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U.S. And Ukrainian Negotiations Wrap Up New Round Of Talks; GOP-led Committees Plan Probes Of Boat Strike Killings; 4 Killed, 11 Injured In Mass Shootings In California; Major Winter Storm Disrupting Post-Thanksgiving Travel; Pope Leo Visits Lebanon To Help Ease Middle East Tensions. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired November 30, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): William's survival is a rare miracle in a disaster of staggering loss. But the fire took everything from him.

WILLIAM LI, HONG KONG FIRE SURVIVOR (through translator): The place that my children grew up in, memories that I created with my wife. Memories of making this home. They're all gone.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): The community in Tai Po is left reeling from a tragedy that will haunt them for years to come.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Hanako Montgomery, thank you for that reporting.

New hour of news starts right now.

If you've been with us, welcome back. If you're just getting here, welcome in. I'm Omar Jimenez, sitting in for Fredricka Whitfield.

Happening right now, President Trump is on his way back to Washington, D.C., after spending the holiday weekend at his Florida home. His return comes as a delegation from Ukraine just wrapped up talks with Trump administration officials north of Miami. 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 a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, after meetings in Geneva last weekend, substantial changes were made to that original 28-point plan. Russia hasn't agreed to any deal and major sticking points remain, we should note, from both Ukraine and its European allies.

I want to bring in CNN's senior White House reporter, Betsy Klein, who is with us.

Betsy, can you just give us a sense for what else we heard from the secretary of state, but also what comes next here?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, for days we have been hearing such optimism from the Trump administration about the prospect of ending Russia's war in Ukraine. And that was by design. Sources familiar with the matter telling us that that was intended to put maximum pressure on both Kyiv and Moscow to drive both sides to the negotiating table.

But we heard really tempered expectations there from Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he emerged from talks in Miami with Ukrainian officials. Now, this round of talks was different because one of President Zelenskyy's key aides, Andriy Yermak, resigned earlier this week after an anti-corruption raid of his home. So Zelenskyy without a very key negotiator there. But Rubio said the goal of these talks is to, one, end the war, two, to set up Ukraine for financial success, and three, to keep Ukraine safe from a future invasion.

Rubio saying there is more work to be done as he did not lay out the specific details of what progress was made today. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: This is comprehensive what we're working on here today. It's not just about the terms that ends fighting. It's about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long term prosperity. I thought we 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now Rubio there acknowledging the very challenging reality that Russia is going to ultimately have to agree to whatever deal they come up with here. And that has been the subject of so many fits and starts between President Trump and President Putin including and after that Alaska summit earlier this year.

Now three key sticking points remain. Number one, whether Ukraine would surrender key territories, including in the Donbas region, areas that have been annexed but not yet conquered by Russia. Number two, proposals for Ukraine to limit the size of its military. And number three, the question of whether Ukraine would give up its ambitions to become a member of NATO.

Now, what makes these talks different from previous iterations is that they are working off this living, breathing document that Rubio has described, that 28-point peace plan that has been through multiple iterations now. Next steps, we are going to see special envoy to the Middle East, a key negotiator for the president, head to Moscow for talks with President Putin later this week -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right. Betsy Klein at the White House, appreciate the reporting.

Meanwhile, the GOP-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 strike. Now, sources tell CNN the U.S. Military carried out a follow-up strike to this attack, to this attack on September 2nd, after having reason to believe there were survivors in the water.

Now, the sources also say that 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.

[16:05:11]

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's taken out of the fight due to injury or surrender.

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: 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, you know, 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: Joining me now to talk more about these developments is Stef Kight. She's a political reporter for Axios.

Stef, thanks for taking the time. I just want to start with both the House and Senate committees releasing statements this weekend saying they plan to conduct vigorous oversight into the facts surrounding these suspected drug boat strikes. What can we expect from these investigations, and how soon could they get started here?

STEF KIGHT, POLITICAL REPORTER, AXIOS: We would expect them to move pretty quickly. Our understanding is that committees are starting to reach out to the Defense Department, asking questions about what actually happened on September 2nd. You know, these statements noted that Republicans and Democrats leading these committees have seen the reporting that says that, you know, there was a -- there was a call for a second strike to ensure that everyone on these vessels suspected of drug smuggling were killed.

