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Judges Order Trump to Fund SNAP Benefits during Shutdown; Flight Delays Caused by Shortage of Air Traffic Controllers; JPMorgan Flagged Suspicions of Epstein Transactions; Dodgers Force Game 7 with Blue Jays Tonight; Trump Denies Approving Military Strikes in Venezuela; Furloughed Workers Struggle to Cope with Missing Pay; Coffee Shop Offers Free Breakfast to Help Those Losing Benefits; British Borough Seeks Pardon for Women Executed as Witches; Egypt's New Museum Showcases Archeological Treasures. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired November 01, 2025 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Two federal judges ruled in favor of food stamp recipients amid the government shutdown. Details on those rulings and how the Trump administration is responding.
The shutdown is also increasingly impacting air travel we'll have. The latest on disruptions across the country.
And there will be a Game 7 in Toronto. We'll preview the winner-take- all World Series matchup between the Blue Jays and the Dodgers.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: The government shutdown is now entering its second month. It's just days away from becoming the longest shutdown in U.S. history. But the Senate isn't in session until next week and the president is spending the weekend at his Florida resort.
Starting today, tens of millions of Americans are at risk of losing critical food assistance because of the lapse in funding. Two federal judges are now stepping in and requiring the Trump administration to continue funding food stamp benefits. President Trump says he still needs some clarification from the courts.
And despite Republican control of both the White House and Congress, he blames Democrats for everything. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Mr. President, are you going to meet with Democratic leadership?
TRUMP: I'm always. Going to meet. All they. Have to do is open. Up the country. Let them open up the. Country and we'll meet. We'll meet. Very quickly. But they have to open. Up the country. It's their fault. Everything is their fault. It's so easily solved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The top Democrat in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, praised the judge's rulings. He says the Trump administration should not be, quote, "weaponizing hunger." CNN's Rene Marsh has more now from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RENE MARSH, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Trump administration had argued that it was not required to use the emergency fund, claiming that the government shutdown did not constitute as an emergency but rather a crisis of Congress' making.
However, attorneys representing cities and nonprofit organizations on Friday were challenging the suspension of this food assistance program. They argue that millions of families being unable to buy food clearly is an emergency. And the two federal judges issuing their decisions within minutes of each other agreed.
The federal judge in Rhode Island said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture acted unlawfully by refusing to use the emergency funds, noting that, in 2019, the Trump administration's own guidance stated that those funds should be used during government funding lapses.
Now the court ordered the agency to distribute the money in a timely fashion and report back to the court by Monday at noon on its progress. The judges also directed them to decide whether they would make other funds available, whether they would move other funds around to fully cover SNAP nationwide.
We should point out that the emergency fund only contains just shy of $6 billion but the SNAP program costs about $9 billion per month. The USDA has reallocated funds before .They did it earlier in October.
They moved around some $300 million to support the Women, Infants and Children's program, also known as WIC, so that it can remain operational. It's unclear whether they will move additional money to supplement SNAP benefits.
If they don't, recipients may only receive partial payments but once these funds are approved, states will need time to restart the funding and get the money flowing once again.
So what this really means is, come November 1st, the millions of Americans who rely on SNAP benefits will not likely see funds on their cards. They will likely experience a delay in receiving this money -- Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: And yet another impact of the government shutdown, both LaGuardia and JFK airports in New York issued ground stops Friday because they didn't have enough air traffic controllers. Now airlines are calling on Congress to bring the shutdown to an end. CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean has more.
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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The pressure is mounting from airlines for there to be an end to this shutdown, now with Thanksgiving travel on the horizon. Air traffic control staffing on Friday was particularly bad.
[04:05:03]
With shortages at three air traffic control centers causing the Federal Aviation Administration to halt flights for about an hour into New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The FAA also implemented delays due to low controller staffing for flights into New York's LaGuardia, Newark, Boston Logan, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Nashville and both commercial airports in Houston.
That is exactly why all major U.S. airlines are now calling on Congress to immediately pass a clean continuing resolution to get air traffic controllers working with pay again.
Members of the Trump administration met with airline CEOs during a White House roundtable on Thursday and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned this could get worse with what's anticipated to be a huge Thanksgiving air travel rush less than four weeks out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN DUFFY, U.S. SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: Our traffic.
