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CNN International: Gaza Documentary By Israeli Filmmakers Sparks Uproar In Israel; States Challenge Trump's Rule On Green Cards; Widow's Bay Leads With 14 Wins At Prime-Time Ceremony. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired September 15, 2026 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

ROBIN HOLMES-SULLIVAN, PRESIDENT, LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE: Because the things that we're learning now are those majors that you just mentioned. People and anthropology or philosophy. Those -- those students are trained to think broadly, more flexibly. They know about people and how to work in teams and to do those human skills I was talking about, and that's exactly what they're looking for at some of these tech companies now.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: So we talked a little bit about the fields that could perhaps help some of these students for the sake of our conversation, AI-proof their career paths. What about the different abilities, specific skills you think that students should be focusing on right now, and perhaps even sharpening, so that they can offer potential employers something that A.I. could never offer?

HOLMES-SULLIVAN: Absolutely, because the goal it really isn't to -- to teach young people to compete with machines. That -- that's not something they need to do. It's not something they should even try to do. It really is to -- to teach them to become extraordinary human beings who know how to use these machines, and so the things that they can do and bring to the table that at this time at least computers can't do is how to lead, how to advocate, how to have passion about something, how to feel and empathize with others, to work through differences, to be adaptable, all very, very human qualities.

And so, what you need to do, I think, what we have responsibilities to do, is to help students understand that those are real skill skills. They're not just as some people call them soft skills, kind of implying that somehow they're not as important. They're more important than ever, and those are the ways in which I think a student can really stand out.

You know, working on a team, showing that they are able to be adaptable. They can come up with and use reasoning in ways that only humans can do. I'm excited for that. I'm excited for our students, and even though it causes some anxiety to think about what's happening in this so rapidly changing technology, there's so much unknown.

After we help students to kind of relax and calm down from that, I think bringing in the real knowledge that there's going to be a place for them and that they'll be fine in the workplace and in their careers, that's something that we can do as educators.

SANDOVAL: It is the beginning of the fall academic semester, so we know that there is no shortage of anxiety out there, and this kind of advice, Robin, certainly going to go a very long way for those students who are just now beginning to chart the path of their career. Robin Holmes-Sullivan, thank you so much for your perspective.

HOLMES-SULLIVAN: Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: And from a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, to an accusation of treason. Have a look at what's in the Gaza documentary that's sparking backlash in Israel.

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[04:35:00]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back. I'm Polo Sandoval. A documentary examining the Israeli military's alleged targeting of Palestinian civilians in Gaza is sparking political uproar in Israel. The film's title, "NAZA," is taking from the term for collateral casualties, and is built around interviews with Israeli military officers.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond breaks down what's in the film.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's certainly not been well received here in Israel, where they have faced a backlash of epic proportions from the general public, from a number of Israeli ministers. You referenced Israel's Culture Minister, who called this action treasonous and called for their citizenship to be revoked.

It's important to look at why there is such a backlash here in Israel. Obviously, first of all, it doesn't make Israel look good because the central premise of this documentary is the notion that Israel tolerated, accepted, allowed for, whatever term you want to use for the killing of large numbers of Palestinian civilians in Gaza in order to kill a much smaller number of Palestinian militants.

It goes after this notion of "NAZA," which is an Israeli military term used to talk about collateral damage, basically the number of civilians that would be killed in a given Israeli strike. I do have a short clip from the documentary to show you. This is one of the Israeli soldiers who testified, gave an interview anonymously to this film, describing the targeting system that they use and how they would determine the number of civilians that might be killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I got a full map of every building in Gaza. I can click on a house and see how many people will be hurt when I bomb it. You see it like this, apartment six, floor five. Ahmed and his family will die. It shows how many kids, he and his wife. Some strikes killed 20, 30, over 300 people

DIAMOND: And that soldier is one of 24 Israeli soldiers who were interviewed as part of this film. All of them actively involved in the war in Gaza, many of them intelligence officers who were involved in these targeting decisions. That same soldier describes another incident when he's asked, you know, what the maximum number of civilians was that was allowed to be killed in one of these strikes. He said that number was 500 civilians approved to be killed in a single strike that was targeting one Palestinian militant in the Gaza Strip.