So this is a very serious issue and something that is notable that we're seeing Republican controlled committees in the Senate and in the House taking action on. The whole issue of the U.S.'s approach to drug smuggling, you know, in the waters off of Venezuela has been one that's been interesting to talk to Republicans about. Some are very uneasy with it, but have been unwilling thus far to really use their congressional powers to, you know, dig into what's actually happening here.

So I think it's notable that we're actually hearing them talk about investigations and not just giving the White House room to, you know, brief lawmakers privately, which is kind of how this has been playing out over the past few months.

JIMENEZ: So tell me a little bit more about that. So, yes, lawmakers have been pressing the White House for more briefings generally on the administration's really aggressive anti-narcotics tactics in the Caribbean and Pacific for quite some time now. But it sounds like including with these GOP-led committees as an example, that Republicans seem more prepared to push back against the president on this issue.

Is that an appetite that you're getting the sense of on Capitol Hill?

KIGHT: There's certainly a level of uneasiness with this issue. I think, you know, you look at the past and Republicans continue to be very slow to criticize President Trump. So, you know, I think this next week will be very telling when we see how aggressive Republicans are actually comfortable being. But the fact that we have, again, these bipartisan statements, you know, making -- raising clear concerns, investigations in both Houses of Congress and, you know, on these Sunday shows, when you're even hearing from some Republicans who are allowing for the possibility of war crimes being committed, it's clear that there are Republicans who are very concerned with this.

Of course, then you have, you know, Senator Rand Paul as one who has been very vocal about his concerns about these actions. So there's going to be a divide over this. I think there will be some Republicans, Republicans like Senator Markwayne Mullin, for example, Bernie Moreno, who will defend the administration's actions, who have been very supportive of these efforts so far.

There will be others who try to stay out of it, who keep mum and others still, like Roger Wicker, and those who take very seriously these military actions, who are going to be diving very deeply and we could start seeing more of them come out criticizing exactly how this is playing out.

JIMENEZ: And this is just, you know, one aspect of the story in this region. I mean, the strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean are happening as the Trump administration builds up a major military force near Venezuela. I mean, the president declared the airspace over Venezuela closed yesterday and says land strikes in Venezuela will start soon.

Do you get the sense that members of Congress have a clear idea of what the Trump administration plans, or what their goals are for Venezuela at this point?

KIGHT: I don't think they have a clear sense. You know, I think they are piecing things together, but also, when you're looking at this becoming a broader -- a broader military involved conflict here, that's when Congress is going to want to get more involved.

[16:10:01]

That's when the questions start being raised about the War Powers Act and Congress's constitutional responsibility. You know, when I've spoken to Leader Thune about this issue a while ago and he said at the time, you know, these one-off, you know, niche direct attacks on specific vessels isn't something that he necessarily felt that Congress needed to be involved in. But many Republicans, including those in leadership on the Hill, have said, you know, if this broadens into a, you know, a broader, a broader effort here, that's when you may need to see Congress get involved and get -- and have Congress, you know, approve of some of these actions.

JIMENEZ: Stef Kight, appreciate the time. Thanks for being here.

KIGHT: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right. Meanwhile, a manhunt is underway after a mass shooting at a family birthday party in Stockton, California, about 40 miles south of Sacramento. Officials say four people were killed and 11 others were injured. Three of those killed in the Saturday night attack were children. Police say it may have been a targeted incident, but the investigation is ongoing.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is following this story for us.

So, Julia, what are you learning here?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, more about those victims, Omar. Of those four killed, two of them were young children, just eight and nine years old. And then a teenager, 14-year-old, and a 21- year-old. And after them, 11 others were also wounded, according to a spokesperson for the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, who spoke just in the last couple of hours.

Now, we don't yet know the conditions or any other details of those who were taken to area hospitals at this time. Investigators were told that this was a family gathering of 100 to 150 people and was a birthday party for a young child, one of those family members who was gathering there. The shooting took place just before 6:00 p.m. in a banquet hall in the northern part of the city, and the suspected shooter fled and is still at large.

