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U.S.-Ukraine Relations Derailing; Dozens Killed in a Roof Collapse at a School in Pakistan; Anti-Corruption Demonstrators Clash With Riot Police In Albania; Trump: Will Campaign For Paxton In Texas Again "If Necessary": Pope Leo's Post-Operation Checks Showing Good Results. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired October 16, 2026 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN ANCHOR, AND SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello from Hong Kong, I'm Will Ripley, and this is "CNN Newsroom."
The U.S.-Ukraine relationship is in crisis, and now Ukraine's President is preparing to rally European allies for. Live in Kyiv.
New polls in the U.S. show Democrats gaining ground ahead of the midterms. Are President Trump's policies fueling the frustration?
And Tesla unveils what it calls a flying car. They say it goes zero to 60 in less than a second, but some experts don't buy it.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is closing ranks with European leaders as Kyiv's relations with the U.S. deteriorate. In the coming hours, he's expected to join E.U. leaders in Brussels to try and shore up support for Ukraine.
Reuters reports the order to limit the Starshield satellite service for Ukraine came from inside the White House. The news agency cites three officials, but does not say exactly who made the decision. A U.S. official told Reuters President Trump did not make the request.
The Starshield service, used for Ukraine's drone operations and other military purposes, was abruptly limited this week. Ukraine now says the service has been partially restored.
Meanwhile, a source exclusively tells CNN, Ukraine has run out of Patriot missile interceptors. They're among the few weapons that can actually shoot down Russia's ballistic missiles. The source also says almost all of the ballistic missiles in Russia's latest strike got through and hit their targets because Ukraine lacked the interceptors.
Relations between the U.S. and Ukrainian leaders have taken a sharp turn for the worse. President Trump recently cut a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, allowing Moscow to export diesel again. In an interview with the "Financial Times," Zelenskyy said that move puts him in a very difficult position. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: The diesel deal, I don't want to be involved. If he attacks us, we will respond. This is our rule.
Don't involve us to some diesel deals. If you ask us to help with the situation, of course, like the partners, we will help. But we're asking you to energize this fire.
If not energize this fire, it doesn't depend on you, okay.
The question, can you give me missiles for Patriot? Because when I will not attack them, because you asked me not to attack them, they will attack me. It's fair if you will give me with what to defend.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Zelenskyy is not a good guy for us to deal with. Biden gave him hundreds of billions of dollars. Billions and billions of dollars.
ROB FINNERTY, NEWSMAX ANCHOR: Have you lost faith in him?
TRUMP: Well, I think they're going to end up with a settlement of some kind. They're not going to do it with him. He doesn't want to settle.
He says he wants to settle, but he doesn't. No, I'm not a big fan of Zelenskyy. They've destroyed that country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: Vladimir Putin says recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries did not cause much damage. Moscow says Kyiv attempted a large scale attack on a refinery southeast of Moscow that was on Thursday morning. Zelenskyy had paused such strikes for three days amid this growing pressure from Washington.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more now on the growing tensions between the U.S. and Ukrainian leaders.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, this is certainly a perilous time for the already fractious and sort of seesaw relationship that he has with President Trump. Clearly, the last 10 days has set Ukraine on a path where it believes the United States is no longer going to act on his ally and, indeed, Zelenskyy should call that out.
He's also been today referring in an interview with a British publication called "The Financial Times" about President Trump's well- known fondness for, essentially, dictators who stay in power for decades. Clearly, Zelenskyy now in a position where he may see some kind of fiery reaction from the U.S. President.
But how did we get there, and where does this leave Ukraine? Look, it's important to point out that we're looking now at a Ukraine that, as, according to a source familiar with the situation, has told our Victoria Butenko in Kyiv has ran out of Patriot interceptor missiles. Ultimately, the U.S. is the biggest supplier and manufacturer of those. They've had a similar crisis back in August when I was last there, and then some European states rushed to assist and fill a slight gap.
That's run out. That's crisis number one.
