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One World with Zain Asher

Trump in Japan on Second Stop of Asia Tour; Jamaica Braces for Its First Category 5 Hurricane; U.S. Warships Move Closer to Venezuela; Palestinians Search for Closure with Loved Ones Still Buried; Air Traffic Delays Spike as Staffing Shortages Grow; Massive Display Marks Mexico City's Founding. Aired 11a-12:00pp ET

Aired October 27, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

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ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right, a hopeful step towards defusing the U.S.-China trade war. "One World" starts right now. As U.S. President

Donald Trump continues his trip to Asia, the administration reports progress in easing tense trade relations with Beijing.

And Hurricane Melissa now a powerful Category 5 storm barrels towards Jamaica. We'll have the latest forecast. And as the U.S. government shut

down drags on, millions of Americans could soon lose access to critical food aid. All right, coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher.

My colleague Bianna Golodryga will be joining me for in about an hour or so from now. You are watching "One World". The U.S. President is in Japan for

the second leg of his nearly week-long diplomatic tour through Asia. Shortly after touching down in Tokyo, Donald Trump met with the Japanese

Emperor at the Imperial Palace.

On Tuesday, he'll hold talks with Japan's newly elected first female prime minister. What's lifting markets today is a potential breakthrough in trade

talks between the U.S. and China. It comes just days before a crucial face to face meeting between Mr. Trump and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping on Thursday

after a new round of talks in Malaysia, Mr. Trump's first stop.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. and China have agreed on a substantial framework for a trade deal. CNN's Mike Valerio is in Beijing

for us. Let's begin our coverage with White House Reporter Alayna Treene. So, Alayna, this sort of framework of a trade deal essentially avoids the

heart of tariffs that we're going to kick in November 1st. Walk us through what is in this framework.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. I mean, this could, if they move forward with this, Zain, and they're able to actually finalize this

framework, or really the broader trade deal that is being discussed. They could avert the 157 percent tariffs that the United States was going to be

imposing on China.

But look, we don't have a lot of paperwork yet on this framework, and we don't have a lot of details other than what we have heard from the Treasury

Secretary Scott Bessent and his Chinese counterpart. I would note that Bessent has sounded far more bullish about the chances of this being

hammered out between that meeting between Trump and Xi on Thursday than his Chinese counterpart.

But they do, again, have this broader framework for what they believe could potentially be agreed to. And just what's in it, from what we've heard from

them, one is fentanyl. We know that this has been a huge priority of the Trump Administration, trying to get China to work with the United States to

stem the flow of fentanyl into the United States.

So that's going to be a part of this. The other is soybeans, another huge focus of President Donald Trump, something he has now said repeatedly he

was going to be raising in that meeting with Xi. And part of this is because China has essentially stopped buying soybeans from the United

States.

It caused a lot of issues for farmers across the country here. And so that's going to be a big part of this. Another is rare earths. We know that

China has threatened to delay the export controls on rare earth minerals. There's been a lot of issues over that. So could they find some sort of

agreement there, and then the last big one is TikTok.

This is something we know that the Trump Administration has been talking to Chinese officials about for months now. In one of their more recent

meetings, they did get a framework that was again discussed with Bessent when he met with the Chinese overnight and that's going to be another focus

of this.

That's really something that a lot of people are optimistic that they could potentially sign on Thursday, when the two leaders meet. So, stay tuned for

that. And just one other thing, it's not part of this broader trade framework, but I just think it's important to note a priority of the

president when he sits down with Xi is to talk to him about the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Specifically, to see if Xi would be willing to try and convince Russia to the negotiating table in a more meaningful way than they have been before.

That is another party I know that the president is going to be bringing into that sit down on Thursday with Xi.

ASHER: All right, Alayna Treene. I want to bring in Mike Valerio. So, Mike, as Alayna was just talking about there, one of the key priorities for the

U.S. is really access to rare earths and releasing those export controls. Just walk us through what the priority is on the Beijing side here.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that it's creating a lasting agreement, rather than just a truce, because we've had this tit for tat

that's been happening for months, you could even say for years now.

