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Trump in Japan as U.S. Reaches Tentative Trade Deal with China; Hurricane Melissa Strengthens into a Rare Category 5 Storm; French Police Arrest Two Men Suspected in Louvre Heist; Palestinians Returning to Find Their Homes & Lives Destroyed; New York Mayor's Race Sees Massive Turnout in Early Voting. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired October 27, 2025 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Donald Trump is in Japan seeking to cement trade deals and build alliances while on a tour of Asia. It is
10:00 p.m. in Tokyo, 09:00 a.m. here in New York City. I'm Erica Hill. Thanks for joining me on "Connect the World". I'm in for Becky Anderson.
Also, ahead this hour, mandatory evacuations in place across Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa takes aim at the island and could strike as one of the
strongest storms to ever hit Jamaica. Police in France making multiple arrests after that brazen daytime heist at the Louvre making one of those
arrests just in the nick of time.
And the race for New York's Mayor entering its final stretch, early voting now under way. Well, the stock market in New York set to open, of course,
in just about 30 minutes from now, and the picture at this hour, it looks bright. Futures have been steadily in positive territory following that
news of a potential China-U.S. trade truce.
So, we're certainly looking at a higher start to the week. The announcement of a framework for U.S.-China trade deal coming on U.S. President Donald
Trump's three nation tour of Asia. He is now in Japan, where he arrived earlier today, meeting with the Japanese Emperor at the Imperial Palace
just a short time ago.
He is also set to sit down for Japan, with Japan's newly elected prime minister on Tuesday. What may be the biggest trip, though of this meeting
comes later in the week in South Korea, an expected summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. CNN's Hanako Montgomery is in Tokyo with the very
latest for us.
So, in terms of where things stand this morning, this obviously an important meeting earlier today. But the real focus in Japan, of course, is
with this upcoming meeting with the prime minister.
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erica, you're absolutely right. Of course, all eyes are on this meeting that the U.S. President Donald
Trump is expected to have with the newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Now this will be a huge diplomatic test for her, because
she actually doesn't have a lot of foreign policy experience.
And of course, this meeting with Trump is very, very consequential for her country. The U.S. is Japan's closest ally and its most important ally.
Right now, they are experiencing a few tensions and a few problems in regards to trade, but it seems as though the two leaders will likely get
along.
Both are quite conservative. They share some personal and political values. And Trump also seemed to have pretty complimentary things to say about her
aboard Air Force One earlier on Monday. Give this a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I look forward to meeting the new prime minister. I hear phenomenal things. She was a great
ally and friend of Shinzo Abe, who was my friend, the former prime minister. And he was great.
He was one of my best. He was one of the best the group. He was one of the best, really best. And I know they were very close. And I think
philosophically they were close, which is good. It's going to be very good. That really helps Japan and the United States. I think she's going to be
great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MONTGOMERY: Now, Erica, as you heard him, talk about Shinzo Abe there, of course, Abe and Trump did have a very good relationship, helped in part for
their shared love of golf. Now, Takaichi will likely look to lean into that, given that she also had a very close relationship with Abe before he
was assassinated back in 2022.
Abe was actually her mentor. They were lawmakers in the same ruling party, and also, she even served in Abe's Cabinet when he was the prime minister.
So again, she will likely lean into that relationship that she had with Abe. My sources tell me that she might even gift him golden golf balls, and
actually a golf club that Trump reportedly used when he would make the rounds with Abe.
Now also at this bilateral summit, Erica, what will be discussed is trade, and the trade agreement that Japan and the United States now have. So right
now, of course, there are certain tariff agreements in place, but there are lots of questions about this 550 billion U.S. dollar investment that Japan
has pledged to make.
Right now, we don't actually have that many details about where that money is going to go, how that money will be spent, but it's a huge sum for
Japan. It's more than a 10th of Japan's entire annual economy. So, experts tell me that we could see the two sides talk about the details of this
trade agreement, try to hash out any remaining details that need to be answered.
Now, also at this bilateral summit, Erica, we can expect defense to be discussed. Trump has long pushed for Japan and other U.S. allies to spend
more on defense, and Japan has pledged to boost defense spending to 2 percent of its GDP by 2027.
