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Isa Soares Tonight

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy Takes To The Stage At The U.N. With Both A Warning And A Plea To Stop Russia's War; Dallas ICE Facility Shooting Leaves One Detainee Dead, Two Injured; Israel Shuts Only West Bank Gateway To Outside World; Israel Closes Allenby Crossing; Irish PM Calls For Urgent Action On Two-State Solution; Storm Ragasa Batters Hong Kong; Kimmel's Return To Television; Trump Threatens To Sue ABC Over Kimmel's Return. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired September 24, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, Ukraine's President takes to the stage

at the U.N. with both a warning and a plea to stop Russia's war. We'll have the very latest for you from New York. Then a targeted act of violence.

That's what the FBI are calling a deadly shooting at an ICE facility in Texas. We are live on the scene for you. Plus, my interview with the Irish

Prime Minister. Why he believes Europe has struggled to respond when it comes to Israel's war in Gaza. That, of course, and much more ahead.

But first, tonight, Volodymyr Zelenskyy offers a stark warning to world leaders at the United Nations. The Ukrainian President says he believes we

are living through what he calls the most destructive arms-race in human history. From the podium, at the U.N. General Assembly earlier today, Mr.

Zelenskyy called for global rules on A.I.-use in drones and other weapons, and his warning comes as he appealed for help in stopping Russia's war,

especially from the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE: We count on the United States, I appreciate the support we are receiving. Yes, much depends on the G7 and

G20, but in the end, peace depends on all of us, on the United Nations. So, don't stay silent while Russia keeps dragging this war on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Meanwhile, America's top diplomat spoke with his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the General Assembly gathering earlier. The

State Department said during his meeting with Sergey Lavrov, Marco Rubio called on Moscow to take meaningful steps to end the war in Ukraine.

And this comes one day, of course, after Donald Trump's stunning U-turn on Ukraine, with the U.S. President publicly declaring that he thinks Kyiv can

win back all of its territory from Moscow, as you can see in your screen, instead of having to give up some of it in exchange for peace. CNN's chief

U.S. security analyst Jim Sciutto, standing by for us at the United Nations.

So, Jim, let's first start with what we heard from President Zelenskyy. We heard both an appeal as well as a warning, of course, and a warning that

comes as our viewers will know as NATO countries are faced -- incursions, I think three incursions in ten days from Russia. What stood out to you, Jim,

from what we heard from President Zelenskyy?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: Well, President Zelenskyy, once again, deliberately attempted to internationalize the war in Ukraine,

to say that this is not just a threat to Ukraine, but it's a threat to all of Europe. And he has a quite good argument to make in recent days, given

as you mentioned, Isa, these air incursions first over Poland by drones, then over Estonia by armed Russian MiG fighters, and then more recently,

further drones that disrupted civilian airspace in Europe.

It gave him further ammunition to say that Russia threatens all of Europe. And he said in so many words in his speech that Ukraine is just the first

target here. That was a deliberate message of him. It struck me. And one, intended for those assembled, but also, I imagine, for President Trump as

well.

I think it's also notable that in his speech, he mentioned a few things close to Trump's heart, which by all accounts, he has managed to somehow

repair his relationship with the U.S. President since that infamous Oval Office meeting back in February. He mentioned in his speech, in Zelenskyy's

word -- words that God saved Trump during that attempted assassination attempt during the campaign last year.

And I think those are deliberate messages from Zelenskyy to Trump to say, listen, I am listening to you, please listen to me. And then, with Trump's

statement yesterday, it does seem that some of Zelenskyy's framing of this war is getting through to the U.S. President.

SOARES: Nic, thank you very much -- Jim, pardon me, thank you very much --

SCIUTTO: Yes --

SOARES: Joining us there from New York, let's go to Nic, that's what I was trying to introduce now and bring in our international diplomatic editor,

Nic Robertson, who is with me now. Just picking up with what Jim said there, then, Nic, you know, how much --what are you hearing, first of all,

from European leaders as to how they are interpreting his words? Is it a shift or is it shift with a bit of caution in this?

[14:05:00]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think there's caution because they've been here before with President Trump, where he seems to

listen to them. And then a few weeks later, he's listening to Vladimir Putin.