Will.
Be snarled, right?
It will.
Be a.
Disaster in aviation as we go into November.
Travel picks up as.
People start to look at going to see their families. Kids come home from college and if you don't have air traffic controllers who are being paid, they might want to stay on the job but they cannot.
They're going to have to go take a second job and you're going to have mass issues throughout the airspace. People will not be able to go from one place to the other because of the government shutdown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MUNTEAN: The problems on Thursday were bad, too. At one point, the FAA warned that it would have to stop all flights into Orlando International Airport due to no controllers available to work.
A source familiar with the situation tells me that the FAA had to lean on air traffic control supervisors so it could keep flights moving -- Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: There's been a rare split between congressional Republicans and the White House over one way to end the shutdown.
In a Truth Social post, president Trump wrote that it's time for Republicans to go for the nuclear option and get rid of the filibuster.
The rule allows the minority party the power to block a bill from coming up for a vote, as long as at least 41 senators oppose it. Senate GOP leader John Thune has rejected Trump's directive, remaining firm in his opposition to ending the filibuster.
Even House Speaker Mike Johnson, who rarely breaks with Trump in public, is warning against the president's demands. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: I can tell you that the filibuster through the years has been something that's been a bulwark against a lot of really bad things happening to the country.
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: I would be deeply concerned if the Democrats had a bare majority in the Senate right now.
A Marxist ideology taking over the Democrat party, do I want them to have no safeguards and no stumbling blocks or hurdles at all in the way of turning us into a communist country?
I don't think that's a great idea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The FBI says it thwarted a potential terrorist attack that may have been planned for Halloween weekend. Sources described the reported plot as ISIS-inspired and said it unfolded in online chat rooms. CNN's Sherrell Hubbard has more on the latest details.
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SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): FBI director Kash Patel revealed the.
Alleged plot.
And arrest of multiple suspects. In a social media post Friday morning.
He said, quote, "This morning, the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend.
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JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: What happened here was they had this group under surveillance for months. This week, a couple of things ticked up. Number one, they went to a shooting range with rifles. They fired a lot of ammunition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUBBARD (voice-over): The FBI's Detroit field office confirmed that FBI agents in Michigan were present in the cities of Dearborn and Inkster, conducting law enforcement activities.
Authorities said the people involved in the chat being monitored by the FBI went to a shooting range with AK-47s, practiced high-speed reloads and made a reference to, quote, "pumpkin day," which could mean Halloween.
Agents became concerned that a plot might be imminent, according to Miller.
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MILLER: The FBI had high-level discussions about, we have this group under surveillance. We have them under electronic surveillance, physical surveillance. We're listening to their devices and following their texts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUBBARD (voice-over): Two chatroom members have been arrested. Three others are being questioned. Sources say an undercover FBI agent gained access to these chat rooms, where members were in the early stages of discussion.
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MILLER: The decision was made to move in, make arrests and see where the pieces fell.
HUBBARD (voice-over): I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: An FBI spokesperson, Jordan Hall, told CNN, there is no current threat to public safety.
A New York federal judge has unsealed revelations made by the JPMorgan Chase bank about transactions connected to Jeffrey Epstein. CNN's Kara Scannell has more from New York. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Weeks after Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide awaiting trial, one of the nation's largest banks flagged over $1 billion in suspicious transactions to U.S. authorities.
JPMorgan Chase filed a suspicious activity report to the U.S. Treasury, citing over 4,000 transactions between October 2003 and July 2019.
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These transfers involve some titans of Wall Street and accounts held at two Russian banks. JPMorgan said it was identifying the transactions because of the public allegations against Epstein, the Russian banks and Epstein's ties to two U.S. presidents.
None of the people mentioned in the SARs are accused of any wrongdoing and there are no details about the specific transactions included in the SAR. Now these records were part of a lawsuit between the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned Little St. James, and JPMorgan.
A federal judge in New York unsealed them at the request of "The New York Times" and "The Wall Street Journal." JPMorgan ended its relationship with Epstein in 2013, five years after he pleaded guilty to state prostitution charges.
Now banks have been criticized for turning a blind eye to Epstein's suspicious transactions while continuing to do business with him.
