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Trump's Trade Deal with China Could Be Signed "Pretty Soon"; U.S. and Chinese Presidents Agree to Lower Tariffs, Ease Trade Tensions; Trump Tells Pentagon to Test Nuclear Weapons "On Equal Basis" with Russia and China; Jamaica Faces Long Recovery after Deadly Hurricane Melissa; U.S. Senators Work behind the Scenes to End U.S. Shutdown; Yosemite and Other U.S. Parks Left to the Wild with Lack of Staff; Rest of Louvre crown jewels Relocated for Safekeeping; Blue Jays Wallop Dodgers 6-1 in Game 5, Lead Series 3-2. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired October 30, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND U.S. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thanks for joining me here for the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill in
for Becky Anderson, joining you from New York.
U.S. presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping find a lot to agree on in their high-stakes meeting. U.S. and China also both making some concessions.
We'll take a closer look.
Back in the U.S., it is now day three of the government shutdown. A group of senators, a bipartisan group of senators looking for an offramp as this
pain continues to grow and is set to deepen for more than 40 million Americans, who rely on food assistance.
And Hurricane Melissa leaving a massive trail of destruction and devastation in its wake after tearing through the Caribbean. And the storm
is not done yet. Closer look at where it's headed next.
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HILL: We begin this hour with major news for the global economy. Donald Trump says a U.S. trade deal with China should be signed soon. Just a few
hours ago, the U.S. president and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meeting face- to-face for the first time in more than six years.
Each of them offering a little something the other wanted. An art of the deal, you might say, resulting in Mr. Trump agreeing to bring down tariffs
on Chinese goods by 10 percent. Ivan Watson has more of the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: President Xi of China's coming.
I look forward to seeing him.
IVAN WATSON, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): After days of hype, the moment us President Donald Trump was waiting for his landmarked meeting with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping a chance
to reset the relationship between rival superpowers.
TRUMP: He's a very tough negotiator.
WATSON: Warm words as they sat down face-to-face for the first time in six years.
TRUMP: President Xi is a great leader of a great country. And I think we're going to have a fantastic relationship for a long period of time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I always believe that China's development goes hand in hand with your vision to make America great again.
WATSON: The world closely watching whether these two leaders can heal the damage caused by months of a brutal trade war.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do not always see eye-to-eye with each other and it is normal for the two leading economies of the world to have frictions
now and then.
WATSON: Friction that has roiled the global economy after escalating rounds of tit-for-tat tariffs and other penalties.
Speaking on board Air Force One, before leaving South Korea, President Trump appeared confident a deal had been made.
TRUMP: Every year we'll renegotiate the deal but I think the deal will go on for a long time, long beyond the year.
WATSON: Trump confirming that a range of thorny topics were on the table, including rolling back at least some of China's sweeping export controls on
rare earths, critical resources that are essential for the manufacturer of almost all high tech products, from iPhones to electric vehicles.
Also discussed, ending the war in Ukraine, China's purchase of U.S. soybeans, a key issue for Trump's rural supporters and the global fentanyl
trade. Trump announcing he'll immediately slash fentanyl- related tariffs on China from 20 to 10 percent after his meeting with Xi.
TRUMP: I believe he's going to work very hard to stop the death that's coming in.
WATSON: China's Commerce Ministry announced the U.S. would also halt a 24 percent reciprocal tariff on Chinese goods for a year and suspend some
export controls.
For months now, China's leader has gone toe to toe with Trump, not backing down despite punitive U.S. tariffs. In Korea, Xi demonstrated he can
negotiate with the unpredictable U.S. president to stabilize bilateral relations, even as China sprints toward self-sufficiency from American
tech.
Trump left Korea promoting a big ticket finale to a trip that's seen him ink deals across Asia.
TRUMP: I guess on the scale from zero to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12. OK. I think it was a 12.
WATSON: As for the Chinese leader, he released a much more restrained statement, saying his time with the U.S. president was very pleasant --
Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: CNN's Kevin Liptak is joining us now from the White House with more.
So, Kevin, as we look at this, what are we hearing more from the White House, from the president's side?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And we heard from the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, who is out this morning, describing a
meeting with very much a lot of respect between the two leaders.
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He says that the deal that they signed, essentially this one-year truce in this trade war, will be officially inked within the next week. And so, you
see the American officials kind of coming out and touting what they describe as a major accomplishment by the president here.
And it is evident that the president got what he wanted out of Xi, whether it was this purchase of soybeans that had caused so much political pressure
for Trump from American farmers, who are based mostly in red states in the United States.
Or lifting these restrictions on the rare earth minerals which had caused so much consternation here at the White House because they power so many
things that Americans rely upon.
