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CNN This Morning

Trump Calls Canada's Anti-Tariff Ad "Crooked," Says Reagan "Loved Tariffs"; United States Deploying Carrier Strike Group To Caribbean; Letitia James Pleads Not Guilty To Charges Brought By Trump's DOJ; Ranchers Feel Betrayed By Trump's Plan To Buy Argentine Beef; High Price Of Cocoa Impacts Candy Prices. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired October 25, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:34]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Saturday, October 25th. Welcome to your weekend, and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. I'm Victor Blackwell. Here is what's happening right now:

President Trump on his way to Asia. He's got new comments from him -- we have new comments from him on Air Force One just moments ago. What he had to say about a possible meeting with Kim Jong-un and his spat with Canada.

Tropical Storm Melissa lashing parts of the Caribbean. Some islands will see days of rain, sparking concerns of flash flooding, mudslides, of course, we have the forecast.

And some cattle ranchers say that they feel betrayed by the Trump administration over a plan to buy beef from Argentina. Their concerns and how the plan could impact all of us.

Also, the Blue Jays power past the Dodgers to take Game One of the World Series. Andy Scholes is live in Toronto with highlights coming up for you.

All right. President Trump, on his way to Asia. He'll meet with Japanese leaders. He is going to Malaysia, going to South Korea. He says that he is good to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if he wants to. And he plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: While in South Korea, do you have any plans to meet with Kim Jong-un at the DMZ?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I would. If he would contact -- I mean, I was -- the last time I met, and I put it out over the Internet that I'm coming to South Korea -- if he'd like to meet, I'm open to it. Certainly. We had a very --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, he is certainly open too. TRUMP: Yes, I do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What influence do you want China to exert on Russia to stop the --

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I love China to help us out with Russia. We put very big sanctions on Russia. I think those sanctions are going to be, you know, they are very biting, they're very strong, but I'd like to see China help us out. Have a good relationship with, as you know, President Xi, very good. We're going to be meeting. We'll have a good meeting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, the president said he plans to meet with Xi on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea. And South Korea's president earlier this week, told CNN that it would be a good thing if Trump and Kim could meet too.

All right. The president also weighed in on the country's trade spat with Canada as he left for Asia, he told reporters that he does not plan to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who will also be in Asia.

He ended trade talks with Canada after what he called a fake ad that featured parts of an anti-tariff speech delivered by the late President Ronald Reagan

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You know, it's a -- it's a crooked ad. I heard he is airing it. Canada, that's why I pulled everything.

Canada, they wrote a -- they did a crooked ad. They know it was -- Ronald Reagan loves tariffs. What they did is really dishonest.

And I heard they were pulling the ad. I didn't know they were putting it on a little bit more. They could have pulled it tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. If they pull up Monday?

TRUMP: Well, that's dirty playing. But you know --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'd be supposed to meet Carney --

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: But I can play dirtier than they can. You know?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Ontario's premiere is defending the ad. But as CNN's Paula Newton reports from Ottawa, the provincial leader is offering a concession to get talks going again. PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This ad really struck a nerve, first in the White House, but then it reverberated throughout the country, as well, as Americans heard from Ronald Reagan himself, that conservative icon. In his own words, say that tariffs were damaging to both the American worker and American consumers.

Now, look, Doug Ford, understanding that President Trump was now halting all trade negotiations with Canada. Remember, Doug Ford is the premier of Ontario, kind of like being the governor of the -- of the State of California. He does not really have that much influence over trade negotiations. Nonetheless, Doug Ford said, after speaking with Prime Minister Carney, that he would indeed pull the ad, but not before it was viewed by millions more people during the World Series this weekend.

Doug Ford, though did say he posted on social media that "In speaking with Prime Minister Carney, Ontario will pause the U.S. advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume." But that is the question, will trade talks resume?

President Trump, at this point in time, does not seem like he wants to get back to the negotiating table with Canada. In fact, Canada and the United States have been closed on perhaps a couple of deals on steel and aluminum, which would have done a lot for Canada, but also a lot for American manufacturers that do not have another market, that they can go to in order to easily and cheaply buy both steel and aluminum.

I want you to listen now to Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada before he left for summits in Asia.

Listen.

[07:05:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, PRIME MINISTER, CANADA: We cannot control the trade policy of the United States. We recognize that, that policy has fundamentally changed from the policy in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s. And it's a situation where the United States has tariffs against every one of their trading partners to different degrees.

