Return to Transcripts main page
Isa Soares Tonight
President Zelenskyy Says The U.S. Has Decided To Allow Kyiv To Manufacture Patriot Missiles; Chinese Leader Xi Jinping Leaves The U.S. After A Three-Day Summit Filled With Pomp And Praise; Thousands Eagerly Await Pope Leo At The Stade de France In Paris As He Heads There For A Youth Vigil; Reports: Manchester City Found Guilty Of Breaking Financial Rules; Pope Leo Tells Reporters He Supports Press Freedom; Taylor Swift Releases New Music, Extended Album. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired September 25, 2026 - 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, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, a major moment for Ukraine as President
Zelenskyy says the U.S. has decided to allow Kyiv to manufacture Patriot missiles, something of course, they've been asking for, for months.
Then Chinese leader Xi Jinping leaves the U.S. after a three-day summit filled with pomp and praise. But was anything actually achieved? We'll be
asking our White House team that very question for you this hour.
Plus, thousands eagerly await Pope Leo at the Stade de France in Paris as he heads there for a youth vigil. We'll have that and much more ahead for
you this hour. We do begin tonight with what's being seen as a very significant development for Ukraine.
Kyiv is being allowed to make Patriot missiles as it tries to fend off what has been relentless Russian aerial attacks. That's where we're hearing, at
least from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He talked with President Trump this week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, that's been taking place in New York. Mr. Zelenskyy also
says Washington has proposed organizing three-way talks with Ukraine, Russia and the U.S.
Let's get more on this. I'm joined now by Alina Frolova; Deputy Chairperson of the Center for Defense Strategies at the Royal United Services
Institute, a well-known face here on the show. Alina, great to have you back on the show.
Let me start first of all then with those new -- that news from President Zelenskyy that President Trump will allow Ukraine to kind of manufacture
Patriot missiles. Firstly, from a Ukrainian defense perspective, just how significant is this?
ALINA FROLOVA, DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON, CENTER FOR DEFENSE STRATEGIES, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Well, obviously, this is a very significant
move because, you know, that the one of really big gaps in Ukrainian defense system is that we don't have other anti-ballistic options, and Kyiv
and all the other cities are like much suffering from ballistic attacks every day.
So, for us, of course, the production -- having production here, it's more controllable and more prognosis situation. However, we should understand
that even if some kinds of promises were given now, it still will take time to establish production and to reach some kind of capacity.
It can take like in accordance with the preliminary evaluation, up to one, one-and-a-half year. And we still need to cover this gap within this
period.
SOARES: Right, OK, so, and that -- and that is critical, right? Because it does take, you know, missile production could take some time, and Ukraine
is facing its fifth brutal Winter, of course, and it needs that to make significant changes and a significant difference, I should say, on the
battlefield.
So, in the meantime, what needs to happen, I mean, what should Kyiv and its Western partners be doing to try and protect Ukrainian cities from Russia's
ballistic missile campaign? How can you speed up even the process of this, of, you know, making Patriot missiles?
FROLOVA: Well, I think that if as soon as we didn't have yet the official confirmation from American side here, we did have it from --
SOARES: Correct --
FROLOVA: Ukrainian. But we'll see what kind of -- like agreement is this? How fast the technologies will be given? Who will be production -- what
kind of the missiles will be produced? Because there were like a different information which was issued before.
So, I still believe that Ukraine can do it equally fast way because here, you know, that we have a boost of defense capacity, the defense production
capacity is obviously because we need it. We urgently need it, and we are in a hurry.
And this like everyday threat gives us a high pressure. So, I'm absolutely sure now, a possibility to make it as fast as possible. However, the
signing up of agreements and all the -- like a preliminary site can take some time.
SOARES: Yes, look, you're right to bring up to our viewers' attention, Alina, the fact that we haven't heard yet from President Trump on this.
Does it -- does it concern you, worry you that we haven't heard from him on this?
[14:05:00]
Because, you know, previously he raised the possibility of giving Ukraine Patriot production license. But there was so much uncertainty over what
actually happened. How are -- how are you taking this news and whether potentially this tells us something about the direction of U.S. policy
towards Ukraine?
Does it -- is this a shift in your view, if it is confirmed from the White House, is this coming primarily right now from President Zelenskyy?
FROLOVA: I don't think it's a shift, because I think that this is like some kind of like a continuation of the American policy towards Ukraine.
However, for us, such decisions are very important. The sooner they are taken, the faster we are moving to some kind of balancing Russian threat.
