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Voters Will Soon Decide Key Races Across the Country; Bessent Calls China 'Unreliable Trade Partner'; Israel Receives Alleged Remains of 3 Hostages from Hamas; Trump Doubles Down on Nigeria Threats; Hundreds of Thousands of Children Impacted by Hurricane Melissa; Rebels Accused of Massacring Hundreds in Al-Fasher; Some Latino Trump Voters Say They're Not Happy with Him; CNN Investigates Possible Treatment for Kids with Autism. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired November 03, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York. This is CNN NEWSROOM, and here's what's ahead.

[00:00:41]

Americans, they are about to go to the polls in high-stakes elections across the country. What this means for the future of both parties.

Plus, as Jamaica continues recovering from Hurricane Melissa, hear from a humanitarian worker on the ground who is growing increasingly worried about the children on the island.

And one small country hoping to create a generation free from tobacco. But can it actually work?

ANNOUNCER: Live from New York this is CNN NEWSROOM with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: All right. So, we are now just about 24 hours away from election day in America. Voters will be heading back to the polls on Tuesday, and several high-stakes elections across the country.

And that includes right here, the race for mayor of New York City.

Currently, Democrat Zohran Mamdani is leading the polls. He's running against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who's now an independent candidate, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

California voting on a redistricting measure known as Proposition 50, and it could have a big implication for next year's midterm elections. We're going to dive a little bit into that in just a few moments.

But first, we're also keeping an eye on the race for governor in New Jersey and in Virginia. In New Jersey, Republican former state lawmaker Jack Ciattarelli is running against Democratic Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill.

And in Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger is currently running against the state's lieutenant governor, Republican Winsome Earle- Sears.

Let's break all of this down. I want to bring in now our political analyst, Michael Genovese. He is a president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University. He's also the author of "The Modern Presidency: Six Debates that Defined the Institution."

Michael, it's great to have you with us again.

MICHAEL GENOVESE, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL POLICY INSTITUTE: Thank you so much.

SANDOVAL: So, we just listed a couple of those, a couple of those big elections that we're closely following. out of all of those key races, I'm curious which one of those are you going to be following the closest, and why?

GENOVESE: Well, I think New Jersey is important, because it has been slowly drifting towards the Republican Party. It has been a Democratic state, but the Hispanics in the state have voted, in the last couple elections, more and more for Donald Trump and for Republicans. And so, if that trend holds, it could be a tighter race.

The problem for Trump is that his immigration policy has turned off a lot of Hispanics.

The other big race might be the New York race, even though we -- we pretty much know who's going to win: Mamdani. He's a Democratic socialist. If he wins -- and he likely will -- he may become the face of the party, and it may move the party left.

Bernie Sanders and others have not been able to move the party left, but Mamdani has a lot of qualities that might be attractive, especially to younger voters and maybe even some independents.

So, that's another big race to watch.

SANDOVAL: And you set up my next question nicely here. You may have watched on Sunday morning, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who voted early for Mamdani. He told CNN that he does not see him as a future of the Democratic Party.

In fact, my colleague Gloria Pazmino took that to Mamdani himself on Sunday morning. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hakeem Jeffries was asked this morning if you're the future of the Democratic Party. He said no.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: Good to know.

PAZMINO: Do you have a response?

MAMDANI: No, I'm focused on the next two days.

PAZMINO: You're not -- do you think you're the future of the Democratic Party?

MAMDANI: I don't dare predict the future. That's why I'm out here canvassing to deal with my anxiety, to get through the tape of the future of 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So, it doesn't seem that -- that he is losing much sleep about that. But I'm curious, from your view, I mean, should he have something to worry about here? I mean, why are national Democrats still keeping some -- some distance from Mamdani? Even Senator Chuck Schumer, who is still withholding any endorsement.

GENOVESE: You know, members of both parties have a way of deciding for themselves who they're going to support, who they're going to fall in love with.

The mainstream party, Republican Party did not like Donald Trump at first, but he won them over.

Now, Mamdani is attractive. He's young; he's vibrant. He's got an optimistic message. It may very well be that a lot of Democrats who feel they don't have a home in the party, because it's been too mild and too moderate, might just get energized by his candidacy and might decide for the Democratic Party who their frontrunner is going to be.