[02:05:07]
The next big ballistic missile attack against Ukraine will not be intercepted, it seems, at this point.
Secondly, it appears that after the tensions of the last week or so, the United States has begun to restrict some technology and possibly intelligence, according to Ukrainian officials. The key one here is the fact that Ukrainian officials say they haven't received the early warnings about Russian ballistic missile launches that they've relied upon for years now. They're the reason why sirens sound, and they're the reason why people get minutes to get to the shelter.
They say they have not been receiving those for some time now, although President Trump has publicly stated there's been no stoppage in intelligence sharing. Over the past few days, too, we've had this issue about the speeds, the flying speeds, at which Starlink dishes, useful for long-range attack drones, medium-range, and also some defensive drones, the speeds at which some of those Starlinks can function.
That appears to have been a bit of a blip that seems to be being rectified, although Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX is behind those Starlinks, has interestingly distanced himself from the decision process around that, saying it's the U.S. government, the White House, that make it, but clarifying he doesn't really want Starlink dishes used in offensive operations.
So a bit of a mess there in terms of operation on the front line being interrupted. But all of this comes after the diesel deal and the energy ceasefire, which President Trump announced. He said that hundreds of thousands of Russian barrels of diesel would suddenly be on the market, a bid to get prices down at the pump, although many analysts say that would be a tough one.
And he also declared an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine said that was the first they'd heard about it, and Russia bombed Ukrainian energy infrastructure a matter of hours later. We're in a very messy place here, but strip all this aside.
Ultimately, it's Ukrainians now facing another sleepless night without interceptors or ballistic intelligence warnings, ultimately from the United States, they say. So a very dangerous moment here for ordinary Ukrainians and in that vital relationship between Zelenskyy and Trump.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: A camera caught Russia's latest strike near Ukraine's third largest city. You can see here, the video shows the moment a Russian drone hit a supermarket in the Odessa region. Four people injured in this attack, also a major fire, the footage was posted by a Ukrainian governor.
Joining me from Kyiv now is Oleskiy Sorokin, the deputy chief editor at "The Kyiv Independent." It's good to see you again, but gosh, given how bad things are right now between Kyiv and Washington, probably the worst since the Oval Office meltdown last year, do you folks in Ukraine still trust the U.S. as an ally?
OLEKSIY SOROKIN DEPUTY CHIEF EDITOR, "THE KYIV INDEPENDENT": Unfortunately, unfortunately, no. I'm glad to be on CNN, but obviously I would much prefer there not to be any news for me to comment.
Unfortunately, the last week was awful for Ukraine. We know what happened, we know the diesel deal. On Monday and Tuesday, there were attacks without early warning systems and people in Kyiv died because of that so we're in a really tough position right now.
RIPLEY: Have you been able to confirm what we reported on CNN, that Ukraine has run out of Patriot defense missiles? And if so, and if U.S. military and intelligence support continues to erode, how vulnerable does that leave you in Ukraine?
SOROKIN: Well, on our part, we haven't been able to confirm that the Patriots have run out, but we know that there was a really limited capacity that Ukraine obtained around 50, 70 missiles. It was a long time ago, so that's completely possible that Ukraine doesn't have missiles anymore.
And without intelligence sharing, without Starshield, without Patriot missiles, Ukraine is practically defenseless. Because if we're talking specifically about Patriot missiles, it makes sense that it's a defensive weapon, right?
If we're talking about Starshield, then it's also a defensive weapon because it operates only on Ukrainian territory, and it's only used for Ukrainians to attack Russians in the Ukrainian-occupied territory. And also, it helps Ukraine detect the jet-powered drones that have been a nightmare for Ukrainians over the past two, three months.
RIPLEY: Yes, these peace talks stalled, you have winter approaching. I'm wondering if Ukraine can sustain this war without full U.S. backing.
SOROKIN: Well, Ukraine can probably sustain this war, but it's going to be much more difficult, right? And if the relationship is not repaired, if Ukraine actually won't have access to intelligence, then Russia would have a better chance of renewing its attack, right?