In a statement, JPMorgan said generally, the only new material here is the SARs themselves. It does not appear that anyone in the government or law enforcement acted on those SARs for years.
And JPMorgan did agree to pay $290 million to survivors of Epstein and $75 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands to settle that lawsuit. Now Democratic lawmakers have asked the bank for more information.
And JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said last month, "We regret any association with that man at all" -- Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: When Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, as he's now called, was stripped of his title, he was also given formal notice to surrender the lease on his current home, Royal Lodge.
King Charles' brother is expected to move to a property on the Sandringham estate but probably not until after the Christmas holidays, according to a royal source. The king will finance the property and make provisions for his brother.
The U.K. government says it fully supports King Charles' actions on Andrew. A Downing Street spokesperson said their sympathies were with the victims of abuse. Andrew's name was removed from the official Roll of the Peerage on Friday, a key step in the full removal of his titles.
The devastation that Hurricane Melissa left on some Caribbean islands will be felt for some time. Jamaica's ambassador to the U.S. confirmed that at least 19 people were killed when the unprecedented category five storm hit the country with ferocious winds and rain.
U.S. search and rescue teams have been arriving in Jamaica to provide immediate humanitarian support. The ambassador says there's 70 percent of the country is still without power and four hospitals on the hard- hit western side experienced extensive damage.
Many roads have been destroyed, making it hard to reach parts of the island. Here's what Chef Jose Andres at World Central Kitchen told CNN about humanitarian aid.
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CHEF JOSE ANDRES, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: And you see the images. They are all desperate equally. So that's why right now in the next 48 hours is when the increase of a juice has to be exponential because again, it's day two, day three, day four is when, hey, we need food. Hey, we need water.
Hey, we need -- now is the moment that then people get really very anxious, logically.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: In eastern Cuba, the military is helping victims of hurricane Melissa. They worked through torrential rains on Friday to rescue people who were trapped by rising floodwaters.
Cuba's foreign ministry says it's been in touch with the U.S. State Department to get clarification after secretary of state Marco Rubio said the U.S. was prepared to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people.
And if you want to help those impacted by Hurricane Melissa, you can go to cnn.com.
The World Series is headed to a winner-take-all Game 7 tonight in Toronto. The Los Angeles Dodgers held on to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 in Game 6 at the Rogers Center on Friday night.
The Jays almost tied things up in the bottom of the ninth with runners in scoring position but the Dodgers shut it down with a thrilling double play. The game was a pitchers' duel through all nine innings. The only runs scored were in the third inning. The Dodgers, as the reigning champs, are looking for a repeat.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are chasing their first World Series title in 32 years. The Jays' manager says he's fully confident that veterans starting pitcher, Max Scherzer, can lead the team to a baseball glory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN SCHNEIDER, MANAGER, TORONTO BLUE JAYS: That's the two best words in sports, you know, Game 7. No better guy to have on the mound to kind of navigate the emotions, the stuff. Max has been getting ready for Game 7 when he knew he was pitching Game 3. So all the confidence in the world in him and everyone.
DAVE ROBERTS, MANAGER, LOS ANGELES DODGERS: We're just going to -- we're going to leave it out there. I don't think that the pressure, the moment is going to be too big for us. We got to go out there and win one baseball game. We've done that all year. Everyone's bought in.
And so I don't know how the game is going to play out. But as far as kind of the moment winning a game, I couldn't be more excited to get to sleep and wake up to play a baseball game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: It seems like all of Canada's rallying behind the Toronto Blue Jays.
[04:15:00]
Arash Markazi is the founder and CEO of "The Sporting Tribune" and he described the electric atmosphere for this World Series at the Rogers Center.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARASH MARKAZI, FOUNDER AND CEO, "THE SPORTING TRIBUNE": It was incredible.
I mean, you know, normally, you know, a year ago.
I'm. covering the Yankees and the Dodgers and this New York and Los Angeles, this is the entire country of Canada is behind this team.
And so the national anthem was a big deal. Like every strikeout, every play. And they really felt it in the ninth inning, the bottom of the ninth. Again, this is the best team this season in terms of coming from behind. They got to the World Series by coming from behind. So we all thought that this was. Going to happen.
Like we already knew the end of this script. So for the Dodgers to win in the manner that they did, I still can't believe it. It is surreal.
