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U.S. to Hold Military Drills Off the Coast of Venezuela; Growing Feud Between Trump & GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene; Trump Plans to Sue BBC Over Misleading Edit Despite Apology; Gen-Z Led Protest in Mexico City Over Security, Corruption; Storm Brings Flood, Mudslide Risk to Southern California; Federal Agents Surge to North Carolina; Health Care Showdown Looms After Shutdown Deal. Aired 5-6 am ET

Aired November 16, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:33]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

President Trump says he's made a decision about potential military action in Venezuela. We'll take a look at the ongoing drills and Venezuela's reaction to the threats.

Thousands of young people gather in Mexico City to protest crime and corruption, why the Gen Z movement is gaining momentum across the country.

Plus, the shutdown may be over, but thousands are struggling to make ends meet. We'll look at how the deal to fund the government will impact health care.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: Tensions are mounting between the United States and Venezuela. Within hours, the U.S. military is expected to start five days of military drills in Trinidad and Tobago, the island nation just off the Venezuelan coast. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called the exercises irresponsible and accused the U.S. of pursuing a criminal war against his country. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I reiterate this every day to the people of the United States. The people of the United States, listen to me. War in the Caribbean, war in South America? No. War eternal? No. Peace? Yes. Peace for America? Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: Sources tell CNN the U.S. has been weighing potential military action within the Latin American country. This comes as the president had multiple high-level briefings concerning potential military action. While speaking to reporters Friday, Trump appeared to suggest he's close to making a decision. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you made up your mind on what you would like to do as far as action?

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: I sort of made up my mind. I mean can't tell you what it would be but I sort of made up my mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The drills are being conducted as the U.S. carries out lethal strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels, at least 20 so far, with dozens of deaths. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon is in the Venezuelan capital and has the latest on preparations for a potential conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro, has said that more than 4 million Venezuelans have taken an oath to defend the country in case of an attack from the United States. On Saturday, several top officials from Maduro's government were seen across different cities in Venezuela participating in ceremonies where, allegedly, regular people were pronouncing the oath.

Now, CNN cannot independently verify these figures. However, they show that the government and Maduro personally are taking the possibility and the risk of a U.S. attack on Venezuelan soil very, very seriously. This is happening as the U.S. Department of Defense has announced that the U.S. forces will join the military of Trinidad and Tobago, which is an island just a few miles from the coast of Venezuela, in military drills starting on Sunday. And Maduro had also words for that event.

MADURO (through translator): These are intended to be threatening to Venezuela, which does not allow itself to be threatened by anyone. They say they will do this from Monday to Thursday. The people of Trinidad and Tobago will see whether they continue to allow their waters and land to be used to seriously threaten the peace of the Caribbean.

POZZEBON: Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has said on Air Force One that he has almost made up his mind of what to do with Venezuela. Across last week, several sources in the White House told CNN that a president had been briefed across military plans to take direct action in the country. Maduro told CNN on Thursday that he was still hoping for peace to prevail in this confrontation with the government of the U.S. However, the announcement on Saturday showed the tensions are still destined to escalate.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon. Caracas. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Earlier, I spoke to Christopher Sabatini, Senior Fellow for Latin America at Chatham House in London, and he gave his perspective on the U.S. aims in Venezuela. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER SABATINI, SENIOR FELLOW FOR LATIN AMERICA, CHATHAM HOUSE: This started out as an effort to try to incentivize the military to defect from Maduro and stage some form of transition. The idea was they would become nervous, begin to fear for their own lives, and seek an exit for Maduro.

You know, as the buildup increases, I think that's looking less likely. It could still happen, perhaps, but it's not going to be as easy as Trump had hoped. I don't think an invasion is in the works. I'm going to take many more men than they have. Venezuela is a large country of 28 million people with multiple urban centers.

[05:05:13]

I think right now they're still hoping that they can rattle the military to provoke some, if you will, regime change on the cheap without having to commit boots on the ground or even missiles to attack land sites.