There's cautious hope there, I think, Emmanuel Macron said that he was pleased that President Trump recognized that Ukraine could actually do more

than just hold its ground, that it could exert its rights, and Kaja Kallas, the European High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs said that she thought

that this was good, that finally, you know, the United States President Trump was sort of seeing or understanding the situation the same way that

the European Union understands the situation.

Look, I think these are carefully calibrated words. I think behind closed doors, we can all understand that everyone is waiting for the next marker

moment. Does President Trump stick with this? When does he come unglued from it? And key, how will we know --

SOARES: Yes --

ROBERTSON: That he's going down this road, and is going to stick with it. What -- because he didn't talk about giving extra weapons. He just said

we're selling to NATO. NATO is going to give the weapons to Ukraine. Good luck to them all. It's almost like, thank you, I'm out --

SOARES: Yes, not even -- not even weapons, no sanctions, no ultimatums, no deadlines, which is what we have seen throughout --

ROBERTSON: Look, I think the hope is, behind closed doors, as long as that flow is there --

SOARES: Yes --

ROBERTSON: And there's no impediment to it, it's a bonus.

SOARES: And this comment from President Trump, this on Truth Social that Ukraine can regain all its land back. The Kremlin saying it's deeply

mistaken. First of all, how realistic is that? And especially given the frontline, how much Russia has gained just in the last few months. Can you

just outline that for us on the map? So, we just get a better sense of what the play-by-play has been in the last few months where they've made

advances.

ROBERTSON: Yes, and it is best to look at the map. So, come with me this way and we'll take a look at the map over here. I think one of the key

points to understand is that, Russia, whatever support that Ukraine gets from the United States, pushing weapons through to NATO, whatever support -

- it's -- Russia has the ability to push men into the battlefront.

But some of the things that will be key, if there is going to be follow- through from the United States to let all this support for the war continue. It will be the air defenses for Kyiv, for Kharkiv, for

Zaporizhzhia here. And one of the things that President Zelenskyy said that was interesting today is the use of the sea drones.

And of course, you look at this Russian port down here where Russia, Zelenskyy said, hides away some of its Naval facilities. They've got sea

drones going in there, and they struck there today or in the past 24 hours. So, that's significant. But I think to your point, let's zoom in on the map

here, look at eastern Ukraine with the greater sort of focus here.

This area around here in yellow, Dobropillya, right around here, this is an area that Russia kind of pushed this finger in here, got behind Ukrainian

lines. But yesterday, we heard from President Zelenskyy saying that they had retaken 360 kilometers of territory, that's more than the 160

kilometers around here he was talking about last week, surrounded a 1,000 Russian troops.

He told that to President Trump. So, what he's looking for, we come back to that point I opened with. Russia can sink troops in here. Zelenskyy doesn't

have the troops. But what helps you get more troops if you can't have them come in from another country, that more people will stand up and join the

army.

And there's that sense of -- even given the skepticism in Ukraine, they've heard President Trump flip-flop before that sense that the United States

might finally be behind Ukraine. Might -- and I use might because motivating people who have been three-and-a-half years of war to join the

army in what's become a horrible, grinding, slow war here with huge casualties on both sides.

But that might motivate people to get in the war. That's a plus. But it's hard to see how you reverse when Russia can commit so many resources. But

that support from the United States, Isa --

SOARES: Yes --

ROBERTSON: Undoubtedly, it's not a roadblock it appears at the moment. And that I think -- that's going to be key going forward.

SOARES: It's the might, let's see what happens with that. Thank you very much, Nic Robertson, for laying it all out for us. And Russia's -- Nic, has

been saying -- is same with Jim Sciutto there in New York, isn't only testing Ukraine, it's putting fresh pressure on NATO strength as well as

unity in the space of ten days. Three NATO members experienced violation of their airspace.

[14:10:00]

First, it was on Poland -- it was Poland, if you remember, that's September the 9th, where as many as 21 Russian drones entered Polish airspace. Then

Romania scrambled this fighter jet on September the 14th after a Russian drone reached Romanian airspace during an attack on neighboring Ukraine.

And then last Friday, if you remember, Estonia saw three Russian fighter jets violate its airspace for 12 minutes. My next guest is a former U.S.

ambassador to NATO and a former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine. Kurt Volker joins me now from Monterey, Virginia. Ambassador, great to have you back on

the show.

Let me pick up really -- well, talk about Ukraine in more details in just a second, but I want to pick up with what we've heard from President Trump

and his statements he's put on Truth Social, and the comments he made, of course, alongside President Zelenskyy. Is it clear to you on the question

of regaining territory where the U.S. stands on Ukraine? Is that position clear now?