And that gives us the floor for better position in negotiations, therefore enriching the peace.
SOARES: Yes, and look, speaking of negotiations, we're talking earlier about the trilateral talks being back on the table. How optimistic are you
about those talks?
FROLOVA: Frankly, saying, Ukraine -- no one in Ukraine believes in real Russian intention to sit and discuss the peaceful negotiations, because we
do understand that the personal life and power of Putin now highly depends on the war which he is waging.
So, we don't see some kind of preconditions for this negotiation. At the same time, Ukraine, of course, will use any possible way and any possible
options to try to negotiate, to try to reach some kind of agreement.
Therefore, we fully support the efforts of Ukrainian authorities and President Zelenskyy. But there is a great skepticism about the real,
readiness of Russia.
SOARES: Look, we heard this week at the U.N. General Assembly, Alina, we heard when we saw significant defiant voices on Ukraine. To me really, who
stood out was Poland's Foreign Minister, who was very outspoken against Putin. I just want to play a little clip for our viewers. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RADOSLOW SIKORSKI, FOREIGN MINISTER, POLAND: You can still kill a lot of people, but you cannot win. You can stop this imperial war of choice at any
time. Don't endanger Europe and the world any further. Stop destroying Russia's future. Sergey, I know you're listening. Tell your boss enough is
enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Addressing, of course, Sergey Lavrov of Russia. But, you know, that was a very punchy speech from the Polish side. From Ukraine's
perspective, I mean, how important, Alina, is this explicit framing of Russia as a broader European security threat?
FROLOVA: Well, that's its time. It's -- and it's already a long time to speak about the real threat to European security, because this is not the
threat which is upcoming. This threat is -- which is already there.
You just can count the number of the -- those attacks which already happened on the territory of Europe with subversion activity, with drones'
attacks, with threats, with -- like destroying some kind of industrial facilities.
This is all Russian links. And this is all the hybrid war. It's not the pre-war period. It's war period. Therefore, we need to speak about this
because the words mean a lot, and we need to speak about what actions and counter-actions will Europe and our European partners will make a reply in
those level of threats.
SOARES: Alina Frolova, always great to get you on the show, Alina, appreciate it. Thank you very much, coming to us live from Kyiv --
FROLOVA: Thank you --
SOARES: In Ukraine. We're going to leave -- you're very welcome. We're going to turn our attention to the United States and in particular, to the
White House, where we have seen both pomp and circumstance.
But so far, there has been nothing meaningful to come out of Donald Trump's summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The two men and their wives, as you
can see there, met for tea this morning with Mr. Xi's visit now wrapping up.
We don't have any major agreements on A.I. or trade, though President Trump did say American farmers will be happy, perhaps indicating some kind of
agreement on farm exports is in the works. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think our farmers are going to be very happy. A lot of very positive things happen. But America
is very happy about this visit, and I'm sure China is very happy also. Great things for both countries, and it's been just very productive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:10:00]
SOARES: Well, the leaders also visited the U.S. National Archives, where the U.S. President showed off, as you can see there, historic documents,
including the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
It is worth noting that these are the first pictures we are seeing of President Trump and Xi together through the television pool. Pool coverage,
as you know, was suspended when the White House decided to ban CNN, "MS Now" and "Politico" with a court order now temporarily lifting the ban, the
pool, as you can see, is once again operating.
Our Alayna Treene is at the White House for us this hour. And so, Alayna, as we've shown our viewers just now from this footage, I mean, plenty of
pomp, plenty, you know, of politics. But talk us through if -- what was actually accomplished in the state visit, because we -- you and I had
talked earlier in the week about A.I., Taiwan, another and other aspects of this meeting. What exactly came out of that?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, we really haven't gotten any firm deliberals(ph) -- deliverables from this, now, at least
publicly, I should note. We haven't gotten any statements or any announcements either from the White House or Chinese state media, about any
specific agreements that have been struck.
You did mention that today during their visit to the National Archives, you heard the President say he believes that American farmers would be happy
with the visit that Xi made here in Washington, but not expanding on that further.
So, it's very much unclear whether or not there have been any specific agreements actually struck during this state visit. We still have to stay
tuned for that. I'll add to that as well, that I haven't heard of anything in my conversations with Trump administration officials.
Now, we do know some of the topics that they discussed. We heard the President reference on social media that they had talked about Artificial
Intelligence, something we know the President has now dubbed Superintelligence, his term.