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So, it really is going to be a question of how an agreement, come Thursday, towards the end of the week, is going to be implemented, or if we see any

kind of long-lasting solutions, rather than just a pause for a few months. But you know, to that end, Zain, we do have some positive developments to

report late this evening from Beijing.

We have the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi calling Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, saying that, essentially, he hopes that the U.S. can work with

China, to, quote, prepare for high level interactions between the two nations. And then he describes President Trump and Chinese Leader Xi

Jinping as, quote, world class leaders who have engaged with each other over a long period and with mutual respect.

So, we bring that up to say, even though Beijing has not technically confirmed that this meeting between Xi and Trump is going to happen on

Thursday, it looks like things are certainly moving in the right direction, as -- Alayna has just said a couple minutes ago. So, although there is so

much positivity that's being injected into this equation by the American side.

I can tell you, Zain, that the mood here in Beijing is such one of confidence that China has come to this latest trade war in the second Trump

Administration, having learned so much from the first trade war a few years ago in the first Trump White House that it has been prepared to match the

tit for tat threats that have come from the Trump Administration.

And it is certainly prepared for the long run, to be engaged in a protracted trade battle with a higher trade and pain tolerance, from its

point of view than the United States has. So essentially, what we're looking for is to see what each side gives up by the time we get to

Thursday and the end of the week, because we have essentially the two biggest economies in the world in a chokehold, with China threatening to

cut off these rare earth minerals in the form of heightened export controls.

And the United States in retaliation, saying that is going to put even more high-tech controls and export controls on China, in the form of potentially

limiting U.S. software or products designed with U.S. software being exported to China. This is a deadlock situation, or at least it seemed to

be, up until a couple of days ago, and a deadlock that China certainly wants to avoid from this point on.

And we'll end with this Zain, you know, it's worth mentioning to our international audience that over the past couple days, in the previous

week, high level officials from China's Communist Party have gathered here in Beijing to start the work on China's next five-year plan.

This is going to be the 15th five year plan that China has been making since 1953 and what we've been able to discern from it so far is a

heightened drive to find more self-sufficiency in terms of AI innovation, not relying on the United States with these high tech chips and software,

putting in all the energy in terms of the economic energy and human resources capital into making sure that China never finds itself in this

position again.

So, a lot of specifics that we have to learn as we get closer to Thursday, Zain.

ASHER: All right, Mike Valerio, Alayna Treene, thank you both so much. Right, people in Jamaica are bracing for what could be the strongest storm

ever to hit the island. Hurricane Melissa with winds roaring at up to 165 miles per hour, is expected to arrive early Tuesday morning.

And forecasters are warning Jamaicans to be ready for life threatening floods. Heavy rain is already drenching the island. Many people spent the

weekend trying to protect their homes and their businesses. Evacuation orders have been issued for several communities on the coast, including

parts of the capital Kingston, with residents ordered to move to designated shelters or safe places.

The prime minister says it could even be worse than last year's deadly Hurricane Beryl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW HOLNESS, JAMAICAN PRIME MINISTER: By all assessments of the current situation, while we pray for the best hour by hour, it is becoming apparent

that the impact of Hurricane Melissa could be greater than Hurricane Beryl, certainly in terms of rainfall and flooding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: CNN's Chris Warren is tracking developments from our weather center again, one of the strongest storms possibly to ever hit the island. Just

walk us through what people in Jamaica can expect.

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Zain, something they have not seen before. This will be worse than Beryl, and frankly, there is no best-case scenario

anymore. This is a powerful storm, and new this hour. It's getting even stronger. Instead of 160 it's now 165 mile per hour, Category 5 hurricane.

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It only goes up to Category 5, and it is moving very slowly. The speed is important for the rainfall. You're going to get a lot more rain with a

slower moving storm. It's just, you've got the tap turned on longer. You know, it's just going to be raining a lot longer over Jamaica.

