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Powerful Typhoon Fung-Wong Battering Philippines; Russian Attack Causes Wide Power Outages in Ukraine; Americans Face Growing Flight Cancelations and Delays. Aired 3-3:30a ET
Aired November 09, 2025 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: 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, families searching for missing loved ones after a catastrophic typhoon in the Philippines last week now bearing the brunt of yet another typhoon. New images from the Philippines coming up.
The dominoes of a U.S. government shutdown are continuing to fall heavily on air travel with more than 6,000 flights already delayed this weekend and counting.
And a massive Russian air attack leaving pockets of Ukraine in the dark this morning.
Welcome. For the second time in a week, a powerful typhoon is battering the Philippines. This new storm is called Fung-Wong, and it's expected to make landfall soon in the Northern Philippines. Right now, people there are dealing with heavy rain, high winds, and large waves.
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HUNTE (voice over): Two powerful typhoons in a week, the Philippines, once again in the path of a dangerous storm. This one named Fung-Wong that's hitting less than a week after Typhoon Kalmaegi tore through the central part of the country.
The Philippines' meteorological agency is warning of life-threatening storm surges and destructive winds with Luzon risk, which is the nation's most populous island, and where Manila is located. But forecasters say the storm has a massive diameter and could impact the entire country.
There's been barely any time to recover from the previous typhoon, which struck on Tuesday, and killed around 200 people in the central part of the nation. Officials say many of the victims drowned after the slow-moving storm dumped huge volumes of water over highly populated areas. And in some places, residents were still counting the dead.
VIOLA DANLAG, PHILIPPINES RESIDENT: We have lost parents, a husband and children. Our family is incomplete with some members still missing, and we don't know if we'll ever find them.
HUNTE: The earlier typhoon also slammed into Vietnam. At least five people were killed and thousands of homes were damaged. The storm knocked over power lines and cut electricity to more than a million and a half people with about 500,000 households still without power on Saturday.
In some areas, the water was also cut off and residents collected drinking water from waterfalls while others began to clean up the wreckage of their houses.
PHAM THI HAO, VILLAGER IN VIETNAM: My house had never collapsed before during previous storms. They only took my roof, which I could fix, and I could live in the house again. But this time it took the whole house and everything else I own.
HUNTE: The latest Typhoon Fung-Wong isn't expected to hit mainland Vietnam, but weather experts say the Philippines should brace for another round of pummeling weather.
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HUNTE: Let's keep talking about it. For more on Typhoon Fung-Wong, I want to bring in Father Carmelo Tito Caluag, executive director of Caritas Philippines. Thank you so much for being with me. How are you doing at the moment?
FR. CARMELO TITO CALUAG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CARITAS PHILIPPINES: Hi, Ben. Thank you for having us. Well, as you said we're recovering from previous typhoons. Actually, two typhoons hit us over the last maybe six, eight weeks. And then, of course, in Central Philippines, Cebu, there was also the earthquake. And, you know, resources are very stretched, Ben, but we're trying our best not to just to do what we can.
And one of the things that we found very helpful, there's a lot of coordination with -- my organization is Caritas Philippines and we're present in all the provinces of the Philippines. So, the coordination with the national government and the local government has been very effective. And, of course, what we've learned our lesson from previous typhoons, that key is preparedness, and part of it is really evacuating people.
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And -- but, of course, the strange indication marks phenomenon in the last typhoon was that in the central area, Cebu, from the report that we got, one day's rain was equivalent a month's rainfall.
HUNTE: Gosh.
CALUAG: So, you can imagine the videos that would show that roads look like rivers, and not just rivers, but raging rivers.
And if I'm not mistaken, so far, the report that we've received is that Cebu alone is around close to 200 casualties and counting, there people are still missing. So, we're breaching ourselves for this other typhoon now, because you talk about storm surge. And our biggest problems really are the floodings now. And, of course, since a lot would be rural areas also, landslides is something that they're sort of monitoring.
HUNTE: Yes.
CALUAG: And well, on the more positive side, at least the central -- the Visayas area, which is Central Philippines, hopefully, will not be affected that much, because the path of the present typhoon is going north, as your reports mentioned earlier, is going up north in the main island of Luzon. And, of course, the danger there is that this is the most densely populated part of the country.
HUNTE: Yes.
CALUAG: And, again, we're very fearful of aside from the winds would be the flooding. The flooding is something that we really --
HUNTE: Tell me this. Your organization has been working nonstop with so many disasters back to back. How stretched are your teams right now as you prepare for yet another typhoon?
CALUAG: Yes. Well, the advantage that we have, Ben, is that our teams are localized, because we have 86 units, which are called dioceses. These are the units of the church, right? So, each province has a social action center. So, we're really relying on the local partners. Our central office has a team, and now our team is in the Central Philippines. But the action, so to speak, is now in the eastern part of Luzon. It's going up north, you know? So, that would be the Central Luzon area. We have very good social action directors there.
So, we've been coordinating with them over the last two, three days and, of course, we've trained them to have emergency operation centers for each diocese. So, they're the ones working on that. And we just keep on updating, of course, through technology. It's real time updates in terms of the situation.