He argues that is less threatening, he believes, than the term A.I., saying that he believes China agrees with them on a lot of that. He also said
President Trump, that they discussed the war in Iran, but didn't expand or offer any specifics on that.
And so, so far, what we've really seen is a lot of this pomp and pageantry. And I do know that that was part of really what went in to this visit and
the lead up to this. White House officials wanted this to be a successful visit for the Chinese President.
They wanted to tout the relationship between these two world powers as being stronger than ever before. And that was captured in a post that we
saw from President Trump not long ago. He had signaled that President Xi and Madame Peng had just left Washington for China.
The President called it a meeting of, quote, "friendship, strength and success both for China and the U.S." He also noted that he would be
visiting China in November, suggesting that Trump is going to be traveling to the APEC Summit in late November and that Xi will also be back in the
U.S. in December for the G-20 in Miami.
But again, not really a lot of specifics. One thing we did hear from the Chinese side is that President Xi had raised the issue of Taiwan, and this
idea of Taiwan -- Taiwanese independence, saying that he hopes that President Trump and the U.S. will not support the independence of Taiwan.
Obviously, that's a major issue. As we know, the U.S. is still contemplating new U.S. arms sales to Taiwan amid all of this. So, look, a
lot of core issues that I think were at the heart of this meeting, a lot of really controversial at times, subjects that were likely raised and
discussed. But as for any deliverables, any specific agreements, so far, we have not seen any of that, Isa.
SOARES: Alayna, really appreciate it, thank you very much indeed. Great to see you back at the White House. Well, despite all the tough talk on stage
at the U.N. General Assembly this week, Iran and the U.S. could be close to restarting negotiations.
Iran's Foreign Minister says his country has offered a new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks aimed at reaching a final
deal. Abbas Araghchi says it calls for the U.S. to meet certain conditions within seven days, but did not give details.
Saudi Arabia meantime, Pakistan and Turkey are planning an urgent meeting of their military chiefs as Houthi attacks on the kingdom intensify.
Pakistan says they're looking for ways to assist Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defense pact. Our Matthew Chance has the latest from Riyadh for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, I mean, look, it's potentially a first step towards trying to bring that
Mecca Defense Pact, which as you mentioned, was signed in August into an effect.
The military component of that pact was that an attack on one of those countries, Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Pakistan is regarded as an attack on all
of them, obviously modeled on Article Five of the NATO Treaty.
And so, this is a really first test of that, because Saudi Arabia, which is the real money, of course, in that troika of nations, is coming now under
sustained attack from the south, from Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have been carrying out ballistic missile attacks at various locations across the
country.
[14:15:00]
Drone attacks as well, targeting what the Houthis say are sensitive sites, but also energy infrastructure targets in the country, and having some
success in doing that as well. And it's a huge problem for Saudi Arabia because they are now sort of caught in -- you know, between two fronts, if
you like.
On the one side to the east of the country, there's the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz being essentially cut off to the vast majority of Saudi
oil exports, as well as the energy exports of other Gulf Arab states as well.
That's a huge problem for the country. Its alternative route was on the other side to the west, where it exports oil via the Red Sea and the
strategic you know, access point there. And that's now under Yemeni Houthi control, and they're threatening Saudi shipping.
And so, there's a real sort of sense of anxiety in this country right now that the economic situation, the conflict, could cause an enormous amount
of problems here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our thanks to Matthew Chance there. Well, just weeks from the U.S. Midterm elections, the Supreme Court is siding with the Trump
administration in its push for states to use controversial federal database to audit the citizenship status of voters.
Today, it reversed a lower court ruling that had blocked the tool on privacy concerns. States have long used that database on a case-by-case
basis. But the administration expanded the program so it could be used for sweeping reviews, triggering legal challenges at all can produce flawed
results that wrongfully identify eligible voters as non-citizens, raising the risk of disenfranchisement.
And still to come tonight, right here on the show, parts of the most advanced U.S. fighter jets are sitting somewhere in Hong Kong. Now, the
U.S. wants to know how sensitive equipment apparently just got lost in transit. We'll bring you that story.
And the relatively few times we see life inside North Korea. It's usually carefully choreographed. But coming up, we showed the harsh reality of
those living in the reclusive country's rural areas. Both those stories after this very short break, you are watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: Well, Australian and American investigators are trying to figure out how components of the world's most advanced fighter jet wound up in
Hong Kong. We are talking about the F-35 Lightning 2. Australia's Defense Minister says the parts were mistakenly re-routed while on their way to
U.S. for repairs.
