Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Saudi's Crown Prince Welcomes Donald Trump to the White House; Bill to Release Jeffrey Epstein Files Approved by Both Houses, Now Waiting for the President's Approval; Roblox to Add Age Verification to a Majority of Users Who Are Minors. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 19, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Just ahead, the Royal Treatment Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is warmly welcomed at the White House as the U.S. brushes off the murder of a journalist.

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, bar one, agreed to it.

And the major change to a popular gaming platform to help protect minors.

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

KINKADE: Well, we begin with Donald Trump's cozy White House welcome for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. The President capped a day of high-level diplomacy with a future king, hosting a star-studded dinner in the East Room. He confirmed the two nations of 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 had been keeping close to his chest all day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: 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 I wanted to keep a little secret for tonight. I just heard him say, oh, that's nice.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KINKADE: Well, some experts remain concerned that this deepening U.S.- Saudi alliance could disrupt the balance of military power in the Middle East. When asked about the dynamic in the region, President Trump said Israel is aware and they're going to be happy about it.

He says he received a positive response from the Crown Prince regarding the Abraham Accords, which would normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

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 counselor with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and joins us now from D.C. Good to have you with us.

DENNIS ROSS, COUNSELOR, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY, AND FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT 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 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 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 obviously 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. That's one aspect here, that obviously there'll 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.

[03:05:06]

So there are some of the agreements that are being reached in 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 interest 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, an 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 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 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 but 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.

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. Dennis Ross, I appreciate your time. Thanks so much for joining us.

ROSS: My pleasure.

KINKADE: The Crown Prince's visit to Washington is 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 the first Trump administration.

But on Tuesday, the President vouched for the Saudi heir, insisting that Prince bin Salman knew nothing about it and that things happen. The President even snapped at a reporter for questioning the Crown Prince about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: The U.S. intelligence concluded that you orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist.

TRUMP: He's done a phenomenal job. 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, you don't have to embarrass our guests by asking a question like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Following Mr. Trump's dismissal, Khashoggi's widow spoke with CNN. She described the pain she still bears in the wake of her late husband's murder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANAN ELATR KHASHOGGI, WIDOW OF MURDERED JOURNALIST JAMAL KHASHOGGI: It's a hell. It's seven years of hell, sir. It is basically 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: Ukraine sustained widespread missile and drone attacks overnight, including an attack on its second largest city, Kharkiv, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says killed at least nine 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 President Zelenskyy is in Ankara to meet with the Turkish president to talk about ways to revive the talks in Moscow. It's been four months since the last face to face talks between Ukraine and Russia.

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 later today after it won support from all but one Republican across both the House and the Senate.

[03:10:08]

It's a remarkable turnaround for the President and Republican loyalists who had 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 on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Mr. President, why wait for Congress to release the Epstein files? Why not just do it now?

TRUMP: 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. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer insists, quote, "the fight continues until the American people see all the documents."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), U.S. SENATE MINORITY LEADER: 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: Well, 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 vote passing and how it will impact their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESS MICHAELS, 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 perfect -- perfectly safe to put out. And we have spoken to survivors 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 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, 427-1 was the vote to approve the bill to compel the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

This bill, of course, had dogged the speaker of the House and the White House for months, which had fought both of which had been 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 sponsor of the bill and some of the victims themselves had rejected.

And the President had called this matter a hoax and had urged Republicans previously to try to kill this all together. In fact, the White House and 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, greenlighting 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 it would to make of this whiplash that everyone is experiencing here in Washington? I put that question to Congressman Thomas Massie, who's the champion of this bill, one of the three members in the House which have forced this bill on the lead sponsors, ultimately forcing this bill on the House floor. I asked him about the political fall 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.

[03:15:00]

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, they'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 they may go to the floor of the United States House and read the names of the alleged acting clients allowed on the House floor. He said it's something they're, quote, "absolutely prepared to do if they hit a wall on this effort."

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: And still ahead on "CNN Newsroom." Taiwan rolls out a new handbook on how to prepare for disasters amid a diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Tokyo.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back.

Japan has issued safety warnings to its citizens in China as a rift grows between Asia's two largest economies. The most serious diplomatic clash in years was prompted by comments Japan's Prime Minister made about Taiwan. Here's CNN's Kristie Lu Stout with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: China and Japan are locked in an escalating dispute over Taiwan, a dispute that has prompted the Chinese government to advise its citizens to avoid travel to Japan. And now Japan and Taiwan are issuing warnings as well.