Because right now, the soldiers on the front lines are saying that Starshield is getting back up. So this was a really hot potato issue.
[02:10:08]
Nobody took responsibility, and apparently now Starshield is up and running again. But without it, for example, the Russian logistics would be saved from Ukrainian strikes, right?
And this would allow Russia to relaunch its offensive on the battlefield. And without Patriot missiles, basically Kyiv is defenseless, right? The ballistic attacks on Kyiv were happening on Monday, on Tuesday, and yesterday night. And if this continues, then basically any target in Kyiv is defenseless, and Russia can do whatever it wants, unfortunately.
RIPLEY: How do people on the ground there feel that President Zelenskyy is handling all of this?
SOROKIN: Well, that's the tricky part, right? Because obviously I heard a lot of negative comments from people abroad about Zelenskyy's recent pushback, because a lot of people say that you have to act differently when you're around Trump. But in Ukraine, for example, people support Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy had a lot of problems in domestic politics, and domestically there's issues with him. But his foreign politics is supported by Ukrainians. We actually at "The Kyiv Independent" had a video recently asking people on the streets of Kyiv what they think about the recent situation with Trump, and I can assure you nobody was on Trump's side.
RIPLEY: Oleksiy, you live in a beautiful city there in Kyiv, and it is a terrifying thought to think that you are essentially defenseless at the moment if there is a massive barrage of ballistic missiles from Russia. Our thoughts are with you.
Thank you very much for being here as the deputy chief editor of "The Kyiv Independent" and also someone who has to live there in the middle of all of this, as we around the rest of the world talk about it, but we're thinking of you. Thank you.
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A quiet and somber moment in the U.S. state of Oregon just a short time ago. The community there gathered for a candlelight vigil, remembering the victims of a deadly elementary school shooting. The small city of Bend, Oregon, reeling from that attack.
Police say three children, ages five, eight, and 11, along with one teacher, were killed. Another child and teacher were also injured in the shooting, and they are being treated at the hospital.
Police say the shooter is a 16-year-old who was armed with a long gun. He forced his way into Silver Rail Elementary School, shooting at the locked doors. A community member saw the teen, followed him, and then fatally shot him before police arrived.
It's not clear whether the shooter had any connection to the school or even what his motive was, and police have not publicly identified him yet. All district schools and activities will be closed in the day ahead.
FBI Director Kash Patel says federal agents are on scene. They are assisting in the investigation. Oregon's Governor says no community should have to live through a day like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. TINA KOTEK (D-OR): I want to start by thanking and praising the quick thinking and courage of the Silver Rail Elementary School staff and parents and first responders who rushed to the scene this afternoon. And to the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life, your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: A CNN analysis finds there have been at least 52 school shootings in the United States so far this year: 36 of those were at kindergarten through 12th grade schools, 16 were on college campuses.
Let that sink in for a second. These school shootings have killed at least 28 people, many of them young people. CNN law enforcement analyst John Miller describes the next steps in this latest investigation in Oregon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: ATF, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, they will trace the serial number of that gun to the point of sale. That will bring them to a gun store, and that will bring them to a paper record that's on file that says who they sold that weapon to.
In the vast majority of these school shootings carried out by kids, the gun came from the home. And as Darren pointed out, in the Crumbly case, those parents got lengthy sentences, 10 and 15 years. In the Appalachia, Georgia case, another lengthy sentence for the father.
So this is part of the new reality for parents. If their kid is going to become a school shooter, you know, there's legal liability, criminal liability there too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:15:06]
RIPLEY: Funerals are underway for the victims of a roof collapse in Pakistan. It killed 34 school children and a teacher. The former Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke at one of the services and said his nephew was among the victims.
Here's CNN's Ivan Watson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A nation in mourning after a deadly disaster in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. The roof of a school collapsed, killing dozens of school children as well as at least one teacher. A rescue worker tells CNN it was likely caused by heavy rain overnight, which caused the collapse of the two-story building early Thursday morning.