And we have the two most beautiful words in sports, Game 7. I would be surprised at this point if Shohei is not the starter with Glasnow available. Blake Snell, he could even be available.
I mean, this is one of those situations that you have plenty of time to rest up and heal up when the season is done. And again, a lot of the guys were talking postgame. When we're in the back yard, when we were kids playing baseball, we dreamed about Game 7. It's all about Game 7 again.
So the Dodgers have had this amazing run. They have not yet played in a Game 7. Again, the last time they had a Game 7 in the World Series was back in 2017. So this is the moment that they've all dreamed about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: It's a powerful missile, capable of striking targets 1,000 miles away. But the U.S. president denied it to Ukraine, even though his own military reportedly approved the transfer. We'll have that story ahead.
And hundreds are killed in Sudan as rebels take over a key city. We'll have the latest on the dire situation.
And then later, how laid-off and furloughed U.S. government workers are coping with missed paychecks due to the shutdown. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: This just in, an Israeli official is telling CNN that none of the three bodies returned from Gaza on Friday belong to any of the 11 hostages remaining in Gaza. The official says Hamas has admitted in advance that it wasn't sure the remains were actually the hostages.
The Red Cross, which assists in the transfer, said identifying the bodies is the responsibility of authorities in Israel.
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BRUNHUBER: When U.S. president Trump ruled out sending the Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, he apparently overruled a Pentagon recommendation. That's according to U.S. and European officials, who say military leaders concluded the U.S. has enough Tomahawks to share.
But president Trump suggested the exact opposite before deciding to withhold the missiles for now. For more. Melissa Bell joins us from Paris.
Melissa, on those Tomahawk missiles, what more are we learning?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly the.
Pentagon believes that.
This will.
Not damage.
U.S. stockpiles.
To give Ukraine.
Some of those Tomahawk missiles.
The decision, of course, remains with president Trump. But it is a stark contrast to what we'd seen when president Zelenskyy had come to Washington, leaving empty-handed when it was precisely those Tomahawks he was after.
And it is to do with the Ukrainian strategy, Kim, of trying to hit Russian oil facilities deep inside the country. Tomahawk missiles, of course, 1,000 miles, much longer-range than anything Ukraine has in its arsenal.
And the point for president Zelenskyy, that he believes that, with these, he can level the playing field or make it a fairer deal, at least when the war ends. In October, 10 different oil facilities were hit. The idea is that the Tomahawks would allow them to do that more efficiently and to go much deeper into Russia.
And it has been an effective strategy. We've seen oil prices, gas prices rise inside Russia. The idea is not just to disrupt their ability to continue fighting this war but also actually just to bring the war to Russians as well.
This, of course, even as, on the battlefield, Ukrainians are under a great deal of pressure around Pokrovsk. This is what president Zelenskyy had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): There were many military reports today. Detail on the front, of course, Pokrovsk, first of all. We continue to destroy the occupier. And the most important thing is to stop Russian assaults wherever and whenever possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: President Zelenskyy says there are now 170,000 Russian troops massed around that town, hoping to take it. And the pressure is on the Ukrainians. If it falls, it is extremely strategically important. For months now, Russians have been trying to take it. Kim.
Britain Yes. And, Melissa, there have been obviously ongoing strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. But we're also learning about Ukrainian attacks that have been hitting Russian infrastructure. Tell us about that.
BELL: That's right. We've been hearing about a pipeline that may have been hit, say the Ukrainians, inside Russia. And again, their strategy has been very much to try and take out as many of these facilities as they can in order to drive that war back to Russia.
The rising gasoline prices, they believe, are a sign that this is working. In fact, we've heard Ukrainian officials, Kim, speak to the fact that this appears to be more efficient than sanctions in terms of punishing the Russian economy.
And so it is with a view to increasing that that they've been seeking these Tomahawks, with president Zelenskyy speaking to the fact that he hopes to have them in place by the end of the year.
BRUNHUBER: Appreciate those updates. Melissa Bell in Paris, thanks so much.
Well, the Pentagon is now shifting its focus from the Caribbean to the eastern Pacific as it carries out strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats. Officials say there's more evidence linking the transport of cocaine via western routes on the Pacific.
