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U.K. Stabbing Attack; Many Remain Without Power in Jamaica; L.A. Dodgers Wins World Series; Latest Fallout from U.S. Government Shutdown; Obama Hits the Campaign Trail; Trump Threatens to Send U.S. Troops to Nigeria; FBI Says it Foiled a Terror Plot. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired November 02, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Chaos on board a train in England. A stabbing attack leaves 10 people injured. We'll bring you the latest in a live report. Former U.S. President Barack Obama hits the campaign trail ahead of some key elections on Tuesday. We'll look at what's at stake as Americans head to the polls. Plus, a World Series repeat. The Los Angeles Dodgers win a classic against the Toronto Blue Jays. We'll show you how they did it and the postgame reaction.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: British counterterrorism police are investigating a stabbing attack on a London-bound passenger train Saturday evening. At least 10 people were hospitalized, nine with life-threatening injuries. Two suspects have been arrested, but no fatalities reported. One witness described seeing a man with a large knife. Another said she thought it was a Halloween prank until she saw an injured and bleeding man running through the train. CNN Reporter Barbie Latza Nadeau joins us live with more. So, Barbie, what's the latest?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yes, you know, people -- the authorities are really cautioning people not to speculate on a potential cause at this point. Two people are arrested. They're still really in the point of investigation right now. It was a very harrowing incident. You can just imagine people thinking this was a Halloween prank and then, you know, determining this was actually a very, very violent knife attack. Let's listen to what one of the passengers had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLLY FOSTER: I got my stuff and I was running and everyone was really pushing behind us, really panicking. At this point, I was kind of asking questions like what's going on, what's happening, like who is it? And they were like, a guy's just stabbing everyone back there. And then I put my hand on this chair, like just trying to push myself forward. And then I look at my hand and it's covered in blood. And then I look at the chair and there's blood all over the chair. And then I look ahead and there's blood all over the chairs. And I'm thinking, OK, this is pretty serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU: And you can just imagine, Kim, the type of panic that happens in a situation like this. No one really knows what's going on. And, you know, they're really looking at ways of preventing these violent knife attacks in the U.K., especially. And that could be security issues, that could be, you know, looking at all sorts of indicators into people who have a violent past, all of those sorts of things are under investigation at the moment.

But right now, the authorities are really warning not to speculate about a potential motive. But yet they're really looking at exactly what led to this.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And on the ways to prevent these types of incidents, Barbie, I mean, just last year, the prime minister launched a new coalition to tackle knife crime in the U.K. I mean, what more can you tell us about that coalition and any progress that's been made to fight knife crimes?

NADEAU: Yes. You know, I mean, when you look at violent knife crimes in the U.K., you have to kind of look at it in the context of, like, what's going on in the United States with gun violence. And they're treating it very much the same, including looking at where some of these, you know, knives, the type of knives that are used in these incidents are sold and who's buying them. And they're also looking at, you know, sort of warning signals and ways that they can message especially disenfranchised youth in these cases.

We don't know much about the suspects at this point. But, you know, all of these things are part of this coalition looking at the knife violence. And it's very worrying. This is -- you know, any number of these knife attacks, you know, are happening with more and more frequency. So, the coalition are really looking at what they can do to prevent and if that includes security because, you know, obviously a knife would show up on most sorts of detectors going into public transportation. But that doesn't protect people when these knife attacks happen on the streets.

So, it's a very complex issue because knives are easier to buy obviously than guns are, but it is the people behind this, the people who are carrying out this violent crime that they're really targeting and looking at ways to prevent that from happening. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So hard to prevent, as you say. Barbie Latza Nadeau in Rome, thanks so much. All right. For more on this I want to bring in Will Geddes who's managing director of the Threat Management Company International Corporate Protection. And he joins me live from London. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, counterterrorism police are now leading this investigation. What does that tell us about what authorities might be looking at here?

WILL GEDDES, MANAGING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE PROTECTION: OK. So, good morning, Kim. The situation with counterterrorism being involved is because they called what we call a Code Plato when this situation started unfolding, which happened at about 7:30 last night. And what was reported through to them were two possible individuals, and there are two people that are currently being held in custody, that were carrying out random knife attacks on the passengers on this particular train.