And you can think of these numbers in terms of words, there's not much difference between a Category 4 and a Category 5. Hurricane, a 4 and a 5

both catastrophic damage, wind damage. 5 catastrophic, here's by tomorrow morning, and then by the afternoon. This is a slow-moving storm, slow

moving down to a 3.

So, a 5 or a 4 going across Jamaica, a 3 is still devastating in terms of the damage you can do. With the footprint of rain right through here,

there's even a movement. A little bit of movement in the track is not going to change this. And this is what is also life threatening.

Here's the duration of this seven o'clock this evening, still well offshore. Here's Jamaica right there. And still, you're in it. Now until

seven o'clock in the morning, it's looking like this might be landfall. And you can think of landfall as being like halftime. So, it's going to be

awful leading up to it late this evening, overnight, tonight, all the way through at least morning, possibly even early afternoon.

So, you're looking at 18 hours or more of hurricane force conditions and very, very heavy rain. Now you think about 18 hours or so. You can drive

from New York to Miami in that time. This is a long duration event. The mountains also make a huge difference as well.

You're getting more of that lift, some more moisture out of the atmosphere. And you can see the difference here, getting enough rain to come to by

here, right? You can get three to maybe even more than three feet of rainfall, but it's going to have to flow back out of the mountains.

Meanwhile, Zain, what's happening is that water is flowing out of the mountains with flooding, landslides, mudslides, the hurricane is pushing

the sea water in. In some cases, up to 10 feet above normal high tide. This is a disaster in the making.

ASHER: Oh -- Chris Warren, live for us. Thank you so much. Right, Desmond McKenzie is Jamaica's Minister of Local Government. He joins me live now

from Kingston. Minister, thank you so much for being with us. Just explain to us. I mean, obviously this is one of the strongest storms to potentially

hit Jamaica, possibly ever.

And certainly, in recent history, what are the biggest logistical challenges you foresee over the next 24 hours or so, especially for those

who are living in remote areas and also those who are living with limited resources?

DESMOND MCKENZIE, JAMAICAN MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT: Well, good morning, and thanks for having me on CNN to speak about our situation here

in Jamaica. The question that you just asked would relate to those persons who are living in vulnerable communities.

As you know, Jamaica is a very low coastal island, and we are surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. So, the areas of concern, as you rightly state, are

persons living in low lying areas and in many other communities which are susceptible to land slippage. We have been doing some intense work over the

last couple of weeks to educate and to engage our communities.

We have seen some steady response in terms of evacuation taking place. We are expecting in excess of 50,000 or more Jamaicans in these areas that we

have targeted to be evacuated to safe grounds. We know the challenges that we face as a country, and we are prepared within the best of our ability to

try to deal with this massive fallout that is expected from Michelle.

One of the challenges I imagine, at a time like this is that a lot of people who live in coastal communities, and as you point out, vulnerable

communities, may be hesitant to evacuate because they've had past experience in terms of losing their homes, and so they inevitably end up

wanting to stay, to protect their homes.

So, at a time like that, how do you work on building trust so that people feel safe evacuating and leaving their homes?

Well, what we have been doing, led by the prime minister, the most honorable doctor, Andrew Holness. We have engaged the opposition in

discussions. There's a bipartisan approach to the disaster. The municipal corporations are underground, engaging various communities.

We are engaging the church, civil society. So, it's an all-out effort by the government of Jamaica to really get into communities. And you are

right. We are having challenges in some communities where persons are you know, we're not moved despite all the method.

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We have issued a mandatory evacuation order, and we are going to be using a friendly persuasion. We still have a couple hours window that is left, and

the team is still on the road, working in these communities, trying to convince Jamaicans that it is in their best interest to do so.

ASHER: And for people who feel extremely overwhelmed, nervous, anxious right now, both the local communities and also tourists who might be

trapped on the island as well both. What message do you have for them right now?