But I think there's a third option here, too. One is they try to launch a few missiles inside or drones inside Venezuela, take out some airstrips. There are no cocaine production facilities in Venezuela. And basically Trump could then declare this, because he's been defining this only as a mission to protect the country against narcotics. He could declare a mission accomplished. The drug sites have been taken out.

We've killed 70 or 80 now people in these 20 boats. We're going home now. That would be difficult, and it would probably be a win for Maduro. But quite frankly, Trump's ambiguity leads us to wonder what he's really thinking.

BRUNHUBER: Let me pick up on something you said there. You said no -- there's no cocaine production sites within the country. I mean, the administration says this is all about stopping drug trafficking. I know this is something you've written a lot about. So, how central is Venezuela then to the drug trade?

SABATINI: Frankly, it's not. It is indeed deeply complicit in narcotics trafficking or overflights. But really only about five to eight percent of the cocaine that reaches the U.S. market comes from Venezuela. It's not produced in Venezuela.

Fentanyl is not produced at all, but cocaine is produced in Colombia. And basically what the Maduro government has done is allow for overflights and landing strips and storage facilities in Venezuela from which the cocaine would take off. But most of that is actually destined to Europe. But there are other forms of illegal activity that go on in Venezuela. There's money laundering.

There are more than 800 political prisoners. It's funny to hear Nicolas Maduro in your previous report talk about peace. He's unleashed a war on his own people, not that that may necessarily justify U.S. intervention, boots on the ground, but he also engages in illicit gold mining and other forms of human trafficking that do implicate this government very deeply in criminal networks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says she's received a wave of threats amid her escalating feud with President Trump. On Friday, he rescinded his endorsement of Greene, once a staunch ally, and attacked her in personal terms. The Georgia representative accused Trump of trying to use her as an example to frighten Republicans ahead of a House vote on releasing files connected to the criminal investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.

Last hour, I discussed the situation with Mark Shanahan, an associate professor of politics at the University of Surrey, and he told me what the rift between Greene and the president was all about. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHANAHAN: Marjorie Taylor Greene is a conviction politician. She will stick to her guns, however unpopular, however wacky, as the president would describe them. She has slowly split with him over foreign affairs issues, so starting with Ukraine, she very much pushed the America first line.

With his support for Israel, she talks about Gaza being a genocide. But domestically, she's looking at an election in the future. She's looking at the rising cost of living. She's looking at the Affordable Care Act and the huge increase in the cost of health insurance premiums that are coming down the line. And this is alienating her from Trump. But then there's Epstein as well.

She's on the oversight committee that is one of just four House Republicans to have come out alongside the Democrats in backing the Epstein Transparency Act. And this has really riled Trump. Epstein, for whatever reason, is his kryptonite. It is the issue he wants to avoid at all costs, and here is a very outspoken, popular populist who is pushing for the release of all of those files. And that has really aggravated the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump has pardoned two more participants of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. President Trump pardoned militia member Dan Wilson's Kentucky firearms offenses after an appeals court refused to vacate his sentences. He also pardoned Susan Kay, who was convicted of threatening to shoot FBI agents trying to question her about January 6th.

The new pardons continue the trend Trump started in January when he issued more than a thousand pardons and commutations of those involved with the January 6th riots.

President Trump says he plans to sue the "BBC" over a misleading edit in an October 2024 documentary despite the British broadcaster's apology. He says the lawsuit will demand up to $5 billion for defamation and be filed probably sometime next week. Brian Stelter has more.

[05:10:01]

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BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: You know, up until this year, it was practically unheard of for a U.S. president to sue a news outlet. But this year, President Trump has gone to court repeatedly, and now he says he's about to do it again. For now, his threats against the "BBC" are just threats, not an actual lawsuit. But this weekend, Trump told reporters that he'll file a suit, quote, "probably sometime next week," alleging $1 billion to $5 billion in damages due to defamation.

He clearly wants the British broadcaster to feel his wrath. Referring to the editing error relating to January 6th that appeared in a documentary last year, Trump said, quote, "They've even admitted that they cheated." And that's an interesting word, cheated, given that Trump was accused of trying to cheat when he lost the 2020 presidential election. And the result was January 6th.