But you know, I think it was clear, heading into this meeting, that Xi was willing to use his leverage in ways that perhaps we hadn't seen before, to
extract what he needed out of president Trump, which was lowering some of these tariffs.
And so this is a truce; you could perhaps call it a ceasefire from a trade war that was made largely by the president himself. What this portends for
U.S.-China relations going forward, though, I think remains unclear.
And there were certainly a number of topics that did not appear to arise in this meeting at all, namely Taiwan. And the president was pretty explicit,
as he was heading back here to Washington, that that was a subject that wasn't discussed at all.
Nor did it seem that the two sides talked about this growing competition in AI, which is the other big topic of contention between these two countries,
these two rival superpowers, as they go forward.
I think perhaps the biggest takeaway from this meeting was creating kind of a structure for the dialogue going forward. They have now set forward this
calendar of high-level talks between these two men that will persist over the next year but potentially over the remainder of president Trump's term.
President Trump has agreed to visit Beijing in April. President Xi will come to the United States at some point later next year. Whether it's in
Washington or Palm Beach, the president wasn't clear about. So I think that is perhaps the biggest takeaway from this meeting.
Yes, they agreed to de-escalate the trade war but they also agreed how they would communicate going forward. And this is something of a new phase for
the president. During his first term, the relationship and the dialogue with China was improvised. It was ad hoc in a lot of ways and, in a lot of
ways, it turned quite confrontational.
It does seem clear that the president is trying to be more intentional about it this time around, with the recognition that there will have to be
some partnership with China going forward, that the U.S. can't decouple entirely because of its reliance on those rare earth minerals.
Because of China's reliance on American semiconductors, they aren't able to break off entirely. And it seems clear from this meeting that they have
come up with this arrangement on how they're going to manage this very critical, bilateral partnership going forward.
HILL: Kevin Liptak at the White House for us this morning, Kevin, appreciate it. Thank you.
President Trump also unveiling a major change in America's policy when it comes to nuclear arms, saying he has ordered the Pentagon to begin testing
U.S. nuclear weapons on an equal basis with Russia and China.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It had to do with others. They seem to all be nuclear testing. We have more nuclear weapons than anybody. We don't do testing. We've halted
it years, many years ago. But with others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do also.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: So just to reset here, a reminder, the U.S. voluntarily held back from testing nuclear weapons, hasn't tested one since 1992. A resumption of
tests would raise concerns about a new arms race, even as Trump is touting his abilities as a peacemaker and seeking to lower tensions with China.
CNN national security reporter Zachary Cohen joining us now from D.C.
There are a number of questions here. There are a number of almost fact- checking practical questions, as well, Zachary, about what this would mean.
First of all, there has been -- I think the main question this morning is, any further clarity in terms of what the president meant in that -- in
those comments?
Have we heard back from the White House or the president at this hour?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Erica, the short answer to that is no. And certainly these were provocative comments by
president Donald Trump.
And comments that would seem to run counter to his broader foreign policy objectives that have really focused on reducing tensions with countries
like China and Russia.
Again, this announcement seemingly coming out of left field, given what you mentioned earlier about the fact that the U.S. has essentially abided by a
self-imposed moratorium on nuclear testing since 1992.
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So it's been decades since they've conducted a live test of a nuclear warhead. Similarly, China and Russia have both also abided by the
moratorium for almost an equal amount of time.
So it's not really clear what prompted this from Donald Trump, especially given he made the announcement as he was on his way to meet with Chinese
president Xi Jinping for these trade talks.
But still, the lack of clarity really does center around whether Donald Trump was referring to testing of live warheads, nuclear warheads, or
testing the delivery systems. We do know Russia has been touting its testing of a nuclear-powered cruise missile. That is a delivery system for
nuclear weapons.
While they haven't tested nuclear weapons themselves, China, similarly, has not conducted any recent nuclear tests. So again, the Pentagon is
responsible for testing those delivery systems. It's the Department of Energy, though that would be responsible for any resumption of actual
warhead testing.
Again, fact-checking Donald Trump's announcement here is a task because he said multiple things that were either confusing or lacked a lot of clarity,
number one being his statement that the U.S. has more nuclear weapons than anybody.
Actually, Russia has more nuclear weapons, nuclear warheads than the U.S. does; about 6,000 to the U.S.' 5,400. China, a distant third in that
category again.
But this is raising questions about whether or not, if the U.S. does resume live warhead testing, whether or not that could fuel some international
arms race between the world's biggest superpowers, Russia and the U.S.
Between the two have about 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons in their stockpiles. Russia, responding to the president's comments, saying
they will act accordingly if the U.S. withdraws from that 1996 treaty that banned the testing of nuclear weapons.
