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Thousands Of Air Traffic Controllers Won't Receive Extra $10,000; Speculation Intensifies In The Death Of A Teen On A Cruise; Trump, NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani To Meet For The First Time At White House; U.S. Pushes Ukraine Deal That Gives Russia Almost Everything It Wants; Trump Gives Ukraine Thursday Deadline To Agree To Plan To End War; U.S. Coast Guard Reclassifies Hate Symbols After Backlash. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired November 21, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Riley, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your perspective.

DAVE RILEY, RETIRED FAA AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Thanks, Boris. Great day.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Stay with "CNN News Central." A new hour starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Meeting with Mamdani. After months of verbal sparring between New York City's Mayor-elect and President Trump, the two men will hold face-to-face talks. The president says they should get along fine, but we'll see if that's the case next hour. Plus, policy pivot. The Coast Guard makes a major reversal after getting backlash for appearing to downplay hate symbols like swastikas and nooses. We'll break down that controversy ahead.

And the FBI is investigating the death of a high-school cheerleader on a Carnival cruise ship. We'll show you why the case is drawing international attention and sparking intense speculation online. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

One hour from now, two political foes meet face-to-face for the first time. President Trump will hold talks with New York City's Mayor- elect, Zohran Mamdani. But unlike recent Oval Office visits the president has held, cameras and reporters have not been invited in. Earlier today, the president predicted the sit down will be "quite civil". Notable, given that he's recently called Mamdani, a communist, lunatic total nut job. Mamdani in return has called himself "President Trump's worst nightmare."

The president has also threatened to cut funding to America's largest city as Mamdani soon brings his affordability agenda to the White House. CNN's Gloria Pazmino is with us now. Gloria, how has Mamdani been preparing for what's really a high-stakes moment here? GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Brianna, it's so, sort of interesting and important to watch and remember how these two people, these two men have been talking about one another, because that is the stuff of campaigning, of politicking, of talking to your supporters. And now, these two men have to get into a room and have a conversation because there's a real relationship that depends on it, and a city that is hoping to have a good relationship with the Trump administration in this moment. And that's what Mamdani said he was going to go in there to do.

He said he wants to talk to the president about the crisis of affordability. That is, of course, the driving message of Mamdani's mayoral campaign. It's the message that got him elected. And it's the reason he's preparing to take office on January 1st. And in the last few weeks, we've heard President Trump actually talk about affordability as well and sort of complaining that perhaps his administration and members of the Republican Party are not doing a good enough job of focusing on that message.

But as you said, Mamdani is going into a really big moment here. And we know that the White House and the president can be a bit unpredictable. So he's been trying to prepare and he talked to Governor Kathy Hochul, the Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, all of them trying to give him pointers about how to approach this meeting and how to communicate with the president.

And we are hearing just a little bit about how the president is viewing this meeting. He had -- he was on the radio earlier this morning, on Fox News Radio, and he predicted that it will be a civil meeting and he also previewed some of the issues he thinks might come up. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN KILMEADE, HOST OF "THE BRIAN KILMEADE SHOW," FOX NEWS RADIO: He doesn't expect cooperation between the NYPD and ICE. That's got to be disappointing.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, it, we're going to be talking about it. When you have a known murderer, a known rapist, a known whatever it is, drug dealers all over the place, I can't imagine that anybody wants to keep them, but I'll have that discussion with him today. Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: So, Trump is talking there about public safety, about immigration enforcement, something that is very much in the front of minds of so many people here in New York City, especially as they watch immigration enforcement ramp up in other cities. And there's a real question about how Donald Trump is going to respond once Mamdani takes office on January 1st. Will he send the National Guard? Will he increase immigration enforcement? I think all of those topics are likely to be on the table, and we'll see if whether or not we are actually able to watch and listen as these two meet for the first time. Brianna?

KEILAR: All right, Gloria Pazmino, thank you. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Let's get the point of view of David Axelrod. He's a CNN Chief Political Analyst and also former Senior Advisor to President Obama. David, great to see you as always. What are you going to be watching for in this White House meeting --

DAVID AXELROD, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, Boris, God's speed (ph).

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: -- between Trump and Mamdani.

AXELROD: Well, first of all, let's just note, this is an extraordinary meeting because you have two larger-than-life characters, two guys who came from the outside and defeated the political establishment in their own parties. Two who have run populist campaigns, although with -- in different tones, and two who have used each other as foils very effectively.

[14:05:00]

But the late Mario Cuomo once said that you campaign in poetry and govern in prose. These days. You campaign in battery, verbal battery and then have to govern in prose. And the question is whether they sit down with each other and focus on the things that they can agree on, or whether they focus on the things they disagree on. There should be plenty of things that they can talk about and make some progress on. A lot of them have to do with public works projects that have been held up by the president.

