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Government Shutdown Impacts Air Travel; Deadly Typhoon Pounds Vietnam; Orban to Meet with Trump; U.S. Stays Away As Climate Talks In Brazil About To Start; Mexico's President Files Charges Over Groping Incident; Pope Leo Meets With Palestinian Authority President. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 07, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom." Air travel in the U.S. is about to get more chaotic. We'll have details on how the government shutdown is further impacting airports and passengers across the country. A deadly typhoon is pounding Vietnam after ripping through the Philippines. We'll have a live report with the latest. And U.S. President Trump is set to host Hungary's prime minister at the White House. We'll explore the significance of the visit for Ukraine and Vladimir Putin.

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

BRUNHUBER: Americans are bracing for chaos at the country's airports with more flights getting canceled in the hours ahead because of the government shutdown. The Trump administration is now asking airlines to reduce the number of their flights by 4%. It will impact 40 of the busiest airports in the U.S. You can see them all there highlighted on the map. Now, those flight cuts are expected to go up by 10% by next Friday if the government isn't reopened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, U.S. SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: As we come into Thanksgiving, if we're still in the shutdown posture, um, it is -- it's going to be rough out there, really rough. Um, and we'll mitigate the safety side, but will you fly on time? Um, will your flight actually go? That -- that is yet to be seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Travelers are raising concerns about the federal employees who have to keep flights running while not getting paid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANA PAULA ZAMORANO, PASSENGER: I feel really bad for the TSA agents and everybody else, traffic controllers that are being impacted. So, in a way, I think we saw it coming. Uh, and all I can do myself as a traveler is when I get in the plane and when I get to airport, I thank everybody and say, hey, thank you, because I know it's rough.

CHRISTINA MINNICUS, PASSENGER: I have like mixed emotions, but I think my main focus is they need to get back to work, they need to get this fixed. They're going to hurt a lot of innocent people. Um, I'm not worried about getting to Florida, but I might be concerned in 10 days about getting home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The Federal Aviation Administration just published this 15-page emergency order, and in it, the Trump administration is mandating that airlines slash flights if the government shutdown does not end and air traffic controllers continue working without pay.

Here is the breakdown. Starting at 6 a.m. on Friday, airlines will have to cut 4% of flights from their schedules. Next Tuesday, 6% of flights. Next Thursday, 8% of flights. And next Friday, 10% of flights. That, in essence, makes changes within two weeks of Thanksgiving when air travel was expected to be huge.

This is coming with sharp criticism for major airlines, which are huge economic drivers, and they're saying that the Trump administration is holding a gun to their heads, turning the travel pain of millions into political gain., and no airline is really buying the administration's excuse that the U.S. airspace is suddenly unsafe.

Here's what it means in real numbers. American Airlines told me that it will cancel about 220 flights each day, Friday through Monday, Southwest Airlines will cancel around 120 flights on Friday, Delta Airlines will cancel 170 flights on Friday, and United Airlines will cancel around 200 flights on Friday.

Here's the administration's reasoning for all this. Air traffic controllers just got this zero-dollar pay stub. They're second of this government shutdown. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says that stress in the national airspace system has reached a point where it is no longer safe to operate at full capacity, though even air traffic controllers have expressed to be major skepticism about all this.

Where will this be? Well, this is the new map of airports everywhere from New York to Florida to Albuquerque to Anchorage. Now, airlines are scrambling to adjust, telling me they're dealing with this like they would deal with the mass cancellations during a major snowstorm. The Trump administration says air traffic controllers are in crisis, but airlines say this will create travel chaos.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And joining me now from Montclair, New Jersey is Meghna Maharishi, an airline reporter at Skift. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, the last words we heard there, warnings of travel chaos. We saw the map. The FAA cuts -- these airports include some of the busiest hubs in the country. So, walk us through what this actually means.

[02:05:00]

MEGHNA MAHARISHI, AIRLINE REPORTER, SKIFT: Yes. So, I mean, at least, right now, the cuts are sort of starting to go into effect. And the FAA is sort of starting at 4%, and then, eventually, they're going to work their way up to 10% by next Friday, I guess, in the event the government is still shut down.