KURT VOLKER, FORMER U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO UKRAINE: I think it's clear that the U.S. would not object to Ukraine retaking territory. That is different

than the U.S. helping Ukraine to do so. And I think what President Trump was mostly doing was trolling Vladimir Putin, saying that his military is

weak, his economy is weak, that he's not doing a good job in the war.

That Ukraine, sure, they can take their own territory back and maybe even more. These are all, I think, goading Putin.

SOARES: Oh, it seems that -- we seem to -- your signal may have frozen.

VOLKER: Just to --

SOARES: We are trying to reconnect -- ambassador, let me just try again with your --

VOLKER: Yes --

SOARES: Signal froze mid-sentence. So, you say, goading Putin. Go ahead, pick up on that.

VOLKER: Yes, so, I think he was goading Putin to try to get Putin to rejoin an effort to end the war. So for, Putin has promised to do that, but then

done the opposite. He has increased his attacks on Ukraine. He's refused to meet with President Zelenskyy. He's refused any negotiations. So, I think

President Trump is goading him, trying to get him to come back to the table, if you will.

That does not mean the same thing as the U.S. taking responsibility in imposing new sanctions on Russia or secondary sanctions on those trading

with Russia. It doesn't mean U.S. directly provided military support to Ukraine only if it's paid for by NATO instead. So, these are all things

that I think are mostly aimed at the -- at the process of getting an agreement, not real support for Ukraine taking the territory back.

SOARES: Yes, and what we didn't see -- and picking up exactly on that point is what we didn't see in that long social media post was an ultimatum, a

deadline, any sort of announcement on sanctions. In fact, his last words in that social media post said, "in any event, I wish both countries well. We

will continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want to do with them. Good luck to all."

That doesn't sound that he's involved behind it. It sounds, quite honestly like he's cleaning your hands -- his hands off it.

VOLKER: Yes, it seems like he's deliberately keeping a distance from this, wishing Europe and Ukraine, OK, good luck. Nice words for the Russian

people, if not Vladimir Putin. But basically, not saying that the U.S. has a stake in this, or that the U.S. will do anything. This is all keeping a

distance from all that.

SOARES: Then how? If you're a European leader, I'm guessing, you know, we've seen President Trump waiver on Ukraine on multiple occasions. We've

seen him express frustrations, not just with President Putin, but also President Zelenskyy. We have seen deadlines being set from weeks to months,

but no follow-through. So, if you're a European leader, you do what? How would you interpret? You keep applying the pressure on President Trump?

VOLKER: Look, Europe doesn't really have much of a choice, but to --

SOARES: Yes --

VOLKER: Keep going. They can't allow Vladimir Putin to defeat Ukraine. That will pose a much wider threat to all of Europe. And Putin is already

demonstrating through these airspace incursions that he is trying to threaten Europe, and he's trying to intimidate them out of policies that

would help them defend themselves.

So, they need to keep supporting Ukraine financially and militarily, and they need to keep working on President Trump to tighten the screws on

Putin. And as President Trump himself has said, the Russian economy is very weak and secondary sanctions could be devastating if they really impacted

the revenue flows that are going into the Kremlin's war budget.

And here, Europe has already reacted to President Trump calling on them to give up oil and gas from Russia.

[14:15:00]

They advanced the deadline to 2026 for getting off of Russian LNG. They need to work on the oil as well. But those are all things that Europe is

going to have to do and keep the pressure on Trump for more sanctions.

SOARES: And we came to you, ambassador, on the question, of course, of the incursions that we have seen. Three incursions in a period, ten years.

We've seen very strong language at the UNGA from various European leaders, the Polish, of course, the Romanians as well. What do you say to them? To

really what we heard from the President just in the last 24 hours or so.

They say, yes, they should be shooting down those jets. Do you -- do you agree with that? Is there -- is that the -- is that the deterrence that is

needed at this point?

VOLKER: Yes. Well, first off, absolutely agree with that, and with President Trump, if Russian fighter jets enter NATO airspace, they should

be shot down. That is unlikely to happen. They did it in the case of Estonia, but I think now they'll back off and they'll send drones in again,

and see how we react to the drones.

