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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Trump Accuses Democrats of Sedition "Punishable by Death"; Trump Calls Democratic Lawmakers "Traitors"; Ukraine Peace Proposal; Russia Escalates Attacks in Ukraine; Qatar Condemns Israel's Brutal Attack on Gaza; Most Americans Says Groceries Prices are Going Up; Mozambique Hit by ISIS Resurgence; Remembering Robert F. Kennedy. Aired 6- 7p ET
Aired November 20, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, ""THE BRIEF"": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and
you're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, the White House denies that President Trump wants to execute Democratic lawmakers after he publicly accused six of them of
seditious behavior "punishable by death." Those are, quoting, his words. I'll speak to one of those lawmakers he threatened. Ukraine confirms it has
received a peace proposal drafted by the U.S. which might very well include conceding land to Russia and accepting limitations on the size of its
military. And how a beauty queen from the Philippines turned a stumble into stardom.
We begin here in Washington with yet one more astonishing statement from the White House today. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had to deny that
President Trump wants to execute members of Congress. You heard me right. This is in response to today's Truth Social post by the president, in
which, simply put, he said, quote, "Seditious behavior punishable by death."
He was speaking about a video you're about to see issued by six Democratic lawmakers urging members of the military and intelligence services to defy
orders if they believe those orders are illegal. Here's part of that video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our laws are clear, you can refuse illegal orders.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can refuse illegal orders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You must refuse illegal orders.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need you to stand up for our laws --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- our Constitution --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- and who we are as Americans. Don't give up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't give up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't give up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't give up the ship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Keep in mind some of those lawmakers served in the military themselves. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about the
president's comments at the press briefing today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just to be clear, does the president want to execute members of Congress?
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: No. The sanctity of our military rests on the chain of command. And if that chain of command is
broken, it can lead to people getting killed. It can lead to chaos. And that's what these members of Congress who swore an oath to abide by the
Constitution are essentially encouraging. It perhaps is punishable by law. I'm not a lawyer. I'll leave that to the Department of Justice and the
Department of War to decide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Here are the six lawmakers who took part in that video. They said in a joint statement that they swore to uphold the Constitution, adding,
quote, "No threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation."
One of the lawmakers the president threatened, House Representative Chrissy Houlahan, joins me now. Congresswoman, thanks so much for joining.
REP. CHRISSY HOULAHAN (D-PA): And thank you for having me tonight.
SCIUTTO: So, in the simplest terms first, has the president put your life and the lives of your colleagues in danger with his public comments?
HOULAHAN: There's no other way to explain it than to say that emphatically the president has put our lives in danger. He directly, literally said that
we were seditious and traitors and literally said that we should be hung. So, there's no other way to interpret that other than a call for our death.
SCIUTTO: He has, as you know, publicly urged his attorney general and the Department of Justice to prosecute his political opponents. And his
attorney general and the Department of Justice has followed through and prosecuted his opponents. Letitia James, James Comey, to name a couple. Do
you believe or do you have any indication now that he will pressure the Justice Department to prosecute you?
HOULAHAN: Yes. You know, one of the things I've learned over the seven years now that I've served in Congress, both in the first Trump
administration and now in the second one, is that he -- you should take him for his word. And he is vindictive and punitive and spiteful. And so, once
he said something like the fact that he'd like to see people like me arrested for the things that we say, I have to believe that for the word
that it is.
In fact, I've already seen that his deputy secretary of the Department of Justice has announced that they are investigating the group of us.
[18:05:00]
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you now about the root -- the message from that video. To be clear, were you encouraging members of the military to defy
presidential orders, or were you encouraging them to defy orders, only orders that are illegal?
HOULAHAN: Absolutely. And I appreciated you showing a portion of the video. I would encourage your viewers to watch the rest of the video. I
would encourage your viewers to watch the entirety of it. Indeed, six of U.S., all of whom have served in one form or another, many in the military,
as you've mentioned, were encouraging men and women in the uniform and men and women in the intelligence community to not obey unlawful orders.
And that's really important to hear. Obey lawful orders and disobey those that are unlawful, which is almost word for word what comes out of the
Uniform Code of Military Justice. There's nothing scandalous in what it is that we told people to do. In fact, it is something that each of us
probably learns as a young junior enlisted or a young junior officer. And in fact, all we were doing was reiterating that.