This is a little bit more of what those investigators had to say.

(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 to help with any information, as detectives are still trying to piece together a possible motive for this. Investigators say they're exploring all possibilities in this case.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the shooting, according to his office, and the Stockton Mayor, Christina Fugazi, said in a statement that the governor has offered the full support of the state of California to assist this community. Stockton area faith leaders and community members are planning to hold a vigil in Stockton today just in a couple of hours at 3:00 p.m. local time to honor the lives lost here, to pray for those injured and stay together in community.

Of course, this is a troubling trend nationwide. There have been at least 380 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, Omar. That's defined when at least four people are shot, not including the shooter. That's according to the Gun Violence Archive.

JIMENEZ: All right, Julia Vargas Jones appreciate the reporting.

Just ahead for us, we're following a major winter storm that has slammed a huge swath of the United States, leading to flight cancellations and delays as millions of Americans trying to head home this holiday weekend. Might be you. We'll have the latest on where things stand and the next significant storm threat.

And later we'll look at the storied but also forgotten history of America's black cowboys and what's being done to shine the light on their legacy. All that and more coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:18:15]

JIMENEZ: Breaking news. Post Thanksgiving travel chaos. And hopefully it's not affecting you. But we've already got more than 650 flights canceled today and 7400 others delayed after a monster winter storm pummeled much of the Midwest yesterday. That same system making its way east as it heads out to sea eventually. But right behind it, another storm gaining strength and preparing to pound some of the same areas already hit by rain and snow over the weekend. We've got team coverage tracking this. Our Rafael Romo is at Atlanta's

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, but let's start with meteorologist Chris Warren, who's tracking both of these storms.

What are you seeing out there, Chris?

CHRIS WARREN, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We're seeing the delays increasing, Omar, in the northeast for LaGuardia and Boston. Whether it's the weather, some of the low ceilings of the low clouds reducing visibility in Boston or just a lot of people traveling. A lot of planes trying to come and go with some volume delays. Also in Orlando, some minor delays. Otherwise into the green, green good. Between the systems here, there goes one and the next one.

Over the Rockies right now getting going and will really get its act together in a hurry tomorrow. But this is the one that's moving out. Quite a bit of wind associated with it, which can also cause some delays. We've seen that at Newark today. Also with some snow at times can make some slippery roads there in Vermont, New Hampshire. Wet roads here at 95 in New England all the way down into the southeast.

Hit and miss with the rain. Again could see some ponding on the roadways with some of this rain, a little bit heavier rain in the yellow. And then here these are the alerts that are ahead of the next system. And you notice it's some of the areas that already saw some snow with the one over this weekend.

[16:20:01]

So another one is on the way and it will be developing. Here it goes. Once it gets the energy, it gets east of the Rockies. We're going to see it start to take shape by tomorrow evening, 6:00. You can see a swath of snow, rain, sometimes heavy, in the southeast during the late night, overnight tomorrow night into early Tuesday.

Here's the snow on Tuesday morning. Now through Tuesday, as this snow moves through the northeast, we could see pockets where there is a foot of snow. Otherwise, another big concern, possibly the ice. Enough ice in some of these areas that freezing rain coating trees, cutting power lines, that could lead to power outages, Omar, and some very dangerous travel.

JIMENEZ: Yes, conditions that people are already dealing with at this point.

I want to check in with Rafael Romo in Atlanta at the world's busiest airport.

So what are you seeing on the ground there?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Omar, earlier I showed you the baggage drop area for Delta. Wasn't doing too bad. Then later we showed you the main checkpoint. Not too bad either. I want to show you this area. This is a north ticketing area, and as you can see, this is perhaps the busiest area in the entire airport. This is where you find airlines, including Alaska, Southwest, United is here, JetBlue is here.

And take a look at this line, Omar. It goes around the corner. People not as happy as you would expect, although we see some smiley faces right there in front of us. These lovely people going to -- can I ask you really quickly for CNN, where are you guys going to?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to Tampa, Florida.

ROMO: Tampa, Florida. What do you think about the situation at the airport right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not too bad so far, but we'll see security.

