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Government Shutdown Enters Day 34; Voters to Decide Key Races Across the Country; Bessent Blasts China as "Unreliable"; Trump Doubles Down on Nigeria Threats; Senate To Reconvene As Shutdown Enters Day 34; Candidates For New Jersey Governor Make Final Appeals To Voters; At Least 19 Killed As Earthquake Hits Near Mazar-I-Sharif; Donald Trump Interviewed By CBS "60 Minutes". Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 03, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in the "CNN Newsroom" with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, a high-stakes week here in the U.S. from federal employees working without pay for more than a month to election day and pivotal races that will have a big impact on the country. Israel identifies the latest hostages released by Hamas, among them an Israeli-American. And later --

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UNKNOWN: When that crack happens, it's the most gratifying feeling ever for a blind person because somebody told you, you couldn't play, that this game wasn't designed for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: The inspiring story of teamwork and breaking stereotypes in baseball.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte."

HUNTE: Welcome. U.S. senators are heading back to Capitol Hill in the coming hours as the government shutdown enters day 34 with no end in sight. President Donald Trump is back in Washington after spending the weekend in Florida. He's showing no signs that he's willing to negotiate to end the shutdown. Instead, he's putting pressure on Republican senators to scrap the filibuster, a 60-vote threshold required for most legislation.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: So, I think we should do the nuclear option. This is a totally different nuclear, by the way. It's called ending the filibuster. The Republicans have to get tougher. If we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want. We're not going to lose power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: President Trump is preparing for a big week ahead, including elections on Tuesday. Voters will head to the polls in several high- stakes elections across the country.

That includes the race for mayor in New York City. 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 is voting on a redistricting measure known as Proposition 50 that could have big implications for next year's midterm elections. We're also keeping an eye on the races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia. CNN's Kevin Liptak has the latest from the White House.

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KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: We are now butting up against the longest government shutdown in history, and it appears all but certain that that record will be broken this week. Democrats and Republicans showing no signs that they're nearing an end to the stalemate.

In fact, President Trump and the White House on Sunday reiterating calls for Senate Republicans to do away with the filibuster. That's that 60-vote threshold that would be needed to break the deadlock here. The president essentially calling on Republicans to do away with Senate president to reopen the government without Democrats' support.

Now, this could prove to be a decisive week. We have won the off-year elections on Tuesday with which the government shutdown could prove to be an outsized factor in a place like Virginia with a high number of military families and federal workers.

You also have open enrollment opening this week for health insurance, and Americans beginning to see spikes in their health care premiums for next year. Remember, this is the core of Democrats' arguments. They're asking for an extension of health insurance subsidies.

And you're starting to see the effects of the shutdown really beginning to take hold, including in air travel. There have been delays at airports across the country amid staffing shortages with air traffic controllers. The U.S. Transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, said on Sunday that as air traffic controllers continue not getting paid, it's only -- quote -- "going to get worse."

And then there's the question of those food assistance programs like SNAP. You have the House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, saying that Trump and Republicans were attempting to -- quote -- "weaponize hunger." You also heard the Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, say that those benefits could restart as soon as this week, but that the administration continues to look for direction from the courts. Now, for his part, President Trump spent the weekend in Florida at his Palm Beach estate on Halloween. He attended a Great Gatsby-themed costume party.

[02:04:57]

And on Sunday, before departing back here to Washington, he inspected his private Boeing 757 that he used to campaign around the country. He is now back in Washington as Democrats call on the president to really begin to engage in these negotiations.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.

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HUNTE: New polling shows President Trump's approval rating is underwater. A Washington Post and ABC News poll show almost 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of the job he's currently doing, with just 41% approving. A separate NBC News poll finds 55% disapprove of the president's job performance and 43% approve.

As the government shutdown creeps into November, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, is quickly drying up. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced food stamps will not be issued in November. That's some $8 billion that would help feed people.

To give you an idea of the impact that that will have, nearly 42 million people or one out of every eight Americans received food stamps in May. That's according to the latest USDA data. Have a look at who receives SNAP benefits. Children and the elderly make up the majority, and roughly 39% are children.