[00:05:15]

SANDOVAL: Yes, we were seeing some video of him at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, and people very excited to see him. But then when you really broaden out the shot, or at least beyond --

GENOVESE: Broaden the shot.

SANDOVAL: -- New York City, the question is how he could register among Democrats beyond New York City.

Now, when it comes to some of the polling, including the -- some of the numbers from ABC/"Washington Post," that shows about 59 percent of U.S. adults currently disapprove of President Trump's performance. I mean, how could the president's negative ratings affect some of the elections this coming week?

You mentioned New Jersey a little while ago.

GENOVESE: Well, not only this week, but Trump has his eyes on a year from now for the midterm elections.

Right now, his popularity is underwater. As you mentioned, 59 percent disapproval. That's six out of ten Americans.

The problem for the Democrats is, while Republicans are weaker on Trump and independents are -- have turned on them, they haven't gone to the Democratic Party. The Democrats have not made the case.

And so, they're -- we're going to be watching on Tuesday turnout: whether young people turn out and for whom. And we're going to see what the independents are going to do.

That's going to give us an indication for a year from now when the midterms occur.

Donald Trump is worried about the midterms because of his numbers. If he loses the House -- and all he has to lose are three seats -- he loses a considerable amount of leverage.

And so, Donald Trump right now knows he's in political trouble. He's probably shaking like a -- like a frightened chihuahua.

SANDOVAL: Which is also one of the reasons why I'm really closely watching the Prop 50 election out West in California as they seek to -- to redraw their districts. How does that ballot item really tie into the midterms in what is -- I mean, hard to believe -- in only about a year?

GENOVESE: Well, you know, I'm in California. And Californians are in a dilemma. This is one of those cases where both sides have a powerful argument. And in a way, they're both right.

The Californians don't want to end their independent commission for gerrymandering, but they also don't want to let Donald Trump cheat and steal the system and game the system.

And so, this is one of those cases where, you know, two wrongs may not necessarily make a right. But the second right -- the second wrong may stop the worst wrong, which is Donald Trump cheating his way into victory.

And so, California, it looks like Proposition 50 will pass and pass significantly.

But California is just one state. It's a big state. It's an important one. The Republicans have a number of other states that they're also going to game the system on.

So, we don't know right now how that's going to impact on the years -- one year from now, midterm elections.

SANDOVAL: Already planning for what's going to happen in the next year.

Michael Genovese, as always, we appreciate your time and that ongoing, or that constant presence of a Yankee jersey behind you.

GENOVESE: Always. I'm loyal.

SANDOVAL: All right. Thank you.

So, despite a new trade truce between the U.S. and China, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent now calling Beijing an -- an unreliable trade partner.

Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, they met last Thursday, and President Trump agreed to lower tariffs on Chinese goods by 10 percent.

But Bessent says that, although the U.S. doesn't want to decouple from China, it wants to de-risk. So, what does that mean?

CNN's Steven Jiang joining us now from Beijing.

Steven, can you offer a little bit more context on these latest statements, these latest comments and what they may mean for what was, hopefully, a economic relationship on the mend?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Polo, I think at the very least, I think we might have to brace ourselves for another round of war of words before the ink is even dry on the latest agreement.

Now, let's actually take a listen to what Secretary Bessent actually said on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: We're going to go at warp speed over the next one, two years. And we're going to get out from under the -- you know, the sword that the Chinese have over us. And they have it over the whole world.

We don't want to decouple from China, but we need to de-risk. They've shown themselves to be an unreliable partner in many areas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIANG: So, the Chinese haven't officially responded to Bessent's latest remarks, which should actually surprise no one who has been paying attention. Because this latest agreement is universally seen as a temporary truce. It doesn't really address any of the fundamental structural issues between the two economies that really triggered this trade war to begin with.

Now, from the U.S. perspective, it's about China's industrial overcapacity, its excessive state subsidies, and other unfair practices.

But the Chinese, of course, have also long accused the U.S. of setting up barriers to -- trade barriers in the name -- with the pretext of national security.