Poland did shoot down a number of drones in that first recent incursion in Poland. I think there were 21 drones that entered Polish airspace. It was

very difficult and expensive for Poland to do that. But I think Putin will test that again and again, and see whether we really do shoot them down or

how many and what effectiveness we have.

SOARES: Kurt Volker, always great to get you on the show. Thank you very much indeed.

VOLKER: My pleasure, thank you --

SOARES: And still to -- thank you. And still to come tonight, a shooting at a U.S. immigration facility leaves two detainees dead. We'll looking into

what officials are calling an act of targeted violence. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says two detainees are dead and one injured after a shooting at an immigration facility in Texas.

The incident happened at a Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas. Authorities say the suspect is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The FBI says they're investigating the attack as a targeted act of violence.

That is based on what Bureau Director Kash Patel said were anti-ICE messages written on at least one unspent shell casing. Homeland Security

has issued a statement, calling the shooter a sniper. His audio from the police as they responded to that incident. Have a listen.

[14:20:00]

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, this is going to be a sniper on top of the roof 8101 North Stemmons. Again, only two units from "Channel Five", if we have

anyone that can start that way.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

SOARES: During a news conference after the shooting, Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who represents Texas, had this simple plea for America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): This needs to stop. Violence is wrong, politically- motivated violence is wrong. To every politician who is using rhetoric, demonizing ICE and demonizing CBP, stop. To every politician demanding that

ICE agents be doxed, and calling for people to go after their families, stop. This has very real consequences. Look, in America, we disagree,

that's fine. That's the democratic process. But your political opponents are not Nazis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Let's get more on this. Ed Lavandera joins us now from Dallas. So, Ed, what do we know? First of all, about the two detainees and that sniper?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, this ICE immigration facility is a place meant to just temporarily hold immigrants

who have been detained by immigration authorities. And it's a processing building to also take people to other detention facilities for more long-

term holding. It's also a place where people come and have meetings with ICE agents regarding their immigration cases.

So, it gets a great deal of traffic. And we just spoke with a family who was here outside the ICE facility, 38-year-old woman that we spoke with had

brought her mom here, she had an appointment with an immigration agent. She was inside the building, and when the shots started ringing out around

them, she showed us a video of that she took of her family inside the car as they were waiting the gunfire out.

And what stood out to me in listening to it, as it counted anywhere as up to as many as seven shots being fired over the course of about a minute-

and-a half, so, it wasn't really a situation where it was rapid fire shooting, but it kind of pinpoints and goes to this idea that DHS officials

have described the shooter as someone, as a sniper shooting at the van full of detainees and ICE agents as well, from an elevated position across the

street from the parking lot of this ICE processing facility.

So, a great number of questions still left to be answered here. Clearly, the motivation behind this immigration authorities and federal law

enforcement, and quick to point out that they believe that this is a targeted attack with someone who has anti-ICE leanings. It is something

that we are continuing to pursue. Authorities wouldn't give much information on the victims.

In fact, initially, they were incredibly hesitant to even point out that the victims that even though this was an anti --- there was anti-ICE

messages on the bullets found at the scene where the shooter had taken his own life, that this -- that the actual victims in all of this were

detainees perhaps inside the van that were being processed and brought here to this ICE facility.

So, still a great number of questions left to be answered. Authorities continue to work the scene here this afternoon as this has really brought

this -- you know, this entire area to a standstill.

SOARES: Ed Lavandera there with the very latest. Thank you very much, Ed. And still to come tonight, Palestinian officials call it a massacre. They

say nine children were among those killed by an Israeli strike on a market in Gaza city. Plus, a powerful typhoon is pounding parts of Asia, leaving

death as well as destruction in its wake. We'll have an update for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:00]

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. While many world leaders are focused on the war in Gaza this week, Israel has taken a major step in the occupied West

Bank that the Palestinian Authority slams as collective punishment. It has indefinitely closed the only border-crossing between the West Bank and

Jordan, a lifeline for Palestinians to the outside world.

The crossing is vital not just for travel, but also for transporting commercial goods. Palestinians say they effectively now trapped in a

prison, and fear more restrictions could be ahead. Taxi drivers say they're already suffering the consequences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are sitting with no work, no people are even getting into the station. The transportation to Ramallah,

Bethlehem and Jericho are not even moving today. The main way is Jericho. The closure of the bridge is destructive to the Palestinian people. It's

not only affecting the transportation, but also the whole Palestinian people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It impacts morale and the economy. We have checkpoints, and the work is not that active due to checkpoints.