I think as far as the practical impacts go right now, it's fairly minimal, like if you take the total flights that the big three airlines in the U.S. are canceling, which is American, Delta and United, it totals a little bit under 600 flights just for Friday, and it will be that way until Monday. Then, obviously, they'll have to start increasing the percentage of flights they're canceling in their schedules until they get to the 10% by next Friday.

But I think like right now, like that impact is pretty minimal. It won't really be like a big hit for the airline and it may not necessarily be a big hit for a traveler right now, too. I think also just another sort of, uh, reprieve that travelers might get with these cuts right now is that November is sort of like a low season for travel. So, I mean, even in the event that, you know, a flight gets canceled, the chance of you may be getting rebooked on to another flight with the same airline is still pretty good --

BRUNHUBER: Hmm.

MAHARISHI: -- just because not as many people are traveling right now.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, at least until Thanksgiving wraps up here in the U.S. in earnest. You say that the -- the travel impact will be fairly minimal on people, but what about the psychological impact? I mean, we played the clip there from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who says that this is a proactive safety measure. I'm sure many folks who are out there are asking the question, how safe is it to fly right now? I mean, is -- is there any reason to be worried?

MAHARISHI: I definitely think the move to sort of reduce this air traffic everywhere by 10% does like play into this perception that a traveler might have that maybe I should not be traveling right now with the government shutdown. And also, nobody really wants to be stuck in an airport for hours and hours on end, not knowing when they can get to their destination. So, there's definitely like that impact, too.

It's unclear to see like how that might impact demand, especially even going into Thanksgiving. Airlines were originally forecasting Thanksgiving to be an extremely busy season for them, actually an all- time record high. I believe Airlines for America, which is a trade group that represents all the major airlines, was forecasting that around 30 million people will be traveling during that Thanksgiving holiday season.

So, uh, it remains to be seen, though, if this shutdown will maybe now make travelers a little bit more weary, especially when you're seeing airline CEOs recommend that people book a backup flight if they're traveling within the next day.

BRUNHUBER: Hmm.

MAHARISHI: And also, airlines are offering pretty generous refund policies, too, right now. I mean, United is telling travelers, you know, if you don't want to travel right now, even if your flight isn't impacted by these cuts, like you can request a full refund.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. So, let's talk dollars and cents then. I mean, we heard some of the hyperbole from some of the airlines, saying it was like the government holding a gun to their head. I mean, when you suddenly pull, uh, flights out of the system -- I mean, basic economists say fewer seats should mean higher prices. I mean, is this expected to actually affect ticket prices especially if this does drag on?

MAHARISHI: It's unclear how much it will affect ticket prices. Like, if this maybe goes on for 10 days until next Friday, and then the government reopens, I don't really think it will have much of an effect. But then, you know, if we talk about this going into Thanksgiving or maybe even into the end of the year, that's an entirely different conversation, then it could maybe start to impact fares if demand for some reason starts to be even lower than what airlines were originally forecasting.

As far as dollars and cents go, like, airlines were gaining some more pricing power over the last few months on airfares just because they were cutting a lot of capacity and there was also just a lot of demand for international travel, premium travel, and that had been driving airfares up.

BRUNHUBER: Because this is an international broadcast, I want to ask you. You know, this could affect beyond the United States, especially if this goes beyond Friday. We're looking at weeks of reduced capacity at major airports. I mean, what kind of ripple effects could we see possibly for international travel and the broader global aviation system?

MAHARISHI: So, I think, right now, as far as international travel goes, it seems as if like the major U.S. airlines are not touching their international schedules. So, those are not going to be impacted, at least right now, by the cuts. Right now, it seems as if all the airlines are really just focusing on regional flights and domestic flights that are not connecting from hub to hub. So, right now, it seems as if international flying will be fine as is.