[04:05:00]

Now, counterterrorism being involved, Kim, means that they will be going through these individuals' identities, their associates, their digital footprint, and anything they possibly can to understand the motivation behind this.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, interesting that two people have been detained on this. Do we know any more about that?

GEDDES: Very little. There's going to be a statement quite soon by the BTP, or the British Transport Police, who are responsible for protection on public transport. They'll be giving a statement fairly soon, and we can only hope, Kim, that they're going to give us a little bit more information. Because one of the problems that we've had, historically, is the authorities have been very, very reluctant to provide any information.

And one has to understand that, inevitably, one can't prejudice any subsequent court trial or court case that's going to, obviously, pursue. But the general public will fill that void, inevitably, through social media and speculation. And it's down to the authorities, obviously, to try and give us a clear understanding of what may have happened.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, great point. So, with such a high-profile incident like this, does the likelihood of a copycat attack go up?

GEDDES: Well, Kim, we've already seen very, very similar attacks taking place here in the United Kingdom, also across Europe. And part of the reason why this was called a Plato and counter-terrorism is involved is because it has hallmarks of the modus operandi that we've seen by terrorist-motivated groups, historically.

Now, the chances of this happening again are exceptionally high. However, our train network is extensive, so the risk to members of the general public is, one would hope, still very minimal. But it's a soft target, as we would call it. It's not dissimilar to a plane where you have the passengers, unfortunately, held hostage within this tubular sort of entity. But at the same time, on aero planes, there is security before you get on it. On a train, you can get on at any station and bring with you whatever you want.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So, on that, I mean, given what we've seen and what you've just said, I mean, how challenging is it then to secure what you call a soft target like this on public transportation?

GEDDES: Well, incredibly difficult, because certainly the railway networks in the United Kingdom have decreased the amount of presence, particularly by, for example, train guards on those trains. And so, the general public are pretty much left to fend for themselves. And the only person of authority, actually, on the train is the driver.

So, when you consider that if you are on a train and something like this happens, you only have two directions you can potentially head. And in the confusion, it can be very difficult to determine which direction you should be heading and which direction the threat is coming from.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. I asked this of our reporter, I'm interested to hear your perspective on this. The weapon used, it was only a month ago that the prime minister called knife crime an epidemic. I mentioned that there was a coalition to tackle knife crime. What realistically can be done to address it? I mean, it's not like gun control. You can't exactly, you know, ban knives.

GEDDES: No, you can't. And you can get them from any kitchen drawer in any household in any part of the country at any given time. So, yes, knives are unfortunately a far more accessible item in the United Kingdom. Firearms can be acquired, but that's generally going to be from criminal entities. And it, thankfully, is generally within those criminal groups that they are presented.

But in terms of knives, what we have to do in this country is be incredibly severe in sentencing for individuals that are found carrying a knife and without good reason. And we do have laws in place. But one of the biggest challenges we have here, Kim, is that those laws aren't necessarily being enforced with the appropriate sentencing attached to it. And there have been a couple of notable cases where those that have carried out attacks, even including fatal attacks, have been given minimal sentencing or none whatsoever.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. And, you know, we should emphasize, as you said, the risk is low. But for passengers, what should they be aware of? Is there any advice that you can offer folks who use public transportation?

GEDDES: Well, I'll try my best in a very short period of time that we have, Kim, but, you know, primarily it's situational awareness as much as you can. If you see anything suspicious or someone that appears suspicious or gives you that instinctive feeling that there's something wrong with them, obviously put as much distance as you can between you and them. Obviously, the key person who's in control of that train is going to be the driver. So, head towards the driver if it's safe to do so.

Obviously, there are emergency calls, emergency stop buttons that one can force. But I think in this instance, probably quite a few of the passengers called 999, or equivalent to your 911, and inform them of what was happening. And their coordination with the driver obviously brought the vehicle of -- the train into the station for them to respond to.

[04:10:00]

BRUNHUBER: Listen, really appreciate getting your expertise on this. Will Geddes, thank you so much for speaking with us.

