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Trump Floats Diplomacy with Venezuela Amid Growing Tensions; CNN Goes Inside Command Center Planning for Phase 2 of Gaza Ceasefire; Jury Selection to Begin Tomorrow in Brian Walshe Trial; Libya Attract Global Skydivers Amid Tourism Boom. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired November 17, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Shouldn't cause a complete reversal on tariffs. So look, bottom line, it could be helpful that the administration is dialing back tariffs a little bit. But economists say it's not going to be a game changer that suddenly makes groceries cheap again.

The best case scenario, Brianna, is that price increases at the grocery store, they slow to just a gradual level so that it's much more manageable for everyone at the checkout aisle. Back to you.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: That's kind of a bummer, though. It does feel like there's a grocery crisis. You go, you buy your bananas. You might think, oh, am I accidentally getting the organic ones? They're so expensive. Nope.

Those are the conventionally grown bananas. Everything is kind of pricey there in that list you looked at.

EGAN: It it.

KEILAR: Matt, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

EGAN: Thank you, Brianna.

KEILAR: Still to come, the White House says President Trump has not made a decision on whether to attack Venezuela. We're going to look at what needs to happen to avoid escalating the situation.

[14:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: The U.S. officials tell CNN that President Trump has not yet made a decision on whether or not to carry out military strikes on land against Venezuela. The Pentagon is currently ramping up its firepower off the Venezuelan coast in the Caribbean. America's biggest and most lethal aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, has now joined other warships in the region. And its arrival brings the number of U.S. personnel in the region to around 15,000. Despite that enormous buildup, President Trump says he's open to negotiations with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as the administration tries to pressure the longtime leader to step down. I'm joined now by retired Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt. He's a former assistant secretary of state for political and military affairs, serving under President George W. Bush.

All right, sir, so there's this military buildup in the region. The State Department is designating this Venezuela cartel as a foreign terrorist organization, alleging that the cartel is led by Maduro.

How are you seeing these moves?

BRIGADIER GENERAL MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, I think what we're seeing is a ramping up of pressure on Venezuela on the part of President Trump and the Department of Defense, primarily focused on the drug traffic. I think all of us recognize what foreign drugs coming into the States has done to America, to American communities, to American families. So I think this combination of military pressure, political and diplomatic pressure, and economic sanctions is President Trump's policy for trying to end the drug trade coming from Venezuela into America to kill American citizens.

KEILAR: When Americans think of a reference point for regime change, Iraq, Saddam Hussein, that is probably one of the most, I think, salient examples for them. You were a spokesperson for the Army in Iraq in 2003, as Saddam Hussein was ousted and captured. You then held the role of assistant secretary at DOD at the State Department in President George W. Bush's second term after that.

What should the mind as they're at this moment, and we're looking at this possibility, this at least discussion of regime change in Venezuela?

KIMMITT: Well, first of all, I haven't heard any discussion of regime change in Venezuela coming from this administration. In fact, this administration has been quite vocal on its condemnation of the regime change efforts in Iraq in 2003. Regime change creates a vacuum in every sense of the word, security vacuum, political vacuum, social vacuum, and regime change and that vacuum does not necessarily, in fact, rarely ever leads to good results filling that vacuum.

KEILAR: And do you think American people, especially because -- I mean, there has been reporting that this is potential. Do you think Americans have the appetite for that kind of foreign policy, especially as you noted that publicly, at least, this administration has kind of traditionally eschewed that?

KIMMITT: Well, I think the administration and the people of America are on the same sheet of music. We are still living with a generation of former military that have worked and lived in that environment and diplomats as well. So I think there's going to be a great reluctance, as you mentioned, among all sectors of society for any type of regime change operation in Venezuela that is conducted externally.

If there's an internal regime change by the people of Venezuela, that's a completely different can of worms. But a United States regime change, I think that probably is a last option for this administration to conduct. KEILAR: All right, Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, thank you so much for your insights.

KIMMITT: Thank you, Brianna.

KEILAR: Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: For the first time, CNN is able to take you inside the U.S.-led Coordination Center for Gaza, the facility in southern Israel is leading preparations for phase two of the ceasefire plan.

