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Trump Says He is Open to Extending Trip, Meeting With Kim; Navy Helicopter, Fighter Jet Crash Minutes Apart in South China Sea; Air Traffic Controllers Brace for First Payday With No Pay; Driver Nearly Collides With Crash-landing Plane; Ex-NFL Star Adrian Peterson Arrested on DWI, Gun Charges in Texas; Texas Police Rescue Infant Pinned Under Car; Halloween Candy Gets Pricier and Less Chocolatey. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired October 27, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": -- sit down with North Korea's Kim Jong-Un. We are going to take a look at their complicated relationship next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: President Trump says he would love to see North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un during his trip to Asia. And while there are no known scheduled plans for a meeting, this is what the president told reporters on Air Force One about the prospect of a face-to-face. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, you talked about North Korea on your way here. Have you heard anything back from them (ph)?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I haven't mentioned it. I haven't said anything, but I'd love to meet with him if he'd like to meet. I got along great with Kim Jong-Un. I like him. He liked me. If he wants to meet, I'll be in South Korea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you extend your trip in order to try to meet?

TRUMP: Say it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you extend your trip in Asia in order to meet with him?

TRUMP: Well, I hadn't thought of it, but I think the answer would be yeah, I would do that. Sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:35:00]

JIMENEZ: So context is important here. Let's take a step back to see where things actually stand in the Trump-Kim relationship. I want to bring in CNN Military Analyst and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. Good to see you. OK, so he's talking about the prospect of a meeting. If the invitation comes, he would be open to it. But, let's go back to 2017, because when Trump first came into office, tensions were pretty high between the U.S. and North Korea.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: That's absolutely true, Omar. And one of the key things, remember the phrase "little rocket man" and he basically used that fire and fury line --

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

LEIGHTON: -- at the United Nations, where he actually told the North Koreans that he didn't like what they were doing and that he was basically going to contest what the North Koreans were doing. They fired 23 missiles in 2017, and that was basically North Korea's flexing its muscles and saying, these are the kinds of things that we can do. This is how we're going to bring this -- bring the peninsula into a zone of danger, basically. So, that's what they did in 2017.

JIMENEZ: Well, and so, these relationships, as you know, they go up and down in tensions. 2018 got a little better, dare I say?

LEIGHTON: Yeah. And as a matter of fact too, they had this letter that --

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

LEIGHTON: -- was written by Donald Trump and sent by Donald Trump. And the key things here was you talk about your nuclear capabilities, but are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they'll never have to be used. And then he said -- he offered a carrot right here. He basically said, if you change your mind, I will be open to you calling me. And that was one of the key things that he did when it came to the communication that kind of started the dialog between Trump and Kim Jong-Un.

JIMENEZ: Dialog, some calling them love letters, if you remember at the time. Remind me, what was going on around that time, those back and the forths.

LEIGHTON: So around this time, there was a lot of -- there were a lot of different aspects to this. And in response, Kim Jong-Un to the letter we just saw. In response, Kim Jong-Un sent a letter delivered by the North Korean foreign minister to Trump personally in the Oval Office. So this was a very big thing. Ironically, Thomas Jefferson was watching everything happening there. But the key thing is that Trump really liked the fact that he was getting this letter. And then of course, they had a few meetings and this was basically a set up to the meeting that happened in Singapore between Kim Jong-Un. And then after that, in 2019, in February, they met in Hanoi. And then later on, they met in the Demilitarized Zone. But there was a lot going on between those different meetings.

JIMENEZ: But in that meeting in the DMZ, obviously there were a lot of hopes that there would be real significant progress just given the parties that were part of that meeting. What actually though happened in the aftermath of that? LEIGHTON: So, one of the key things that happened were the exercises that the U.S. put together with the South Korean's --

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

LEIGHTON: -- joint and combined military exercises. And those exercises became really a critical element in making Kim Jong-Un pretty much upset with a lot of the things that the U.S. was doing. And there was a problem in Hanoi, because Trump didn't go along with some of the proposals that Kim Jong-Un had. And when Kim actually came out, he said, "I am clearly offended and I do not want to hide this from you." Basically that, he feel felt that he could say that to Trump, but the fact that he was offended put the relationship between North Korea and the United States back on ice. And that was basically where things ended up with both the North Koreans and the United States.

So in essence, in spite of all those meetings, we really haven't made very much progress because at the end of this, you see Kim meeting with President Xi of China.

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

LEIGHTON: -- followed by President Putin of Russia. And you have this triumvirate of these leaders getting together in a way that really shows that there's this, in essence, axis of these powers coming together to contest the United States in Asia. And that really shows that there is this power block that is forming, that includes North Korea, China, and Russia. And on the other side of that, of course, is the United States and its allies like South Korea, Japan, and others in the Asia-Pacific realm.