MCKENZIE: Well, we have 881 shelters across the island, at least 80 percent of our shelters now are occupied. We have a proper structure that also

deals with the protection of tourists, as you mentioned, visitors to the island. We do possess a strong building code in terms of our buildings.

And I'm expecting that majority of our buildings will stand the test of time. The real concerns are in communities where the structures are not as

secure, and persons who are living in close proximity to gullies and to riversides. As I said before, we have been doing extensive work with the

communities.

And I'm hoping that a lot of people are bought into the message and are taking the necessary precautions. We do have our command center here at the

office of disaster preparedness and emergency management, at them which I'm speaking to you, from which is equipped with various departments, speak

with people on the issue of mental health, or first respondent already.

So, we are prepared to face up to Melissa, you know. So, we are hoping that Melissa will not treat us too badly.

ASHER: All right, Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica's Minister of Local Government, thank you. And I obviously wish you the best of luck for the next 24 hours.

All right, U.S. warships are crowding around Venezuela as tensions between the two countries ratchet higher.

The guided missile destroyer the USS Gravely arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, just off the coast of Venezuela. Meantime, the largest aircraft

carrier in the world, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is also on its way to the seas off of Venezuela as well. Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro says the

White House is trying to fabricate an excuse to go to war.

Donald Trump has accused Maduro of being the leader of a drug gang. In recent weeks, the U.S. has repeatedly blown-up Venezuelan boats that it

says are being used to smuggle drugs into the United States. CNN Contributor Stefano Pozzebon joins us live now from Caracas.

Again, Maduro is essentially saying the movement of this carrier is an attempt by the U.S. to fabricate what he calls an eternal war against his

country. Just talk to us a bit more about the Venezuelan response to this.

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Zain, the references to eternal wars, and this is, of course, reference to the wars in like Libya, Iraq,

Afghanistan, have been made a plenty over the last couple of weeks, at least from the Maduro government. It was interesting last week, for

example, Maduro himself spoke in English, which is something he rarely does on one of his daily press conferences that are broadcasted on Venezuelan

television.

He spoke in English almost directly to the MAGA base, to the base of Donald Trump's movement, reminding them that the President of the United States

campaigned both in 2016 and in 2024 with the goal of putting an end to these eternal wars. And of course, it's no small coincidence that less than

two months ago, we knew that Donald Trump was campaigning hard to get awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, claiming to be a president of peace and

claiming to be a president that puts an end to war.

So, well now it looks like Venezuela, the United States, sorry, could be triggering something, a military action, at least in Venezuela. I think

we're not yet at a point where the military action is imminent. For a start, the bulk of U.S. forces are in the Island of Puerto Rico.

I'm making a reference in particular to F-45 fighter jets. And of course, there is a hurricane, as we all know, roaming around the Caribbean, and so

those operations will also be impacted by Hurricane Melissa. However, the tensions are still very high, and the arrival of the destroyer the USS

Gravely in Trinidad and Tobago, just overnight is, of course, a sign of that tension, the Gravely is understood.

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We understand it's a warship that can provide support. In particular to helicopters and airborne operations. And in the last couple of weeks, we

have also seen images of especially Navy Seals and special operation teams training in the Caribbean with some of those helicopters that could receive

support from that particular ship.

As of course, the feeling that the U.S. could trigger an intervention inside Venezuela, a targeted intervention, Zain, inside Venezuela is all

too present.

ASHER: All right, Stefano Pozzebon live for us there from Caracas, thank you. Still ahead with a ceasefire in place in Gaza, relief is combined with

grief as Palestinians return after months of war to find their homes reduced to rubble.

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ASHER: Right, Russia says it has successfully tested a long-range nuclear power cruise missile, announcing the results on Sunday, President Putin

described it as a weapon that no other country has, and said decisions would now be made about how to deploy it.