[02:09:57] And I will also note that for airlines like, uh, especially those big three airlines, you know, American, Delta and United, international flying has been really big for them, and it's something that has made up the bulk of their profits for the past couple of years, and it's also actually something that has been becoming more popular for people to do more towards like the end of the year as well and not just during the summer travel period.

So, at least like right now, I think international travel is fine. I think also like the global aviation system won't really see much of an impact. But, again, like, if the shutdown goes on for a long time and staffing shortages get worse as air traffic controllers miss more paychecks, then we will probably start to see more ripple effects.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, everything is so interlinked and intertwined. Important note there. Appreciate that. Meghna Maharishi, thank you so much.

MAHARISHI: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. Senate appears to be barreling towards a dead end after a new push this week to end the government shutdown. Democrats are indicating that they might block Republicans from forcing a vote on Friday to reopen the government until they deal with the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Meanwhile, a federal judge is now ordering the Trump administration to fully cover food stamp benefits this month for tens of millions of Americans. The White House is appealing the ruling. Vice President J.D. Vance took issue with fact that the administration is expected to comply with the judge's order. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It's an absurd ruling because you have a federal judge effectively telling us what we have to do in the midst of a Democrat government shutdown. We can have a federal court telling the president how he has to triage the situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Typhoon Kalmaegi is weakening as it moves on to Northern Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. On Thursday, the typhoon slammed into Central Vietnam. Its torrential rains and destructive winds caused significant damage. So far, the storm has killed at least five people in Vietnam. There are reports of homes collapsing, roofs blown off buildings, and trees and power lines down. More than a million people are without power. Earlier, Kalmaegi left after a deadly trail of destruction in the Philippines. Authorities say the storm killed at least 188 people there.

CNN's Mike Valerio is following the storm. He joins us live. Mike, what is the latest?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Okay, it looks like Vietnam has been spared from the worst damage that we saw wrought by Kilmaegi in the Philippines, but still packing winds of 185 kilometers an hour, about 115 miles an hour, more or less, as it makes its way through Vietnam, again through Cambodia, Laos, and into Thailand in the evening hours today.

So, let's start with Vietnam, and then we'll jump to the Philippines, Vietnam being the latest reporting that we have. In terms of the damage and what people have had to go through, 500,000 people evacuated in Daklak province, Kim. We're talking about half a million people evacuated by boat just to make sure that they were out of the worst path of the storm, again, the deadliest typhoon that has hit Asia this year.

At this hour, we also have three people missing, who were swept out to sea on the island of Ly Son that's in Quang Ngai province. This is all happening in the context of torrential rain. Downpours inundated much of the ground and the soil in areas very close by to the storm path in Vietnam last week. The ancient town of Hoi An, the former imperial capital of Hue, also impacted by last week's rain. So, we're verifying more video from Vietnam. We'll get that out to our CNN platforms in the next couple hours.

Switching back to the Philippines, though. This certainly is, you know, one of the heart-stopping elements of the story, that we have this damage, which began to appear into clearer focus Wednesday and yesterday. And now, the Philippines, uh, they are waiting for Typhoon Fung Wong, which is expected to arrive Sunday evening into Monday. But in terms of what we have now, 135 people are still missing. Cebu City, certainly the tourist hotspot of that area in the Philippines, Cebu, there's waist-deep water where firefighters, emergency personnel, people from the fire brigades are searching through homes, trying to rescue people from their roofs, going into submerged homes.

And this is all happening as we at CNN and our colleagues throughout the region have reported on protests over the past couple months, Kim, of people pleading local authorities for flood control projects and allegations of money that was supposed to go to flood control projects in the Philippines instead, in some cases, going into the pockets of construction companies of legislators, of senators illegally.

So, certainly, anger, frustration building as we look at these scenes and as the Philippines are bracing for another typhoon, Fung Wong, again happening at the end of this weekend, Kim.

[02:15:03]

BRUNHUBER: Appreciate those updates. Mike Valerio in Beijing, thanks so much.