The government shutdown is also forcing federal employees in Washington, D.C. to seek out food banks. Without paychecks, workers say they're barely able to make ends meet. CNN's Camila DeChalus has the details.

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CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN REPORTER: As the government shutdown continues, I spoke with several federal workers earlier today at a food bank where they were looking for some assistance. Now, several federal workers told me that this government shutdown has really taken such a serious toll on them, not just on their finances, but also on their mental health, too. Some workers talked about how they had to drain out their savings account and have even fallen behind on some of their bills.

Now, one woman broke down in tears, saying that just the weight of everything really hit her when she showed up here today. Take a listen.

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UNKNOWN: It's a big impact because, um, now, we have to choose either to feed ourselves or to pay the bills because either way, we are, you know, it's affecting us. We -- we have children, young children, and we have to make sure that we're still keeping it together for them. And I feel as if the government is not -- doesn't care. The holidays are coming. You know, it's -- people are going to be hungry. We are the land of opportunity, and it doesn't look like it now.

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DECHALUS: As you can see, several federal workers had a very tough message for lawmakers and really expressed their frustration that they're not able to work with each other and really come up with a solution and that this political standoff is hurting real people.

And I think that's pretty notable because as this government shutdown continues, we're really hearing the behind the scenes, that senators are talking amongst each other, both Democrats and Republicans, and they're hoping to find some type of common ground for there to be a real breakthrough.

Now, what we're told that's going to happen in the upcoming days is senators are expected to return where they're going to take up voting. But on the House side, House lawmakers are expected not to be there, that the House is going to be out of session all this week, and really told that they're hoping that, at least on the Senate end and their things, that they're really hoping that these behind the scenes conversations that's happening behind closed doors and away from the cameras and reporters, that that's really going to mount in some actual progress that we're going to see in the upcoming days.

Camila DeChalus, CNN, Washington.

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HUNTE: Well, California Congressman Jimmy Gomez brought together social media influencers to discuss the impacts of this government shutdown. Dr. Ilan Shapiro, a community physician, was part of that virtual meeting, and he's joining us now. Thank you so much for being with us, Dr. Shapiro. How are you doing?

DR. ILAN SHAPIRO, COMMUNITY PHYSICIAN: Always a pleasure and thank you for the opportunity.

HUNTE: You're so, so welcome. It's good to see you. You were part of this meeting between Representative Gomez and a group of social media influencers. What was the main goal of that conversation and what did you take away from it?

SHAPIRO: What I learned right now is that -- what I see every day with my patients and with my community -- they need to actually see the people that are actually suffering from this. When we talk about food, when we talk about health care, there are basic needs that our community has. And this doesn't matter in which corner of the U.S. you are. All of us need that every day.

And that's why it was so important to have this conversation and making sure that people knew the resources, knew how to get -- you know, if they needed extra help, how to actually share that information with the community.

HUNTE: This government shutdown is on course to be the longest ever, and that is having a real impact on Americans, obviously. What are you hearing from families and your followers as well about -- what they're saying about who's most affected by this?

[02:10:02]

SHAPIRO: I'm a physician, and I'm also a pediatrician. Ben, a lot of the families are worried because they actually need to count cent by cent the amount of money that I need to actually buy food for their families. And a lot of them will actually be running out of that. And those are my little children.

And when we actually think about children, that's actually the most vulnerable part of our community. And imagine being hungry when you go to school. Imagine actually seeing your parents, the stress that they have to actually bring the basic needs to your household. And that's what we're seeing. And sadly, that was a problem before. And right now, it's going to get worse.

HUNTE: There is so much frustration out there at the moment if you just look on social media. People are feeling that politicians are playing games while families are going hungry. After being part of this meeting, do you honestly believe that Washington is listening to the real stories that you and other creators are sharing?

SHAPIRO: I can tell you for sure that when I am creating and sharing information, it's for the community, to actually share and close that gap of information that we have. Right now, the gap that we're having is where to look for health care and where to look for actually food. And that's what we're bringing right now, making sure that we're creating that bridge of hope, that no matter where they are, they're seen.

And most importantly, it doesn't matter where you live in the U.S. We all need these basic facts, and we actually need those resources, especially now.

