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Major Winter Storm Disrupting Post-Thanksgiving Travel; U.S. And Ukrainian Negotiators Meet To Advance Revised Peace Plan; 4 Killed, 11 Injured In Mass Shooting, Suspect At Large; West Virginia Community Mourns Loss Of Hometown Hero Killed In D.C. Attack; America's Biggest Retailers Prep For Unpredictable Holiday Season; Secretary Rubio Gives Remarks After Meeting With Ukrainian Delegation; Pope Leo Brings Message Of Peace In Visit To War-Torn Lebanon. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired November 30, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:31]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Wicked weather. Millions of Americans facing a travel nightmare today as snow and rain causes a mess at airports and on the roads. And the winter storm on deck could be even worse.

Plus, breaking news. Manhunt in California after a shooting at a birthday party leaves four dead, including three children. We'll have new details on the search for the suspect.

And cutting your travel time in half. CNN takes to the skies to show you the latest aircraft of the flying car craze.

All right, everyone. Thanks for joining me. I'm Omar Jimenez, sitting in for Fredricka Whitfield.

The turkey and pumpkin pie have long been eaten, maybe just some leftovers at this point. But getting home from grandma's house or other family, that's going to be a little bit harder to stomach.

A nonmusical wicked post-Thanksgiving winter storm continues to wreak havoc on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. Already today, more than 600 U.S. flights have been canceled and more than 5,000 others delayed, according to FlightAware.

That same system, by the way, that dumped record-breaking November snowfall in Chicago yesterday, is now headed east. And right behind it, a second powerful storm set to hit some of the same places hammered over the weekend, and any others who missed out.

We've got team coverage for you. Our Rafael Romo is at Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport.

But I want to start with meteorologist Chris Warren, who's tracking the storm from the CNN Weather Center. Chris, can you just give us what the latest is here? CHRIS WARREN, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we are watching this storm move

away from the Midwest right now. Omar. However, if you are say, in Atlanta right now and you have a ticket that says O'Hare on it, you're heading to Chicago, you could be delayed up to almost an hour getting into Chicago with 30-minute delays getting out of Chicago.

Just some of the lake effect snow showers we're seeing right now. Starting to see more issues at the airports in the northeast. That's where the snow and the wind is picking up right now in places, in pockets.

The blue is showing us where the snow is right now. In fact, if we go in right about here, you can see some of the snow that's falling. You focus on the dark here on the camera, the trees, and you can see some of the flakes that are coming down Saranac Lake, 31 degrees, throwing a little bit of wind, 21 degrees.

This is when you want to make sure that your vehicle is up to speed and good to go, and you're not going to break down. You don't want to be, you know, hoofing it to the gas station at 21 degrees out there.

So again, right in here we'll see that camera pick up with snow as more of that moves in. That's the latest system that we're watching that does have some rain and possibly a few storms throughout parts of the southeast. That could make for a bumpy go for travel.

And then here comes the next one.

Number two in the one-two punch that we're going to be watching. And already some winter weather advisories posted here. And that system still going to be developing here in the next day or so.

So here's this one moving out and then the next one developing. This is tonight. So overnight tonight, 1:30 in the morning start to see the snow developing in the plains going through the Midwest. And yes some of the same spots that got several inches with the latest winter storm.

The next one late tomorrow into overnight, Monday night into early Tuesday, a mess of rain in the southeast. Some storms with this.

And then one of the big wild cards here, Omar, will be this pink, whether or not we end up seeing some ice. So with all the snow that were going to see with that one-two punch, there could also be an ice situation which is extremely hazardous as far as travel goes and can lead to power outages as well.

But as far as the latest storm, many areas getting close to or even more than a foot in Iowa, Fort Dodge, Omar getting close to a foot- and-a-half.

So a bit of a big snow maker here for the end of November. And another one to watch this week.

JIMENEZ: Yes, if you thought the stress was over just because you left the Thanksgiving table, this weather is not helping people out right now.

