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What We Know with Max Foster
Trump Approval Rating Dips To Lowest Of Second Term; Key Races In New York, New Jersey, California & Virginia; British Man Charged Over U.K. Mass Stabbing Attack; Turkey Accuses Israel Of Repeatedly Violating Ceasefire, Warns Situation At "Critical Juncture"; Trump Considering Military Action In Nigeria. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired November 03, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:28]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: A major electoral test for President Donald Trump, as millions of Americans prepare to head to the polls.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
It's the start of a very big week in American politics. Voters are sounding off on the state of President Donald Trump's second term, and the numbers
are pretty eye-opening. Mr. Trump's approval rating stands at just 37 percent in a new CNN poll. That's the lowest figure since he returned to
the White House.
And his 63 percent disapproval rating is actually worse than it was at the end of his first term, just after the January 6th capital attack. It's day
34 of the government shutdown. The president has rejected suggestions that he get involved in negotiations.
Here's what he said in an interview with CBS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORAH O'DONNELL, CBS HOST: You have helped end these government shutdowns in the past --
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I did, I did.
O'DONNELL: -- when they came about and you did it by bringing --
TRUMP: I'm very good at it.
O'DONNELL: You brought members of Congress to the White House.
TRUMP: I'm not going to do it by extortion. I'm not going to do it by being extorted by the Democrats who have lost their way.
O'DONNELL: Sounds like it's not going to get solved the shutdown.
TRUMP: It's going to get solved. Yeah. Oh, it's going to get solved.
O'DONNELL: How?
TRUMP: We'll get it solved. Eventually, they're going to have to vote.
O'DONNELL: You're saying the Democrats will capitulate?
TRUMP: I think they have to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Let's go to CNN politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson.
Stephen, just on the you know, there's quite stark polling numbers that we saw there. There's always a dip, isn't there? After a president goes into
office. I mean, how's it compare to previous administrations?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah. There certainly is a dip. Presidents begin to lose their political capital as soon as they
start spending it. When they try to implement their programs. But I think you made a good point that, you know, his disapproval right now is where it
was after the COVID pandemic, after the Capitol insurrection, when he left office in disgrace. That clearly is a dangerous sign for Republicans a year
out from the midterm elections.
And what I think you saw there from the president was that all presidents in their first term or their second term after they're reelected, they get
stuck in their bubble. They're not used to hearing what they don't want to hear. That is especially pronounced for President Trump with the
conservative media, with the sycophantic cabinet that he picked, his officials who are all selected to tell him exactly what he wants to hear.
So that's why these elections this week in Virginia and New Jersey, gubernatorial elections are going to be looked at closely because it's the
first time that voters have had to weigh in on this presidency. It's more than a poll. It's people actually going out to vote. And it's going to be
very interesting to compare the numbers in these states. This time on Tuesday night with where they were exactly a year ago.
FOSTER: What's going to be his argument, do you think? Because I'm sure he's thinking about it, if you know, his side doesn't do well in these
election results.
COLLINSON: I think he will say that this doesn't matter because it's only a couple of gubernatorial races a year after the election. It's not the
midterm elections when the whole country votes for Congress. He will say that both of these states were actually states that were won by Kamala
Harris, a year ago, New Jersey and Virginia. I expect he will round on the Republican candidate in Virginia, who he hasn't endorsed.
I would look at New Jersey, though, because that's very interesting. He did a lot better than Republican presidents normally do in New Jersey in a
presidential election last time around, getting to within a few points of Harris, he made big inroads, especially among Hispanic voters who are
traditional constituency that Democrats count on. We'll be looking at those numbers to see if he went down in that category. That will tell us,
perhaps, or at least hint at whether the Republican brand is not so strong when Trump isn't on the ballot himself, whether the president's actions
with his harsh immigration program, mass deportations is starting to hurt his standing among Hispanic voters.
Either of those things would be very bad news, I think, for Republicans as we look to the midterm elections next year, they only have a handful of
seats majority in the House of Representatives. Presidents usually lose votes in the midterm elections. And I think the House of Representatives,
if Democrats do well, tomorrow is going to be looking quite shaky for Republicans.
FOSTER: Stephen, as ever, really thank you for your analysis.
[15:05:02]
It is then the final push to election day in the U.S., and it could prove to be a bellwether test, really, for next year's critical midterms, as
Stephen was saying, voters of Virginia, New Jersey, choosing a new governor.
In New York City, it's all about, the mayoral race, the first Muslim mayor potentially in Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, and on the ballot in
California, proposal to redraw congressional maps that would give Democrats five additional seats as well.
CNN's senior reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere joins us now from New York.
Because inevitably, New York gets so much focus, particularly this role, because it's probably the most high-profile role away from the presidency
in U.S. politics, right?
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: It's often talked about that way. The second most prominent job in American politics. But look, this
year, obviously, this race has gotten a lot of attention all over the country, all over the world. But in New York City, that's where the voting
happens. It's been happening already. But election day is tomorrow.
And Zohran Mamdani is up against Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa two candidates that he is based on most polls that we've seen, expected to beat
by a significant margin. We'll see if that holds up. What is going on, though, is we talking about how these races might be a bellwether for what
would happen with Republicans versus Democrats, and what it means for Trump's standing in the midterms and all that in these races tomorrow. You
also see a bellwether, a little bit of what the future of the Democratic Party looks like, because there is this race in New York City.
There's also a governor's race in New Jersey and a governor's race in Virginia, and that governor's race in Virginia is one that people have a
lot of -- putting a lot of attention on because the woman who is the Democratic nominee there, her name is Abigail Spanberger, cuts a very
different profile from Zohran Mamdani in terms of their bios, in terms of who they are and what they've done in their lives, but also very
importantly, in terms of where they fall on the ideological spectrum.