SCIUTTO: How do you distinguish between refusing to follow illegal orders and insubordination?
HOULAHAN: Sure. And I actually grew up in a military family. My dad was a career Navy captain. He retired as a captain. My grandfather as well,
career Navy. I spent time as a little kid listening to them telling me about what the Uniform Code of Military Justice was and what it meant to
obey an order or to disobey an order.
And so, what I was told as a child is similar to what I think we tell ourselves when we're being educated as grownups in this, you have the
important responsibility of taking orders and obeying lawful orders. You also have the important responsibility when you believe them to be unlawful
to question your chain of command, whether your direct supervisor in the beginning or if for whatever reason you feel it's not the right answer to
then go up your chain of command.
You also can avail yourself of the JAGS, the military lawyers who are out there trying to help you interpret those things. Unfortunately, this
administration has let go of hundreds and hundreds of JAGS lawyers as well.
SCIUTTO: I wonder, have you or your fellow lawmakers who took part in this video or others that you're in contact with, have you heard from or spoken
directly to members of the military who are telling you that they believe they've received illegal orders?
HOULAHAN: So, each of us has, of course, different experiences. We each live different lives. And I will say that I have been approached by people
who have been worried about the current administration and the current atmosphere. And we as a group were encouraging people to think thoughtfully
about what is going on in the future of their military lives and their intelligence lives.
But I will say that there has been a history in this administration of putting things forward, executive orders and orders that have been
challenged by the courts, 149 of them, to be specific, 26 of them have been ruled to be against the law by judges that have been appointed by President
Trump. So, this is not unusual for us to see a president who is pushing the boundaries and attempting the boundaries to see what is lawful and what
isn't lawful.
All we were doing was reiterating the fact that we are responsible to the Constitution and not to the president.
SCIUTTO: There's been a great deal of concern about current military operations in the Caribbean in which the U.S. is killing people on boats.
It says they're drug boats and that these are narco terrorists. As you know, there were questions as to whether disagreement over the legality of
those strikes helped lead to Admiral Halsey's retirement from the Southern Command. Do you believe that his retirement was a result of such a
disagreement?
HOULAHAN: I honestly don't know why he retired, why he left the service with decades of experience that we've now lost as a nation. I have my
suspicions. As a member of Congress, I wish I had the ability to provide oversight on that, to call him, to answer questions. But because of the way
that this Congress is working, which is enormously dysfunctional and abdicating its constitutional responsibility, I can't ask those questions
of him directly. So, I can only speculate.
SCIUTTO: But before we go, I wonder, you saw the White House defend the president's comments. You saw the House speaker defend the president's
comments. You saw Senator Lindsey Graham give some sort of indication it might have gone a little bit too far. I wonder if privately any of your
Republican colleagues have come to you quietly and said, you know, this is this is too much.
HOULAHAN: In fact, this has been one of the great disappointments of today. The president of the United States just threatened a member of
Congress with their life. And not a single Republican has come to me and said that was not OK. Meanwhile, when Charlie Kirk was assassinated and
murdered, we had a resolution in the House floor that condemned that as political violence. And many of us would agree that that is beyond the pale
and unacceptable.
[18:10:00]
And I'm just really, really saddened and disappointed that we are in such a politically toxic environment that we can't even recognize when the
president threatens the life of a member of Congress that that is political violence.
SCIUTTO: It's a shame. Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, thanks so much for joining us.
HOULAHAN: Thank you. I appreciate it.
SCIUTTO: Well, a new peace proposal by the Trump administration might include requiring Ukraine to give up the entirety of the eastern Donbas
region not currently occupied entirely by Russia and shrink its military. This in exchange for U.S. security guarantees, this is according to a
Western official familiar with those discussions. Some of the provisions such as territorial concessions in areas not currently held by Russia have
previously been nonstarters for Ukrainian leaders.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he agrees to work on the framework widely seen among Ukrainians as weighted towards Russia. The White House is
brushing off those concerns. The Kremlin denies it is working with Washington on the plan. Here's what Ukraine's deputy ambassador to the U.N.