Chris Warren, appreciate it.

I want to check in with Rafael Romo in Atlanta at the world's busiest airport. I see a lot of folks behind you, as you typically see at Atlanta's airport. But what kind of impact have you seen on travel to this point there?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT; You know, Omar, not too bad considering this is the busiest travel time of the year. And this is, as you mentioned, the busiest airport in the nation.

[14:04:50]

ROMO: Take a look behind me. This is the baggage drop area for Delta. Honestly, it looks pretty normal for the time being. And we have seen it worse during normal times. So things are not too bad, considering.

And then you look at the screens here on my right. And we were here for the government shutdown, Omar and what we saw was red and orange. Right now you see a lot of white, which means not too many cancellations. A couple of those cancellations are for flights to Chicago O'Hare, which has been really badly hit.

Just imagine this Omar out of 1,900 total cancellations yesterday, 1,100 happened at Chicago O'Hare airport.

And as a matter of fact, I had an opportunity to talk to a family traveling from Atlanta. They came here to visit relatives, to spend Thanksgiving with them.

They were very nervous because they were flying back home to Chicago, but they had a plan. Listen to what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARA THARPE, TRAVELING TO CHICAGO: Well, the concern is that the flight would be canceled. If it's delayed, we've got some family here who's on standby to come back and pick us up. So we'll see how it goes.

ROMO: Smart. You already made your plans.

THARPE: Yes. I'm a wise girl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Now, let me tell you a little bit about Iowa, Des Moines International Airport, because it remained closed this morning because there was a Delta connection flight operated by Endeavor Air arriving from Detroit. And that airplane, Omar, slid off the runway amid icy conditions on the ground.

We have a statement from Delta saying that the flight left the paved surface while transitioning from the runway to the taxiway. There were two pilots, two flight attendants and 54 passengers. No one was injured, and they say passengers were being offered compensation.

But again, here at the world's busiest airport, not too bad considering it's the busiest travel time of the year. Omar, now back to you.

JIMENEZ: Yes. I've traveled out of there a lot of times, and if that's what it's looking like behind you, then all things considered, it's ok. Unless again, you're headed to Chicago that seems to be leading cancellations of both destination and origin flights.

Rafael Romo, we'll continue to check in with you. Thank you for the reporting.

We want to get you out to some other breaking news.

A delegation from Ukraine is in Florida for fresh talks with Trump administration officials. They're trying to move ahead with a U.S.- backed proposal to end the war in Ukraine.

And a source tells CNN that so far, the negotiations are tough but very constructive. This is after meetings in Geneva last weekend. Substantial changes were made to the original 28-point plan.

Now, Russia hasn't agreed to any plan and major sticking points remain from both Ukraine and its European allies.

But I want to bring in CNN's senior White House correspondent, Kristen Holmes, with us. Kristen, we're hearing from Secretary of State Marco Rubio today. We heard from him at the tail end of those talks in Geneva, he seemed incredibly positive for what was ahead. What is he saying now?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And Omar, we actually might hear from him again. We are told by the reporters that are traveling with the delegation there that they might come to the cameras and speak at any moment now. That those talks have started to wrap up.

And we do expect to hear likely from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who are all there on behalf of the United States talking with these Ukrainians.

Now, we did hear, as you mentioned, from Secretary of State Rubio earlier today, where he essentially said this wasn't just about ending the war. This was about a long-term plan for Ukraine, essentially, to keep Ukraine safe, to keep the people prosperous, and also to make sure the country can continue to operate independently in the future.

And you talk a little bit about those sticking points. Two of the biggest sticking points that we know of, and again, this isn't coming from the White House. They haven't really given us what that is. We're hearing it from our European allies, as well as sources who are familiar with these talks.

Two of the biggest sticking points come down to territory and keeping Ukraine safe and offering these kind of security guarantees for the future.

One of the things that we have seen time and time again is this back and forth over what territory, if any, Ukraine will have to cede to Russia.