And it's in that context that our officials, my colleagues, have been working with their American colleagues on detailed, constructive negotiations, discussions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, it's clear he is looking to diversify from the United States on trade, but no one is kidding themselves here. That would take years in order to put into operation. Right now, Canada still needs a very comprehensive deal with the United States, and they wait to see if the president will allow his negotiators back at the table.

Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

BLACKWELL: And President Trump told reporters overnight that his administration will stop all drugs from coming into the United States.

Here is what he said. This is on Air Force One.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP (via telephone): I can tell you one thing, we stop all drugs virtually from coming in by sea. I will stop all drugs from coming in by land very shortly. You will see that starting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The president is ramping up military pressure on Venezuela over alleged drug trafficking. The Navy sent the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford and its strike group to the Caribbean.

Now, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says the U.S. is inventing a new eternal war, and he is mobilizing an international volunteer force to defend his country.

CNN's Stefano Pozzebon is in Caracas with more.

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN JOURNALIST: Friday, so, a dramatic escalation in what the White House is calling a campaign against the drug traffickers in South America.

POZZEBON: Washington has deployed military forces, and the Pentagon said it's conducting 10 kinetic strikes against alleged drug trafficking boats, killing at least 43 people since the campaign began earlier last month.

However, in that time, they failed to provide any conclusive evidence to justify their actions. But on Friday, the U.S. Department of Defense announced it was moving a carrier strike group from Europe to the Caribbean to join the campaign, which is largely seen as an effort to put more pressure onto the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

While the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier will take several days to get into position. The move signals the disposition from Washington to provide even more firepower to this effort. Maduro has so far denied any allegation linking him to drug trafficking and has vowed to stay put.

But even more dramatically, also on Friday, the U.S. Department of the Treasure sanctioned the sitting president of neighboring Colombia, Gustavo Petro, together with members of his family, accusing them of colluding with drug traffickers.

For his part, Petro has long claimed to have been a bastion against cocaine. This is what he said on the matter on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUSTAVO PETRO, PRESIDENT OF COLUMBIA (through translator): The first test I gave, and I think we have been successful, is to go after the bosses of drug trafficking, and not the peons and the workers. Go after them wherever they are. And for that, to expand the collaboration with intelligent agencies all across the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: The White House accuses Petro of receiving funds from drug trafficking organizations through his son during the presidential campaign in 2022.

And despite Colombia being one of Washington's closest allies all across the Americas, the White House has yet decided to move in an unprecedented step, sanctioning the head of state of a major non-NATO ally, as tensions all across the region continue to escalate.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Caracas.

BLACKWELL: This morning, Jamaica is preparing for what meteorologists say could be the strongest hurricane ever to hit the island.

Right now, Melissa is a tropical storm, but the National Hurricane Center says the storm is expected to quickly gain strength and become a major hurricane today. The storm is already blamed for at least four deaths. One at the Dominican Republic, three in Haiti. More than a thousand people were evacuated after Melissa unleashed heavy rainfall for several days across both countries.

CNN meteorologist Chris Warren joins me now.

The speed of the storm --

(CROSSTALK)

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

BLACKWELL: -- is what is making this so dangerous. It's going to get there and sit there.

WARREN: Terrifying is what this is.

And it said, the strongest to go across island. So, that means we haven't seen this before.

[07:10:00]

BLACKWELL: Right.

WARREN: Right? So, how do you really prepare for this?

And then, we look at what we've seen in the past from slow moving storms and strong winds, this could be devastating. Catastrophic flooding is expected with landslides. And here is the storm here. In the Caribbean, south of Cuba, Haiti, the Hispaniola and Jamaica right there, it's getting organized.

It's 70-mile-per-hour tropical storm right now. Another four miles an hour. It's going to be a hurricane. Expected to be a major hurricane. Remember, it only goes up to five. Expected a four, a five is 157 miles an hour, 155 expected by Monday afternoon. Here it is. Saturday morning, and how slow it's going to go. Category 3, Category 4, possibly a Category 5 south of Jamaica. Just lingering there. And the big issue with this, will be the rain, in addition to the strong hurricane, major hurricane force winds.