[00:10:07]

What this latest agreement does, according to most experts, is to buying each side some time. A year's time, if it goes according to plan, to address their own vulnerabilities from -- for the U.S., as you just heard Mr. Bessent say, it is really about reducing its reliance, just like the rest of the world, on this Chinese supply of rare earths. But that's a years' long effort given the Chinese near monopoly on not just processing capability, but also personnel and technology in this sector.

For the Chinese, it's about reducing their reliance on U.S. A.I. Chips and other key technologies, as spelled out very clearly in the communist leadership's latest five-year plan, as they race to achieve this so-called techno industrial self-reliance.

So, it is really telling that just days before the Trump-Xi meeting, the U.S. trade representative office actually launched a formal investigation into China's compliance to the previous agreement, trade agreement reached during Trump's first term in office.

So, now, of course, with China seeing itself so much more powerful economically, it's little wonder that American officials like Mr. Bessent is having a lot of doubts in terms of how Beijing will honor its commitments and obligations this time.

So, Polo, all said, a lot of uncertainty and volatility is very much looming large on the horizon again -- Polo.

SANDOVAL: Yet another dose of uncertainty when it comes to U.S.-China relations. Steven Jiang, as always, we appreciate your live report.

Now, President Trump also says that Taiwan, quote, "never even came up" during his talks with his Chinese counterpart. But he wouldn't say whether he would order U.S. forces to defend Taiwan if China launches a military attack on the island.

President Trump told CBS's "60 Minutes" that Beijing is aware of the consequences of such a move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: You'll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that.

I don't want to be one of these guys that tells you exactly what's going to happen if something happens. The other side knows. But I'm not somebody that tells you everything because you're asking me a question. But they understand what's going to happen.

And he has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, we would never do anything while President Trump is president, because they know the consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Well, President Trump says that he's not really considering sending U.S. Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. His comments follow repeated attempts by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to secure the long-range weapons and expand Kyiv's striking distance into Russia.

The U.S. president told reporters on Sunday that there was no final straw for Russia's Vladimir Putin that would signal he's not ready to end the conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: There's no final straw. Sometimes you have to let it fight it out. They're fighting. They're fighting it out.

And it's been a tough war for Putin. He's lost a lot of soldiers, maybe a million. That's a lot of soldiers. And it's been tough for Ukraine. It's been tough on both.

Sometimes you have to let it, you know, just get caught out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And Israel is examining the remains of what Hamas says are three Israeli hostages. Hamas handed over their remains on Sunday.

President Trump says that one of the bodies is that of an Israeli- American dual national, Omar Neutra. Mr. Trump says he's already spoken with his parents. Israel has not released the identities of the other two bodies.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond with this report out of Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hamas has handed over the remains of what it says are three additional deceased hostages.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Those remains were transferred to the Red Cross and then to Israeli forces inside of Gaza. And now those three bodies are at Israel's National Forensic Institute, where they are undergoing DNA testing to confirm whether or not these are, indeed, the remains of three additional deceased hostages.

DIAMOND: If, indeed, their identities are confirmed, this would mean that the number of deceased hostages still in Gaza would be down to eight. That is down from 28, of course, at the beginning of this ceasefire agreement.

Earlier this weekend, we did see Hamas return the remains of three other individuals who turned out not to be hostages. Hamas had previously told Israel that it was unsure if these remains actually belonged to any hostages, and indeed, DNA analysis confirmed that they were not.

DIAMOND (voice-over): We also heard from the Israeli prime minister on Sunday, who said that Israel is committed to ensuring the return of all of the deceased hostages.

Speaking at his weekly cabinet meeting, the Israeli prime minister accused Hamas of, quote, "pathetic attempts to deceive us, the United States, and the world." But he vowed that those attempts would fail.

DIAMOND: But the fact that Hamas is continuing to return additional remains of deceased hostages is a good sign for this ceasefire, which has been shaky at times over the course of the last three weeks --

[00:15:05] DIAMOND (voice-over): -- including as Israel grew increasingly frustrated over the slow pace of the return of those bodies, in addition to several soldiers being killed.

And then Israel chose to carry out airstrikes in Gaza on two major separate occasions.

But we have seen sporadic attacks by Israeli forces in Gaza since then, as Israel has accused Palestinians, sometimes individuals who they claim are terrorists, of crossing that yellow demarcation line inside of Gaza.

We saw one such incident over the weekend, for example.