And President Trump himself has gone back and forth on this. At times, he has told Zelenskyy he's going to have to give up land. And other times he's posting on Truth Social that he thinks Zelenskyy could still win this war and gain back the land.

Now, most people that you speak to who are experts in this, who are familiar with these conversations, don't believe that is one of the outcomes here, the scenarios.

And we've heard from Zelenskyy saying he doesn't want to give up any of this territory. They don't want to cede territory.

But the White House, as well as the Russians, have been pretty firm in this idea that something is going to have to give on the side of Ukraine.

[14:09:47]

HOLMES: So we'll see what comes out of this meeting today.

Now, the other sticking point here is those security guarantees. Russia has essentially held firm that in no circumstances can Ukraine join NATO. And that's something that President Trump has kind of softly agreed with, something he said out loud that that's not an option.

But when you talk to our European allies, they're concerned in the original proposal, again, this is before the talks in Geneva. There wasn't enough security guarantees for Ukraine.

That's something that they want to see more of, to make sure that Russia can't in the future, come and try and invade Ukraine again, or any of the surrounding territories.

So that's likely to be two of the biggest talking points there today in Miami.

Again, we're keeping a close eye on all of them coming out to talk to see if anything was gained.

We know that Witkoff is expected to go to Moscow next week to meet with Vladimir Putin, so we'll see what he'll be bringing to the table then.

JIMENEZ: And that was just going to be my question. Witkoff has been expected to head to Russia for a meeting with Putin. Does that -- is that meeting still a go at this point? Do we know -- do we have an expectation for how -- for where the Russians are amid these, at least what seem like Ukrainian-led negotiations from the American side at this point HOLMES: Well, we know that Witkoff and the White House has been in

constant communication with the Russians, with various different parts of the Russian faction. So there is an open door there.

We do still believe as of now, and again, we're going to wait to see these officials come out and see what they say and see how Russia responds, that meeting to take place.

Just a reminder, President Trump has said he doesn't want to meet with Zelenskyy again or with Putin until this is a done deal, which is why you're seeing Witkoff go over there to Russia to meet with Putin. And likely, whatever we're hearing come out of these talks today is going to be roughly what Witkoff is going to be proposing to Putin.

And one of the things you have to keep in mind here, this is going to be a different plan than was originally set forward to the Russians that the Russians softly agreed to.

The Russians have been very cagey about it. They are always very cagey about it, essentially saying that they're not going to agree to any changes.

Well, let's look at the larger picture. There is still a chance that they will agree to some of these changes. But that's the big question here. What are both sides actually going to end up with, and what will Russia agree to.

And I just will say one last thing. We know the White House is incredibly optimistic, but we have seen this before where they feel this way. And then essentially, Putin walks away from this or pulls the rug out from under them. So we'll see what happens this time around.

JIMENEZ: Yes, yes. A lot of stops and goes at various points of these potential peace negotiation plans. We'll see what happens here.

Kristen Holmes, appreciate the reporting.

CNN's Larry Madowo has been keeping up -- has more, I should say, on the talks and the recent events that got us to this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sunday's talks are crucial in this U.S.-led effort to end the war in Ukraine, with President Trump and President Zelenskyy both expecting updates.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio joining special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Ukraine has a new lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, secretary of the country's National Security and Defense Council. He takes over from President Zelenskyy's chief of staff, who was taken up in this corruption scandal, forced to resign Friday.

And President Zelenskyy says the Americans have been constructive in this negotiations. He expects that they will be hashing out details, building on the work that happened in Geneva and President Trump backing away from a deadline, saying we will know when we know and it will end when it ends. And he thinks that good progress is being made here.

This happening as Ukraine continues to suffer from the worst aerial bombardment it has seen in a month. Russia ramping up its missile and drone attacks. President Zelenskyy saying it's been happening all week.

This week alone, the Russians have used nearly 1,400 attack drones, 1,100 guided aerial bombs and 66 missiles against our people, he said, after more attacks on Saturday night.

