Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Senate Advances Deal to End Government Shutdown After 41 Days; Trump Pardons Dozens Accused of Trying to Overturn 2020 Election; Major Airlines Reduce Flights as Shutdown Continues. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired November 10, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, a potential deal to end the longest government shutdown in history, a test vote gaining enough support from Democrats to pass without funding healthcare subsidies. But the vote that counts hasn't happened and Democrats are facing some backlash. Nothing is certain this morning.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: More breaking news this morning, the president pardoning a long list of people accused of trying to help him overturn the 2020 election, chief among them, Rudy Giuliani.

And some insane video this morning of that deadly typhoon slamming into the Philippines. Just look what it's doing to that bridge.

I'm Kate Bolduan with Sara Sidner. John Berman is out today. This is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: Breaking overnight, a bipartisan breakthrough towards ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The Senate set to reconvene this morning after a test vote to advance a compromise funding deal. Eight Democrats broke party ranks and voted with Republicans, but they are facing some backlash from colleagues and constituents this morning.

If approved, the deal would extend government funding through January 30th. It would fund SNAP benefits through the fiscal year of 2026 and reverse President Trump's layoffs of federal workers during the shutdown.

But Democrats did not get the main thing that they'd been fighting for, an agreement to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies. What they got instead was a promise from Republicans to hold a vote on that next month.

For many Democrats, including the party's leaders, that's simply not enough. Without those credits, health insurance premiums could soar for millions of Americans. The Democrat-aligned lawmakers who crossed party lines to support the deal say they had little choice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): Now, I understand that not all of my Democratic colleagues are satisfied with this agreement, but waiting another week or another month wouldn't deliver a better outcome. It would only mean more harm for families in New Hampshire and all across the country.

SEN. ANGUS KING (I-ME): As I assessed it, there was zero chance of dealing with the ACA issue as long as the shutdown continued. Now, I don't know, 50-50, but there's a lot better chance now than there was this morning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: All right. Joining me now is Stef Kight, a politics reporter with Axios. Just give us a sense of what the latest is right now, what will happen today.

STEF KIGHT, POLITICS REPORTER, AXIOS: Right now, the biggest question is whether there's going to be unanimous agreement in the Senate to move forward on this final vote on this package. Last night was a huge breakthrough the first time that there were enough Democratic votes to even move forward with some kind of a bipartisan deal, but they still have to pass that final passage vote.

And this could drag on for a couple days. All eyes are on Senator Rand Paul, the Republican from Kentucky, who often tries to drag these things out. It's unclear if there's going to be an agreement to get this done quickly. Then, of course, the House is going to have to come back and take this up as well.

And it's not going to be an easy feat for Speaker Johnson to get this through his chamber either, especially given when it comes to these C.R.s, these short-term funding bills. There are many Republicans who are uncomfortable with continuing to vote for these to push back, you know, the full appropriations process.

It's also very clear that Democratic leadership is opposed to this deal and that will keep many House Democrats in line. There are a handful of moderate House Democrats who will be looking for, to see whether they're going to be willing to vote for this deal and provide some cover for Mike Johnson.

Once this does get to the House, and, of course, House members are going to have to get back to town relatively quickly at a time when we're seeing many canceled flights across the country and travel headaches.

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, the very thing that they've caused with the travel headaches, they are now in a position to fix, but they might not be able to get there quick enough to do it very, very fast.

But at this point in time, you're looking at those eight Democrats who have pretty much crossed party lines and said like, look, we need to go ahead and fund the government.

[07:05:09]

Senator Fetterman obviously is someone who's going to stick to his guns, but is there any shakiness on the part of others who are hearing from their constituents as well and monitoring what is being said?

KIGHT: I mean, we'll see how today shakes out. The truth is many of these Democrats have already for, for several days, if not a couple weeks, been looking at some kind of bipartisan deal. They are already hearing from constituents about the impacts of the shutdown. So, there's that factor as well. Some of these -- you know, four of these main votes here are former governors. They understand what it's like for states to be impacted by government shutdowns and one that's prolonged, then this prolonged especially. We'll see though.

The anger towards Democrats is very clear and was immediate as soon as reporting was coming out about the contours of this deal. We were hearing from progressives in the House and in the Senate who are unhappy and feel that Democrats have gotten nothing from that. So, whether we see that have an impact on these votes, it's still unclear. But for now, they seem locked in.

SIDNER: Yes. All right, Stef Kight, thank you so much for your reporting this morning there from Washington. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, there's a lot going on there, but there's also more breaking news this morning. President Trump has pardoned some of his most loyal allies from the 2020 era, all accused of trying to aid in his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results when he lost the White House to Joe Biden.

