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Pope Leo Wraps Up Trip to Turkey; Ukrainian Delegation Heading to U.S.; Trump's Pressure on Venezuela. Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired November 30, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, wherever you are in the world. You are now in the CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with you.

Coming up on a show, Pope Leo nears the end of his visit to Turkey, and will head next to Lebanon for a historic trip. It's the first papal visit to the war-torn country in more than a decade.

A Ukrainian delegation is on its way to the U.S. for peace talks, but who is leading the team after the top negotiators step down amid corruption allegations?

Plus, President Trump maintains pressure on Venezuela, saying its airspace should be considered closed. How the country is responding

Welcome. It is 11:00 A.M. in Istanbul and Pope Leo's final day in Turkey, the first stop on his first trip abroad as pontiff.

We're seeing some live pictures here. He's currently visiting Istanbul's Patriarchal Church of St. George. Then Pope Leo will join leadership of the Eastern Orthodox Church to deliver a blessing focused on unity between Christians of differing denominations and traditions too. Later today, he'll be heading to Lebanon for the next leg of his historic trip in the Middle East.

Let's speak to CNN's Salma Abdelaziz reporting live from Istanbul. Thank you so much for being with me Salma. What stood out about today so far?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's been a very packed schedule for Pope Leo, but he's been emphasizing interfaith dialogue, but also dialogue within Christianity, within the different denominations of Christianity. And I know right now we do have live pictures to show you of him at the Patriarchal Church of St. George. Earlier today, he was at an Armenian cathedral.

I want to emphasize that the Christian community here in Turkey is absolutely small. We're talking about maybe less than 1 percent of the population. Most of them are Orthodox Christians. So, when it comes to the Catholic community in Turkey, you are talking about a minuscule number of people. So, this has been an opportunity for that very minority community, that very small community, to be seen and heard through Pope Leo, but also an opportunity for him to outreach to other faiths. We saw him yesterday at the Blue Mosque, of course, where he took off his shoes, as is required, and entered the mosque and reflected in silence as he looked around. He also set himself apart from his predecessors by not praying at the Blue Mosque, an indication of how he reads respect to his guests and to his hosts here in Turkey.

And I want you to take a listen to what he said yesterday at this huge mass that he held in Volkswagen Arena here in Istanbul. As you can imagine, the crowd, which was in the thousands, came from many different backgrounds because, again, you have so many different denominations of Christianity, so many people from different backgrounds making up this small community here in Istanbul. Take a listen to how he characterized it in his mass here yesterday.

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POPE LEO: Their triple span across the street reminds us of the importance of our common efforts to build bridges of unity on three levels within the community, in ecumenical relations with members of other Christian denominations, and in our encounters with brothers and sisters belonging to other religions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now, his trip here in Turkey is winding down. He is set to leave the country in just a few hours' time and head to Beirut, of course, Lebanon, another Muslim majority country there. He's going to face another challenge then, because here he's been speaking about politics, about religion, about dialogue, about unity. But in Lebanon, that's going to make even more of an impact because it was only a few days ago that Israeli airstrikes hit the country. This is very much a country at the center of a conflict in the Middle East. That is something that you absolutely should expect the pope to speak on to provide some moral clarity, moral authority on.

So, his trip, his first overseas trip, very much continues as he steps out onto the world stage and makes himself heard and seen, and the communities, these very small communities as well, heard and seen across the Middle East.

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Ben?

HUNTE: All right. Thank you so much, Salma Abdelaziz live in Istanbul for us. I appreciate it.

Diplomacy is about to kick into high gear as the U.S. hopes to push its revised Ukraine peace plan forward. Officials say U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators will meet in Miami on Sunday to try to advance that proposal, and more talks are expected in Kyiv and Moscow in next week. That is all happening as Ukraine is still reeling from Russia's largest attack in a month. This footage from Ukrainian police shows officers rescuing a ten-year- old boy from a burning apartment during attacks on Kyiv on Friday. Despite the continued Russian strikes, the U.S. is optimistic about the upcoming talks.

Kristen Holmes has more.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are all expected to meet with the Ukrainian delegation Sunday in Miami. Now, this comes as the White House has been increasingly optimistic that they are going to get a deal between Russia and Ukraine that will end that war in Ukraine. But there are still a lot of sticking points they need to work through.