There are people who go for treatment in Jordan. The closing of a bridge has an effect on so many things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, in Gaza, meantime, health officials say nearly 100 people have been killed in new Israeli attacks, including this strike on a market

in Gaza city. Palestinian officials call it a massacre, saying 22 people were killed including nine children. Israel says it hit two Hamas

terrorists. Israeli officials say a drone from Yemen hit the Israeli resort town of Eilat today despite attempts to intercept it.

They say at least, 22 people were injured, two seriously. It is unclear how the drone penetrated Israel's defenses. No one has claimed responsibility,

but Houthis have repeatedly launched drones as well as missiles at southern Israel since the war in Gaza began. Our Oren Liebermann is following

developments for us from Jerusalem, and a lot for us to go through, Oren.

First of all, just let's start on the -- on the closing, of course, of the Allenby Crossing. What do we understand? How long will it be for? And why

is it being done? What is -- what is your understanding of that?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: There is no reason given by the Israel Airports Authority, which runs the Allenby Crossing, and there

was no reason stated by Israel's political leadership. But it is quote, "until further notice". So, this is an indefinite closure of the only land

crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jordan.

It is effectively the only way out for some 3 million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to get to, to travel abroad or to travel outside of the

West Bank.

[14:30:12]

However, the Israel Airports Authority did say it is a directive from the political echelon, which is an interesting point. It's not a military

decision after a Jordanian truck driver transporting humanitarian aid carried out an attack and killed two Israeli soldiers last week. It is a

directive from Israel's political leadership, again, who have not stated a reason for why this is happening.

That being said, Israel's far-right ministers, including the finance minister and the minister of national security, could be carrying this out

as a punitive measure against countries who are recognizing the State of Palestine. That process has been playing out throughout the week. And

Israel's finance minister has called for destroying and dismantling the Palestinian Authority, which also relies on that border crossing. So, that

may be part of the explanation here. The Israeli military is also carrying out its own investigation into that attack from several days ago.

But it's important to note here, as I said, he said that there is no reason given, nor is there an end date for a crossing that's used for not only

people, but also for humanitarian aid from Jordan that makes its way into Gaza, where it is desperately needed.

SOARES: And you mentioned far-right elements within the Netanyahu camp. I wonder whether they have reacted at all or are seeing the report that I'm

seeing out of Politico saying that President Trump promised Arab leaders that he would not allow Prime Minister Netanyahu to annex the West Bank.

Has any reaction to that? And how may that be received here, Oren?

LIEBERMANN: None that I have seen yet, but the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, just ended, so it's very possible that's

coming. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to speak at the U.N. General Assembly on Friday. He then meets president Donald Trump at the

White House on Monday.

Politico reporting that Trump promised Arab and Muslim leaders that he would not allow Israel to annex any part of the West Bank in response to

the recognition of the State of Palestine. Netanyahu has made clear he will only announce his decision after he meets Trump at the White House on

Monday. And that's because, for Israel, Trump is the key here. Israel can go no further than what Trump allows. So, it is really Trump who sets the

boundaries and greenlights any move here. And that's why Trump's promise to Arab and Muslim leaders is so critical.

Of course, the key question is Netanyahu is the meeting that is coming up. Can Netanyahu convince them otherwise? And then from Netanyahu's

perspective, what are Israel's far-right ministers going to demand? Are they going to threaten toppling the government if he doesn't carry out some

sort of annexation? All of these are why the meetings with the Arab leaders are so critical and why Netanyahu's meeting with Trump himself is also

crucial here.

SOARES: Such important context there from our Oren Liebermann. Thanks, Oren. Good to see you. Now, it's been more than a year since Ireland chose

to recognize a Palestinian State, a move that more than 150 countries around the world have now made. This week alone, several countries

including France, Canada, Australia and Portugal chose to formally recognize Palestine. President Trump, in his address to the U.N. General

Assembly, called such moves a reward to Hamas, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed no such state shall exist.

I spoke with Ireland's Taoiseach a short time ago and I began by asking him how European leaders should respond to such defiance. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL MARTIN, IRISH TAOISEACH: Well, I think fundamentally, I think Antonio Guterres, U.N. secretary-general, got it right when he said

recognizing a Palestinian State is not a reward, it's a right. And that is our view. And also, it's a logical follow through on a longstanding policy

that many states have had in respect of the Israeli-Palestine question of a two-state solution. And there has to be two states to a two-state solution.