Well, new before and after video of Jamaica is showing the extent of damage from Hurricane Melissa, the most powerful storm to directly hit the island since 1988. The footage shows a thriving island on the left side, and a devastated landscape on the right. Buildings are caved in, vegetation in the background is gone. The forecaster AccuWeather has estimated the storm caused up to $52 billion in damage. Jamaica confirmed at least 19 deaths on Friday, but that number is expected to rise. Many people are still without power and basic necessities.

We spoke earlier with Brian Bogart from the World Food Programme about the scope of the devastation. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN BOGART, COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR CARIBBEAN MULTI-COUNTRY OFFICE, WFP: I think what's unique about this disaster is the scale. I was in Hurricane Beryl, which affected Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada last year. And sadly, it actually affected some of the same areas in Jamaica, St. Elizabeth Parish, where Black River is located, that were devastated only a year ago, now are coping with the impacts of yet another major storm.

And this storm, of course, is well beyond Beryl in terms of the devastation that it has caused. And you can tell from just being on the streets of Black River, we see buildings that are completely destroyed, infrastructure that is really hard to imagine repairing and needs to be completely reestablished. And I think it's really hard to understand the scale of the disaster because we're still getting into certain areas and seeing what damage has been caused.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And if you want to help those impacted by Hurricane Melissa, you can go to cnn.com/impact. Well, there's no denying the devastation and suffering that Melissa has left in the Caribbean. But this year's hurricane season hasn't lived up to the worst expectations of forecasters. Allison Chinchar looks at why that could still change.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The calendar may say November, but hurricane season is not over just yet. So, far, the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has had 13 total named storms, five of which were hurricanes, and four of those became major hurricanes. In fact, the only hurricane we've had so far this year that did not reach that status was Hurricane Imelda. Major hurricanes mean it's got to category three strength or higher. Now, to put this into some perspective, in any given year, the average numbers would be 14 total named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. And we are roughly around those numbers.

The interesting thing to note, though, is both NOAA and Colorado State University were leaning a little bit higher into the average, noting that this was likely going to be an above average season. But we have not reached that just yet. However, as I mentioned, the season is not over. But what made this season so interesting was the fact that a lot of the storms as they started to make their westward track made that sharp turn to the north, really steering it away from the bulk of many countries, not just the U.S. But a lot of the Caribbean, Mexico, portions of Central America.

The exception to that for the U.S. was this particular storm here, Chantal, which impacted the Carolinas back in July. Notably to an area that looks rather empty is the Gulf. Normally, we would have several storms that would have either formed or passed through that area. The only strong that got close was this one, which actually formed in portions of the western Caribbean crossed over the Yucatan before making its way into Mexico.

Now, the season is not over just yet. This is where we are. And you'll note those colors down there for the rest of November are very similar to where they would be in July. On average, we still have one more named storm to get through in November. Now, one thing to note, if it does develop, it does have more favorable regions. One of those is the portion of the western Caribbean, very similar to where Melissa just went through another area right here around the Bahamas and off the southeastern coast of the U.S. The third area is just over here in the central Atlantic, focused more over just to the east of Bermuda. But time will tell whether or not we end up getting an extra storm this month.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Oh, you see it there. Euphoria in Los Angeles as Dodgers fans celebrate their team's victories in the World Series. It was game seven for the ages. L.A. pull off a stunning comeback against the Toronto Blue Jays to claim their second championship in as many years.

After trailing for most of the game, the Dodgers sent it into extra innings with this clutch home run from Miguel Rojas in the top of the ninth.

[04:15:00]

Los Angeles then grabbed the lead in the 11th inning with another solo homer, this time from catcher Will Smith. Moments later, the Dodgers closed out the series with this unassisted double play by Mookie Betts. L.A. 154 and ace pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was named MVP.

Now, Blue Jays, well, they could hardly believe how their early leads slipped away. They last won the series 32 years ago. Here's how the manager of each team reacted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE ROBERTS, LOS ANGELES DODGERS MANAGER: Right now, I'm just really elated and really proud of our team, our guys, the way we fought and we've done something that hasn't been done in decades. And you know, there were so many -- as we talked earlier, so many pressure points and how that game could have flipped and we just kept fighting and, you know, guys stepped up big. So, I could just go on and on about, you know, the big place, the big performances and, you know, it's one of the greatest games I've ever been a part of.