While the White House hasn't been clear as to what some of the hang- ups are, they are likely what we have seen in the past, one of which is territory. We know that President Trump and his administration have told Zelenskyy he's going to have to cede territory to Russia to get a deal, something that Zelenskyy has said at certain times he didn't want to do.

The other part of this is likely those security guarantees. We know that our European allies say that this plan looks good, but in order for this plan to get approval from all sides, it should have more robust security guarantees for Ukraine.

One of the things to note, and we're reading tea leaves here, it's unclear if this is related or not, but the Secretary of State is not going to a meeting of the foreign ministers, a NATO meeting, later in the week. That's significant only because it's our NATO allies who have been really pushing for these security guarantees. Again, not clear if that's related, but something that we're watching incredibly closely.

Now, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is supposed to go to. Russia and meet with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. At one point, Dan Driscoll, the Army secretary, is also going to meet with Ukrainian. So, all of this, they are working towards a deal. But, again, this is not the first time we've seen the White House be optimistic, only to have things fall apart. They do believe, though, that they're closer now than ever to securing some kind of peace deal.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, traveling with the president in West Palm Beach, Florida.

HUNTE: Ukraine is headed into those talks with a new man at the top of his negotiating team. Rustem Umerov was appointed to lead a delegation after the previous top negotiator resigned on Friday. But one former U.S. diplomat told CNN earlier Ukraine won't be affected by the change.

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MICHAEL CARPENTER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE OSCE: No, I don't think the change in the delegation actually makes all that much difference. Rustem Umerov, who is now the secretary of the National Security Council, was previously defense minister, is pretty close to President Zelenskyy. So, I expect that the conduct of the discussions will be similar to what it would've been had it been led by the president's chief of staff, who, as you noted, has resigned.

Unfortunately, you know, I don't think that these discussions are going to come to all that much simply because, for the Ukrainian side, they were trying to play along here with the Trump administration. They saw that original 28-point plan. They were, I think, horrified by what they saw, which was essentially a list of Russian demands, very lightly edited by the United States. But they learned their lesson back in February and they need to be seen as negotiating in good faith. They want to make sure that they are engaging the Trump administration, so that's why they're coming.

But, frankly, I don't think these discussions are going anywhere. Steve Witkoff has consistently throughout the course of his tenure as special envoy, has consistently hued to a Russian position and has embraced a lot of the Kremlin's talking points. And the 28-point plan that he hammered out together with Kirill Dmitriev, who is one of President Putin's envoys was, as I said, heavily slanted, I mean, heavily, heavily slanted towards Moscow. So, I expect that the discussion will likely be a cordial one with Putin, but whatever deal they hammer out with the Russians is unlikely to meet with acceptance from the Ukrainian side.

So, the Ukrainians almost have sort of a parallel document that they're working from, that they negotiated with the Europeans, and it's unclear where the United States will position itself at the end of the day. Although in the case of Witkoff, as I said, it's been heavily on Russia's side.

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HUNTE: Ukraine says it's taking aim at Russian oil exports despite more peace talks around the corner. Ukrainian security services say this video shows their sea drone striking two oil tankers in the Black Sea.

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The ships are reportedly part of Moscow's so-called Shadow Fleet that's used to skirt international sanctions on Russian oil exports. Ukrainian sources say both vessels are now effectively out of commission. There was no immediate comment from Russia.

The death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 70,000, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Emergency workers are still recovering bodies stuck under rubble. More than 600 have been found since the ceasefire started six weeks ago. That number is expected to rise significantly. Gaza's civil defense estimates up to 10,000 remain buried. The health ministry says more than 10,000 women and 20,000 children have been killed during two years of the war.

Tensions keep escalating between the U.S. and Venezuela after President. Donald Trump warned on social media that Venezuela's airspace should be considered closed. The U.S. is not able to shut down another country's airspace, but it comes after Mr. Trump earlier in the week said that lands strikes on Venezuela would come very soon.

We are seeing some live pics there and after the U.S. aviation authorities warned airlines that flying over Venezuela might be hazardous. Flight radar over Venezuela at the moment shows the skies be all but empty. But Panama's Copa Airlines is the only company still flying in the region.