The European Union will meet, and the Commission have put forward proposals in respect of the European Union-Israeli Trade Association Agreement. And

look, it's well known that there have been differences of perspective within Europe. We understand that. But again, Europe has to deal with the

reality of the serial and profound breaches of international humanitarian law and the fact that war crimes are being continued -- are being committed

on a continuing basis.

I mean, I speak to European leaders informally in and around the U.N., many of whom have taken in children from Gaza into their hospitals. The

mutilation that has occurred, the trauma inflicted on children within Gaza is beyond anything we've witnessed, I think, in recent times. And this war

simply on a moral basis has to end. There is no moral justification for the continuation of this slaughter and of this war.

And Europe has to be consistent and has to be credible in upholding the fundamentals of the United Nations Charter and international humanitarian

law.

[14:35:00]

SOARES: But both on recognizing Palestinian State on a two-state solution, Taoiseach, I mean, quite honestly, Netanyahu seems to have been pretty

impervious to any sort of pressure. And I'm glad you brought the Europeans into this, because I think it's really important. Europe has also been

divided on exactly how to apply that pressure.

Let me just read out a headline from the New York Times this week that read, this is a headline, Europe talks big on Gaza but struggles to act.

And the reality is there are levers, right? They're targeting sanctions, they're halting arms exports, which I believe Spain has done. They're

banning trade with settlements, suspending a trade agreement.

Why hasn't Europe been able, working together, turning this concern and condemnation that you're talking about Taoiseach, into action? Why has it

failed on that?

MARTIN: Because today, fundamentally, it has been divided. There have been historically different perspectives on this question within the European

Union and within the 27 member states. Huge difficulty in achieving unanimity and of course, a qualified majority vote on issues to do with,

say, the suspension of the E.U.-Israeli trade agreement or indeed aspects of it.

But there is a growing consensus now within Europe that the war has to stop. I mean, there's no disagreement, to be fair, within the European

Union on a two-step solution. There's no disagreement within the European Union in respect of the absolute necessity to stop the war.

But I take your point and Europe has struggled to respond meaningfully to the crisis in Gaza. It contrasts sharply with the European Union's response

to the illegal Russian war in Ukraine.

SOARES: When we heard from President Trump yesterday, he gave a lot of focus and attention, of course, on the hostages, quite rightly, that need

to be released. This is something that I know many leaders have called for as well at the U.N. General Assembly. But he failed really to touch on, to

talk about, actually said next to nothing about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

His secretary of state, Marco Rubio, did say this in an interview regarding a Palestinian State. I'm quoting him here, "It's almost a vanity project

for a couple of these world leaders who want to be relevant, but it really makes no difference." What do you say in response to Marco Rubio?

MARTIN: Well, first of all, the -- Hamas has created enormous destruction within Gaza and can have no part in any -- in the future of Gaza

governance. And we have condemned unreservably the appalling slaughter on October the 7th of innocent Israeli civilians.

In respect, the -- President Trump last evening did say very, I think, sincerely that this war had to end and that we had to get the war to stop

in Gaza. And he made those comments to leaders last evening at a reception that he was hosting. And I thought he was very emphatic about the absolute

necessity to stop the killing in Gaza.

It's not a vanity project for European Union leaders. It's been a consistent position of many European leaders, many leaders all over the

world in respect of a two-state solution. It was the position of Israel for quite a long period of time, of the U.S. and many other governments over

time. It has never been -- you know, there had been -- it had been close at different times historically. We know that.

So, it's a sincere -- I mean, we had conflict in Ireland. We had violence for 25 years in Ireland. We have some understanding in Ireland about how

one can reconcile, how one can heal and build a new society. Ultimately, living harmoniously together is the only way forward. Israelis and

Palestinians need to create a future whereby they can live harmoniously side by side. And that is ultimately the only guarantor of security into

the future and of peace.