DIAMOND: Since the beginning of this truce, Israel has killed 226 Palestinians inside of Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: A 32-year-old British man is in custody after a mass stabbing attack on a passenger train in England. As of Sunday evening, one of the 11 victims was still fighting for his life in the hospital. Police believe that he is a railway worker who saved others -- the lives of other people aboard that train, trying to stop the attacker.

The train was traveling to London when the stabbings took place. Initially, a second man was detained by authorities, but he was later released without any charges.

Police are still trying to determine a motive in this attack. But they have, however, been able to -- at least they have said nothing to suggest that it was a terrorist incident. But that investigation continues.

Well, Donald Trump, he is doubling down on his threat of possible military action in Nigeria. He took to Truth Social in his post and said that Christianity is facing an existential threat in the West African nation, and he suggested that deploying U.S. troops to stop what he calls a mass slaughter of Christians.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They're killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria. And they have other countries very bad also. You know that. That part of the world, very bad. They're killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. I'm not going to allow that to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: But the Nigerian government and President Trump's own adviser on Africa says that what's happening there is really much more complex.

CNN's Larry Madowo with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The deaths of Christians in Nigeria, especially in the country's North, has been an issue for some Christians in Nigeria for a while.

MADOWO (voice-over): It's made its way back to the American right-wing circles, to the MAGA faithful, and now to President Trump. And there are some in the country, in Nigeria, who still believe this is a problem.

JULIET SUR, NIGERIAN BUSINESSWOMAN: So, for me, it's very important they come in, because this has been happening for a couple of years now. Nothing has been done.

So, I feel if Donald Trump said they don't want to come in, they should come in. And there's nothing wrong with that.

MADOWO (voice-over): Nigeria maintains there is no religious persecution happening in the country. What it has a problem with is terrorism from Boko Haram, from Islamic State in West African province, and from religious extremists, Islamist militants who target people, Christians and Muslims alike.

And that's something that President Bola Tinubu's government has struggled to contain, even though he ran on the subject of trying to deal with that issue of terrorism.

MADOWO: There's also an angle of the struggle for resources between farmers, who tend to be largely Christian, and herders, who tend to be largely Muslim.

It's an issue that President Trump's own adviser on Africa, a Lebanese-American businessman who made his fortune in Nigeria, addressed recently.

MASSAD BOULOS, U.S. SENIOR ADVISOR FOR ARAB AND AFRICAN AFFAIRS: People of all religions and all tribes are -- are dying as a result of terrorist acts. But it's very unfortunate.

We -- we even know that Boko Haram and ISIS are killing more Muslims than Christians. So, people are suffering from all sorts of backgrounds. This is not -- this is not specifically targeted about one group or the other.

However, any loss of life is -- is too many. One is too many.

MADOWO: Nigerian officials tell me that President Trump is relying on incomplete data from events that happened more than ten years ago.

They also say they have not officially been communicated to from the U.S. using diplomatic channels. All they have seen --

MADOWO (voice-over): -- are the posts from Truth Social and the response from the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, saying he was getting the troops ready.

And they hope that they can get a meeting with President Trump to try and iron out some of those issues.

MADOWO: They're also anticipating that it might be an antagonistic meeting, in the same way President Cyril Ramaphosa faced when he came to the White House after those claims of white genocide in South Africa. But they say they're ready.

Larry Madowo, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, the death toll, it is rising across the Caribbean from the -- after the powerful Hurricane Melissa.

We'll be speaking to someone from UNICEF about the recovery efforts on the ground in Jamaica.

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[00:24:15]

SANDOVAL: At least 12 people have been killed and many more injured after a powerful earthquake in Northern Afghanistan. This was a 6.3 magnitude quake that struck near Mazar-i-Sharif, one of the most populated cities in that part of the country.

Video showing damage to the Blue Mosque, which is a local landmark.

Afghanistan is often hit by powerful quakes. In August, more than 2,000 people died. And this after a quake struck the Eastern part of that country.

And the death toll from Hurricane Melissa, that's gone up to at least 59 people across the Caribbean. And that's according to the Associated Press.

Twenty-eight of those deaths, they were in Jamaica, where Melissa was the most powerful storm to ever hit that island nation.