[09:05:00]
Now, Takaichi, importantly, actually moved up that deadline to march 2026. And experts tell me this is likely to meant to appease Trump and appeal to
him that Takaichi and Trump do indeed see eye to eye. They are philosophically quite similar, especially again, in relation to Abe, which,
of course, Trump did have a very, very good relationship when he was prime minister, Erica.
HILL: Absolutely. Hanako, appreciate it. Thank you. Well ahead of Trump's next stop in South Korea, the president is trying to soothe some anger over
that U.S. immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia. This was, of course, early last month when nearly 500 people, the majority of them South
Korean nationals, were detained by I.C.E. agents, most ultimately returned to South Korea.
Following that, though South Korea's President openly expressed concern about future investment in the United States. President Trump telling
reporters today he is, quote, very much opposed to how the raid was handled and indicated the workers could return to the United States.
The president says he is open, meantime, to extending his Asia trip to meet with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un telling reporters on Air Force One he
got along great with Kim when they first met during the president's first term. It's important to note, no talks are planned at this moment.
We are keeping a very close eye on hurricane Melissa. It is now a massive Category 5 storm headed for a direct hit on the southern section of
Jamaica. Jamaica, though already feeling the effects of the storm. You can see just how massive it is in those images there, tropical storm force
winds, heavy rainfall already hitting the area.
Melissa is expected to be the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall on the Caribbean Island nation. And it has the potential to cause
catastrophic damage and destruction. The Jamaican government issuing mandatory evacuation orders for several vulnerable coastal communities
ahead of this storm.
CNN Meteorologist Chris Warren is following all these developments for us. Not only is it massive, but it is incredibly slow moving. And I know that
is part of the concern as well, Chris.
CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. In particular, Erica, because of the rainfall that will ultimately come with all of this. And at the end of
the day, a Category 4 or a 5 in terms of wind, will do the same damage, catastrophic damage. And this storm here, in relationship to the size of
Jamaica.
Think of that. The purple here, all this purple is that very heavy tropical rain, and you can get some serious flash flooding if this were to move
quickly, but it's not. It's going to be moving fast. So, the devastation and catastrophic flooding is one component of this. And of course, the wind
as well.
So, a 4 or 5 in terms of wind, it's not going to make much difference. The damage will be done for the winds, the slow-moving nature of it. Here's one
o'clock in the morning. It's still offshore, has not made landfall yet. And think about this, landfall is essentially like halftime.
So, it will be awful, be nightmare situation leading up to landfall and continuing afterwards. The amount of rain coming in the mountainous terrain
here of Jamaica will be coming down in a big way, mudslides, landslides certainly a possibility, if not a likelihood. And now to the duration of
this, think about this here's five o'clock this evening, and this is Jamaica right here.
It's really going downhill. Still going leading up to midnight and overnight sometime before sunrise is again talking about that halftime is
when it's going to make landfall, and then continuing beyond here two o'clock in the afternoon before it finally gets offshore. So, we're looking
at a good 18 hours or so of horrific conditions.
You can drive from New York City to Miami in about 18 or 19 hours. And that's about how long Jamaica is going to be in some of the worst of the
worst. I mentioned the terrain. So, the terrain, the lift the air flowing into the mountains, going up, gets more rain, more moisture out of the
atmosphere.
And you can really see here this kind of profile of Jamaica, that fine line right there. So as all the water is draining out, draining out of the
mountains, and say, through some of the gullies and through the streams and creeks here in Kingston, the hurricane will be pushing that sea water this
way.
So, while you could see more than nine feet well above my head, above high tide, normal high tide, going up some of these streams and goalies, water
is trying to get out and drain, but now, essentially the sea is higher, so that water is going to spread out. This is a very nasty situation.
Another way to look at that, you can see, here's the center of the storm again, here's Jamaica with all the mountains, and it's this side. There's
the counterclockwise swirl. The winds go counterclockwise around a hurricane. And so, the water, the sea water, is going to be pushing in
again, while at the same time, Erica, that rain is falling in the mountains and trying to get out of the mountains, but meeting the sea, which is now
going to be higher, very, very dangerous and unfortunate situation is going to unfold tonight.
