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Congress Greenlights Bill For Release Of Jeffrey Epstein Files; White House Hosts Star-Studded Dinner For Saudi Crown Prince; Japan Warns Citizen In China To Take Safety Precautions; Iran Open to Talks With Trump, Conditions Are Unchanged; Iran Says It is Enriching Uranium for Fuel, Medical Use; Iran Will Only Negotiate on Nuclear Issue, Not Missiles; Ukraine Says Dozens Injured in Drone Attack in Kharkiv; Venezuelan Opposition Leader Challenges Maduro Rule, Publishes Democratic Leaning 'freedom Manifesto'; Gen Z Leads Protest Movements in Countries Around the World; Murderer Sues for Right to Eat Vegemite in Prison; Rare Klimt Painting Sells at a Record $236.4 Million; Disney Releases First Look at Live-action Moana Remake. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 19, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:38]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Great to have your company.

Just ahead, a show of force. The bill to release the Jeffrey Epstein files heads to Donald Trump's desk after every single Senate and House member except one agreed to it.

The royal treatment Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is warmly welcomed at the White House as U.S. -- as the U.S. president brushes off the murder of a journalist.

And members of Gen Z around the globe are out in force demanding accountability and even toppling governments.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: A bill compelling the Justice Department to release all the Epstein files is on its way to the U.S. president's desk after months of infighting within the Republican Party, Donald Trump is expected to sign it Wednesday, after it won support from all but one Republican across both the House and the Senate. It's a remarkable turnaround for the president and Republican loyalists who have been attempting to block it.

But the topic appears to still be a hot button issue. Here's how the president responded to a question while hosting the Saudi Crown Prince Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARY BRUCE, ABC NEWS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Mr. President, why wait for Congress to release the Epstein files? Why not just do it now?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, it's not the question that I mind. It's your attitude. I think you are a terrible reporter.

As far as the Epstein files is, I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: House Speaker Mike Johnson says all Republicans wanted to go on the record to show their support for maximum transparency.

And Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer insists, "The fight continues until all the American people see all the documents."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): This isn't about Democrats versus Republicans or about Congress versus the president. This is about giving the American people the transparency they've been crying for. This is about holding accountable all the people in Jeffrey Epstein's circle who raped, groomed, targeted and enabled the abuse of hundreds of girls for years and years, the American people have waited long enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Epstein survivors also gathered in Washington Tuesday, including Jess Michaels, who says she was assaulted by the late sex offender in 1991. She told CNN how it felt when she and other survivors found out about the bill passing and how it will impact their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESS MICHAELS, JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Overwhelming. It's hopeful. It's more than we expected to get. So, we're truly grateful. As survivors, we've waited too long. There's never going to come a point when those files are perfectly safe to put out. And we have spoken to survivors that are -- that are even not public now, that are Jane Doe's, and we all agree, it is time to release the files so that accountability and justice can happen.

We need the people that have failed us for decades to finally do their job and we don't need to continue forcing this. You know, there was a -- there was a staffer there today that we spoke to, and this phrase will live with me for the rest of my life. She, in tears, said to us, it shouldn't take an act of Congress for you guys to get justice, and it shouldn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KINKADE: CNN's Manu Raju has more on the efforts to pass this new legislation

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In a blink of an eye, the United States Senate passed a bill that was approved nearly unanimously by the United States House on Tuesday afternoon, 427 to one was the vote to approve the bill to compel the release of the Jeffrey Epstein filed.

This bill, of course, had dogged the speaker of the House and the White House for months, which had fought both of which had fighting the bill. Speaker Johnson not wanting to give a vote on this measure, contending that he -- the provisions would not adequately protect victims and victims' identity, something that the sponsors of the bill and some of the victims themselves, had rejected.

[02:05:12]

And the president had called this matter a hoax and had urged Republicans previously to try to kill this altogether. In fact, the White House had urged Republicans not to sign on to an effort to force the bill on the House floor.

Ultimately, they failed, and they ultimately got on to the bandwagon. The president on Sunday night, green lighting Republicans to support this bill, and then the speaker begrudgingly voting for it as well.

The speaker, though, demanded changes to the Senate bill that is rejected by the Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who previously had thrown cold water about moving ahead on this bill, but agreed to allow it to pass very quickly in the United States Senate because of the overwhelming nature of its passage in the House.