Now, as for the contours of a possible lawsuit, media lawyers are very skeptical that Trump would have a strong case. But the president went ahead and sued the "New York Times" and the "Wall Street Journal" earlier this year, even though those cases looked like legal long shots. And both of those are now slowly working their way through the U.S. courts.

For Trump, with the "BBC," it might be about the P.R. he's getting for this, or it might be about wanting the "BBC" to feel some pain. And that is certainly what's already happening right now. The "BBC" is girding for a long and possibly expensive fight in this case.

And, you know, when I toured the "BBC" headquarters in London earlier this year, I was struck by the sheer size and scope of the institution. We're talking about a place that employs more than 20,000 people, producing so many news programs, but also so many documentaries, so many dramas, other entertainment options. The "BBC" is unique in British life and reaching audiences all around the world. But with that size also comes so much scrutiny, and much of it is deserved.

I'm seeing some conservative commentators in the U.K. who seem downright giddy and gleeful about the prospect of a Trump lawsuit. They want the BBC to be taken down a peg or two, or ten. And you can see signs of this political campaign on the front pages of Sunday's British tabloids as well. The bad edit from last year's documentary has played into an ongoing argument about left-wing bias at the "BBC." But for all the detractors, there are also many defenders of the British broadcaster, saying the broadcaster needs to stand firm against Trump's bullying.

And among "BBC" staffers, there's a lot of speculation about the international dimensions here, and specifically whether Prime Minister Keir Starmer might lean on Trump to move on to some other media target, or some other target altogether. You know, that's what I've seen covering Trump's battles this year against the media. One week it's Disney, the next week it's the "BBC," as Trump tries to exert pressure on media companies.

And journalists are pushing back the only way they can, by continuing to report the news freely and fairly.

Brian Stelter, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Police and protesters clashed in Mexico City on Saturday. We'll explain what led to this Gen Z protest. That's coming up next.

Plus, delegates from nearly 200 countries are discussing climate change at a U.N. summit in Brazil. But their talks have hit some big obstacles. We'll have a report from the conference just ahead. Stay with us.

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[05:17:11]

BRUNHUBER: You're looking at clashes between police and protesters in Mexico City on Saturday. Anger over insecurity and corruption brought thousands of people into the streets. The demonstration began as a peaceful Gen Z-led march with young people demanding action on rising violence, government corruption, and rampant crime they say goes unpunished across Mexico.

The recent murder of an outspoken anti-crime mayor in Mexico is fueling much of the anger. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum accused far right and opposition groups of trying to influence and co-opt the demonstration. The organizers strongly deny the claims.

Now, the young people leading this movement say it isn't just about politics. Many say they're marching because daily life feels increasingly unsafe and they're worried about their futures. CNN's Valeria Leon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the first Gen Z major march in Mexico. Thousands of people have taken to the streets protesting government corruption and also demanding justice for the killing of Carlos Manzo, a mayor of Uruapan. This is a small municipality in western Mexico.

He was killed in broad daylight during a Day of the Dead celebration on November 1st. And protesters started in the main monument in Mexico City and then they walked along this main avenue toward the National Palace. They're voicing their frustrations about their future, the uncertainty and specifically unemployment. They're against President Sheinbaum's government.

However, the government has dismissed this protest saying or arguing that behind it are far right groups. Also this week President Sheinbaum pointed out opposition leaders who are behind this protest. What we've seen here is the anger of young people frustrated about the conditions of the country.

ERICK FERNANDEZ, PROTESTER (through translator): It feels awful to live in a country where you can't go out safely because you're afraid you might get robbed or that you might not come back.

LEON: And also the violent context where they have to grow up and carry on and this is part of their reactions.

GUADALUPE BADILLO, PROTESTER (through translator): We are a generation that feels proud to raise our voices but at the same time it's unfortunate that we have to do it because we should have a safe Mexico.