ROMO: Good luck, guys. Have a nice flight.

And that's pretty much what people are telling us. I earlier had an opportunity to talk to people and I don't know what it is, Omar. Maybe the spirit of Thanksgiving, the spirit of Christmas. But people say so far so good here at Atlanta. Let's take a listen to what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY MALLOW, TRAVELER: I was in Fort Lauderdale, took me 10 minutes to get through security, to the lounge, and here, I've got two hours for my flight. I gave myself plenty of time, so I'm not in a hurry. Just going to enjoy the day.

ROMO: How has it been for you today?

TAYLOR HOOD, FLYING TO DALLAS: Pretty easy, pretty smooth. I mean, there's some few people in line, but it's going pretty quickly.

ROMO: Is that pretty much what you expected?

HOOD: Yes, absolutely

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Now, Chris was telling us earlier regarding the weather with snow in Chicago. There was an airplane that slid off the runway in Des Moines. Here in the south, the problem has been rain, and it's just cloudy weather in general. But that hasn't had a big impact so far anyway here at the world's busiest airport.

Omar, now back to you.

JIMENEZ: Yes. You got some people in good spirits at this point. Always a good thing when you actually have to walk up and talk to him.

Rafael Romo, appreciate the reporting.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:27:30]

JIMENEZ: Right now, Pope Leo is on a three-day visit in war torn Lebanon with the hope of being what he calls a messenger of peace. Just days after an Israeli strike on the country. Now, the pontiff spoke to officials today at the presidential palace, urging them to develop a civilization of love and peace.

CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us now from Beirut, Lebanon.

So, Ben, what else did the Pope say to these officials?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was an interesting affair because not only were senior government officials there and prominent Lebanese personalities, many members of the diplomatic community, including the U.S. ambassador, as well as representatives of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc were all on hand for this speech in English by Pope Leo, the first American Pope.

He stressed the importance of unity among Lebanese. They have a long history of unity, however, with many blemishes over the centuries. Most recently, of course, the 1975-1990 Civil War that left 150,000 people dead. Nonetheless, he stressed that Lebanon does have a legacy of coexistence among its diverse religious communities, and he also stressed Lebanon's desperate need for a respite from war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV, CATHOLIC CHURCH LEADER: It is a great joy for me to meet with you and to visit this land where peace is much more than just a word for here peace is a desire and a vocation. It is a gift and a work in progress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: And indeed, it is a work in progress, of course. This week also marked the first anniversary of the U.S. brokered ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel. And what we've seen is that it is a very shaky ceasefire indeed. In addition to that strike, just one week ago in the southern suburbs of Beirut, an Israeli strike that killed a senior Hezbollah commander, we have seen almost daily this week, Israeli drone and air strikes in the southern part of the country.

However, Pope Leo is not going to those parts of the country tomorrow. He'll be heading up into the Lebanese mountains to the northeast of here. That's really considered the Christian heartland, where he will be going to visit the tombs of prominent saints. Monasteries. He'll be meeting with youth, Christian youth, up in the mountains.

[16:30:16]

And, of course, Tuesday he's coming back to Beirut, where he will hold a silent prayer at the site of the August 4, 2000, Beirut port blast that killed more than 200 people. Left more than 6,000 injured. Followed by a very large rally. They're estimating about 150,000

people to attend a mass, to be more precise, on the Beirut waterfront. And then, he will return to Italy and the Vatican -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right. Ben Wedeman, a significant visit for the pope there in Lebanon. Appreciate the reporting.

All right, just ahead here in the United States, a look at the effort to reclaim the importance of the black cowboy's role in the American West. We'll talk about it coming up.

[16:31:03]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: Jordan Peele may be best known for his comedy "Key & Peele." And, obviously, his hugely successful horror films, including "Get Out," "Nope" and others.

But, now, he's part of the team that produced a new docuseries on the role of black cowboys in the wild west. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The black cowboy was intentionally removed from the story, so that we can create the myth of the American white cowboy.