On Friday night, Ukrainian police released this dramatic video of a ten-year-old boy being rescued from an apartment building that's partially on fire. He made it. The police talking him through it, encouraging him, rushing him to the hospital and he survived.

President Zelenskyy due to meet with the President Emmanuel Macron of France in Paris on Monday. And the U.S. delegation is expected back in Moscow in the week ahead to meet with President Putin.

The end goal here is that President Trump will meet with President Zelenskyy and Putin when a deal has been reached. That could all happen in Miami or in the days ahead.

Larry Madowo, CNN -- Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Larry Madowo, thank you for that reporting.

All right. Still to come for us, a mass shooting at a holiday family birthday party in California and a manhunt is underway for the shooter. We'll have an update on the investigation next.

And later, Pope Leo making his first trip to the Middle East. We'll have a live report on his message of hope. Stay with us.

[14:14:48]

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JIMENEZ: A manhunt is underway after a mass shooting at a family birthday party in Stockton, California. This is about 40 miles south of Sacramento. Officials say four people were killed and 11 others injured. Three of those killed in the Saturday night attack were younger than 15 years old, two of them younger than ten. Police say it may have been a targeted incident, but the investigation is ongoing.

[14:19:47]

JIMENEZ: I want to bring in CNN's Julia Vargas Jones, who's been following this story for us. Julia, what more are you learning here?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're just learning more about those victims, Omar. Of those four people killed, two of them young children, just eight and nine years old, along with a teenager, a 14-year-old and a 21-year-old.

Now, 11 others were wounded, according to a spokesperson for the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, who spoke just in the last hour. We don't yet know the conditions of those taken to area hospitals at this time.

Investigators were told that this was a family gathering of 100 to 150 people, a birthday party for one of those family members. The shooting took place just before 6:00 p.m. in a banquet hall in the northern part of the city, according to the sheriff's office. And the suspected shooter fled and remains at large.

And here's some more details on that investigation. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEATHER BRENT, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: We still believe with preliminary investigation that this incident was a targeted incident and that there is no possible harm to the -- to the community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Now, officials are urging, Omar, the public for help with information as detectives work to determine possible motive here. Investigators say they're exploring all possibilities.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the shooting, according to his office in Stockton. Mayor Christina Fugazi said in a statement that the governor has offered the full support of the state of California to assist her community.

Stockton area faith leaders and community members are planning to hold a vigil in Stockton this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. local time, in just a few hours, to honor the lives lost, to pray for those injured and stand with the Stockton community.

You know, this shooting is part of a really troubling trend that's nationwide. There have been at least 380 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year.

That's a shooting that's defined when at least four people were shot, not including the shooter, according to the Gun Violence Archive, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Julia Vargas Jones, thank you for that reporting.

We want to turn to another manhunt, this one in Virginia, as the search for a high school football coach who is wanted on child pornography charges is now in its 10th day.

Police have been scouring the mountainous area where 46-year-old Travis Turner disappeared as the rural community of Big Stone Gap grapples with the serious allegations against Turner and his disappearance.

The team he coaches, the Union Bears, just won their regional championship game on Saturday and are now advancing to the state semifinals.

Just ahead, new information about the suspect in the D.C. National Guard shootings. We'll bring you the details on what investigators believe may have motivated this suspect. Coming up.

[14:22:29]

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JIMENEZ: A small West Virginia community gathered last night to mourn the loss of a hometown hero. Residents filled the Webster County High School gym to honor National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. The 20- year-old tragically was killed after an ambush attack on the eve of Thanksgiving Day in Washington, D.C.

Air force staff sergeant Andrew Wolfe, who was also injured during that targeted shooting, remains in critical condition, fighting for his life.

Meanwhile, we're learning new details about the Afghan national accused of shooting those two National Guard members.

I want to bring in CNN's Camila DeChalus, who joins us now. So Camila, can you just bring us up to speed on the new information we're hearing on this shooting suspect?