On the pardon list, former Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, as well as the president's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows. In all, the Justice Departments says that 77 people received what they're describing as, quote, full, complete and unconditional pardons related to all of this.

CNN's Kevin Liptak is at the White House for us on this one. Kevin, what more are you hearing about this? Is the White House saying more specifically on these pardons?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: They're not saying war at this point, and you're right, this is quite a lengthy list, 77 names in all, many of whom will be familiar to anyone who's been kind of following the saga for the last five years. The president's pardon attorney posted the paperwork on social media last night.

I think it's important to note that none of the names have actually been charged with a federal crime. So, in a lot of ways, this is a symbolic move, but it still just underscores President Trump's efforts to kind of rewrite the history of the 2020 election.

And I'll just read for you a little bit of the sort of preamble, which is pretty striking when it describes its intent here. It says this proclamation and a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 presidential election and continues the process of national reconciliation.

And just to tick through some of the names here, Rudy Giuliani, of course, the former New York City mayor who helped lead the effort to pressure states to reject Biden's victories. You also have Sidney Powell, who's the conservative attorney who worked with Giuliani, Mark Meadows, who is the president's chief of staff at the time, Jenna Ellis, who also worked closely with Rudy Giuliani, Boris Epshteyn, who's a longtime Trump adviser. You have John Eastman and Kenneth Cheseboro who are two attorneys who helped kind of devise the strategy of pressuring Mike Pence to try and overturn the election on January 6th, 2021, and Burt Jones, who's the Lieutenant Governor of Georgia and who is also a fake elector after the 2020 election.

And so although none of these names are charged with federal crimes, many have actually been charged in individual states and the president cannot reverse those charges. And obviously this is not going to do anything to reverse Rudy Giuliani's pretty significant legal and financial issues, in particular when it comes to those two Georgia election workers who filed a defamation suit against him. And so a significant step, but a symbolic one as well, and it would also preclude future administrations from trying to go after these individuals.

Now, the pardon specifically states that it doesn't apply to President Trump himself, but it does apply to this broad swath of people, as it says, any U.S. citizen who attempted or provided advice or support or voting for slates of proposed presidential electors, end quote, any conduct relating to their efforts to expose voting fraud. Kate?

BOLDUAN: All right. Much more to hear of this today, for sure. It's good to see you, Kevin. Thank you very much.

Still have for us, with thousands of flights across the country delayed or canceled, so many people have ended up stranded at airports. And the big question now with the movement happening in the Senate, is this about to get better or worse right now?

And President Trump is promising $2,000 rebate checks for Americans, but experts are warning that plan could backfire on the economy in a big way.

[07:10:03]

And new details in the search for the nine-year-old little girl, Melodee Buzzard. Her mother is now arrested, but on what the sheriff's department says are unrelated charges.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: Despite glimmers of hope in ending the shutdown, more than 2,000 flights have already been canceled for today and tomorrow, and a Midwest snowstorm adding to the chaos. Between Friday and Sunday, there were more than 5,500 cancelations, and it was the worst weekend for air traffic control staffing since the start of the shutdown. There were more than 146 staffing triggers, which means controllers had to make adjustments to keep the airspace safe.

[07:15:07] CNN's Omar Jimenez is at Newark Liberty International Airport. What are you seeing there this morning? I mean, obviously, the cancelations and the delays have just driven people crazy this weekend.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, look, this weekend was really when we saw the, the first significant effects of the reduction in flow that imposed by these airlines and the FAA. And what we've been monitoring this morning is because the cancelations and delays really pick up over the course of the day and we're already starting to see some cancellations dot through. You can see sort of -- they're indicated by those red markers there.

So, it's not across the board by any stretch of the means. But you got one there, two there a third here, a fourth here. And so that's the dynamic we're going to be monitoring because, again, over the weekend, this is when we saw some of the cancelations really start to take shape. You look at the number of cancelations and delays we saw over the course of Saturday. We were talking in the thousands.

And then Sunday, that number increased even more so, where you have -- you just see the number of increases that happened over the course of that day. And then when you talk about the cancelations we have seen over the course of yesterday or today, overall, we're already 1,500 or so.

And, again, this is a dynamic that if the government shutdown does not end, which there may be a pathway to this point, we will see that percentage start to increase the percentage of flights that actually are impacted, canceled, or delayed.

I can tell you that over the course of yesterday, while we're still monitoring to see how these delays come through, I was in Atlanta, Hartsfield Jackson, notoriously world's busiest airport, and that dynamic was apparent. Everywhere you went, people were trying to navigate between gate changes, trying to figure out where their delays went. Mine in particular was delayed about three hours or so as I checked because an air traffic management program, AKA, trying to reduce some of this flow going into LaGuardia.

