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CNN Headlines: Trump Says He's Open To Trilateral Meeting With Putin, Xi; Calls For Investigation Into California ICE Incident; French Government Works To Restore Order After Widespread Rioting. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired October 20, 2026 - 05:30   ET

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

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[05:30:52]

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories here.

President Trump is considering a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping as he works to end the war in Ukraine. A U.S. official says that the talks were proposed by Putin earlier this month and would not include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We'll have more on this propose meeting in just a few minutes.

Also, sources tell CNN Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth traveled to Israel in an unannounced trip just days before the country's elections. Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday evening. Representatives from the United Arab Emirates were also at one of the meetings. The Pentagon has declined to comment on the trip.

And President Trump is pulling out all of the stops to turn out the MAGA base for the midterm elections, despite his record-low approval ratings. He kicked off a seven-day, seven-state campaign blitz in reliably red Kansas yesterday. Now, this week, he heads to North and South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, Georgia, and Michigan.

More now on his appearance in Kansas from CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Kansas has emerged as one of the most unexpected battleground contests in this midterm race and Democrats here are hoping that they can pull off a victory for the first time since 1932.

President Trump coming here to make a push in the Wichita suburbs for Republican Senator Roger Marshall, who is engaged in a tighter than expected race against the Democrat Adam Hamilton. He's a pastor from a megachurch. And this is a red state in a red county that President Trump carried by 16 points back in 2024. President Trump framing Hamilton as a radical leftist. He said that

Hamilton "doesn't have our values." He said that he "doesn't act like a pastor." But we have seen through this polling that Hamilton has been able to peel off some registered Republicans in this contest. The president's appearance really underscores how Republicans are on the defense, and we are seeing these Republican aligned groups pour millions of dollars into bolstering Marshall's campaign.

President Trump making his closing argument -- listen.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to win the Republican House and the Republican Senate. We're going to do great. And in this election, I'm asking you to pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot. You know, Americans are going to stand up and declare that we will defend our culture, we will protect our civilization, we will preserve our religion, our values, and our heritage, and we will never let our nation be conquered or destroyed by people that hate us.

KLEIN: President Trump's presence here in Wichita is part of this overall midterm strategy aimed at bolstering his MAGA base. And I've talked to a number of undecided voters in this area and even here at this rally, and they are saying that they are concerned about these economic issues -- the price of gas, the price of diesel, President Trump's tariff policies. Those are all reasons why Marshall doesn't necessarily have this lockdown just yet.

I also spoke with one Republican who is on the ballot, and he says that economic discontent is a major issue that he is concerned will impact Republicans both up and down that ballot. And we saw some signs of that discontent. President Trump interrupted repeatedly by protesters in at least four instances here in Park City, Kansas.

Betsy Klein traveling with the president in Park City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right, thank you, Betsy.

And if you feel like you're getting blitzed by campaign ads, you probably are. A review of data for the final two weeks of the midterm shows more than $300 million pouring into races for the 10 Senate seats that CNN rates as most likely to flip.

Let's turn back to the proposed trilateral meeting between President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trump says that they'd talk about denuclearization, but a U.S. official says President Trump believes such a meeting could advance efforts to end the war in Ukraine. However, the meeting would not include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

[05:35:05]

Here's what President Trump said about a possible meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: I would do it not so much for Ukraine because Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much, and the same thing with China. We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons.

REPORTER: Would you meet with President Xi and Putin to discuss the end of the war without Zelenskyy there?

TRUMP: Well, I would meet in order -- anything I can to end the war, whether somebody's there or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Despite Trump's comments and recent actions, a bipartisan group of lawmakers hosted a video call with Zelenskyy on Monday, and they made clear that Congress is committed to standing with Ukraine. President Trump has sparked bipartisan backlash after reaching a deal with Russia to allow diesel exports and waiving Russia-related sanctions.

The former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine says President Trump is failing any attempt to end the war by not putting pressure on Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVEN PIFER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Mr. Trump has significant leverage he could use to put pressure on Russia to negotiate seriously. He could close sanction loopholes. He could invoke the sanctions that were voted through in the Lindsey Graham sanctions bill, which he, on Friday, waived. He could work with the Europeans to move to seize Russian frozen

central bank assets. If he wanted to send Putin a message, he could ask Congress for $10 billion in assistance for Ukraine.

He could do all these things to try to pressure Putin to change because you've had a situation where the Ukrainians have indicated now for about a year, they're prepared to make serious compromises to end the war. They're not prepared to give away the store, but there's been no change on the Russian side. And Mr. Trump's failure to put pressure on Putin is basically undermining his entire effort to mediate a solution, and that's why it's failing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Meanwhile, Zelenskyy says he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and had what he described as a substantive conversation. According to the Ukrainian president, ballistic missile interceptors, Russian ballistic missile attacks, and the need to restore the Starlink-Starshield system were all discussed. And we've learned that Zelenskyy will meet with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Norway and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will join remotely.

Questions are mounting after a U.S. citizen in California was hurt in an incident with an ICE officer over the weekend. One lawmaker is calling for an investigation.