VALERIO: Thanks, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Hungary's prime minister is due at the White House in the coming hours. We'll see what's on the agenda for talks between Donald Trump and Viktor Orban just ahead. And we'll take a look at the Pope's priorities during his first six months. He stakes out a claim to be Leo the "unifier." Those stories and more coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. and Russia are exploring the possibility of resuming nuclear testing. Donald Trump says he wants to restart the process after a decades-long pause.

[02:20:00]

CNN senior correspondent Fred Pleitgen reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Russian President Vladimir Putin just ordered his ministers and top generals to prepare for possible new Russian nuclear tests. Now, that's potentially huge news. It has been decades since the Russians conducted a nuclear explosion. And they are, of course, a nuclear superpower. So, I got in touch with Putin's spokesman, and he immediately sent me what he calls an important clarification. Listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON (voice-over): But I want to draw your attention to one very important thing. So, we are not starting preparations. We're just investigating whether it is necessary to start preparations. We're still -- we're still bounded by our obligations on the overall ban of nuclear tests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: After U.S. President Donald Trump said that the U.S. would begin nuclear testing again, Vladimir Putin called a meeting of his National Security Council, and that's where he said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (ON SCREEN TEXT): I am instructing the foreign ministry, the ministry of defense, the special services, and the relevant civilian agencies to do everything necessary to collect additional information on this issue, analyze it within the framework of the security council, and make agreed proposals on the possible start of work on the preparations for nuclear weapons testing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: President Trump has accused both China and Russia of secretly conducting nuclear tests. Now, the Russians have indeed been modernizing their nuclear forces. They've come up with things like a torpedo that can allegedly cause a radioactive tsunami and also recently launched a missile that's actually powered by a nuclear engine and has an indefinite range, the Russians say.

One of the things the Russians haven't done, though, is actually exploded a nuclear bomb. And the Russians say that they do still feel bound by the nuclear test ban treaty. But what they want is for the Americans, for the Trump administration, to provide them with additional information as to what the U.S. president actually meant when he said that the U.S. would begin nuclear testing again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump will welcome Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, to the White House in the day ahead. Hungary's insistence on buying Russian oil despite U.S. sanctions is expected to top their agenda. Orban has been a strong supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout the conflict in Ukraine. The Hungarian prime minister has also threatened to veto some European Union sanctions against Moscow.

Joining me now from London is Orysia Lutsevych, who's the head of the Ukraine Forum and deputy director of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House. Good to see you again. So, let's start with that Trump-Orban meeting. Obviously, Hungary has been a huge obstacle to Ukraine's E.U. membership, also continuing to buy Russian oil. Given that President Trump seems increasingly frustrated with Putin, I mean, could this meeting actually be an opportunity to pressure Orban on Ukraine or do you expect they're very close relationship to win out here?

ORYSIA LUTSEVYCH, RUSSIA AND EURASIA PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: It's very important to understand that all of this is taking place in the context of elections in Hungary that are supposed to take place in April 2026. And Orban's party is not leading in the polls. There is a new opposition leader that is actually very popular. And for the first time in 15 years, Orban is facing a contested election.

So, he needs very much from Trump exemption from sanctions in order to stabilize his economy. Hungarian economy is stagnating. And again, ahead of election, he cannot afford taking another hit due to sanctions and, in general, to show that America has relationship with Orban, and he's the only one who can deliver for Hungarians prosperity and that special relationship.

BRUNHUBER: Uh-hmm. So that that's what's at stake, then, for Hungary. But do you expect that he might accede to some of Trump's requests, especially on Russian oil? You know Hungry relies on Russian oil so much.

LUTSEVYCH: Exactly. Like I said, it's probably be the other way around. But the question is whether Trump would exceed to Orban's plea to actually exempt him. And that would kind of killed two birds with one stone. On one hand, it would help Orban ahead of elections. On the other, it would help Putin to undermine unity and resolve of the European Union to actually squeeze Russia out of oil markets (INAUDIBLE) shadow fleet, and to show that the block is united.

[02:25:00]

BRUNHUBER: Hmm. Looking at Ukraine now, I mean, they're launching these deep strikes into Russia, hitting these oil refineries and energy infrastructure hundreds of miles from the border. I mean, how significant is this campaign? Is it actually changing any of the dynamics of the war, do you think?