JORDAN PEELE, AMERICAN ACTOR: As soon as cowboy became a cool thing was exactly when they took that from us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Land is everything. Land is freedom. Land is power.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just stolen. That's a heist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Country music is black music. Has it been stolen? Has it been heisted? Is there anything black people have made that hasn't been heisted?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You rewrote the history. We are just going back and straightening the story out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To reclaim what was stolen from us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: That was from a new docu series from executive producer, Jordan Peele, on black cowboys in the old west.

I want to bring in Eric Deggans. He's the for -- he's the critic at large for NPR, also knight professor of journalism at Washington and Lee University. Thanks for being with us.

You know, one of the central questions in this series is, who erased the history of the black cowboy? How does the -- how does the show address that question? ERIC DEGGANS, CRITIC AT LARGE, NPR: Well, what's interesting is that

this docuseries uses that question as a gateway to talk about a lot of ways in which systemic racism and prejudice were used to erase people from black history, or erase people from American history, or black people from American history.

And, also, co-opt black culture and make it seem as if elements of cowboy culture and elements of country and western culture were entirely created from white culture. As opposed to the contributions that would be made by black people and by native Americans and Latinos. And so, what's interesting is this docuseries starts with that question of, you know, why did I never see black cowboys, for example, in western films or in western T.V. shows?

And expands it to talk about how, you know, concepts like manifest destiny. This idea that white European descendants were destined to take over America, and it justified their seizing of land from black people and indigenous people across the United States. How systems like that were used to disenfranchise people of color and co-opt these strides that they made in horse racing, in raising horses and cattle, in, you know, enforcing the law in frontier towns.

There was a famous lawmaker named Bass Reeves, who some consider to be the inspiration of the Lone Ranger. And, yet, you know, we've always seen the cowboy as this sort of stern, you know, upright white male, and never considered that black people actually pioneered that way of life.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

DEGGANS: You know, long before any of the stories that we saw.

JIMENEZ: Well, I just wanted to talk about, you know, sort of that dynamic that you touched on. Sort of the role of Hollywood in sort of this portrayal, an ideal of -- you know, as you mentioned, the white cowboy -- the idea of a -- the white cowboy is, basically, the idea of a cowboy, period. As far as sort of pop culture goes.

And, you know, for those that saw the movie, "Nope," it's sort of interesting. You know, horses were pretty key in that movie. And you saw Daniel Kaluuya, points (?), or Keke Palmer. Both black, obviously.

But, sort of, their relationship with the horse and, sort of, that cowboy atmosphere, in some parts of that movie. It's -- it kind of stands out, right? In sort of how Hollywood has typically portrayed the American cowboy.

DEGGANS: Yes, I think there's a couple things going on there. You know, number one, I think in a -- in a democracy, when you've accepted that racial oppression is something that's undesirable, the way in which you assert white supremacy is to, sort of, lodge it in places where you don't talk about race.

So, you know, cowboy culture and country and western culture has always been thought of as, sort of, this repository of white culture. It's just never articulated that way. People never talk about the racial dimensions of it.

But there's been a systemic --

JIMENEZ: (INAUDIBLE) Beyonce this year.

DEGGANS: -- there's been a systematic exclusion of black people from that story.

[16:40:00]

DEGGANS: In part, because I think white filmmakers were uncomfortable with depicting how black people and indigenous people were oppressed during that time. But they were very much a part of these stories.

And then, you look at, you know, Hollywood, and you see that so many major film stars got their start in westerns on film and T.V. People like Jimmy Stewart, and John Wayne, and Clint Eastwood, and Steve McQueen. And so, you see that there's a ladder to success in Hollywood that was denied to black actors, because black characters were excluded from these stories.

And so, there's a way in which you can see that this simple decision to not talk about how black people existed in the American West can have far-reaching consequences and make it even tougher for black actors nowadays to get work.

JIMENEZ: And I was just going to say, just quickly before we go. You know, the show also talks about the history of black Americans and country music. It seems like it fits along some of the themes that you were just talking about.

DEGGANS: Exactly. You know, it's hard to accept that country music had strong roots in black culture because, again, of the way that black artists were systematically excluded from that area of the industry as well.

But, you know, thankfully, we have modern artists, like Beyonce, who are willing to come along and remind everyone that there aren't just a not -- you know, people like Charlie Pride weren't just anomalies. That there is a strong, you know, roots in black culture for country music.