The Trump administration has yet to provide any significant evidence showing these vessels are trafficking drugs.
Since early September, the U.S. has struck 15 vessels and killed at least 61 people in the Pacific and Caribbean combined.
Meanwhile, president Trump is denying claims that he's made up his mind to strike targets within Venezuela. This comes as president Nicolas Maduro claims the U.S. wants to oust him from power. The U.S. military has been steadily bolstering its firepower in the Caribbean and surrounding region, as tensions escalate between the two countries.
[04:25:05]
The United Nations is confirming hundreds of civilians and unarmed fighters may have been killed by rebel forces in Sudan when they took over the city of El Fasher on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Recent satellite imagery revealed burning across north Darfur's capital. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, seized the city from Sudan's army, ending an 18-month siege.
Tens of thousands have fled with refugees describing bodies in the streets. The RSF has been accused of committing genocide against non- Arab ethnic groups. One witness described what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALKHEIR ISMALI, AL-FASHER REFUGEE (through translator): These people had collected 300 of us civilians, travelers. They brought us to a reservoir. The people on camels and motorbikes gathered us and killed us there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: RSF officials deny carrying out massacres, calling the reports "media exaggerations." But the U.N. says more evidence continues to emerge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEIF MAGANGO, SPOKESPERSON, U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE: Since the RSF made a major incursion into the city on the 23rd of February -- of October, we have received horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against Italian (ph) walkers, looting, abductions and forced displacement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: On Friday, president Trump accused Nigeria of severe religious freedom violations. Trump claimed Christianity is facing an existential threat and said thousands of Christians are being killed by radical Islamists.
He announced he's designated Nigeria a country of particular concern under the International Religious Freedom Act, a move that could trigger sanctions. Nigeria's government disputes the claims, noting that both Christians and Muslims are victims of violence driven by multiple factors, including religious, ethnic and land disputes.
All right. We're going to take a quick break. For our viewers here in North America, we'll have more news in just a moment. For our international viewers, CNN's "MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST" is coming up next.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us here in the United States and Canada. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
It's now day 32 of the government shutdown in the U.S., with no deal in sight. Millions of Americans are facing delays in getting food assistance that was supposed to arrive today.
But two federal judges are now ordering the Trump administration to continue funding SNAP benefits. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will have to tap into billions of dollars in emergency funds, although it won't be enough to cover all the payments.
Some federal workers are finding unique ways to replace the paychecks they're missing because of the government shutdown. They're also trying to cope with the stress and the impact on their mental health, as CNN's Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Angie O'Neal, drawing and painting are coping mechanisms.
ANGIE O'NEAL, PROGRAM MANAGER, U.S. NAVY: All the words and stress is on this paper. I put it all on the canvas. TODD: O'Neal is a 40-year federal employee, furloughed from her job as a program manager for the U.S. Navy. She says she hasn't been paid since late September.
O'NEAL: I'd like to get $2,300 for that, $1,500 for the Toni Morrison.
TODD: O'Neal is trying to sell her artwork at the Love Life Coffee Shop near her home in Laurel, Maryland. It's a way to try to make ends meet and handle the crushing uncertainty of being furloughed.
O'NEAL: It's about showing the mature realism of my work and the comfort of it all. I'm sorry.
TODD: Does it comfort you to do that at a time like this?
O'NEAL: Yes, it beautifully captures my emotions. It keeps me steady.
TODD: O'Neal's other coping methods are less soothing. She says she has to think about rationing meals and gas or even going without medical visits to treat her diabetic neuropathy.
O'NEAL: If I don't have income, then I can't make those appointments. I may reschedule them or have to cancel them.
TODD: Other federal employees and contractors who were furloughed or laid off because of the shutdown are coping by canvassing job fairs, like this one we attended in Silver Spring, Maryland.
ELIZABETH BAKER, GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR: I wouldn't be here at a job fair if I weren't trying to hedge my bets, much as my employer has been very good to me has nothing to do with it because we're down to survival.
TODD: Furloughed government contractor Elizabeth Baker says she's cashing in her holiday pay using unemployment insurance and consulting on what to do if she gets an eviction notice.
Other furloughed workers at job fairs wouldn't go on camera with us, fearing retaliation. They told us about having to lend money to furloughed colleagues, cutting back on gift giving for the holiday.