Now, the question is, why did it -- what to make of this whiplash that everyone is experiencing here in Washington? I put that question to Congressman Thomas Massie. He's the champion of this bill, one of the three members in the House which have forced this bill on that -- this lead sponsor is ultimately forcing this bill on the House floor. I asked him about the political fallout of this and why he believes that the leadership and the White House changed course.

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): The president was pitting the GOP conference against our own base. Like 80 percent of Republicans, one of these files released, and the other 20 percent just didn't care. There was literally nobody who said not to release these files.

And so -- and it was also a campaign promise. I think the calculation, ultimately, for the speaker and the president was a political calculation. They realized this could jeopardize the majority if they took the side -- literally, the side of pedophiles and rapists.

RAJU: And when this bill becomes law, the Justice Department will have 30 days to release these files. If it does not, it'll have to explain why it does not do so -- it will not do so within 30 days. There are reasons for not releasing the files, including if some of these are being investigated by the Justice Department.

Thomas Massie, though, did give me issue, a warning, when I asked him, what happens if they don't release the files. He said that they may go to the floor of the United States House and read the names of the alleged Epstein clients allowed on the House floor. He said it's something that, "Absolutely prepared to do if they hit a wall on this effort."

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Joining me now is Caroline Heldman, Democratic strategist and professor of critical theory and social justice at Occidental College. Great to have you with us.

CAROLINE HELDMAN, PROFESSOR OF CRITICAL THEORY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE, OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE: Good to see you. Thank you.

KINKADE: So, Professor Hellman, this was a near unanimous vote. From a political science perspective, what does it mean when Congress unites around an issue primarily driven by public distrust of institutions?

HELDMAN: Well, it means they were backed into a corner. So obviously, right? I mean, Donald Trump, at any point in time could release the Epstein files. He can direct his DOJ to do that, and even as recently as 48 hours ago, he was putting pressure on Republican members of Congress to cave because, for whatever reason or reasons, he does not want these files released. He put a lot of pressure on Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene in both public and private settings, Nancy Mace was another holdout. And of course, Thomas Massie, all of these Republicans who advanced the discharge petition, forcing Donald Trump's hand.

And at the end of the day, nobody wants to be seen as protecting or siding with pedophiles. So, finally, both parties in the House and the Senate did the right thing.

But this is after, you know, we saw a government shutdown -- I'm sorry, during the government shutdown, we saw the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, refusing to reopen Congress because he didn't want this vote.

KINKADE: You know, you study power and gender, what does the Epstein case reveal about how elite networks protect powerful men, and could these disclosures finally expose some of them?

HELDMAN: Well, that is a great question. We've seen this before, right? We've seen this with -- so Jeffrey Epstein, we're talking about a couple of decades and potentially over a thousand survivors. We saw something similar, you know, with Bill Cosby and 64 public allegations, Weinstein and over a hundred. These are powerful men who use their connections and their money and their sometimes celebrity power to silence victims and continue to, in Jeffrey Epstein's case, traffic and rape children for decades. And what this means is it didn't happen alone. Of course, we know

about Ghislaine Maxwell, also a human trafficker. But at the end of the day, it took more than just those two people.

[02:10:03]

What we are seeing in unfolding in real time is after maybe four administrations, four different presidents from different parties, we're finally seeing some movement on Epstein, movement that should have happened, you know, over a decade ago.

KINKADE: We're just looking at pictures right now of survivors speaking as this vote was playing out. We've also heard messages from survivors who watched the vote. I want to play some sound from Haley Robson and Jena-Lisa Jones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY ROBSON, JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: To the president of the United States of America, who is not here today. I want to send a clear message to you, while I do understand that your position has changed on the Epstein files, and I'm grateful that you have pledged to sign this bill, I can't help to be skeptical of what the agenda is.

JENA-LISA JONES, JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: I beg you, President Trump, please stop making this political. It is not about you, President Trump. You are our president, please start acting like it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: So, for survivors, what does this vote actually change? If the files do reveal previously unknown failures by institutions, what does accountability look like at this stage?

HELDMAN: Well, I hate to throw water on what is happening, but I would imagine that the Trump administration, because they were forced into this corner, and Trump was forced to now at least pretend to release the files. I do think that they'll probably find some way to hold on to whatever it is that he is not wanting to release or not wanting out in the public.