We are going to see the heavy rain in Haiti as well. We are talking feet of rain over days, a catastrophic situation expected to unfold here in Jamaica as well. The mountains, the terrain gets that much more rain out of the atmosphere, and this is going to be hour after hour, day after day going to see these impacts here. Really scared here for the people in Jamaica.

BLACKWELL: All right, hopefully they can prepare over the, you know, next day or so they had before this really hits. Chris, thanks.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is scheduled to go on trial in late January. This is for the charges of bank fraud and making a false statement to a financial institution.

James pleaded not guilty in her court appearance in Norfolk, Virginia, yesterday. She was defiant in the face of prosecution by President Trump's department of justice. CNN correspondent Kara Scannell was there.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Outside of the courtroom, New York Attorney General Letitia James, emerged a chance of we stand with Tish. Inside the courtroom, there were a number of friends and family members there to support her.

One friend of hers that I spoke to said that the entire back row of the courtroom was filled with family members who were there. And Letitia James entered the courtroom. She looked toward them, she smiled to acknowledge their presence, and then, she entered her plea of not guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution.

Then, the judge got down to business. He set a trial date in this case for January 26th. The prosecution said they initially wanted two weeks to try the case, saying they might call as many as eight to 10 witnesses. The judge said that's not how it works in this district, and he would set aside five days for the trial. But there is a lot of litigation that's going to happen beforehand.

Letitia James' lawyer, Abbe Lowell said he plans to challenge the appointment of Lindsey Halligan. She was Trump's hand-picked choice, and she was in the courtroom today, just sitting a few feet away from Letitia James.

Lowell said he also expects to file a vindictive prosecution motion, as well as trying to get the indictment thrown out by arguing that the allegations in the indictment don't support the charges that she is facing.

So, the judge set several hearings leading up to the trial date. He said that would take about five days. And Letitia James left the courthouse today just on her own signature until she will be back to face these charges. She is on her way back to New York to resume her duties as New York's Attorney General.

Kara Scannell, CNN, Norfolk, Virginia.

BLACKWELL: Morning headlines for you now, a Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine's capital overnight has killed one person, injured 10 more.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched at least nine ballistic missiles and dozens of drones across the country. The attack triggered a rare ballistics threat warning. Officials say firefighters are putting out fires from those attacks.

An investigation is happening now, after five people were shot near Howard University in Washington, D.C., Friday. Police say the victims were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. None of the victims are students at the university. Police say two suspects were taken into custody. Three weapons were recovered at the scene.

The shooting happened as thousands of people were arriving to the University's campus to celebrate homecoming weekend.

The justice department announced it will be sending monitors to both California and New Jersey ahead of elections on November 4th. This decision came after complaints from Republican Party officials in both states. The DOJ says its federal election monitors will be in six counties in California. Voters there will be casting their ballots on a new congressional map that could deliver five additional House seats to Democrats. Now, in New Jersey, voters will be selecting their governor.

The Toronto Blue Jays, they won Game One of the World Series, upsetting the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 20-hit slug fest.

CNN's Andy Scholes is live in Toronto with the puffer jacket on. Andy, good morning to you.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. Good morning, Victor.

You know, it was just a party at the Rogers Centre last night for Game One of the World Series. And one thing is for sure, all those Blue Jays fans in attendance are never going to forget that sixth inning last night.

[07:15:02]

Coming into the inning, it was all tied up at two a piece, and the Blue Jays were able to knock Dodgers' ace Blake Snell out of the game. Then, with the score five to two, Addison Barger, he comes to the plate to pinch hit, and he sends the stadium into a frenzy with a grand slam.

This was the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series' history. And the Jays didn't stop there. Alejandro Kirk then also hit a two-run home run later in the inning. The Blue Jays have a nine-run inning. It was the third most in an inning in World Series' history. Now, Shohei Ohtani would hit his first World Series home run in the next inning, but the Dodgers just never recovered. Blue Jays, they run away with Game One, 11-4 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADDISON BARGER, BASEMAN AND OUTFIELDER, TORONTO BLUE JAYS: I think that's probably as good as it gets.

JOHN SCHNEIDER, MANAGER, BLUE JAYS: Large man, he didn't budge. He was ready to go and hit a mistake pitch. So, that was a little bit more than what we could have hoped for. But that inning to watch those guys navigate, that was pretty cool.