At K Scarry's bar in D.C., furloughed workers didn't show for a networking session that Scarry set up for them because they heard we were coming. But Scarry told us what the conversations have been like in those weekly sessions.
K SCARRY, OWNER, KBIRD DC: There's questions about, you know, how do we talk to our kids?
Our kids know the government's shut down. They know we work for the government.
How do we have that conversation with our kids without overpromising but also making sure they feel steady?
TODD: Elizabeth Baker's message to other furloughed workers, try to cope by focusing on your mental health.
BAKER: Keep the hope, keep striving. You're smart. You'll get through this.
TODD: And there is hope for federal employees, furloughed federal employees trying to get mental and emotional help as they cope with having no work coming in. One of the directors of a series of job fairs in Maryland told us that his group focuses a lot of its counseling just on the mental health of furloughed federal workers.
He says, quote, "We just want people to know that you don't have to go through this alone" -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: More than 42 million low-income Americans rely on SNAP benefits to feed their families. One coffee shop is doing what it can to make sure those impacted by the shutdown can at least start their day off right.
Heretic Coffee in Portland, Oregon, says it's offering free breakfast to anyone losing their SNAP benefits, no questions asked. And that's until the government reopens or the roastery goes out of business. And judging by the global support they're getting, they could sustain that offer for a long time.
For more on this, I'm joined now by Josh White. He is the owner of Heretic Coffee.
Thank you so much for being here with us. This is a type of story I love telling.
What made you decide to do this?
Was there a moment where you just said, you know, you had to do something?
JOSH WHITE, OWNER, HERETIC COFFEE: There really wasn't.
A moment for me.
It was just a very simple calculus. We sell food. There's going.
To. Be people.
Who need to eat that can't get access to food.
[04:35:03]
So we're going to give it to them. Because food is just a basic human right.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. I mean, you make it sound so simple but, of course, it isn't. I mean, you normally see, what, 30 to 40 customers a day.
What was it like when you, when you opened those doors that first morning, when you made that offer?
WHITE: Yes.
So as you said, we usually did something between 30 to 40 sales a day. And by.
The.
First 10 minutes of the first hour, we were open, we were already over about 40 to 50 sales for that day.
BRUNHUBER: Wow. Amazing. So that tells you something about the need out there.
I mean, what are the folks who are coming in telling you about the situation that they're facing right now.
WHITE: Yes.
Well, the very first day, actually, the day before we started this, we had a 10, 11-year-old boy come in and he asked if he could get our SNAP breakfast a couple days early. And that enough. That tells you enough right there. A child is asking for food.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely heartbreaking, I know. I mean, things aren't easy for coffee shops these days. I know coffee prices have been going up and so on.
I mean, how can you actually afford to do this, considering the demand?
WHITE: Yes.
Well.
Number one, like we said at the very beginning, we're going to do this until SNAP benefits are reinstated or until we go broke. There is no other option here.
That's what we said at the very beginning, then someone in one of our first posts commented and said, how about you open up a donation link?
And we did. And now here we are, five days later. We've raised over $300,000 from 11,000 different people around the world, not just America, around the world.
BRUNHUBER: Around the world. So obviously this is a story that's touching so many people around the world. I mean, I understand, you know, people are coming in, they're buying, let's say, a $3-4 coffee and leaving $100 donation.
I mean, what are those interactions like?
What are people telling you?
WHITE: I mean, I think in a lot of ways they see that food is just a basic human right. And you also can't deny -- we're in Portland. And Portland has had a very particular rhetoric in the national news for the last 5-6 years. And Portlanders here are doing their best to show people the honesty of who we are.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, it must be you know, amazing to see this money being donated by people. I mean, to see that generous side of folks.
I mean, you know, what does it make you feel, as somebody who's helping to make this happen?
WHITE: You know, I do a lot of refugee work outside of this work at the coffee shop.
And sometimes you see beautiful things. Sometimes you see really hard things and the really hard things have been very hard this year. This -- there's another way of saying it. It's very much restored my faith in the beauty that I see in humanity.
