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One World with Zain Asher

China, U.S. Will Lower Import Tariffs on Each Other's Goods; Trump tells Pentagon to Test Nuclear Weapons "On Equal Basis" with Russia & China; Melissa Carves Deadly Path of Destruction Across Caribbean; Seattle Bagel Shop Stepping up to Feed the Hungry; $20 House Cleaning Humanoid Robot Hits the Market. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired October 30, 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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BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Hello, everyone. Live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching "One World". We

begin with a high stakes meeting on the sidelines of a Summit in South Korea that appears to have eased friction between the world's two largest

economies.

Donald Trump is now on his way back to Washington after meeting face-to- face with China's Leader Xi Jinping for the first time in six years. Trump touted progress on trade in soybeans and rare earths and on reducing the

flow of fentanyl into the U.S. He says he and President Xi reached agreement on almost everything, and that a trade deal could soon be signed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We have a deal now. Every year we'll renegotiate the deal, but I think the deal will go on

for a long time. But overall, I guess on the scale of from 0 to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was at 12.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Ivan Watson joins us now from Hong Kong. A lot of tension going into this meeting, and people walking out of it relieved for at least

now, where there appears to have been a deal, though it hasn't been signed formally, as we heard from the president. The president giving this a 12

out of 10, a bit more measured response from President Xi. What stood out to you from this meeting?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the main thing is that the escalating trade war, which was so destructive for both

economies and had ripple effects around the world, had now appears to have been diffused for the time being. You've had the leaders of the two -- the

world's two largest economies. They met for 90 minutes, and I think they've agreed to hit a pause button, and that's good for trade around the world

frankly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: China is coming. I look forward to seeing him.

WATSON (voice-over): After days of hype, the moment U.S. President Donald Trump was waiting for his landmark meeting with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping,

a chance to reset the relationship between rival superpowers.

TRUMP: Was a very tough negotiator and respect --

WATSON (voice-over): 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.

XI JINPING, CNINESE PRESIDENT: I always believe that China's development goes hand in hand with your vision to make America great again.

WATSON (voice-over): The world closely watching whether these two leaders can heal the damage caused by months of a brutal trade war.

JINPING: 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 (voice-over): 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 (voice-over): 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 manufacture of almost all high-tech products, from iPhones to electric

vehicles.

Also discussed ending the war in Ukraine, China's purchase of us, 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 (voice-over): 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 us tariffs.

In Korea, Xi demonstrated he can negotiate with the unpredictable U.S. President to stabilize bilateral relations, even as China sprints towards

self-sufficiency from American tech. Trump left Korea promoting a big- ticket finale to a trip that's seen him Inc deals across Asia.

TRUMP: I guess on the scale of from 0 to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was at 12.

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WATSON (voice-over): As for the Chinese Leader, he released a much more restrained statement, saying his time with the U.S. President was very

pleasant.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON (on camera): Bianna, isn't it such a fascinating contrast in style. You have President Trump there in full salesman mode. He's saying that

American farmers are going to be really happy because China is going to buy U.S. soybeans again. Well, guess what? It was buying soybeans until May,

when the tariffs were piling on to China and the trade war was escalating.

Meanwhile, Xi Jinping in his statements, he talked to President Trump about the lessons that both sides are learning here, and wanting to avoid a

quote, vicious cycle of mutual retaliation. He went on to basically in how he's dealt with the trade war. China has revealed some vulnerabilities in

the U.S. economy.

It has demonstrated it can hit the U.S. economy where it hurts. Stop buying soybeans, for example, threaten not to sell anymore rare earths, which you

need to make everything from cell phones to jet fighters. However, the tone of these talks was relatively good, and there is hope for continued dialog

in the future.