HUNTE: But do you think that Washington is listening to what you and others are saying? Are they taking that on board?

SHAPIRO: Ben, I do hope that everybody is hearing us because as a community and as humans, if we don't have our basic needs, how can we actually go out there and learn in school? How can we be healthy? How can we actually bring back things to our community? Those are the stories that we're seeing right now.

And I hope that everybody that is hearing us right now is bringing back the idea that we need this. We need to be -- no matter which team do you play for, we're humans and this is the moment to recreate and make sure that we have the values to bring back and give back to our communities.

HUNTE: You have talked about the connection between food and health. What are you seeing on the ground when families lose access to both nutrition support and health care coverage as well?

SHAPIRO: Ben, it's a domino effect. The moment that we have, right now, it's being a double one. If mom and dad do not have insurance, how they can take care of themselves, work and actually bring back the resources that the kids and the family members need? That actually triggers that they will start using more of the E.R. services. That means that we will have longer waiting times. And the blunt of that services will be paid by the hospitals.

At that moment, we have like a shortfall of what's going to happen with the hospitals. And right now, they -- especially in rural and urban community hospitals, they're already strained for resources. That means that we will have less ERs, hospitals, doctors to take care of our community. And the thing that I hate the most is all those chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure. And even, you know, sometimes, the cancer screenings will be gone. Then we will start seeing more complications of things that we could prevent.

HUNTE: What is your message to families watching, who are worried about losing support, and to lawmakers who still haven't found a solution to the shutdown?

SHAPIRO: We see absolutely all of you. No matter where we are, where we're living, what religion we are, we all need the same basic thing. We need to have a secure household. We need to eat. We want to bring back those resources to their families to have a better future.

Today, we need to take care of each other, making sure that we are, if we have little more resources, to share it with people that are in need right now, and we need to make sure that our stories, our feelings, and most importantly, our needs are being shared with the people that can make a difference.

HUNTE: Okay. We'll leave it there. Thank you so much, and let's see what happens next. Dr. Ilan Shapiro, thank you.

SHAPIRO: Thank you.

HUNTE: Israel has confirmed that the remains of three individuals handed over by Hamas are those of three deceased hostages. They have been identified as Captain Omer Maxim Noytra, Colonel Assaf Hamami, and Staff Sergeant Oz Daniel, according to the office of Prime Minister Netanyahu.

[02:15:05]

President Trump also confirmed the body of Israeli-American dual national, Omer Neutra, was returned. Mr. Trump says he has already spoken with Neutra's parents.

The latest exchange comes amid tense clashes across the enclave that are threatening the U.S.-brokered truce. Prime Minister Netanyahu claims Israel is systematically eliminating Hamas in areas under IDF control. At least 226 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 600 injured since the first phase of the ceasefire began last month. A 32-year-old British man is in custody after a mass stabbing attack on a train in England. As of Sunday evening, one of the 11 victims still fighting for his life in hospital. Police say he is a rail worker who was saved or who saved other people's lives by trying to stop the attacker. The train was travelling to London when the stabbings took place. And initially, a second man was detained, but he has since been released without charge. Police are still trying to determine a motive, and they say there's nothing to suggest it was a terrorist incident.

Okay, President Trump says a deal will be signed with China soon. Up next, how his Treasury secretary is characterizing U.S. trade relations with Beijing.

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HUNTE: Welcome back. Despite a new trade truce between the U.S. and China, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is calling Beijing an unreliable trade partner. Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met last Thursday, and President Trump agreed to lower tariffs on Chinese goods by 10%. But Bessent says although the U.S. doesn't want to decouple from China, it does want to de-risk.

Let's keep talking about it. CNN's Steven Jiang is live from Beijing. Thanks for being with me, Steven. What does all of this mean for the U.S.-China relationship? Help us out.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, Ben, I think, at the very least, we should probably brace for another round of war of words even before the ink is dry on this latest agreement. Now, let's actually take a listen to what Secretary Bessent actually said.

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SCOTT BESSENT, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY: We're going to go at warp speed over the next one, two years, and we're going to get out from under, you know, the sword that the Chinese have over us and they have 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.