According to Russia's Army Chief, the missile was airborne for about 15 hours, covered around 14,000 kilometers and was able to evade anti missiles

defenses. CNN's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent, Matthew Chance is in Moscow for us. Matthew, what more do we know?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, you're right this missile was tested. It's called the Burevestnik missile.

It's a cruise missile. The interesting thing about it is nuclear powered. It's got a nuclear engine in it, and that is, you know, something that

means that it's got sort of infinite range.

The Russians say that it could sort of circumnavigate the world without stopping, and it flew for, as you mentioned, something like 15 hours in the

latest tests, went over eight and a half 1000 miles in range. It could go potentially a lot further than that. It's kind of problematic because there

are concerns about what it emits from exhaust.

It could be emitting sort of radioactive waste from its exhaust, because it has a nuclear engine when it explodes, when it hits the ground, obviously,

that would disperse nuclear material as well. So, it would predominantly be used to carry a nuclear warhead. And it's still very much in the sort of

experimental phase.

There have been problems with its development. This was a successful test, but there have been other unsuccessful ones as well.

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The point is, though, Zain, it all fits into the sort of ongoing narrative that Russia continues to push out there, reminding the West, reminding the

United States as its diplomatic sort of efforts kind of stall to bring an end to the Ukraine conflict, that Russia is still a very important nuclear

power.

It still has these weapons that Vladimir Putin describes as invincible weapons. They're kind of experimental ones, and it has a vast nuclear

arsenal as well. Just a few days ago, in fact, Putin oversaw drills of the full nuclear triad, the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles from

the air, from -- well from the sea and from the land, and also nuclear capable missiles from the air as well.

And it's all just a reminder that as diplomatic efforts with the United States sort of hit rocky ground. The Russians want to show that there's

still a nuclear power as a sort of threat on the one hand, but also as an enticement as well. They want the United States to sit down with them and

engage in diplomacy about arms limitation and things like that.

And so, you know, it's a double-edged sword for the Russians. They're trying to, sort of like, remind everybody of the potential threat that

Russia offers, but also the diplomatic opportunities to United States as well, if it would sit down and talk about a wide range of issues with

Moscow, Zain.

ASHER: Matthew Chance, live for us there. Thank you. Right, Prime Minister Benjamin, who says Israel will decide which countries can take part in the

New International Stabilization Force for Gaza, the force would handle security efforts in the Enclave under the U.S. backed ceasefire plan.

This comes as Red Cross officials met with Hamas on Sunday to discuss finding the bodies of 13 deceased Israeli hostages whose remains have not

yet been returned to Israel. And sources tell CNN Israel has also approved a request to allow an Egyptian team with tools and equipment to enter Gaza

and assist in the efforts to locate the bodies.

With a ceasefire in place, displaced Palestinians have been returning to Gaza. Many have come back to find their communities unrecognizable and

their homes destroyed after two years of war. And as 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.

[11:30:00]

One father among so many, waiting for rubble to be cleared and the closure it could bring. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Right, still to come here on "One World", even in the richest nation in the world, there is hunger ahead. We'll look at how the U.S. government

shutdown could bring food assistance programs to a halt across the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some international headlines we are watching today. Jamaica has

issued mandatory evacuation orders for several coastal communities, as Hurricane Melissa comes in. The rare Category 5 storm is expected to make

landfall there early Tuesday, local time.

Jamaica is already feeling the effects of the storm, from heavy rain and powerful winds. U.S. President Donald Trump is in Japan, where he met the

emperor at the Imperial Palace earlier, he's due to meet the new Japanese Prime Minister on Tuesday in Malaysia on Sunday, the U.S. Treasury

secretary said the U.S. and China had agreed on a framework for trade talks later this week between President Trump and China's Xi Jinping.

Argentine President Javier Milei is expected to celebrating rather a big win in midterm elections. His party took more than 40 percent of the vote

in legislative elections as President Milei has slashed government and radically overhauled the economy. He had the backing of Donald Trump, whose

administration offered Argentina a massive financial bailout.