We've experienced that in Ireland. We've had 25 years of a peace agreement now. I accept all conflicts are different and there's a complexity to this

one that is clear. But nonetheless, you can do it and you can bring a resolution to this. And the two-state solution has always been motivated by

that basic concept of people living peacefully side by side together.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[14:40:00]

SOARES: Irish Taoiseach there, speaking to me from New York. Well, the U.N. humanitarian chief is condemning the world's failure to stop the war in

Gaza, saying on average, a child has been killed every hour for almost two years. They had names and faces. The people who loved them now left with

inconsolable grief. Jomana Karadsheh has a story of parents in Gaza who lost their only child in an airstrike. And we do warn you, her report is

extremely disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She's my only child. I had her after six years of trying, Nidal (ph) cries. They didn't take their

little Noor (ph) out with them, thinking she'd be safer staying here with her grandparents.

They warned saying they were going to strike that building. They didn't say they would hit this one, he says, Nidal and Mervot (ph) were out searching

for a place for a tent for any shelter in the south of Gaza when an Israeli strike hit this building in Gaza city, where many displaced, including

their family, were sheltering somewhere in this smoldering rubble is their 4-year-old Noor.

Noor, my darling daughter, Mervot (ph) screams, holding on to the hope that somehow Noor may have survived this. Please, get her out, she pleads, my

daughter is tough. She's smart. No words are enough to comfort parents so distraught. God bless her soul, he tells them. No, no, my soul will be gone

with her, Mervot (ph) cries, refusing to accept what is now clear to all those around her.

With their bare hands, they dig, searching for their Noor, the rescuer emerges from the rubble carrying the lifeless body of a little girl. It's

Noor, my daughter, my only daughter, Mervot (ph) wales, I love you. I swear I love you. I told the kindergarten I would get them the 50 shekels they

asked for. I said that they'll be happy in her final days. But she still refuses to believe her baby girl is gone. She tries to resuscitate her.

She's suffocating, she says.

Noor is one of hundreds of victims in Israel's renewed military offensive in Gaza City, one out of a daily death toll that may or may not make

headlines on this day, but this one for Nidal, his Noor was his whole world.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:00]

SOARES: The powerful Storm Ragasa has brought parts of China and Hong Kong to a standstill. Nearly 2 million people were forced to evacuate ahead of

the storm, which has already left a trail of destruction in its wake.

And you can see that the water burst through the windows at this Hong Kong hotel, sweeping people quite literally off their feet. The storm nearly

wiped out a town in Taiwan after a dam broke, unleashing 68 million tons of water. At least 17 people were killed. Ragasa is weakening as it moves over

Mainland China. Meanwhile, clean-up efforts have begun in Shenzhen. Our Hanako Montgomery found this report earlier from Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in one of the worst-hit areas in Hong Kong called Cheung Kwan O. And as you can tell, just over there,

the sea, I mean, is very, very close to this waterfront. And there is a concrete seawall, but it didn't really do much to protect these restaurants

from these massive sea swells and storm surges. We've seen photos and videos emerge from the typhoon showing massive waves just inundating these

restaurants and causing very extensive damage.

In fact, I'm going to show you just over here. You can see the doors to these restaurants have come off their hinges. Glass is just shattered

everywhere. And there's a massive amount of debris. I mean, just furniture strewn about everywhere. In fact, over in the distance, you can kind of see

these metal barriers that were actually installed to prevent flooding. But clearly, it didn't really do much to prevent any of this damage from

affecting these restaurants.

Now, we did speak to the owner of this specific restaurant a little while earlier, and he told us that when he saw those images of his restaurant

just getting hit with massive amounts of water, it looked almost like a tsunami. And he said that it could take several weeks for his restaurant to

get back and running again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIVIANO ROMITO, OWNER, FRITES RESTAURANTS: Across the group, we're pretty upset. Like I said, we'll get through it. We've had damage before in other

venues, and we've gotten together and make sure that we get up and running as fast as possible. But, you know, everyone's devastated. It's hard to

come with when you see something that you build getting destroyed overnight pretty quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: Now, as you can see, I'm standing in some floodwater here, and it's pretty deep. I mean, it's nearly up to my knees. And this is just one

of the many examples of pretty bad flooding that we've seen across the because of this typhoon.