LUTSEVYCH: It is significant because it clearly brings, uh, war to Russian soil. Russian people feel what it means to be under drone attacks. They see fires of these large oil refineries in the ports. And Ukraine has attacked more than 20 of large oil refineries out of 38. So, you can see that is significant number. That has an impact on the shortages of, uh, gasoline at the pipe. There are queues of cars. Russia has to export some of it. When you think about that, it has a significant effect.

And also, it shows that Russia's strategic depths, as they call it, being such a large country, can protect them from any attack, which Ukraine now demonstrates is not the case. And most of these capabilities that Ukraine uses are made in Ukraine, these long-range fronts.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. So, you've outlined why these long-range attacks are significant. But that last point there, I want to ask you about why Ukraine, you know, it shows how -- why they're pushing for these long- range missiles, particularly the Tomahawks. But lately, there has been a lot of cold water poured on that by President Trump. I mean, what do you make of the latest messages from the White House on this?

LUTSEVYCH: It's interesting because what we're hearing from Ukraine's ambassador in Washington, we know from Pentagon, that there is a conversation going on about whether Ukraine could purchase long-range capabilities from the United States. Tomahawk is only one of the options. There are other long-range missiles.

What I think we see now is that there is intentional ambiguity so that the Russians understand that the cost of this invasion of Ukraine can significantly increase for them if they continue and do not sue for peace and do not agree to the ceasefire in a way all options, including ramping Ukraine's capacity for these long-range strikes, are on the table.

BRUNHUBER: Hmm. Listen, we'll leave it there but, as always, appreciate your analysis. Orysia Lutsevych, thank you so much. Have a look. The actor and activist, Angelina Jolie, has made a humanitarian visit to the frontline Ukrainian city of Kherson. She played with children and greeted local officials while visiting local medical facilities. In a statement, Jolie said the strength of Ukrainians and their support of each other is humbling.

World leaders are gathering in Brazil for the upcoming COP30 climate summit, but much of the focus is on one country that's not even there. That is ahead. Plus, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is taking legal action following a groping incident. We will look at how this sparked a conversation about women's safety in Mexico. It's coming up next. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:32:46] KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

The COP30 climate summit gets underway officially in Brazil on Monday, with world leaders hoping to set the course for reducing climate pollution. It was billed as a landmark summit, as some leaders questioned whether the world is on track to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement.

As Julia Vargas Jones reports, many conversations are already focusing on the one country that chose to stay away.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPNDENT: As leaders of the world gather here in Belem, the gateway to the Amazon, on Thursday, it was the American absence that was the elephant in the room. The United States will not be sending a high-level delegation to COP30. It might not be sending a delegation at all.

The White House spokesperson, Taylor Rogers, telling CNN that, quote, President Trump will not jeopardize our country's economic and national security to pursue vague climate goals, Rogers said.

Now, in their opening remarks, leaders here in the region showed their distaste for that decision from the United States, some more subtly than others. The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, saying that participant countries should forget the American president altogether, who he said is going against humanity. Now, president of the host country, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, said in turn that the climate regime is not immune to this zero sum logic that he attributed to Trump. Without really mentioning his name, saying that there's a scenario of insecurity, of mutual distrust and that selfish and short term interests are taking precedence over the common good.

Now, President Trump, of course, withdrew America from the Paris agreement, which Lula is very much trying to push. As of 2026, the U.S. will no longer take part in this historic agreement. But in that absence, in the group photo, in the family photo that will be taken here from COP30 later today, America won't be present, but Governor Gavin Newsom of California is trying to make inroads for his international profile. Rising star of the Democratic Party now trying his hand abroad.

Newsom is expected to be here at COP, not for the heads of state summit.