And so you really couldn't escape that dynamic if you were flying, especially out of one of the major hubs this weekend. The only question though is as the day continues, and if these cancelations and delays move up as well, at what point will any relief come? Because, again, if it doesn't, then the next two days, the capacity for these flights are only expected to be decreased and the cuts expected to increase. So, we'll keep you posted as we monitor these boards and passengers. Sara?

SIDNER: Yes. And I can't help but saying that Christmas has come early in Newark, the big Christmas tree there, as we're heading into the holiday season because Thanksgiving is coming, right? I mean, never mind Christmas.

JIMENEZ: Thanksgiving erasure.

SIDNER: Thanksgiving is coming, yes. JIMENEZ: Come on. What are we doing?

SIDNER: I don't know, but I fear for what's going to happen if we do not get this shut down, taken care of in this country.

Omar Jimenez, thank you so much for hanging out there for us this morning in Newark.

All right, still ahead, a check from the president. Trump once again weighing, giving Americans $2,000 from tariff revenues. Why experts say that won't work.

And a warning for parents this morning, a botulism outbreak linked to baby formula. We'll tell you all about it coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: All right. So, there's a lot going on, big news in Major League Baseball. Two current players now indicted, accused in a betting scheme.

CNN's Coy Wire has the details on this. Coy, what are you learning about this? This is wild.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, Kate. Yes, it is. And prosecutors say two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, face charges including wire fraud and money laundering. The indictment claims they tipped off gamblers on throwing certain types of pitches, including throwing a ball instead of a strike, for example. The scheme brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Both players were already placed on leave in relation to the sports betting probe. MLB says it's cooperating with investigators. Ortiz is in custody and will appear in federal court in Boston today. His attorney tells CNN that Ortiz looks forward to fighting these charges. If convicted, these two players could face decades behind bars.

All right, in the NFL we had the first ever game in Berlin, Falcons and Colts playing an overtime thriller, Kate, in an historic stadium. Atlanta's revamped defense going all out to stop the top offense in the NFL sacking, Daniel Jones seven times, holding into the 2 of 12 on third down. But like the rest of the NFL, they just could not stop Colt's running back, Jonathan Taylor, making his case for league MVP west for 244 yards, scored three touchdowns, as the Colts win 31-25 in O.T. They move to 8-2 on the season.

Now, in a season where it seems like nobody can figure out who will be the top dog come the end of the season, John Berman's Patriots are making their case, now seven straight wins after beating a very good Bucs team. Drake Maye threw one of his two touchdown passes, 72 yards of Kyle Williams for his first NFL touchdown. And rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, he's fast, he's strong and he's smart. Watch this, Kate, middle of the play, he turns and looks at his coach says, should I score, should I go down and stop the clock? Go ahead and score. 147 yards rushing for him. And New England's new head coach, Mike Vrabel, they moved to 8-2 on the season after a 28-23 win.

Finally, some of the wildest scenes, Kate, you will ever see in the other football, soccer in the snow. Canadian Premier League final in Ottawa, Atletico Ottawa facing Cavalry F.C, even players are out there grabbing shovels, Kate.

[07:25:04]

Game goes to extra time and we get an absurdly beautiful bicycle kick. Let's call it the icicle kick. Atletico's David Rodriguez equalizing, that's a framer, hang it in the Louvre, but make sure it's on lockdown and change the password.

Rodriguez would score the game winner as well in a 2-1 extra time win for Ottawa. Rodriguez is 23 years old, Kate, he moved to Canada just nine months ago. He had never even seen snow, but he said, oh, he looked out there and he just knew it was going to be a good day.

BOLDUAN: Never even seen snow and he never wants to see it again. I mean, can you imagine there is no way they could even feel their legs kicking the ball towards the end.

WIRE: Oh, absolutely not, because I played in Buffalo for six seasons.

BOLDUAN: Exactly.

WIRE: So, the coldest conditions ever. So, every time their foot would've hit that ball, it would've just felt like every bone in their foot is just crumbling and cracking. But look at that. I mean, you just kind of love that these players are like, we got to shovel. So, that ball, the orange ball, they had to use that special colored ball because the white one, they couldn't even see it, incredible stuff.

BOLDUAN: I love this on so many levels.

WIRE: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Oh my God, especially I will take, any day I get to get some Coy Wire throwback memories from the good old football days, I will take it.

WIRE: Yes.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you buddy. I am always cold in the studio and now I'm even more freezing watching. Oh my God. Okay. Thank you, buddy.

Coming up for us, a breakthrough in the Senate, a step toward ending the shutdown. So, how soon could the government reopen or are we getting ahead of ourselves with this one?

And is it too early for snow? I mean, we just talked about that, but look at Chicago. Chicago could see historic double digit snowfall as an arctic blast spreads across much of the United States.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:00]