And the way in which he'll likely do this is by saying, look, certain files can't be released because they're part of ongoing investigations. And you notice that he just called to open investigations into Bill Clinton and Larry Summers.

So, with that proviso, today was a really big day for survivors. We are here because of the brave survivors who have come forward, Haley, Jena-Lisa, all of these very high profile survivors who have really put their lives on hold in order to advance justice for survivors everywhere, and it is because of them and their pressure, their continued pressure, for over a decade, that we are where we are today with these files.

KINKADE: So, as a Democratic strategist, do you see political risks for either party in releasing these documents? HELDMAN: It depends upon what's in the file. I don't think that there is a big pushback within the Democratic Party, for example, to withhold an investigation against Bill Clinton. I haven't heard anything like that online. I'm imagining that there might be some concern from Donald Trump.

I do -- you know, a lot of folks are saying, well, there nothing is -- you know, has been verified or released, or why -- you know, why is he so reluctant to release it? And I'll just shed a little light on Katie Johnson, who actually has filed two lawsuits against Donald Trump and withdrew them in the most recent case, she cited that she was fearful for her life because of death threats.

Now, this is a 13-year-old at the time, and it -- who knows, right? We haven't gone through a process here, but what we do know is that there are thousands of survivors, and who knows how many clients of Jeffrey Epstein, whether it's directly related to Donald Trump or related to his wealthy and powerful friends. What I do know is that he has fought very hard to keep these files secret, and his hand was forced right now, and he will continue to maneuver to try to keep some of these details out of the public eye.

KINKADE: Caroline Heldman, appreciate your time and respect. Thanks so much.

HELDMAN: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, the White House rolled out the red carpet to welcome the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman. President Trump capped off a day of high level diplomacy with the future king hosting a star studded dinner in the East Room. He confirmed the two nations are finalizing a defense treaty and the sale of U.S. F-35 fighter jets. And before the evening was over, he announced a surprise geopolitical move. He'd been keeping close to hit the vest all day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're taking our military cooperation to even greater heights by formally designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, which is something that is very important to them. And I'm just telling you now for the first time because they wanted to keep a little secret for tonight, I just heard him say, oh, that's nice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The crown prince's visit to Washington and his first -- was his first since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Despite his repeated denial of any involvement, the CIA concluded that Prince bin Salman had ordered the killing himself during Trump's first term.

On Tuesday, the president vouched for the Saudi heir, insisting Prince bin Salman knew nothing about it and that things happened.

[02:15:04]

Ambassador Dennis Ross played a leading role in shaping U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process under George H. W. Bush and the Bill Clinton administrations. He's currently a councilor with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and joins us now from D.C. Good to have you with us.

DENNIS ROSS, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRSIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Good to be with you. Thanks.

KINKADE: So, Ambassador Ross, even though the Crown Prince isn't a head of state, he received all the trappings of a state visit, including a dinner that wrapped a short time ago. Just how significant is the decision to elevate Saudi Arabia to the status of a major non- NATO U.S. ally. And what does that mean in real terms?

ROSS: Well, it certainly represents a change from the status that Saudi Arabia has had. Other countries in the region have it, Jordan has it, Qatar has it. So, it's not -- it's not unprecedented for the region, but it represents a change. It's pretty clear there's also going to be an executive agreement as well that will commit us to the Saudi defense.

So, there's an unmistakable upgrading of the security commitment that the United States is making to Saudi Arabia, and its status is being changed, being a -- the status as it relates to NATO, is a status that allows the Saudis to acquire certain kinds of weapons more easily with a different set of arrangements, regulations and so forth, than would be the case otherwise.

KINKADE: Yes. And speaking of those weapons, the administration is discussing a major arms sales, including F-35 fighter jets. From your vantage point, what are the strategic implications or concerns?

ROSS: Well, I think the obviously, there's a -- there's a law that requires all such weapon systems to be evaluated in terms of the effect on the qualitative military edge that Israel has. So, there's -- that's one aspect here that obviously there will be those who will want to take a look at what the implications are of such a sale.

There's also, as you know, there's talk about a framework for an agreement on civil nuclear power, there is a reference to making sure that that's consistent with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That, too raises questions about the relationship between whether the Saudis will be in a position where they can enrich uranium on their soil. How does that relate to other agreements that we have in the area.