BARGER: Just madness. I mean, the fans are so energetic, and, you know, we really feel it. And yes, I thought we put together a lot of really good at bats, and we made things happen and worked out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, you know, the Blue Jays not just Toronto's team, they are all of Canada's team. And all of their fans, they have been waiting 32 years for a moment like last night. And, you know, Victor, it's just one game, but winning Game One, it's been a good sign lately. 23 of the last 27 teams that took Game One went on to win this series. So, all of the fans here in Toronto certainly optimistic about how this series is now going.

Game Two is going to be tonight, and I tell you what, if they score runs like they did in game one, it's going to be another party there at the Rogers Centre.

BLACKWELL: Listen, you much rather be with the 23 than the four out of those last 27. So, reason to celebrate there in Toronto.

SCHOLES: Oh, yes.

BLACKWELL: Andy Scholes, braving some cool temperatures there this morning. Thank you. We'll check back with you later this hour.

Still to come, American ranchers, they say they are betrayed by President Trump over this plan to import more meat from Argentina. Why they say the plan could bankrupt them?

Also, travelers are feeling the ripple effects of the government shutdown at airports across the country. Maybe you've seen it waiting in those long lines. Transportation officials say the delays may get even worse.

And the gambling scandal that's rocking the NBA has put a spotlight on the rise of legalized betting and its impact on sports.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:22:19] America's cattle ranchers say there is -- they are being betrayed by the Trump administration, specifically, the president. A shrinking cattle supply has meat prices soaring across the country, and to get prices down, the president plans to buy lower priced beef from Argentina. And ranchers here in the U.S. don't like it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL BULLARD, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, R-CALF USA: Consumers will tell us when the beef is too high. I think it's outlandish for the president to come out and say the beef is too high, and he is going to get it down himself.

What is his problem with higher priced beef? Because consumers have a choice in proteins. There is chicken, there's pork, there is all different proteins. Consumers have chose to buy beef.

President Trump ran on being a free market guy, so, what he was saying last week goes totally against what he ran on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Cattle ranchers are worried that the president's plan could bankrupt them. The head of the cattlemen's association says, "A deal of this magnitude with Argentina would undercut the very foundation of our cattle industry."

Let's talk about this now with Joe Maxwell, the chief strategist officer -- a strategy officer for Farm Action.

Joe, good morning to you. So, the White House has announced this quadrupling of the tariff rate quota for Argentine beef, potentially, allowing up to 80,000 metric tons of beef to come in at this lower tax rate. What does that mean for domestic cattle ranchers? Make it plain.

JOE MAXWELL, CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, FARM ACTION: Well, first of all, it would be just like any other business in America. If you have a competitor come in and they dump cheaper product into your market, then, your price is going to go down.

Argentine beef is not the quality of U.S. beef, and it's going to be, by the president of the United States and Secretary Rollins, the USDA Secretary, is going to be dumped into the marketplace head on against America's cattle producers.

BLACKWELL: The president has heard your concerns. I want to play this exchange with a reporter on Air Force One and then get your reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you have to say to U.S. farmers who feel that the deal is benefiting Argentina, more than it is them, as they --

TRUMP: Look, look, Argentina is fighting for its life. They have no money, they have no anything. They are fighting so hard to survive. If I can help them survive in a free world, I happen to like the president of Argentina. I think he is trying to do the best he can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: What's your reaction? The president says he likes the president of Argentina and Argentina is fighting for its life. What do you say?

[07:25:04]

MAXWELL: Well, I think the advisors to the president who has led him about the state of the ranchers in America, the farmers and ranchers that raise cattle. They are fighting for their life. They faced about a decade of low prices. They are struggling to stay in business. They have been in the red financially. And finally, they see a break. They are in the black. And he says it's too high. I'm going to lower the prices.

So, you know, we'd like for him to think about America's ranch families and what he is doing to them.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and let's point out that there is a difference between the meat packers and the cattle ranchers, and these ranchers are the ones who are going to feel the major impact of this importing.

MAXWELL: Absolutely. The issue that the president has been misled on in this marketplace. There is a cattle price, and then, there is a beef price.

Four companies control 85 percent of all the beef in the United States. They almost have a monopolistic control over the beef market.

The president, for whatever reason, is laser focused on taking on the cattle producers in the United States and the price that they receive, and is doing nothing about Brazil's JBS or Brazil's national beef or Cargill or Tyson's efforts to raise beef prices to the consumers.

The gap between what consumers are paying and what the rancher gets continues to spread higher in favor of the packer.