Now, the storm has moved on from Hong Kong and Macau. It's currently hitting Mainland China. But the Hong Kong government has warned residents

to stay inside to continue hunkering down, because clearly the weather is still adverse, and they are expecting more flooding in the coming hours.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And still to come tonight, Jimmy Kimmel makes his return to late- night television. We'll tell you what he said about Charlie Kirk, free speech, and, of course, the U.S. president, Donald Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:00]

SOARES: U.S. comedian Jimmy Kimmel made his return to late-night television. Kimmel was suspended by Disney's ABC last week after saying the

alleged killer of activist Charlie Kirk was a MAGA supporter. In his return, Kimmel addressed his comments in an emotional moment. Have a

listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": I've been hearing a lot about what I need to say and do tonight. And the truth is, I don't think what I

have to say is going to make much of a difference. If you like me, you like me. If you don't, you don't. And I have no illusions about changing

anyone's mind. But I do want to make something clear because it's important to me as a human. And that is, you understand that it was never my

intention to make light of the murder of a young man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, shortly before Kimmel's return, President Donald Trump, as you see, they expressed disapproval on social media. In a message, he

called Kimmel an arm of the Democratic Party. Trump also singled out ABC, insinuating his administration may sue. For his part, Kimmel fought back

Trump and free speech restrictions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIMMEL: This show, this show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this. I've had

the opportunity to meet and spend time with comedians and talk show hosts from countries like Russia, countries in the Middle East, who told me they

would get thrown in prison for making fun of those in power. Worse than being thrown in prison. They know how lucky we are here.

Our freedom to speak is what they admire most about this country. And that's something I'm embarrassed to say I took for granted until I pulled

my friend Stephen off the air.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: While support for Kimmel continues to come in, popular U.S. podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan defended the host as well as free speech.

Rogan was an influential supporter of Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign.

Our Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter joins me now. And, Brian, we've played little clips. I've heard the whole thing, you know, online, and it

was incredibly moving monologue. He didn't really back down. Instead, he offered an explanation. He apologized. And he really tried to call for

national unity. How are his words received?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Well, I think Kimmel recognizes he is using his free speech platform to try to raise awareness about the

current threats, the climate in America, something that's so much bigger than a single comedian or a single show.

So, yes, we've heard from television critics and even some First Amendment law experts praising Kimmel, thanking him. Also, a lot of -- thanks to

Disney, a parent company of ABC, for having, I think the word courage is appropriate here, the courage to bring Kimmel's show back on in a political

climate where the president is continuing to threaten ABC. And, in fact, the president did that right before this program aired last night.

You know, Kimmel's monologue now has 14, 15 million views on YouTube, tens of millions of views on other social platforms as well. So, this is one of

those situations, sometimes known as the Streisand effect, where an attempt to quiet or silence or hide a piece of content, in this case, trying to

kick Kimmel off the air, some of that energy from the Trump administration and from Trump allies has now backfired. And at least for the moment,

Kimmel is more popular than he was a week ago.

SOARES: Have we heard at all, do you know, from ABC on those threats from the president that he put on social media? Have they commented on this at

all?

STELTER: No, not a word from ABC. And that is notable because I've noticed one of the responses from media companies when Trump is out there puffing

out his chest and threatening media companies, one of the frequent responses is just to ignore him. We've seen that from Comcast, which owns

NBC. We're seeing that now from Disney, which owns ABC. Sometimes these media executives don't want to get in a public back and forth. They kind of

just hope Trump will move on to another target.

But we should be realistic that in this case, Trump has continued to insist he wants all these late-night critics off the air.

[14:55:00]

And we've heard from Nexstar in the past hour or so, that's one of the big station group owners that has been boycotting, has been preempting Kimmel's

show. Nexstar has pending business before the Trump administration. And many observers have speculated that's why Nexstar is treading very lightly

when it comes to Kimmel's show. Nexstar says it is in, quote, "productive discussions with Disney." But for the time being, it will continue to

preempt Kimmel's show.

These station group owners are going to have to find a path forward. Otherwise, they're going to be in breach of their contracts with the

national network. The bottom line is this, Kimmel has been an anti-Trump comic for years. He has been harshly critical of President Trump for years.

The only thing that's changed for a company like Nexstar in the past couple of weeks is the death of Charlie Kirk, the local reactions in communities,

but most importantly, the Trump administration's pressure.

All of a sudden, Nexstar recognizes its business, its pending merger might be threatened. And so, it's treading very lightly. But this new statement

from the company indicates it is evaluating Kimmel's show and having, quote, "productive conversations with Disney." So, that suggests to me

there might be a resolution in the near future.

SOARES: I know you'll stay across it for us. Brian, as always, thank you very much indeed. Good to see you.

And that does it for us for this hour. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with Max Foster's up next. I shall see you tomorrow. Have a wonderful day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:00]

END