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JIANG: The Chinese haven't officially responded to Mr. Bessent's latest remarks, which probably shouldn't come as a total surprise for anyone who has been paying attention, because the almost universal assessment of this latest deal is a temporary truce. It actually doesn't address any of the fundamental structural issues between the two economies.

Now, for Washington, of course, that means China's industrial overcapacity, its excessive state subsidies and other unfair practices. But the Chinese, on the other hand, of course, have long accused Washington of using national security as a pretext to set up its own trade barriers.

So, this, uh, this agreement, in many experts' view, is just simply buying each side some time, a year if everything goes according to plan, to address their own vulnerabilities.

As Mr. Bessent, you heard him just there, for the U.S., it means to reduce its heavy reliance like the rest of the world on Chinese supply for rare earths. But that's going to be a years-long effort because of the Chinese new monopoly on the processing capability as well as personnel and technology in this sector. For the Chinese, of course, that means they want to reduce their reliance on U.S. A.I. chips and other key technologies as the communist leadership has spelled out very clearly in their latest five-year plan.

Now, what's interesting here is just days before the high-stakes meeting between Trump and Xi, the U.S. Trade Representative Office actually launched a formal investigation into China's compliance with its previous trade agreement with the U.S. during Trump's first term in office. Given how China feels about itself, how much more powerful it feels economically and with that rare earth Trump card, it's little doubt that -- it's little wonder that American officials like Mr. Bessent is having doubts about how Beijing will honor its commitments and obligations this time, Ben.

HUNTE: It's all going on. Things keep changing. Steven Jiang in Beijing, thanks for the latest. Appreciate it.

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

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TRUMP: There is no final straw. Sometime, you have to let it fight out. They're fighting. They're fighting it out. And it has been a tough war for Putin. He has lost a lot of soldiers, maybe a million. That's a lot of soldiers. And it has been for Ukraine. It has been tough for both. Sometimes, you have to let it.

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HUNTE: Donald Trump is doubling down on his threat of possible military action in Nigeria. In a Truth Social post, he said Christianity is facing an existential threat even in the West African nation, and he suggested 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. We are not going to allow that to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: But the Nigerian government and President Trump's own adviser on Africa say what's happening there is much more complex. Nigerian officials hope to meet with President Trump to sort things out, as CNN's Larry Madowo reports.

[02:25:00]

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LARRY MADOWO, CNN 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. It has made its way back to the American right-wing circles, to the MAGA faithful, and now to President Trump. And there some in the country, in Nigeria, who still believe this is a problem.

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JULIET SUR, NIGERIAN BUSINESSWOMAN: So, for me, it's very important they come in because this has been happening for 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: 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.

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 in Africa, a Lebanese-American businessman who made his fortune in Nigeria, addressed recently.

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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 sorts of backgrounds. This is not -- this is not specifically targeted about one group or the other. However, any loss of life is -- is -- is too many. One is too many.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MADOWO: Nigerian officials tell me that President Trump is relying on incomplete data from events that happened more than 10 years ago. They also say they have not officially been communicated to from the U.S. using diplomatic channels. All they have seen are the posts from Truth Social and the response from the secretary of defense.

Pete Hegseth is 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. 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.

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HUNTE: Still to come, as the government shutdown continues, flight delays are becoming more common. How staffing shortages impacted flights over the weekend, next.

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[02:30:58]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.

This week, the U.S. government shutdown could become the longest shutdown in American history. Senators remain deadlocked as they prepare to reconvene later today. And President Donald Trump is showing no signs that he's willing to negotiate with Democrats. In fact, instead, he's putting pressure on Republican senators to scrap the filibuster, a 60-vote threshold required to advance most legislation.

This past weekend was the worst for air traffic control staffing shortages since the start of the government shutdown. That is, according to a CNN analysis of Federal Aviation Administration operations plans. Between Friday morning and Sunday night, nearly 100 FAA facilities reported what's known as a staffing trigger. That means air traffic controllers had to alter operations just to keep the airspace safe. With fewer people working.