But also there is a way. There's -- it's $300,000 to make sure you steward that money well .And that's our next step, making sure that we use every dollar to keep people fed.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. You know, I mean, I said at the top that the -- there were -- a court decision was forcing the government now to go back to provide these SNAP benefits. Does that -- does that -- speaking of hope, does that give you hope that the system works or are you more frustrated that it's taken a court order to force the government's hand here?
WHITE: I mean, I'm hopeful that, you know, that people will be fed. It's not like today is November 1st. It's not like they're going to have that money in their bank accounts today. It's going to take another 3-6 weeks for those people to see that money.
But I mean, I've been telling people this time and time again, you know, the system, on both sides, it's broken. Food should never be weaponized. And when the system fails us, it's up to communities. It's up to one another to take care of one another. And I think that's what you're seeing here.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, I'll leave it on that message. I mean, we shouldn't have to rely on a coffee shop to provide food for families. But on the other hand, it is so empowering and inspiring, I guess, to see what you're doing. Josh White, thank you so much for speaking with us. Really appreciate it.
WHITE: Yes. Thank you for letting me be here.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Still to come, Britain has a dark history of witchcraft executions. While the names of the accused have been cleared in other countries, that's not the case in Britain. And one British town is trying to change that. It's coming up after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: This Halloween finds one community in Britain trying to right a centuries-old wrong. Maidstone in Kent, southeast of London, is known for its many historic sites. But look closely and you'll find markers commemorating a dark chapter of the borough's past.
In 1652, seven women stood accused of witchcraft. Each was convicted, each sentenced to death, each publicly executed. Now local officials say it's time to seek justice for those women and others like them. Joining us now is the leader of Maidstone Borough Council, Stuart Jeffery.
Thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it. Such an unusual story.
I mean, can you tell us about those women who were executed?
STUART JEFFERY, LEADER, MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL: Well, these were ordinary women. They were poor.
And they were scapegoated as part of. A quite a long. Societal. Assault. By men.
Based on misogyny. And power. And we want to make sure. That that historical. Context of Power over. Over. Women has no place. In modern society. So. Highlighting it feels like the right thing to do.
And actually calling for the pardon of those women who were murdered, is part of that, that drive to reduce violence against women and girls in our society today.
BRUNHUBER: I just want to drill down on what they were actually accused of doing. I mean, in your letter asking to overturn this conviction, you say these women weren't convicted for any actual harmful acts but because of their social status, gender and perceived nonconformity.
Can you can you explain that?
What really was behind these executions, then?
JEFFERY: Well, what's behind it was misogyny.
They were accused of being witches. The charge sheet was trumped up issues that, frankly, were clearly, made up; accused of killing, bewitching a child to death, for example was one of them.
I mean, child -- children died quite regularly. In the Middle Ages. So it was nothing unusual that that prompted this, other than the ingrained need for power over poor.
[04:45:00] And people who didn't fit the male version of what women should be. These were poor people that were scapegoated.
BRUNHUBER: Here in the U.S., they pardoned the Salem witch trial victims decades ago.
Why do you think Britain's been slower to act on this?
JEFFERY: I really can't answer that.
But I think it's about time we did make that move. There was a call in Scotland a few years ago to do something similar. That was thrown out, sadly.
In Maidstone, we had no idea how big the trials were against these women. Seven women in this particular instance were killed but there were many more afterwards as well. This was quite a significant event in that whole history. So hence we're using it as a lever to call for that pardon.
BRUNHUBER: I mean, it makes sense on its face but it is a symbolic gesture, obviously.
Why does this matter?
Why is it relevant now, do you think?
JEFFERY: It matters now because misogyny is still rife within our society. Our news feeds have been fed about the Epstein case for the last few years -- again, absolute example of the misogyny that women still face over and over again.
In our police force in London a few years ago, a review talked about the institutional misogyny that exists within it. And we have to tackle this appalling level of misogyny that remains today just as it did 350 years ago.
BRUNHUBER: Let's talk about the nuts and bolts of this.
What needs to happen next?
Who actually has the power to overturn this?
JEFFERY: So central government does. A case went through, I think 12 years ago, called the Turing's Law after Alan Turing. Being gay was illegal back in the -- before, I think, the '60s.
That Turing's law was passed in 2013 and it basically pardoned all of those gay men who were convicted prior to that point. So that legislation is possible for the women who were convicted wrongly of witchcraft. It just requires an act of Parliament.
