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East Wing Demolished, Trump Raised $350 Million For Ballroom Project; NBA Star, Coach Arrested In Mafia-Linked Gambling Schemes; King And Pope Leo XIV Share Worship For The First Time Since 1534. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired October 24, 2025 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00]
BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: The White House website was updated to show a timeline with past White House construction projects, all part of its defense for a ballroom that Trump has been dreaming about for years.
We have more now from CNN's Tom Foreman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm very good at building ballrooms. I build beautiful ballrooms.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): In and out of office President Donald Trump has long gushed over sprawling, splashy ballrooms --
TRUMP: This is a ballroom -- brand new.
FOREMAN (voiceover): -- claiming a certain expertise through his years in construction and the ballrooms he's added elsewhere -- at the hotel he once owned in D.C., for example, and at his Florida home Mar-a-Lago where he completed at $40 million gold-encrusted space just in time to marry his third wife there, Melania Trump, now first lady.
He told a design magazine, "I modeled the interior after Versailles," which is kind of the problem for some critics watching the demolition at this living shrine to democracy on Pennsylvania Avenue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The White House was always meant to be more modest. It's not a European palace.
FOREMAN (voiceover): Based on models, Trump's ballroom, at 90,000 square feet, will be mammoth compared to the White House. Four times bigger than the Mar-a-Lago ballroom. It will be directly attached to the White House complex despite previous claims to the contrary.
And although Trump insists he and his donors will pay for it all his cost estimates have been wildly inconsistent.
TRUMP: It's about $200 million.
It's going to be a couple of hundred million dollars, at least.
I think it will cost $250 million.
It's about $300 million.
FOREMAN (voiceover): Trump's fixation with the White House ballroom goes back to at least President Barack Obama's terms when Trump called a top Obama adviser to say he was bothered by large formal events spilling into temporary structures.
TRUMP: I called David Axelrod. I said, "David, I see you have all the heads of state and all the biggest people from China, and you're in a crummy tent."
FOREMAN (voiceover): Trump offered to build a ballroom then. Axelrod says Trump was turned down with reason.
DAVID AXELROD, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: He misunderstands why people were so eager to come. It's because of what America represented; not because of the gold that we had around us.
FOREMAN (voiceover): But now Trump is in charge. The gold rush is coming, and his ballroom blitz is finally on.
TRUMP: This is the excavation of the White House grounds for what will be one of the best, most beautiful ballrooms in the world.
FOREMAN: The White House seems to have been surprised a bit, however, to find out that many Americans do not share Donald Trump's love for ostentatious displays of wealth, especially not when it involves tearing down and renovating a house that the American people own.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: Hundreds of jobs are being cut at Target. Up next, it's today's business breakout with that and more of the top biz stories.
And some people grieving the loss of a loved one are looking to artificial intelligence. Just ahead, how the family of a late Hollywood start are using AI to stay connected.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:37:37]
ABEL: Welcome back to EARLY START. This is your business breakout.
Here is where U.S. futures stand right now ahead of the opening bell -- all of them up -- the Dow, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq.
OK, let's check some of today's other business headlines.
President Trump has pardoned the co-founder of crypto exchange Binance. Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge in 2023 and was sentenced to four months in prison. Zhao stepped down as the CEO of Binance and the company agreed to pay over $4 billion in fines.
Retailer Target is laying off 1,000 corporate employees. The company also says it's closing 800 open positions. The cutbacks will impact about eight percent of its global corporate workforce. Target's sales have fallen for the past three quarters, but a spokesperson says Target did not lay off employees to cut costs. They said it's to rewire the organization to make decisions more quickly.
Elon Musk's SpaceX says it has disabled more than 2,000 Starlink devices used by scam operations in Myanmar. U.S. officials raised concerns that criminal networks were using Starlink to bilk money from unsuspecting victims. More than 30 compounds in Myanmar are suspected of being scam centers. One report says victims lose billions of dollars every year to the fraud scams.
Well, actress and health guru Suzanne Somers -- she died two years ago after a long battle with breast cancer. Now her husband of 55 years is sharing how he's keeping her memory alive with an artificial intelligence clone he calls her AI twin.
CNN tech reporter Clare Duffy explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Alan Hamel said that he and Suzanne had learned about this idea years ago from their friend, the writer and computer scientist Ray Kurzweil. He said that she was on board with this idea before she passed.