said about the plan today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KHRYSTYNA HAYOVYSHYN, UKRAINE DEPUTY AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: While Ukraine stands ready to engage in meaningful negotiations to end this war,
including at the leader's level, our red lines are clear and unwavering, there will never be any recognition, formal or otherwise, of Ukrainian
territory temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation as Russian. Our land is not for sale.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: That seems to be quite a deliberate rejection of some of the elements of those plans -- that plan as reported. On the ground Russia is
escalating its attacks yet again and its provocations against the West, including in Europe. Clare Sebastian has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE DUFFY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Russia's provocations against the West are becoming bolder. A deadly drone and missile attack on Western Ukraine,
causing NATo deploy jets. A Russian spy ship in British waters. A Polish rail track funneling aid to Ukraine attacked.
RADOSLAW SIROSKI, POLISH FOREIGN MINISTER: The intention was clearly to kill Polish citizens.
DUFFY: Russia is escalating far beyond the front lines. Cruise missiles hitting residential buildings Wednesday, killing more than two dozen people
and causing Poland and Romania to scramble jets. This Russian intelligence ship sailed to the edge of British waters this week, the U.K. says, and
directed lasers at air force pilots sent to track it.
JOHN HEALEY, BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY: So, my message to Russia and to Putin is this, we see you. We know what you're doing.
DUFFY: The Kremlin refused to comment and says it had nothing to do with the Polish train line attack. But why now? Why hasn't recent U.S. pressure
the shelving of a planned leaders summit in Budapest?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I'm not going to be wasting my time.
DUFFY: Sanctions on Russia's oil giants. Ukraine openly using U.S.-made ATACMS missiles on Russia this week, why hasn't all that deterred Moscow?
Well, perhaps Russia wants to show what it's capable of before international pressure steps up again.
But U.S. and Russian sources told CNN this week that high-level talks have continued behind the scenes, keeping Russian hopes of improved bilateral
relations alive. And perhaps giving Moscow the confidence it can still persuade the U.S. the war will end quickest on Russia's terms.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Qatar, a mediator of the Gaza ceasefire, is condemning what it calls brutal Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry
says that the latest strikes have killed at least 32 people there, including 12 children and eight women.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They say there's a ceasefire. Where is this ceasefire they're talking about? Where are the guarantors of
the ceasefire? Every day, 10, 15, 20 martyrs die. We wake up to martyrs and go to sleep to martyrs. And they say there's a ceasefire.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Azzam's house (ph), five people, they were sleeping, they are children, children, children, old people,
children. They are children, children. What is the fault of these children?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Children yet again. The IDF says it struck Hamas targets after its soldiers came under fire. Hamas denies that claim, accusing Israel of a
dangerous escalation, urging the U.S. to pressure Israel to respect the ceasefire agreement. Palestinian authorities say the death toll in Gaza has
now reached 312 since that ceasefire went into effect.
Khaled Elgindy is a senior fellow at the Quincy Institute. He's also author of "Blindspot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump."
[18:15:00]
Good to have you on. I wonder, as you watch this ceasefire since it's been signed, is it becoming equivalent in effect to the Lebanon ceasefire in
which Israel still fires on Lebanon and now in Gaza when it sees fit and the U.S., in effect, gives them the freedom to?
KHALED ELGINDY, SENIOR FELLOW, QUINCY INSTITUTE AND AUTHOR, "BLIND SPOT": It certainly is looking that way. And I for those who followed events in
Lebanon over the last year since that ceasefire was signed, this is not a surprise. I think many people expected this, especially since we know that
Prime Minister Netanyahu did not want a ceasefire. He was he was dragged into it sort of kicking and screaming by President Trump. And this is -- it
looks like Netanyahu's way of being able to have it both ways. He can continue the war for all intents and purposes on Gaza under the cover of a
supposed ceasefire.
And as far as the International Community is concerned, they we have not heard a major outcry, especially from the Security Council members who just
a few days ago enshrined the ceasefire in international law as a Security Council resolution. So, it really is a test, I think, of the United States
and the International Community.
SCIUTTO: Where does it leave the next steps in this peace plan, right? As you say, the U.N. Security Council signed on 13 to nothing. China and
Russia abstained, you know. So, everyone was on board. But, you know, this this process left some of the thorniest questions to that next round, that
next phase. Can that next phase go forward if there's still a low grade war in Gaza?