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The U.S. government shutdown is in day 27 and it's bringing real pain to a lot of Americans. The food assistance program known as SNAP is likely to

run out of money this weekend. More than 40 million Americans rely on SNAP to provide them with meals. And the nation's air travel system is facing

severe stress as air traffic controllers who are not being paid during the shutdown call out sick.

More than 6000 flights were delayed over the weekend, with more delays reported today, and the blame game continues with Democrats saying it's

clear Donald Trump has no interest in solving the shutdown, citing his trip this week to Asia. Republicans, meantime, insist that Democrats should vote

to fund the government.

With more on this, let's bring in Annie Grayer, covering the congressional side of things. We've also got CNN's Pete Muntean, who's tracking the

situation at U.S. airport. Annie, let me start with you, because this is now, and I've said this before, this is now the second longest shutdown in

U.S. history. And if it lasts through election day, if it lasts past November 4th, it will be the longest.

And you know, no end in sight at this point, Republicans and Democrats continuing the blame game. Walk us through it.

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: That's right, we are still at square one here, 27 days into this government shutdown, and there is really no end in

sight. Both sides remain extremely dug in, and now federal workers are starting to feel the pain. Over a million federal workers missed their

paychecks on Friday.

Air Traffic is continuing to be delayed at airports. And now there's a huge question of whether or not over 42 million Americans are going to be able

to get the food assistance payments that they need, which were scheduled to go out on November 1st. And now, with this ongoing government shutdown,

there's a question of whether or not that will happen.

But Democrats say that they are not moving off of their position that they will not vote to reopen the government until Republicans come to the table

to negotiate on the rising costs of health care. They are critical of President Trump for being abroad and on another foreign trip and not trying

to break the stalemate on Capitol Hill.

They're critical of the president for giving billions of dollars in a bailout to Argentina and not using that money to potentially help alleviate

the pain of the shutdown. Republicans, meanwhile say, open up the federal government, and then we can have a conversation about health care costs.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has kept the House out of session since September 19th. House lawmakers have not been in D.C. They've been back in

their districts. Meanwhile, Leader Thune, the Republican Leader in the Senate, didn't keep senators here over the weekend because he said there

was really no point when there's no meaningful negotiations going on.

So, it just shows you how far apart the two sides remain 27 days, and real people are feeling the impacts.

ASHER: Right, Annie standby. Pete, let me bring you in, because you have a lot of air traffic controllers who essentially not being paid during this

time, and therefore they're calling out six that's leading to a lot of disruptions, a lot of delays at American airports. Just explain to us

what's going on there.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, remember, there's already a shortage of air traffic controllers that we've been talking about for

years, but all it takes is for just a handful of controllers who are working without pay on day 27 of this government shutdown to call out sick,

and that leads to a disproportionate impact.

It really means that the FAA has no choice when there is a shortage of staff at an air traffic control facility to delay or slow or even stop

flights. This weekend, between Friday and Sunday, we saw the biggest spike of those staffing shortages at about 50 air traffic control facilities

nationwide.

Remember, the FAA is responsible for operating only about 300 control towers, approach control facilities and centers nationwide. So, we're

talking about this hitting one in every six air traffic control facilities in the U.S. We are not out of the words yet, it has to be mentioned that

tomorrow, air traffic controllers will receive their first $0 paycheck, nearly four weeks into this shutdown.

Of course, so many of them are upset about this, and so many of them are concerned about how to put food on the table. Air traffic controllers face

a stressful job already, and a representative from the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers just spoke to CNN.

He says that many of them are leading stressful jobs, and now they have this stress. On top of all of that, it also means a lot of stress for

travelers. And we have Halloween coming up, it's a big time for travel. We've seen a lot of these shortages take place on weekends and on evening,

so it's likely only going to get worse before it gets better, Zain, not a great forecast.