[14:40:00]

CNN Jerusalem Bureau Chief Oren Liebermann has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF CORRESPONDENT: We got our first chance to take you inside the U.S.-led Coordination Center for Gaza here in Kiryat Gat. And the first thing that strikes you is the size of the facility, what's called the CMCC, the Civil Military Coordination Center. There's a floor for the Israelis, a floor for the Americans, and what we were able to see, which is a joint floor, where there's a multinational force that's monitoring what's happening on the ground in Gaza and planning the key next steps of the U.S.- brokered 20-point ceasefire plan. We saw troops from Germany, Spain, Singapore, and a number of other countries.

The joint floor is dominated by a map of Gaza showing the so-called yellow line. One side is Israeli-occupied territory. On the other is Hamas-controlled territory. Teams inside are monitoring what's happening in real time. As for planning for what's next, there are teams working on the intended reconstruction effort, focused on debris removal right now.

There's also a large group that works on humanitarian issues, the aid going in, logistics, and more. One of the crucial teams here also works on security, not only planning for the intended disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza but also managing the training of the Palestinian police force for Gaza.

One key step here is the international security force for Gaza. A number of countries have signaled they're willing to contribute troops, but not until there's a clear, well-defined international mandate to make that happen. And this whole effort is still waiting on that mandate.

Oren Lieberman, CNN, in Kiryat Ghat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Oren for that update.

Still to come, details on the trial of a man accused of his wife's murder. Her body has never been discovered, but there are some chilling details that prosecutors say indicates he is guilty. That's next.

[14:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: New today, a final pretrial hearing for Brian Walshe. The Massachusetts man is accused of murdering and dismembering his wife, Anna.

Now, Anna's body has never been found. Instead, prosecutors point to a series of chilling internet searches that Walshe allegedly made, like how long before a body starts to smell.

CNN's Jean Casarez has the details for us. And Jean, jury selection begins tomorrow. What are you learning?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, today was the final pretrial hearing. And so everything is set at this point as much as they can. As the judge said, this is a living, breathing trial.

And so what does come in, what does not come in, it may not -- the decision may not be made until during trial. But tomorrow, definitively, we know the judge has said she wants between 50 and 60 jurors to go through the process. Now there's 261 that are being summoned tomorrow and 126, 121.

And so you're going to have a robust jury pool because this is a very high profile trial. And one of the most important things is pretrial publicity. They will be asked individually by the judge if they can cast aside anything they've heard about this trial and have a fair and impartial verdict in regard to the evidence.

And second of all, this is going to be the holiday season and the testimony itself is going to start the Monday after Thanksgiving holidays. So that may make it challenging to get a jury, but there will be 12 jurors, four alternates. Now, the reason this pretrial publicity is such a big issue, Boris, is exactly what you said, because the prosecution is alleging that he not only murdered his wife, but he dismembered his wife.

And there are Google searches that were made in the wee early morning hours of July 1st, 2023. We want to show people some of these because they were part of the affidavit for search warrants in the home. And it says, first of all, prosecutors are going to try to bring out this mindset of December 27th.

What's the best date to divorce for a man? But then that changes to January 1st, January 2nd. Hacksaw, best tool to dismember.

Can you be charged with murder without a body? Can you identify a body with broken teeth? And then on January 3rd, what happens to hair on a dead body?

What is the rate of decomposition of a body found in a plastic bag compared to on a surface in the woods? And can baking soda mask or make a body smell good? So these are very, very difficult for the defense to override because

some of them, Boris, were even on his iPad, many of his little boy, they had three children.

And Anna Walshe was succeeding in real estate. And she had just gotten the year before a huge job in Washington, D.C. She was making a lot of money. And she would come back on weekends to see her husband and her children.

But the couple was having problems. That will come into this trial because he had been convicted of art fraud with Andy Warhol paintings, and he could not leave Massachusetts. The sentencing hadn't even happened.

She gave him an ultimatum right before she was never seen again -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: And Jean, what is the defense going to argue here, given those searches you outlined?

CASAREZ: The defense has strongly said, not guilty. Every chance they get, not guilty. This is interesting because today during this final pretrial hearing, it came out that the defense wants to have like chalkboards during their opening statements.

[14:50:00]

And the prosecution said, Your Honor, we want to see these before. And the defense said, we don't want anybody to see our chalkboards before the opening statements. The judge said, I'm going to have to see them.

We don't know what the defense is going to be. Those chalkboards at opening statement, it's a secret right now. We have to see where the defense is going because this on its face is incriminating evidence.