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN REPORTER: Well, that's right, Omar. Since the news first broke about the shootings involving the two National Guard members, there has been a ton of outpouring support and prayers for the families that have now been impacted.

Now, what we've kind of learned, as you just mentioned, is that the 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, she did not survive her injuries.

And we recently spoke to her ex-boyfriend, who told us that when Sarah first learned that she was being deployed to D.C., that she was very hesitant about it, but that things really quickly started to change.

Now, as for the 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, he still remains in critical condition. And that is something that we are hearing in real time that we're still receiving updates on.

Now Omar, what we're learning more about the suspected shooter is that authorities say he worked with the CIA in Afghanistan before coming to the U.S. in 2021. And he came to the U.S. under a Biden-era program.

Now, he was recently just granted asylum just earlier this year, back in April. And sources tell CNN that he's extremely vetted by U.S. intelligence agencies.

Now, at this point in time, we know that he's now facing murder charges related to the shooting. And prosecutors say that they're even considering seeking out the death penalty.

Now, earlier today, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem offered more insight about the suspected shooter. Listen to what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: We believe he was radicalized since he's been here in this country. We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state.

And we're going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him, who were his family members. We talked to them.

So far, we've had some participation, but anyone who has information on this needs to know that we will be coming after you and we will bring you to justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DECHALUS: Now Omar, it's pretty notable that the days following the shooting, President Trump went out and said that -- just really announcing that he's going to start cracking down more aggressively on immigration policies in light of what happened.

And even in a recent announcement, he said that he would begin implementing a permanent pause on migration from all third world countries. But he has not given out more details about which countries he's referring to.

JIMENEZ: Focusing clearly on the vetting process there. It's interesting to hear from the DHS secretary saying that they believe this person was radicalized since he's been here in this country as part of a probe that is ongoing.

Camila DeChalus, appreciate the reporting.

JIMENEZ: All right. Meanwhile, the Republican-led Senate and House Armed Services Committees are now launching investigations into a reported second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean that killed survivors of the initial attack.

[14:30:02]

Now, sources tell CNN the U.S. military carried out a follow up strike to this attack on September 2nd after having reason to believe there were survivors in the water. The sources also say the prior to the strike, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered the military to ensure everyone on board was killed, though it's not clear if Hegseth knew there were survivors prior to the second attack.

People briefed on the double tap strike say they're concerned that it could violate the law of armed conflict, which prohibits killing an enemy combatant who was taken out of the fight due to injury or surrender.

And today, Democratic Senator Mark Kelly told CNN he has, quote, serious concerns that the second boat strike could be a war crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Do you believe if there was a second strike to eliminate any survivors, that that constitutes a war crime?

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): It seems to. If that -- if that is true, if what has been reported is accurate, I've got serious concerns about anybody in that chain of command stepping over a line that they should never step over. We are not Russia. We're not Iraq. We hold ourselves to a very high standard, going after survivors in the water. That is clearly not lawful

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, since the beginning of September, for perspective, the United States military has carried out at least 21 strikes against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing at least 83 people.

We'll be right back.

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[14:36:04]

JIMENEZ: The year-end battle of the retail titans has begun. Macy's, Amazon, Target, Old Navy among the stores working hard to bring in holiday shoppers despite being stressed by rising costs. Walmart too, is feeling the pressure, at least when it comes to speed. The nation's largest private employer is focusing on that dynamic to help surge holiday sales.

And CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich got an up close look at Walmart's strategy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARAT SMITH, VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS, WALMART U.S. SUPPLY CHAIN: We are in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, the home of one of our newest next-gen facilities. It is a 1.5-million-square foot building, massive building.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Lots of space.

SMITH: We're all about speed in these fulfillment centers. Our goal is to get to your doorstep as fast as possible. When you click buy, we can actually get it out of the Internet onto a trailer going to your house within 30 minutes.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): In a world where shipping speed wins the day for consumers, Walmart is racing to be the fastest this holiday season.