ELGINDY: That is -- that's the question. I don't think it can. I don't think we can talk about phase two, which is going to require much more
difficult measures like disarming Hamas, like beginning reconstruction. How are you going to convince donors to invest in Gaza's reconstruction if
Israel continues to bomb and destroy things and kill people? How are you going to put together an international force with boots on the ground if
there is ongoing -- you know, countries aren't going to contribute forces if they know that they're going to be in the crossfire.
So, that becomes, I think, almost impossible to imagine. And that's why it's really crucial for the United States, especially as the only party
that Israel will listen to, to enforce this ceasefire. President Trump wants to, you know, celebrate this as a major foreign policy achievement
and -- you know, then he has to enforce it. He has to make sure that it's more than a headline, because right now it is not.
SCIUTTO: You have claimed the Trump administration simply doesn't care as to what happens on the ground in Gaza. I mean, if that's true, I mean, that
seems to be unlikely then that it would pressure Israel to stop these kinds of strikes.
ELGINDY: Yes, what I've argued is that the Trump administration almost by definition doesn't care as much as the Israelis care about what happens in
Gaza. So, President Trump is not a -- you know, he and his administration are not really detail oriented. They are not talking to Palestinians.
So, they don't know, they don't fully understand the needs of the local population. They don't have that kind of granular sense of what is
happening and its implications. And so, they rely very heavily -- there's an enormous deference to the Israeli side, which, of course, cares a great
deal and controls everything that goes in and out of Gaza. And so, by leaving that to the Israelis, they are essentially allowing Israel to
continue the war.
SCIUTTO: What about the other signatories to this plan other than the U.S. and Israel, Qatar, for instance? And as you heard me, Qatar has condemned
these latest Israeli strikes. I mean, they all put their names on this agreement, right, and they expended a lot of diplomatic capital. I mean, to
some degree, their reputations, right, rely on the progress of the ceasefire going forward. Are they embarrassed by do you think what they're
seeing on the ground now?
[18:20:00]
ELGINDY: Yes, I do think their credibility is on the line. The Qatar -- especially the Arab states, who are very heavily invested in stability in
Gaza and have expended quite a bit of political and diplomatic capital. Then, you know, there was the big signing ceremony in Egypt just a few
weeks ago.
And if all of that looks like, you know, performative, and it's not real, and you're not actually ending violence and destruction, then yes, I think
it really reflects poorly, not just on the United States, but also on America's partners in the region, like the Qataris, the Egyptians, even the
Saudis, because the Saudis at the end of the day are going to be asked to foot the bill. And they're not going to be able to move forward on things
that the administration wants, like normalization with Israel, without getting Gaza right first.
I mean, never mind all the other stuff about Palestinian statehood and, you know, that's a much heavier lift. But if you can't even get phase one of
the ceasefire, then it's all sort of meaningless.
SCIUTTO: Yes, and we should note, MBS, during his visit to the Oval Office earlier this week, he did mention two-state solution in his comments there.
Khaled Elgindi, thanks so much for joining us.
ELGINDY: Yes, thank you.
SCIUTTO: Well, more Americans are living paycheck to paycheck now as the affordability crisis deepens. We're going to take you to a city in
Pennsylvania where people are now deeply pessimistic over their own financial future.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, a rough day for the Wall Street bulls. U.S. stocks began the session firmly in the green, but
sharply reversed course around midday. Tech stocks, yet again, the hardest hit, falling more than 2 percent. NVIDIA fell more than 3 percent. Its
strong earnings report, seemingly not enough to ease concerns over the possibility of an A.I. stock bubble.
The September jobs report also played into the bearish case for stocks. The report, delayed for weeks because of the government shutdown, showed the
U.S. economy added some 119,000 jobs. Strong jobs growth, though, lowers the chance of a Fed rate cut next month.
According to a new poll, most Americans say the price of groceries in this country, prices are rising, even as President Trump continues to claim
otherwise.