LEON: We're talking about 30 million people that represent this generation, Gen Z. They're ages between 15 and 29 years old. This is about a quarter of Mexico's total population and a demographic that makes Gen Z a political and crucial force in the country.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:20:03]

BRUNHUBER: Polls in Chile's presidential election open less than an hour from now. The eight candidates range from a long-time Communist Party member to a pair of ultra-conservatives. Chile is dealing with rising crime, surging immigration and discontent with the current president. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the top two will go to a runoff election on December 14th.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil has just reached its halfway point. Negotiators are working to turn good intentions into sustainable action. Outside the conference, a group of indigenous people gathered to make negotiators aware of what's at stake. CNN Brazil Correspondent Teo Cury reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TEO CURY, CNN BRASIL CORRESPONDENT: Seven days into the U.N. Climate Summit, the negotiators have had some wins, but big battles are still ahead. Among the most contentious, fossil fuels and finance. On fossil fuels, the parties are still trying to make good on a promise countries made in Dubai two years ago to finally start moving away from oil, gas and coal, which, of course, are the main drivers of global warming.

This comes ten years after the Paris Climate Agreement, when countries pledged to limit global warming to two degrees above pre-industrial levels, and ideally to 1.5. But that goal came without a detailed roadmap, which gets us to where we are right now, with countries needing to submit updated national climate plans to maintain the goal. But not all countries have set their targets, not even the major polluters like India. Another divisive issue is financing of developing nations by rich countries.

Last year, countries agreed to provide $300 billion annually until 2035, with the broader ambition of reaching $1.3 trillion to help these nations combat climate change and adapt to its impact. But wealthier nations are reluctant to invest, and developing nations say they simply cannot act on agreed-upon climate goals without financing.

Since a declaration must be approved by consensus among nearly 200 countries at the end of the conference, the task is not easy. But despite the impasses, negotiators and observers following the talks are not showing concern. They point out that obstacles are common at this stage of the conference, and that the arrival of foreign ministers next week will help unblock the agenda.

Teo Cury, Belem, Brazil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: People in Portugal are cleaning up debris in the wake of a tornado caused by Storm Claudia on Saturday. The disaster killed at least one person and injured two dozen others. An elderly couple was also reported dead near Lisbon after they were unable to flee the flooding that swept through on Thursday.

The violent storm system also triggered severe flooding in parts of the U.K. This video shows Monmouth in southern Wales, where floodwaters were reportedly strong enough to break down doors on Saturday. Here's how one witness described the ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was terrifying. I've been awake all night. Luckily, they slept. And, yeah, I got woken up by really loud noise. And I couldn't see anything out the window because it was dark. But I got a torch, and I shone it, and I just saw, like, a torrent of water.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Southern California is facing a serious risk of flooding and mudslides after a powerful Pacific storm hammered the region with heavy rains. Some areas have already seen more than a month's worth of rain in just a day. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones reports from Malibu.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If the forecasts are correct, this will be the wettest November on record since 1985 for Southern California. Here in Malibu, it's been like this, raining for hours and hours, under a flash flood warning for part of the day on Saturday as well, 3 million people under that flash flood warning, not just here in Malibu, also in other parts of Los Angeles County affected by those fires earlier this year, both Palisades and Eaton Fire.

I do want to show you, though, where we are. This is near the Las Flores Creek. It's going straight into the Pacific Ocean. It is not usually like this. This looks like a river of mud going straight into the ocean, which, by the way, also has a warning for high winds and big waves.

I will say, though, earlier on Saturday, we did see at least two people with their surfboards fully intending to surf on these waters. Now, there are warnings from authorities here in Southern California, the city, the county, the sheriff's department, saying that if you do not have to leave your house, do not leave your house.

And if you are on those areas with mandatory evacuation orders, you are supposed to heed them, leave, look for higher ground, and definitely do not leave your house if you don't have to.

[05:25:02]

In total, about 20 million people on flood warnings across Southern California. That's going from Santa Barbara all the way down to San Diego, and that is the main concern, is those quickly rising waters after the soil is fully full of water. Two, three inches make a huge difference here in Southern California. It is not a part of the world that gets a lot of rain. We're getting a lot of rain in a very short amount of time.