JIMENEZ: Well, it highlights some of the stakes in this trip that he's currently on right now. Obviously, set to meet with China on trade, but those stops with Japan and South Korea obviously have added significance given that dynamic you just laid out. Got to leave it there. Good to see you, Colonel Cedric Leighton.

LEIGHTON: Good to see you too, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Thanks. Thanks to be -- thanks for being here. Always appreciate it. Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": The Navy is investigating what caused two separate crashes over the South China Sea, both of these incidents happening on Sunday about 30 minutes apart and involving completely different aircraft. A Seahawk helicopter went down after taking off from the USS Nimitz while conducting what the Navy calls routine operations. Then roughly a half hour later, an F-18 fighter jet, which also launched from the Nimitz, went down. All personnel were rescued.

[13:40:00]

We have CNN's Zach Cohen with us now to talk about this. What is the explanation, because it's really interesting that these came from the same carrier.

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Absolutely. And the fact that they happened so close together in terms of timeline, right, within the same half hour, both these crashes. Aircraft that were conducting separate operations though, from the same aircraft carrier as you mentioned, and in the same region, the South China Sea, which is obviously a highly contentious and considered a flashpoint area for a potential global conflict, considering the fact that China lays claim to this area.

But look, as you mentioned, the Navy is investigating and so far, the only real hints that we've received as far as a cause to this, potential cause to this came from President Donald Trump when he was talking to reporters on Air Force One. He called the two crashes back to back highly unusual and suggested there could have been an issue with the fuel. Take a listen to what the president told reporters today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I've heard about it. Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know what happened there with that?

TRUMP: They're going to let me know pretty soon. I think they should be able to find out. It could be bad fuel. I mean, it's possible it's bad fuel. Very unusual that that would happen --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't think there was like foul play or anything?

TRUMP: No, I don't think so.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: No, they think it might be bad field. We're going to find out. Nothing to hide, we'll find out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So obviously, the USS Nimitz, which is the aircraft carrier both of these aircraft took off from, is about 50 years old. So it's one of the older aircraft carriers in the U.S. fleet. The two aircraft themselves, the MH-60 Seahawk helicopter used for anti-submarine and surface warfare missions. The F/A-18 Super Hornet which is a commonly used fighter jet by the U.S. Navy. This is the fourth one of these fighter jets that the U.S. Navy has lost just this year. They cost about $60 million a piece, just to give you a sense of the price tag of these aircraft.

And look, when and where it happened is all obviously very notable though. The South China Sea, as we mentioned, a very, very, high-focus area, strategic waterway for both China and surrounding Southeast Asian countries. And the U.S. maintains a consistent presence there to try to protect the flow of free trade between the U.S. and its allies. And obviously, Donald Trump on his diplomacy tour in Asia where he is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

KEILAR: Yeah. You mentioned, they're going to check obviously fuel and they're going to check the ship itself, I would imagine, because you mentioned it's 50 years old and fuel storage, what -- it requires some kind of maintenance itself, right?

COHEN: Absolutely. And look, that is potentially a big problem if the ship itself is the reason the fuel is potentially contaminated, that would require a pretty expensive and arduous resolution process. So --

KEILAR: Alright, we'll be looking to see what the outcome is of that. Zach Cohen, thank you so much for the very latest there.

Coming up, air traffic controller sick outs are causing flight delays across the country. And the problem is only expected to get worse depending on what happens tomorrow. We'll explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:47:27]

JIMENEZ: Major disruptions are hitting some of America's busiest airports as the government shutdown drags into its fifth week. Air traffic controllers have been working throughout, but tomorrow, they won't get a paycheck for the first time since the shutdown began.

KEILAR: And the result is significant, staffing shortages across the country leading to cascading delays and cancellations. And with no deal in sight to reopen the government, the problem could get even worse. We have CNN's Pete Muntean with us now. We saw a lot of delays over the weekend. How are things looking?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, we just got this alert from the FAA that the Southern California approach control, a place that has been plagued by problems over the last few days, is now currently at a low staffing point. Air traffic controllers have been working without pay for almost four weeks now, and the shortages typically get worse in the evenings and on weekends. And this weekend saw the biggest staffing shortage spike since the start of the shutdown.

Friday through Sunday, a total of 50 air traffic control facilities were short staffed. Remember, there are only about 300 towers, approach controls and centers nationwide that are operated by the Federal Aviation Administration. Meaning, this weekend saw one and every six FAA facilities without enough staff. It all spelled serious problems for those traveling by air, perhaps the worst at LAX. And to keep this safe, the FAA implemented a ground stop Sunday that lasted at LA for nearly two hours. Then the delays really started to pile up.