So, there some of the agreements that are being reached in the either the security area or the nuclear area, do have a set of implications. But maybe more than anything else, what they reflect is a real effort on the part of President Trump to demonstrate that the relationship with Saudi Arabia is a fundamental one to the United States, very central to our interests in the region. That's what these kinds of moves suggest.

KINKADE: And of course, Saudi Arabia is promising massive investment in the United States, some $600 billion potentially up to $1 trillion should Americans view this as mutually beneficial and economic opportunity, or is it likely there are strategic strings attached?

ROSS: I don't think there's so much I think concern about strategic strings attached. I mean, clearly, if the Saudis are investing in industries and technologies here that also will employ Americans. That's obviously a good thing, and most Americans will see it that way.

I think President Trump really views this as one of the measures of how he approaches our foreign policy in a way that he believes enhances the American economy. And it's ultimately, it's good for American workers if it's going to produce jobs. I think there's a general sense that external investment in the United States is a good thing. It is true with certain countries. There's a hesitancy not to have them invest in areas where there could be national security implications, because of the concern that somehow, that you could be compromising that. I don't see that as being a major factor here.

But obviously, I think what we want to see is, where are these investments going to take place? One of the things the Saudis have expressed a great deal of interest in, less in this country than maybe more in Saudi Arabia, is having big American companies that are leading the world in A.I. come and invest in Saudi Arabia, where the Saudis are able to combine what is really the financial means to produce the kind of energy that data centers simply consume.

These data centers consume more and more energy, more and more electricity. The Saudis certainly think that they have the right mix of territory finances and the ability to generate energy that is very useful for these data centers, and that ultimately is in their interest, but probably also ours.

[02:20:11]

KINKADE: Yes, interesting you say that because we just saw a lot of tech leaders at that dinner tonight at the White House, from Elon Musk to the CEO of Dell Technologies.

But I want to turn to one final question, President Trump was asked about the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a killing the CIA believes was ordered by the Crown Prince. We heard from Khashoggi widow as well tonight. Here's both of those. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You're mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about, whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen, but he knew nothING ABOUT IT, AND WE CAN LEAVE IT AT THAT.

HANAN ELATR KHASHOGGI, WIDOW OF MURDERED JOURNALIST JAMAL KHASHOGGI: It's a hell. It's a seven years of hell, sir. It is basically I'm a second -- I'm a second victim. They killed Jamal and they killed me in the same day they killed him. I don't have any normal life.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KINKADE: So, how does the U.S. move forward to deepen ties with Saudi Arabia while still addressing human rights concerns in a meaningful way?

ROSS: Look, I think it's important for the United States to still embody a set of values, others look to us when we embody those values.

I think that the Trump administration obviously tends to put a premium on transactions over anything else. But certainly, even if you decide that you want to have these kinds of transactions, it's possible, I think, for the Trump administration, if there are some human rights concerns, to raise those, at least in private.

A lot of different administrations, some of which, like if you go back to the Carter administration, Jimmy Carter was seen as emphasizing human rights as a fundamental principle of his foreign policy, but he never raised it in a public way with the Saudis.

So, I think you can look at different administrations and one way to deal with human rights issues, whether it's with this, whether it's Saudi Arabia or with other countries. One way to do it is to be sure that at least in private, you raise concerns, and maybe that those private concerns that are conveyed can actually affect the behavior of the countries that we're talking about.

KINKADE: Ambassador Dennis Ross, appreciate your time. Thanks so much for joining us.

ROSS: My pleasure.

KINKADE: Well, China and Japan are locked in a growing dispute over Taiwan, both countries issued travel warnings urging residents to take precautions. We'll have the latest from the region next.

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[02:27:11]

KINKADE: Welcome back. Japan has issued safety warnings to its citizens in China, while China urges its citizens not to travel to Japan. It's the latest move in a growing rift between the two countries over Taiwan. CNN's Hanako Montgomery reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chinese tourists have canceled flights to Japan, and Japanese hotels have reported last minute changes. Why is this happening? Because China is warning its citizens against traveling here after Japan's Prime Minister made comments that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response.

A travel warning is a big deal, because far more Chinese tourists come to Japan every year than visitors from any other country.