Now, we've seen hospital records suggesting the ages of the casualties are between six and 14 years old, and there were around 50 additional children injured and treated in hospital after this disaster.
Now, tragically, collapses like this are all too common in Pakistan, where building and construction codes are poorly enforced. In August, a fire broke out in a maternity ward in the capital Islamabad, killing at least 14 newborns. A subsequent inquiry concluded that there were no sprinkler systems in the nursery, there wasn't even a fire alarm.
And here in Lahore in July, there was another collapse of a tutoring center that killed at least 14 school children.
Now, the President of Pakistan has called this a gut-wrenching tragedy. Police in Peshawar tell CNN they've arrested the owner of the school and they've launched an investigation into this tragic disaster.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Lahore, Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: This is "CNN Newsroom," we're live in Hong Kong.
President Trump says he won't rule out striking Iran with the mother of all bombs, America's biggest non-nuclear weapon.
President Trump is also campaigning in Georgia in the coming hours, trying to prop up Republican candidates ahead of critical midterm elections.
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[02:20:00]
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RIPLEY: Evacuation orders are in effect for parts of Malibu, California. Firefighters are battling a fast-moving brush fire in rough terrain.
It's called the Bryson Fire, and it's bigger than 100 football fields. Santa Ana winds are bringing warm temperatures and fire threats to the area.
Devastating scenes in Istanbul, some of the most intense rainfall there in decades. As a result, cars are piled up in the streets.
Streets are flooded, of course. At least three people are reported dead. Officials say more than 2700 had to be evacuated from certain parts of the city.
The Istanbul area has recorded its highest daily rainfall level since 1985. People living there say when you see it in person, the scale of the damage is enormous. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERKUT AYAZ, AYAZAGA RESIDENT (through translator): The markets are closed. There's no electricity, no water. I mean, no natural gas.
My family doesn't live here. I'm only here with friends for work. My family can't reach me.
The markets are closed. We can't even buy bread. It was an absolute struggle just to find some bread this morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: Now to one of the most high-profile attacks yet on Yemen's internationally recognized government in its military campaign against the Houthis. The rebels, backed by Iran, have carried out a deadly attack on Yemen's presidential palace. The compound serves as the headquarters for the country's government.
It is recognized by leaders around the world. At least five people were killed and 16 others were wounded. The rebels say the strike was part of their strategy of targeting Saudi military deployments wherever they are located, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted multiple aerial threats across the kingdom on Thursday.
The U.S. president is speaking out now about an exclusive CNN report about the military weighing whether to use what's known as the mother of all bombs against Iran. Now this bomb, to be clear, is not nuclear, but it is massive.
President Trump was actually the first U.S. President to deploy this bomb during his first term against ISIS positions in Afghanistan almost a decade ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, the mother of all bombs is not nuclear.
FINNERTY: Okay, not tactical nuclear?
TRUMP: No, it's not nuclear at all. This is just an extremely large bomb.
It's like a tiny nuclear bomb. But the mother of all bombs is one big bomb, but it's not nuclear. Now when use nuclear, we don't have to.
Now we're looking at Pickaxe Mountain. We may have to go there. We'll take a shot at that one, we'll knock it out fast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: Let's get more from the White House now with CNN's Zachary Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: The U.S. military has continued to provide President Donald Trump with a menu of options since the U.S. paused combat operations against Iran back in April.
And we're told that the military has developed new strike packages that include potentially using what is known as the mother of all bombs to target Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities. Now, striking energy infrastructure in general would represent a significant escalation in this conflict should President Donald Trump give the go order to do so.
[02:25:10]
And adding on the addition of potentially using this mother of all bombs, or MOAB as it's abbreviated as, would add another layer of escalation to an already controversial move that would almost certainly prompt strong retaliation from Iranian forces while it is unlikely to force them to capitulate to U.S. demands.
Now, meanwhile, we're told that recent strike packages have also indicated that a MOAB could be used to target Iranian nuclear facilities, and specifically ones with facilities located deep underground. Now, that raises a question because the MOAB as a weapon was designed primarily as a surface-level bomb. It's one that has the capability of taking out nine city blocks, yet it doesn't have a penetrating capability that would allow it to destroy whatever is underneath layers of rock at these suspected Iranian nuclear sites.