It's very difficult, more or less her DNA was found in the garbage bags that video shows him throwing into dumpsters. Her blood, her DNA, remnants of her purse, her necklace, even a jacket that she had, all in a dumpster.

His DNA was there too.

SANCHEZ: Chalkboards. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the defense is planning there. Jean Casarez, thank you so much for the update.

Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL. We're back in just a few minutes.

[14:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour. Civil rights leader, Reverend Jesse Jackson, is still in the hospital after receiving treatment to manage his blood pressure. According to a family statement, the 84-year-old is breathing on his own and is not on life support.

In the last 24 hours, Jackson's condition has improved and he has been able to manage -- to maintain, I should say, a stable blood pressure without the assistance of medication.

Also, drug maker, Novo Nordisk, is cutting prices for obesity and weight loss medications for cash-paying patients. The company says it's now offering the first two monthly doses of Wegovy and Ozempic for $199.

It's also reducing the prices of the drugs for other self-pay patients to $349 a month, down from $499. Novo Nordisk announcement coming shortly after the drug maker announced a major deal with the Trump administration on drug prices.

And check out video of this volcano in Japan erupting multiple times on Sunday. This is called Sakurajima. It's located on Japan's main western island, Kyushu. And those eruptions sent plumes of smoke and ash as high as 2.7 miles into the air, caused dozens of flight cancellations.

Libya, the once war-torn country in North Africa, slowly transforming into a surprising hotspot for tourists seeking thrills and adventures. CNN's Isobel Yeung explains how the country is rebranding after years of conflict and isolation to attract tourists.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are flying over Benghazi, Libya right now, which just a few years ago, the scene of some very heavy fighting. But right now, we're up in the skies with a bunch of skydivers who have come in from all over the world, pretty insane people, who have jumped out of a military helicopter just for fun.

YEUNG (voice-over): Here in Libya, things have changed. Just a decade ago, ISIS was a powerful force. Fierce battles between jihadi fighters and the Libyan National Army raged across the territory.

Benghazi itself was already a buzzword in American politics.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Take a look at Benghazi.

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Benghazi.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNTED STATES: Benghazi.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Benghazi.

REP. JIM JORDON (R-OH): Benghazi.

JOHN MCCAIN, FORMER ARIZONA SENATOR: Benghazi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome back. We're following breaking news this morning ... YEUNG (voice-over): In 2012, militants allied with al-Qaeda killed the U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens, sparking a partisan firestorm in Washington. The politics may have moved on, but the scars of war are everywhere. Libyans are keen for a rebrand, and thrill-seekers from around the world are all too happy to help out.

YEUNG: How was it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was amazing.

YEUNG: How do you feel?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I felt like I just had sex.

YEUNG (voice-over): People from 37 countries have come to inaugurate the skydiving center.

YEUNG: How are you feeling?

BRADEN ROSEBOROUGH, SKYDIVER: I'm feeling great.

YEUNG: Yes?

ROSEBOROUGH: I'm really excited. It's going to be incredible, I think. Yes.

YEUNG: Were you nervous about coming to Libya at all?

ROSEBOROUGH: A little bit, yes.

YEUNG: What do you think of when you think of Libya?

ROSEBOROUGH: All that I hear as an American is, like, Benghazi and Hillary's e-mails. As I started to kind of research the country, you know, it has an amazing history. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up to explore a new place.

YEUNG: I mean, you're clearly an adrenaline junkie.

ROSEBOROUGH: Sure.

YEUNG: Is part of the appeal coming to a place that has been through a lot that, you know, has seen a lot of adrenaline itself?

ROSEBOROUGH: I didn't think about it that way, but it was more of a unique experience for me that I was excited about.

YEUNG (voice-over): From fighting off ISIS to facilitating adrenaline junkies, the Libyan National Army are helping run things here, looking to Dubai for inspiration and expertise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translated text): Our goal is to send a clear message to the world, that Libya is ready to be a pioneer in tourism.

YEUNG: I mean, it's just a few years ago that there was war here. Were you fighting?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translated text): Our We fought no only in this area, we took part in operations across multiple regions of Libya.

YEUNG: Is this what you were fighting for?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translated text): This is a great joy for us. For every Libyan and Arab citizen. The entire team and all the staff here are delighted.

YEUNG: Do you have a message for Americans or people outside of here who might be considering a trip to ...

END