So, so far, the eastern part, we just call the Bicol Region, that's the southern tip of the Luzon Island. But that's where the typhoon is now. And it's moving towards Central Luzon up north.
HUNTE: Yes.
CALUAG: And it's going to exit maybe around northwest of Manila. So -- and Manila will be affected? Manila will be affected by this typhoon.
HUNTE: And we were just seeing some images there. It obviously looks incredibly scary and we hope for the best for you. Please do stay in touch. For now, we'll leave it there. Father Tito, thank for joining us. Please stay safe. CALUAG: Yes, thank you Ben. Thank you very much. And please do appeal to the people that we do need help, especially when the post-typhoon the rehabilitation period.
HUNTE: And if people do want to help, how can they?
CALUAG: They could actually contact us, Caritas Philippines, and we could facilitate the coordinating with them.
HUNTE: Okay. We'll leave it there. Thank you so much. I appreciate that.
CALUAG: Thank you, Ben. Thank you.
HUNTE: We will keep going. A tornado in Southern Brazil killed at least six people and injured hundreds more on Friday, it ripped through the state of Parana, ripping roofs off buildings, and reducing some structures to rubble. Authorities say at least 750 people were injured and one person is still missing.
The state government declared a public calamity, allowing officials to mobilize resources and request federal support.
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GILBERTO BRECALLO, AUTO MECHANIC: There's not much we can do. Forgive me for crying. All we have left are our clothes and documents.
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My livelihood, my mechanic shop is gone and my son worked with me. We'll ask God for strength and courage for the people not to, not just me.
HUNTE: A massive overnight Russian aerial attack has caused widespread power outages in Ukraine. The attack killed at least two people and injured many more. Russia has targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure more frequently as winter approaches. The latest attack hit nine regions using more than 450 drones and 45 missiles.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: The strike was massive with a lot of ballistic missiles. There were at least 25 ballistic missiles as well as aero ballistic and cruise missiles, and more than 450 drones of various types. It was a very flagrant, largely demonstrative strike.
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HUNTE: Global immigration hit record levels this year. More and more migrants from countries, such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia, are fleeing war and persecution. Many of them make their way to Libya in the hopes of reaching Europe, Canada, and the U.S.
A warning, what you're about to see is disturbing. Once those migrants reached Libya, many of them are captured by criminal gangs and CNN has identified videos of these migrants being brutally tortured. Those videos are sent to family members around the world who demand thousands of dollars in ransoms.
CNN's Isobel Yeung traveled to the heart of his story in Libya where this horrific abuse is taking place.
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ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): We are here in this barren, southern, most part of Libya, at the heart of the migrant trail. Authorities say they're overwhelmed with the influx of recent arrivals.
Several hundred migrants are being held in this detention center after illegally crossing into the country.
You have not left this room for three months?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, no one cares. Nobody cares for us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are some sick here.
YEUNG: People are sick?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sick.
YEUNG: I mean, I'm not surprised people are getting sick. It's crowded, pretty shocking condition.
Crammed in among them is a man who has just been arrested on suspicion of collecting money for ransoms. The police interrogate him over his involvement.
It seems like this guy is admitting to his involvement, saying that he's involved in the hawala system, which is taking money from these migrants and paying his boss, who is the big trafficker.
The suspect hands over crucial details about a farm where he says the migrants who paid him are held for ransom.
The police gear up and plan to raid the premises.
So, these guys are heading towards a location that they believe a trafficker is operating, where he's holding migrants that they believe have been tortured and held for ransoms.
They are searching through this room that they believe is where migrants were being held. It doesn't look like anyone's here anymore. It looks like they've fled or been taken to the next spot.
There was a lot of clothes hanging up here.
Unknown numbers of migrants are still under the control of their captors. Women and children are often the most vulnerable in this detention center. Almost everyone tells us they've been trafficked and tortured, mostly Eritreans and Ethiopians. They've paid their ransoms and are now waiting for help from the U.N. Because of the harrowing details of what they've been through, we are keeping some people here anonymous.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These guys, they touch me and they do something every day.
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Like four boys, they do like that.
YEUNG: It sounds like you've been sexually abused. Have you had any medical treatment for it? None?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She checked me like for pregnant.
YEUNG: You're not pregnant?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I'm not pregnant.
YEUNG: Okay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But it hurts hard too much. Even I want to die, but I cannot do it.
YEUNG: You've been hurting yourself?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
YEUNG: On this hand?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
YEUNG: On this arm?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
YEUNG: It's so awful to hear someone who's so young, you're just 16 years old, talk about not wanting to live anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every girl, they do this.
YEUNG: Every girl is the same?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
YEUNG: Suddenly everyone in the room breaks down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone having pain, everyone.
YEUNG: Everyone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
YEUNG: I mean, it's actually unbearable amounts of pain in this one room. Just every single woman, child in here just seems like they've suffered the most horrific experience imaginable.
Girls as young as 14 children, pregnant women, these are just a small sample of people trafficked through a living hell.