Even though this relationship has so been so volatile in the past, President Trump talking about visiting China next year, and has issued an

invitation for Xi Jinping to come to the U.S. sometime after that, so hopefully that will keep relations warmer between Beijing and Washington in

the year to come.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and this trade and tariff war unlike almost every other country that has negotiated with President Trump. It's pretty clear that

President Xi's policy going forward was going to be toe-to-toe, matching toe-to-toe with Donald Trump, and ratcheting up the pressure, just as the

United States was as well. Ivan Watson, thank you so much.

Well, as President Trump was arriving in South Korea for that meeting with Xi Jinping, he announced a major U.S. policy shift on social media. Trump

said he has ordered the Pentagon to immediately begin testing nuclear weapons after a gap of more than 30 years in order to keep up with other

nuclear powers, namely Russia and China.

Now it's not clear exactly what kind of testing the president was referring to, but neither Beijing or Moscow have tested live nuclear weapons since

the 1990s.

(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)

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Kevin Liptak joins me now live from the White House, I believe, just from a pure stockpile perspective, Russia has a few 1000, or

at least 1000 more nuclear weapons than the United States does, and we also know that China, under President Xi, hasn't been rapidly building up its

nuclear arsenal as well.

Nonetheless, what prompted, what are we hearing from the White House in terms of what prompted this sudden policy shift from the president?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I think what officials are pointing to is most likely, although they should, we should say that

they're speculating. Here was the tests in recent days out of Russia by nuclear capable cruise missiles and torpedoes. These were not armed with

any kind of nuclear weapon, but it was a nuclear capable delivery system.

And that appears, at least now, to be what has prompted this from President Trump. In a way, he seems almost confused about what has actually been

tested over the last several decades, because, as you correctly point out, neither the United States nor Russia nor China has actually conducted a

nuclear test explosion since the 1990s and so this would be a major reversal if the president is actually intent on doing that.

Now, when he was speaking on Air Force One as he was coming back to the United States, he didn't really provide all that much clarity, just saying

that because other countries were doing tests, that the U.S. would do tests as well, and saying as well that a site and location for doing this would

be determined at some point in the future, I think it's interesting just to set the stage of how exactly the president put out this message.

You know, he was on Marine One flying towards this airport in South Korea for this Summit with Xi Jinping, which was put on the schedule in part to

create a dialog to stabilize relations between these two countries and the president, kind of upending that objective before the talks even got

underway, even among officials in the administration there's a degree of confusion about what the president is actually asking for.

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You know, ordinarily, a nuclear test would not be carried out by the Pentagon, which is where he issued this directive. It's under civilian

control at the U.S. Energy Department, which maintains the stockpiles, you know. So, the president not precisely clear on that front as well.

When you talk to engineers, they point out that nuclear tests can be conducted through computer simulation. It doesn't actually require, you

know, blowing something up under water or in the desert in Nevada, which were the -- which is -- where they had conducted these tests many, many

years ago.

So, a lot, I think, unknown about the president's intentions here, but I do think it just underscores the reality that the president remains a volatile

force on Foreign Affairs. And when you hear Xi Jinping talking in his opening message there about the twists and turns in U.S. China relations,

this is perhaps a twist that he was not anticipating in the minutes before he was set to meet with President Trump.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, no doubt, and still so much unclear here in terms of what President Trump was referring to? Did he want to test launch nuclear

capable missiles or actually detonate them? Also worth noting here in terms of the ambiguity, nonetheless quite surprising. Kevin Liptak, thank you so

much.

All right. Well, turning now to Hurricane Melissa, the storm now a category two hurricane, is heading towards Bermuda. Over the past several days,

Melissa has been carving a path of death and destruction across the Caribbean. At least 30 people are dead, though officials don't yet know the

storm's true death toll.

Jamaican officials say about 77 percent of the country is without power, complicating recovery efforts. The mayor of one of the hardest hit areas on

the island says catastrophic is a mild term.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD SOLOMON, BLACK RIVER MAYOR: The conditions here are devastating. Catastrophic is a mild term. Based on what we are observing, we are unable

to do any rescuing. We are unable to respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Unbelievable. Well, Jamaica's Prime Minister has been describing the level of devastation that he saw as he was surveying the island.