JOHN SCHNEIDER, TORONTO BLUE JAYS MANAGER: It definitely could have been the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of emotions. So, I said thank you. And this is a group that I'm never going to forget. They're going to have a place in my heart, every single one of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Back in Los Angeles, fans are already commemorating the victory. They're flocking to stores to buy T-shirts that read L.A. Dodgers 2025 World Series champions.

Critical food assistance for millions of Americans is now cut off. We'll have the latest details on the government shutdown after the break.

Plus, former U.S. President Barack Obama is stumping for Democrats in the final stretch before Election Day. We'll have his closing message to voters when we come back. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: Millions of Americans who rely on food stamps are now facing delays to their benefits as the government shutdown drags on. President Trump is making a new call for Senate Republicans to scrap the filibuster, a 60-vote threshold for passing legislation. Some Republican leaders have pushed back on the idea, but he says it's the only way to end the shutdown.

Food banks are seeing an uptick in demand amid a rising need for food assistance, but one organizer tells CNN that many food banks were already operating at full capacity before the lapse in federal funding. Jenn Sullivan has more now on how this is impacting families across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENN SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Decorations hang outside the Underwoods' home as they wrap up Halloween celebrations. But as the calendar flips to November, the fear of not knowing how they're going to afford groceries sets in as they lose access to food stamps.

STACEY UNDERWOOD: Your kids are hungry and you can't just hand them an apple.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): Stacey Underwood is a working mom with a husband with a disability and five children to feed. They rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to help them afford groceries.

UNDERWOOD: Sometimes I wonder if I'm failing as a mom.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): Roughly 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits. The program is federally funded, but without Congress passing a new spending plan, there is not enough money to fully fund the program, frustrating many who need it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Food should not be a political argument.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to use emergency funds to provide at least partial food stamp assistance. And President Donald Trump says his lawyers are asking the courts for legal direction, but ultimately said ending the shutdown would be the best solution.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: All they have to do is say the government is open and that's the end of it.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): Even though SNAP is federally funded, states distribute the benefits. Some state governments have stepped up to pay for the program until the federal shutdown ends. Meanwhile, many local food banks are worried about not having food.

CARRIE STAHLER, VERMONT FOODBANK: Food shelves were never intended to replace grocery stores. That is what we are seeing right now.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): A large charitable organization, Catholic Charities USA, has launched an emergency fundraising effort to help families in need during this time.

I'm Jenn Sullivan reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: We're now just days away from election night in America. President Trump might not be on the ballot, but key races in Tuesday's election will serve as the first major test of his agenda. They include California's redistricting proposition made in response to off-year redistricting in Texas. Then there's the race for New York City mayor and races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey.

Well, former President Barack Obama hit the campaign trail to back the Democratic nominees in those governor races. He rallied with Congresswoman Nikki Sherrill in New Jersey and with Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, where the crowd waited about five hours for Obama to speak on Saturday.

Now, in New Jersey, Republican former state lawmaker Jack Ciattarelli is running against Sherrill. In Virginia, the state's lieutenant governor, Republican Winston Earle-Sears, is running against Spanberger. Obama urged voters to break with President Trump, saying there's no evidence that Republican policies have made life better for Americans. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: While they're helping the wealthiest, most powerful people in the country consolidate more wealth and more power, your bills are still going up. And you're waiting longer at airports because there aren't enough air traffic controllers. And the program helping your kid with special needs was just gutted. So, that is what's happening. And the good news is, there's something you can do about it. Right here. Right now. Because you've got a candidate for governor who's got a track record of getting stuff done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And joining me now is Inderjeet Parmar, professor of international politics at City St. George's University of London. Good to see you again. So, let's just start there with former President Obama on the campaign trail. What do you make of his re-emergence? I saw a sub-headline in Politico which said, Obama's re-emergence is a reminder of the rudderlessness of the Democratic Party. Is that fair?