The potential security breach now has U.S. officials concerned China could get access to military secrets. Our Ivan Watson has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The F-35 Lightning 2, a stealth fighter jet with the price tag of around $100
million used by the U.S. in recent bombing missions over Iran.
(On camera): Airplane manufacturer Lockheed Martin calls the F-35, the most lethal, survivable, and connected fighter aircraft in the world. Then
how is it that some of this fighter jets parts were shipped here to Hong Kong, only to then disappear?
(Voice-over): This week, a Defense Department spokesperson confirmed the disappearance of some components to CNN, saying the Pentagon was, quote,
"aware of a shipment issue of unserviceable F-35 Lightning 2 components.
The missing parts were being sent to the U.S. from Australia via a private contractor and were apparently diverted.
RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER & MINISTER OF DEFENSE, AUSTRALIA: We're obviously working with the United States and with Lockheed in terms
of how we can assist in this investigation, but this is ultimately a matter for the U.S. and for Lockheed as its prime contractor and the contractor,
which is responsible for managing the global supply chain.
WATSON: Australia's defense chief says he believes no sensitive parts were in the missing shipment, but it still comes as a surprise to this former
Royal Australian Air Force captain.
PETER LAYTON, FORMER ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE: I've been shocked, A, that they've been diverted and I suppose shocked B, in that people are
saying these are non-sensitive items.
WATSON: Australia is one of 20 countries that are part of the F-35 fighter program. Australia also hosts a facility that supplies F-35 spare parts to
other allied air forces across Asia. The U.S'. Defense Logistics Agency has in the past tested commercial companies like FedEx and UPS to ship F-35
parts.
Three years ago, the U.S. Government Accountability Office urged the F-35 joint program office to tighten control of its supply chain after reporting
the loss of more than 1 million spare parts, worth some $85 million.
LAYTON: Lockheed Martin was called upon to fix it. So, it's a bit of a surprise now that this has happened, and probably a bit embarrassing for
Lockheed Martin.
WATSON: Also embarrassing, sending pieces of an expensive weapon system to America's biggest rival after the U.S. Air Force warned China is trying to
copy American stealth technology. The Hong Kong and Chinese governments are not commenting on the missing fighter jet parts.
As for F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, it insists it manages, quote, "every shipment with the highest levels of caution and security." Ivan
Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, U.S. Intelligence sources are warning of deepening military cooperation between China and Iran. Those sources say Chinese groups
provided satellite imagery as well as Intelligence to help Iran threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz and provided support to launch precision
strikes on U.S. military bases in the Middle East, including a July strike which killed three American service members.
Our Kylie Atwood has more on the story, she joins me now. So, Kylie, just first of all, just talk us through these Intelligence assessments and how -
- we gave one example there, how it's being used in kind of Iran's war effort here.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. And it's being used, as we understand it pretty widely across the board for Iran's
war effort. It's that these satellite images that are being shared from Chinese groups to Iran, as well as Intelligence from these Chinese groups
to Iran, are able to allow the Iranians to pose a bigger threat to the Strait of Hormuz and carry out these precision strike targets.
And because they have been sharing this information with Iran, it has effectively allowed Iran to adapt its military strategy as this war has
gone on. So, we have seen Iran continue to fight back during this war. And some say they have gotten actually more precise in their targeting.
And sources are telling us that is in part because of these Chinese satellite images. And I want to read to you a quote from one U.S. official
describing what's going on here, saying there's a reason that their targeting has improved, and it's due to some assistance getting reps on the
battlefield helps, but getting a helping hand helps a lot, too.
[14:25:00]
Now, specifically, as you said, there was that strike, the Iranian strike on a U.S. military post in Jordan that killed three Americans. We're told
that there was Chinese satellite imagery that helped the Iranians to carry out that strike.
And one of the important things here is that it's also allowing Iran to use drones that are not highly sophisticated, that are not able to be
maneuvered while they're being flown because they have this satellite imagery.
And so, they can use that satellite imagery from China and use these drones that are not entirely, you know, hard to produce or expensive to produce.
And that is allowing their battlefield efforts to have an edge here.
So, this is obviously something that is concerning U.S. officials. We heard from President Trump earlier today that he and President Xi of China did
speak about the Iran war. We don't know the specifics of that.
I was told by a U.S. official that at least China's support to Iran that could be used for Iran's military capabilities was expected to be
discussed. We don't know if that actually came up, but we'll look to see in our reporting what more we can learn about the pressure that President
Trump did or did not put on leader Xi to try and --
SOARES: Yes --
ATWOOD: Drive down China's support to Iran.