ASHER: All right. Pete Muntean, Annie Grayer, live for us. Thank you both so much. OK, let's dig deeper into the impact of SNAP food assistance,

running out a program that helps to feed some 42 million Americans.

[11:40:00]

Joining us live now is Kyle Waide, the President and CEO of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Kyle, thank you so much for being with us with SNAP

benefits or food stamps, effectively expected to run out November 1st, because we're being told the well has run dry because of this government

shutdown.

Just talk to us first and foremost about the kind of surge in demand you're expecting, given that there are 42 million Americans across the country who

rely on this program.

KYLE WAIDE, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ATLANTA COMMUNITY FOOD BANK: Well, it's great to be here. And I think the starting point for answering your

question is just to acknowledge that lines are already very long at food pantries all across the country. At my food bank, we've seen the demand for

food assistance increase by about 70 percent over the last 3.5 years due to inflation.

There's just a lot more economic pressure on families across our community. And as you noted there are just a really large number of people, 42 million

people across the country, 1.5 million people here in the State of Georgia, that rely on the SNAP program to connect them with the nutrition that they

need.

In Georgia alone, they receive about $250 million a month in those SNAP benefits. Last year, our food bank distributed across the entire year $280

million worth of groceries. And so, in effect, one month's worth of activity is equal to what we do in an entire year. It would be impossible

for us to make up the full difference of what is being disrupted.

And we know it's just going to add to the lines that are already very long at the food pantries that are serving our communities today.

ASHER: So, the lines are already long. As you point out, you said there's been a 70 percent increase the number of people relying on your food bank

because of inflation. And then on top of that, you've got this interruption, this potential interruption, to the SNAP program, happening

on November 1st.

So just explain to us what you are doing at the food bank to sort of support people who might need extra help because of the disruption to SNAP

access. And what I mean by that is, you know, increased distribution, longer hours, hiring more volunteers. Just walk us through that side of

things.

WAIDE: Sure, so it's kind of all of the above in the way that we're approaching this current crisis. Certainly, it starts with just making sure

we are in dialog with our elected leaders, both here at the state level and up in D.C., to help them understand what we are seeing and experiencing and

expecting in terms of demand in our community.

And hopefully that will help them as they go through the process of trying to resolve this situation. We are working with a variety of different local

partners to schedule some targeted distribution activity to get more food and groceries close to where there are concentrations of federal employees

who, as your team noted, are also really impacted by this shutdown, folks who are not going to get paid this week for the first time.

We're trying to get food to those folks, and then we're working with our suppliers to both get more donated food and to purchase more food that we

can then route through the community as we get deeper into this shutdown. You know, this time of year is our highest volume period of the year for

food distribution already.

And so, our inventory is under significant strain as it is. We're going to have to work very hard to go get more food to support that demand. For my

food bank locally, we're hoping to increase our distribution capacity by as much as 30 percent to support increased demand.

But again, if all of those SNAP recipients turn to us for help, who normally get help from the SNAP program, there's no way we can meet that

full increase.

ASHER: You talked about relying on your suppliers, obviously, donors, you know --community assistance, out of those -- out of what you just listed,

when it comes to sort of making up the shortfall in funding, what are some of the resources that would actually make the biggest difference right now

as a SNAP program prepares to run out?

WAIDE: Well, I mean, let's not forget to make the main thing. We just need the government to be open and for the SNAP program to be not disrupted.

[11:45:00]

We do know that the government does have some flexibility to fund the program through some other means temporarily. And we would encourage them

to explore ways to do that, absent that, you know, food banks across the country are going to need more help right now.

They're going to need your financial support so that we can get more food into the system and get that food close to where people are. And we're

going to need volunteers. You know, we're going to need volunteers at our main facilities. We're going to need volunteers out in those pantry

locations so that we can serve a longer line of people who need our help right now.