[18:25:00]
The Market Law School poll shows that only 12 percent of Americans actually believe, President Trump, that prices are going down. 75 percent say they
are actually rising. The affordability crisis has become a politically charged issue in this country and helped Democrats win some key races this
month. Vice President J.D. Vance says the White House understands that voters are frustrated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Even though we've made incredible progress, we understand that there's a lot more work to do. And the thing
that I'd ask for the American people is a little bit of patience. This economy was not harmed in 10 months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: The White House is pleading for patience, as you heard there. Many Americans, though, are heading into the holiday season, extremely
worried about how they're going to buy the presents, make ends meet. John King reports from one Pennsylvania city, where economic pessimism is on the
rise.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bethlehem is blue collar, full of people living paycheck to paycheck, full
of people who come to Jenique Jones for help.
JENIQUE JONES, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: My business assists people in repairing their credit, managing their finances and basically being financially
organized.
KING: And so, if you're busy, times are tough.
JONES: Absolutely, completely.
KING: And you're busy right now?
JONES: Super busy.
KING: And what kind of stories are you hearing?
JONES: My husband lost all of his overtime. My kid's daycare went up. Can't afford the cost of food. Using credit cards for everyday expenses. No
money left after their bills are paid. Pretty much just a whole bunch of financial mess.
KING: We changed presidents at the beginning of the year.
JONES: We did.
KING: And the guy who moved into the White House said that he was going to fix it. Several times he said it would be easy.
JONES: Absolutely.
KING: Has he fixed it?
JONES: Absolutely not. I'm definitely waiting for him to fix it.
KING (voice-over): Jones is a three-time Trump voter, but she says he has simply failed to keep his promise to lower the cost of living.
JONES: I'm very let down by that. Very, very let down because I feel like it's only gotten worse.
KING (voice-over): This is Gentleman's Barbershop. Customers gripe a lot about rising costs. Ashley Ruiz tries to help.
ASHLEY RUIZ, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I'll tell the client, hey, if you get it cut a little shorter, the haircut will have a longer lifeline because I
want them to feel like they're getting a service that will last longer so their money goes further.
KING (voice-over): She gets it because she does the tough math at home. Rent, food, child care.
RUIZ: They are a lot higher. So, I try to make wiser decisions and hope that things will get better.
KING (voice-over): Owner Ronald Corales is another three-time Trump voter. When clients or co-workers grumble about costs, Corales urges patience.
RONALD CORALES, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: Well, hopefully soon. You know, like it --
KING: But it hasn't happened yet.
CORALES: Not really. We don't really see it at the moment. Like I said, I think we have to give him some time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: That was John King reporting from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Checking some of today's other business headlines, Walmart says more
Americans are now shopping for bargains. The largest U.S. retailer says its sales rose 4.5 percent last quarter. Profits also beat expectations. The
company is now raising its profit and sales forecasts. Walmart says more middle- and upper-income households are shopping at its stores in order to
save money.
Verizon has announced mass layoffs as part of a restructuring plan. The U.S. telecom giant says it will cut more than 13,000 jobs, about a fifth of
its non-union workforce. It says the changes are necessary because of increased competition. It also says the cuts are not connected to the
company's use of artificial intelligence. Big question.
The Trump administration has announced plans to open California's entire coastline to new offshore drilling. The Interior Department also proposed
drilling in more of the waters off Florida. Neither state's waters have been open to new drilling for decades. California's leaders are vowing to
fight the plan. The U.S. also announced this week it is rolling back Biden- era rules protecting parts of Alaska from energy development.
Still to come, we're going to take you inside Mozambique, where the terror group ISIS is gaining a foothold in a vacuum left by the cutoff of U.S.
aid. That story is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.
President Trump has repeatedly called for the arrest and trial of six Democratic lawmakers. He said they've committed sedition, which he noted is
punishable by death. The six Democrats had made a video in which they urged members of the U.S. military and Intelligence Community to refuse to carry
out orders if they believe those orders are illegal.
A report into the U.K.'s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a one-week delay in locking down the country in early 2020 likely resulted in
some 23,000 additional deaths. And it says a failure to act sooner led to additional national lockdowns later in the year. The public inquiry
describes a chaotic, toxic culture within Boris Johnson's government as it grappled with the onset of the pandemic.
The funeral of former Vice President Dick Cheney took place today here in Washington. He died early this month at the age of 84. Mourners included
former presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden, as well as four former vice presidents. The source tells CNN that President Donald Trump and Vice
President J.D. Vance were not invited. Cheney was given full military honors at Washington National Cathedral.