LAX ended the day on Sunday with about a quarter of all flights in and out arriving late. I want you to listen now to Dan McCabe of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, who says "Union members are always under stress, but now more than ever with their first $0 paycheck coming in tomorrow."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN MCCABE, SOUTHERN REGIONAL VP, NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION: The thing we have to really look at right now is where's the breaking point? We have a very young workforce. This is a workforce that may not be financially set up yet. What we have to look at now, where is the breaking point for each individual? And that stress is absolutely unnecessary on top of what they're already doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: The FAA has a term for staffing shortages. They're called staffing triggers. And here is what the list looked like on Saturday night, the longest list we have seen since about October 1st and our analysis shows there have been about 260 of these since the start of the shutdown, more than four times bigger than the same period a year ago. We know that air traffic controllers will be at some of the biggest airports in the U.S. tomorrow, leafleting, trying to get people aware that they're getting this $0 paycheck.

[13:50:00]

But it's important to note here, there are not any big sick out organized things happening right now. This is not something done by the union. It's simply a few controllers, maybe a handful calling out here or there that leads to this inordinate, disproportionate, outsized impact in so many places across the country. It seems that nowhere is really safe from this right now. Wow.

KEILAR: But, Pete, and look, there's no way to say this is what's happening, but it makes you wonder, if someone is short on money, if they have to pick up like a side gig or something, right? I mean, is that one reason why you might see people sick out?

MUNTEAN: I covered the 35-day long shutdown from 2018 into 2019, and I talked to air traffic controllers then who were picking up side hustles, gig jobs, like driving for Uber, to be able to make ends meet. This also has an impact, as the union said earlier today, on people who want to become air traffic controllers. We're still short about 1,800 controllers in the U.S. That's a really, really deep trough. And so, for this to happen and for it to keep happening, the union is saying, "How do you get new people to come into this job?" It's not easy.

KEILAR: Come on board, high stress, no paycheck.

(LAUGH)

KEILAR: All right, Pete Muntean, always great to have you.

And now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour, incredible dash cam video showing a driver just barely missing a plane as it crash landed right in front of him. Firefighters in Oklahoma City say the aircraft hit two power poles before skidding across the road, sparking a grass fire. It was flying out of a nearby Air National Guard Base. Authorities say no one was injured.

Also, former Minnesota Viking star Adrian Peterson was arrested in Sugarland, Texas on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawful carrying of a weapon. This is his second DWI related arrest this year after an incident in Minnesota where police pulled him over for speeding in April. We've reached out to Sugarland Police for more information about Sunday's arrest.

JIMENEZ: And dramatic video shows police in Texas rescuing an infant who is pinned beneath an overturned car. And we want to warn you, you may find this footage hard to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's -- hey, under the -- under here. We need to move the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to get my (inaudible).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a -- I think the baby's under the --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep moving, keep moving, keep moving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Wow. You just saw witnesses helping to lift the vehicle, allowing officers to pull that child free. The unconscious infant was given CPR and started breathing again. Authorities say the child and a woman were thrown, the woman driver were thrown from their vehicle after the crash last week. They are both expected to make a full recovery, but unbelievable to seeing that baby getting pulled out from there. We'll be right back, everyone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:57:52]

JIMENEZ: It's Halloween just days away. If you haven't bought your candy yet, I know you already have, but if you haven't yet, these are going to look a little bit different this year. Brace yourself, it's going to be a lot pricier than in past years.

KEILAR: Yeah, it's not the only change, trick or treaters can expect a shift in the kind of candy they can get on Friday night. What? CNN's Matt Egan, what? What is -- what is happening, Matt?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah. Well, Brianna and Omar, I don't think my kids are going to love this segment because if there's any kind of inflation that they don't like, it is candy inflation. Now, unfortunately, there's been this powerful one-two combination of high cocoa prices globally and high tariffs in the United States. They've combined to drive up prices. So, how much more expensive is candy? Look at this. 11 percent more expensive than last Halloween. That's nearly quadruple the overall rate of inflation and it's five times the price increases of last Halloween. Now, this is based on a new analysis that was shared first with CNN by the -- this is coming from the Groundwork Collaborative, which is a progressive think tank. They went through all of the different candy prices and they saw some significant increase.

Look at this, eight percent increase in price for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. That is noteworthy because that's one of my favorite candies. Also, looking at nine percent increase for some of the gummy candy variety packs from Mondelez, 12 percent increase in some of the variety packs from Mars. That's the company behind M&Ms and Snickers and a whole bunch of other popular candies. 22 percent increase for Hershey's and 34 percent increase for Tootsie Roll lollipops. So yes, unfortunately, inflation is the uninvited guest this Halloween.

JIMENEZ: And look, one thing I'm seeing there is there's a lot of chocolate that's being affected by those huge price increase. I mean up 34 percent for Tootsie there. Why are things so less chocolatey? What's going on?

EGAN: Yeah. So when companies are facing higher costs, they have a few different options, right? So one thing they could do is raise prices. We already discussed how they're doing that. Another thing that they can do is they can actually cut down how much cocoa content is in some of the chocolate candies. Some of the --