CNN's Rafael Romo has the latest.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Air traffic controllers have gone more than a month without a full paycheck, and they missed their whole paycheck at the end of last week, a situation that is apparently causing staffing shortages and even ground stops at some airports. Staffing shortages have caused ground stops at, at least two airports over the weekend, including Nashville and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. There were also widespread delays at airports like Newark and San Francisco. At one point on Sunday, staffing shortages were causing an average

delay of more than 3-1/2 hours at Newark Liberty International Airport, a delay of a little more than an hour at San Francisco International, and another delay of 38 minutes at Austin-Bergstrom International.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Saturday that more than 64 percent of Friday's flight delays were due to staffing in air traffic control towers, adding that this percentage is a record for this shutdown. In an interview with ABC on Sunday, Duffy reiterated that when it comes to air travel, safety comes first and the FAA may be forced to take drastic action.

SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: We will delay, we will cancel any kind of flight across the national airspace to make sure people are safe. But there is a level of risk that gets injected into the system when we have a controller that's doing two jobs instead of one. We manage that, we look out for it, and safety is the priority.

ROMO: Also on Sunday, Duffy told CBS that even before the shutdown, the FAA was already down between 2,000 and 3,000 controllers. Although the number of trainees at the academy has increased by 20 percent so far this year, the FAA currently has about 14,000 air traffic controllers on staff in September, before the government shutdown, the Department of Transportation said it met its hiring goals for the year by recruiting more than 2,000 people to combat the shortage.

But the current crisis may force trainees to reconsider career choices and pursue jobs with more financial stability.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

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HUNTE: The government shutdown is just one factor in some of the key races that CNN is watching across the country, including a hotly contested race for mayor of New York and Californias redistricting effort. That is, in addition to two governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey, too.

In the race for New Jersey governor, the candidates are delivering their closing statements to voters.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is on the campaign trail.

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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Democratic Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill and Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli spent the final day of early voting here on the campaign trail in New Jersey, trying to drive out their supporters before Tuesday's election.

Now, this race in New Jersey is one of the country's most closely watched contests heading into Tuesday night. Right now, Democrats are trying to extend control of the governorship for a third straight term, something that hasn't been done in more than 60 years while Republicans are trying to flip the seat.

Now, both Jack Ciattarelli and Mikie Sherrill hit the campaign trail with some top surrogates on Sunday. Take a listen to a bit of their closing message.

REP. MIKIE SHERRILL (D-NJ), GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Everything my opponent is going to do, he's either done before when he was in the assembly and voting against all of us, or he said he's going to do. He's given Trump an A, he said. There's nothing. He disagrees with him on it.

JACK CIATTARELLI (R), NEW JERSEY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: We cannot afford. Another day of those failed policies. And make no mistake, if my opponent is elected, okay, it's more of the same, only worse. She is Murphy 2.0. We cannot let this happen.

SAENZ: Sherrill got a boost from former President Barack Obama, who campaigned with her on Saturday.

But one high profile Republican endorser of Jack Ciattarelli was not on the campaign trail this weekend. And that is President Donald Trump. Trump did endorse Ciattarelli's campaign, but he has not campaigned with him on the ground here in the Garden State. Instead, he held a rally for him just over a little -- a week to go from the election.

Now, when I've talked to voters here in New Jersey, they repeatedly point to affordability issues as being their top concerns, talking about high property taxes, the overall high cost of living and high energy costs. Both candidates have presented their plans for how to drive down costs for New Jersey voters, and those New Jersey voters will have their say on the election night on Tuesday.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, Toms River, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Still to come, the death toll is rising across the Caribbean from the powerful Hurricane Melissa. CNN speaks with a representative from UNICEF about the recovery efforts on the ground in Jamaica.

See you in about.

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HUNTE: At least 19 people are dead and many more were injured after a powerful earthquake in northern Afghanistan. The 6.3 magnitude quake struck near Mazar e Sharif, one of the most populated cities in that part of the country. Video shows damage to the blue mosque.

[02:40;02]

That's a local landmark.

Afghanistan is often hit by powerful earthquakes. In August, more than 2,000 people died after a quake struck the eastern part of the country. The death toll from Hurricane Melissa has risen to at least 59 people across the Caribbean. That is according to the associated press, 28 of those deaths are in Jamaica, where Melissa was the most powerful storm to ever hit the island.