And, again, it's all about, sort of, making sure that people face the truth of America which is that black people and indigenous people have contributed to American culture in a ton of ways. And no race -- one racial group owns, you know, that culture.

And when we can acknowledge how, you know, even government programs, like the new deal for example, excluded people of color. And made it harder for black families to retain wealth which, then again, excluded them from these stories. We can see how we can dismantle those systems, and make it easier for people of color today to enjoy the fruits of the culture that they helped create.

JIMENEZ: It's important perspective. People will, obviously, I think, learn a lot with the -- with this docuseries. And, Eric, appreciate you being here. Thanks for taking the time.

DEGGANS: Thank you for having me.

JIMENEZ: All right, everyone, we'll be right back.

[16:42:29]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: A groundbreaking aircraft is aiming to get in on the flying car craze and transform air travel, and you could be seeing them in the skies sooner than you think. Our Jim Sciutto has this CNN exclusive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What if you had a plane that could take off and land in a space not much bigger than your backyard? I got to see for myself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, that was quick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pretty fast.

SCIUTTO: This is Electra's Ultra Short, meant to compete in the new flying car craze. That is a relatively cheap-to-operate aircraft that can get you from pretty much anywhere on the map to pretty much anywhere else.

MARC ALLEN, CEO, ELECTRA: And we can save them half the time, right? I mean, half the time you spend in a commercial airplane, or on the road, or in a train, this will get you there twice as fast.

SCIUTTO: How does it work? The science is pretty crazy. Its eight electric motors don't just move the plane forward, they generate their own airflow over the wings. Which, in the physics of flight, then generates their own lift for the aircraft.

ALLEN: You experienced something very few people have experienced. The airplane is going super slow. The wing thinks it's going super fast because we're just accelerating all of this air over it. And then, some really unique design structures. It just rises right up. So, the wing just lifts the airplane up at about 150 feet of ground roll (?).

SCIUTTO (on camera): You create your own lift.

ALLEN: You create your own lift, and then you just fly on that lift like an airplane.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Because the plane creates its own lift, we took off at just about 30 miles an hour, about the speed of a racing bicycle. Something of a nod to the bicycle-building Wright brothers who invented the world's very first flying machine.

From the air, you get the feeling of floating, sort of like taking a ride on a drone. Plus, it's a hybrid with turbo generator-charging batteries that run the prop. Sort of like a flying prius. And less fuel means a lower cost per mile than helicopters and many flying cars.

The idea of the Ultra Short is to solve another problem with many flying cars. While they can take a passenger or two, the Ultra Short can take multiple passengers and cargo and go as much as 10 times as far, about 250 miles. Electra already has more than 2,000 planes ordered, mostly from airlines and the U.S. military.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: The future is now, people. This is also your last weekend to vote for the 2025 CNN Hero of the Year. We're reintroducing each of our top five heroes as you choose your favorite.

On Chicago's south side, Kaelan Blackwell is bringing new life to empty lots, and creating much-needed jobs and opportunity for young people with flowers. The neighborhood has long been a classic example of urban blight. But where many see decay, Blackwell sees potential.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUILEN BLACKWELL, FOUNDER, SOUTHSIDE BLOOMS: Most people won't (?) expect to see a full flower farm here on the south side of Chicago.

[16:50:02]

BLACKWELL: It's really cool to be able to bring that beauty to places where people least expect.

(voice-over): I've been living in Englewood since 2015. It's one of the more dangerous neighborhoods, high poverty, high urban blight.

(on camera): So, you know, you kind of see, like, storefronts that are boarded up. The building gets condemned. They'll knock the building down. And now, it's vacant lot. Yes, these aren't parks.

(voice-over): Most people will see the trash, the vacant lots. But, for me, I see potential. We're here to try to bring life.

Southside Blooms is a farm-to-vase florist. We'll take over vacant lots, grow our own flowers, design them in our flower shop. And then, we do retail bouquets, weddings, corporate events and everything in between.

(on camera): This is about creating opportunity in a place that desperately needs it.