[04:25:00]

INDERJEET PARMAR, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS, CITY ST. GEORGE'S, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON AND PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS: Well, it is fair because there is no other obvious leader who is able to be a figurehead for the Democratic Party at the moment. They look in disarray. They look intimidated by the second Trump administration. And, you know, when people and the party they support are going through tough times, they look back to a golden age. And for them, Barack Obama represents that golden age, where they had a kind of clear vision of what the United States should be and that has been deeply derailed.

And in a way, the Democratic Party is in a bit of a mess. I mean, obviously, we can argue about President Obama's own record in office in regard to wealth, income distribution, and that kind of thing, bailouts of big Wall Street companies, and so on. But nevertheless, his image is one of a kind of great leadership to two wins and two presidential elections. But it shows that the Democratic Party is in big trouble.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Well, they're hoping to turn the corner, Democrats are, on the elections Tuesday. So, let's start with New York City mayor. I mean, what do you make of the state of that race so far?

PARMAR: Well, I think it reflects clearly the crisis of the Democratic Party. Mamdani is running on a very kind of left campaign, running a left-wing campaign of high social spending. He's basically criticizing the very wealthy. He's saying that the Trump administration has got policies which have not really supported the poor. He's talked about the Democratic kind of establishment. And should he win next week, that's going to put a real kind of dynamite under the Democratic Party establishment, which historically has been very successful in largely derailing left-wing campaigns.

But if Mamdani wins, and it looks like he's got a pretty handsome poll lead at the moment, and he defeats Andrew Cuomo, who is an establishment candidate, I think that's going to really show up how discontented the broad mass of people are in New York and elsewhere with the two main political parties and in New York with the Democratic Party establishment. BRUNHUBER: Well, let's talk about that dynamite, as you say it. I mean, the question is whether they will take lessons from that race. Do you think that they will do so, or is what happens in New York sort of siloed because of the particularities of New York's demographics?

PARMAR: Yes, that's a good one actually. I think there are a couple of things, really. One is that the Mamdanis and the Ocasios and the Bernie Sanders and the others on the left, the squad, et cetera, they do play a very important role in election times. And they do mop up a lot of Democratic voters who are disaffected. They bring them back into the Democratic kind of electoral machine.

The problem is that once they're in office, they're often hamstrung in various kinds of ways. They often don't carry out the full promise of the election campaign itself. And that adds to further discontent among the Democratic voting blocs as well. So, there is a big problem there.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Let's look more broadly. In sort of off-cycle elections, the party in power tends to, the party out of power, rather, tends to have higher voter turnout and more enthusiasm. And it seems to be the case, at least so far. What will you be watching for in the other races that might signal either greater-than-expected trouble for the GOP in the midterms that are coming up or, conversely, that Democrats, which is a party at historically unpopular levels, as you've sort of alluded to, that they haven't managed to change the momentum?

PARMAR: I think we'll be looking for, for the Democratic Party, large turnouts, which look -- very likely. There's a lot of early voting and so on and breaking records in various places. But it's basically very local, very local, and also, I think, should be restricted to now, because the midterms are quite a way off, a year off, and lots of things can change in between.

But what the Democrats will be looking for is resounding defeats for the GOP and victories for their candidates. But if it's a victory which is marked by opposition to the GOP and not by a vision of the Democrats, which they're offering, of significant radical change, then I think it's going to be a hollow victory because people will see that the Democrats are really not delivering very much.

And I must admit that the Democrats look very, partly intimidated, but partly also just hoping that the fact that they're not Donald Trump, they're not the GOP, they're not the ones carrying out these policies, that'll be enough to bring them back in. And I think that itself -- I think it fuels the main problem, which is deep legitimacy crisis of both main political parties, and particularly at the moment the Democratic Party.

[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Yes, we shall see. And we'll see how much the shutdown plays into all of this, of course. Inderjeet Parmar, thanks again for your analysis. Appreciate it.

PARMAR: Thank you very much.

BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump is threatening to send U.S. troops to fight in Nigeria. We'll explain why when we come back. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Donald Trump says he ordered the Pentagon to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria. He accuses Nigeria of allowing what he calls the mass slaughter of Christians in the country. Nigeria denies this and says both Christians and Muslims have been victimized by radical Islamists operating there.

For more, I'm joined now by Larry Madowo in London. So, Larry, this seemed to come out of nowhere. Take us through exactly why this has happened and the reaction in Nigeria.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump eventually said that he intends to stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria if Nigeria does not handle what he calls the existential crisis facing Christians in Nigeria. This did not essentially come out of nowhere because it's been bubbling under in right-wing circles in the United States and within some of the Christian community in Nigeria.

Nicki Minaj was talking about this, thanking President Trump for designating Nigeria as a country of particular concern where religious freedoms are violated in line with Russia and Saudi Arabia and China.

[04:35:00]

But what President Trump is saying, this escalation, is that he intends to use the U.S. military to invade a sovereign nation to get rid of these Islamic terrorists, Islamists, extremists that Nigeria has struggled with for decades. This has been a problem under previous administrations. President Bola Tinubu's government promised to tackle it. They have not dealt with it effectively.

But Nigeria's population is evenly split between Christians and Muslims, and these attacks don't have a religious angle to them. We have done a lot of reporting on this. Other independent organizations have. And there's just simply no evidence to support the idea of a Christian persecution or a genocide.

President Trump's own senior adviser who made his fortune in Nigeria spoke about this last month. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASSAD BOULOS, U.S. SENIOR ADVISER FOR ARAB AND AFRICAN AFFAIRS: People of all religions and all tribes are dying as a result of terrorist acts. But it's very unfortunate. We even know that Boko Haram and ISIS are killing more Muslims than Christians. So, people are suffering from all source of backgrounds. This is not specifically targeted about one group or the other. However, any loss of life is too many. One is too many.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: Boko Haram is the radical Islamist extremist group in Nigeria that's behind some of these most serious attacks in the country. There are other extremist organizations that exist in Nigeria as well. And Nigeria is essentially pushing back against this. Before this latest threat of military action, President Bola Tinubu said the idea of Nigeria being intolerant to Christians is simply not true. It does not reflect their reality. And they are proud of their diversity. And the Nigerian foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, who I spoke to about a week ago, said there's just simply never been a genocide in Nigeria.

But now, the country has to deal with the threat of military action. This moves it beyond just this religious persecution to the possibility of U.S. troops on Nigerian soil to deal with this extremist problem, the separatist violence that they've faced.

At the heart of it is about terrorism. It's about the struggle for natural resources between herders and farmers. But that specter of military action gets into a whole new direction, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: I appreciate you giving us all the context there, Larry Madowo in London, thank you so much.

And tensions keep escalating in the Caribbean, where the U.S. has carried out yet another strike on alleged drug trafficking vessels. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a video of the strike on social media, claiming the vessel was smuggling drugs, but provided no evidence. Hegseth also said that three male, quote, "narco-terrorists" were killed during the strike.

Now, this comes as the U.S. is continuing to bolster its firepower in the region, sparking tensions with Venezuela and its president, Nicolas Maduro. This marks the 15th known strike on alleged drug boats by the U.S. military, killing at least 64 people.

The Trump administration is restricting the media's access to the office of the White House press secretary. The clampdown is the latest in a series of actions by the administration to limit journalists' access to information. CNN's Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: It sounds like a strange headline, but it's true. The White House press corps is now restricted from the press secretary's office.

This weekend, the Trump administration announced a new rule saying that journalists cannot access the offices of Karoline Leavitt or other senior communications officials without an appointment ahead of time. This is a break with generations of precedent at the White House because that part of the West Wing has been accessible to journalists for decades, supporting a free flow of information between the president and the public. There was one attempt back in the early days of the Bill Clinton presidency to shut down access to that part of the West Wing. Clinton aides attempted to bar journalists from the area, but it caused an outcry and the ban was rescinded.

Now, Trump aides claim the current crackdown is due to security concerns, although correspondents highly doubt that. The White House Correspondents Association said in a statement, quote, "The new restrictions hinder the press corps' ability to question officials, ensure transparency, and hold the government accountable to the detriment of the American public."