YURKEVICH: People want things faster and faster. Are these next-gen fulfillment centers your answer to Amazon?

DAVID GUGGINA, CHIEF E-COMMERCE OFFICER, WALMART: In this respect, we're talking about speed. If we create a great customer experience, that drives more orders, and more orders drives density. And density allows us to lower our costs to operate.

So, yes, the next-generation fulfillment centers, along with our vast 4,700 stores in the U.S., are our answer to helping customers get great value and great convenience.

SMITH: So the first step is unloading. And you can see the boxes moving to what we call our second step, which is simply taking the items out of the container and putting them into the tote.

YURKEVICH: And how many steps is it normally?

SMITH: So our other fulfillments have about a 12-step process.

YURKEVICH: Twelve.

SMITH: And we have simplified that down to five steps.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Walmart heads into the holidays following another strong quarter. Revenue rose 5.8 percent led by a 27 percent spike in e-commerce. But online or in stores, every U.S. retailer this season is competing for wary shoppers.

YURKEVICH: Walmart says they are ready for a lot of your holiday ordering and spending. This fulfillment center in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, says that they can process 100,000 packages every single day. The question is, are you, the consumer, going to be doing a lot of spending?

There are tariffs, there's higher inflation, and there really is a lot of economic uncertainty.

There's a lot of talk right now about affordability. How is that being discussed and thought about when you are planning how to show up for consumers?

GUGGINA: We're focused on saving people money so that they can live a better life. We focus on operating at everyday low cost so that we can deliver everyday low prices on a consistent basis.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): There are four Walmart fulfillment centers like this one moving 50 percent of all volume. They're twice as productive as its older facilities.

YURKEVICH: The movement I'm seeing, a lot of it's being done by the machines.

SMITH: It's absolutely done --

YURKEVICH: Is that by design?

SMITH: That is 100 percent by design. Have you ever received a box that might have been too big and a really small item in it?

YURKEVICH: Yes, a tiny item and a huge box.

SMITH: Really frustrating. This machine is taking the dimensions of the items that you just clicked buy on. We're building a custom-made box for your specific order.

YURKEVICH: I'm about to ship someone their very important product. I'm marrying the box that was made and the products that they ordered. So it's all coming together right here.

Someone ordered a pulse oximeter, very important, going into a box.

SMITH: Don't forget to scan it.

YURKEVICH: No.

(LAUGHTER)

SMITH: So this is the scanner up top. There you go.

YURKEVICH: There we go. OK. Here.

SMITH: Now hit the button. Nice job.

YURKEVICH: I think I slowed down someone's delivery time by about 30 minutes. Apologies to whoever that was.

SMITH: I think we'll be OK.

[14:40:00]

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Walmart has been attracting more middle-to- higher-income shoppers in the last few years. Its typical customer base, lower-income Americans, are also under pressure. The company says it's trying to provide greater value where it can by cutting costs here.

SMITH: As soon as they leave this conveyor belt, they're going to a trailer and hitting your doorstep within the next day, same day or even two-day delivery.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right. We want to get you all to Hallandale Beach, Florida, just north of Miami, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff have been meeting with Ukrainian officials.

Let's listen in.

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: -- started laying the groundwork for that, most certainly in Geneva. I think we continued that work in our communications throughout the week. I think we built on that again today, but there's more work to be done.

This is delicate. It's complicated. There are a lot of moving parts, and obviously, there's another party involved here that will have to be a part of the equation and that will continue later this week when Mr. Witkoff travels to Moscow. Although we've also been in touch in varying degrees with the Russian side. But we have a pretty good understanding of their views as well.

So much work remains. But today was again a very productive and useful session where I think additional progress was made. And we continue to be realistic about how difficult this is, but optimistic, particularly given the fact that as we've made progress, I think there is a shared vision here that this is not just about ending the war, which is very important. It is about securing Ukraine's future, a future that we hope will be more prosperous than it's ever been.

