. But, of course, a lot rides on the line for Ireland, you know, during a visit by president Trump because he is so influential and because Ireland depends a lot on American business companies.

The medical pharmaceutical companies that are based there, the software sector, if you will, is -- has a lot of base in Ireland as well U.S. companies based there. So I think that's the framing that people are watching, this first meeting that he'll have with Catherine Connolly, the Aras.

This is, of course, the residence and working place for the Irish president, whose position is very ceremonial. It doesn't come with big political powers. The person who wields those, Micheal Martin, the taoiseach, the prime minister, that's who president Trump will meet with next.

But this is the very grand -- you're looking at it there -- very grand formal ceremony, ceremonial type arrival, something, you know, that we know that president Trump likes. He likes to be greeted in style. He likes the pomp and circumstance.

And this is absolutely what the Irish are laying on here. So the arrival and his whole visit here is something that the Irish are hoping will be a huge success. Obviously there are, as I say, the political differences. It was very interesting.

[04:05:00]

You know, going back a few months now around St. Patrick's Day, when the Irish taoiseach traditionally was in the White House with president Trump, with the gift of the shamrock. And president Trump was taking a few political swipes at the British prime minister at that time, Keir Starmer.

And it was very interesting to see the position and the way that Micheal Martin, the taoiseach, handled that situation. Rather than just be run roughshod over by president Trump, he actually stood up for the for the British prime minister. And I think, you know, if you want to look at a tone in the

relationship between the two countries, at this time of this presidency and this particular leadership in Ireland, that perhaps is it's one of respect. It's one of mutual understanding. It's one of important business relationships.

But it's one where the Irish want to have their voice heard. And Ireland does reflect on itself, as, you know, the country that will stand up and speak for the underdog.

And I think, you know, in that, broadly speaking, in that context, you can expect, you know, both the president and the prime minister, the taoiseach, in their meetings with president Trump to want to say their part, that reflects Ireland's position and Ireland's thinking.

But I think obviously they're hoping is that that doesn't disrupt what's hoped to be, you know, brief political engagements before president Trump gets to the heart of what is in Ireland for and that is the golf over in the west of the country.

ABDELAZIZ: And again, we are waiting on the arrival ceremony. This is at the official residence of the Irish president, Catherine Connolly. You can see, as, of course, Nic Robertson pointed out there, the pomp and circumstance that is planned, that is laid out on that green lawn to greet president Trump.

You pointed out some of the tensions, of course, between these two leaders who hold ideologically different positions as, of course, you pointed out. But there's a very close relationship between not just Ireland and America but between president Trump in America.

Of course, he seems to have invited himself to this golf tournament. He loves golf. He owns a golf course in Ireland. And he talked about the friendly relationship between Ireland and America. And I read somewhere that Ireland, for the size of its nation, has clocked some of the most visits from American presidents.

Could you give us some context here, some history to that relationship, Nic Robertson?

If you -- if you don't mind, very quickly, while we also bring in our political correspondent, a guest here, Barry Lenihan. He is a political correspondent for Irish broadcaster RTE. I also want to bring him into this conversation. He is joining us from County Clare.

Thank you so much for joining us as well. If I could begin by giving Nic Robertson the chance, just to quickly answer that question about that relationship, again, between president Trump and Ireland and why he why he's so keen to be there today.

ROBERTSON: Look, he's keen to be there because he likes golf. He's got, as you say, he's got a golf course in Doonbeg. It's a very beautiful part of Ireland.

Why wouldn't anyone want to go and spend some time there?

I was over there when he president Trump was on a previous visit. And it's a nice place to be.

So why wouldn't the president want to be there?

And, of course, it comes with the bonus of being able to shine and put the spotlight on one of his golfing investments in Europe. Of course, he's got a couple of courses in Scotland as well, so there's that.