[02:35:04]

But next week, on Tuesday, he's expected to land here in Belem, and he will be here for multiple days, meeting with counterparts from around the world to advance the clean energy initiatives to formalize some partnerships. And he will be joined by Governor Tony Evers of Wisconsin and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, who are already in brazil taking part in other climate summits in Rio de Janeiro, and will be joining here as well. But of course, the governor of California is taking this opportunity

not only to position himself, but also California as a leader in this new era of climate change.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Belem, Brazil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. military conducted a new strike against an alleged drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean on Thursday, killing three people. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted video of the strike on social media. He claims the military attacked a quote designated terrorist organization but didn't provide any proof. The U.S. has killed 70 people in 17 strikes in the Caribbean.

Now, this comes as the U.S. Senate rejected a resolution that would block strikes against Venezuela without congressional approval. A bipartisan resolution failed 49 to 51, but the White House said on Wednesday that it doesn't currently have legal justification to attack land targets in Venezuela.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is taking legal action against the man who allegedly groped and harassed her.

CNN's Valeria Leon has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a very unsettling moment. What happened to Mexico's president is now sparking outrage and reflection nationwide. For many women, this wasn't just about the president, it was about something deeply familiar online. The conversation quickly turned into an outpouring of stories, frustration and solidarity. We may have been sharing their own experiences of harassment, saying the video simply exposed what women face daily on the streets, at work, and even in public transport.

Many say this moment has brought to light a painful reality that not even the nation's most powerful woman is safe from harassment. And for others, it's a call to action, a reminder of how much still needs to change in a country where violence against women remains widespread and often goes unpunished. The incident on Tuesday has brought renewed attention to an issue that runs deep in Mexico.

Official data shows that about seven out of ten women in the country have faced some sort of violence, and nearly half say they've experienced sexual violence. Many hope this moment could be a turning point, forcing authorities to finally confront what has long been normalized that a walk down the street can still feel unsafe.

On Wednesday, Mexico's president announced that harassment will be made a crime nationwide. She called for tougher sexual harassment laws after she was kissed and groped while greeting supporters near the national palace in Mexico City. However, not all Mexican states consider sexual harassment a criminal offense. The federal government is now reviewing state laws to ensure that sexual harassment becomes a crime across the country, and has launched a new campaign to combat the problem.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: China has launched a new aircraft carrier into service, and its one of the country's most advanced yet. In fact, it's the third most advanced in their entire fleet. It features an electromagnetic catapult that can launch three different aircraft types. Chinese President Xi presided over the ceremony. The vessel is the latest to enter service as China competes with the U.S. for naval supremacy.

The U.S. Congressional Budget Office has been hacked, according to an email sent to congressional staff this week. An official briefed on the matter says Chinese state-backed hackers are the likely suspects. The Congressional Budget Office provides estimates of what legislation would cost, and it also analyzes President Trump's budget. Now, that kind of information could be interesting to foreign intelligence services. Multiple hacks in recent months have been linked to China amid fierce trade tensions.

United Nations peacekeepers are urging Israel to hold its fire after a series of new strikes in Lebanon.

You see there, Israel says it hit Hezbollah weapons storage facilities on Thursday, claiming the militant group is trying to rebuild its operations in the country. But Lebanon\s president slammed the strikes as a, quote, "full fledged crime," saying they forced civilians to flee their homes. The U.S. brokered a ceasefire in Lebanon last year after an Israeli ground offensive against Hezbollah, but Israel continued its strikes, claiming Hezbollah violated the truce.

[02:40:03]

The militants deny that.

Kazakhstan will become the fifth majority Muslim country to join the Abraham Accords. That's according to U.S. President Donald Trump, who hosted a dinner for Central Asian leaders in Washington on Thursday. He claims more countries want to join the agreement, which provides a framework for normalizing ties with Israel. But Kazakhstan has had diplomatic relations with Israel for decades, and its not clear if this marks a substantive change. Trump says a signing ceremony will be held soon.

Sudan, Bahrain, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates have already joined the agreement.

The U.N. Security Council has voted to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. He's set to visit the White House on Monday. The U.S. has been pushing for the move after President Trump ordered the easing of sanctions on Syria earlier this year.