[09:10:00]
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. All right, Chris, appreciate it. Thank you. I know continue to keep an eye on that and keep us posted. We turn our attention
now to Paris, where police say they have two men in custody who are suspected of last week's brazen break in at the Louvre Museum.
Authorities say one was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport while attempting to leave the country. BFMTV reporting, authorities managed to
track these two who were arrested down using DNA. The stolen crown jewels, it's important to note, are worth tens of millions of dollars.
CNN's Melissa Bell joining me now, a lot of questions about where those crown jewels may be before we get to that. Though, Melissa, in terms of
these two suspects who are now in custody, how were they able to track them down?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we understand is that police, this is a BRB unit of French police that are
specialized in these things. You'll remember, Erica, 100 investigators have been working on this case over the course of the last more than week now.
Since this was a week ago on Sunday that this brazen heist took place in just seven minutes at the Louvre Museum. We understand they've been
following these men for several days. We understand also that the two arrested on Saturday were actually known to police before.
So that will have helped them a great deal to have had their DNA and their databases as they scoured through so much of the evidence that was left
behind. What we understand is that they had been hoping to catch arrest rather all four suspects that they believed to be behind this heist.
They were four men they were looking for, remember at once, but it was the fact that one of them headed to Charles de Gaulle hoping to get on flight
to Algeria. And their fears that another was preparing to flee to Mali that forced them to act when they did so, arresting those two suspects ahead of
the others.
They can now hold them until Wednesday as they try to connect so much of the evidence that they found on the scene to the men. Here is what a
criminologist told us a short while ago about what we have been able to understand about the nature of this crime and what was left behind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAIN BAEUR, FRENCH CRIMINOLOGIST: -- like more than 150 traces of a lot of various things, DNA, hairs, fingerprints. There's a lot of things that are
collected. And yes, but this part is just the end of the operation. Everything else was very pretty well conceived, but the escape was the
worst part because of the arrival of the police, the move by the guards and the ability of one citizen to intervene, to save the truck from the fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: You remember, Erica, that the truck that they had used with this mechanical lift they had tried to set a light before fleeing on those
scooters. So, you know what he says there, which is interesting, and the one of the theories that police are going on is that there may be the four
men that they were looking for, two of whom they believe they arrested.
They are known to police. They had been involved in burglaries before, but they are still working on the theory that the commission for this theft may
have come from elsewhere, because, as you were hearing its planning was incredibly, remarkably well thought through. It was the execution that was
more botched than it might have been, Erica.
HILL: Yeah, really something, well as I appreciate it. Thank you. Still ahead here with a ceasefire in place in Gaza, joy mixed with understandable
grief as displaced Palestinians return home or to what is left, many finding it only destruction and loss as thousands remain missing beneath
the rubble.
Plus, a surge of voters heading to the polls in New York City. As CNN sits down with the mayoral race front runner That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:15:00]
HILL: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will decide which countries can take part in the New International Stabilization Force in
Gaza, that force would handle security efforts in the enclave under the U.S. backed peace plan. Now this comes as Red Cross officials met with
Hamas on Sunday to discuss finding the remains of 13 deceased Israeli hostages.
Sources also telling CNN, Israel has approved a request to allow an Egyptian team with tools and equipment to enter Gaza and assist in the
efforts to locate the bodies. U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, meantime, says an Israeli strike on Gaza Saturday did not violate the
ceasefire.
The IDF says that strike was targeting a Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant who is planning to carry out an imminent attack against Israeli troops.
With this fragile ceasefire in place, displaced Palestinians have been returning to their homes in Gaza, though many are returning to find their
communities completely unrecognizable, their homes destroyed after two years of war.
And CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports, some are left searching for closure with loved ones still lost beneath the rubble.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This rubble stands as a testament to so much loss for Rafiq Deeb (ph), it is also where
he feels closest to his family. One by one, he greets his wife and four children, recalling how on this day of Friday they would be sitting down
together for lunch.