So, that is a great point, and really appreciate you raising it.

BLACKWELL: Let me ask you about the shutdown while I have you. And this is a survey from KFF that finds that more than a quarter, 27 percent of farmers, ranchers, and A.G. managers, rely on the individual market for health insurance, largely the Affordable Care Act. And of course, Democrats say that they are requiring the subsidies be made permanent to get their votes to reopen the government.

What would the end of those subsidies mean for family farmers and ranchers.

MAXWELL: Well, farmers, we already talked about what the president is doing in the cattle market. Trade war with China, has our soybean farmers and other crop growers over ended in the marketplace. And now, 25 to 27 percent of our farmers are, you know, is going to see that they are going to get a hundred percent or more in rural America, those studies indicate that rural citizens will see a higher premium jump than those in the urban, suburban areas.

So, you know, they are panicked. It's just additional financial stress. But then, again, farmers are not being able to access all the programs in order to plan for the planning season next year. So, it's just darned if you do, and darned if you don't, when it comes to the shutdown and struggling to see if they are going to continue the ACA subsidies.

BLACKWELL: All right. Joe Maxwell, thank you so much for your time this morning.

MAXWELL: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right. Coming up, an NBA coach, a player, charged in a mafia-back gambling bus. Now, we are hearing from League insiders.

Also, consumers are saying, boo to chocolate this Halloween.

Still ahead -- I don't know who is, because, I made chocolate this Halloween. What's driving up the cost of some of America's favorite candies?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:32:57]

BLACKWELL: The Miami Heat returned to the court last night for their first game without one of their players, Terry Rozier. Rozier was placed on indefinite leave by the NBA, after being one of 34 people arrested in two separate federal gambling investigations. The probe also led to the arrest of Trailblazers coach, Chauncey Billups and former Cavs player, Damon Jones.

Despite all the backlash, Miami Heat stars and their coach, they say they're standing by Rozier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIK SPOELSTRA, HEAD COACH, MIAMI HEAT: Yes. I mean, obviously, we can't comment on the situation, but Terry, is somebody who is very dear to all of us. He's had a real positive impact on the locker room, and staff and players are alike. And that includes last year when he wasn't in the rotation often times, and we send our thoughts and our care for him as he goes through this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: With me now to discuss, Marc Edelman, he is a law professor and director of sports ethics at Baruch College.

Marc, good to see you. Let me start with -- and I don't even know if you're the right person to ask this question, but you're the person in front of me. So, I'm going to ask. After this game, March 23rd, 2023, that's the center of the Rozier indictment. They say that, you know, he left the game early. A couple of weeks later, he went back with Nero, his friend, and count the thousands of dollars in cash. Thousands, we are talking.

Terry Rozier is going to make $20 million this year. More than $130 million over his career. What's the attraction here for a few thousand here, a few thousand there, when you are talking nine figures over a career?

MARC EDELMAN, LAW PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR OF SPORTS ETHICS, BARUCH COLLEGE: Well, I don't know. When we talk about college sports, where the athletes are historically unpaid, or even if we think about the last time there was a gambling scandal in the NBA involving Jack Molinas in the 1950s, the athletes were not well paid.

Here, it clearly seems that athletes understand or should understand, there is a chance detection and the downside is far greater than the upside.

[07:35:08]

But, at least in the case of Jontay Porter, which came out last season, it seemed as if he himself had racked up very large gambling debts, and there was pressure on him to do this to repay the debts, at least as public accounts of the matter go.

BLACKWELL: These gambling platforms with the micro bets and prop bets, they have infiltrated sports, and you can bet on almost anything. Is this an inflection point, at which the league and the team owners will take a moment to reflect, or do you expect they are just making so much money that something like this is kind of already factored in as a possibility?

EDELMAN: Well, the NBA, if you go back to Adam Silver's op-ed in New York Times, which is now coming up on, upwards of 10 years ago, it was clear that there was a deliberate policy from the league to move towards being open to gambling, or at least legal forms of gambling.

Should the leagues be doing greater reflection? Of course. One thing that always has stood out to me is not that the U.S. professional sports leagues have partnered up with sports gambling, because we've seen the same thing happen in England and Australia far earlier.

But what really has surprised me is the speed with which they did it. And I am not sure if all the risks were fully calculated in the first instance because of the opportunity of very large payouts through selling sports statistics and selling advertising time to sports gambling.