CNN's Leigh Waldman has the details for us. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of questions remain about what led up to a former Long Beach City employee being detained and his arm broken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents over the weekend in California.

We have surveillance video from the moment leading up to a video I'm sure you've seen at this point online. You can see a man on an e-bike turning down a street as an unmarked SUV is driving the wrong way down the street. You see agents getting out of that vehicle very quickly and going over to the side where the man's e-bike was and where he was. Now we don't know based on this video if the bike in the SUV collided but witnesses, including Gonzalez's own daughter, said that the two did in fact collide and that he was injured in that.

We have another new video. This video shows the moment a masked ICE agent points to what appears to be a yellow taser at Gonzalez. The camera turns away before we're able to see if Gonzalez was in fact tasered, but we heard from witnesses who say that he was in fact tasered. You can see that altercation where Gonzalez ends up on the ground, and those agents are on top of him.

And in another video, he says his arm is broken and he asks for some help. We know Long Beach police -- they showed up here after being called not only by Gonzalez, but also by those ICE agents as well. The ICE agents asking for medical assistance and reporting that a vehicle was vandalized. We know Long Beach police took Gonzalez to a nearby fire station to have those handcuffs removed. He was then taken to a hospital for treatment. ICE agents followed them to that fire station, and they were asked to leave. And were told they can file a vandalism report by calling the department there.

A lot of questions remain, though, about what exactly led up to this interaction between Gonzalez and those ICE agents. We've heard from the former Long Beach mayor and current representative, Robert Garcia, who says he believes that Gonzalez is a citizen and that is something his family is stating as well.

Leigh Waldman, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Thank you, Leigh.

[05:40:00]

New details now in a case out of Mississippi. The attorney general there says a police officer was justified in using force when he responded to a shoplifting call. A 1-year-old boy, Kohen Wiley, was killed when the officer opened fire at a car that police say was driving towards them. But the family's attorney says an autopsy found the child was shot from the side of the car, not the front, contradicting officers' claims. The child's mother has denied that she or her friend stole anything and neither has been charged. We return now to that deadly incident that took place on a soccer

field in Kansas. The district attorney's office says that it plans to review the case this week. A woman is accused of driving onto the field, killing a 6-year-old child, a man, and injuring 10 others over the weekend. Police say that she was released from custody pending toxicology tests and an examination of her truck.

A grandmother who was at the field watching her granddaughter play soccer says there was so much confusion when it happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOLENE MORA, GRANDDAUGHTER AT SOCCER FIELD: The girls were over on the bench and I kind of looked away for a second and I looked back and then a woman, one of the parents, was running towards us and I heard yelling about active shooter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: But it turned out to be a truck on the field. Police say two of the driver's children were in the truck with her.

The Supreme Court is standing behind a decision by the Pentagon to cancel plea deals for three 9/11 conspirators. The agreements would have required Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two others to plead guilty in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table. That deal was revoked by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in 2024. The Supreme Court's decision now leaves the case in military court, where years of legal disputes have delayed the trials.

President Trump is calling on New Mexico to change its name to New America. It's the latest example of Trump seeking geographical name changes that fit his political agenda. He wrote on Truth Social, "New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico. We are the United States of America!" Trump's comments come as Republicans try to hold on to their congressional majorities in November, with voters saying in polling that the president isn't paying enough attention to the country's most pressing problems.

Next on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, clean up and curfew. That's what's happening across France as many cities, including Paris, grapple with days of violent protests over the high cost of living and education woes. The latest on the situation there, next.

And Jon Stewart revealing plans about his future on "THE DAILY SHOW." That story and much more still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.

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[05:47:17]

SMITH: France is working to restore order after its worst rioting in years erupted over the weekend. Officials imposed curfews in several cities Monday night including parts of Paris. Some of those curfews have since been lifted but the country's prime minister said more restrictions could be announced if needed. The unrest is also drawing reaction from around the world.

Here's CNN's Melissa Bell in Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The violence taking France and the world by surprise. Clashes and looting that turned so many streets in France to chaos, town halls vandalized or torched, attacks, said the president, on the French Republic itself.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): Those who sought to bring down the republic will be held accountable.

BELL (voiceover): The state of public services, the high cost of living, and anger at the government drove more than half a million people to the streets. But things took a dark turn even before the marches began.

BELL: Air that is heavy with tear gas, because already there have been some scuffles here between protesters and police here at the Place de la Republique. This -- two marches that are set to set off from this central Paris square are really not due to start for another 45 minutes or so, but already the scenes have been pretty violent. And, again, the air is very thick with tear gas.

BELL (voiceover): Very quickly, the protests descended into chaos with hundreds of shops looted.

The far right, which leads the polls ahead of next year's presidential election, is laying the blame for the violence and destruction squarely at the government's feet.

JORDAN BARDELLA, PRESIDENT OF FAR-RIGHT NATIONAL RALLY (through translator): If France is still standing, it's no longer thanks to a government that ran for the hills, but thanks to the dedication of our law enforcement.