HILL: Yes. As you point out and laid out so well, a lot of questions that we still need answers answered here in terms of what the president actually
meant with those statements. Zachary Cohen, appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Also joining us this hour, CNN global affairs commentator Sabrina Singh, who, of course, served as the deputy press secretary for the Pentagon
during the Biden administration.
So Sabrina, I'm hoping we can just start with honestly ticking through a little bit of what we initially have been going through a little bit there
with my colleague, Zachary Cohen. So the important clarification, that even though president Trump said he is directing the Department of Defense, this
would actually fall under the Department of Energy.
Also not clear whether this is about, you know, exploding nuclear warheads in a test or simply testing the existing symptoms (sic). And in some ways,
that happens on a consistent basis.
There is a readout of the capabilities that happens on a regular basis, correct?
SABRINA SINGH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: That's right. And I think there's a lot left that we don't understand on the president's words. And I
think there's a lot of confusion.
And this is why the president's rhetoric and what he says is taken so seriously and at face value. But there's so many questions that remain.
And I think, to your point, it's not that our nuclear arsenal is not tested regularly. Every single year, the nuclear weapons labs in the United States
go through routine testing of our nuclear arsenal.
And essentially think of it as, you know, you test every aspect of a car except without turning on the engine. That's exactly what these labs are
doing. And every single year they submit a letter that says, our nuclear arsenal is safe and secure and a deterrent. So does not need to be tested.
And so what the president is saying of now we're going to test our nuclear weapons, one, that's something that he said that he's directing, you know,
the Department of Defense to do when it's actually the Energy Department that would lead this in conjunction with the Department of Defense.
But two, we don't understand what he's actually saying. And this would really break precedent from that 1996 treaty ban that the U.S. is a signer.
And while not ratified by Congress, U.S. presidents have abided by not testing nuclear weapons. So this could, in fact, start an arms race.
HILL: Could start an arms race; there's also a timeline component here that is really interesting and I think important to point out. So it's my
understanding -- and this is from a report from the Congressional Research Service.
It could take anywhere from 24 to 36 months for the U.S. to actually test a nuclear weapon after the president gave that order. This is not something
that would happen tomorrow.
SINGH: It's not. And these things take time. And when, of course, when you're dealing with any type of nuclear warhead or any type of nuclear-
capable entity, it's going to take time. And there's going to be a lot of checks that have to be put in place into the system.
So this is not something that, you know, can be turned on just like that. I think it's important to note, though, that countries around the world,
nuclear countries have abided by not testing their nuclear weapons.
And the only country that has done so in recent years has been North Korea. So the idea that we're going to start doing these testing, I think, could
give carte blanche to countries like Russia and China, to then start testing their own nuclear weapons.
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And then, you know, what does that say about the president's policy of peace through strength?
It's actually quite the exact opposite of that.
HILL: Although, you know, perhaps, right, if it is peace through strength, we do know that this is a president who likes to showcase the might, if you
will, of the U.S. military. So it could be that, in his mind, this is peace through strength by proving that the U.S. has these capabilities.
Sure. It could. And it certainly, you know, we can play devil's advocate on that front. But I think regardless, I mean, people and countries and world
leaders certainly understand the capability of the United States' military and our nuclear arsenal.
I mean, just look at how some of our carriers are being able to position outside, you know, in bodies of water, whether it's Venezuela or in the
Mediterranean or outside of Iran.
You know, we have these capabilities that can move and are flexible. So I think it's important to remember that U.S. might and U.S. military strength
is actually on display at all times. And people know that.
HILL: I'm also curious, just your take on how this could play into right the meeting that just wrapped -- well, just wrapped a short time ago,
several hours ago, with presidents Trump and Xi Jinping.
Having president Trump throw this out there, right, going into this very important high-stakes meeting that had so many expectations surrounding it,
what does that do to the balance of power between these two nations?
SINGH: Well, it was almost, you know, like watching a staring contest between two nations.
And it was like, who's going to blink first?
I think, you know, Trump was certainly using this message and this rhetoric to test China and to go into this meeting in this vague position of "we
might be testing our nuclear" you know, arsenal but also, not providing any details. So I don't know if it was some type of negotiating tactic.
I think, at the end of the day, what's coming out of the meeting between Xi and Trump is there's still a lot of uncertainty. Yes, we have some clarity
on some of the tariffs and reductions. And, you know, some -- the soybean ban has been lifted.
But there's still a lot outstanding. And, at the end of the day, neither China nor the United States released some type of joint communique,
agreeing to certain parameters of the meeting.