Now, the trigger, those comments by the Japanese Prime Minister earlier this month in parliament saying that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would threaten Japan's survival and could trigger a military response. Now that statement, it went beyond what we've heard from previous administrations and it provoked Beijing.

Now some background here. Beijing sees the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to take control of it by force if necessary.

So China has pushed back, it has conducted Coast Guard patrols near disputed islands, it has issued a travel warning to citizens against visiting Japan. Hong Kong has also urged residents to exercise caution when visiting Japan.

It has also suspended the screening of at least two Japanese films in China. And Chinese airlines have been offering free refunds to citizens who canceled their flights to or from Japan.

Now, as tensions here deepen, Japan and Taiwan are also issuing warnings. Japan is telling its citizens in China to avoid crowded places and to step up safety precautions.

And Taiwan has rolled out a new handbook on how to prepare for disasters and a Chinese invasion. It includes guidelines on what to stockpile at home and what to do when encountering enemy soldiers.

Now, as this dispute drags on, analysts are saying that this could hit Japan's economy hard. An anticipated freefall in Chinese visitor numbers has already hit shares in Japanese tourism and retail groups and Japanese business leaders. They are calling for dialogue.

Now, this week's G20 in South Africa that offered a possible forum to de-escalate, but China said its Premier had no plans to meet with the Japanese leader.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well President Trump's crackdown on immigration is spread to more states across the U.S., from Minnesota to North Carolina and soon Louisiana. We'll look at the protests happening against the sweeping federal actions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Lynda Kinkade. Let's check today's top stories.

In the coming hours, President Trump is expected to sign a bill compelling the U.S. Justice Department to release all files related to the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The bill quickly moved through Congress with only one Republican lawmaker opposing it. Epstein's survivors were also in Washington to celebrate the vote.

President Trump has wrapped a landmark day for U.S. and Saudi diplomacy after hosting the kingdom's crown prince. Following his meeting with Mohammed bin Salman, the President announced closer military ties between the two nations, pending agreements, including the sale of U.S. F-35 fighter jets and Saudi Arabia being designated as a major non-NATO ally.

The Trump administration is putting up a billion dollars to restart Three Mile Island's nuclear plant. On Tuesday, they said they had loaned the money to Constellation Energy to restart the plant. U.S. power demand is rising for the first time in two decades as the use of energy hungry technologies like A.I. increases.

The U.S. Border Patrol official overseeing the Trump administration's immigration crackdown will head to New Orleans early next month. The Homeland Security Department is expected to send 250 agents to Louisiana, similar to the number sent to cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte.

Protesters marched peacefully against the immigration crackdown in North Carolina on Tuesday night. Homeland Security says more than 200 undocumented immigrants have been arrested in the Charlotte area over the past few days.

The protesters confronted federal agents during an ICE operation in Minnesota's second largest city. The mayor's office in St. Paul says the agents used chemical irritants to push the crowd back. It's not clear how many protesters were arrested or injured.

[03:30:09]

Pope Leo is renewing his criticism of the Trump administration's treatment of immigrants. This is what he said on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have. If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts, there's a system of justice.

No one has said that the United States should have open borders. I think every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter. But when people are living good lives and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful, to say the least and there's been some violence, unfortunately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, these comments come after the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement last week emphasizing the need to treat people humanely and called for meaningful immigration reform.

A gaming platform popular with kids is making a major change. Still ahead, we'll explain how Roblox plans to block children from chatting with adults online.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back to CNN, I'm Lynda Kinkade and this is your Business Breakout.

Asian markets have had a jittery day as worries over A.I. valuations keep investors on edge ahead of a new earnings report from chipmaker Nvidia. You can see they're pretty much a mixed market right now.

And these are the business headlines.

Toyota is investing nearly $1 billion in U.S. plants in five states. The Japanese auto company says it's expected to create about 250 jobs as it increases production of hybrid vehicles. It's part of a previously announced plan for Toyota to invest up to $10 billion in the U.S. by 2030.

A big win for Mark Zuckerberg as a court rules Meta is not an illegal monopoly. The Federal Trade Commission says the company should be compelled to spin off two of its most popular platforms, Instagram and WhatsApp. The judge agreed with Meta's argument that competition from YouTube and TikTok keeps it from having an unfair advantage.