And now, new images showing the extent of the damage, with buildings caved in and whole blocks and houses essentially wiped away.

U.S. forecaster AccuWeather estimating that Melissa caused up to $52 billion in damage in the Caribbean. And the death toll, it is only expected to continue to rise, according to authorities.

And earlier I did speak with Olga Isaza. She's the -- she's with UNICEF in Jamaica. And I asked her how Hurricane Melissa has impacted children in the region. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OLGA ISAZA, UNICEF JAMAICA REPRESENTATIVE: They are the most vulnerable in an emergency situation. So, we are very much concerned.

Our figures indicated that at least 280,000 children are severely affected around the country. And we are trying to do our best to support them and their families.

SANDOVAL: It's obviously an incredibly long road to recovery for -- for so many people there in Jamaica, especially -- it's my understanding -- along the Northern coast.

Can you give us a sense of just how much more aid will be -- will need to flood the zone in order to see any sort of noticeable improvement on the ground?

ISAZA: What we are seeing now is that the need of stabilization of the situation. We are still in the peak of the emergency. I mean, there are so many people that are not reached yet. And we are trying to do our best to accompany the government to access those communities.

Many of those are just accessible by air. So, the roads are absolutely blocked in many places. And for example, the water trucking is not possible at this point.

So, there are many people suffering because of lack of water, lack of food, lack of -- of shelter and protection. So, the needs are there.

SANDOVAL: Once contact has been established, once sort of a connection and roads have been reestablished to some of these areas that have been devastated, Olga, what are some of those things that are absolutely just imperative to get into the hands of the people who badly need it?

Is it food? Is it clothing? Is it perhaps more temporary shelter?

ISAZA: Absolutely. We are establishing two hubs, one in the North and one in the South, that are the two more affected areas. And delivering all of our supplies and the supplies that we already have.

But much more is needed. We are bringing to the country water, sanitation, hygiene, nutrition, health, communication equipments, all that is needed immediately for people.

Our bigger concern are water, sanitation, hygiene, and nutrition for children. Those are imperative needs that we need to supply now.

And we are trying our best. But we really need the support of others to be able to fulfill our missions and to help the government to reach those communities and those children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And join us again in the next hour to see more of our full interview with UNICEF's representative in Jamaica. That's coming up in the next hour here on CNN.

And you can help people impacted by Hurricane Melissa. Simply go to CNN.com/impact. Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, new videos and witness accounts, they

are currently emerging of horrific atrocities after the fall of the Sudanese city of Al-Fasher. Stay with us.

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[00:333:00]

SANDOVAL: And welcome back. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Israel has the alleged remains of three hostages that was -- that were released by Hamas on Sunday. U.S. President Trump says that the body of Israeli-American Omer Neutra was among them.

Israel has not released the identities of the other two. If they are confirmed to be Israeli hostages, that would leave the remains of eight deceased victims still in Gaza.

A 32-year-old British man under arrest on suspicion of attempted murder after a mass stabbing on a train in England this weekend. One of the 11 victims remains in the hospital after suffering life- threatening injuries.

Police have yet to determine a possible motive, but they say there is nothing to suggest that this was a terrorist incident.

At least 12 people are dead and many more injured after a 6.3- magnitude earthquake in Northern Afghanistan. The quake struck near Mazar-i-Sharif. It's one of the most populated cities in the region.

It's just the latest in a series of deadly quakes that have rattled the country in recent years.

Well, turning now to a new development in Sudan's civil war, now going well over two years.

Rebels are being accused of massacring hundreds of people after the city of Al-Fasher was captured by the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces.

Well, now videos and satellite images, they are emerging of these atrocities that were allegedly being committed by RSF fighters.

CNN's Nada Bashir with those details. But first, a warning that some of the images in the report, they are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With each passing day more harrowing videos emerge from Al-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region.

In the wake of the retreat of the Sudanese armed forces and a violent takeover by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, civilians in the besieged city have faced atrocities on an unthinkable scale.

[00:35:07]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

BASHIR (voice-over): Some of the footage we have obtained from Al- Fasher is simply too graphic for CNN to broadcast. Civilians gunned down as they attempt to flee, bodies strewn on the ground, lying in pools of blood, filmed by RSF fighters.