RUSTEM UMEROV, SECRETARY OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY AND DEFENSE COUNCIL OF UKRAINE: Yeah. Once again, we are grateful to American people, American leadership and a great team with the state secretary, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner for their tremendous work with us.

Our objective is a prosperous, strong Ukraine. We were discussing about the future of Ukraine. We discussed, all the important matters that are important for Ukraine, for Ukrainian people and U.S. was super supportive. We worked -- we already had a successful meeting in Geneva. And today we continue this success.

So, at the moment this meeting was a productive and successful. On the later stages, hopefully, we'll keep you updated. Thank you.

RUBIO: Okay, thank you very much, guys. And I apologize. Thank you.

JIMENEZ: And you're listening to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside a member of the Ukrainian delegation. You heard Rubio describe this meeting, that they still have a lot of work to be done. They continue to be realistic but optimistic, which echoes some of what we heard from him in Geneva last week. On the back end of their talks with Ukrainian delegates there.

And that, he said critically, these negotiations are not just about ending the war, but securing Ukraine's future. And the Ukrainian delegate saying that the United States was super supportive and that this meeting was continuing on that line of success. And that special envoy Steve Witkoff you heard confirmation from Secretary of State Rubio will be heading to Russia, where, of course, that is another big player, as part of these ongoing peace negotiations.

So, we'll keep you updated if anything more comes from there.

Still to come for us, Pope Leo visits the Middle East with the hope to be a messenger of peace. We'll have a live report from Beirut, next

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:47:46] JIMENEZ: New today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is formally asking for a pardon, even though he hasn't been convicted of any crime. He's asking Israeli President Isaac Herzog to free him from his long running corruption trial, saying it was, quote, the public interest. Opposition critics demanded the pardon be denied.

Now, as the official head of state, Herzog is the only person with the power to pardon Netanyahu. Earlier this month, President Trump sent a letter to Herzog asking for Netanyahu to be pardoned as well.

Meanwhile, right now, Pope Leo is on the second leg of his first overseas trip of his papacy as he tours parts of the Middle East. Earlier today, the pontiff arrived in war torn Lebanon in hopes of being what he calls a messenger of peace. Large crowds lined the streets as Leo made his way to the presidential palace, where he met with Lebanese officials, including the prime minister.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is live in Beirut, Lebanon, for us.

So, Ben, what did the pope say to these officials and what else is on his agenda during this visit?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's got a very, very busy agenda. In addition to meeting this evening with the president of Lebanon, the prime minister, and the speaker of parliament, the three most powerful members of the government here in this country. Tomorrow, he's going to be going up to the mountains, to the heartland of the Christian community here. And having meeting with youth, going to the tomb of very popular Lebanese saints, among them Mah Charbel (ph), a very popular saint, not only popular with Christians, but among Muslims and others as well.

And his final day, he will hold a silent prayer at the Beirut port, where on the 4th of August 2000, there was that massive explosion that killed more than 200 people, wounding more than 6,000, and severely damaging much of the eastern part of that of the city.

Now on his way here from Turkey, he referred to Lebanon as a country where there is coexistence in diversity

[14:50:00]

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POPE LEO XIV, CATHOLIC CHURCH: That is one example, I would say, of, I think what we all would be looking for throughout the world to say that in spite of religious differences, in spite of ethnic differences, in spite of many other differences, people can indeed live in peace

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WEDEMAN: And of course, at the moment, the Lebanese, the various different sects, there are 18 officially recognized sects in Lebanon live in relative peace. But of course, the problem at the moment is not peace among the Lebanese, but peace with its southern neighbor, Israel, which -- with which Hezbollah concluded a ceasefire a year ago. But since then, what we've seen is there have been almost daily Israeli drone and air strikes on Lebanon, killing well over 300 people.