Now the Israeli military, for its part, has said that it categorically rejects these allegations, reiterating that it takes steps in Gaza to minimize harm to civilians. We've also just learned that the Israeli military's Chief of Staff held a meeting about it today, calling all of this deliberate distortions of reality, and he called for investigations into the film and any of the soldiers who may have spoken to the filmmakers as his course of action going forward.

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SANDOVAL: Jeremy Diamond, thank you. And still to come, Democratic-led states and cities challenging Trump's new rule to place restrictions on some immigrants looking to get their Green Card. We'll get you the details in a moment.

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SANDOVAL: Dozens of Democratic-led states, counties, and cities are suing the Trump Administration, hoping to block a rule that would make it harder for some immigrants to get their hands on Green Cards. The rule set to take effect on Friday would allow immigration officials to deny Green Cards, visas, or entry into the U.S. if they determine that the applicant would primarily depend on government assistance.

The states argue that there are no clear limits on what benefits could jeopardize an applicant. They also say that they would lose billions of dollars of federal funding if people disenroll from welfare programs out of fear.

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LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: The administration's new rule is much broader than any public charge rule in history, and it will provide so much discretion to immigration officers, that the rules are so opaque and difficult to comprehend and understand, the harm is that much greater. The rule would allow immigration officers to consider use of critical benefits like Medicaid and SNAP, and even participation in school meal programs as part of an applicant's circumstance.

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SANDOVAL: A federal judge has blocked the Trump Administration from imposing stricter limits on how long foreign students and journalists can stay in the United States. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor in Boston ruled in favor of a coalition of unions in higher education advocacy groups on Monday. It was just a day before the rule was set to take effect.

The Department of Homeland Security had cited national security and the need to prevent fraud in the visa program, but Saylor said that the policy was based on quote exceptionally weak rationales.

A Department of Homeland Security report detailing disturbing conditions found at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz. The report describes how some immigrants were held in small metal cages at the now shuttered detention facility from several minutes to nearly two hours. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has more.

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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A new Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report reveals disturbing conditions at Alligator Alcatraz. That was a facility that was quickly erected in Florida last year and then closed in June of this year. Now, this was a visit that the inspectors took in January, where they found cramped conditions among detainees, as well as lack of access to clean water, among other concerns.

[04:45:00]

But perhaps most revealing was the small metal enclosures that they observed while on their visit. Those enclosures, according to facility staff, were used as quote, calming areas. They also said that some detainees chose to be in those enclosures. Now, again, there were enclosures, according to this report, that were indoors as well as the at least two that were outdoors, according to the I.G..

What was stunning, however, about this observation, they say, is that it is a practice unlike any they have seen before. Now, quoting here from one part of the report, where they say the use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment.

Now we asked the state of Florida about this report as well because they, according to the Department of Homeland Security, were charged with daily operations of the facility, and they said, "The left-wing media wants to focus on a confinement area for violent criminal aliens who have proven they cannot remain peaceful while awaiting deportation."

While it adheres to all federal standards for criminal confinement, we'd make it even smaller if we could. Now, I will note that it is the Inspector General that highlighted the small metal enclosures in its report, and it also noted concerns about what standards Florida was complying with in holding ICE detainees, and trying, and rather the inspectors trying to track down what exactly they were using to base the standards of living on in this Alligator Alcatraz facility.

Now, again, this was a visit that took place in January of this year. The facility has since closed. The Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had said previously that the facility was only meant to be temporary, but these concerns add to those that had already been expressed by Democratic lawmakers, detainees, and family members about what detainees experienced while they were held at this facility. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

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SANDOVAL: And still to come, history was made at the 78th annual Emmy Awards. We'll be telling you which starts -- which stars set a new record for their work. Stay with us.

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SANDOVAL: Television's biggest stars took to the stage at the 78th Emmy Awards, where Apple TV's Widow's Bay was the night's biggest winner, taking home more awards than any other show, including Outstanding Comedy Series. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more on the ceremony from Los Angeles.

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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm backstage at the Prime- Time Emmy Awards, where it was a big night for Widow's Bay, The Pitt, and DTF St. Louis, topping the three major categories of the night, but the biggest winner was Widow's Bay walking away with the most trophies from the Emmys, winning in Best Comedy and also winning for many of its stars, Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root, and Kate O'Flynn.