So you know, it's not done until it's done. And so I think there's still a lot of uncertainty that remains from what was a very short meeting between
two of these leaders.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. Sabrina, always good to get your insight, your expertise. Thank you.
Still ahead here, we are continuing to keep a close watch on Hurricane Melissa, now barreling toward Bermuda, leaving a path of death and
destruction in its wake across the Caribbean. More on that just ahead.
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Right now, Hurricane Melissa is in the Atlantic Ocean, heading toward Bermuda, where a hurricane warning is in effect. Over the past couple of
days, the storm has left a trail of destruction across a number of Caribbean nations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILL (voice-over): You see some of it here in these pictures from Jamaica. It is a long road to recovery in a number of areas after the catastrophic
destruction and devastation that was left behind. CNN spoke with one resident in Jamaica, who describes riding out the storm as, perhaps not
surprisingly, the worst experience of her life.
GABRIELLE, MONTEGO BAY RESIDENT: Yesterday was horrible, horrific, terrifying; the worst day of my entire life, the worst experience of my
entire life. To see my place being flooded out, it's -- it was terrifying for me and my child. The water level reached me to my waist. I was stuck in
my house. They had to break into my home to save me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HILL: Well, as we've been tracking this storm over the last few days, it's important to remember the trail of destruction in so many other Caribbean
countries. CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam is in Santa Cruz, Jamaica, with a closer look at the long road to recovery there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Widespread devastation after the deadly category five Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest
Atlantic hurricanes on record, whipped through Jamaica Tuesday, leaving behind a path of destruction. Most of the island without power.
On the ground, a muddy mess as people come out to survey the damage for the first time. Crumbling infrastructure, flooded roads, downed trees, causing
major disruption and making getting aid to those most in need a very difficult task.
VAN DAM: We are literally on the front lines of the Jamaica defense force. Ambulances, local NGOs, police, volunteers trying to clear the roadway
leading into Black River, some of the -- what we believe is the hardest hit areas from Hurricane Melissa.
It's a monumental effort to try and get aid through to this area, including medical provisions. We've seen ambulances and people coming together to
push those ambulances through debris and thick mud. This effort trying to get aid and people and the help that is desperately needed into portions of
western Jamaica.
VAN DAM (voice-over): People banded together. Some did whatever they could to survive.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had to climb over a house, a wall, just to get shelter in another person's home. Just so that I didn't drown to death with
my child.
[10:25:00]
VAN DAM (voice-over): Jamaicans also can't get a break from the heat. The humidity from Melissa shot the heat index over 100 degrees, making
conditions to clean up even harder.
PRIME MINISTER ANDREW HOLNESS, JAMAICA: Black River is what you would describe as ground zero. The people are still coming to grips with the
destruction but from what I've seen and the interaction, the people here are strong, resilient and positive in outlook.
VAN DAM (voice-over): Melissa also hit Cuba, flooding streets of Santiago and cutting off road access to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There was a lot of wind, a lot of rain. This area was flooded. Where you see now, the water reached almost
knee high.
VAN DAM (voice-over): In Haiti, Melissa's outer bands brought deadly flooding.
Back in Jamaica, the road to recovery is long but some are staying strong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jamaica the disaster right now, so we just have to pray for the best and the good. Help each one when we can help. And that's it.
VAN DAM: This is some of the heavy machinery being used to clear a route into the Black River region, which is still about 15 miles to my south and
west, a very difficult and challenging task ahead. We were on a medical convoy following along with the Jamaican defense forces today, working
along this very road. But we encountered so much debris that we had to turn around and many other people clearly are doing the same.
It is going to be a challenging, monumental task to clear this road to get the necessary aid to the hardest hit areas of western Jamaica.
I'm CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam in Santa Cruz, Jamaica. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: All right. For ways that you can help those affected by Hurricane Melissa, just log on to cnn.com/impact.
Still ahead, here it is now day 30.
Could there be a glimmer of hope to ending the U.S. government shutdown?
Neither party, of course, wants to be blamed as being responsible for what is happening, especially to the 42 million Americans who are set to lose
food assistance on Saturday.
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HILL (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill. Here are your headlines.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he has reached a trade agreement with China that could be signed soon. Mr. Trump meeting with Chinese president
Xi a few hours ago, their first face-to-face meeting in six years.
Mr. Trump agreeing to lower tariffs on Chinese goods by 10 percent after the two men made progress on a number of issues, including Chinese rare
earth minerals and U.S. soybean exports.
In Paris, five new suspects arrested in connection with that daring heist at the Louvre, which saw jewels worth $100 million stolen from the museum's
Apollo Gallery.
[10:30:00]
One of the suspects is believed to be part of the four-man gang that carried out that daylight theft.
It is now day 30 of the U.S. government shutdown.