And so how they did this is they trained this AI twin of Suzanne on her 27 books and hundreds of interviews that she's done. And now Alan says that it's hard for him to tell the difference between the real Suzanne who he knew and this AI replica of her when he's having conversations with it.
Take a listen to what he said about his first experience talking to this Suzanne AI twin.
[05:40:00]
ALAN HAMEL, WIDOWER OF SUZANNE SOMERS: So I talked to her for two minutes and it was a little odd. And then after about two or three minutes I totally forgot I was talking to her twin. I was talking to a robot, and it was amazing -- really amazing.
DUFFY: Now this is a growing trend. Obviously, this technology is very new, but we are seeing more and more people experimenting with how they can recreate a version of their loved ones who have passed with AI.
But I will note a word of caution. I spoke with one young woman who tried to create an AI replica of her late father, and it wasn't a good experience for her. She said that the AI hallucinated. It made up memories that it said that she'd had with her dad that weren't real. And she said it actually impacted her real-life memories of her father.
So obviously, everybody is going to have their own experience with this, depending on the technology that they're using and what they're looking to get out of this, but I do think it's a really interesting question how this technology evolves and how it changes how we relate to loved ones who we've lost.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: Clare Duffy reporting there.
The U.S. government shutdown will continue into next week, but there are faint signs of compromise. The issues that could bring Democrats and Republicans back together just ahead.
And we'll examine the impact of the shutdown on one group depending on government services, military veterans. That's ahead as well.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:45:45]
ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Here are some stories we are watching today.
President Trump insists that he can keep launching strikes against alleged drug traffickers at sea without asking Congress to first pass an official declaration of war. Donald Trump said he would reach out to lawmakers before launching any military action, however, on land.
The entire East Wing of the White House has been demolished as President Trump moves swiftly ahead with plans to build a massive new ballroom in its place. He says he has raised $350 million to pay for the construction.
A star NBA player and a Hall of Fame coach are facing charges as part of a gambling scheme -- multiple schemes, really, tied to the mafia. The Feds says Chauncey Billups lured unsuspecting victims into rigged poker games. And Terry Rozier is accused of fixing basketball games so that bettors could profit.
Prosecutors say these scammers used a variety of techniques to cheat poker players out of tens of millions of dollars, including technology like hidden cameras, x-ray tables, and marked cards.
Sal Piacente, who is an expert in exposing casino scams and cheating, explained to CNN how some of it works.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAL PIACENTE, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSAL GAME PROTECTION DEVELOPMENT, INC.: Well, let's talk about the x-ray tables since you have that up. That's a table that was designed for cheating. It has cameras underneath the table, built in, that can actually see
through the felt. That way you can use legitimate cards. They don't have to be marked or nothing special. Any deck and you could see it. And then that information will be transmitted to another player or another person who would relay that information back to the table.
Now, they also have shuffle machines, the DeckMate2. That machine legitimately has a camera in it. That way the shuffling machine could note every card that was dealt and can know exactly if any cards are missing and what that card is. You can actually take that deck, put a deck of cards into that machine, and then that machine will sort this deck out in order.
The cheaters took -- the cheater took -- the cheaters took that camera and used it to their advantage. They hack the machine where they can utilize that camera to know what everybody is getting. And then that machine will actually transmit to the cheaters who is going to win.
If I put this deck right here that looks like a regular deck of cards. If you ask yourself what is that top card, honestly, I can't tell you. But if I put my contact lens on or if you're wearing these poker glasses, you'd be able to look right through that filter and see exactly what that card is.
It's very easy. This stuff all available online.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: Just eye-opening.
The U.S. government shutdown will extend into next week as senators leave Washington without a deal to end the stalemate. House democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries says he is willing to consider a bipartisan bill to pay federal workers during the shutdown.
Meanwhile, a number of senators admit they're concerned about funding for federal food assistance running out. The White House says benefits for low-income families could end within days in some states.
Republican Sen. Roger Marshall says a lot of pregnant and breastfeeding women rely on the programs and he thinks the risk of a cutoff is a good pressure point for Democrats.
The shutdown is affecting more communities that depend on government services and departments. And CNN's Brian Todd looks at the shutdown's impact on military veterans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: V.A. Secretary Doug Collins is now warning that many veterans are starting to suffer as a result of the government shutdown and that more suffering could be felt in the coming days. Collins has already written a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer imploring him to work with the Republicans toward ending the shutdown.
[05:50:10]
Roughly, 30,000 of the V.A.'s 470,000 employees are furloughed as a result of the shutdown.