ASHER: All right. Kyle Waide of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, thank you so much. We're right back after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: Right, there's been a breakthrough in the Paris Louvre heist investigation. The prosecutor in the case says that two suspects were

arrested over the weekend, including one man detained at the airport in Paris on Saturday before a flight to Algeria. BFMTV says that both suspects

hail from a Paris suburb and were tracked using DNA evidence found at the museum.

Thieves targeted the museum's Apollo gallery in a brazen daylight robbery last week, fleeing with jewelry worth about $102 million in just minutes.

Joining us live now from Paris is CNN's Senior International Correspondent Melissa Bell. So, DNA evidence led them led to the arrest of one man.

It was at the airport on his way out of the country. What about the others, Melissa?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we understand is that as a result of those substantial pieces of evidence that

were left behind, Zain. And I'm thinking here not just of the DNA evidence that was left inside the Apollo room where they managed to get in.

Of course, stealing those pieces of jewelry, but also on the equipment that they used to get inside, and then on other items that they left behind in

their haste, things like the truck with that mechanical lift that they tried and failed to burn. Police were also able to recover a glove, a

helmet, one of the scooters they made their getaway on.

And by using the more than 150 pieces traces of DNA, rather on all of those items and in all of those places, investigators had managed we understand,

several days ago, Zain, to zoom in on these four suspects that they believed had been there on that day. Now what we understand also is that

they had hoped to arrest them all at once.

It was the suspected flight of a couple of them, or attempted flight of a couple of them, that moved them to act faster on Saturday, one of those men

trying to get to Algeria, another they believed was also preparing to flee the country.

[11:50:00]

So, they made these two arrests. What we know is that these are men, believed to be in their 30s that come from this Paris suburb. We understand

that these were people that were known to the police. So, I mentioned the traces of DNA, evidence that were left behind. Police were able to match

those with DNA that they had on their databases, because these are believed to be thieves that had already been clocked by the police.

So that will have helped a great deal in their investigation. Now the question remains about when these other two suspects that they have

apparently been watching as well will be arrested, mainly though, for now, we understand, Zain, that they don't know where the jewels are.

They haven't managed to get their hands back on that more than 100 million dollars' worth of jewelry that were stolen a week ago on Sunday. And of

course, that will be the focus of their investigations at this stage to try and recover as many of those pieces of France's crown jewels as they can.

ASHER: All right. Melissa Bell, the plot thickens live for us in Paris. Thank you so much. We're right back with more after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: In Belgium, pumpkins aren't just for pies or for carving. Therefore, paddling participants in this year's Pumpkin Regatta climbed aboard, or

rather into their hollowed-out gourds and paddled to victory in the 100- meter race event started back in 2008 as a partnership between pumpkin farmers and the local kayaking community.

It draws a crowd. And organizers say there's nothing quite like it anywhere else in Europe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CEDRIC VAN NEDERKASSEL, EVENT ATTENDEE: Awesome, I mean find to get outside with the rest of the family and something for all ages. So yeah, just

great. Very creative. So yeah, nothing but bonus points.

WIM CRIAR, EVENT ORGANIZATION TEAM: Because it's a unique element here in Belgium and almost in Europe. I don't know any other place which does this

with pumpkins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: And you are looking at a massive "Day of the Dead" exhibition in Mexico city's main square commemorates the city's seventh 100th

anniversary. Some of the statues are 10 meters tall. Mexico City was once an ancient Aztec capital, and the towering display is inspired by the

mythical journey of the Aztecs to settle at what is now the Mexico City.

[11:55:00]

And finally, a programming note for you in about 12 hours' time, Elex Michaelson launches his new show, "The Story Is" right here on CNN. You can

catch the premiere at 09:00 p.m. on Monday in Los Angeles. That's 05:00 a.m. on Tuesday if you're watching from London and noon if you are watching

from Hong Kong.

His first guest will be California Governor Gavin Newsom. Elex, welcome to the CNN family. We're so happy to have you. Right stay with CNN. I have

much more "One World" with my colleague and friend Bianna Golodryga after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END