And could there perhaps be a path to ending it?
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is now working to resolve the impasse over those expiring health insurance subsidies. The food assistance
program, known as SNAP, is also set to lapse on Saturday if no deal is reached.
That could leave some 42 million Americans, including 15 million children, without food assistance.
HILL: For a closer look at what could be coming over the weekend, here is CNN's Manu Raju.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The government shutdown is getting worse every single day for so many Americans and there are clear
signs that this could drag on, perhaps be the longest ever in American history. The longest one, of course, was 35 days from 2018 to 2019.
Now we are at day 29 and there are all indications this is going into next week and potentially beyond, because of the fact that Republicans and
Democrats have totally different ideas on how to proceed.
Democrats, for the last 29 days, have been demanding some level of negotiation over health care issues, specifically those expiring subsidies
under the Affordable Care Act.
They say that must be dealt with immediately, even though they expire at the end of the year, because they say open enrollment is happening now.
People will see their premiums increase. So this is an urgent issue before people deal with those huge health care premium spikes.
Republicans say that's not the way this works. Reopen the government now, negotiate later. And they say the health care issue should be dealt with on
a completely separate track.
So this all leaves things of where they were on day one. They are essentially nowhere near a deal to reopen the federal government. I did
catch up with one of those Democrats who have voted with Republicans time and again to reopen the government.
That's Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. She's one of those three Democrats to vote yes to advance the Republican bill. They need eight total in order
to get the 60 votes needed to break a Democratic-led filibuster. And I asked her about the Democratic position and whether she believes her party
is making a mistake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, (D-NV): I don't think federal workers should be political pawns. I don't think we should swap the pain of some Americans
for others. I think we should be lifting all of them up and helping them.
I think we can keep the government open and address this looming crisis of the health care cliff that we are seeing.
RAJU: Have your fears about the shutdown been burn (ph) out?
MASTO: I can tell you what I know and I'm hearing in my state. People are suffering because they're not getting a paycheck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: But even though there are huge concerns mounting as people are poised to lose benefits on food stamps, also known as SNAP, losing that as
soon as Saturday amid this stalemate as the administration indicates it will not dip into an emergency reserve fund to help pay for those expiring
benefits.
There are still some signs that perhaps the thaw could be easing just a little bit. There are rank-and-file discussions happening among senators to
try to figure out a way forward both on health care and to fund at least part of the federal government.
The ultimate question here is whether they can get a deal, whether it can be done quickly, whether the House would come back to session, when they'll
come back to session.
The House has been out since September 19th, a decision by the Speaker of the House to try to pressure Senate Democrats to accept the Republican
spending bill, if that will change.
All those things need to move and there needs to be an agreement on the policy, all huge questions.
And here's another big question, when will Donald Trump get directly involved in this?
He's in Asia.
Will he get involved when he comes back?
Democrats say he must. Republicans say he will once Democrats reopen the government.
Will all those things get sorted out?
And how -- just how painful will it get for Americans who are losing now their benefits on food assistance as well as losing paychecks, as
furloughed federal employees are now losing multiple paychecks?
When will Congress budge?
And when will they reach an agreement with the White House?
All huge questions for the American people at this moment of crisis -- Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: They absolutely are. And our thanks to Manu Raju for filing that report on the tail end of what was day 29. It is, of course, now day 30 of
the government shutdown. Stephen Collinson joins me now.
Stephen, as we look at this, some of those questions that Manu raised at the end are also potential opportunities, one could say. So it's important
to, I think, for the American people, to know that there is now some more discussion happening behind the scenes between this bipartisan group of
senators.
But the fact that the president is now on his way back from Asia, you note in your column this morning, he has had a stunning indifference to the
issue.
But for a man who likes to be seen as a dealmaker, this could present an opportunity for the president, upon his return to Washington, to maybe push
this down the field a little bit toward the end.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I don't think this is going to end, Erica, until Trump decides it's going to end, because only
he has the capacity to potentially moderate the Republican position and get Republicans behind any solution to this.
[10:35:00]
The question is, does this most confrontational of presidents want to give the Democrats an offramp, which will be a face-saver for them and will
allow them to walk away and say they got a victory as well?
So there's a lot of political psychology wrapped up in all of this.
These things usually end with some kind of impenetrable congressional fudge, a complicated dual-track negotiation, that no one outside the Senate
could ever understand.
And the good part of this is that that, the early steps for that seem to be starting to be put into place by the more moderate Democratic senators and
the more moderate Republican senators that could get 60 votes, potentially, and get it out the Senate and fund at least some parts of the government.
The question here, of course, is that would have to go through the House. As Manu said, the House has been out for the entire amount of the time. And
it would depend on whether Trump is willing to let the pressure be relieved.