SOARES: Yes, I mean, yes, that's something it's not clear at this moment, as I was speaking to Alayna Treene at the top of the show in terms of
deliverables on that front, given, of course, what we saw in terms of the state visit.
So, now we have Russia aiding supporting in some way Iran, but now also China. And I wonder whether that -- this sort of assessment and this
support, this Intelligence, how -- whether that hinders China as well when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, the oil, of course, that needs to flow
all to China and to that part of the world. Do we have a sense of how damaging that is for them too?
ATWOOD: It's a really good question, and actually one that our sources had slightly different takes on. So, it's hard to really know what --
SOARES: Yes --
ATWOOD: The real truth is here about China's intention, because as we understand it, the groups that are sharing this satellite imagery, we don't
know if they have government sign off to be sharing that satellite imagery with Iran.
Presumably, the way that the Chinese system works, they would shut it down pretty quickly if they wanted to, and they haven't. So, that tacit
approval, if you will, does speak volumes here. But of course, you know, China does get -- China is the number one importer of Iranian oil, and they
are not getting a lot of that --
SOARES: Yes --
ATWOOD: Iranian oil, because the Strait of Hormuz is subject to, you know, the escalation now and not getting the oil out that it needs. So, they are
still importing Iranian oil, and that could be an area where the U.S. puts pressure on China as well. But they, too, are facing the detrimental impact
that the global economy has had as a --
SOARES: Yes --
ATWOOD: Result of this war.
SOARES: Kylie, really appreciate it, thank you very much. Kylie Atwood for us there this hour in Washington, D.C. Well, from its reclusive leader, Kim
Jong Un, to the smallest details of the lives of its more than 25 million residents, almost everything about North Korea is shrouded in secrecy.
However, an aid worker who spent decades helping North Koreans is now giving staggering insights into what life is like there. And we do need to
warn you, some of the images are disturbing. Our senior international correspondent, Will Ripley has this report for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are images the North Korean government does not want you to see, far away
from the showpiece capital, Pyongyang. Inside the homes of everyday people struggling to survive during the darkest days of the North Korean famine in
the 1990s.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This child has the same old face than her grandmother. That struck me.
RIPLEY: Kathi Zellweger is a Swiss aid worker who spent nearly 25 years running humanitarian programs in North Korea, 75 trips, five years living
there. Foreign journalists have never been granted this kind of access, not even me on my 19 trips.
(On camera): We're looking at them, but they're looking at us as well. Every time I try to take a picture of those girls, they run away. What is
it like to be born and to grow up in North Korea?
KATHI ZELLWEGER, SWISS AID WORKER: I think, you know, parents try their best to look after the children well, but it's challenging, especially in
the countryside to provide.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thirty-two hundred tons of rice arrived several days ago.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Kathi brought in massive shipments of food, but she still had to verify where it was going. Following the food took her deeper
and deeper into North Korea.
MIKE CHINOY, FORMER CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: There are thousands, if not tens of thousands of North Koreans who are alive today, who would be dead
if it wasn't for the work that Kathi Zellweger did.
[14:30:10]
RIPLEY (voice-over): In later years, she could feel the government tightening its grip, especially after diplomacy with the U.S. fell apart
and North Korea was no longer interested in engaging with the West.
KATHI ZELLWEGER, JOURNALIST: The word control was used much more widely than before.
RIPLEY: So, you thought it was getting more restrictive and more controlling in more recent years?
ZELLWEGER: Yes.
Bye-bye. Can you say bye-bye?
RIPLEY (voice-over): Then suddenly the door slammed shut. Kathi often thinks about all the people she met, the people she may never see or hear
from again.
Will Ripley, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Fascinating report and interview there from our Will Ripley.
And still to come on the show tonight, an earthquake in the Premier League. Manchester City convicted on 114 charges. What it could mean for the club's
future? And then the Pope is on the fourth international trip of his papacy and has a frank message for world leaders. The details from France is up
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back everyone. A bombshell verdict against a major force in football. Manchester City have been found guilty of breaking all but one of
the 115 financial rules they were accused of breaching. That is according to multiple reports. The club is expected to appeal.
I want to bring in CNN's Patrick Snell for more. And Patrick, I think context is so important here because this has been, as we know here in the
U.K., a long-running saga, right? And quite serious for city. Just talk us through the allegations here.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Yes. Hi there, Isa. So, this is absolutely huge news. It's a story many, many, many, many years in the making going
back seven, eight years. I remember these charges were first announced in 2023. And we've all been wondering us in the media, football fans, rival
clubs as well, what would be the outcome of this independent look into Manchester City's financial transactions.