In this video, two men are stopped by an RSF vehicle. Within seconds, one of them is shot. The other is heard pleading with the soldiers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

BASHIR (voice-over): Moments later we hear another gunshot. As the camera pans back around, the man is seen lying motionless on the ground.

DENISE BROWN, U.N. RESIDENT COORDINATOR IN SUDAN: We have received credible reports of summary executions of unarmed men lying on the ground being shot, and of civilians as they try and flee the city.

There are still civilians who remain in Al-Fasher. We're not sure how many; could be 120,000; could be more than -- than that.

BASHIR (voice-over): The scale of these attacks are such that evidence of the RSF's atrocities are now visible from space, with indicators of bodies and what appear to be large bloodstains detected by experts at the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab.

In satellite imagery of Al-Fasher's Al Saudi Hospital, clusters of white objects consistent with the size and shape of bodies and reddish discoloration nearby, appear to reflect reports of mass killings in the area, as documented by the Sudan doctors network, which claims that the RSF, quote, "cold-bloodedly killed everyone they found inside the Al Saudi Hospital, turning it into a human slaughterhouse."

The RSF has described the claims as baseless, but according to the U.N., nearly 500 people were killed in the assault.

NATHANIEL RAYMOND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YALE HUMANITARIAN RESEARCH LAB: We have seen, over the past 48 to 72 hours, the proliferation of objects across Al-Fasher that are consistent with human bodies, to the point where we can see piles of bodies across the city from space.

They're moving neighborhood to neighborhood. They're systematically wiping out those they find that have remained.

BASHIR (voice-over): While many remain trapped in Al-Fasher, thousands have fled the violence on foot in search of safety.

The accounts of those who survived the journey are distressing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They harassed the people and beat some of them. They separated the young men from the women. I don't know where they took the men.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There have been many tragedies. Men and women have been killed. We hope that the international community will stand with us.

BASHIR (voice-over): The leaders of both the RSF and the Sudanese armed forces have faced Western sanctions due to their involvement in alleged war crimes.

But U.N. officials say the RSF has displayed a pattern of systematic and often ethnically motivated attacks on a large scale. According to a report presented to the U.N. by a panel of experts, the RSF and its allied militias have allegedly received support from the UAE in the form of weapons, though the UAE has denied backing the paramilitary group.

The RSF has also been accused by the United States of committing a genocide during the ongoing civil war.

The paramilitary group has acknowledged what they've described as violations in Al-Fasher. Its leader, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, saying in a statement that an investigation will be carried out to hold those responsible for criminal acts accountable.

In a directive issued to its fighters, RSF leaders also called on all personnel to adhere to rules of conduct and to ensure the protection of civilians.

Evidence on the ground, however, tells a very different story.

RAYMOND: The Rapid Support Forces have surrounded the city in an earth wall called a berm that's as high as nine feet. So, the context here is these people are inside what we call a kill box. They have been walled in to be killed systematically.

BASHIR (voice-over): The fall of Al-Fasher could mark a dangerous turning point in the conflict, allowing the paramilitary group to consolidate and strengthen its grip on the broader Darfur region, all the while putting civilian lives at greater risk of violence, persecution, and what aid groups are already calling a humanitarian catastrophe.

Nada Bashir, CNN, in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:44:07]

SANDOVAL: The president of Mexico, she's calling for justice after the brazen murder of a local mayor.

Carlos Manzo was a vocal critic of organized crime before his murder. During his time as the mayor of Uruapan, he urged Mexico's government to take action to protect him and others. The 41-year-old was shot on Saturday while at a -- while attending a

Day of the Dead festival inside the violence-plagued state of Michoacan.

Security officials say the two suspects were arrested, and a third is dead.

His widow spoke at his funeral, vowing to keep his message alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRECIA QUIROZ, WIFE OF CARLOS MANZO (through translator): today, this legacy does not end. I swear to you, Carlos, it does not end for our children, for you, for me, for everything you told me you wanted me to do. I swear we will keep it going. This town together with you, with our children. We must move Uruapan forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: The brother of Britain's King Charles will lose his last remaining military rank.

At the request of the king, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will be stripped of his position as vice admiral of the Royal Army. The former prince served in the Royal Navy for 22 years.