Last year, the U.S. Agency for International Development, known as USAID, gave some $586 million to Mozambique. That money paid for humanitarian aid,
as well as projects to curb recruitment by ISIS. However, earlier this year, USAID was largely dismantled by the Trump administration, and that
has left the Southern African nation reeling, just as ISIS is resurging there.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has this exclusive report from Mozambique. I should warn you that some of the images are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It looks like a place where nothing should go wrong, but ISIS are seeing a resurgence across Africa, home to two-thirds of their global
violence this year, rising fast here in northern Mozambique.
We land in the flashpoint of Macimba de Praia, seven weeks after ISIS started their worst offensive since they occupied the town in 2021.
The government's grip is so shaky, they've let Rwandan forces in to be the real muscle on streets where ISIS seem to rule the night.
[18:35:00]
WALSH: So, USAID's contribution to Mozambique amounted to about 3 percent of its GDP. And that USAID money helped the economy here, development,
schools, really enabled the government to try and promote its hold on the place. And so, now that money has suddenly vanished, well, they're reeling
here. And ISIS are back.
WALSH (voice-over): The little video we have of ISIS' recent onslaught is terrifying. Outgunning Mozambican forces, slaughtering captives. But in
October, they tried something new, less savage and confident. They walked unopposed, armed, in stolen uniforms, straight into this mosque in
Messumba's coastal fishing community to deliver a manifesto.
The crowd didn't flee, but instead filmed. When ISIS arrived, asked for the keys and walked in wearing their boots, the imam had presumed they were
soldiers.
WALSH: What did you think on that night when these guys came in?
SUMAIL ISSA, IMAM (through translator): The seven were standing outside and two came inside after opening the doors. They ordered the old man,
asking for the microphone to broadcast their voices. When they displayed their banner like this, I was surprised that they are Al-Shabab.
WALSH: It is extraordinary, after all these years of ISIS spread across the Middle East, to stand in -- startling to stand in a place where they
had freedom of movement just a couple of days ago.
WALSH (voice-over): 93,000 people around this area fled in just six weeks after ISIS' attacks began on September 7th. Rafael takes us directly to the
home of his brother-in-law, now abandoned. They were not rich and also took U.S. aid.
RAFAEL NDINENGO, SON KILLED BY ISIS (through translator): He was tied up, they took a stick and beat him. They cut off his head and put it on his
bottom. This place you see here is where we laid my son's spilled blood. You are going to make me cry because of my son. My son, I lost him. My
feelings for my son, you're going to make me cry. I didn't want to come here. He was calling me papa, papa.
WALSH: Eight men killed by ISIS, seven of them beheaded, some in front of their families. And you just -- for looking around, I mean, there's nobody
here. It's startling. This used to be a vibrant area, Christian area.
WALSH (voice-over): The money USAID spent here urgently tried to curb the spread of ISIS. They gave $50,000 here to help motorcycle taxi drivers
improve their working conditions with paperwork, vests, helmets. Their anger about that help suddenly disappearing and then us asking questions
clear.
WALSH: Emotions are incredibly high here. I mean, it's all about people's livelihoods, really, and a lot of anger.
WALSH (voice-over): The man who ran the project describes how it is the only way to stop ISIS.
KHAMISSA FABIAO, PROJECT COORDINATOR (through translator): If they have an opportunity to earn money, I don't think they will go into the jungle,
because nobody wants to die. When we started this project, I personally recruited many young people to keep them integrated into society. President
Trump should have a heart.
WALSH (voice-over): Fishermen, the main workforce here, but also a source of ISIS recruits. We visit a USAID project aimed too at giving them a
better livelihood, now shut.
10,000 new arrivals in this camp alone met with a steep drop in food aid.
SAVIANA NDIWICA, VILLAGER (through translator): They come and immediately start shooting. There is war. Beheaded. You flee with nothing. They come
and cut your throat. When you see someone else being killed, you flee along to a safe place. Since we arrived here, we sleep on the floor.
WALSH (voice-over): But Mozambique could be rich. Around the town of Parma, shielded by these fortifications, it's clear that while the Trump
administration is stripping away aid here, it's also investing fast and hard, a $4.7 billion loan in March, in vast liquid natural gas facilities.
A contradiction where wealth is held up by a wave of ISIS savagery which surged after the U.S. aid meant to calm it vanished.