BRUNHUBER: Yes.
So what has been the reaction so far from lawmakers and the public, if any? JEFFERY: So the public are largely behind this. I get a little bit of abuse, mostly from white men, strangely enough.
But the vast majority of the public think this is a really good, symbolic thing to do. Lawmakers, the politicians in London have been utterly silent. I will be chasing them. The letter went about six weeks ago. I will be chasing them to say, you know, come on, let's -- you need to respond to this.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. Interesting. Do keep us informed on your progress. It's such an interesting story because, as you say, there have been hundreds of other women executed across Britain. So it's not just about these women in Maidstone. It has, you know, national implications.
JEFFERY: Absolutely. And the more we can do to promote the rights of women and to root out the violence against them in our society today, you know, we have to do it.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. Well, listen good luck with your quest. Keep in touch and we'll follow along with interest. Stuart Jeffery, thank you so much for speaking with us. Appreciate it.
JEFFERY: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: Well, the old and the new are coming together at the site of Egypt's famous pyramids. Still ahead, the country prepares to open a massive new museum exhibiting some of its priceless archeological artifacts. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Fans turned out in droves on Hollywood Boulevard as a new Walk of Fame star was honored, fittingly, on Halloween. Freddy Krueger actor, Robert Englund, he starred in the cult classic horror franchise that took the '80s by storm and left many teenagers, including myself, afraid to fall asleep.
The first film, "Nightmare on Elm Street," along with many sequels, helped turn distributor New Line Cinema into a Hollywood powerhouse.
It took more than 20 years and more than $1 billion to build but, on Saturday, Egypt inaugurated its new grand national museum, showcasing many of the country's archeological treasures. As Salma Abdelaziz reports, the venue is designed to impress. Starting from the moment you walk in.
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A building worthy of the pharaohs. That has been the vision for the Grand Egyptian Museum from the
start. And two decades and a billion later, the largest archaeological museum in the world is finally opening its doors.
HASSAN ALLAM, CEO, HASSAN ALLAM HOLDING: The world has been waiting for this museum to open up for a few years. Everyone's excited.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Visitors will be welcomed by the more than 3,000- year-old statue of Ramesses II but that's just one of the highlights. There are over 50,000 restored artifacts detailing life in ancient Egypt to
explore with the collection of King Tutankhamun as the main attraction.
I visited as part of a CNN team in 2018 and saw firsthand how conservationists worked around the clock to restore objects thousands of
years old, including King Tut's very degraded sandals.
MIHAMED YOSRI, CONSERVATOR, GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM: We create a new technique by using some special adhesive. As you saw the -- its condition,
it's -- it was very bad. And here I think it's come to life again.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Construction started in 2005 but was delayed several times over the years. First because of the Arab Spring and later
the COVID-19 pandemic. But now the museum is finally opening. The building is part of a wider infrastructure development in the Giza area with
millions being poured into roads, parks, even an airport in the hope of boosting tourism.
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AHMED GHONEIM, CEO, GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM: A museum with this size is expected to increase the number of tourists to Egypt. We're anticipating
that this will increase definitely the numbers of tourists coming to Egypt by at least 10 percent or 20 percent.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): In a land where history and culture are counted not in centuries but in millennia. The hope is that the Grand Egyptian Museum
will become a unique part of that heritage -- Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
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BRUNHUBER: Here's liftoff for China's space rocket on Friday.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): On board the spacecraft was China's youngest taikonaut, as they're called, as well as four black mice. These missions last for six months and have a total of three taikonauts.
The rocket docked at the Chinese space station called Heavenly Palace. As for the mice, they're the first small mammals that will make it aboard China's space station. Chinese engineers say they'll be monitored to study weightlessness and behavioral patterns.
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BRUNHUBER: Police were called to deal with mayhem and monkey business at a Spirit Halloween store in Texas. Have a look now.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There he is right there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got a monkey right there.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, officers say a monkey in a diaper escaped from its owner after it became spooked by a mechanical decoration.
At one point, the monkey climbed to the ceiling and began swinging from the rafters. Officials say the owner was able to sway the monkey back with a cookie. The monkey wasn't hurt and no decorations were damaged. Police advised the owner to get a leash for the monkey.
Always good advice.
That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