Now, those warnings will be in place through Saturday and on to Sunday morning until at least 8 a.m. Pacific time.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Malibu, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, still had fear on the streets of Charlotte, North Carolina as federal immigration officers arrived, and the city's leaders say those officers aren't needed. And the U.S. government shutdown's over, but the loss of food benefits has millions of Americans still going hungry.

Just ahead, how communities and charities are picking up the slack to help those in need. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Let's check some of today's top stories. The U.S. military is expected to begin five days of drills today in Venezuela's close neighbor, Trinidad and Tobago. American Navy ships have been deployed in the Caribbean as the military continues striking alleged drug-trafficking vessels. Venezuela's president called the drills irresponsible. Sources tell CNN the U.S. has been weighing potential military action within Venezuela.

Police and protesters clashed in Mexico City on Saturday. It began peacefully as a Gen-Z-led protest march. The demonstrators are demanding action on rising violent crime and crimes they say go unpunished. President Claudia Steinbaum says opposition groups are trying to influence the protesters.

[05:30:05]

Britain is planning significant reform of its asylum-seeker policies. The Home Secretary is expected to end protections for refugees and impose cuts to living allowances. One change would require anyone arriving illegally to wait 20 years before they can apply for asylum.

U.S. federal immigration officers and border patrol agents are now in Charlotte, North Carolina. But the city's mayor pro tem objects. She says there's no justification to deploy federal law enforcement in Charlotte.

Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANTE ANDERSON, CHARLOTTE MAYOR PRO TEM: So, here's the thing about Charlotte. Charlotte is a lawful city. Our crime is low and has decreased year over year. Our Charlotte Police Department just recently released their Q3 numbers and we can see that crime across the board is down. We know that violent crime year over year is down. And so, we don't need any assistance as it relates to crime or public safety.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Gloria Pazmino has this report on the crackdown that began this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the past few days, we had heard from local officials in the Charlotte area who were preparing for the possibility of immigration enforcement, much like we have seen in other big cities around the country, like Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

And on Saturday, we started getting reports that this action was, in fact, underway. We got a statement from the Department of Homeland Security saying, in part, quote, "We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed."

Now, we've heard reports from the community who say that they have seen federal immigration officers patrolling areas, places of certain Hispanic businesses, Hispanic communities in the Charlotte area. And we heard from a man who was actually apprehended. I want to show you a video that was taken by Willie Wender Aceituno Medina. He is a Honduran immigrant who's been in the United States for 25 years and told me is a U.S. citizen.

And he was in the parking lot of this strip mall in the Charlotte area. And he was initially approached by a group of officers. He told them that he had I.D. on him, that he was a U.S. citizen. And those officers allowed him to present that identification and let him go on his way. He then told me that when he got inside his vehicle, he was approached by a different set of officers who also asked him to identify himself. And that's when he said he became very confused because he had just showed his I.D. to officers. He said that the whole thing happened very quickly. They asked him to open the door.

He didn't want to open the door. He said, I've already identified myself. And that's when you see an officer moving in and shattering his car window that they then proceed to pull him out of the vehicle and take him into custody.

Now, Medina told me that he was put inside of another vehicle, along with other people who were detained that day. And he was driven away, even though he was trying to tell these officers that he was a U.S. citizen and that he had documentation to prove that he is in the United States legally. He tried to do that multiple times during the ride.

And finally, an officer actually checked his back pocket, was able to find his I.D. and confirm that he was a U.S. citizen. They then pulled a car over and were allowed him to exit the vehicle. He said that he had been driven away a considerable distance and just simply told them that he had to walk back to the place where he had been arrested.

So, Medina telling me on Saturday that this has spread an incredible amount of fear throughout the community. He told me that people are canceling their Thanksgiving celebrations, weekend celebrations. He told me that people are afraid to go to work because they know that this operation is underway.

And we also heard from businesses in the Charlotte area who are choosing to close down, going into the weekend as a precautionary measure, saying they don't want to expose themselves or the community that they serve while this operation is underway.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: A source familiar with plans for the Texas National Guard tells CNN the state's soldiers will soon leave Chicago and return home. The Trump administration ordered 200 Texas troops to the city more than a month ago. Their stated mission was to protect immigration agents. Instead, they've been waiting at training bases after a federal judge ruled there was no justification to bring in the military. The administration has framed demonstrations in Chicago and Portland as violent protests carried out by domestic terrorists.

