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Syria's President Visits the White House for the First Time in 80 Years; U.S. Senate Approves Measure to Reopen the Government. Aired 3-3:45a ET

Aired November 11, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead.

India is on edge after a deadly car explosion in a popular Delhi neighborhood.

From wanted terrorists to accepted statesmen, Syria's new president becomes the first from his country to visit the White House.

And the U.S. Senate votes to end the government shutdown, sending a compromise bill to the House.

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

CHURCH: I appreciate you joining us.

And we begin in India and the investigation into a deadly blast on a busy street. A car explosion in Delhi killed at least 10 people and injured dozens more. It happened Monday near a metro station at the historic Red Fort monument.

Delhi's police commissioner says just before the explosion, a slow- moving vehicle came to a stop near a red light. The blast happened in that vehicle.

The cause is still unknown, but some top-ranking officials are suggesting it was a deliberate act. Airports, railway stations and government buildings across India are now on high alert.

And CNN's Mike Valerio is following the latest, he joins us now live from Beijing. So Mike, we don't yet know the motive behind this deadly blast, but we do know anti-terrorism laws are being applied to this investigation. So what more are you learning?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we just heard comments from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. So you can't get anybody higher than that in terms of high-ranking officials in India. He is one of the people who says that this is militating towards this being a deliberate attack.

So he was speaking in neighboring Bhutan. Here's part of his quote. He said in Hindi, quote, "I was in touch with all the agencies investigating this incident. Throughout the night, our agencies will get to the bottom of this conspiracy."

And then, Rosemary, he switches to English and says, "all those responsible will be brought to justice."

To give you an idea of the setting right after this happened, we have new video in this afternoon from somebody who was on the scene. Let's play it.

We're going to let it breathe for about five seconds just to take you to this explosion scene. Let's watch.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

So again, terrifying. This is right outside of India's Red Fort landmark, a slow-moving vehicle stopping near a red light. It's a traffic jam about quarter to seven.

Let's listen to -- this is going to be a taxi driver who was stuck in that traffic jam. Just listen to how he described he experienced this explosion. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): At around 6:55 p.m., vehicles were moving slowly in the traffic jam and suddenly a big blast happened and my car window blasted and fell on another vehicle. I was thrown away with the impact and my seatbelt was also damaged. Now I have pain in my back, I don't know how the blast happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: So six vehicles also set on fire. Three auto rickshaws set on fire. That's according to Delhi's deputy fire chief. And as you mentioned in the introduction to this story, Rosemary, the ripple effects have spread across India, across a country of more than 1.4 billion people.

They feel the increase in security when it comes to airports, government buildings, other heritage sites. The Red Fort in terms of the heritage site itself and the metro station have been shut down for a few days as this investigation takes its course.

So again, as we're reaching the evening hours for this side of the world, I think it's important to stress that no one person or group has been blamed, but it does seem as though this was a deliberate act, Rosemary.

CHURCH: A shocking situation there, Mike Valerio giving us an update from his vantage point in Beijing. I appreciate that live report.

Well, the President of Syria is now that country's first head of state to ever visit the White House. Monday's meeting with President Trump comes as Ahmed al-Sharaa looks to reverse his country's isolation on the world stage.

[03:05:04]

The U.S. says it will extend its pause on most sanctions against Syria for an additional 180 days. And al-Sharaa is also urging the U.S. to ramp up pressure on Israel to halt military operations in southern Syria.

President Trump appeared optimistic after the meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We want to see Syria become a country that's very successful, and I think this leader can do it. I really do. I think this leader can do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Over the weekend, al-Sharaa was seen playing basketball with top U.S. military officials just days after the U.S. removed the former jihadist status as a specially designated global terrorist.

CNN's Paula Hancocks explains al-Sharaa's rapid rise to power and brings us up to speed with the latest on his visit to the White House.

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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One year ago, the U.S. had a $10 million bounty on this man's head. Now, he is shooting groups with the head of CENTCOM, and he's being invited to the White House by President Trump.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, President of Syria, he once fought U.S. troops, and he also led an al-Qaeda-backed group. But President Trump these days is calling him a, quote, "young attractive guy with a very strong past."

So this is how a former jihadist went from the battlefield to the basketball court to the Oval Office.

In his early 20s, al-Sharaa joined Islamist insurgents fighting U.S. troops in Iran. Then later, he went back to Syria, and he founded an al-Qaeda-backed group. The intention of that group was to topple the former President Bashar al-Assad.