MELODY XIONG, CHINESE TOURIST: I think Japan is safe. It's not about it's safe or not. It's about that you've been very unkind to China. The government of China, of course, we want to a warn our people that they are not kind to us. Maybe you should think about if you have planned to go Japan, they might not be kind to you.

NAOKO NAKAYAMA, JAPAN RESIDENT (through translator): Japan doesn't need to beg people to visit. We have always welcomed anyone who comes.

MONTGOMERY: In the first nine months of the year, nearly 7.5 million travelers from China made the trip to Japan. In that time, Chinese tourists spent about 1.6 trillion yen, or $10.3 billion.

So, if Chinese visitors do decide to go elsewhere, Japan's tourism industry could find itself severely short of change.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, still to come, a senior Iranian official says Tehran is ready for new nuclear talks with the U.S. if certain conditions are met. Exclusive interview with CNN next.

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[02:33:57]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled that he is open to resuming negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. A senior Iranian official is echoing that sentiment. In an exclusive interview with our Frederik Pleitgen, the Senior Adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader says Tehran's conditions are still the same as they were before the U.S. and Israeli attack in June.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Would you be willing to talk again if they made a move or would you be willing to contact them again?

KAMAL KHARRAZI, SENIOR POLICY ADVISER TO THE SUPREME LEADER OF IRAN: It all depends. If it would be based on mutual respect and equal footing, and the agenda would be prepared in advance, ensure the clarity of substance and the process of discussions, we are ready to do that.

PLEITGEN: Who do you think needs to make the first move, if you want to start talking? And do you think they need to come to you or would you be willing to contact them?

KHARRAZI: They have to make the first move to show that they are ready to engage with us on the conditions that we put.

PLEITGEN: What does that mean as far as Iran's nuclear program is concerned?

[02:35:00] I know that there were, apparently, pretty close to a common understanding between Steve Witkoff and Dr. Araghchi.

KHARRAZI: The nuclear program of Iran is indigenous and cannot be removed simply by force.

PLEITGEN: What are your red lines as far as the enrichment of uranium is concerned?

KHARRAZI: We have to continue our enrichment because we need to produce fuel for our power plants as well for our medical activities. Therefore, we cannot just stop enriching uranium. The degree of enrichment is the question of negotiations.

PLEITGEN: And do you think that there could be a common understanding there? Because there also, we have heard that they were quite close to an understanding of how it could possibly be continued, how the U.S. could also get a feeling that enrichment would essentially stop here through some sort of consortium maybe. Do you think that there could be a way to come to terms?

KHARRAZI: I think so. If there would be genuine negotiations between Iran and the United States, there are ways and means how to ensure that Iran can continue its enrichment and at the same times, assure the others that it's not going to look for nuclear weapon.

PLEITGEN: And you are not anywhere close to having discussions to possibly change the fatwa against nuclear weapons. There is no discussion at all here?

KHARRAZI: No, the fatwa cannot be changed. And that is the fatwa our leader of Islamic Republic, that it is forbidden to produce and use nuclear weapon.

PLEITGEN: Is your nuclear program, as we speak, intact?

KHARRAZI: At the moment, there are some activities, especially in medical, I mean, area. But the damages that has been occurred is not yet assessed. And it has to be assessed what is the damages.

PLEITGEN: So, Natanz, Fordow are all destroyed and you haven't been able to look at them yet?

KHARRAZI: They have been attacked, but we don't know how much they have been destroyed.

PLEITGEN: One of the things that Iran prides itself on, and one of the things that's very important to this country's defense is your ballistic missile program. How are you looking to enhance that program? Are you looking to expand that program because it is the one way that you were able to strike back at Israel when they fired at you?

KHARRAZI: Certainly, we have to defend ourself. Whatever we can do in producing our missiles, certainly we do not neglect. And that's the, I mean, the weapons that we can defend ourself and safeguard our national security.

PLEITGEN: So Iran is going to continue to expand its ballistic missile program because I know that some of the ballistic miss are very sophisticated.

KHARRAZI: No question about that. And it is only nuclear issue that we are ready to engage with the United States and others. We are not going to speak with others or negotiate with others on the other issues including missile activities.

PLEITGEN: What, as we sit here, what is your message right now to U.S. President Donald Trump?

KHARRAZI: Start with a positive approach with Iran. If it would be positive, certainly it would be reciprocated. But for that, they have to refrain from any force against Iran. They have tried that and they have now understand that it's not acceptable and it's not workable.