New images show the extent of the damage, with buildings caved in and whole blocks of houses wiped away. U.S. forecaster AccuWeather estimates that Melissa caused up to $52 billion in damage in the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, urban search and rescue specialists from Virginia and Los Angeles are now helping with the rescue efforts in Jamaica.

Earlier, my colleague Polo Sandoval spoke with Olga Azaiza, who is with UNICEF in Jamaica. She was asked how Hurricane Melissa has impacted children in the region. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: It's obviously an incredibly long road to recovery 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 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 lack of water, lack of food, lack 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 VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Four months after Donald Trump reached a $16 million settlement with CBS News, he was back on the show that sparked his lawsuit in the first place. The U.S. president sat down for a 90- minute interview with "60 Minutes".

CNN media analyst Brian Stelter breaks down the talking points.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHEF MEDIA ANALYST: President Trump does not agree to in-depth interviews very often. And this sit down with 60 minutes was intriguing for all sorts of reasons. Among the many headlines from the Sunday night broadcast, Trump called for an end to the Senate filibuster to resolve the government shutdown, he said immigration raids in the U.S., quote, haven't gone far enough, and he refused to say if the U.S. is preparing for military action on land in Venezuela.

Now, about that. Here's one of the follow up questions from interviewer Norah O'Donnell and Trump's response.

NORAH O'DONNELL, INTERVIEWER: On Venezuela in particular, are Maduro's days as president numbered?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would say, yeah, I think so, yeah.

O'DONNELL: And this issue of potential land strikes in Venezuela, is that true?

TRUMP: I don't tell you that. I mean, I'm not saying it's true or untrue, but I -- you know, I wouldn't --

O'DONNELL: Why would we do it?

TRUMP: -- I wouldn't be inclined to say that I would do that. But because I don't talk to a reporter about whether or not I'm going to strike.

STELTER: Now, in another moment from the interview that is ricocheting around social media, Trump claimed not to know anything about Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao, whom he pardoned last month. Zhao pled guilty in 2023 to violating anti-money laundering laws. Watch this part of the exchange.

O'DONNELL: The government at the time said that CZ had caused significant harm to U.S. national security by allowing terrorist groups like Hamas to move millions of dollars around. Why did you pardon him?

TRUMP: Okay. Are you ready? I don't know who he is. I know he got a four-month sentence or something like that. And I heard it was a Biden witch hunt.

[02:45:02]

STELTER: O'Donnell went on to ask about the connection between Binance and the Trump family's crypto company, and Trump claimed to know nothing about it.

Trump frequently accused Joe Biden of being oblivious about what was being done in his name as president, and many progressive commentators on Sunday night turned that back around on Trump, calling on Congress to investigate if Trump knows who he is pardoning.

Now, Trump brought up Biden more than 40 times during the 90-minute interview even though Trump has been back in office for almost a year. Trump seemingly had very little to say when O'Donnell asked about cost of living challenges and plans to change health care.

CBS aired about a third of the interview overall and published a complete transcript of the interview online. In other words, CBS edited just like tv networks do all the time. But its notable in this case because Trump filed a frivolous lawsuit last year over the way "60 Minutes" edited a pre-election interview with Kamala Harris.

"60 Minutes" journalists were outraged by the suit, but the parent company of CBS, Paramount, decided to settle the case out of court, while trying to win Trump administration approval for a pending merger.

Trump brought up this history to O'Donnell, and he praised Paramount's new owners, showing that he cares deeply about media attention and showing that he wants media owners to be on his side. He wants, or at least he wants them to be perceived to be his friends and his supporters.

Nevertheless, he faced scrutiny from CBS on Sunday night, and his answers and dodges are likely to drive several news cycles on Monday and beyond.

Brian Stelter, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Next, we'll introduce you to an incredible group of players trying to make history in baseball.

And no, I'm not talking about the Los Angeles Dodgers. Still ahead, we'll show you the sport of blind baseball and the inspiring athletes who are trying to make it to the Paralympics.