Now, it did happen quickly. The Assad regime toppled less than one year ago, and al-Sharaa took control and since then, we have seen a diplomatic charm offensive. This trip to the White House is going to be his 20th foreign trip in less than 12 months.

So Trump and al-Sharaa have already met a couple of times. They met in Saudi Arabia back in May, they also met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in September. Trump has been publicly praising al-Sharaa. He's also tried to lift

some of the sanctions via executive order. But the rest of them need congressional support and approval and that is part of the reason why al-Sharaa is in D.C. at the moment.

But for a man who was still on the global terrorist sanctions list just three days ago, the turnaround is nothing short of remarkable.

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CHURCH: Joining me now for a deeper dive into all of this is Haid Haid, a senior non-resident fellow with the Arab Reform Initiative and a consulting fellow with the think tank Chatham House. I appreciate you being with us.

HAID HAID, NON-RESIDENT SR. FELLOW, ARAB REFORM INITIATIVE, AND CONSULTING FELLOW, CHATHAM HOUSE: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So Ahmed al-Sharaa became the first Syrian president to visit the White House on Monday. But what makes this so unusual is the previous $10 million bounty on his head due to his role as a former al-Qaeda militant. What all came out of this historic meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump?

HAID: I think one of the clear sort of significance is the improvement of relationships, not only between the two countries, but between the two individuals as well, between the two presidents. And I think one of the clear sort of issues that President al-Sharaa is trying to do here is to benefit from this in order to lift the rest of sanctions on his country.

Now, another important issue is that discussing joining the international coalition against ISIS, and that will be also important because it will improve the relationship between the institutions in the two countries. So this relationship will last even after the current administration turns over in the White House.

CHURCH: And President Trump held this meeting with Syria's new leader behind closed doors, even ensuring al-Sharaa's entrance into the White House, avoided any contact with the reporters. Why the secrecy?

HAID: So, I think it has to do with diplomatic norms, based on the sort of reports shared. Since this is not a state visit, the normal protocol does not really apply to it. But this is at least one of the ways to basically justify why we are seeing a different treatment to al-Sharaa.

However, if you move beyond this detail, the rest of the meeting seemed to have gone really well, or went really well.

[03:10:05]

And this is basically based on statements from different officials who were there, but also the tweet that was shared by President Trump afterwards. CHURCH: And as you touched on, the U.S. says it will extend its pause on most sanctions against Syria for an additional 180 days. How critical is this action for ending Syria's isolation after decades of war, terrorism and drug trafficking under ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad?

HAID: I think that the act itself, once implemented, as in when the Caesar Act is lifted, will be crucial. Because so far, and despite the different waivers and different sanctions that have been lifted basically by executive orders by President Trump, investors have been still sort of hesitant to really invest in Syria because they don't know what will happen. The sanctions are not fully lifted.

And because of that, I think lifting the rest of the sanctions, especially the Caesar Act, will be crucial. Because when it's permanently lifted, that's when you will basically potentially see that a major challenge to their investments in Syria will be hopefully removed.

So far, meanwhile, there has been a waiver for six months has been implemented. While it's symbolically important to basically show intent, its impact will unlikely be felt much because it's for six months. And because of that short period, people will not really have the confidence to move in and start investing in Syria.

CHURCH: And of course, Congress is yet to repeal legislation that blocks nearly all international transactions with the Syrian government. When might Congress repeal what's called the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act?

HAID: Well, this is the question that everyone is currently asking because there were reports that the Caesar Act could be potentially lifted before the visit, but it did not happen. I think one of the sort of objectives of the visit is to address the concerns of those in the Congress who are still resisting or opposing lifting it.

And so now we'll have to wait and see if the different meetings that President Sharaa has conducted in D.C. have been able to really address those concerns, give them the guarantees and insurances they wanted in order to move forward and lift the act.

CHURCH: Haid Haid, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it and your analysis.

HAID: Thank you.

CHURCH: Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is in Israel where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His visit comes exactly one month after the Gaza ceasefire deal and the start of the release of all living hostages in the enclave. Most of the deceased hostages have now been returned to Israel, but some bodies do still remain.

An Israeli spokesperson had this to say about the meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHOSH BEDROSIAN, SPOKESPERSON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE: The two discussed phase one, which we are currently still in to bring our remaining hostages and the future of phase two of this plan, which includes the disarming of Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza and ensuring Hamas will have no role in the future of Gaza ever again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza still face an uncertain future despite the ceasefire. Last week, humanitarian agencies said that far too little aid is reaching people there.