The United States, which brokered that ceasefire, doesn't seem to pay much attention to the Israeli violations of that ceasefire. Nonetheless, Pope Francis is here. He will not be going to south Lebanon, where those bombings are taking place. But he's certainly here is here at a time when there are increasing concerns that Israel is indeed going to make good on its threat to resume the war against Lebanon, Omar.

JIMENEZ: A significant visit as Pope Leo makes his trip to the region there.

Ben Wedeman, thank you for the reporting.

I want to keep this discussion going with CNN Vatican analyst Katie McGrady. She's the host of "The Katie McGrady Show" on Sirius XM, the Catholic Channel.

Thank you for being here, Katie.

I just wonder, what do you make of the pope's visit so far and its significance?

KATIE PREJEAN MCGRADY, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Pope Leo greeted all of us back in May and said initially to the whole world, peace be with all of you. And so, for his first trip to be to a place where peace is, is definitely a priority, but is sometimes hard fought and hard found for him to go there and continue this message of peace, I think is quite significant. He's really proving himself to be a pope who wants to put peace on his agenda and on the agenda of the world.

I was really struck by the sights of so many people there in Lebanon greeting him. Cultural greetings. There was a drone show when he first arrived at the first stop on his visit. He was, of course, in an encased popemobile because of the rain, but also because I think of potential security concerns. But I think it's a very significant thing that these are the first two countries, Turkey and Lebanon, for him to go to in the beginning of his pontificate.

JIMENEZ: And Pope Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, did want to visit Lebanon. He was dealing with some declining health, along with security conditions in the country. Got in the way of that happening.

Now we see Pope Leo, of course, fulfilling that wish. But why? Why is Lebanon been such a priority for the Vatican?

MCGRADY: Well, when Pope Francis first went into the hospital earlier this year, one of his close collaborators at the Vatican, Cardinal Czerny, who is the head of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development, he took a trip to Lebanon. He kind of went on behalf of the Holy Father on this missionary journey. And so, then Pope Leo made sure this was part of his agenda when he went to turkey for the 700th anniversary of the council of Nicaea. So, a big moment in Christian history, he adds Lebanon on.

I think it's because he wants to show coexistence can happen. This is a country where leaders are quite diverse in their religion, where people, as he said on the plane, there are great differences in what we believe, but we can still collaborate. We can still find common ground. There's more that unites than divides, which is perhaps a fantastic example for the entire world.

I think it also shows that Pope Leo is not afraid to go somewhere that maybe isn't a high priority for other people to visit. You might recall the queen of Jordan made that comment. Is it safe to go to Lebanon? And he was caught on a hot mic saying, well, we're going.

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

MCGRADY: So, clearly this was a priority, and it wasn't something he was afraid of. And so I think it was a combination of this is my predecessors priority. It's now my priority. I want to show the world we can find peace, and we cannot be afraid to seek those solutions. And I certainly hope the world is listening.

JIMENEZ: Yeah. Pretty remarkable, even just to see, as you laid out sort of the reception in a place where Christians are not the majority as well, but to see that across faiths. Pretty remarkable.

Katie McGrady, thank you for the insight. Thanks for being here.

MCGRADY: Thanks so much.

JIMENEZ: All right. Just ahead, a record amount of snow piling up in Chicago. You can barely even see anything. Thousands of flights canceled on a very busy day for families traveling home. We're tracking this winter storm impacts, next.

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[14:59:26]

JIMENEZ: Welcome, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez, sitting in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We're going to start this hour with some breaking news. A delegation from Ukraine is in Florida for fresh talks with Trump administration officials. They're trying to move ahead with a U.S. backed proposal to end the war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke just moments ago as talks wrapped up.

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RUBIO: Much work remains. But today was again a very productive and useful session where I think additional progress was made and we continue to be realistic about how difficult this is, but optimistic, particularly given the fact that as we've made progress, I think there is a shared vision here that this is not just about ending the war, which is very important. It is about securing Ukraine's future.

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JIMENEZ: Now, after meetings in Geneva last weekend.