Try to get some good stem length. You know the drill.

(voice-over): A big part of what we do is creating jobs in the floral industry for at-risk youth.

(on camera): What's your favorite flower?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lilies, cosmos. My favorite? It would be the red rose.

(voice-over): BLACKWELL: Growing up, I was very fortunate. I had a bevy of opportunity. I came to Chicago and started tutoring at a high school in Englewood.

(on camera): And I started to just realize, I could be any one of these kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to do them tiger lilies again.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): There are people who want a chance at something better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): You have to grow up fast around here (?). I lost a lot of friends. Ended up in jail. I was looking for a job. One of my friends, he was, like, hey, bro, I got a job. I'm like, bro, flowers. What?

Working here, I see myself changing. Calmer. Into nature. This was just an empty parking lot.

(on camera): We did this. We started all this. We cleaned it up. It's our community. I'm proud.

BLACKWELL (on camera): Ready for the event?

HANNAH: Getting there.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): My wife, Hannah, trained as a florist. Figured out the youth training program.

HANNAH: It's a feel. So, teaching kind of the basic concepts and then kind of letting their creativity go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I learned. I paid close attention. And I asked questions. And I fell in love with it.

I'm an example. I purchased my first apartment. I purchased a car.

(on camera): I try to tell everybody. It's an opportunity. Every place you step in, you take advantage of it.

BLACKWELL: Our young people are blossoming and blooming every single day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: And you can go to CNN.com/Heroes to vote for your CNN Hero of the Year, right now.

We'll be right back.

[16:52:21]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) JIMENEZ: At 111 years old, Viola Fletcher, the oldest survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, died this week. And she took her traumatic childhood and turned it into action, pursuing justice for one of the worst episodes of racial violence in American history.

Before we go tonight, I sat down with Fletcher multiple times throughout her final years. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VIOLA FLETCHER: That's just what we are here for is for justice.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): She was known as Mother Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Viola Ford Fletcher was seven years old at the time. But the memory, even over a century later, never faded.

(on camera): What do you remember about that time?

FLETCHER: People getting killed and houses, property, schools, churches and stores getting destroyed with fire. And it just stays with me. You know, it's just the fear that -- I have lived in Tulsa since, but it's -- I don't sleep all night living there.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): In 1921, a rumor a black man assaulted a white woman ended in a white mob destroying Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood, a thriving black-owned business district at the time. Thousands of black residents were arrested, while others were robbed, beaten and killed.

Fletcher was born in Oklahoma. And in the decades since the massacre, she's largely stayed silent, fearful of retaliation for even speaking of the violence that changed her life forever. But those years of silence eventually powered her voice.

FLETCHER: I'm asking my country to acknowledge what happened in Tulsa in 1921.

JIMENEZ: And she sat with CNN multiple times over the years.

FLETCHER: People getting shot and falling dead.

JIMENEZ: She, and the other living survivors at the time, were pursuing a lawsuit against the city of Tulsa and other related departments, alleging they were complicit in the 1921 massacre and that its effects were still being felt today. They argued they should be compensated by the city for damages.

HUGHES VAN ELLIS: Make us whole. That's what we ask.

JIMENEZ: Fletcher's brother, Hughes Van Ellis, died waiting on that justice in October 2023 at the age of 102. The Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed their case in 2024.

Now, 111-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle is the only living survivor. When she learned the news of Fletcher's passing, she said, that breaks my heart. I will miss her dearly. God bless her. As was relayed to CNN by her granddaughter.

And Fletcher's grandson, Ike Howard, told CNN, in part, maybe she was given more years so she could bear witness, so she could help us all understand and heal.

The last time I sat with her, her hearing wasn't always perfect. But as we wrapped up.

(on camera): You look great. You sound great.

FLETCHER: Well, good.

JIMENEZ: Oh, you heard that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was that.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Viola Ford Fletcher, 111 years old.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (live): And those smiles came with a pain, her family says, she could never truly escape, and one they hope this country never forgets.

[17:00:02]

JIMENEZ: And, yes, her legacy will continue through the Viola Ford Fletcher Foundation, but it's also reflected in the title of the memoir she wrote with her grandson.