So, now we know, as you mentioned, City guilty of all but one of those 115 charges. You have to assume that Manchester City are going to appeal. I
want to make it very, very clear that City have consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Let's look at those charges then. In a nutshell, the Premier League alleging that City failed to provide accurate financial information between
2009 and 2018. Also failing to comply with UEFA's financial fair play regulations as well during a five-year period between 2013 and 2018.
Now, this is what's really significant, Isa, because during that time, what did Manchester City win? Well, they won a whole pot of silverware. They won
a total of eight trophies during that nine-year period between 2009 and 2018, which is what these charges relate to. And they're some of the
sport's biggest prizes. The English Premier League, the biggest and the most famous, most lucrative domestic league in the world. Three Premier
League titles, three league cups, one English FA Cup.
Why is that 2011 English FA Cup so important? Because it snapped the city drought. It was their first major trophy in 35 years. Isa, there's all
kinds of questions that still need to be answered, of course, including what of the ramifications and also what city are saying as well. I'm sure
you're going to follow up and ask me about that. So, I'll send it back to you as we just take stock of this situation.
[14:36:49]
SOARES: I'm just -- you know, I'm looking at, you know, their success that graphic that we just had up talking about just really the glittering
success they've had over that period. Do we have a sense from the conversations you're having, Patrick, as to what kind of sanctions they'll
be looking at here for -- possible sanctions for Manchester City? Like we said, we assume they're going to appeal this.
SNELL: Yes, we assume they're going to appeal. I want to stress, this is all per multiple reports, but you have to assume. They are the most -- one
of the most successful teams now in Premier League history. They're going to appeal it. Absolutely. You would think. They have to. It's not a good
look for the club, for the Premier League as a whole, for the English game as a whole as well.
But look, this is what's possibly in play. They could be looking at, according to the Premier League handbook, they could be looking at Isa, a
points deduction, an unlimited fine, possibly even expulsion from the Premier League. That's absolutely unthinkable.
SOARES: Wow.
SNELL: But I was just thinking earlier about the ramifications, and I don't use that word lightly. What about all the other teams, the rival teams, the
teams that finished, say, second in the Premier League to that season, the seasons in which Manchester City won the title? What about the teams that
were relegated after playing Manchester City? Of course, you drop from the Premier League suffer a massive financial burden. What about the teams that
missed out on Champions League football as a result of their fixes against Manchester City? Another lucrative pot of financial gold when it comes to
the English top flight.
I do want to just get to that Manchester City statement that we had a little earlier on Friday. This is what that City statement said. The
Premier League process remains ongoing with significant elements to be completed and subject to strict confidentiality. As such, this is the
Manchester City statement from earlier on Friday. It reads, as such, Manchester City's position remains consistent with the club statement of
February of 2023.
To be clear, again, City have denied any wrongdoing throughout this. They are highly likely to appeal. And another point about this, Isa, is that the
clubs are currently on international break. So, City won't return to action until the 11th of October when they have a really, really high-profile
fixture away to Liverpool. You can be sure that the fans are going to be having their say. As soon as the Premier League fixes resume, fans are
going to be speaking out. They're doing so already online on all the chat shows as well.
This is a story that has got emotions running very, very high indeed, Isa, and it's far from over.
SOARES: And the point that you made is it's such a good point Patrick it's the ramifications, right? The knock-on effects of all of this.
SNELL: Yes.
SOARES: It's going to be interesting to watch. Patrick Snell, I really appreciate it for breaking it all down for us. I know you'll stay across
this story as these reports come in. Thank you very much, Patrick.
Now, we're going to turn our attention to France because Pope Leo as you've been seeing on our air right here CNN is warning that the U.N. and Other
multilateral groups are facing a crisis. He's been speaking at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The pontiff called on leaders to overcome their
differences and advance towards common goals.
Pope Leo is on a four-day tour of France and has been meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, speaking to CNN. The Pope also said he supports
good coverage, his words, in response to the Trump Administration restricting CNN's access to the White House earlier this week.
And these -- let me just bring you these images. They're really beautiful, stunning scenes right now out of Stade de France. That's just north Paris,
this is in St. Dennis, with thousands gathering with lots of music and dance. Of course, it is a youth vigil I believe, a youth vigil.