BELL (voiceover): President Trump weighing in, blaming migrants and urging French borders to be closed fast -- at times, it seems, hoping for a revolution.

TRUMP: Let's go to the beautiful country of France and get involved in the revolution.

BELL (voiceover): MAGA also seizing on the protests and sharing pictures to warn of similar chaos should the Democrats wrestle back control of Congress in the midterms. The vice president blaming Western liberals for importing the third world in the name of diversity and compassion. And House Speaker Mike Johnson sending a warning to Americans of what happens when the "radical Marxist insurgent left gets its way."

Moscow too is watching, accusing France of hypocrisy in demanding uncompromising condemnation and strict measures to deal with riots at home, whilst releasing angry press releases about the inadmissibility of suppressing protests elsewhere.

[05:50:10]

Political polarization inside France is also adding fuel to the fire, with the far left joining protests to demand action from the government and fears now for next year's presidential poll.

SEBASTIAN LECORNU, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): There's no way we will allow violent minorities to impose an agenda of violence and prevent us from holding this election.

BELL (voiceover): The government is to hold talks this week with French political leaders to urge them to calm their rhetoric, even as it seeks to control its streets.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right. Let's stay international and go around the globe to see what else is making headlines today.

We begin in Kenya. That's where a cult leader has been found guilty in the deaths of 190 children. They had been systematically abused and starved to death in the hope of "meeting Jesus." Paul MacKenzie was convicted along with 30 other suspects. More charges could follow. Investigators have found hundreds of bodies in a Kenyan forest.

In Australia, a member of parliament is in critical condition after getting rammed by a car. Several agencies are investigating what the prime minister is calling a deliberate attack. The 43-year-old man is being charged, but police have not confirmed his motive. And witnesses rushed to help 65-year-old Helen Haines and detained the suspect until police came. Haines has been in office for seven years.

CNN legend Christiane Amanpour says that she will leave the network next June, bringing a 43-year run to a close. CNN's chief international anchor will shift her signature program to once a week in January before it ends in May. Amanpour says that she will continue reporting and traveling the world for CNN through June and looks forward to new projects and will always root for the network.

Jon Stewart plans to stay with "THE DAILY SHOW" through the next presidential election. He'll continue hosting the show on Comedy Central once a week. His contract was set to expire in December. And the announcement comes as late-night TV faces cutbacks, including the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's show. We should point out Comedy Central is owned by Skydance, which is CNN's parent company.

Well, still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, a major blow in Philly. Quarterback Jalen Hurts sidelined. Why the Eagles star could be done for the season.

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[05:57:03] SMITH: Super Bowl champion and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is likely out for the rest of the NFL season. The Associated Press reports a blood clot formed in his calf after he took a cleat to the leg during an October 4 game. The clot then traveled to both lungs. Hurts is stable but cannot play while taking blood thinners.

Here is his coach.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK SIRIANNI, HEAD COACH, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: The health of our players is always at the forefront of our mind. And, you know, we leave that up to the medical experts. But, you know, it's all -- we always, always care deeply about our players. I fully trust the people that are involved in helping us all make these decisions. The same doctors and trainers that helped 21 of our 22 starters be available in the -- in the Super Bowl are the same guys today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: All right. Now the great news is that Jalen is expected to make a full recovery.

Let's get a check-in on some of the other stories making news across the country.

We've got to start in Illinois. Police say five people were found shot to death inside a home Sunday night in an apparent murder-suicide. Officers responding to a wellness check. They found three men and two women with close-range handgun wounds. Four of the victims were family members. The fifth had a domestic relationship with the suspected shooter. Police say the incident was isolated and there is no threat to the public. The victims' names have not been released.

In California, a small propeller plane with three people aboard crashed on a road near an airport. The San Jose Fire Department says two adults and a child were taken to a hospital with non-life- threatening injuries.

Here's what a sign spinner nearby told others at the scene about the moment that he saw the plane go down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL ROMAN, LIVES NEAR CRASH SITE: And he saw the plane coming in, going north, and he hit that pole -- that horizontal pole. And he --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The light pole.

ROMAN: The light pole, yeah. And after that, he just nosedived into the street.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Fire officials say no one on the ground was hurt and no vehicles were hit. Crews also contained a small fuel spill. FAA records show that the plane is registered to a nonprofit flight club for San Jose State University students, alumni, and faculty. The cause of the crash remains unclear.

And you're looking at a hero in action. Bodycam video shows an Illinois police officer with no protective gear running into a burning house to save several people. Authorities say that the home was already engulfed in flames when he got there. He rushed inside, even kicking in a bedroom door to get the last person out before firefighters arrived. The best part, no one was hurt.

[06:00:00]

And in Florida, zombies rolled through Key West this weekend on two wheels. The 15th annual Zombie Bike Ride kicked off Fantasy Fest. It's the island's 10-day street party. Costumed riders peddled four miles across the island before ending the night with a zombie-themed party along Duval Street. All right, keep the party rolling.

Well, that does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.