[05:35:06]

While the government shutdown may be over, but the delay in food benefits has millions of Americans worrying about getting enough to eat. Some 42 million Americans rely on food assistance. And as CNN's Rafael Romo reports, many local communities are taking donations to fill in the gap.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The food drive is being held here by Ebenezer Baptist Church, the historic church here in Atlanta. And as you can see, there are tents behind me where food is being donated. Anything from vegetables to chicken to potatoes. We saw a big truck with potatoes being delivered here.

And we have an army of volunteers who are greeting people like family. They say this is not about charity. This is about helping a family member in need. And some of the things that we're hearing from people here is that some of them are underemployed. Many other people are employed, but maybe their federal government who hasn't received a paycheck for many weeks. And so, they need this help. And even though we're less than two weeks away from Thanksgiving, they say that they need the help right now.

For this event, the King Center and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church have come together to help people. I had an opportunity to speak earlier with Pastor Stokes from the church. And she said that it's a need that has been aggravated by recent events.

Let's take a listen.

CARLA STOKES, EXECUTIVE PASTOR, NEW BIRTH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH: We've seen an increased need. We've seen seniors coming that need assistance. We've seen families of course, they had their SNAP benefits cut or changed or altered. And it's caused such a ripple effect. We've seen federal employees, absolutely, coming needing food because they were stretching their dollars to try to pay their bills.

ROMO: The King Center and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church have come together to, at this location, deliver about a thousand boxes of food for as many families. I had an opportunity to talk to one of those beneficiaries earlier today. And she told me that her concern is not what she's going to put on her table two weeks from now or three weeks from now, but what she's going to have for dinner tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's every day. It's tonight. I need dinner for tonight. So, that's how serious it is for me. It's not trying to get holiday. So, this is going to make a huge, huge difference in my life.

ROMO: And yes, the good news is that the government shutdown has come to an end. And President Trump has announced that he's going to lower tariffs on some basic grocery items like beef and coffee as well. But a lot of these people say that the ripple effect has been widespread and it's going to take a while before they can get back on their feet.

Rafael Romo, CNN Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: A major fight still looms over health care costs on Capitol Hill. Millions face steep premiums if a deal can't be reached. We'll explain what Congress is and isn't willing to do. That's coming up after the break. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:41:17]

BRUNHUBER: The congressional battle over health care is about to heat up again, and insurance costs for tens of millions of Americans are on the line. Karin Caifa is in Washington with a look at one of Capitol Hill's next battlefronts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARIN CAIFA, CNN REPORTER: Days after the end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Democrats still not giving up on their key demand.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: The Affordable Care Act tax credits are scheduled to lapse on December 31st. And so, we have about 45 days to get this done.

CAIFA: In exchange for some Democratic votes to reopen the government, Senate Republicans agreed to hold a separate vote on extending existing federal subsidies for some Affordable Care Act insurance plans beyond the end of the year. But there's no guarantee that vote will succeed or that House Republican leadership will act on it.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON, (R-LA) SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I'm not going to guarantee a vote on ACA unreformed COVID era subsidies that is just a boondoggle to insurance companies and robs the taxpayer. We've got a lot of work to do on that.

CAIFA: Without congressional action, some households face a spike in their premiums after December 31st.

CHRIS VETTERS, ACA ENROLLEE: The increase in the health premiums would be half of my income.

CAIFA: House GOP leadership is said to be eyeing a package that's unlikely to extend the subsidies, but use other ways to reduce costs. Some House Republicans don't think that will come together in time, and at least a dozen are calling for an extension for now.

REP. DON BACON (R-NE): We're not going to make major fixes before December 31st. I think we owe it to the middle class and -- and around the middle class to extend these tax credits, maybe with some reforms.

CAIFA: More than 24 million Americans rely on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces for health insurance.