The U.S. Senate votes to end the government shutdown. Just ahead, we will take a look at the prospects for passage in the House and whether President Trump will sign the measure. Back with that and more in just a moment.

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[03:15:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history could be over in a matter of days.

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UNKNOWN: On this vote, the ayes are 60, the nays are 40. The bill as amended is passed.

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CHURCH: Eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus joined Republicans in voting just a few hours ago to fund the government. The House is set to vote on the bill on Wednesday and President Trump is expected to sign it.

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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Do you personally approve of the deal that's happening right now on Capitol Hill to end the government shutdown?

TRUMP: It depends what deal we're talking about. But if it's a deal I heard about, that's certainly, you know, they want to change the deal a little bit. But I would say so.

I think based on everything I'm hearing, they haven't changed anything. And we have support from enough Democrats and we're going to be opening up our country. It's too bad it was closed, but we'll be opening up our country very quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Here's more from CNN's chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju.

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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The longest government shutdown in history now set to end this after the United States Senate, by the narrowest of margins, approved a bill to reopen the federal government. It would reopen a large part of the federal government through January 30th of next year. Other federal agencies would be open until September 30th of next year.

[03:20:01]

And Democrats -- and ultimately had to give in to their chief demand that led to the government shutdown. That was to extend subsidies expiring under the Affordable Care Act that people use to pay down their health insurance. Democrats have said that must be dealt with immediately because of the health care crisis in this country.

People are seeing their premiums skyrocket. And they said that millions of Americans would be hurt unless Democrats got language in the funding bill dealing with this issue. That did not happen.

What they did get was a commitment for a vote in December in the United States Senate on a health care bill that has not yet been drafted. The catch, though, is that bill has virtually no chance of becoming law. And that's what's causing so much anger on the left flank of the party, including Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey, who told me as he was leaving the vote, he was more frustrated than he has been in years.

RAJU: What is your level of frustration now seeing this bill pass without any real assurance that the health care subsidies will be extended?

SEN. ANDY KIM (D-NJ): Well, what just happened in the Senate chamber was an absolute disgrace. I just -- I can't stress it enough. It was very profoundly disturbing to be there in that chamber where Senator McCain famously was able to stop the Republicans from gutting the Affordable Care Act.

That's what got me to step up the run for Congress. Like I literally ran for Congress in 2018 to protect our health care, to protect the Affordable Care Act. And I just -- I'm really gutted right now.

RAJU: And do you think the Democrats who backed this made a bad mistake?

KIM: Well, look, I would just say I certainly have a deep and profound disagreement on a lot of this. But shame on the Republicans for turning their backs on so many people and putting us in this place as a country where we have to see millions of Americans wonder whether or not they're going to be the fourth health care with the richest, most powerful country in the world. You should never have to put people in this kind of place. RAJU: Now, this bill passed 60 to 48 Democratic senators voted to supply those critical votes. Remember, in the United States Senate, you need 60 votes to advance legislation because the legislation less than 60 votes can be blocked through a filibuster in the Senate. That's what Democrats have done 14 times prior to the enact -- the passage of this piece of legislation.

But the eight Democratic senators, some of them who are retiring, some of them more moderate senators, some of them who had simply were fed up with the government shutdown, said this is the best deal they could get. They're pointing to the fact that food stamps will now be funded through September of next year. They're pointing to the fact that they got provisions in the bill to deal with to reinstate federal workers who were fired by the Trump administration during the shutdown.

And they say that they fought as hard as they could on health care. And it was Donald Trump's refusal to agree to any extension of health care subsidies that there was really no point in dragging this on and seeing Americans suffer in so many different ways without any real sense that a health care bill could eventually become law with this President.

They believe they're winning politically on this issue and that will be an issue for voters in next year's midterms. But still, there is so much frustration at the rank directed at those eight members.

And even that Senator Chuck Schumer, who's a Democratic leader, who actually opposed this bill and voted no on it, but nevertheless shows you how much anger there is in the within the ranks over this deal, which now is passed the United States Senate and will pass the United States House by Wednesday and then move over to President Trump's desk.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

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CHURCH: Still to come, the U.S. Justice Department says Donald Trump is correcting a grave national injustice. We will tell you who's getting a pardon from the President. That's next.