The Gateway Tunnel from Jersey to New York, very important, that's been held up. The Penn Station renovation, the Second Avenue subway. These are big important economic engines for the city of New York. And there are other funding issues to talk about as well. So, there are places they can make progress. And Boris, I think it's encouraging that they're going to hold this meeting in private because you tend to get more done when the cameras aren't on and you can be candid with each other.

If I were Mamdani, I would say to Trump, listen, you can beat my brains in and I can beat your brains in, but let's have a relationship where we can pick up the phone and talk to each other as well. And I think the president has been receptive to that with others. Let's see if he is in this case.

SANCHEZ: That is a really good point. I just want to let you and our viewers know, a lot of times when we get these schedules for the White House from the day, it starts off as closed press, meaning that there won't be cameras in the room, and then the president, I guess, gets inspired and flips it. So there is a chance that we may see cameras go in. I wonder --

AXELROD: Of course. SANCHEZ: I wonder -- and I wonder do you think that if that happens, there's going to be some posturing and would it be a good idea for Mamdani at least, to challenge the president there?

AXELROD: Look, I think this is a tricky path to navigate here, is they both have constituencies and bases, and they both have done well, Boris, politically because they're viewed as authentic.

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

AXELROD: I don't think Mamdani can go in there and concede on issues that are -- like immigration that are very, very important to him and important to the people who have voted for him. I don't think he would do that. But -- and I don't think the president is going to concede on some of those issues either. Like I said, the question is, do they choose to focus on those things that they can agree on? And listen, they're both very adroit performers. And my sense is the president will want to get a -- he'll want to get a sense of the temperature during that meeting and then he'll make a decision as to whether --

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

AXELROD: -- the cameras are going to be welcome or not.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. I wonder specifically for Mamdani, the potential challenges that he's facing, not only from the outside and as you noted, being used as a foil by President Trump and other Republicans, but he's taking over this enormous bureaucracy without some of the extensive experience that his predecessors have had.

AXELROD: For sure.

SANCHEZ: He's promising to be a change agent. It's reminiscent perhaps of folks that you've worked with in the past. Talk to us about how stepping into that role is going to be a challenge even without all the outside noise.

AXELROD: Oh, listen, it used to be said that being mayor of New York was the second toughest job in America. And there's something to that. It's a big complicated city and a big complicated bureaucracy. And it is a huge challenge for anyone stepping into that job, but particularly for someone who hasn't had a lot of administrative experience. And he has said and he should believe that he needs to build a team around him that is adequate to the task.

I think people, were relieved when the very highly regarded Police Commissioner Tisch said that she would stay on into the next administration at the invitation of the mayor. And he sent some other signals, bringing in some city hall veterans who know a lot about how that bureaucracy works. But I think, Boris, his asking for this meeting was also part of sending a signal that he is serious about governing and that whatever his relationship is with the president of the United States or any president, it behooves the mayor of New York to have a dialog with that person and talk about the nuts and bolts issues that are important to the city.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, we'll see if they let cameras in the room. David Axelrod, thank you so much for the perspective.

AXELROD: You bet.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, President Trump giving Ukraine less than a week to agree to his 28-point piece proposal, one that sees Kyiv making significant concessions. We'll see what they are saying.

[14:10:00]

Plus, the Coast Guard backtracks on a policy change that downplayed the display of swastikas and nooses, the details on that. And later a fire breaking out inside the convention hall during the COP 30 Climate Conference in Brazil. We'll bring you the pictures and the details in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A new ultimatum from President Trump today, who now says Ukraine has until Thanksgiving to accept his peace deal to end the war with Russia.

[14:15:00]

This plan would force Ukraine into making stunning land and military concessions to Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This is one of the most difficult moments in our history. The pressure on Ukraine is now at its most intense. Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice, either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner or 28 difficult points or an extremely harsh winter. The most difficult are further risks our life without freedom, without dignity, without justice, and believing someone who has already attacked us twice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Trump's 28-point plan calls for Ukraine to cede large swaths of territory, including land that is not currently even held by Russia. It also forces Ukraine to limit the size of its military and commit to not joining NATO. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy spoke on the phone with Vice President J.D. Vance today, and Zelenskyy's office says he plans to speak with President Trump here in the coming days.

CNN's Kylie Atwood is with us now. Kylie, the secretary of the Army, not a diplomat, briefing European allies today on this peace plan. How are Europeans reacting?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: They're not exactly thrilled about what they're seeing in the details here, particularly because a lot of these points are maximalist Russian positions that they have previously put on the table and the Ukrainians have said are non-starters. But one of the interesting things here, Brianna, is the fact that the Trump administration feels that they have the wind at their backs after having pushed forth a ceasefire in Gaza. What we're watching now is that they're actually applying the same framework that they used to try and drive that solution to that conflict to apply it to the Ukraine war. They are very similar frameworks in the sense that these are bullet points that the U.S. has put together, more than a dozen bullet points. They include similar things, even, commitments to reconstruction, long-lasting solution to the conflict and also a commitment from President Trump to oversee the U.S. commitment behind driving forward this process.