But it's an important place for any U.S. politician, not just because, you know, people reflect and respect the fact that there's a strong Irish ancestry in the United States and that brings with it a good deal of votes, potentially.

But many presidents trace their roots to Ireland. Trump's roots perhaps are more strongly associated with Scotland.

But if you look at President Biden, you know, really kind of loved on the streets, got wonderful, warm welcomes when he was in Ireland, made a point of visiting. And that was because he really associated himself and his Irish ancestry with the Irish, with their struggles.

President Obama, his mother's ancestry, was from Ireland as well. There's actually, you know, a plaza, a shopping plaza on one of the routes outside of Dublin that is dedicated and named after President Obama.

So you know, that that link between the Irish, because of the huge diaspora that emigrated in the 19th century during the most difficult of times of potato famine and statues of which are -- still dot Dublin quayside, where so many Irish people left the country because it was just too poor, settled in the United States.

That continues, even though that is, you know, we're looking at almost a couple of decades in Ireland's history.

[04:10:04]

That bond is tight. And that's why U.S. presidents often visit. And that's why, in part, president Trump will be there, because there is a substantial vote, an Irish vote, as it's known in the United States, that he will want to keep in good standing with.

ABDELAZIZ: And Nic Robertson, just as you are speaking there, it looks like we are seeing what looks like a motorcade there arriving, again, at the residence for that welcome ceremony. I want to bring in again Barry Lenihan, our guest here today, a political correspondent for RTE.

Again, this is -- this is going to be just four hours in Dublin for president Trump. And there's a lot of reports in the media about how Ireland is hoping for a no-frictions visit.

What does that mean?

How does that play out?

How does that friendly relationship that Nic just described there continue within the context of this particular president?

BARRY LENIHAN, RTE POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in terms of his visit to Dublin, it will very much resemble Donald Trump's visit to Britain last year for that second state visit, in which, even though he was in London, he was largely within the confines of the walls of Windsor Castle.

So Donald Trump, as you're seeing at the moment, is visiting President Catherine Connolly. He'll then go on to visit the Irish prime minister, Micheal Martin, before paying a visit to the U.S. ambassador's residence. But that's all within the walls of the Phoenix Park in Dublin.

So Mr. Trump will not see the thousands that are expected to protest in central Dublin this afternoon. He's then on to County Clare, of course, that frictionless encounter that you referenced.

Really when it comes to Donald Trump, anything can happen. So from the Irish government perspective, from Irish officials' perspective, it's a case of there being no conflict between the Irish and the American side.

And perhaps for there to be no international headlines deriving out of this visit, both today and tomorrow. From an Irish perspective, tomorrow is perhaps more treacherous for anything to happen.

Why so?

Well, Donald Trump, he's here, as his supporters say, on a golf outing. He's here on vacation. He will be in his own golf club where I am at the moment in County Clare. And really, he's liable, perhaps, some say, to do anything.

It's expected he will walk through the golf course at one point whilst the tournament is underway. And he's also to give the trophy to the victorious golfer tomorrow evening.

And at the moment, the leading victorious golfer is an Irishman, Shane Lowry, from County Offaly. So from an Irish perspective, an Irish officials' perspective, that still will be some photograph to hammer home the relationship which Nic has just outlined between Ireland and America.

Should the U.S. president give the winning trophy of the Irish Open on his golf course to an Irish golfer?

ABDELAZIZ: A visit that generates no headlines, that's what I took away from you there, which is obviously a very tall order when it comes to president Trump, a man who often generates headlines.

I want to talk more about these protests that are planned, because I've read that this is going to be one of the biggest security operations in the history of Ireland.

What preparations are underway and what challenges do they face?

And tell me more about the demonstrations.

LENIHAN: Yes. So we have all the opposition parties in the Irish parliament. The majority of them are to join these demonstrations. They'll be linked to the Irish Neutrality League and those who are against Donald Trump, held in central Dublin and also here in County Clare as well.