Now, Matthew Rhys was one of the history-making actors tonight at the Emmys. He becomes the first actor to win for two leading roles in the same year. He won for Widow's Bay and also for Netflix's The Beast in Me. Now, another history maker, Jean Smart, who won for the fifth and final season of Hacks, she became the first woman in Emmy history to win for every single season of a series.

Now, Allison Janney, she was a surprise winner, of course, well deserved. But even she herself was shocked. I spoke to her backstage after she won for her role in The Diplomat, and she told me that she did not think at all that she was going to win. This became her eighth Emmy. Now she is tied for the most acting Emmys, along with other actresses like Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and also Jean Smart.

Now Mariska Hargitay was the host of the night. She had a ton of outfit changes. You could tell that she had a ton of fun, and of course she had to bring some of her famous friends along. Of course, she's probably the most famous fan of the Knicks these days, and Jalen Brunson made an appearance as well as her friend Taylor Swift.

Now Taylor was not actually here, but she had pre-taped a fun skit that was in the theme of Law and Order: SVU, Mariska Hargitay Show. But Taylor Swift was actually a little busy at her husband Travis Kelce's game. The Chiefs had their first game of the season tonight, so she was a little busy. It was a great night here at the Emmys. Back to you.

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SANDOVAL: Thanks, Elizabeth. And earlier, I did have a chance to speak with Journalist and Culture Critic Rebecca Sun about this year's Emmy Awards. And I asked her what she thought about Widow's Bay and what made it such a big winner Monday.

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REBECCA SUN, FORMER SENIOR EDITOR, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: You know, it's such a unique show, and the Emmys comedy category is no stranger to comedies that aren't really quite comedies, but Widow's Bay is genuinely really funny while also being freaking scary, if I could say that.

It's a horror comedy which is very unique. It's very difficult to be genuinely terrifying and hilarious at the same time, and so people just haven't seen anything like this. It's executed so well. It's got fantastic performances, great writing, and director Hiro Murai, who's behind so many of the best shows that you know.

SANDOVAL: Look, I love a good comedy horror hybrid, emphasis on the horror. I'm a big fan. I did struggle to make it through the first one, and I know I'm not spoiling anything for folks out there. Let's also talk about Jean Smart. I mean, what a night for her, also making history, becoming the first woman to win an acting Emmy for every season of a show. I mean, what does that moment mean, especially for an actress of an older generation?

SUN: You know, yeah, Jean Smart made a hilarious joke at the beginning of this fifth acceptance speech for her for Hacks, where she said, "You know, I think you guys are all just standing up because I'm old, which really shows you why she is an Emmys queen. I mean, I think it says a lot because, especially if you look at the Emmys tend to reward the new, so you know, Widow's Beat -- Widows Bay beat out Hacks.

[04:55:00]

It beat out The Bear, right, which was such a darling just a few years ago. And so, for Jean Smart to have such a chokehold on her category for every single season of Hacks is it's really something not to be taken for granted.

SL And not to mention also an actress of a similar generation, Sally Field. I mean, still showing Hollywood how it's done with what 10 nominations, leading to her fourth Emmy on Monday night.

SUN: Yes, no. I mean, they like her. We really, really like her. To paraphrase her classic Oscars acceptance speech. Yeah, Sally Field, I think now I believe she might be the oldest winner in her category. Also matched by Stephen Root of Widow's Bay, a very beloved character actor who is 74 years old, which I think makes him the oldest ever winner in his category for Supporting Actor in a Comedy. So it's really nice to see people not only still be beloved, but

really do excellent work, and to show characters that are of a certain age and are still resonating with all audiences. So it was a really nice moment for her as well.

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SANDOVAL: For the record, I struggled to make it through episode one. It was just too scary. Star Wars fans, you will soon have a chance to own a piece of franchise history, but the nostalgia is not going to come cheap. And an exhibit in Japan it offers a preview of what organizers hope will be a record-breaking sale of Star Wars memorabilia.

Among the props and costumes on display is a lightsaber that was used by Darth Vader himself in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "The Return of the Jedi." The last time that that thing was auctioned off, it sold for $3.6 million. So expect to pay up. The exhibit runs through next month, with the auction set for November. Thank you so much for watching. I'm Paul Sandoval. CNN Headline Express is next. Stay with us.

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