I came to unburden myself to you, Rafiq (ph) says. But he hasn't just come here because this is where they were killed nearly two years after Israel
bombed their home. This is where their bodies are still buried. I want to take you out and bury you in graves and come visit you, Rafiq (ph) says,
instead of visiting you while you are under the rubble.
Rafiq's (ph) wife and children are among more than 10,000 people whose bodies are still trapped beneath mounds of concrete and twisted metal.
According to Gaza's Civil Defense, thousands whose deaths have yet to be recorded in the health ministry's toll of more than 68,000 killed in Gaza.
The ceasefire gave families like Rafiq's (ph) hope that they could soon give their loved ones a dignified burial. But two weeks in Gaza's civil
defense, armed only with crude equipment, has recovered fewer than 500 bodies, mostly in open or easy to reach locations. We are talking about
bodies under the rubble of tall buildings.
Concrete masses exceeding 50 million tons of debris are on people's bodies, leftover debris mounting to about 70,000 tons located in various areas of
the strip, says Mahmoud Bassal Gaza's Civil Defense spokesman. To deal with them, we need capabilities and tools and teams able to handle these events.
Some of that heavy machinery entered Gaza during the previous ceasefire, but Israel targeted much of it when it returned to war. New machinery is
now entering Gaza once again, but at least for now, these excavators are intended to retrieve the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages, not
Palestinians.
Rafiq (ph) is now pleading with the world to supply Gaza with the tools to dig out his children so that he may bury them. Your son grows up before
you. You rejoice in him, and you tell yourself he will support me when I grow old. And suddenly everything disappears from your life. One father
among so many, waiting for rubble to be cleared and the closure it could bring. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Argentine President Javier Milei is vowing to push ahead with what he calls necessary reform. That's after his party claimed a significant
victory in midterm elections on Sunday. CNN's Ivan Sarmenti has this report from Buenos Aires on the election and also what it means for President
Milei.
[09:20:00]
IVAN SARMENTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This Sunday, Argentines went to the polls to renew Congress and President Javier Milei's party came out on top with
more than 40 percent of the vote, including key districts like Buenos Aires Province, which is home to nearly 40 percent of Argentina's population.
Milei's party had lost in this province during last September's local elections by a margin of 13 percent. These elections were seen as a kind of
plebiscite on Milei's Administration. Even Donald Trump had endorsed him, offering a $20 billion bailout to stabilize the peso exchange rate.
However, Trump also warned that his support might be withdrawn if Milei lost. But Milei's goal was to secure at least one seat of Congress, enough
to preserve the presidential veto over bills that the government opposes. In the end, he surpassed that goal. In contrast, Peronist, which was
encouraged by its landslide victory in Buenos Aires Province last September, was hoping for a better performance, at least a draw, but they
lost even there, where they traditionally win.
For Milei, this Sunday's result was a crucial moment for the future of his political and economic agenda. And in the end, the results were better than
many had expected. Ivan Sarmenti, CNN, Buenos Aires.
HILL: Turning now to New York City's mayoral race, the city saw a record number of voters for the first weekend of early voting. Election officials
say more than 164,000 people casting their ballots. The front runner, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani rallying his supporters in Queens on
Sunday with the slogan, New York is not for sale.
A dig at vocal wealthy New Yorkers, alongside him, New York Congresswoman Alexandria, Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Joining me
now CNN's Gloria Pazmino, who has been very closely following this race. And Gloria, you were, of course, at that rally last night, and you spoke
with Mamdani ahead of the rally. What more did he tell you as he enters this final stretch?
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Erica, you know, I have to say I have been covering politics here in New York City for several years.
I've covered three mayoral administrations, four mayoral races, and I have never seen these types of rallies and large-scale events around a mayoral
election before.
There were more than 10,000 people that packed into that stadium yesterday to watch Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Zohran Mamdani,
very much trying to, you know, show themselves as the liberal leading part of the party, the left wing of the party.
They talked about this election in stark terms. They said that the whole world was watching that President Donald Trump was watching. Zohran Mamdani
speaking directly to the president from stage last night, encouraging his supporters to continue to go out and canvas.