Last week, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew would be losing all of his royal titles and his honors, and that he would be evicted from the royal estate at Windsor over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew, for his part, has denied all allegations against him.

A fantastic finish at the New York City Marathon. We're going to bring you some highlights and also fill you in on the winners of this year's big event.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:47:29]

SANDOVAL: Some Latino voters who backed Donald Trump in 2024 tell CNN that they are not very happy with him lately. Reasons including the president's massive immigration crackdown and also some economic concerns.

Some of them spoke to CNN's Maria Santana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA SANTANA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Normally at this time, Ricardo Francisco's Dominican restaurant is full, serving clients Pica Pollo, Pernil, and the traditional Tres Golpes: mashed plantains with fried eggs, cheese, and salami.

SANTANA: Tres Golpes, the three hits, is my favorite dish. The platanos.

SANTANA (voice-over): But he says business has dropped about 35 percent in the past year.

SANTANA: Do you think that Trump's immigration policies and the way he's cracking down on immigrants, that that has something to do with it?

RICARDO FRANCISCO, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER (through translator): Of course, that's had a lot to do with it. There are fewer people out on the streets. Now, they prefer delivery instead.

SANTANA (voice-over): When we first met Francisco last year, just after the election, he said he backed Donald Trump, trusting his economic plans while brushing off his talk of mass deportations.

FRANCISCO (through translator): no, I don't agree with mass deportations, because almost all of us Here are immigrants. I think Trump should reconsider that. And I think he will.

SANTANA: It hasn't even been a year since Trump has been in office, and you don't like what he's doing with immigration?

FRANCISCO (through translator): No, because many families have been separated. I think the government should refocus and pay more attention to the economy.

SANTANA (voice-over): That frustration seems to be growing across Allentown. Large crowds recently gathered throughout the region as part of nationwide No Kings protests.

A once industrial hub in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the city is now home to a majority Latino population that swung sharply toward Trump in 2024.

JOHNNY HERRERA, BARBER (through translator): The majority of us regret it very, very much.

SANTANA (voice-over): Johnny Herrera, a barber at a local shop, says that many here feel deceived by Trump.

HERRERA (through translator): Right now, I don't support him. He said he would go after the undocumented immigrants doing wrong and help those who are working and doing the right thing. But that's not what's happening.

SANTANA (voice-over): Back at the restaurant, Francisco worries that, if things don't change soon, he may have to close.

FRANCISCO (through translator): I don't have the resources to keep this place running long-term.

[00:50:03]

SANTANA (voice-over): But he's still not ready to completely give up on Trump. FRANCISCO (through translator): He has time to recover, to regroup and to govern well. I think so.

SANTANA (voice-over): He hopes he's right this time. And if he is --

SANTANA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

FRANCISCO: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

SANTANA (voice-over): -- he says, "Next time lunch is on me."

SANTANA: I'm going to come back.

SANTANA (voice-over): Maria Santana, CNN, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Well, the Maldives, it's made history this week as the first country to ban smoking for an entire generation. You see, from now on, it is against the law for anyone born in 2007 or later to buy or to use tobacco products on the island nation.

So over time, the idea is to phase out the tobacco use altogether.

Already some other places, they've proposed similar bans, but the Maldives is the first to enact a country-wide ban like this.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is warning against the use of a drug called Leucovorin as, really, a treatment for kids with some forms of autism.

You see, just weeks ago at the White House, President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., they touted the use of this drug.

It's a chemical cousin of vitamin B-9, or folic acid, and was initially approved to handle the side effects of certain cancer chemotherapy drugs.

Now, some studies are finding that it may also help certain children on the autism spectrum. But now the American Academy of Pediatrics is warning against the drug's wide and routine use in kids with autism, saying that more research is needed.

So, how should parents read all of this? Let's go now to CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta for more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is sweet little Jose. He's four years old. When he was 18 months, he was diagnosed with autism.

JOSE, CHILD WITH AUTISM: Look at this.

GUPTA (voice-over): And every week since then, he has worked with a team of therapists to try and strengthen his speech -- JOSE: Jose.

GUPTA (voice-over): -- and motor skills and social awareness.