And our Melissa Bell is live from outside Stade de France. And Melissa, I mean it's absolutely packed and the images are just amazing. Talk us
through what it's like there, what the mood has been like. He's been surrounded the Pope, hasn't it? The pontiff have been surrounded by huge
crowds.
[14:40:49]
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been really impressive and it's been a beautiful day which hasn't hurt either, Isa. But
what we saw beyond those moments at UNESCO that you mentioned a moment ago in those talks about A.I. with Pope Leo XIV repeating what had been at the
heart of his first encyclical that there was a need for moral clarity about where humanity was going with A.I. Those moments at the Elysee Palace.
The real highlights of course for Catholics here in France were there was their chance to actually get a glimpse of the pope. And what you saw was
the Popemobile go from all the way up in (INAUDIBLE) down to the left bank at Saint-Michel before Pope Leo XIV made his way inside the renovated
Notre-Dame Cathedral declaring the work that had been done there, the restoration something that was absolutely of great splendor.
And it was those crowds outside some 300,000 people they believe lined the streets of Paris to see the Popemobile cover those two and a half
kilometers. And then huge crowds again outside Notre-Dam after vespers. Perhaps you can hear behind me the songs, the hymns, the voices that are
coming out of the Stade de France. It is 80,000 of those youth between 7 and 35 years old who've come here. And in about half an hour Pope Leo XIV
will begin that prayer service.
We got to catch up with a couple of those arriving here earlier, very young very enthusiastic and very excited to see the pope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me, it's a beautiful, beautiful weekend for the friends because we have so many young people and that's a big joy for us.
I'm quite surprised and it gives me a lot of hope for friends.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really beautiful all these events are organized by the church. It's really viral and young people are talking about it. And
more and more people chose to come and are carried by the message and have lots of enthusiasm. We're all talking about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: And you're likely to see a lot more of that fervor tomorrow at the Place de la Concorde for another prayer and we expect many people to turn
out there for that, Isa.
SOARES: Beautiful scenes and for once a positive story. Melissa, thank you very much indeed live for us there from Saint-Denis in France.
We're going to take a short break. We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:42]
SOARES: Well, next up on "SEASON," CNN's culture and lifestyle series, we meet British artist Es Devlin. She's designed stages for Beyonce's World
Tours, the London Olympics, closing ceremony, and the Super Bowl halftime show. Laura Jackson visited her studio and found out how A.I. helps her
engage with audiences in new ways. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ES DEVLIN, STAGE DESIGNER: This is Abel from The Weeknd. That's his head.
LAURA JACKSON, CNN HOST: Oh my goodness.
DEVLIN: So, first we cast his head here. So, this was from 2018. Then we made a mask that sat like that on Coachella stage. This is the sketchbook
from pretty much the first piece of theater I made in 1998. We made a show with tape that called the circus in 2009. It's just been redone lately. And
this was a man, a giant man that stood up and walked across the stadium.
JACKSON (voice-over): Es Devlin blends architecture, light, and technology to transform stages and stadiums.
DEVLIN: For the first years of my practice, I was making work in response to primary texts only. So, the primary text might be a Shakespeare play. It
might be a Beyonce lyric. It might be a collection by Nicolas Ghesquiere at Louis Vuitton. It might be an opera. And it was really in 2016 that I felt
I found the beginnings of a thesis of what I wanted to say. So, I've just made a work. It's at the National Portrait Gallery and it's called a
national portrait and it's a portrait of everyone in this country.
JACKSON (voice-over): The digital artwork developed in collaboration with Google Arts and Culture began with Es' drawings in charcoal and chalk.
DEVLIN: I made portraits of strangers in this room. Then I trained an A.I. on all of these portraits. So, if we press start -- what -- take a photo
and then it'll do a drawing of you. And if you like it, you can add it to the National Portrait. And then when you go into the National Portrait
Gallery, you'll see yourself.
JACKSON: What an amazing use of A.I. If I don't like it, I want my money back.
DEVLIN: Yes. Yes, that's quite right. There you go. It's rather nice.
JACKSON: So much of your work is emotive. And if it's intuitive, then I don't believe that creativity and taste can be replicated through A.I.
learning machines.
DEVLIN: It can only draw like that because it's been trained on copying the drawings that I did in this room 50 times over for, you know, many
thousands of hours and throughout my life. In terms of how you or I would have been changed if I'd sat and drawn you, it comes nowhere near.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, right here on the show, can Taylor Swift shake off criticism? Her love story will impact her ability to produce pop
hits. We'll speak to Variety's chief music critic next to find out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:51:07]
SOARES: Well, Swifties have received an encore from the pop star, superstar, releasing new music today, The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore.