A State Department spokesperson said the U.S. had continued to provide assistance this year in Mozambique, a majority of which was life-saving
food and nutrition assistance. They added that worldwide aid was constantly under review to ensure it meets the needs of the receiving country and the
priorities of the United States.
[18:40:00]
The State Department did not respond to our questions about the resurgence of ISIS following the withdrawal of U.S. aid. Their statement added, the
United States continues to be the most generous nation in the world. This administration is significantly enhancing the efficiency and strategic
impact of foreign assistance programs around the world. We call on other nations to increase in burden-sharing globally.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Mocimboa da Praia, Mozambique.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Coming up, just after the break, remembering Robert F. Kennedy, 100 years after his birth. I'm going to speak to one author about the civil
rights leader and his legacy and how that legacy stands up today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Today marks 100 years since the birth of Robert F. Kennedy. He was called Bobby by his friends and by a public who felt like they knew him
personally. Younger brother, of course, to President John F. Kennedy, he could have easily remained stuck in his brother's shadow.
Instead, he rose to the challenge. As U.S. Attorney General, RFK fought corruption, oversaw the federal push for civil rights. In 1968, he ran an
inspiring campaign for president until it ended in tragedy with his assassination in Los Angeles.
My next guest is the co-author of the book "RFK: His Words for Our Times." Quite a thought. Rick Allen joins me now. Thanks so much for joining.
RICK ALLEN, AUTHOR, "RFK: HIS WORDS FOR OUR TIMES": Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, much to discuss here. I just want to bring up because today at her father's funeral, Liz Cheney referenced John F. Kennedy's
inspiration in defending the Constitution over party, which I think we can reasonably say RFK also believed in quite deeply. I wonder how you think
RFK would have reacted to the current partisan divide where party seems to trump the Constitution and a whole host of things too often.
ALLEN: Yes. Well, interestingly, Lynn Cheney was an honoree for RFK Human Rights, which is the foundation that Kerry Kennedy runs and that represents
his principles in modern day.
1968 was every bit as polarized and indeed even more violent than today. So, the errors have much commonality. Robert Kennedy was polarized and
indeed even more violent than today. So, the errors have much commonality.
[18:45:00]
Robert Kennedy was dismayed at the time, ran a campaign that involved reaching out to people who weren't used to seeing a progressive Democrat
appear, whether it was in Nebraska farmlands, in Indiana, in the center of inner cities around the country, in Indian reservations, because he felt
that it was important to be in those places, to listen, to learn and to represent the feelings of all Americans.
SCIUTTO: And sometimes to challenge, right?
ALLEN: Very much so.
SCIUTTO: I mean, he was famous for sometimes telling crowds what they didn't want to hear.
ALLEN: Absolutely. And it was a real courage, not a bluster of a bully. And so, it wasn't someone going to their own rallies and attacking the
basic humanity of their opponents or journalists or others, it was welcoming them literally up to the stage to express their views and then
debate the content of their thought and the facts that they asserted rather than try to demean them.
SCIUTTO: You deliberately talk to elected officials from both parties.
ALLEN: Yes.
SCIUTTO: I believe 80 senators to get their views. What do they tell you? Do they remember or have knowledge of his vision? Do they respect his
vision?
ALLEN: Absolutely. His impact on people in elective office continues. And you can take a wide age range. Joe Biden had his bust of Robert Kennedy in
the Oval Office, certainly. But the current crop of Democratic senators point to his example. You mentioned Lynne Cheney -- Liz Cheney today. But
also, AOC, when asked who was her example of the kind of elected official she hoped she would someday become, pointed to Robert Kennedy.
So, it's come down through all of the generations, certainly because of the uniqueness that he represented as a person, as a set of political
principles, but also because he had a different way of running for office, of reaching across divides and moving the country forward.
SCIUTTO: Of course, the civil rights movement was central to his principles and his legacy. You see today an effort to dismantle several
pillars of the civil rights movement. The Voting Rights Act might disappear as we know it. They've already been weakened, and there are other examples.
Do you fear that his legacy is -- some of it is fading?
ALLEN: It is a real fear. Again, you had the attorney general of the United States, Robert Kennedy, served under his brother, was the second
most powerful person in the country for three and a half years, running the Department of Justice, the headquarters building of which is named after
him.