So very much on the president. But as you say, there is an opportunity for him here. He's been out of the country for nearly a week while all this
vitriol and the consequences have been getting much worse. So if he wants to end it, I think he could step in and end it.
HILL: The "political psychology" is such a great way to frame it. It's also important to remember that, over these past 30 days, much of what we
heard from the president is that he wants to inflict pain on Democrats.
Talking about targeting Democrat agencies, talking about not giving back pay to certain federal employees who he thinks may be more Democratic
leaning or what he considers to be Democratic leaning agencies. So there is that part of him not wanting to give any sense of a win to Democrats.
The real losers in all of this, as we know, with every government shutdown, are the American people. It is the workers who've been furloughed, workers
who are working without pay.
And it is now the more than 40-42 million Americans, 15 million of them children who are at risk of losing food assistance come Saturday. The
United States allowing some 42 million Americans to potentially go hungry.
Is that enough for lawmakers and potentially the president to get this done?
COLLINSON: Well, it's a horrendous prospect and it's perhaps the way this ends because shutdowns always end when the potential pain and actual pain
of normal people creates political pain for either political side.
What we have now is a very callous situation, where we are weighing the pain of those 42 million Americans who could lose food against the pain of
the 20 million Americans who are going to see their health insurance premiums shoot up by at least 26 percent and, in many cases, by much more
in the next few weeks.
That could turf millions of people off health care. So this is a situation, I think, that not just Trump has to think about; it's the Democrats that
triggered this situation.
Are they willing to make that tradeoff for one of their greatest political goals, which is extending the subsidies on the health care program that was
first put in place by President Obama 15 years ago?
That is an increasingly difficult political conundrum for the Democrats as well. But when you think about it, this is, I think, a symptom of a U.S.
government that is signally failing to fulfill its main purpose, which is to shield and take care of the people in the country, the people who pay
the taxes.
And I think it's a sign of polarization, utter bitterness and of two parties, who are so caught up in their own political bubbles that they
forget, in many ways, how the rest of us live our lives.
HILL: It is an excellent point, right?
Bringing up not only the fact that this -- I mean, we're talking about the American funded government, right?
But we are also talking about the fact that these are lawmakers who have been sent as representatives of their constituents to the nation's capital,
to also legislate and to work on their behalf. And that is not happening.
We just saw pictures of speaker Johnson there; the House, as Manu noted, has been out of session since September 19th.
So the fact that there hasn't even been this effort -- there's been this effort, rather, to keep Congress congressional representatives, out of the
nation's capital for so long, really does underscore where we are at as a nation.
And frankly, even if we do get to some resolution at some point, this has to end, right?
The questions, even in many ways, is, when are we potentially staring down this problem again?
Because you have a Washington filled with, you know, polarized politicians, who don't want to reach across the aisle.
[10:40:00]
COLLINSON: Yes. And it's going to get worse because, what is happening in the runup to the midterm elections, is that the president tried to secure,
successfully, more seats likely to go Republican in the midterm elections next year, first starting in Texas and moving across the country.
And the Democrats are following suit. There is a ballot initiative in California that would probably end up losing three or four Republican
seats. So the biggest threat to -- if sitting members of Congress is not from the middle of the country that wants to get things done.
It's from more radical Republican or Democratic potential lawmakers who challenge them in primary races to get the nomination in the first place.
So that is a very difficult situation. I think it doesn't really change until either the Republican Party -- doesn't seem very likely under Trump -
- or the Democratic Party makes a decision that, because of this new situation, they have to adopt more policies that appeal to the supporters
of the other party.
That's a very difficult thing to do politically. And it's heading in exactly the opposite direction of two parties that are becoming more
radicalized and more extreme.
HILL: So much of for the people and by the people. Stephen Collinson, always good to talk to you. Thank you.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
HILL: Well, the people working at national parks across the United States are concerned about what could happen to some of their -- America's most
scenic spots during this government shutdown.
So currently, 9,000 national park service employees are off the job. This means that some of the nation's most well-known lands are without
caretakers. CNN's Bill Weir takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: After Elon Musk took a DOGE saw to the National Park Service, America's best idea was already
understaffed and under siege. About a quarter of the service staff and their combined experience was lost.
Then came the shutdown with furloughs and threats of more layoffs. And under Trump, parks like Yosemite stay open with no one at the gates and a
skeleton staff. One of the worst ideas for national park health, according to 43 former superintendents.
They tried but failed to convince Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to protect the nation's most cherished landscapes from unmanaged crowds.