PLEITGEN: Do you fear that there could be another military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran, between Israel and Iran?

KHARRAZI: Everything is possible. But we are ready for that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Fred for that interview. Well, Ukraine sustained widespread missile and drone attacks overnight, including an attack on its second largest city, Kharkiv, which started a fire and injured dozens of people. Many regions were left without power, some strikes hit energy infrastructure. Across the border, Poland scrambled fighter jets in its airspace amid the onslaught. It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ankara to meet with the Turkish president to talk about ways to revive talks with Moscow. It's been four months since the last face-to-face talks between Kyiv and Moscow.

Venezuela's opposition leader believes President Nicolas Maduro's grip on power has weakened as the U.S. Military buildup continues to grow in the Caribbean. On Tuesday, Maria Corina Machado's 'freedom manifesto' was made public, offering Venezuelans a new vision for the future of the country. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon reports.

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: In Caracas, both the government and the opposition are trying to sway Donald Trump's attention as even on Tuesday, the U.S. president said that he will be open for discussions with Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan President, in order to avoid a military confrontation.

[02:40:00]

Late on Monday night, the Venezuelan leader, Maduro said that he was hoping for a face-to-face meeting with his American counterpart. While on Tuesday morning, it was the opposition led by the Nobel Peace Prize-winner, Maria Corina Machado, who laid out their vision for how Venezuela would look like if Maduro were to go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Envision a new Venezuela perched on top of the Western hemisphere as a premier global energy hub, a symbol of independence and innovation, a new era of ingenuity in an open marketplace of ideas, catapulting the next generation of leaders across all business sectors, including high- tech, agri business, eco-friendly tourism, FinTech, artificial intelligence, robotics, rare earth minerals, and defense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: Machado published her manifesto in a 15-minute video that she posted on her social media accounts. And it is noteworthy that she addressed both her audience and Donald Trump in a video because her media team tells us that she's still in hiding inside Venezuela, even though she won the Nobel Peace Prize only a month ago. And that, of course, has raised her profile very much inside of the country.

In her video, she said that Venezuela would welcome back more than nine million migrants that had left under Maduro.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Caracas, Venezuela.

KINKADE: Still ahead, a generation demanding change. Why Gen Z protests around the world are gaining momentum and in some cases, making a profound difference in their countries?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:46:33]

KINKADE: Around the world, young people from Gen Z are leading major protest movements for change and accountability. The latest example is in Mexico where thousands took to the streets of Mexico City Saturday. They protested against rising crime, corruption, and impunity with a march organized by members of Gen Z. It represents those born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s. They come from different backgrounds and have different demands, but they share a passionate desire to confront injustices and create a better future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADOLFO BECERRIL, DEMONSTRATOR (through translator): Today, we are marching because we demand justice, and because young people are fed up and want a good future for our children and for future generations. Perhaps the previous generation did not do things in the best way, but we are ready. And I believe that now is our time too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The largest Gen Z protest took place in Nepal in September and led to the resignation of the prime minister there. Since then, Gen Z activists have led protest movements in Peru, Morocco, Madagascar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Kenya, and now Mexico, just to name a few.

Afshin Molavi is a Senior Fellow with the Foreign Policy Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He is also Founder of the "Emerging World" newsletter on Substack. Great to have you with us.

AFSHIN MOLAVI, SENIOR FELLOW, SAIS FOREIGN POLICY INSTITUTE, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: Thank you very much. Good to be with you.

KINKADE: So, we're seeing major Gen Z-led protests from Mexico to Nepal across Peru, Morocco, Madagascar, Indonesia, and Kenya. Just what ties these movements together and why is this generation rising up now?

MOLAVI: You know, it's very interesting, these movements, because when we think of youth-led protest movements, we often think of the young man or the young woman carrying the placard for freedom or for liberty. And certainly, there's an element of that there, but there's also an element of people not chanting necessarily, give me liberty or give me death, but they're saying give me electricity, offer me better opportunities, please have a government that is less corrupt, that is more responsive.

Now, I realize those don't fit very well on a placard, but these themes of economic security and grievance and this generalized disenchantment with ruling elites in the establishment spread across all of these Gen Z protest movements. It's fascinating to watch.