Should the leagues do a more -- a more thorough search? Of course. Do we need more training for players, and do we need more policies for players to come forward if they are asked to do things that are inappropriate? Of course. But at the same time, it's hard to imagine this precise moment will be the inflection point when Jontay Porter was not last year. BLACKWELL: Yes. You say a more thorough search. And I should say, it should go without saying, but I'm saying anyway, that everyone who is indicted this week is innocent until proven guilty.

After that March 23rd, 2023 game, in which Terry Rozier left the game after about 10 minutes, and there were concerns about some unusual sports betting. A League spokesman said, quote -- this was earlier this year. "In March 2023, the NBA was alerted to unusual betting activity related to Rozier's performance in a game between Charlotte and New Orleans. The league conducted an investigation and did not find a violation of NBA rules.

Again, innocent until proven guilty. But what informs exoneration there, and then, indictment by DOJ?

EDELMAN: Well, first, indictment by the jury, just as you had mentioned, is not the finding of guilt. It's simply the finding that the matter can move forward.

Certainly, the DOJ might have greater investigative tools, including subpoena tools, which the NBA, as a private association, does not. On the other hand, I'm reluctant to make any conclusions about Clifford Rozier's involvement in this at this point in time.

I think the bigger issue is the fact that would one have predicted it was going to be Clifford Rozier and this week, that it would come out? Of course not. And is Clifford Rozier guilty at this point? Of course not.

The bigger issue to me is with the propagation of prop betting and the amount of money that's involved. It would have been reasonable to presume, at some point, some player would get caught up in something like this.

And it is reasonably likely that this will not be the final of these issues that we see involving professional sports.

BLACKWELL: Let me talk about college sports now, because next week, college athletes and athletic department staff, they will be allowed to bet on professional sports, not college sports. They will be allowed to bet on professional sports.

Chair of the Division II Management Council said, "This change recognizes the realities of today's sports environment without compromising our commitment to protecting the integrity of college competition or the well-being of student athletes."

Are you as confident as she is?

EDELMAN: I'm not confident with anything nowadays. When it comes to the NCAA. This is a trade association of member colleges that have been speaking out of both sides of the mouth for a very long time.

At the same point in time, when NCAA policy was that athletes cannot bet on any sport, including professional sports, there have been several colleges, including the University of Colorado and LSU, that have had partnerships with sports books. Sports books advertise on campus.

[07:40:02]

In one case, there was a school where the sports book was provided access to e-mails of the student body, and they were able to solicit to them directly.

So, what I think is going on here is two or three different things together. The pronounced one is, how does a college that is directly profiting from sports betting, both through sponsorships, and they are moving towards selling sports statistics to the sports books, tell their athletes that they can't bet in any form?

And second, there is actually beginning to be some type of recognition that college sports is professionalized and is commercial. A greater share of college athletes are now over the age of 21, and the NCAA can't regulate everything. In fact, frankly, they should be trying to regulate a lot less than they are.

BLACKWELL: All right. Mark Edelman, thanks so much. Enjoy the Saturday.

Still to come, some TSA agents and air traffic controllers report being frustrated and afraid as the government shutdown drags on. How that fatigue could be causing problems at your local airport?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:45:51]

BLACKWELL: Transportation secretary Sean Duffy says that travelers will likely experience more flight delays as this government shutdown enters its 25th day. There have been 222 staffing shortages reported since the start of the shutdown. That's more than four times the number reported on the same dates last year.

America's 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA agents are showing up to work and facing the almost certainty that they will not be paid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OKSANA KELLY, TSA WORKER: There is going to be a lot less people coming in as people going to be running out of money, people going to be running out of money for child care. Somebody have to sit at home with those kids. And if I have nowhere to leave my kids, how am I going to come to work?

It's just hard. It's hard to explain to my 6 years old why we can't go to, you know, full festivals. Why we have to save money to pay mortgage, because, you know, mortgage does not take IOUs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The National Retail Federation, reports that nearly 80 percent of Americans expect to -- expect to pay more to celebrate Halloween this year. And if they are hoping for some chocolate treats, they are not wrong. For several reasons, chocolate prices are also going up.

CNN's Anna Cooban, reports.

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: This Halloween, trick or treaters may be in for a fright. Chocolate is particularly expensive, and this is due to many reasons.