Bitcoin is continuing to fall amid a wider stock market tumble, the cryptocurrency has plummeted more than 26 percent since reaching a record-high just six weeks ago. On Tuesday afternoon, Bitcoin traded just below $93,000. They're raising all of its gains for the year.

Roblox says it will require players to verify their age to chat with other users. The popular gaming platform has over 150 million users and over a third of them are under the age of 13. But Roblox is facing a string of lawsuits alleging that it enabled sexual predators to groom and abuse children.

CNN's Clare Duffy explains how the new safety measures will work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Unlike many online platforms, Roblox allows children under the age of 13. It markets itself as this place for children to learn how to code, and it has around 50 million of those under 13 users.

And the company has faced this growing string of lawsuits and claims that it is allowing adult predators to be in contact with children. So the company is now trying to make it harder for adults to talk to children who they don't know by requiring every user on the platform, regardless of age, to verify their age before they can access these chat features.

Users over the age of 13 can provide an I.D. if they want, or anybody can use this A.I. face age estimation tool where basically you hold up your phone in front of your face. It looks at your face as you move around. And then it puts you in an estimated age group.

And users can only talk with people in or around their age group. So, for example, a user the age of 12 who's estimated to be 12 could talk to users under 15, but not over 16. Again, all in an effort to try to keep children from talking to adult strangers on the platform.

I think the question about this going forward is going to be how accurate it is. Roblox says it believes that the age estimation tool is pretty accurate for users ages six to 25. That is going to be something to watch here as we move forward, as well as whether there are ways for people to get around this tool.

You know, we've seen other social media platforms, other online platforms try to do similar things, estimate users' ages to protect young people. And some people have found ways around it using selfies of other people or video game characters.

So those are two things I think to keep a close eye on here as this moves forward. But certainly an important step here as Roblox tries to keep its youngest users safe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, from Ariana Grande and "Wicked" to Angelina Jolie and Maria, vocal coach Eric Vetro is behind some of the biggest singing performances in Hollywood. CNN's Rick Damigella caught up with Vetro on what it takes to transform voices for the big screen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK DAMIGELLA, CNN HOLLYWOOD CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For "Wicked" fans, perhaps you should pay attention to this man behind the curtain.

ERIC VETRO, VOCAL COACH AND VOICE TEACHER: I'm a vocal coach and I'm a voice teacher. So I really train people how to sing and speak. We do a lot of speaking, too, but mostly singing.

DAMIGELLA (voice-over): Eric Vetro has worked with Ariana Grande for many years and began prepping her for the role of Glinda before she even auditioned.

[03:40:06]

VETRO: For "Wicked," Ariana really wanted it to sound authentic to what Glinda should sound like, and that's exactly what she did which is pretty operatic. And she had not sung that way before. She had all the high notes, she already could sing them.

Everyone knows she has those super high whistle register notes. And I've known her since she was about 13 years old, 13, 14. We've been working together.

So I knew she had all the notes. But what this was all about, our working experience for "Wicked" was about training her voice to sound more operatic, like a legit Broadway soprano.

We worked for months together before the audition and then months after the audition, once she got the part, just because she wanted it to be there at moment's notice. And I think she could probably still to this day, wake up in the middle of the night and hit a high C like Glinda, because it's so in her voice now.

DAMIGELLA (voice-over): In Hollywood, I'm Rick Damigella.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

(VIDEO PLAYING)

That's exciting. 17 year old Katherine Lugiaia plays the title character in the musical adventure. Dwayne Johnson returns as the demigod Maui.

This will be Disney's quickest turnaround between an animated movie and a live action remake coming just 10 years after the original. The "Moana" set sail into theaters on July 10 in 2026. We will be there, no doubt.

Well, the convicted murderer in Australia is headed to the Supreme Court, but not over his sentence. He's suing the Department of Justice because he's 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 not just a good enough reason for the 54 year old Andre McKenzie, who insists that he has the right, in his words, to enjoy his culture as an Australian. The Vegemite fight is set for trial next year.

Well, finally, just in time for Thanksgiving, Heinz has unveiled a new condiment inspired by the 90s sitcom "Friends," the one with Ross's sandwich from season five that featured an after Thanksgiving sandwich made with leftovers. Heinz's limited edition leftover gravy pays tribute to that sandwich. It's only available online, though, through Walmart and to those who buy Heinz homestyle turkey gravy.

Thanks so much for your company, great to have you with us. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "Amanpour" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)