And it must be remembered that Mr. Trump's golf course is surrounded by the sea. So that is a particular challenge for the Irish police, to make sure that the golf course is not penetrated by protesters or demonstrators. So that is a big challenge, it must be said.

But really, as I say, Mr. Trump, he doesn't like seeing the protesters. And it's quite likely he won't be anywhere near them.

So will he see those images that come to him?

Now as we're looking at the moment, we're seeing the military guard of honor, as you can see, ready for this meeting between President Catherine Connolly, the Irish president, and president Donald Trump.

It must be remembered that President Catherine Connolly in Ireland, she received 64 percent of the vote in last year's presidential election, the most ever that any Irish president has received in an election.

Why so?

Well, some people feel she will be outspoken in this position, that she would raise with other heads of state her feelings on issues such as what is happening in Gaza and other war issues as well.

[04:15:08]

So that is why this is such a big test for Catherine Connolly.

Will she stay true to her firebrand roots, which perhaps helped propel her to office?

Or will she be something different?

And if she does speak her mind, does that risk damaging the Irish- American relationship, which the Irish government have been saying this morning here in Ireland is so important for the Irish economy?

So this meeting that we're about to witness between the two heads of state -- and it is one of those moments that is laden with so much tension here -- over the next few moments, it is treacherous, perhaps, for Irish officials. So they'll be watching it very closely when the pair shake their hands and go inside.

ABDELAZIZ: And that handshake should take place very shortly. Barry Lenihan, please stay with us. I want to go next to Nic Robertson.

You heard there Barry describing this as a major test, as a moment of tension, as an opportunity for Irish leadership, for the Irish president to demonstrate whether or not she is that firebrand that she was voted in for. But again, president Trump is primarily there for the golf.

Is this golf diplomacy or is this just golf with a few niceties on the side, a little bit of pomp and circumstance?

ROBERTSON: Look, when the decision is taken to host the Irish Open at president Trump's golf course, it goes with the unsaid expectation -- or it might have even been said privately -- that this will bring a trip from the president.

It's certainly the focus on one of the president's private business interests. We see president Trump likes this attention, likes to draw attention to business interests.

So I think in this context, the Irish have already, by doing this, by allowing, if you will or deciding, choosing, along whatever grounds they chose that Doonbeg should be the place for the Irish Open, That sends a very strong positive message to president Trump.

And so, you know, already this is -- this visit is loaded and freighted with goodwill gestures. The honor guard, as we were talking about there, outside the Aras, the residence and working place of the Irish president, Catherine Connolly, Again, that all symbolizes, you know, goodwill gestures.

So this is all being done in such a way that it could and should be positive for all the mutual interest reasons that both sides have and in particularly the Irish. But, of course, as you say, that jeopardy.

Will Catherine Connolly stay true to her -- true to her roots, try to land comments in conversations with president Trump?

Which we may never know about because they're going to happen behind closed doors. But if something was to go precipitously wrong, then you would expect the president to make comments about it.

He does get very personal in his comments of what he thinks about conversations and what he thinks about people, whatever office they hold in whichever country. So that that jeopardy is genuine. And it exists.

But I, you know, I think from just a simple diplomatic position, this is all happening to try to strengthen the relationship, a positive relationship with the United States and, in particular this president, because it can be economically beneficial for Ireland.

He has talked about wanting to bring back pharmaceutical companies, data companies, back to the United States. He would, you know, rather be having their tax than the taxes that get charged, albeit at a low rate relative to other countries, in Ireland.

But that money in Ireland is hugely important. You know, Ireland, in many ways, you know, in Europe is not just a geographic outlier, physical outlier. It's a political outlier as well. It punches above its weight in the E.U., in Brussels. But it's not a member of NATO, the military alliance that most

European and Nordic nations are members of.