Here's U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Mike Waltz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: As President Trump previously indicated, now is Syria's chance at greatness. The delisting of President al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Khattab should help give Syria -- should help give the Syrian people that greatest chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Al-Sharaa is a former jihadist who once led al-Qaeda's wing in Syria. He replaced former President Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown in December.

All right, have a look at this. Pope Leo and Mahmoud Abbas meeting at the Vatican on Thursday as part of the Palestinian Authority president's visit to Italy. Now, this comes ahead of the pontiffs first trip abroad later this month to Turkey and Lebanon, where he's expected to appeal for peace across the region.

And CNN's Christopher Lamb explains the first pope from the United States has aimed to be a unifier during his first six months in the role.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first American pope has been elected, Cardinal Prevost.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six months ago, Cardinal Robert Prevost made history when he was elected pope and took the name Leo XIV. The idea of a pope from the United States had previously been unthinkable, but the Chicago-born pontiff defied all the odds. His background won over the cardinals, a low-key figure who spent years in Peru as a missionary and more than a decade leading his religious order, the Augustinian, elected too just months after President Trump won his historic nonconsecutive second term and with a Catholic vice president.

Leo has spoken out on the plight of migrants, voicing concern about those detained in his home city of Chicago, calling on Catholic leaders in the United States to speak up.

POPE LEO XIV, CATHOLIC CHURCH: Someone who says that I'm against abortion, but I'm in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants who in the United States. I don't know if that's pro-life.

LAMB (voice-over): Like Pope Francis, Leo also speaking out on protecting the environment, serving the poor, and welcoming LGBTQ Catholics like Francis, also facing criticism for doing so. But Leo is a more reserved personality than his predecessor and less of a disrupter.

POPE LEO: Let us pray.

LAMB (voice-over): He wants to be a unifier who avoids fueling polarization. He insists on dialogue with those who disagree, including healing divisions of the past.

The first months of Leo have revealed his more formal papal style, along with his personality. He's a pope who loves sports, particularly the Chicago White Sox. Even shouting back to a rival Chicago Cubs fan from his pope mobile.

POPE LEO: They lost.

LAMB (voice-over): He's also able to connect with people by speaking different languages fluently.

POPE LEO: You are the light of the world.

LAMB (voice-over): And he's still in regular touch with his brothers, who have both visited him in Rome.

It's still early days for Leo, age 70, which is relatively young for a pope. He's taking his time.

Later this month, he'll embark on his first foreign visit to Turkey and Lebanon to emphasize peace in the Middle East.

Leo still has a full in-tray in big appointments of church leaders to make. Although his first months have been a time of acclimatization, the first American pope is getting into his stride.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Coming up after the break, Japan sends in the troops in an effort to fight a spike in deadly bear attacks. Well, that story and more coming up.

Please do stay with us.

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[02:49:09]

BRUNHUBER: Japan is turning to the military and barking drones in an effort to combat a spike in deadly bear attacks. At least 13 people have been killed across the country since April, with climate change and habitat change fueling the problem.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery has the story.

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HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Japan is deploying its self-defense forces to help stop bear attacks after a record year of deadly encounters. At least 13 people have died and hundreds have been injured this year alone. But the troops aren't actually legally allowed to cull wild animals. Instead, they'll be providing logistical support like helping lay down traps, transporting local farmers, and also transporting bear carcasses. Now, the actual culling will be left to the local hunters, but they

say they're having a hard time controlling the bear population because of Japan's demographic crisis.

[02:50:00]

Because the population is aging so rapidly, there just aren't enough hunters to help keep the bear population under control.

TATSUHITO YAMAGISHI, 72-YEAR-OLD BEAR HUNTER: In a few years' time, when we hunters are all over 70 years old, will they even be anybody left who could teach people how to hunt the bears even if they wanted to?

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Now, experts partially blame climate change for this crisis. They say that because the bears' natural food resources are getting more and more scarce, they're having to go into towns and cities in search for food. We've seen bears at schools nurseries, even supermarkets in search for food.