KEN YAGER, PRESIDENT & FOUNDER, YOSEMITE CLIMBING ASSOCIATION: I'm concerned definitely. I've seen this kind of stuff before in the past. This
one feels a little different. I have a feeling it's going to last a lot longer.
WEIR: As founder of the Yosemite Climbers Association, Ken Yager has been a fixture on rocks like El Capitan for over 50 years.
YAGER: I worry about damage in a lot of ways to these parks. When you've got so many people in a national park like this, it disrupts the wildlife,
disrupts the plant life.
Trash gets left everywhere. I clean up trash. That's what I've been doing for 22 years with a bunch of volunteers in Yosemite facelift and we've
cleaned up 1.2 million pounds of trash.
WEIR: Wow.
YAGER: So it can show you how much and how quickly it'll build up.
WEIR: A reservation system is supposed to control the numbers hiking up Half Dome but social media shows moments of crowded chaos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never seen that before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right in the middle of the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) meadow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow
WEIR: Older base jumpers and drone pilots. Last year, there were 15 campground rangers in Yosemite Valley. This summer, just six who also had
to pitch in on basic maintenance alongside goodhearted citizens.
I know a lot of volunteers are filling the gap in these shutdown days. Who are these folks?
AVA LEWIS, YOSEMITE VOLUNTEER: A lot of them are maybe furloughed employees or folks that work with concessionaire or like people in the
local community and people that just really care about this place and care about this park.
CORY GOEHRING, OUTDOOR PROGRAMS MANAGER AND NATURALIST, YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY: For the most part, I think we're seeing the best of people
come out at this time.
WEIR: Volunteers like Corey Goehring from the nonprofit Yosemite Conservancy are trying to provide as much basic info as they can.
But he says days like these remind Americans that the park belongs to them and it's time to be a good steward.
GOEHRING: Number one and I think the most important, plan ahead and prepare. Number two, travel and camp on durable surfaces.
Number three, dispose of waste properly.
Number four, basically leave what you find. Take only pictures. Leave only footprints.
WEIR: That's the one my dad hammered into me.
GOEHRING: Yes. And number five, you know, only use established fire rings.
Number six, respect wildlife.
WEIR: Ooh, OK. I love that.
GOEHRING: So keep wildlife is a difference.
WEIR: Yes.
GOEHRING: And then number seven, yes, respect each other while you're here. While you're visiting.
WEIR: But good campers can't control invasive species or protect wildlife from poachers or identify archeological wonder like the pros can.
LEWIS: More traffic through the park. And, you know, people going off trail and litter and all those things really add up when you don't have
full staffing in the park.
WEIR: Right.
[10:45:00]
LEWIS: So you know, folks like me will go around and we fill in the gaps where we can. But it's -- it's not nearly enough.
WEIR: That's not sustainable long term.
LEWIS: No, it's not. And a lot of us, you know, we're just passing through. We're visiting.
WEIR: Yes.
LEWIS: People are coming for their weekend vacation or something. So we need -- we need, the people that are here, boots on the ground.
WEIR: Bill Weir, CNN, Yosemite Valley, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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HILL: Some breaking news just coming into us here at CNN. Israeli authorities say the Red Cross is now on its way to a meeting point in Gaza,
where it will receive several coffins of the remains of deceased hostages.
Hamas said earlier it would hand over the bodies of two hostages sometime this hour as part of that U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement. The identities
of the hostages have not been disclosed but we'll continue to follow those developments.
Stay with us. We're going to fit in a quick break here. Be back on the other side.
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HILL: Turning our attention to Paris at this hour, five new suspects arrested in connection with the daring heist that stunned the French
capital earlier this month. Authorities say one of the five is believed to be part of that four-man gang that carried out the brazen daylight theft in
the museum's Apollo Gallery.
Despite the arrests, the stolen jewels, worth over $100 million, remain missing. CNN's Melissa Bell has the latest for us from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you say, we do understand that one of these latest five arrested is one of those who
was here on that day; of course, those two that have been arrested over the weekend, also part of that four-man team, have now been placed under formal
investigation.
This was yesterday evening. When we heard from the prosecutor a bit more about the investigation, a bit more about them, these two had been known to
police. It was DNA samples that had matched them to the scene of the crime.
This latest arrest of one of those four, also tied to the scene of the crime, we understand, by DNA. As to the other four arrests that have been
made since yesterday, we understand that these are people who are not there necessarily that Sunday morning but may have elements that can help this
investigation move forward.
But certainly, a sense here in Paris that, 11 days after this manhunt began, there is -- there are big developments and they are really zooming
in now on those who may have been responsible for this, to try and figure out how big the team was, how it had been planned, who was involved,
For now, though, as you say, no sign of the jewels and this was confirmed by the prosecutor yesterday evening. And, of course, that is really what
French authorities are hoping to get their hands on, hopefully before they've been dismantled and sold and are still intact.