And so that raises the question of why would President Donald Trump potentially order strikes against these targets using this particular munition. And that's because it carries what's described as psychological effects. It was also produced as an information warfare weapon, and one that does carry those, sends a separate message than more conventional weapons in the U.S. arsenal.
And adding on top of that, the U.S. does not currently have a bomb in its arsenal that can penetrate deep enough to effectively and successfully destroy Iran's underground facilities, particularly not in the short term, leaving Donald Trump with a bit of a dilemma. He has stated in recent days and before that that he wants to see an end to this conflict, and he wants to see it quickly. He's facing immense political pressure here in the United States where the war is deeply unpopular, and ahead of the midterm elections, that has really come to the fore for the U.S. president as he's weighed potentially restarting combat operations.
Now, we heard the President publicly vow not to conduct additional strikes against Iran before the U.S. midterms. One Trump adviser, though, privately questioning whether that could change depending on the political climate leading up to the voters going to the voting booth. And even then, after the elections are over, it still remains to be seen how President Donald Trump plans to create an off-ramp from this war.
The Iranians, meanwhile, have shown no signs of relenting or capitulating to American demands, nor have they shown any indication that they are willing to negotiate on their nuclear program, which President Donald Trump repeated yesterday was still one of his core objectives for starting this war in the first place.
So ultimately, using potentially a mother-of-all-bombs to target Iranian nuclear sites or energy infrastructure is one of several military options at the president's disposal, but Pentagon officials making clear to me that ultimately that is just one tool in a strategic toolkit, and it's something that remains to be seen if the president and the White House have a broader plan to use those military options for some sort of a resolution to the Iran war.
Zachary Cohen, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: We're live in Hong Kong, and you're in the "CNN Newsroom."
U.S. Vice President and the Michigan Democratic Senate candidate are offering their competing visions of what it means to be American as they campaign on opposite sides of the state.
Remember when Elon Musk wanted to start a third party? Well, now he's using his vast fortune to boost Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections.
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[02:33:12]
WILL RIPLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of student-led protesters are filling the streets of Albania. Some are fighting running battles with riot police in the capital, Tirana. The marches are driven by anger over corruption and education costs. Protesters are also calling out a proposed luxury development on the southern coast backed by Donald Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner.
And in Argentina, demonstrators and police clashed at a massive protest over cuts to university funding. These are the scenes in the capital, Buenos Aires, on Thursday. Riot police fired tear gas as some protesters threw stones near the congressional building. Students and staff are demanding Argentina's president comply with the law, reversing cuts to university budgets. The government has so far rejected the legislation despite court rulings.
President Donald Trump heads to Georgia on Friday to campaign for Republican candidate for governor, Rick Jackson, and Senate candidate Mike Collins. Less than three weeks remain now before critical midterm elections. They will determine control of the U.S. Congress. The first day of early voting on Tuesday saw Georgians cast ballots in record numbers.
The president also says he'll return to Texas to boost Republican candidate Ken Paxton, quote, "if necessary." A pair of polls released this week show Democratic candidate James Talarico with a narrow lead over Paxton. But both poll numbers are well within the margin of error.
Billionaire Elon Musk is spending millions of dollars to help Republicans win the midterms, especially in Texas. He's plowed nearly $150 million into the state.
[02:35:00]
He's also put nearly $89 million into his own super PAC, which is mounting a get out the vote effort in more than two dozen races.
Still, President Trump and many Republicans are trailing in the polls right now, as CNN's Kristen Holmes reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is more bad news for President Trump when it comes to that polling and for Republicans heading into these midterm elections. I do want to pull this up. This is the latest Fox News poll, and it goes over how voters feel about how President Trump is doing his job on various issues.
So this poll, do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling the following topics? One the economy, 29 percent only approve where 70 percent disapprove. Inflation, 22 percent approve, 77 percent there disapprove.