In fact, a university in northern Japan had to cancel classes for two days because a bear was spotted on campus. That's how bad this problem is getting.

Now, troops are being deployed to a specific part of northern Japan, where the problem is especially severe, but the entire nation is on high alert. In fact, the central government is currently drafting up a list of countermeasures by mid-November, which they hope will help address this issue. But they've yet to propose a solution that actually deals with the problem in the long term, besides simply culling these wild animals.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.

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BRUNHUBER: Elon Musk is getting a raise that could dwarf many countries. What they make in an entire year still had the staggering amount of money that could make the world's wealthiest man a whole lot richer.

Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Elon Musk now has a shot at becoming the world's first trillionaire. That's after Tesla shareholders made this decision on Thursday. Have a look.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With over 75 percent voting in favor, approved.

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BRUNHUBER: I hear there, they broke into cheers after announcing they approved his new pay package. And that alone would give him enough shares to earn about $1 trillion. That's if the company meets specific benchmarks over the next ten years, including reaching a market capitalization of $8.5 trillion.

Now, of course, Musk is already the world's richest man. His current wealth is estimated at more than $470 billion.

A new A.I. video app is creating new concerns about deepfakes. A.I. created videos that appear to show real people. And this new app called Sora lets people make fake videos faster than ever.

CNN's Ivan Rodriguez explains the concerns and what to watch to spot fakes.

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IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Over the last few months, Sora, a video generator app from ChatGPT's parent company OpenAI, has become more sophisticated by the day.

KATELYN CHEDRAOUI, CNET A.I. REPORTER: It's like if you're scrolling TikTok, but all of the videos you see are A.I. generated.

[02:55:07]

Nothing you see in Sora is real.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): Katelyn Chedraoui is CNET A.I. reporter says these videos are easy to make and just take minutes. The trouble is, once these videos are shared outside the Sora app, it can sometimes be difficult to tell the difference between videos that are real and those that are fake.

CHEDRAOUI: It is harder than ever to tell if an image or video is A.I. generated. And Sora is partially. Why? But I wouldn't give them all the blame. Google has a number of A.I. tools, and there's been a number of creative A.I. companies that have been working in this field for a long time.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): Adding to the confusion, there isn't a foolproof method to spot A.I. generated content, but Chedraoui says there are things to watch for.

CHEDRAOUI: The first thing I always recommend people look at are watermarks. This might seem kind of obvious, but that's for good reason. For example, the Sora videos have a little cloud icon that bounces around the edge of the screen.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): While watermarks are one of the most obvious tells, if you want to dig deeper. You could also look at the content's metadata by using the content authenticity initiative verification tool to check a video, image or documents metadata.

CHEDRAOUI: The most honest and best piece of advice I can give people is to just stay vigilant.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): In Atlanta, I'm Ivan Rodriguez.

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BRUNHUBER: Now, if you're not in the computer programing world, there's a decent chance you've never heard the term vibe coding. But the Collins Dictionary has named it the word of the year.

So let's explain. Vibe coding is connected to a subject that's been popular in the past year. That's A.I. It's a form of computer programing where a software developer tells A.I. what it wants a program to do, and the A.I. writes the code to accomplish it. So, you say it, the A.I. codes it. Collins Dictionary says vibe coding perfectly captures the way language is evolving alongside technology.

British royal will soon be back on the big screen. "Variety" reports that Meghan, duchess of Sussex, will have a cameo role in a new film. It's called "Close Personal Friends" and stars Lily Collins, Brie Larson and Jack Quaid. Now you'll remember before her royal marriage, when she was known simply as Meghan Markle, she starred in the TV show "Suits". Meghan stepped away from acting when she married Prince Harry.

Three classic toys have been introduced into the U.S. National Toy Hall of Fame. They include Milton Bradley's naval combat game Battleship. It was originally played with paper and pencil before selling more than 100 million copies.

Also on the list, trivial pursuit the board game has tested players knowledge of obscure facts for generations, and remember the slime, the icky sticky favorite that was more squash than skill.

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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