See you in a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:50:47]

HUNTE: Welcome back. Los Angeles is preparing to party again. The city will hold a

championship parade for the Dodgers later on Monday. The Dodgers won a dramatic World Series on Saturday in a game seven for the ages. They beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in extra innings in Toronto's home stadium. That secured a second title in a row for the Dodgers, their third in six seasons.

And with a $350 million payroll for their star-studded roster, there could be many more parades to come in L.A.

Let's stay with baseball, but not a version of the sport you may know. You're about to meet a team of blind athletes who want to bring their version of baseball to the Paralympics.

CNN's Randi Kaye explains how it all works.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's late October.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's make our way out to the field.

KAYE (voice-over): Baseball's biggest stage. But this isn't the World Series. This is something far more remarkable.

It's blind baseball.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that crack happens got it. It's the most gratifying feeling ever for a blind person because somebody told you, you couldn't play that. This game wasn't designed for you.

KAYE (voice-over): These players aren't waiting for a lead.

They're building one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One out.

KAYE (voice-over): Their goal? Make blind baseball a paralympic sport.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The second someone said Paralympics to me, I was like, I will do whatever it takes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's get some runs. Let's get some hits, baby.

KIANA V. GLANTON, BLIND BASEBALL PLAYER: I am Kiana Glanton. I am 42- 1/2.

KAYE: How would you describe yourself as captain?

GLANTON: I'm a bit of a taskmaster. Is there someone here that doesn't have something essential? I see so much potential in my teammates.

Let's go, Janis!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Play ball.

KAYE (voice-over): How do they play blind baseball? The ball itself has a couple of chimes in it so the players can follow the sound. And all the players are blindfolded to even the playing field. They hold the ball themselves. No pitcher, first base makes a beeping noise to guide them in, and there are two sighted coaches on second and third base with special clappers. The players run toward the noise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beautiful. Perfect.

KAYE: Rumor has it you're like the home run king.

ZACH SHIP. BLIND BASEBALL PLAYER: I love -- I mean, I love to hit.

KAYE: Don't be modest.

SHIP: To be on a baseball field, a place that has always brought me nothing but joy. Oh, it's like heaven.

KAYE (voice-over): Some of these players were adults by the time they lost their vision. So, for them, blind baseball is more than a sport.

GLANTON: I'm a proud mom of one phenomenal little girl. My seeing-eye daughter. About 2017, that's when it started getting really, really bad.

KAYE: And so how old was Callie when all this was happening?

GLANTON: The drastic part? Between two and three.

All right, so this is like cobblestone.

Our life changed big time. I felt like my eyes betrayed me. I did not want this lifestyle. And I certainly didn't want to be in the blind community. I smacked that ball for everything that I told myself I couldn't do. I'm breaking stereotypes and my baby is watching.

SHIP: My knife skills have gotten a lot better and like using my like, claw hand to be able to make sure I'm not like going to like cut into my like, left hand.

KAYE (voice-over): Baseball, help Zach Ship, learn to navigate the world again. When he lost his sight two years ago very suddenly.

KAYE: Can you see me right now?

SHIP: No.

KAYE: Not at all.

SHIP: If I'm looking straight at you, no.

KAYE: And if you turned your head?

SHIP: If I look this way, yes.

[02:55:00]

KAYE: But I'm blurry.

SHIP: Yes.

The day we found out that my vision was what it was, was the hardest day of my life. I will do whatever I need to do to live the life that I want to live, to do the things that are going to bring me joy and live the fullest. Most beautiful life that I want to live.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You lose us a run with your speed, I'll kill you. All right?. God bless you.

KAYE (voice-over): Last year, the team competed in the Blind Baseball International Cup, featured in this upcoming documentary. These games raise the profile of the sport. But they need 16 international teams to compete in the Paralympics.

GLANTON: To represent my city, my country, my friends and my family proudly, it would mean everything to me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Play ball.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And to the lead off double.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go. Good job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop, stop, stop!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Runs score. Runs score!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop, stop, stop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Six-three right now!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you play today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the blind community, there are really no limitations to what we can do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Love that. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. I will see you next week.

But don't go anywhere. CNN NEWSROOM continues after this quick break.

Rosemary, over to you.