And it's always had a traditional view of not putting its military into offensive roles but more peacekeeping roles but have lately found Russian vessels off their coast in rather intimidating ways, hanging around where data cables are under the sea. So there's -- you know, Ireland is finding itself drawn more diplomatically, potentially more in military alliances toward a stronger and more robust European position.

[04:20:09]

And president Trump, for all his moanings about NATO, still looks at it as a group of nations that should be there in support of the United States when the United States needs them.

So you know, Ireland not being a member of that, it's, you know -- and a bit feeling the pressure perhaps of what some might see as Russian intimidation off their coast, there are things there, are mutual national security interests that can be discussed as well.

And I would expect the prime minister, the taoiseach, to perhaps touch on --

(CROSSTALK)

ABDELAZIZ: And Nic, I'm sorry to interrupt you there.

But I just want to point out there's a lot going on. We are starting to see the Trump family arriving there. I'm so sorry to interrupt you there but we are starting to see -- I think it's Don Jr. who we just saw arrive.

So an indication that the president will arrive shortly. I love that you gave us the wider context there. This is a visit that is loaded and freighted with goodwill. It is no accident that this Irish Open is taking place on president Trump's golf course.

What we are seeing right in front of us here, that is a goodwill gesture -- the honor guard, the red carpet, the pomp, the circumstance. If I may bring in Barry Lenihan again as we wait for president Trump to arrive.

I want to take advantage of your position here as a political correspondent, because I wish I was inside those palace walls. This is going to be a closed door meeting. But I'm sure you can give us an understanding of how that transpires, what that looks like.

Give us a sense of what happens once those doors are closed between president Trump and the Irish president.

LENIHAN: Well, president Trump will sign the visitors' book in Aras an Uachtarain, is what we call the president's residence there in the Phoenix Park. They'll then go in behind closed doors for a 10-minute meeting. No video cameras there but a still photograph of the meeting between

President Connolly and president Trump will be released at some stage later today, probably around two hours or so after the meeting.

So they will have a very private conversation. Now it is just a courtesy call and Ms. Connolly supporters are saying it is a short visit. So perhaps, maybe somewhat tempering expectations as to the extent she will have discussions with Donald Trump.

It's also worth noting as well that Catherine Connolly, in the goal (ph), has said she even had difficulty in calling president Trump President Trump, if you will. She's described him --

(CROSSTALK)

ABDELAZIZ: -- I'm so sorry. I'm just going to allow -- I'll allow you to continue. But just pointing out on our screens that we are seeing president Trump right now walking that red carpet into the official residence where, as you said, once those doors close, he is shaking hands now.

You described how this handshake is an extremely important opportunity, an extremely important test. And we're seeing that take place here, a little bit of conversation. And I think, of course, the Irish president will lead him in, where you said all of those steps are going to take place, from the signing of the guest book to a very private conversation.

If you could continue, please, telling us what will happen, now that we're going to see those doors close very shortly.

LENIHAN: Yes. And as I say, President Connolly has been archly (ph) critical over several years of president Trump. Indeed, she protested against his arrival here before several years ago. And so there is an expectation that she will raise what is going on in relation to Israel and Palestine at the moment.

How far will she go?

Well, President Connolly did make a speech when the governor general of Australia was here in Ireland in July, in which she had -- which she was critical of countries which are ignoring, as she put it, the rules of the International Court of Justice.

So will she say similar sentiments now that president Trump is beside her?

Now ahead of this meeting, it's also worth noting commentary from Donald Trump's son, Eric, who is here in County Clare as well and here in Ireland as well, in which he said that his father has been in many situations where he has met heads of state who have been previously critical of him.

And yet they come together and in some way -- and in some cases, as he put it -- end up singing Kumbaya together. Now I don't foresee such a situation between President Connolly and president Trump. But given the meeting is so short, it just may well avoid those diplomatic pitfalls that Irish officials are seeking to avoid.