He also told them not to take the double-digit lead that he's got currently in the polls as any sort of guarantee. And what we've seen in the last
three days, since early voting started over this past weekend is that the early voter turnout has just exploded over the last three days, in
comparison to the last time, we had a mayoral election in which early voting was available.
So that is very interesting. We won't know who those people are turning out for just yet. But I spoke to Mamdani ahead of the rally, specifically about
this whole question of how he's going to deal with President Donald Trump. Donald Trump, who frequently refers to him as a communist, who has
threatened cutting funding from the City of New York if he is elected.
This is what Mamdani had to say about how he'll use his administration and his legal power if he's elected.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NEW YORK MAYORAL CANDIDATE: And so, I've said time and again. While I have fundamental disagreements with President Trump on a
wide variety of issues, if he wants to get on the phone to talk about anything that would be to the benefit of New Yorkers, I will always pick
up. I will always have that conversation.
What marks me as distinct from Andrew Cuomo or Eric Adams is I won't be having a conversation at the expense of New York. I won't be having a
conversation about myself. And so that means you're ready to fight in public, if necessary, but you're ready to pick up the phone in private as
well, because what New Yorkers really want is results, and that's what I'll be focused on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAZMINO: Now Erica, I've asked him specifically what he could do if he was mayor to stop some of the actions we've seen from the federal government
here in New York City in the past few days, particularly the immigration enforcement that we have seen significantly scale up.
And he talked about really relying on the city's legal powers as well as the NYPD to make sure that they are not cooperating or collaborating with
the federal government in any way. So, you know, he has a few days left in this election. As I said, he asked his supporters not to take it for
granted.
He certainly, himself is not taking it for granted. He told me he is feeling confident about this election.
[09:25:00]
He thinks he can and will win, but he told me that he will be campaigning until the very last second, Erica.
HILL: All right, and I know this will keep you very busy for the next several days. Gloria, appreciate it. Thank you. Let's get you up to speed
now. Some of the other stories on our radar, a U.S. Navy destroyer docking in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday. The U.S. says it is there for joint
military training, but neighboring Venezuela calls it provocation.
Trinidad and Tobago has been supportive of the Trump Administration, strikes on alleged drug votes in the area. After meeting with U.S. -- the
U.S. President on Sunday, Brazil's President said he is convinced his country will soon strike a trade deal with the U.S.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he had a very good meeting with Mr. Trump. The two meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia. Direct
flights between India and China resuming now, after more than five years. The flights were suspended during the coronavirus pandemic, and that
suspension was kept in place due to clashes in the Himalayan border region.
The two nuclear armed countries are reaching an agreement last fall on military disengagement in the area. Coming up here, U.S. and Chinese
officials say they have reached an outline for a tentative trade agreement. I'll speak with a Former U.S. Trade Negotiator on what is in that deal and
whether it's sustainable.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Welcome back. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Thanks for joining me here on "Connect the World". Here are your headlines. U.S. President Donald
Trump is in Japan meeting the emperor a short time ago before he sits down with the newly elected prime minister on Tuesday.
On the first leg of his Asia trip in Malaysia, the U.S. Treasury Secretary announcing the U.S. and China have agreed on a substantial framework for a
trade deal. The Jamaican government issuing mandatory evacuation orders for several coastal communities ahead of hurricane Melissa, the massive
Category 5 storm is expected to make a direct hit on the Southern Coast of Jamaica early Tuesday.
Forecasters say the island nation is already feeling the effects of the storm with intense wind and heavy rain. Voters in Argentina have made way
for President Javier Milei to forge ahead with his radical overhaul of the economy. Milei's party cruising to victory Sunday in the country's midterm
parliamentary elections.
That win coming is a relief to Milei, whose poll numbers have sagged in recent weeks amid widespread discontent with his deep austerity measures.
Millions of Americans who rely on food assistance may not receive their benefits starting next month, really starting this weekend.
If the government shutdown continues, the U.S. Department of Agriculture saying it will not use its $6 billion contingency fund to cover SNAP
benefits, or what was commonly known as food stamps.