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ANDREW HOLNESS, JAMAICAN PRIME MINISTER: I flew over the South Coast of St. Elizabeth into Black River and from Treasure Beach to this point, we could

easily say that between 80 to 90 percent of roofs have been destroyed. A significant number of buildings were damaged. On the ground, the impact is

even more palpable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is in Jamaica with more on the storm's wrath.

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DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): After 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.

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 help that is desperately needed into portions of

Western Jamaica.

DAN (voice-over): People banded together. Some did whatever they could against the force of nature, like Gregory, who climbed on top of his roof

to nail it down during the category five hurricane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was looking through the window, and it's came. I was looking through the window, and it's so terrifying me after my room in this

time in a raincoat with Mahama.

DAM (voice-over): And Damien, who watched his house fly away and dodge debris.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I watched it flying away, yeah. And he was scared after went outside my vehicle and the tree going to follow my vehicle, I'm

going to have to, like, run outside, move them and, you know, and just move on.

DAM (voice-over): Melissa also hit Cuba, flooding streets of Santiago and cutting off road access.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a lot of wind, a lot of rain. This area was flooded. Where you see now, the water reached almost knee high.

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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 is a disaster right now. So, we just have to pray up for the best and the good help each one we can't help, and that's

it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: That was CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam reporting. Coming up next on "One World", there may be signs of progress in ending the U.S.

government shutdown. We'll tell you what is driving some Democrats and Republicans to finally sit down and talk.

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GOLODRYGA: We are in day 30 of the U.S. government shutdown, and for the first time in weeks, it feels like maybe there is a sign of progress. There

is word that a bipartisan group of Senators is talking about how they might find a solution to the stalemate.

Donald Trump's return to Washington could help accelerate those talks with the government food assistance program known as SNAP due to suspend

benefits this weekend. It is clear that Senators are anxious to get this solved. More than 40 million Americans depend on food stamps to buy their

groceries.

For weeks, Democrats have been pushing Republicans to negotiate to reopen the government they have refused. On Wednesday, the Senate's Republican

Leader angrily blamed Democrats for the pain that Americans are feeling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): SNAP recipients shouldn't go without food. People should be getting paid in this country. And we tried to do that 13 times.

You voted no 13 times. This isn't a political game. These are real people's lives that we're talking about. And you all just figured out 29 days in

that, oh, there might be some consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: And while the consequences of the shutdown are about to hit home for millions of Americans, some businesses are stepping up to try to fill

the gap. Randy Wakayama of CNN Affiliate KING has the story of a Seattle restaurant that is offering breakfast to those in need.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want people to feel warm, welcoming and also a very big pillar of toasted is like social responsibility.

BRADY WAKAYAMA, CNN (voice-over): Staff at toasted coffee and bagels in Seattle are taking it upon themselves to make sure families aren't going

hungry with SNAP benefits ending this weekend.

MURAT AKYUZ, CO-FOUNDER, TOASTED BAGELS & COFFEE: Thinking about, you know, people not being able to put food on their plate, for their family, for

their kids, grandma, grandpa. It's just very sad, and we want to make sure that we can lend a helping hand.

WAKAYAMA (voice-over): 24-year-old Murat Akyuz and his Co-Founder of this Cafe, have first-hand experience of what SNAP benefits can provide for a

family.

AKYUZ: My family, when we first immigrated to the U.S., we relied on the SNAPs benefits to just get us through a regular life. My dad worked 70 plus

hours or family of five, and we still needed that $500 $700 to make groceries for the house.

WAKAYAMA (voice-over): More than 930,000 people in Washington rely on SNAP.

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The federal program provides up to $994 a month for a family of four. With that all on the line. Akyuz created the put it on my neighbor's tab

initiative, no proof, no questions, just say the line and the baristas will hand over a free breakfast starting Saturday. Toasted is covering the first

100 meals, and every donation after that helps feed the next neighbor.