[04:25:00]

ABDELAZIZ: We have just seen president Trump arrive at the official residence of the Irish president. He is in there for a short meeting, as we have heard. He has been treated to a red carpet both at Dublin airport and now at the official residence, again, of the Irish president.

This is not an official diplomatic visit. His family is alongside him. He is only in Dublin for a few hours before he heads to the Gulf.

Thank you so much to Nic Robertson and to our guest as well for their time in breaking that down for us. We really appreciate it.

Still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the latest on the U.S. president's whirlwind Irish visit. He's holding meetings with government and business leaders before heading to his golf resort on the Atlantic coast.

Plus, world leaders gather in New Delhi for a BRICS summit overshadowed by war and escalating global tensions. We have a live report from the region just ahead.

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ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. You are right now looking at pictures, live images of president Donald Trump outside the official residence and offices of the Irish president. He is standing by for an honor guard.

There's a great deal of pomp and circumstance in this welcome ceremony that will bring the president into the official residence of the Irish president.

[04:30:09]

He will there meet with the president. It's going to be a very short meeting. And afterwards he will meet with the Irish prime minister, the taoiseach. Then later on, he'll make remarks to business leaders.

Trump will then, after about just four hours in Dublin, head to Western Ireland. There he is expected to attend the Irish Open, which is being held at the president's golf country resort in Clare County.

Now CNN has learned that top diplomats from the Gulf Arab states are set to meet with Iran's foreign minister in Oman on Monday. A source tells us they are expected to discuss a potential deal to manage traffic through the largely shut Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has shut down a key oil pipeline. This is after it came under multiple attacks. The country's energy minister says the pipeline was shut down as a precautionary measure.

A U.S. official says an early analysis found that projectiles struck pump stations along the pipeline. Satellite images show dark smoke rising from the area. It is not clear who is responsible but the official added the attack is believed to have involved drones coming from Iraq. A number of people were injured in the attack on the pipeline.

It came as Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen captured a strategic island in the Red Sea. Houthi forces took Perim Island just a day, just a few hours after taking control of the nearby port city of Mocha.

Control of both of these locations gives the Houthis a greater ability to threaten shipping in the Red Sea and it potentially gives Tehran more leverage in its war with the U.S. The Houthis, for their part, say navigation through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait is open to all vessels except Saudi ships.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YAHYA SARE, HOUTHI MILITARY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): The Yemeni armed forces affirmed that maritime navigation is safe for all companies except Saudi vessels, which were previously declared subject to a ban.

They also affirmed that they will continue enforcing the equation of siege for siege, striking Saudi enemy mobilizations and escalating in response to escalation until the aggression stops and the siege on our dear people is lifted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

As the Houthis were marching south, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke twice on Thursday with U.S. president Donald Trump. Sources say he urged the president to direct the U.S. military to carry out strikes on the Houthis. Now president Trump did not agree to these U.S. strikes, one of the sources said.

And a senior administration official tells CNN the U.S. is in a continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognized Yemeni government regarding regional stability. I want to bring in now our Larry Madowo. He is tracking all these developments for us and joins us now live from Nairobi.

Larry, so I mean, this is just such a stunning series of events. Only a few hours after the Houthis declared control over the port city of Mocha, they then captured Perim Island.

What is the significance of this?

What does this mean in terms of the conflict?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Salma, this has been a stunning military victory for the Houthis over the past few days. They've essentially had this victory that's been considered by some analysts as the biggest regional development since the start of the Iraq war.

And right now, as of this morning, the Houthis appear to be in control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coast and that is significant as you see the Saudis now having to deal with this closure of the East-West Pipeline.

This has been a key route for them to get their oil to the coastline after the blockade by the Iranians of the Strait of Hormuz. They've been rerouting about 5 million barrels of oil through the East-West Pipeline to the port.

And that now is closed. That was their way to basically bypass the Strait of Hormuz and try and get through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. That's no longer possible. And there's some blame game now among U.S. allies in the region about who's responsible for this.