Firstly, the price of cocoa, the essential component of chocolate skyrocketed in 2023 and 2024. And some of the chocolate on shelves now will have been made with that pricey cocoa.

Add to that, poor harvests in major cocoa producing regions like Ghana and the Ivory Coast and tariffs in the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump has slapped 50 percent duties on aluminum imports.

Many chocolate bars are, of course, wrapped in aluminum foil. You then have the perfect storm for a frighteningly pricey Halloween. But then, how have chocolate makers responded?

Well, some have reduced the cocoa content in their products, while others have opted to shrinkflat, in other words, reduce the amount of product for sale, but keeping the same price.

On top of all of this are changing preferences among younger consumers. With many opting to buy gummies, sweets, and sour candies over chocolate.

So, this Halloween may also have a different flavor than in years past. Anna Cooban, CNN, London.

BLACKWELL: All right. Still ahead, the Blue Jays flip the script, taken down the Dodgers in Game One of the World Series. We're live from Toronto next.

And Attorney General Dana Nessel and comedian Paula Poundstone join as guests this week on "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU". That's tonight at 9:00 on CNN.

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[07:53:09]

BLACKWELL: L.A. Dodgers were a heavy favorite to win this World Series, but you couldn't tell in Game One.

Let's go to Andy Scholes now. Toronto, the fans are still celebrating, I'm sure.

SCHOLES: Yes, right. It may be, Victor, I tell you what. And there is a trend that's very good news if you are a Blue Jays fan. So, there have been five World Series where one team is coming in after a sweep in the League Championship Series, taking on a team that needed seven games to win their LCS in all four of the previous instances. The team that needed seven games won the World Series. So, that's good news for the Blue Jays, and they were certainly able to keep up the momentum from the LCS in Game One last night. They just blew the doors open of this game in the sixth-inning.

Addison Barger hit -- had the hit of the game. He came through with the first ever pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history. The Jays scored nine runs in the sixth. It was the third most in an inning in the World Series ever.

The stadium, just a party after that. Blue Jays would end up winning 11-4. And Dalton bar show, who hit a game tying home run in the fourth inning, well, he was asked afterwards if this was a statement win.

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DAULTON VARSHO, OUTFIELDER AND CATCHER, TORONTO BLUE JAYS: We just played our game. We didn't try to do anything more, and honestly, we just showed everybody what we can do as a lineup. And just one of those games where you got to move on tomorrow, because they're going to come at us pretty hard, so, you got to be able to turn the page really quick and trust ourselves and be able to do the same thing.

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SCHOLES: All right. Meanwhile, in the NBA, Wemby and Zion were squaring off last night.

In the first quarter, Zion with a slam over Wemby. He was all pumped up after that. But Wemby would get his revenge blocking Zion multiple times throughout this game, and Wembanyama, another stellar performance, 29 points, 11 rebounds, nine blocks. Spurs, 2 and 0. They beat the Pelicans in overtime, 120 to 116.

[07:55:01]

In L.A., Luka Doncic, continuing his incredible start to the season. He had 32 points in the first half against the T-Wolves. He finished with 49. Luka, joining Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Anthony Davis, is the only players ever to start a season with back-to-back 40-point games. His Lakers beat Minnesota, 128 to 110.

Meanwhile, here in Toronto, Victor, I tell you what, it was a scene leaving the stadium last night. I mean, all the cars were honking in the streets. People were partying. You would have thought maybe the Blue Jays won the World Series, but they had waited 32 years for a moment like that. I can't wait to see what's in store Game Two tonight here in Toronto.

BLACKWELL: Andy Scholes from a beautiful Toronto. Thank you very much.

"FIRST OF ALL," is coming up at the top of the hour. A 16-year-old is in Chicago. She is fighting cancer, and she has this message for immigration officials after her father was arrested.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OFELIA TORRES, BATTLING CANCER, RHABDOMYOSARCOMA: You guys are targeting the wrong people. You guys are targeting hard working fathers, mothers, kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: You'll hear more from Ofelia Torres. And the family's lawyer is here to react to a new ruling in her father's case.

Plus, hear President Trump's less than 10-word answer to a question about funding food stamps, as we're just week away -- one week away now, from 10s of millions losing a lifeline.

And later, why a social media content creator says, A.I. stole her face?

Those stories and conversations you likely won't hear anywhere else after a short break on "FIRST OF ALL".