Jim Sciutto

This is very kind - thank you!

Hi folks, Check out the new promo for our show “The Brief”. As I say here, in a world packed with noise, facts matter.

Some of us saw this coming:

Former FBI Director James Comey indicted | CNN Politics Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted by a federal grand jury, an extraordinary escalation in President Donald Trump’s effort to prosecute his political enemies.

Breaking: Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted by a federal grand jury, an extraordinary escalation in President Donald Trump’s effort to prosecute his political enemies. www.cnn.com/2025/09/25/p...

Breaking down the takeaways from #unga on #ukraine #palestinianstatehood and Trump’s #maga pitch to the world.

Breaking: “Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will return to air on ABC on Tuesday night, the network announced in a statement. -@CNN reporting

Failing to reference the broad bipartisan assessment TikTok is a national security threat, Trump expresses his interest: “I like TikTok. TikTok helped get me elected.”

US Sen. Van Hollen defends Gaza report accusing Netanyahu of ‘ethnic cleansing’ | CNN After visiting the region, Democratic US Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley issued a report, saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was “implementing a plan to ethnically c...

New: Sen Chris Van Hollen accuses Israel of “a campaign of ethnic cleansing in Gaza” with two consecutive US admins complicit, adding that Israelis who served in Gaza told him “how one of their jobs was to blow up houses so that nobody would have a house to come back to.” www.cnn.com/2025/09/18/w...

Sen. Mark Warner to call out Tulsi Gabbard in floor speech for ‘going to war’ with intelligence community | CNN Politics Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia is escalating his criticism of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, accusing her and the Trump administration of “going to war” with intelligence professionals...

New: On Senate floor today, Sen. Mark Warner to accuse DNI Tulsi Gabbard and the Trump admin of “going to war” with intelligence professionals and sacrificing the integrity of US intelligence “on the altar of partisan convenience.”

www.cnn.com/2025/09/18/p...

What a Russian drone strike on Ukraine looks and sounds like from the ground - this one in Kharkiv. Frightening.

New conditions for US allies, no new conditions for Moscow, and so another delay in Trump’s long-threatened Russia sanctions.

These Charts Show How Putin Is Defying Trump by Escalating Airstrikes on Ukraine Russia has significantly stepped up its drone and missile strikes this year.

Trump keeps saying Putin would not have invaded if he were president but… “Russia has significantly escalated strikes on Ukraine since President Trump took office, data show, defying his call for peace by increasing the range of buildings hit, including civilian ones.” www.wsj.com/world/these-...

—>> “A Palestinian state will not be established. This entire place is ours. We will preserve it – for our heritage, for our land, and for our security,” said Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu as he signed a ceremonial West Bank settlement expansion plan.

New: First-time applications for unemployment benefits surged to a level not seen in nearly four years. There were an estimated 263,000 initial filings for unemployment 
insurance made during the week ended September 6, according to Department of Labor data.

Polish and NATO jets scrambled, Warsaw airport shut after Ukrainian reports of Russian drones over Poland | CNN Polish authorities have closed Warsaw International Airport and Polish and NATO aircraft have been scrambled as reports have surfaced of Russian drones over the country.

Breaking: Polish and NATO jets scrambled, Warsaw airport shut after Ukrainian reports of Russian drones over Poland www.cnn.com/2025/09/09/e...

Breaking: US job growth through March was significantly weaker than previously thought, according to a preliminary report released today. The US economy added about 911,000 fewer jobs than initially estimated for the year ending in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics report suggests.

Russia strikes Ukrainian government building for first time, in largest air attack of war | CNN Russia launched its largest aerial assault of the Ukraine war overnight into Sunday, deploying more than 800 drones and striking a Kyiv government building for the first time.

23 days since the Alaska summit, 24 days since Trump vowed “severe consequences” if Putin didn’t agree to a ceasefire. www.cnn.com/2025/09/07/e...

In addition, the report included a downward revision to June, bringing that month’s already weak tally from a 14,000 net gain to a 13,000 net loss, marking the end of what was the second longest-ever period of employment expansion for the US on record.

Breaking: Job growth slowed to a crawl in August. The economy added just 22,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate rose to 4.3% from 4.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

4- Altogether, the Beijing summit was show + substance whereas the Alaska summit has proven to have been all show.

3- China is making advances in drones, nuclear capable missiles, long-range aircraft and other modern weapons of war that directly challenge not just U.S. military deterrence but also its power projection in Asia.

2- Trump claims warm personal relationships with all three leaders but they’re making clear their strategic interests are closely aligned and in most instances diametrically opposed to US interests - and strategic interests trump (lower-case t) “art of the deal” diplomacy.

1- China, Russia and North Korea are united and openly defying the U.S. and Trump on the war in Ukraine, his desire for nuclear talks with each leader, and US attempts to restrict access to advanced technology, among others.

China’s military parade was, as always, a choreographed spectacle but it delivered several substantive messages worth paying attention to:

It’s 13 days since the Trump-Putin summit and 15 days since Trump vowed “severe consequences” if Putin wasn’t serious about ending the war.

Two weeks after blowout coverage of the Trump/Putin “summit” in Alaska.

@afp.com

Pay attention to what’s going on at the CDC tonight. It’s the agency charged with reducing the spread of disease and several of its scientists say their work is in danger.

Question: Does Trump help Putin inadvertently drag this out by delaying further sanctions?

Ukrainian MP Yehor Cherniev: “Putin understands only the language of power. Any negotiation, any concession, any appeasing of this dictator will not lead to the effective result, only pressure.”

Trump met Kim three times during his first administration during which North Korea expanded its nuclear program.

In short: red carpet welcome to US, three-hour meeting, long Putin speech citing “root causes” of the war, no deal. #TrumpPutinSummit