[09:30:00]
More than 42 million Americans rely on those programs a number of them, low-income Americans, seniors and also people with disabilities. There you
have it the opening bell on Wall Street trading officially underway on this Monday morning. Futures, as we noted earlier, all in the positive on heels
of this framework for a U.S.-China trade deal.
We'll watch to see how the markets react. Now that we are officially in the trading day. Markets rallying, as I noted about that news of a framework
for the U.S. and China. Framework for that trade deal this ahead of President Trump's meeting with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping this week. Here
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout with more.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. and China have reached a framework for a trade deal ahead of a highly anticipated meeting between
the U.S. President Donald Trump and the Chinese Leader Xi Jinping. Now, a top Chinese official says, quote, a preliminary consensus has been reached.
Now on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in KL over the weekend, we heard from the U.S. Treasury Secretary.
Scott Bessent said that he expects China to delay export controls on rare earth minerals for a year. Earlier, Donald Trump has threatened to impose
new 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods in response to China's curbs on rare earths. In Malaysia, Trump was confident, saying that he expects a
deal, but the Chinese are a bit more cautious. Now this is what we heard from China's top trade negotiator, Li Chenggang on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LI CHENGGANG, CHINESE INTERNATIONAL TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: The U.S. position has been tough, whereas China has been firm in defending its own interests
and rights. Over the past, more than a day's time, we have experienced very intense consultations and engaged in constructive exchanges and exploring
solutions and arrangements to address these concerns.
The two sides have reached preliminary consensus on these issues, and next, we are each going to go through our domestic internal approval processes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Rare earths have been a major sticking point in the U.S.-China trade war, and China dominates the global supply. Rare earths are in everything
from your phone, your TV, your electric car. They're also in fighter jets, missiles and drones. And in addition to rare earths, U.S. and Chinese
officials say that they discussed other issues, including fentanyl, including U.S. port entrance fees and TikTok.
Now Bessent said that the U.S. and China reached a quote final deal on TikTok and that Trump and Xi would quote, consummate the deal when they
meet at APEC in South Korea on Thursday. And China has yet to confirm that the two leaders will meet. Kristie Lu Stout CNN, Hong Kong.
HILL: News of this potential deal between the U.S. and China, as we were noting, having a positive impact on the markets. Here's a look at the Asian
markets, Tokyo, South Korea, Hong Kong, all closing higher this Monday. Wendy Cutler is a Former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative who is joining us
now live from Tokyo.
Wendy, it's good to have you here. So, we saw those numbers. I thought what was really important, too, we can't forget, as Kristie Lu Stout just noted
at the end of her report there, is that China has yet to confirm this, meaning that there is so much focus on between President Trump and
President Xi Jinping.
How much of that do you believe is potentially China trying to hold on to some leverage here, or exert a little bit of leverage?
WENDY CUTLER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AT THE ASIA SOCIETY POLICY INSTITUTE: I mean, it definitely could be that. From day one, our president has been a
lot more into this meeting than China has. But frankly, after this past weekend's meeting between Secretary Bessent and his counterpart. I'm
confident the two sides will meet and will announce what I would call a truce.
I don't see this as a trade deal. I see it more as a series of individual announcements that will help de-escalate tensions between the two
countries.
HILL: So, some of those announcements will report to be related to rare- earth, rare-earth minerals, and also to soybeans. When you look at what we have a sense of will be in that, that truth, as you say, this framework
that Secretary Bessent referred to it. What is your sense in terms of just how durable perhaps these agreements could be moving forward?
CUTLER: Yeah, I mean, that's a great question, we've already seen twice since Trump's taken office, of an escalation followed by a de-escalation.
And so, I'm not confident that this deal is going to stick for the next 3.5 years. If anything, I think it will stick as long as there's plans for the
president to visit China sometime in early 2026 but what we've seen, and we continue to see, that, you know, issues rate gets raised, and China
responds, and the U.S. responds.
So, I think we're still in for a bumpy ride ahead during the remainder of the administration with China.