That's the context for that call, the two calls from crown prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, trying to get president Trump to strike the Houthis. That did not happen.

And so within Yemen, within Saudi Arabia and within the wider region, they're wondering who's responsible for it. Some blame the Saudis for not having done more, even though they were aware of this advance of the Houthis.

They've had an extraordinary 36-48 hours where they've taken over most of what's considered essential in Yemen. And that complicates Saudi Arabia's ability to export its oil. The Houthis have been targeting Saudi tankers since July.

But this is surely the biggest victory yet so far. And you see the Iranians celebrating this. I want to read a tweet for you from Mohammed Mokhiber.

[04:35:02]

He's an adviser to the Iranian supreme leader.

He said, "Congratulations to Ansar Allah" -- that is the Houthis' formal name -- "on its clear victory. This major victory has once again proven that security is not a commodity that can be bought."

He went on to say that, "Today, Iran's power in Hormuz and the resistance is homegrown, resist, resolve, have driven the United States and its allies into a tactical and strategic dead end. The American people and Washington's allies are paying the price of the economic crisis and Trump's ambitions."

And that is important because you saw oil prices climb above $100 this week. And as this -- if this continues, if the Houthis have control over the Red Sea and the Iranians are blockading the Strait of Hormuz, that will put further pressure on oil prices.

And domestically, that is difficult for president Trump ahead of the midterms.

That is a background ahead of this Monday meeting in Oman between the Iranian foreign ministry and the diplomats from the Gulf Cooperation Council, who are hoping to find a way to essentially open up freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, at least for those regional partners.

The subtext from the Iranians here is that they want to be able to discuss regional security without external actors. The external actor they're referring to here is the United States.

Can they find a way to allow vessels from Saudi, from other Gulf states, to cruise past the Strait of Hormuz, maybe the Red Sea, without U.S. interference?

If that's possible, we'll see on Monday if something tangible comes out of it, Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: Larry Madowo in Nairobi there on a stunning victory for the Houthis, additional leverage for Tehran in this ever-widening conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Thank you so much for giving us that context.

Peace talks between Israel and Lebanon that were set to take place in Rome next week have now been postponed and this is according to two sources that are familiar with the matter.

Instead, the ambassadors from the two countries are now going to meet in Washington next week. A U.S. State Department official says they're going to discuss the ongoing implementation of the U.S.-brokered agreement between the two countries. The next round of formal discussions will now take place in Rome in October.

Now to the BRICS summit, which is getting underway in India today, bringing together leaders from some of the world's largest emerging economies. Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived for the summit just a short time ago, as you can see there.

Some leaders arrived earlier for talks, including Russian president Vladimir Putin, who had a meeting with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday. They pledged to -- they pledged, rather, to deepen the cooperation between their countries and those longstanding ties.

The two leaders focused on strengthening the group's economic agenda, while Putin criticized Western influence over global economic competition. I want to bring in now our Ivan Watson, who is standing by on Hong Kong and following all the developments for us.

So as we speak, Ivan, BRICS leaders are arriving in New Delhi.

Could you give us a sense of what's on the agenda for this summit and how we can expect India will position itself as the host nation?

IVAN WATSON, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, I think the fact that Xi Jinping has arrived in the Indian capital is a big deal. It's his first visit to India in more than six years.

And that's after relations between the two neighbors collapsed back in 2020, when there was a deadly clash up in the Himalayas, in the mountains over a disputed border region, with dozens of people reported killed in that.

And the relations between Beijing and New Delhi really collapsed. They have been reviving over the last couple of years. So again, that's part of the relevance of Xi Jinping attending the summit here.

The last time the BRICS foreign ministers got together, that was in May in New Delhi, they actually failed to come out with a joint statement. And that was partially because of sharp divisions within the 11 member countries of BRICS, notably between Iran and the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Both of those countries host U.S. bases. They've both been targeted by Iranian drones and missiles since Iran was attacked by the U.S. and Israel back in February. So it will be a question of how well the diverse countries can come together on any kind of joint message this weekend in India.