Border security, 50-50. I mean, that is supposed to be president Trump's signature issue there. So 50-50 is not where this administration wants to be.
And foreign policy -- talking about trade wars, tariffs, as well as the Iran War, 35 percent approval rating there, 64 percent of people disapprove.
So looking at those numbers certainly doesn't seem as though voters are going to be coming out in droves to vote for Republicans when they hit those polls in November.
But that's not stopping President Trump from making these various stops, particularly in red areas, deep red areas where they're hoping that there's still some enthusiasm around President Trump, that he can drive out the voters the way that he can when he's been on the ticket as a presidential candidate. That's why you're hearing him continue to say over and over again that he wants people to pretend he is on the ballot.
Now, he did talk about some of the midterm candidates, including Ken Paxton, earlier today. Here's what he said.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Whether you like Ken or not, honestly, I mean, I understand some people are controversial, et cetera. I don't happen to be a controversial person, so I'm very happy. But Ken is a little bit controversial.
The one thing about him, he may have been the best attorney general in this country for many, many years. I see the -- they pulled a pretty even now, and we had a great rally in Texas. I'll go back -- if it's necessary, I'll go back. We've got to win these races.
HOLMES: If they need him to. I mean, this is a state in which nobody thought the president would be traveling to a month before the elections, a deep red state that he won multiple times. That does not put Democrats into office. But those poll numbers are showing Ken Paxton an incredibly tight race. Republicans have spent more than $100 million. It doesn't seem as though they're going to slow down anytime soon. They are doing everything they possibly can because they do not want to lose control of Congress.
Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: Vice President J.D. Vance and Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed traded barbs as they campaigned in Michigan on Thursday. Vance called El-Sayed obsessed with conflicts in the Middle East rather than Michigan. He framed the race as a battle between those who loathe the U.S. and those who love it.
President Trump echoed some of the V.P.'s comments from the White House. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What you have on the other side of this election is one of the craziest, one of the most far left and one of the most radical people running for high office in the history of the United States of America. You deserve better than a little weasel who should shut his mouth and show a little gratitude to the country that gave him everything.
TRUMP: We want to keep our country away from this guy. Like I call him Mohamed al Fayed (ph). And his name is Abdul. But I think I -- I call him Mohamed Abdul el-Sayed. And I will tell you that I look forward to going up there to expose this fraud that's running. He's a fraud. He's a con man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: El-Sayed campaigned on Thursday with New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She said Republicans were trying to make people afraid of the Michigan Democrat. El-Sayed denied accusations that his family has connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, and he responded directly to taunts from the vice president by telling a crowd that his America is big enough for everyone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: They've been saying all kinds of things, trying to point to my name and my faith, telling me, oh, you can't win an election. His name is Abdul. He's a Muslim. Yeah, I'm a Muslim, but I also -- understand that my allegiance is to a Constitution. It's a document they don't understand very well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: The Trump administration is facing a lawsuit from a coalition of attorneys challenging its rapid immigration process for unaccompanied migrant children.
[02:40:05]
Under this process, minors have been forced to navigate the immigration system with very little help, including from lawyers. This comes as Latino voters are increasingly worried as the midterm elections approach.
CNN's Ione Molinares spoke to some of those voters in Virginia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IONE MOLINARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the Manassas Park Latino festival in Virginia, located southwest of the Washington metropolitan area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I came here last year. It was so crowded you could barely walk. And now people aren't coming out. People are afraid.
MOLINARES (voice-over): Most of those who did show up are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. They say immigration rates are keeping undocumented immigrants away from events like this and driving those who can vote to the polls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The most important part to me, the most important thing to me is the economy. So this country can keep moving forward. Immigration is also important. Immigration will always be my main concern because I'm Latina. I'm an immigrant and it's something I always worry about.
MOLINARES (voice-over): Virginia is one of those states with closely watched races that could shift the balance of power in Congress. As in many states, the Hispanic vote here is crucial.