It's rare that authorities get to the torture sites in time. Back in 2022, acting on a tip off from migrants who'd escaped, they were able to free over 150 people. They were held inside these rooms for months. And said they'd been brutally abused.
Standing outside guarding the rooms was an Eritrean man called Tsinat Tesfay.
In this footage, you can see the newly released migrants pointing and screaming at Tesfay.
We received special permission to meet with Tisfey in a high security prison. He's been convicted of kidnapping and deserving a life sentence. He says he's innocent and that he was one of the migrants being trafficked rather than someone responsible.
How do you explain the fact that so many of the migrants that you were with that day say that they were tortured and abused and treated horrifically, and you are saying that you saw nothing?
TSINAT TESFAY, PRISONER FROM ERITREA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
YEUNG: Why is it do you think that Eritreans end up working with these Libyans in these human trafficking networks?
TESFAY: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
YEUNG: This business is bigger than one man. The network Tesfay was accused of operating in stretches across this vast desert and has links to traffickers in Uganda, Ethiopia and the Emirates.
Libya can't tackle this alone. While a rise in anti-immigration politics is failing to translate into international cooperation, many thousands of people making this treacherous journey will continue to live through this never ending nightmare.
Isobel Yeung, CNN.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. 40 days and counting with no end in sight. The impact of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history is taking its toll on many people across the country. And with Congress deadlocked, a government funding bill isn't expected any time soon.
Despite that deadlock, the Senate was in session on Saturday. A bipartisan group of lawmakers were in discussions throughout the day, but they have yet to come up with any solution. Majority Leader John Thune hopes progress can be made as the Senate will be back in session later on Sunday.
CNN's Annie Grayer has more on the Senate's efforts to end the shutdown.
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: The Senate held a rare session on Saturday, but left with nothing to show for it because senators cannot find agreement on how to reopen the government and the longest shutdown in history continues. Yes, there are bipartisan negotiations going on, but not enough that is leading to final agreement.
So, just to backtrack here, on Monday, there was a lot of bipartisan momentum, but on Tuesday when Democrats had a major sweep in elections, a lot of Democratic senators reaffirm their position that they were not going to vote to reopen the government until Republicans made some concessions on those expiring Obamacare subsidies that are causing people's healthcare prices to rise.
So, on Friday, Chuck Schumer presented the new Democratic offer, which was Democrats will vote with Republicans to reopen the government if Republicans extend those expiring Obamacare subsidies by one year. Well, Republicans flatly rejected that proposal, said it was a non- starter, and that is what has led to this standstill to continue.
So, this government shutdown is expected to continue. Thune is keeping senators in session over the weekend and into next week, hoping that pressure point will create some bipartisan momentum. Meanwhile, the House has been out of session since September 19th. And as the shutdown drags on the longest in history, real people continue to feel real pain.
Annie Grayer from CNN, Capitol Hill.
HUNTE: Well, with the government at a standstill, Americans are facing growing flight delays and cancelations at dozens of airports. Airlines have already canceled more than 1,000 flights today, and at least 370 are delayed. On Saturday, passengers saw more than 6,600 delays and more than 1,500 cancelations. That is according to FlightAware.
Things were only expected to get worse, though, after the government ordered airlines to ramp up cuts to 10 percent over the next week.
CNN's Leigh Waldman reports.
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hundreds of flights here at Newark were either canceled or delayed today. We can see that reflected on the big board, delayed, canceled, canceled, the same story time and time again.
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We know that at one point there was a ground stop issued for flights coming into Newark. But it wasn't just this airport, the other two major airports in the New York City area also facing ground delays.
Passengers here trying to pack their patience, trying to give some grace to the hardworking TSA and airport employees who are working without a paycheck right now. One woman says she's taking all of this into consideration when thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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ALYSSA MINCE, AIRLINE PASSENGER: Our first flight, it got delayed an hour and then another hour, and now it's delayed three hours. So, we are missing our connecting flight from Dallas to Amarillo.
We're kind of grateful in a way that we're getting through this before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Everything else, we're just going to stick to driving or staying home probably.
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WALDMAN: It's compounding issues here, not only the FAA mandated flight reductions that are in place this weekend, but also staffing shortages across the country, making this travel nightmare all that much worse.
Leigh Waldman, CNN, Newark Airport.
HUNTE: Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla led the royal family at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance on Saturday.
The event at London's Royal Albert Hall honored fallen soldiers from across the U.K. and the commonwealth and marked 80 years since the end of the Second World War. The royal family stood with thousands of others to observe two minutes of silence. The ceremony comes ahead of Remembrance Day on Tuesday.
Kazakhstani tennis star Elena Rybakina sealed victory at the WTA finals in Saudi Arabia. She faced the world number one from Belarus, Aryna Sabalenka, winning Saturday's match in straight sets, six games to three in the first set and a tiebreaker in the second.
The tournament concluded the Women's Tennis Association season and in Rybakina more than $5 million. She is the first player from Kazakhstan or any Asian nation to win the WTA finals.
All right, that's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. I will see you at the same time tomorrow. Where It Happened is next. Have a good day. See you later.
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