SCIUTTO: Yes, yes.
ALLEN: And today, the Department of Justice is an agent of retribution for the current administration. Robert Kennedy would be horrified.
SCIUTTO: Yes. I often wonder, as many Americans do, and I'm sure you do as well, being a biographer of him, you know, what would have been had he not
been killed in 1968?
ALLEN: Yes.
SCIUTTO: In this country, with America's policy in Vietnam, et cetera. But to your point, 1968 was a violent, divided year. And America got beyond it,
right?
ALLEN: Yes.
SCIUTTO: Do you believe it could get beyond what we're seeing today? And what principles of his would help do that?
ALLEN: Absolutely. And we have to believe that because we love our country, because we live in this country, because our families live in this
country. And we want to see it get back to the ideals that we're now watching again in Ken Burns' great documentary about the revolution.
Robert Kennedy was authentically courageous and tough. He stared down and prosecuted corrupt union officials, mob bosses. His life was constantly
threatened. He had one brother killed in the Second World War, the second terribly injured, and then ultimately assassinated.
[18:50:00]
But he felt that real courage meant standing up for your ideals, respecting your opponents. That combination is missing in much of politics today, I
think. And I combine that with compassion, with doing the work. He was legendary for really studying issues and constantly asking his staff and
others to challenge him. The same thing that he was doing on the campaign trail, as you referenced in 1968. I think we need that. We need the moral
motivation behind individual actions in politics. All of those things are being reflected by many individuals in elective life now and running for
election. And we need to support that as Americans.
SCIUTTO: Goodness. Principle and respect, two things. You might call them endangered species, but not extinct, to your point.
ALLEN: Not extinct. No, sir.
SCIUTTO: Rick Allen, the book is "RFK: His Words for Our Times." Thanks so much for joining.
ALLEN: Thank you, Jim. It's been a pleasure.
SCIUTTO: And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: When Ahtisa Manalo fell on the pageant stage, she thought her dreams of winning the Miss Universe Philippines title were over. Little did
the beauty queen know that moment would actually propel her to stardom. The title, of course, comes with a lot of pressure in a country that has been a
beauty pageant superpower. CNN's Angelica Pursley met with Manalo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANGELICA PURSLEY, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Stumbling on stage is a beauty queen's nightmare.
AHTISA MANALO, MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES 2025: When it happened, it went really quiet.
PURSLEY (voice-over): But for Ahtisa Manolo, it was the way she got up that made her country fall in love with her.
MANALO: I felt the vibration of everyone's yells.
PURSLEY (voice-over): What could have been a disaster turned into a defining moment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations, Queen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You keep coming back.
MANALO: I still have the bruise.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More confident, more empowered, more beautiful.
MANALO: Whenever I fall in life, I always make sure I come back stronger.
PURSLEY (voice-over): The 28-year-old has been competing in beauty pageants since she was 10, but it wasn't until this year, her last attempt,
that she clinched the national title of Miss Universe Philippines.
Now, with the nation watching her every move, Manolo is at the Super Bowl of pageants to try to take home the Miss Universe crown.
Manolo has been training for months with her team, which includes Jonas Gaffud, nicknamed the Queenmaker.
JONAS GAFFUD, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES: The walk is not just runway, it's not just pasarela, it's about your confidence. It's
about how you shine on stage.
[18:55:00]
MANALO: Pageants are a marathon, like you're on stage for how many hours and you've got to maintain the same posture. You've got to make sure that
your chest is out, your core is squeezed, your perineum, I don't even know where that is, but it has to be squeezed.
GAFFUD: What I want is for them to have muscle memory, that it's not something that they're thinking, but it's natural on them on stage. I'm
looking for the confidence, the spark, the aura of a winner.
MANALO: My first ever pageant, I was 10 years old. I was told if I win the pageant, I get one-year free tuition fee. And I come from a poor
background. And at a young age, I understood that this is something that I needed, that my family needed.
My grandmother, she's an amazing woman. She was there supporting me all throughout me growing up. After losing my grandmother, I realized that if I
don't push for that dream of being Miss Universe, I would be doing her a disservice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: She fell down and she got up. Thanks so much for joining us today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief."
Please do stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