Hispanics make up about 12 percent of Virginia's population, with around 950,000 Latino residents. National polls show many Hispanic voters are also concerned about current economic uncertainty. Democrats are hoping that will translate into sweeping victory in the midterm elections.
JOCELYN CORDOBA, VIRGINIA RESIDENT (through translator): There were supposed to be many opportunities. And what have we seen? Everything is expensive now. You go grocery shopping and prices are higher than ever. So nothing has changed. If anything, things have gotten worse.
MOLINARES (voice-over): Trump doesn't see it that way at campaign events. The president has urged his supporters to vote by pointing to his accomplishments and asking them to imagine that he himself is on the ballot.
The Cordoba family also has Trump on their minds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): People voted for Republicans and the Democrats before. Well, these are the consequences. Let's see how things turn out for them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): A lot of people voted for him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I know a lot of people who voted for Trump and now they're saying, why did I do that? Well, they already did it. So, ha.
MOLINARES (voice-over): In the 2024 presidential election, Trump made gains among Hispanic voters the promise of stronger border security was one of the issues that drew Hispanic voters toward Trump, according to a Harvard University study. Now, the Trump administrations immigration crackdown is prompting this to Puerto Rican voters to switch sides.
TEOBALDO CUEVAS, VIRGINIA RESIDENT (through translator): I used to be a Republican, but now I feel more like a Democrat because I'm completely disillusioned.
LEYINSKY COLLADO, VIRGINIA RESIDENT (through translator): I used to be a Republican, too. As a teacher, it makes me sad to see children suffering when they're separated from their parents.
MOLINARES (voice-over): More than 39 million Hispanic voters are eligible to vote in the midterms. This pastor says fear of immigration rates is keeping members away from his church, but he is working to make sure eligible voters still show up at the polls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Because this country is a nation of immigrants, and no one can deny that.
MOLINARES (voice-over): Ione Molinares, Manassas Park, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: Next on CNN NEWSROOM, an update on the pope's health. Got that lung cancer diagnosis. He had surgery this week. We will bring you the latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:48:15]
RIPLEY: Carrying out daily activities following that shocking lung cancer diagnosis and surgery. Earlier this week, a spokesperson says that post-operation checks are showing good results and as doctors remain optimistic as they await further test results.
For more, here's CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the good news is that Pope Leo seems to be recovering well following surgery on his lung. The Vatican saying that the pope has been resuming some work activities, receiving a senior aide and taking part in mass here at the Gemelli Hospital.
The bigger picture, of course, is there's a lot of uncertainty and anxiety in the Vatican. The news that Pope Leo has lung cancer came as a huge shock to people. One cardinal, Cardinal Cupich of Chicago, has told "The Catholic Magazine America" that there was a palpable sense of shock in a Vatican meeting that he was part of when the news came in.
There's also a question mark about whether Pope Leo can go on this major trip to Latin America early in November. At the hospital at the Gemelli, where the pope is being treated, the prayers have been said for the pope. He's been treated on the 10th floor of this hospital, where there's a special suite of rooms.
But there is also hope that Pope Leo can recover. He is someone in a good physical condition. He kept fit as a cardinal and as pope. So, the hope is that he can recover.
But all eyes, though, are on the final test results, which will show whether or not the cancer has spread. And what, if any, treatment is needed for Pope Leo.
[02:50:02]
At this time, in the Vatican, a mixture of anxiety, shock, but also hope that the pope can get through this very difficult health challenge.
Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.
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RIPLEY: Check out these scenes from Lima, Peru, as K-pop superstars, BTS continued the Latin American leg of their world tour. Thousands of fans gathered outside the concert venue, some of them even camping overnight. The group is set to play in Chile on Friday.
Latin America has become one of K-pop's most important growth markets. This is driven by a highly engaged fan base and strong streaming consumption.
More than a month after returning to the U.K., Prince Harry and Meghan are getting a warm welcome home. The duke and duchess of Sussex made their first joint public appearance in Britain since moving back to the country in August. Crowds greeted the couple with balloons and flowers, and Meghan said, "It's great to be back".