In Washington, I'm Karin Caifa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And for more on this health care crisis, I'd like to bring in Louise Norris, Health Policy Analyst for Healthinsurance.org. Thank you so much for being up early with us there in Colorado. Appreciate it.

So, listen, we keep hearing that premiums could more than double for millions of people if these enhanced subsidies expire. So, walk us through what that actually means for a typical family sort of shopping for insurance right now.

LOUISE NORRIS, HEALTH POLICY ANALYST, HEALTHINSURANCE.ORG: Yes, absolutely. So, this is people who are buying their own health insurance through the marketplace. There are about 24 million people enrolled in these plans and the vast majority, more than 90 percent, get a subsidy, a tax credit that offsets a pretty significant chunk of their premiums.

And because these subsidies have been enhanced for the last five years, they've been bigger and they've been available to more people. And so, if those subsidy enhancements expire, which is scheduled for the end of this year, the subsidies next year will not be as large and they won't be as available to as many people. So, for some folks, this could be really significant premium increases.

The average across everyone is more than a double, more than doubling of their premiums. But just to give you a specific example, if you are a 55-year-old in Atlanta and you make $63,000 dollars a year, you can get the cheapest plan in 2025 is two $262 dollars a month. If these subsidy enhancements expire, your cheapest plan in $2026 would be $887 dollars a month.

BRUNHUBER: Gosh.

NORRIS: And so, that's just one example of one person. But those are the sort of numbers that some people are facing. If these subsidy enhancements are not extended.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I mean, you know, you use that example and certainly we've -- we've heard plenty more people who can't afford to pay that much to see it rise so much. I mean, what kind of effect does that have on people when those insurance premiums suddenly go up by double or even more, as you say?

[05:45:09]

NORRIS: So, we know that if the subsidy enhancements don't get extended, several million people will likely just drop their coverage. They -- they won't be able to renew it for 2026 just because they simply won't be able to afford the premiums.

We don't know -- as you mentioned earlier, we don't know what the actual outcome of this might be, and it's not a simple will they or won't they extend the subsidy enhancements because there are other potential ideas being -- being considered as well.

So, ultimately, we don't know what Congress is going to do if people are shopping right now and looking in their marketplace account and looking to see what the premiums are for next year. The prices they're seeing right now are sort of the worst-case scenario --

BRUNHUBER: Right.

NORRIS: -- because what you're seeing right now in the marketplace does not include those enhanced subsidies. So, it's possible this could get better. It's possible if Congress were to come to some sort of an agreement on a temporary extension as we go into next month, it's possible people could see smaller premiums. But what you're seeing right now in the marketplace is -- is without those enhancements.

BRUNHUBER: You mentioned, you know, potential ideas. I mean, some Republicans are floating alternatives, like sending cash directly to people or creating health savings accounts instead of extending the subsidies. Any evidence whether any of those types of ideas would actually work?

NORRIS: Well, that would very much depend on the -- a person specific situation, and it would also depend on whether they how they end up structuring something like that. If they scale the payments to give more money to people who would be facing higher costs, that would be different from if they just give everybody the same amount. So, you know, it remains to be seen how successful that might be.

One thing people should keep in mind, since you mentioned health savings accounts, we do already have those as an option. And for 2026, a new rule is that any bronze plan that you buy in the marketplace will be HSA eligible, meaning a person who has a bronze marketplace plan will be able to put money in a health savings account.

So, if you are one of the things about these subsidy enhancements is they made subsidies available to folks who earn more than 400 percent of the federal poverty level. And if the subsidy enhancements expire, that goes away, which means you lose your entire subsidy.

BRUNHUBER: Right.

NORRIS: And just for perspective, it's a little under $63,000 a year for a single person, a little under $85,000 for a couple, a married couple. If you are a little over that limit and you get an HSA, you can potentially lower your income with that.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Listen, we only have a minute or so left, but this is important because I know it's an issue you've been following closely. There have been reports about fake insurance scams and shady brokers switching people into plans without permission. I mean, it's all this chaos around subsidies, making people even more vulnerable to potentially getting ripped off.