Now, on one level, this is just about access to certain office space, but it's also part of a much broader effort by the administration to limit media access. Early on in Trump's second term, he tried to ban the Associated Press from some White House events, spurring litigation that is continuing to work its way through the courts.

The White House is also taking control of the daily press pool assignments and has stopped publishing transcripts of Trump's remarks, making it harder to keep track of exactly what he says every day. And we know at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has implemented severe new restrictions against the media, causing virtually every American media outlet to turn in press credentials rather than go along with the new rules.

[04:40:00]

Now, the president certainly does want press. He just wants it on his own terms. On Friday, he taped an interview with 60 Minutes, one year after suing the CBS News magazine over its interview with Kamala Harris. Trump's interview with 60 Minutes will air on Sunday night.

Now, the president does want press, but he does not want to be ridiculed. In a new Truth Social post on Saturday evening, he renewed his war of words with late-night TV comics, singling out NBC's Seth Meyers. He said he had been watching Meyers' show and he couldn't stand it. He said Meyers has, quote, "no talent, no ratings, 100 percent anti-Trump, which is probably illegal," three exclamation marks. In dictatorships, it may be illegal, but not in the U.S. And I'm sure Meyers will have something to say responding to Trump when Meyers' show is back on next week.

Brian Stelter, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: The FBI says it foiled a terror plot in Michigan, one a defense attorney is saying in response after the break. That story and more coming up. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Firefighters battle a deadly blaze a variety goods store in this video from the Mexican State of Sonora. The state's governor says at least 23 people have been killed, including six children and 11 others injured. Sonora's public security agency says the fire wasn't related to any attack or intentional act of violence. They didn't provide any other details. CNN has contacted city and state officials for more information.

Two people have been arrested and three others are being questioned in connection with an alleged terror attack the FBI says it prevented. But an attorney for one of the people questioned says once the facts are made known, it will be clear there was never a terror plot. CNN's Leigh Waldman has the latest from Dearborn, Michigan.

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LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Aside from that initial statement from FBI director Kash Patel about the terror plot that they foiled, we haven't heard much else from the FBI over the weekend. We've spoken to neighbors here in Dearborn who live on the same street where some FBI activity happened on Friday morning. They say they're shocked and confused saying their neighbors were nice people.

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They told us they heard loud bangs and it sounded almost like bombs that were exploding here on the street. Take a listen to what one neighbor who lives just two doors down had to say when we asked him about what the FBI had to say.

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LARAIB IRFAN, NEIGHBOR: I'm not sure where they actually stopped the terrorist attack at, but if that's what he's saying then, you know, it's just like, wow, like I can't believe that something like that would even go down on my block.

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WALDMAN: And a less than 10-minute drive from where we are now at that second location where there was also FBI activity on Friday morning another neighbor played us a video that he took outside of his home, in that you can hear a recording in Arabic and then also in English telling members of a household to come out of the house with their hands raised, that there was a warrant, and that they were the FBI as well.

We're also hearing from the lawyer of one of the young men who was arrested, he says that he's representing a 20-year-old who is a U.S. born citizen. He says at this point his client has not been charged. His statement reads in part quote, "We are confident that, once the facts are reviewed objectively, it will be clear there was never any planned mass-casualty event or coordinated terror plot of any kind."

We followed up with the FBI in Detroit and asked them the nature of any charges these individuals would be facing or when those charges would be filed, they simply said that any criminal charges would be decided by the respective United States Attorney's Office under the Department of Justice. We've reached out to them as well. At this point, still no charges have been filed.

Leigh Waldman, CNN, Dearborn, Michigan.

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BRUNHUBER: The FBI says the gunman behind September's deadly attack on a Michigan church was motivated by anti-religious beliefs towards the Mormon faith. Officials said earlier it wasn't random, but rather a targeted act of violence. The FBI previously declined to specify a motive, although friends of the gunman said he hated the Mormon church. Authorities say Thomas Jacob Stanford drove his truck into the chapel before opening fire and setting the building on fire. Four people were killed, nine others were injured in the attack. Law enforcement officers killed Stanford during their response.