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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

India is on edge after a car explosion near a popular landmark in Delhi. Monday's blast killed at least 10 people and injured dozens more. The cause is currently unknown, but it is being investigated under India's anti-terrorism laws. Some top government officials are starting to suggest it was a deliberate act. Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa made history Monday as the country's

first president to visit the White House. Following his meeting with President Donald Trump, the U.S. says it will extend a pause on most sanctions against Syria for 180 days. However, the most stringent sanctions on Damascus remain and cannot be fully lifted without congressional approval.

[03:30:04]

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is one step closer to ending. The Senate has approved a compromise bill supported by a handful of Democrats to fund the government, a vote in the House is expected Wednesday. President Trump says he supports the measure.

Well, the U.S. president has also pardoned a long list of allies who either supported or had some kind of role in plans to overturn the 2020 election, which he continues to falsely claim was rigged against him. CNN's Julia Benbrook has details on the recipients.

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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump has pardoned a list of political allies for their support or involvement in alleged plans to overturn the 2020 election. And it is quite a lengthy list. The Department of Justice says in total, 77 people received what they are referring to as full, complete and unconditional pardons.

Department of Justice pardon attorney Ed Martin posted a signed proclamation, which read in part, "this proclamation is a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 presidential election and continues the process of national reconciliation."

The individuals listed include high profile figures like Trump lawyers, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and the President's former chief-of-staff, Mark Meadows. This group of presidential pardons is seen by many as symbolic since it only applies to federal criminal cases and no person on the list has been charged with a federal crime. Many, though, have faced or are facing charges in states that investigated efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

The pardon also explicitly states that it does not apply to Trump. This move marks Trump's latest step to absolve or protect allies who tried to overturn the 2020 election results. One of his first actions during his second term was to pardon over a thousand people charged or convicted for their actions during the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

At the White House, I'm Julia Benbrook.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to make himself popular on one of his most unpopular issues. His solution, sending checks to Americans stretched thin by his tariffs.

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[03:35:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN. This is your Business Breakout.

We are keeping an eye on financial markets across Asia, reacting to the U.S. Senate vote to end the government shutdown. But right now, you see, they're pretty mixed bag. We'll keep a close eye on that.

And these are the business headlines.

Traders on Wall Street are hoping to keep the momentum going. Stocks soared on Monday with tech titans Nvidia and Palantir driving the Nasdaq more than two and a quarter percent higher. The S&P was up more than 1.5 percent, the Dow gained 0.08 of a percent.

Warren Buffett says he's going quiet, sort of. The 95-year-old Berkshire Hathaway CEO delivered his last annual message to shareholders before he steps down at the end of the year. Although Buffett won't write the message for the company's annual report anymore, he will deliver the company's annual Thanksgiving message.

Visa and MasterCard are close to striking a deal that would lower fees for merchants. The two credit card giants have been locked in a legal battle with retailers over those fees for the last 20 years. Experts say they could lead to lower prices, but fewer credit card rewards for consumers.

U.S. President Donald Trump is defending his tariff policies, he claims the people who don't support them are, quote, "fools." President Trump's tariffs are unpopular with many Americans, but he says he has come up with a way to offset the pain the tariffs are causing.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich explains.

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VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump has an idea to solve Americans' growing affordability problem. Send them a check, not just any check.

A $2,000 check using the money his administration has collected from tariffs. The idea is similar to the stimulus checks that many Americans may have received during COVID.

Is it possible? Not without Congress. Financially, not yet.

The Trump administration has collected $220 billion in tariff revenue, according to the Treasury Department. But more than 163 million Americans filed tax returns in 2024. So handing out checks to all those Americans would cost $326 billion.

But President Trump said high income earners would not be included and he believes there would be money left over to pay down the national debt. And while $2,000 is a lot of money, Americans have historically used stimulus checks to pay down debt or make a big purchase. So it doesn't solve the ongoing affordability crisis and concerns.

And all that spending all at once could actually fuel inflation, making things more unaffordable.

[03:39:53]

And then there is, of course, the Supreme Court of this all. If they rule against President Trump's tariffs, the administration may have to return that money, about $100 billion to date to the U.S. businesses and importers that paid them, leaving much less for checks for everyday Americans.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, there's no denying the power of the paltry pardon. Colorado Governor Jared Polis has given two birds a new lease on life in his state's third annual turkey pardon, nicknamed Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They'll be spared a trip to the Thanksgiving table and will live out their lives at a local animal sanctuary.

Congratulations to them both.

Thanks so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "World Sport" is coming up next.

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