But of course, when it comes to this plan that has been put forth, there are a lot of these elements that are seen as major concessions that the Ukrainians would have to be making, particularly when it comes to giving up portions of their territory that the Russians occupy, some portions of their territory that the Russians don't even occupy at this time. And also giving up a major concession saying that in their constitution, they would have to say that they would never join NATO.

KEILAR: Is there any wiggle room here on what the demands are?

ATWOOD: Well, that's an interesting question because earlier this week, Trump administration officials were telling us, listen, what's being reported here is not the final draft. But then you hear just earlier today, President Trump saying that the Ukrainians have until a week from now, next Thursday, to accept this proposal. So it does appear that even if this is not the final draft, this is certainly the initial pledge, the initial pitch that the Trump administration is making. And they're not saying that they were waiting for Ukrainian feedback. They're saying we're waiting for the Ukrainians to accept this.

We also heard from President Putin just in the last few hours, saying that from the Russian side, he believes that this could form the basis for a final peace settlement. So the Russians are clearly quickly getting behind this.

KEILAR: Because they love it.

ATWOOD: They do.

KEILAR: Because it's great for them.

ATWOOD: Yeah.

KEILAR: Right?

ATWOOD: Kirill Dmitriev have worked on this with the U.S. Envoy, Steve Witkoff, and they have long been working back and forth. But we know that the Europeans were not involved in the drafting of this plan

KEILAR: Yeah, it does sort of show. Kylie, great reporting. Thank you so much for that. And still ahead, following fierce backlash, the Coast Guard is reclassifying some of the most recognizable emblems of racism and anti-Semitism as hate symbols. We'll have details on that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [14:23:40]

SANCHEZ: After intense backlash, the U.S. Coast Guard is now reclassifying swastikas and nooses as hate symbols.

KEILAR: Yeah. The new memo comes after a previous policy change downplayed the way these symbols, widely recognized as racist and anti-Semitic, are classified. CNN's Brian Todd is with us now on this story. All right, Brian, take us through what happened here.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, guys, the fact that we're even sitting here talking about this is extraordinary in and of itself. OK, so the latest memo from the Coast Guard is a real about-face. The Coast Guard now saying this in its latest memo issued Thursday, "Divisive or hate symbols and flags are prohibited. These symbols and flags include, but are not limited to the following: A noose, a swastika, and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate based groups as representations of supremacy, racial or religious intolerance, anti-Semitism, or any other improper bias."

Now that statement was released just hours after this, The Washington Post reported that the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard actually had changed its policy to downgrade the classification of those symbols as "potentially divisive." That's the way they were going to characterize those in a policy that was issued last week, potentially divisive, to describe nooses swastikas and similar symbols. That was last week. And when The Washington Post reported on it yesterday, just hours after that, the Department of Homeland Security reversed all of that, guys, saying that, hey, no harm, no foul. We never did this in the first place.

[14:25:00]

That's what's interesting here.

KEILAR: Really?

SANCHEZ: What are they saying in a statement about it all?

TODD: It's kind of revisionist.

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

TODD: They're basically denying that they ever changed the policy in the first place. Our colleague, Michael Williams sent them an email just this morning and the Department of Homeland Security, this is the group that oversees the Coast Guard as you know, sent an email back to Michael saying, "There was no reversal. The 2025 policy is not changing and accused The Washington Post and us and other media of pushing a demonstrably false storyline.

Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS spokesperson, said this "The 2025 policy is not changing. USCG issued a lawful order that doubles down on our current policies, prohibiting the display, distribution, or use of hate symbols by Coast Guard personnel." They are saying basically, we never did this in the first place, but The Washington Post has documentation that they did do it. The question is, who made that decision?

SANCHEZ: Right.

TODD: Why they made it? And The Post didn't get answers and we haven't gotten answers either. The Post also inquired as to whether DHS Secretary, Kristi Noem was part of this or not. They never got any response to that.

KEILAR: All right, Brian, really, really interesting and so important that you take us through each step of that.

TODD: Yeah.

KEILAR: It's very illustrative.

TODD: It's (inaudible).

KEILAR: Yeah, it's very helpful. Thank you.

TODD: Sure.

KEILAR: President Trump insisting he is not threatening death to Democratic lawmakers who urge troops to disobey illegal orders, but says they are in "serious trouble." What's he talking about? We'll have that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)