KINKADE: Yeah. So they're not the classic freedom movements, but certainly demands for economic dignity and trying to hold governments to account. Just what makes these -- this message from this Gen Z movement different from sort of protests that we've seen in the past?

MOLAVI: Yeah, I think that's really what's extraordinary about these movements is that, these young people, they're not calling for a new - ism. these are not utopian ideals that they are calling for. They're actually calling for a sense of normalcy, as you said, economic dignity, more opportunity, affordability in both their life and affordability in education.

And Lynda, we need to be listening to these voices because these voices are early warning systems for all of us, around the world. Because while we've seen these -- many of these Gen Z protest movements in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, but many of these same grievances exist in the United States, in Europe as well among Gen Z.

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And we've seen -- and we're going to see it going forward as well.

KINKADE: So Afshin, just elaborate on that for us. When you say we should listen to the warning signals, we are listening, like how do we respond? I mean, what are the next steps?

MOLAVI: Well, you know, when you look at some of the demands, the demands are for greater economic dignity, more job opportunities, more education. Now, governments in terms of their next steps, what -- generally speaking, the movements see governments as either unable to meet these needs, inept or at worse corrupt. And so governments are going to have to respond to this.

And the best way to respond to this is to create enabling environments, create environments where there's more opportunity, create affordable education opportunities. The challenge, Lynda, is going to be that these protests are happening in the age of A.I., a time when even if you have greater education, there's going to be more job losses. We're living in a very important transitional moment and these are going -- this is happening at a time where we're going to see even more job losses than we would've otherwise.

KINKADE: And potentially more inequality. So just explain for us, Afshin, how Gen Z protesters are organizing across borders and to what extent these movements are learning from each other, inspiring one another.

MOLAVI: Absolutely. This is one of the most connected -- this is the most connected generation in human history. These are digital natives who grew up with smartphones, who grew up with social media. They are using these social media tools to organize, but also to amplify their messages. Now, you have to go back to those traditional social organizing and political organizing to go out into the streets as well.

But what they're also doing is they're borrowing memes and symbols and icons across these borders. There's one prominent one, the Jolly Roger. It's that pirate skull that is in a Japanese manga comic strip, and it was an anime series as well. And you see that appear in Indonesia, and you see that appear in Madagascar, and you see that appear across these Gen Z protest movements. So, there is these shared grievances as well as these shared memes.

But, the one key point to note here is that global is -- with globalization, expectations have risen, but opportunity has not. And this is the central challenge that governments are going to face, is that as expectations rise and as they are unmet in times where people have greater access to information, more education, this is where the real challenge is going to lie in the future. And we're going to see more of this instability going forward, not less.

KINKADE: Such an interesting discussion and great to connect those dots. Afshin Molavi, appreciate your time. Thank you.

MOLAVI: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, still ahead, the fight for Vegemite, how a convicted killer is going all the way to the Supreme Court to get the Australian food on the prison menu.

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KINKADE: A convicted murderer in Australia is headed to the Supreme Court, but not over his sentence. He's suing the Department of Justice because he is not allowed Vegemite in prison. The food spread is a byproduct of brewing beer and has been banned from prisons in the state of Victoria since 2006 over its interference with narcotic detection dogs. But it's just not a good enough reason for 54-year-old Andre McKechnie who insists that he has the right to, in his words, enjoy his culture as an Australian. Well, the Vegemite fight is set for trial next year.

Sotheby's made (ph) Modern Art History in New York on Tuesday a 20- minute bidding war ended in applause after the auction house sold a rare painting by Gustav Klimt for more than $236 million. The portrait was made in the last years of the famous Austrian painter's life and was spared from destruction during World War II. Well, it's now the most valuable work of modern art to ever sell at auction. And later this week, Sotheby's will auction a painting by Frida Kahlo that could break the record for the most expensive artwork publicly sold by a female artist.

Well, Disney has released a first look at the live action adaptation of Moana.

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KINKADE: That is 17-year-old Catherine Laga'aia, who plays the title character in the musical adventure. Dwayne Johnson returns as the Demigod Maui. This will be the Disney's quickest turnaround between an animated film and a live action remake, coming just 10 years after the original. Moana sails into theaters on July 10, 2026 and I'm sure to see it with my girls, huge Moana fans and Vegemite fans, for that matter.

Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Lynda Kinkade. I'll be back with much more "CNN Newsroom" in just a moment.

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