AKYUZ: Donations are just coming in, like every minute, from $1 to up to $500 it's a super cool to see.

WAKAYAMA (voice-over): In less than a day, Toasted has raised more than $24,000 enough to cover at least 4000 breakfast meals. The idea came from a

coffee shop in Portland and Akyuz hopes that kindness keeps pouring over.

AKYUZ: If someone is going to not go hungry for one more day. That feels good.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Feel good story for sure. Thanks to Brady Wakayama for that report. What was the largest police raid that Rio de Janeiro has ever seen,

and the fallout may be felt for some time to come. At least 132 people died during the operation against a criminal group. Stefano Pozzban shows us the

aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Bodies lined the street surrounded by grieving loved ones, just some of the more than 100

casualties from Rio de Janeiro's largest police raid in history.

Charred cars acting as barricades and shattered glass remnants of an operation authorities say targeted a criminal group, finding drugs and

rifles and arresting dozens. The operation authorities say was years in the making, but the victims' families call it something else.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This wasn't an operation. It was a massacre.

POZZEBON (voice-over): Police and military moved in on the Favela. Security forces with rifles running through the streets and drones they say gangs

used to retaliate. Rio de Janeiro slums have seen raids before. The latest one targeted Brazil's Commando Vermellio, authorities say, which has become

a massive transnational criminal group.

CLAUDIO CASTRO, RIO DE JANEIRO GOVERNOR: We delivered a hard blow to crime, showing that we are capable of winning battles, capable of playing our

part.

POZZEBON (voice-over): But operations like these have people worried.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the state's duty, the police's duty, to fight drug trafficking, not to enter the Favela and kill innocent residents.

POZZEBON (voice-over): The U.N. said it is horrified by the violence and is calling for police reform in the country, as residents are left fearing

whether there will be collateral damage in the state's continuing fight against crime. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: And now to France, where five new suspects are in custody linked to the brazen heist at the Louver Museum. That brings the total number of

arrests to seven. The Paris prosecutor says one of the men detained last night is believed to be part of the four-man team that carried out the

robbery disguised as construction workers.

Meanwhile, two men arrested last weekend are now under formal investigation, and prosecutors say they have partially admitted their

involvement. The investigation has so far not recovered the stolen Crown Jewels estimated to be worth more than $100 million Senior International

Correspondent Melissa Bell is just outside the Louver in Paris with the latest.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fresh developments here in France in the investigation into the Louver robbery of October

19th, seven people now in police custody, although we do understand from the Paris prosecutor that the jewels themselves have yet to be found.

Of those seven, two people arrested last Saturday, those two men now under formal investigation. It was DNA evidence for the scene of the crime here

at the Apollo Gallery that led the police to them. We understand from the prosecutor two men who were known to police beforehand.

What we understand is that a third member of that four-man team, the two already in custody, were part of it. Say, the process the prosecutor, a

third person who was part of that four-man team that Sunday morning now also under arrest, also tracked down, thanks to DNA that was found at the

scene.

What we understand also is that four other people have now been taken into custody too, not necessarily part of that heist. Here that morning, they

were not physically at the Louver, but authorities say that they may have answers that will help them make progress in figuring out how this most

extraordinary heist was organized.

Still 11 days into this manhunt, the question remains where these precious, historically invaluable pieces of jewelry actually are Melissa Bell, CNN,

Paris.

GOLODRYGA: Thanks to Melissa for that report. And for all of those of you who hate doing your own housework. We've all been there before. Well, that

is Neo, a new humanoid robot from the AI and robotics company 1X.

[11:25:00]

Neo does it all like cleaning your house, doing your laundry and watering your plants. It can be yours for just a cool $20,000. The company that

makes Neo says there are lots of security features that prevent it from becoming something out of a horror movie. It's a lot of money to dole out.

All right, today with CNN, there's more "One World" in 30 minutes time. But CNN Creators is up Next in the meantime.

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