A big point of BRICS is it's a gathering of emerging economies, developing economies, who say they want a more fair say in global trade and in global affairs. And there's some real resentments there. Take a listen to what Vladimir Putin said yesterday about a Group of Seven countries.

[04:40:00]

(AUDIO GAP)

WATSON: OK. I'm not sure we have the sound there prepared. But basically he was arguing that the BRICS countries, they account for more than 40 percent of global GDP. Also, BRICS is touting the fact that it -- and its kind of additional countries that are -- that have kind of listening status, they account for about 50 percent of the global population.

So -- and then the Group of Seven wealthiest countries -- and he kind of made some snide remarks, the "so-called" Group of Seven, that they only account for about 29 percent of GDP.

Putin is arguing that the emerging economies are the future, a new world order. And that is kind of a mantra that he and his close ally, Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, frequently repeat.

They do not like a world that has been so heavily dominated by the U.S., both politically and economically, in past generations. They call for what they say is a multipolar order. We'll see if they can all agree on that message at the end of this weekend, Salma

ABDELAZIZ: CNN's Ivan Watson there, pointing out that the true success of this summit will be if they can issue a joint statement, if they can find consensus among this sharply divided group. Thank you so much for giving us that preview.

I want to go back now to our top story this hour and that is president Trump arriving in Dublin, where he is meeting with Irish leaders. Just a short time ago, we saw him saluting the honor guard at a red carpet welcome ceremony at the Irish president's residence and working place.

We have our Julia Benbrook, who is standing right in front of that red carpet.

Now can you just tell me what you've witnessed so far?

What's taking place?

Again, you pointed out this is not a diplomatic visit. We see his family and his grandchildren standing alongside him. But there is diplomacy taking place here.

BENBROOK: There is. And that's what's happening right now. President Donald Trump, he is inside the residence with the Irish president, Catherine Connolly. This is for a courtesy call, really, a brief meeting. In fact, they just went in minutes ago and they're already preparing for his departure.

You can see The Beast has pulled up. But they are touching base. And these conversations, these meetings that are taking place here in Dublin, a White House official has told us those are going to be focused on mutual areas of interest, including economic benefits, as well as businesses, creating new businesses.

And the way that these two countries can work together, Trump himself said as he boarded Air Force One to come here, he said that trade was going to be a big area of focus.

This isn't the end of his meetings today. After he leaves here, we do expect him to meet with the taoiseach, Micheal Martin. They have had a couple of meetings already during Trump's time in office. In fact, he was in the Oval Office for St. Patrick's Day fairly recently. They had a conversation about this trip specifically.

That's where we do expect them to get into a bit more of the policy during this bilateral sitdown. Trump is also going to make a stop to the U.S. ambassador of Ireland and be speaking there with business leaders. So a couple of hours of meetings.

But as you pointed out, this is a two-day trip. It's a quick trip. It's not an official state visit. So he is going to be going to Doonbeg later. That is to see the Irish Open. He's the first U.S. sitting president to attend that specific event.

And this is where the lines are a little bit blurred. You have these presidential events. Then he's going there. There's some business involved because this is actually taking place at his club there in Doonbeg.

So his family is with him. We did see Don Jr. and some of his children standing by. We know that Eric is here in Ireland as well. So a bit of a family trip mixed with some business and a few more stops before he heads to Doonbeg.

ABDELAZIZ: And Julia, if I may ask you specifically about the pomp and circumstance, because we saw the red carpet rolled out, we saw the beautiful green lawn. We saw the music playing.

Could you give me a sense of the atmosphere there?

President Trump is known to like this kind of welcome ceremony.

Could you give me a sense of what that felt like and what that looked like around you?