KEITH JOYCE, JOSE'S GUARDIAN: His world was like this big. Like, just, you know well, physically, he's right here. His world was like this big. Rarely noticed other kids. If he did, he'd play, like next to him.

GUPTA (voice-over): But then, something changed. Jose's guardian, Keith, said the last six months were somehow different. And he thinks it was because of a new medication Jose has been taking.

JOYCE: I start doing some research, and I came across, in December, a news piece about this Leucovorin.

GUPTA (voice-over): Leucovorin is actually a pretty simple drug, a form of folate, Vitamin B.

JOYCE: The third day after we started it, he started babbling so much.

JOSE: OK.

GUPTA (voice-over): We have long known that folate is essential for brain development. What is new is the recognition that some kids with autism have these antibodies blocking the receptor that lets folate enter the brain. As a result, they have something known as cerebral folate deficiency.

But leucovorin, a slightly different form of the vitamin, is able to use a different pathway to enter the brain.

JOSE: Grape juice.

JOYCE: He had a personality, but you had to draw it out. And trying to have anything reciprocal with him was just not -- not happening. Now, we have reciprocal conversations.

JOSE: T-R-L -- O-L-L-I.

JOYCE: Trolli.

JOSE: Trolli, please.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Hello, everyone.

GUPTA (voice-over): President Donald Trump and his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., publicly recommended the drug.

TRUMP: The FDA will be updating the label of an existing drug to reflect potential benefits in reducing some autism symptoms since the president's endorsement, interest in leucovorin has skyrocketed.

JOYCE: My first reaction was better get -- get a refill in. Supplies are tight. GUPTA (voice-over): At the FDA's request, GSK, which is the maker of the original name-brand Leucovorin, said it will be submitting an application to update the drug's label to include use for patients with cerebral folate deficiency.

GUPTA: Do you treat something like Leucovorin differently? Because we're talking about autism, something that doesn't really have a therapy?

DR. MARTY MAKARY, FDA COMMISSIONER: I think because it's safe, it will go through a different process. And because it's been around for nearly a century, it will go through a different process. And because of the urgency of the unmet public health need of the burden of autism in society.

GUPTA (voice-over): Normally, companies do need to run large trials before a label can change. But in this case, the FDA says smaller existing studies may be enough, even though the data is limited and still needs to be replicated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Here you go.

GUPTA (voice-over): The agency notes that they have reviewed 23 studies since 2009 and found clinical benefit in 85 percent of patients with the deficiency.

[00:55:01]

DR. ALYCIA HALLADAY, CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER, AUTISM SCIENCE FOUNDATION: The issue is whether or not that is sufficient evidence for the FDA to approve this for treatment of autism, when there's very little efficacy data.

GUPTA (voice-over): But Alycia Halladay, chief science officer for the Autism Science Foundation, is mostly worried about this: creating too much false hope.

HALLADAY: The indication that the FDA put out was for autism with cerebral folate deficiency. I don't think that that was understood by the autism community, who feels like this is a panacea for all people with autism.

Most people with autism do not have a cerebral folate deficiency.

GUPTA (voice-over): Keith is convinced that it helped Jose, but it's still not clear what that means for everyone else.

GUPTA: I will tell you that there is a blood test to determine the presence of these antibodies, and according to some studies, about 40 to 60 percent of children with autism do have those antibodies, meaning folate may not properly be entering the brain.

And in those cases, leucovorin might be of benefit for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: All right. Now to what is, hands down, perhaps one of the best days to be in New York City. It was the New York City's marathon.

The men's race had its closest finish ever. You see here, it was down to the wire with Kenyans Alexander Mutiso Munyao and Benson Kipruto vying for first place. You see them there embracing at the end of the race.

Kipruto actually crossed the finish line first, winning by less than one second.

To the women now and their race. Kenya's Hellen Obiri winning and also set a -- broke a record, a 22-year-old women's record for that.

Obiri running the course in just two hours and 19 -- two hours, 19 minutes and 51 seconds.

And they were just some of the first of over 55,000 participants to cross that finish line. As a five-time marathon spectator myself, I can tell you that it is really, truly magical when you see strangers supporting strangers. And it was just an amazing day. So, congratulations to each one of those participants today.

I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. Thank you so much for joining us. I'll be right back with you in just a few moments for more CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)