[09:35:00]
HILL: So, as we buckle up for that ride with China ahead. What interesting is, you know, one would imagine this push right over the course of this
trip for the president, for other countries with whom those deals may not have been finalized, for there to be a moment where they could either
announce a signing or announce an agreement, and tie it into this trip when the president is in the region.
When it comes to those deals, how lasting could they be, in your sense?
CUTLER: Well, so the president did announce important trade agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia just yesterday, and he's expecting to announce other
deals with other Southeast Asian countries and other countries as well. And so also these deals again, for the time being, they're going to work.
But what we've seen with other countries that if they do something that the president doesn't like, they maybe just faced with another tariff threat.
And when you put on top of that, these section 232, sectoral tariffs that may be rolled out in the coming weeks and months. It does suggest that
these trade disputes with other countries and trade tensions are going to continue.
HILL: Yeah, you're there in Tokyo, the president set to meet with newly elected prime minister. Tomorrow will be their first face to face meeting.
He has spoken fairly glowingly of her in comments leading up to this meeting, and specifically of her close relationship, which she had with
Shinzo Abe.
Of course, he was very fond of the Former Japanese Prime Minister. How much business do you think will actually happen at that meeting, as opposed to
this being more of a get to know you?
CUTLER: I think it will be a combination of both. There's a real excitement here in Tokyo about the visit and a real confidence that their new prime
minister is going to do a really good job and develop a personal rapport with Trump. She's also apparently prepared to announce some new Japanese
purchases of agriculture trucks and other goods.
And I expect that the two sides may announce some projects that they've agreed to as part of this $550 billion investment fund that has been
announced. So again, combination of both.
HILL: Yeah, and before I let you go, Wednesday, the president makes his way to South Korea. He is set to meet with the president. The relationship
between these two countries has been a little strained following that raid in Georgia. Hundreds of South Korean workers were detained at the Hyundai
plant there.
Ultimately went back to South Korea, the president spoke about. I just want to play a little bit of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You were opposed to the way that raid in Georgia was handled?
TRUMP: I was opposed to getting them out. And in fact, before they got out, they were pretty well set. But before they get out, I said they could say
they went, they left, and they're going to be coming back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Those comments, definitely interesting. Raising some eyebrows. How do you think that will play in to these trade negotiations?
CUTLER: Yeah, so look this visa incident with Korean workers in Georgia has really had a chilling effect on Koreans wanting to come over and work in
these new plants that are being built, and so this is going to impact the relationship. On top of it, the two sides, it's very unclear whether
they'll be able to announce a concluded trade deal between the two of them, because, unlike Japan, Korea is reluctant to agree to a multibillion-dollar
investment fund with the United States.
HILL: Yeah. Well, lots to watch for. Really appreciate you joining us, Wendy. Thanks for your expertise.
CUTLER: Thank you.
HILL: Well, it is only October, but turns out, we may already know the next Premier League Champions why Arsenal's win this weekend was especially
important in the team's quest to end a two-decade title drought.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:40:00]
HILL: Arsenal's win over Crystal Palace on Sunday stretching their lead to four points atop the table. The squad looking to capture a first Premier
League title for the club, first since way back in 2004. Amanda Davies has more. So, Amanda, Arsenal, known by rival fans, as a team that can't seal
the deal. Could this year really be different?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: I mean, we're 9 games in. There's still 29 to go. It's a little bit early to be calling it, but there is some momentum
building. And it's not just the fact that Arsenal has a much-expanded improved squad of players this year. It's the fact they're not conceding
goals.
It's the way they're scoring goals, and it's the performance of the big teams that have been their closest rivals in recent seasons, defending
champions Liverpool, four games lost in a row, Manchester City struggling as well. So, I think it's a quiet confidence building from Arsenal and
their fans, another one-nil victory like Arsenal of the old days, one-nil to the Arsenal.
But we'll be talking a little bit more about what it means and whether it's too early to be talking about them finally getting their hands on t Premier
League trophy in just a couple of minutes in "World Sport".
HILL: We look forward to. We'll see you momentarily for "World Sport". And I will be back with you, of course, at the top of the hour with more news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
[10:00:00]
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