First, we can tell you the critical services at the V.A. -- that the V.A. offers which are not impacted by the shutdown, and it's important to point those out because they are very critical.
All medical care is proceeding normally. That includes hospitals and clinics being open, doctors working, nurses on the job. Everything there fully operational, which is very crucial for veterans.
In addition, suicide prevention services are still operational. The 24-hour veterans crisis hotline is also still operating -- still operating normally there.
Education, disability, and pension payments are continuing but some of those payments are being given out by employees who, themselves, are not being paid. That's according to Doug Collins.
Burials are still going on at veterans' cemeteries. They are being done by people who are exempted -- by employees who are exempted from being furloughed.
Now here is what has been impacted as far as the services that the V.A. offers. What has been impacted that the shutdown is affecting.
V.A. regional offices -- they're called VISNs. Those are places where veterans can go to get their questions answered about their benefits and their disability claims. Well, those offices are closed right now.
The GI Bill hotline is not being staffed. And for servicemembers leaving the military in need of vocational counseling, those services are also not available.
The cemeteries -- according to Doug Collins, they can do some basic -- excuse me, they cannot do some basic maintenance even though, as we mentioned, the burials are continuing. But the basic maintenance of V.A. cemeteries has been pretty much paused during this shutdown.
And, of course, Doug Collins warning that more pain could be felt ahead if both sides don't work together to end the government shutdown.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: President Trump says he's very proud of pardoning the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6 even after one of them was recently arrested again. Christopher Moynihan was among those granted clemency. He is now charged with threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. President Trump claimed to be unaware of the incident.
In a statement, Jeffries thanked law enforcement for apprehending Moynihan. He then criticized the president's blanket pardon of January 6 convicts.
And we will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:57:00
ABEL: Tropical Storm Melissa is hovering over the Caribbean, and it's forecast to get stronger over the weekend. It could create a dangerous situation for islands in the storm's path, including Jamaica. The storm is expected to become a hurricane over the weekend. It's strengthening quickly after moving over warmer ocean water.
Right now, the Dominican Republic is getting soaked with rain. Streets in Santo Domingo have been turned into rivers. Look at that.
And for the first time in nearly 500 years a British monarch and a Catholic pontiff shared a worship service. King Charles and Pope Leo prayed together in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on Thursday. Latin chants mixed with English prayers during the service. King Charles and Queen Camilla are on a state visit to the Vatican and Rome.
Christopher Lamb is in Rome with more details on this historic event.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): History made in the Sistine Chapel.
POPE LEO XIV: Let us pray.
LAMB (voiceover): For the first time in more than half a millennium, an English king and the pope prayed together.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla on an historic visit to the Vatican emphasizing unity and the king and the pope's concern for the environment. The royal and Vatican choirs singing together underneath the famous Michelangelo frescoes.
The king's trip is an extraordinary historical turnaround. Five hundred years ago Henry VIII broke with Rome and established himself as head of the Church of England. For centuries the papacy and the monarchy saw each other with suspicion. Now King Charles, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England, and the first American pope have put those historic divisions to one side.
Charles and Pope Leo exchanged gifts and honors. A papal knighthood for Charles and membership of the Order of the Bath for Leo, an ancient British title traditionally given to heads of state.
Later, at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Charles took part in another service. He was seated on a specially-commissioned chair engraved with the motto "That they may be one."
The king's visit comes as his brother, Prince Andrew, is embroiled in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal that risked overshadowing this trip, and as the king continues with his treatment for cancer.
At a moment of difficulty the king is drawing on his faith and at the Vatican showing his desire to build bridges between churches in a way no British monarch has done for centuries.
Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: Now to the latest on the investigation into the jewel heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris. There is new video that emerged on Thursday that appears to show the suspects escaping the museum after carrying out the stunning heist on Sunday. The video shows two people making their getaway by descending down that mechanical lift there mounted on a truck. A Louvre security agent told CNN the video corresponds to information they have about the heist.
[06:00:00]
The stolen jewels are estimated to be worth more than $100 million.
And a painting by Pablo Picasso hidden from public view for eight decades is heading to a Paris auction block in the coming hours. "Bust of a Woman in a Flowery Hat" was painted back in 1943, and it shows the painter's then lover and muse, photographer Dora Maar. The portrait has been a -- in a private collection since 1944 and remains in its original state. It is expected to sell for around $10 million.
Thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.