NORRIS: Yes. So, the issue of shady brokers switching people into plans without their permission was mostly resolved last year with steps that the marketplace took. So, within the marketplace, you shouldn't really be seeing that. But what we are definitely seeing is people sort of panicking when they're looking at these premiums and looking elsewhere outside the marketplace to try to find a solution. And it is just so important to make sure you're reading the fine print because those policies, you know, aren't necessarily ACA compliant. So, they could have a lot of gaps in the coverage. BRUNHUBER: Yeah, all right. Good advice. Still so much up in the air for so many people. I really appreciate getting your perspective on this. Louise Norris, thank you so much for joining us.

NORRIS: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, for the first time in history, Spain is hosting an NFL game. Coming up, we'll take you live to Madrid for the latest on Sunday showdown. Stay with us.

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[05:52:58]

BRUNHUBER: Spain is hosting its first ever regular season American football game as the sport looks to broaden its international appeal. In about four hours, the Washington commanders are set to face off against the Miami Dolphins in Madrid. The commanders are on the hunt for their first win abroad and the Dolphins are hoping to snap a four- game losing streak overseas. Both teams will be aiming for their fourth win of the regular season. With Sunday's matchup, Spain now becomes the sixth country to host a game outside the U.S.

Joining me now with the latest live from Madrid is CNN's Pau Mosquera. Pau, both teams at three and seven. So, neither team, frankly, doing great looking at the fans behind you there. Do you expect more support for one of those teams there in Madrid?

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, I'm not pretty sure. It's true that I've seen more jackets from the Dolphins and the Washington commanders, but we're still a few hours, a few hours away from the game starting on. So, let's see what happens if more Washington commanders fans get here to the surroundings of the Bernabeu Stadium.

And yes, you were saying here behind me, you can see the first fans. We can say the early risers that are waiting to get inside of the stadium. We're being told that in a matter of 40 minutes, something like that, they will open the door.

So, they will allow to the attendants to get inside, to join the coffees, to get to the NFL shop and start warming up for this very important match. This is such a historic day, at least for the American football, because that's the first time that the NFL is landing here in Spain. And I can tell you that there's a lot of excitement about that from the National Football League. They estimate that here in Spain they have around 11 million fans. But these numbers could grow from now on.

And something that has surprised me over this last days, Kim, is that here in Madrid, a lot of people has come specifically to watch and enjoy this game. I've met families coming from Brazil, from Germany, from the United Kingdom. And actually, we've talked to some of them and that's what they told us. Have a listen.

[05:55:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amazing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amazing. We've never seen them in Miami. We've only seen them in London. So, to be so close --

MOSQUERA: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- and to experience Madrid is great, isn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it's my birthday. And it's her birthday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very excited. I've never seen a live game before other than the Super Bowl, which I stayed up to watch with him, so.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's never been to actual games, but we've been to a few. But yeah, we're excited. It's coming to Europe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we're from Amsterdam and we're here to see the game. I think it's really fun that they're, you know, getting more like across -- across Europe, too. So it's fun to -- yeah, it's fun to have it also here in Europe, closer to home than going all the way to the U.S.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOSQUERA: Here today, Kim, has started certainly a little bit cloudy, but that won't stop the show from going on. The city council, as he made that here inside the Bernabeu Stadium, around 80,000 people are going to enjoy the show. It's going to be quite a show because during the halftime, DJ BIZARRAP and the Puerto Rican singer and composer Daddy Yankee will offer the very best to those attending, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Very cool. I hope it's a good game for all those watching there.

Pau Mosquera, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

All right, before we go, I want to leave you with this. A wildlife photographer unknowingly aided a seal with its great escape off the coast of Seattle. Have a look at this. Extraordinary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my god. Oh you poor thing. I'm shaking right now. He is on board. He is not trying to get off. He is on our boat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: While that seal was fleeing at least eight killer whales, the photographer was on a whale watching trip. At the same time, she recorded the orcas hunting the seal when it jumped onto her boat stern. It slid off the boat, but eventually climbed back on and stayed there until the orcas gave up the hunt.

The orcas got to eat, too, right?

That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, CNN THIS MORNING is next. For the rest of the world, it's TECH FOR GOOD.

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