More than 150 people are confirmed dead in Sri Lanka after landslides and flooding caused by a cyclone officials say nearly 200 more are missing and floods that have buried homes and cut power. Thousands of police officers and military personnel have been called in to distribute food and clear roads. It's part of flooding across south and Southeast Asia that's left hundreds dead in the region.

At least 174 deaths have been confirmed in Indonesia. Some of the victims in Northern Sumatra had to be buried in a mass grave. Rains are forecast to continue through the weekend, raising concerns about more flooding in areas already waterlogged.

Let's speak to Dr. Mahesh Gunasekara, the secretary general of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society. Thank you so much for being with me. The scale of this disaster is just devastating. What is the latest that you're hearing from workers about the immediate rescue and recovery efforts?

DR. MAHESH GUNASEKARA, SECRETARY GENERAL, SRI LANKA RED CROSS SOCIETY: Okay. Thank you very much, really, giving us the opportunity to speak to you all. It is really very bad. Really, this has been unprecedented disaster for us. All the 20 -- out of 25 districts, 20 districts has been very badly affected.

Now, the cyclone has gone out of the country and the rescue work -- search and rescue work is going on still, There are some people have been stranded. Then center of the country, There are plenty of landslides has happened, and still the landslides are ongoing. In some places, some villages has been buried and still we were unable to give you the exact numbers yet. Still we don't -- for some villages, some places, some communities, we have not been connected yet.

So, in initial response work is happening, there are thousands of people who have been displaced and they have been in camps, around 20 districts. So, the hill country is the worst affected asset at the north central province where you see quite a lot of reserves have been there. Almost all the reserves have been overflowing. And this is a country with 103 rivers and all the rivers have been going over the flood -- major flood level. So, it's very devastating in the country.

HUNTE: Gosh. It is just awful. We're seeing some pictures as you are speaking there. It just looks absolutely devastating.

With nearly 200 people still missing, how difficult is the search operation proving to be?

GUNASEKARA: It's becoming very, very difficult. Basically, major region is accessibility to many places. All the road networks has been badly affected, especially going towards the hill country because of landslides. There have been -- quite a lot of villages have been buried, so that is the major issue for us to get in. And all the infrastructure has been badly damaged.

Now, the government is slowly restoring the electricity, power networks and then really the communication lines has been disrupted, like some of the districts affected by the floods and landslide. I just got connected today really after all this case.

HUNTE: Sri Lanka is just one part of a wider crisis.

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How is the government there balancing its response with the need to coordinate across Southern Asia as hundreds are reported dead in nearby countries as well?

GUNASEKARA: Yes, it's a humongous effect for the country really, because this country has been really battling with disasters one after another. First, we had the conflict, then we had bomb attacks. Now, we had massive economic crisis. Now, we have been really coming back again then pandemic, now this one. So, it's a struggle for all of us, really. So, we have been asking and speaking to the international community also. This is a place where we need lots of assistance.

Government has already declared emergency and the prime minister has spoken to the international community also really looking for international support for the relief efforts and really for build back better.

HUNTE: Can you just tell us what support will be needed in the coming days and weeks as these countries begin the long road to recovery?

GUNASEKARA: Yes. Initially, really, there's a need to come because like quite a lot of people has been displaced in the summer. A lot of houses have been damaged and lots of houses are partially damaged. A large has lost everything. And you have seen the devastating pictures like large number of infrastructure has been very badly damaged. That will be a huge task for the government to set it back.

Then looking at individuals, like, you know, we might need, provide some shelter support. Then initial stage really drinking water will be a major issue, like the majority of the countries, really, water sources has been inundated, polluted. So, that is an area where we may have to put lot of effort into immediately.

Then -- and this is the season where we have been -- majority of the people in this country is farmers. Really, there -- all the agriculture efforts have been gone in wind. So, that is an area, really -- you know, next crop will be a major issue for us really for that. Really, we might need to provide them some livelihood support at the initial stage for them to get into their feet.

HUNTE: There's obviously a lot of work that still needs to be done and it's so, so sad. But thank you for your work, Dr. Mahesh Gunasekara. I appreciate you joining us.

GUNASEKARA: Thank you so much. Thank you.