It features four new songs. The original album broke records if you remember when it was released in October last year. Since then, the singer
has of course married her NFL superstar Travis Kelce. Her new husband clearly influencing the latest releases which include a song titled
Cleveland where Kelce was born.
However, the music inspired by Swift's love story is getting mixed reviews with some fans wondering whether a loved up Swift may have her music going
out of style.
I want to get the view from the experts. I want to bring in Chris Wilman, Variety's senior music writer and chief music critic who joins me now. And
Chris, welcome to the show. Great to have you back on the show. Look, the reviews I have to say going through some of the U.K. reviews, I saw
Variety's as well of these new four songs have been overwhelmingly the ones I've seen negative. Some I might even say savage.
One said -- one critic saying it might be hard for even the most zealous Swifties to stomach. I mean, others have called it flat, have called it
repetitive. What did you make first of all of these four songs that have been added?
CHRIS WILLMAN, SENIOR MUSIC WRITER AND CHIEF MUSIC CRITIC, VARIETY: I like the four songs. So, I don't understand the extremity of some of the
reactions other than like I was reading the Telegraph review and the headline was I'm a Swiftie and I think these songs are terrible. But then
it turned out she hated Life of a Showgirl, too. So, you know, if you hated that album, you might hate this.
I think -- I think the songs are a little different. There are some touches that sound a little bit more 19890-like, which is what people were first
expecting when she came back to working with Max Martin and Shellback. But anyway, you know, I -- people have kind of set their lines in the sand
about how they feel about her recently, I think, so --
SOARES: Yes. I mean, one -- I think this is the Guardian. It's like watching an ambitious chorus line dancer breathlessly flair herself in the
spotlight to prove herself worthy of our love. I mean, it is quite stinging hearing some of these reviews. But just explain to me, you know, I do like
her music. I'm not a Swifty, but why did she release these songs now? I mean, do we know? Because it certainly came as a surprise to many people.
WILLMAN: Yes. And she explained it. You know, at the time she put out The Life of a Showgirl, she said, these are the 12 songs. This is it. There's
no bonus tracks coming, no deluxe editions. So then when she announced this deluxe, they're not calling it deluxe, they're calling it encore. People
were like, well, what's up with that? And she explained that she, Max Martin, Shellback kind of went on a vacation to celebrate the release of
that album. And they were having such a good time that they went in the studio and wrote and recorded four new songs.
And they don't sound that much like The Life of a Showgirl to me. So to me, I think of it more as an independent EP than as an extension of Life of a
Showgirl. But anyway, you know, I think it's a good move for her at this point. You know, it's too soon for her to release a full new album. People
thought she was going to put out a deluxe edition of her debut album for the 20th anniversary. That's not happening. And so, the equivalent of an EP
is I think is, you know, a good move to insinuate herself back into the lives of the people who want to hear from her, but not be too obnoxious to
the people who don't want a full-on Taylor Swift blowout at this point.
SOARES: I wish you had been in our newsroom earlier because there's been quite an interesting discussion in this newsroom as there often is about
Taylor Swift's personal life now that she's married and seemingly very happy. Much of her work as you all know our viewers will know most of her
acclaimed work comes from heartbreak, those complicated relationships those emotional conflicts. Without the heartbreak and this romantic turmoil, can
you still have a source of inspiration? Might she struggle to produce songs with that same emotional depth or do you think this happiness could give
her entirely new perspective and genre in her music?
WILLMAN: That's a good question because I think one thing that's bothered some people about The Life of a Showgirl is that it was cheerful by and
large. I mean, more so than not, there were some really sad songs on it. But she was definitely celebrating her marriage or her impending marriage
and that relationship in a big way and had a couple of pretty silly songs about Travis on it, one of which is there is also on these new four songs.
And some people were delighted to hear that from her. Some people were like we only want Taylor Swift depressed which I completely understand because
that has been, you know, her greatest stock in trade.
And so, I think I think she handles it well with these four new songs and kind of splitting the balance. There's one Travis Kelce song, super, super
silly, and the other three are more in a vein of looking backward at other past relationships, which I think she'll continue to mine, thank goodness.
[14:56:19]
SOARES: Chris, I really appreciate. I'm sorry to have to wrap. We're running out of time. Maybe she -- you know, this is her genre. Maybe she
might have to find some light in romance. We shall see. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Max Foster is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