But, of course, with every day that passes, the hopes of that happening appear to diminish. So we wait to hear more. For now, they're not giving
that much away simply because this is an ongoing investigation and they don't know whether there are other people that they need to speak to.
But it will have taken them 11 days to get their hands on seven suspects. Progress being made but a lot of questions that still remain. And for the
time being, the rest you can see. The Louvre Museum is open behind me. It's a sunny day here in Paris.
[10:50:00]
The rest of the crown jewels, we understand, have been moved out of the Louvre for safe keeping and placed at the Banque de France, France's
central bank, until better security arrangements can be made here at the Louvre.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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HILL (voice-over): Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories on our radar right now.
In the Netherlands, the centrist D66 party, now locked in a tight election contest with the far right PVV party of Geert Wilders. Despite that close
vote, the next Dutch government is likely to exclude the far right. All the major parties have, of course, ruled out governing with him.
The U.S. military conducting another strike on an alleged drug smuggling boat, killing four people on board. This one happening in the eastern
Pacific near the coast of Mexico. It is the 14th known strike the Trump administration has carried out against suspected drug traffickers at sea.
The Trump administration extending the deployment orders for the National Guard troops currently in Washington, D.C., through at least February.
That's according to people familiar with those orders.
The deployment orders to the nation's capital had been expected to lapse at the end of November. The mobilization is currently the subject of a legal
battle.
Still ahead here, the Toronto Blue Jays just one game away now from winning the World Series after a convincing win over the Dodgers on Wednesday
night. Stay with us.
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HILL: Someone could win a frightening amount of money this Halloween.
And why not you?
The Mega Millions jackpot here in the United States now worth $754 million. So to win, of course, you will need all six numbers for Friday's drawing.
Mega Millions has held six previous drawings on Halloween. Important to note nobody has ever won.
Feels like a bit of a trick but maybe this year it turns into a treat. If someone does get that ultimate Halloween treat, the choice: a one-time
payment would net about $353 million. Not so bad.
It is, of course, pumpkin season. But this one I don't know about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILL (voice-over): Joe Adkins, known as Pumpkin Joe, grew and carved a 2,000-pound pumpkin in Illinois. He says his secret, he carves the surface
of his giant pumpkins instead of hollowing them out. So his creations last longer.
Pro tip: you can do that with a regular sized pumpkin, too. Also works well. He has won multiple state prizes for his gargantuan gourds. He uses
the winnings to buy pumpkin seeds and candy bars for his trick-or-treaters on Halloween.
So there you go. Some new pumpkin goals for you.
The Toronto Blue Jays now just one game away from clinching the World Series. The Blue Jays trouncing the Dodgers 6-1 at Dodger Stadium in L.A.
on Wednesday. So Toronto, if successful, could win its first title in 32 years at home. Game 6, of course, will be happening in Canada. CNN's Andy
Scholes has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, these Blue Jays are just a resilient bunch. I mean, they really do have that team of destiny
feel to them. And now they're going back to Toronto, just a win away from their first World Series title since 1993.
And the Jays jumping on Dodgers starter Blake Snell immediately. First pitch of the game, Davis Schneider hits this one deep to left. Jays go up
1-0 on the leadoff home run.
With just two pitches later, Vlad Guerrero Jr. connects. This was the first time in World Series history a game started with back-to-back home runs and
that's all Jays rookie starter Trey Yesavage would need here, here striking out Shohei Ohtani in the third.
[10:55:00]
Ohtani 0-4 in this one. The 22-year-old Yesavage striking out 12 Dodgers. That broke a rookie record for a starter in the World Series that was set
way back in 1949. Yesavage, who was a first round pick last year, went seven innings, giving up just one run.
Toronto wins Game 5, 6-1. Yesavage, who had only three regular season starts, he now has five in this amazing postseason run for the Jays.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TREY YESAVAGE, BLUE JAYS PITCHER: It's a crazy world. Crazy world. Hollywood couldn't have made it this good.
So, just being a part of this, I'm just very blessed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: So the Jays can now win it all in Game 6 in Toronto on Halloween tomorrow. Only good news for the Dodgers right now is they have Japanese
ace Yoshi Yamamoto on the mound for Game 6. He pitched that complete game masterpiece in Game number 2.
And Erica, they'll need another great performance from him if the Dodgers hope to force a Game 7.
HILL: We will be watching. Andy, appreciate it. Thank you.
And thanks to all of you for joining us for CONNECT THE WORLD on this Thursday. I'm Erica Hill. Be sure to stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
END