Next on CNN NEWSROOM, live from Hong Kong, we'll show you this experimental device that's allowing parents of premature babies to finally touch them while still protecting their fragile immune systems.
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RIPLEY: Now to what could be a very exciting medical breakthrough, an experimental device is helping parents have that all important skin to skin contact with their premature babies, who would normally be hooked up to tubes and an incubator.
CNN's Jacqueline Howard shows us how it works.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You lean back more.
DORIAN OJEMEN, FATHER: Just the fact that you can have them on your chest. You can look in their eyes. You can hold them, feel them breathe, like that immediately makes you feel like, wow, I'm a parent.
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER (voice-over): Dorian Ojemen has made history. he's the first dad in the U.S. to ever use a "skincubator". It's an experimental device that allows parents to hold their premature babies in their arms for skin to skin contact.
D. OJEMEN: We couldn't hold until about 10 days after birth. Using the skin allowed us to have that connection.
HOWARD (voice-over): For many preterm babies like Dorian and his wife, Tiffany's twins, who were born around 26 weeks, they may need to spend their first days or weeks in an incubator. It helps keep their tiny bodies warm and supports their breathing and protects them from germs. But those incubators can also create a heartbreaking barrier for parents.
TIFFANY OJEMEN, MOTHER: You're basically kind of like at a zoo, like you're just looking at them through the clear glass and you can't really hold them.
[02:55:03]
HOWARD (voice-over): But one phone call changed everything. Their doctor told them about a new clinical trial.
T. OJEMEN: I definitely wanted to give it a try, but it sounded like some kind of sci-fi kind of device.
HOWARD (voice-over): Skin computers already have been used in Israel, and just recently in Germany. Dr. Jaclyn Ruggiero is leading the research here in the U.S. at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital.
HOWARD: How exactly do these devices work?
DR. JACLYN RUGGIERO, CHILDREN'S MEMORIAL HERMANN HOSPITAL: The baby is already in their incubator and they are transferred from the incubator to the skincubator while they're in their isolette.
HOWARD: So the baby never leaves that incubator environment. RUGGIERO: Doesn't need to. The baby's medical lines and breathing
tubes or breathing support are all secured to the skin computer base. And the way the baby gets into skin to skin care is there's a retractable pad under the baby, and that pad is pulled down slowly.
HOWARD: Skin to skin care, I know it's really important for bonding with your baby, but what other health benefits does it provide?
RUGGIERO: It turns out a part of the nervous system that's really important for connection and feeling calm.
D. OJEMEN: As a man, I may not have carried them, but I can help contribute to their well-being and be a part of the team in a different way.
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RIPLEY: In a cosmic first. Astronomers say they've identified a star with a rare green glow. It's the dense remnant of a dying star known as a white dwarf, located about 284 light years from Earth. Scientists say sodium and the atmosphere of the star changes the light around it, causing that ghostly hue. Researchers say the discovery reveals how the extreme conditions around these types of stars can produce colors they never expected
Tesla has unveiled what its calling a flying car. At a product reveal in Texas, the CEO Elon Musk revealed the new Tesla Roadster, which came off, as you saw there, a steep ramp hanging upside down before flipping and landing using air jets. Musk says the two person sports car uses ultra high pressure air tanks to propel itself. There was no driver in there, by the way. They did it without a driver, he says. It will go into production in 2028.
And for the first time since 1982, the Milwaukee Brewers are headed to the World Series. They swept the two-time reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers, led by Shohei Ohtani, who's had a rough go of it in recent months, winning game four by a score of 6-4. And that happened just a little while ago.
Dodgers have a payroll almost $200 million higher than the Brewers. They also have much more playoff experience. But Milwaukee had a better record overall season, and it was the more clutch team all series. The Brewers will face, either the Cleveland Guardians or the Tampa Bay Rays. Cleveland currently leads that best of seven series two games to one.
I'm Will Ripley. This is CNN NEWSROOM, live from Hong Kong. And I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
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