Harvard police are asking for help identifying two people who may have been involved in an intentional explosion at the university. Police released these photos on Saturday. They show two masked people leaving the school's medical building in the middle of the night after a fire alarm was activated. Investigators say there was an explosion on the building's fourth floor. No injuries were reported. The FBI says it's assisting university police.

All right. Coming up, an ancient passage that can take you back in time. Why a one secret corridor in the Colosseum is causing a commotion in Rome. That story coming up, please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Have a look. Cape Town, South Africa was swarming with the undead on Saturday. Dozens of zombies and other creepy creatures took over the streets for the city's annual zombie walk. From chilling costumes to killer moves, the walk brought together the living and the undead for a good cause. It raises funds for an animal rescue charity.

After more than two decades of construction and 7,000 years of history, the Grand Egyptian Museum is about to open to the public. It's the world's largest archaeological museum and construction costs more than $1 billion. Egypt's prime minister says it's a gift from Egypt to the world. The museum will host the complete collection of treasures from King Tut's tomb. They include the boy king's burial mask, throne, sarcophagus, and thousands of other objects. The museum opens to the public on Tuesday.

Well, for the first time, members of the public will be able to walk in the footsteps of Roman emperors through a secret tunnel in Rome's famous Colosseum. CNN's Ben Wedeman takes you through it.

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JOAQUIN PHOENIX, ACTOR: Slave. You will remove your helmet and tell me your name?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was the arch villain in Ridley Scott's epic drama "Gladiator," the Emperor Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix, squaring off against Russell Crowe.

RUSSELL CROWE, ACTOR: My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): This week, visitors to the Colosseum will, for the first time, have the chance to enter a long, closed-off passage named after Commodus.

WEDEMAN: This corridor was constructed after the completion of the Colosseum in 80 AD. It was designed to allow the Emperor to reach his seat without mingling with the common folk. Many of the emperors weren't very popular.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Commodus, who fancied himself Hercules reincarnated, was more into bread and circuses than managing the complex affairs of a vast empire. His 15-year reign marked the beginning of Rome's decline. It may have been in this 180-foot-long subterranean corridor that, according to one Roman historian, someone tried but failed to assassinate the erratic Commodus.

The Colosseum's chief architect, Barbara Nazzaro, believes this was indeed the place.

BARBARA NAZZARO, CHIEF ARCHITECT, COLOSSEUM PARK: It's the only corridor that comes underneath. So, it's the only corridor that could be. So, if it happened, it happened here.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): The Colosseum sits on watery ground. The only way to properly renovate the passage of Commodus was to use ancient Roman methods, says restorer Angelica Pujia.

ANGELICA PUJIA, CHIEF RESTORER, COMMODUS PASSAGEWAY, COLOSSEUM: So, we restored the gallery using exactly the same materials that Romans used back then. Natural putty lime, pozzolana sand. So, materials that Romans found around here, but create it in a modern way.

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WEDEMAN (voice-over): Last year, more than 14 million people visited the Colosseum, but only 24 people per day will be allowed into the passage of Commodus. Better book now.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Rome.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. Now to college football and Saturday's primetime SEC matchup between 18th-ranked Oklahoma and number 14, Tennessee. Despite impressive offensive numbers from the volunteers in the first half, they couldn't overcome Oklahoma's defense. The 71-yard fumble return was one of three Tennessee turnovers that led to scoring drives for the Sooners. With less than two minutes left, this running touchdown by quarterback John McKeever clinched the win for Oklahoma, 33-27.

And a Big Ten conference showdown, number 23 USC came back to beat Nebraska. Trojans running back King Miller scored this go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and that gave USC its first lead of the game. Final score, Trojans 21, Cornhuskers 17. A French couple are on a mission to set records with a transatlantic swim. Matthieu and Chloe Witvoet started their journey Friday in Cape Verde off the east coast of Africa. Over the next several months, they plan to travel 3,800 kilometers, or 2,300 miles, to the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. If they succeed, they'll set records for the longest swimming relay with drifting. They plan to sleep on a boat, and the boat will drift, covering some of the distance.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.

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