BENBROOK: Well, you're right, he is a president who loves the pomp and circumstance. That is very important to him. We know that it is beautiful here. It is -- it's starting to rain a little bit. But, of course, it's gorgeous greenery as you enter.

He has the actual red carpet rolled out. They did that both on the tarmac and then here at the residence as well.

[04:45:02]

And there's that handshake that takes place at the entrance of the residence. I believe we have video of that. An important moment, that visual of these two leaders getting together.

Then Trump went in and he actually signed the visitors' book. So another ceremonial piece. And then came out. We heard the anthems of both countries. And then he was invited to inspect the guard of honor.

So we were able to see him walk through. And then both delegations, the two leaders greeted both delegations, who were standing by the entrance as well.

ABDELAZIZ: Julia Benbrook in Dublin there, watching, witnessing, bringing us the details of this ceremony that has been held to welcome president Donald Trump to Dublin, to initiate his meetings with Irish leaders. He will be on the ground in Dublin for just a few hours before heading to his golf course. Thank you so much.

Please stay with us. We have so much more news coming on CNN.

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ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back.

Russian President Putin is attending the BRICS summit. Meanwhile, military strikes are continuing across Ukraine. On Friday, Moscow attacked two fuel stations in Kyiv, with jet-powered drones killing at least two people.

Russia's almost constant attacks with faster jet-powered drones for the past couple of weeks have killed a number of Kyiv residents. Ukraine has also carried out drone attacks in parts of Russia, which killed three people. I want to go to a story now out of Nigeria. Six Nigerians are facing

charges connected to romance scams in the United States. They're accused of swindling more than $6 million from American women. The group was arrested in Cape Town in 2021.

[04:50:00]

But South African police have now extradited them to the U.S., on Friday handing them over to the FBI.

Now romance scams involve grifters who cheat vulnerable people by professing love while taking their money. The Nigerians face wire fraud and money laundering charges.

Still to come this hour, the countdown to this year's primetime Emmy awards is on. We're going to get a preview of the night's biggest contenders and some unexpectedly competitive underdogs, right after the break.

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ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back.

American television's biggest shows and performers will vie for the industry's highest honors on Monday at the primetime Emmy awards. Our entertainment correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister breaks down this year's top contenders and the categories that could bring us some surprising results.

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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: TVs biggest night is being hosted by one of TVs biggest stars. Mariska Hargitay from "Law & Order" is the host for this year's Emmys.

Now it's going to be a showdown between some of television's biggest series.

[04:55:00]

"The Pitt" leads all nominations with 25 nominations going into the night, "Hacks" not far behind with 24.

But let's first talk about "The Pitt," which is expected to dominate in the drama categories. "The Pitt" won for Best Drama last year and it's expected to win in that category again, as well as its star, Noah Wyle, who, of course, Emmy voters have known and loved since his days on "ER."

Now in his next medical drama, "The Pitt," he won for Best Actor in a drama last year, likely is going to win again. His costar, Katherine LaNasa, who won last year in her category, is also expected to win on Monday night.

Now when we go over to the comedy category, here's where we could get some more surprises. "Hacks" has the most comedy nominations with 24 and this is "Hacks'" fifth and final season. Typically, Emmy voters will award shows that are saying farewell with their final season.

But this year, Apple's show, "Widow's Bay," has been a late-in-the- game hit, drawing a ton of fans both online but also becoming a huge critical darling. So "Widow's Bay" could beat "Hacks" in the big comedy category. But Jean Smart is expected to take her fifth and final trophy for "Hacks" in her category.

Now fun fact: if Jean Smart wins, she will make Emmy history. She will become the only woman to ever win for every single season of the same show. So a lot to come. I will be on the red carpet and I'll be backstage, interviewing the winners all night. So make sure to stick along with us for all of our Emmys coverage. Back to you.

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ABDELAZIZ: On the red carpet and backstage, that is an assignment I am jealous of.

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