HUNTE: Next, a winter storm sweeping across the U.S. is wreaking havoc on one of the busiest travel days of the year. This is what Interstate 70 in Indiana looked like earlier. Authorities say a 45- vehicle pileup shut down the highway for five hours. Meanwhile, Interstate 80 in Iowa saw multiple trapped cars and jacked knifed semi-truck that got stuck in snow. Police say they've rescued close to 200 people whose cars slid into ditches, and they're urging people to not travel unless necessary. A weather system that moved through the Rockies on Friday has morphed into a full-blown cross-country storm placing around 49 million people in the north under winter weather alerts.

Okay. Hong Kong begins three days of mourning for victims of a tragic apartment fire, the latest on the investigation into its causes, those stories, and so many more when we come back. See you in a moment.

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HUNTE: Welcome back. Hondurans, head to the poll today, in a tightly fought presidential election that's been overshadowed by allegations of fraud. Both the ruling and opposition parties have found doubt in the electoral system, which critics have said undermines the integrity of the vote. Adding to the tension is pressure from the U.S. after President Trump backed the right wing candidate to win after promising to pardon a former president who's now serving time in a U.S. prison for drug trafficking.

Of the three front running candidates, there is no clear favorite to win. Whichever prevails will lead the country between 2026 and 2030. Given the closeness of the race, some political analysts say they're concerned that more than one candidate could claim victory.

The revamped youth wing of Germany's far right alternative for Germany party has elected a new leader. During his victory speech on Saturday, Jean-Pascal Hohm insisted neither of the party's co-leaders were servant of Russia, but the election was met with widespread counter- protests that blocked road access in a party's venue. Local reports say 6,000 police were deployed near Giessen in anticipation of some 50,000 anti AFD demonstrators.

Now to a developing story, four people were killed and at least ten were injured in Stockton, California, after a mass shooting at a family gathering. Sheriff's deputies responded to reports of gunshots at a banquet hall around six in the evening local time. Those shots include children and adults. The sheriff's office says every indication suggests it may be a targeted incident, but cautioned information is very limited. The suspect fled and is at large. Detectives are still trying to determine the motive for the attack.

Authorities investigating the Hong Kong apartment fire that killed at least 128 people have revised the number of missing down from 200 to 150. The death toll is still expected to rise. 14 arrests have been made in connection with the incident. A three-day mourning period is underway now throughout Hong Kong.

Hanako Montgomery has the latest on the investigation.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After a deadly fire tore through an apartment complex in Hong Kong, authorities are still looking for any remaining survivors and also human remains.

Now, authorities said on Saturday that the number of those missing has gone down from 200 to 150, but, unfortunately, those who were found to be among the dead after families identified their loved one's remains.

Now, authorities comb through two out of the seven buildings affected by this fire on Saturday, and this is what they found.

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AMY LAMB, NEW TERRITORIES NORTH REGIONAL COMMANDER: The DVIU officers equipped with helmets, protective suits and shoes, entered these two buildings to conduct searches by 2:30 P.M. this afternoon. The searches in these two buildings were completed. During these searches, we didn't find any bodies at all. But in Wang Yon (ph) house, we rescued three cats, and in Wang Tao (ph) house, we found one turtle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: Authorities are continuing their search at the remaining five buildings, and they say that during the initial time of the fire, because the buildings were just so hot, it was very difficult for firefighters to get to these remaining survivors. But now that the fire has been doused, they're going from floor to find anyone who needs rescuing.

Now, authorities have also arrested about a dozen individuals in connection to the renovation project that was underway at this apartment complex. Authorities still don't know the exact cause of the fire, but they do suspect that some of the materials being used to renovate these buildings might have contributed to the fire being so deadly and also contributed to the fire spreading so quickly from one building to the other. For example, polystyrene foam boards that were used to renovate these buildings might have contributed to that fire.

Now, of course, this is one of the worst fires in Hong Kong in decades, and it is a very somber atmosphere here in Hong Kong where many people are mourning the victims and fear the worst that those still missing might end up being among the dead.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Hong Kong.

HUNTE: Okay, Anthony Albanese has just become the first Australian P.M. to marry while in office.

The small ceremony on Saturday included family and close friends. Bride Jody Haydon's niece was the flower girl and Albanese's dog, Toto, was the ring bearer. A couple tied the knot and the prime minister's official residence.

That's all we've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and I will see you tomorrow.

Global Perspectives is up next, followed by another hour of CNN Newsroom. See you tomorrow.

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