Mamdani as you said, Democratic socialist, talking about a lot of things of getting government to come in and make big changes to pay for more
services, universal child care free busses in New York City, Abigail Spanberger is a candidate who, when she was in congress and now running and
what she wants to do as governor says that she wants to look at an emergency situation right now and talk about what the Democratic Party
should be doing that can get done.
And when I spent some time with her on Friday in Virginia last week, she talked to me about not just her campaign, but how she sees that as
different from Mamdani. And she said to me that she worries about Democratic Party. That says to voters that they can they want to do things
and then say, oh, we tried and it didn't happen.
She said that vulnerable people believed you as she said it to me and she said, we need to have an approach that she called her own, which is a
starry eyed pragmatist, as how she put it to me. And that that has to be more of what the message for the Democratic Party is going forward.
When you talk to people around the country and Democratic politics, they are saying the model they see in races beyond New York City was very
heavily Democratic place. And of course, just one city is much more the Spanberger model and than the Mamdani one, as much as they want to try to
harness some of the energy and excitement and charisma that Mamdani has obviously put to good use in this campaign.
FOSTER: Okay, Edward, really appreciate your time today. Thank you.
Turning to the U.K. now, a man has been charged with ten counts of attempted murder over a mass stabbing on a train yesterday or Saturday
night. The attack took place on Saturday evening on board a service heading to London, and it left 11 people in hospital. Twenty-two-year-old Anthony
Williams appeared in court charged with a number of other offenses, as well as attempted murder on Monday.
U.K. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood spoke about the incident in the House of Commons earlier. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHABANA MAHMOOD, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: Within eight minutes of the first 999 call, police had boarded the train and brought the attack to an end.
The sickening act of the man who committed this crime was the very worst of humanity. But the actions of those who responded, who ran towards danger to
save the lives of people they did not know, was the very best of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Joining me here, Nic Robertson, who's been following this for the last couple of days, and we'll talk about the suspect in a moment. But
let's talk about the heroes. First of all, because it's interesting looking at the U.K. coverage, there's so much positivity about what happened on the
train, despite this horrific attack.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Horrific, but there were several people and they were employees of the LNER, the rail service,
who did an exemplary job. Both of them in their own capacity. One, the train driver, a former military veteran, deployed to -- for the Iraq war, a
naval petty officer, was driving the train when this is happening.
[15:10:05]
And he doesn't really know entirely what's going on.
FOSTER: And he makes a decision.
ROBERTSON: But he makes a decision. He makes a call. And the train gets diverted to a station where they can get people out and the police can get
in and stop this terrible act.
And the other person that the home secretary put a lot of praise on was the other or another staff member at the back of the train. I just read you
what she said because I would like to draw particular attention to one member. He ran towards the danger confronting the attacker for a sustained
period of time, stop the train.
Lives were saved by -- also by other passengers, but by the staff of the train. And I think, you know, people worry about what's happening on the
rail network in the U.K. They're worried potentially about travel. But look, right now they can look at the success of the staff there and what
they might expect -- what -- should this unfortunately happen to them.
So, I think that's, you know, that's part of it. And of course, we're getting -- you may ask me about this about this in a moment. We're getting
more details that that will put a different light on maybe, maybe on some of the police actions.
FOSTER: Yes. So, you know, they caught him brilliantly, very quickly within, I think, eight minutes of the 999 call, which is incredible. But
now, we find out that there were other crimes that he was clearly part of, or suspected of being part of. And you wonder how on earth he's got as far
as the train.
ROBERTSON: And this was something that was raised in parliament today, and the home secretary asked by the shadow home secretary, the conservative
party. So, what else? Well, he has been charged with actual attempted murder by knife on a train in London earlier in the day from the train
attack 100 miles away.
And one of the questions that the shadow home secretary asked, well, he said, I'm aware that the police in London knew the identity of the
attacker. Did they pass it to the Cambridgeshire police?
The other details that have come out were there at least two incidents involving a man with a knife and a 14-year-old boy being stabbed on the
Friday evening in Peterborough, where the attacker lived, and again on the Saturday morning. The police, the home secretary said, had now sort of
reported themselves to what's called the independent office for police conduct because they realize they may have they want to examine how they
operated.
But the home -- the shadow home secretary also asked a very pointed question. Youve said this alleged attacker wasn't connected to terrorism,
but did the police have a broader view of him? And was he known to mental health services?
And of course, the home secretary didn't and couldn't answer because that could damage the case that will go through the court against him in coming
months.
FOSTER: Nic Robertson, thank you.
Turkey, a key mediator in the Gaza ceasefire, is accusing Israel of repeated violations, warning the truce is at a critical stage. Turkey
hosted ministers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Muslim nations today in Istanbul. Turkey's foreign minister suggested they could contribute to an
international stabilization force for Gaza, but are waiting to see its final mandate and authority. He says Palestinians themselves must lead
Gaza's future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAKAN FIDAN, TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Palestinians should govern Palestinians and Palestinians should ensure the security of
Palestinians. The international community should provide support in order for this to be implemented in the best possible way, whether
diplomatically, institutionally or economically.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Israel, meanwhile, is accusing Hamas of ceasefire violations, including failing to return all hostage bodies. Hamas turned over the
remains of three more hostages on Sunday, though. The well that was through the international red cross, and that leaves eight hostage bodies remaining
in Gaza.
The U.N. is warning of an alarming rise in violence by Israeli settlers in the -- in the West Bank, meanwhile, targeting Palestinian farmers trying to
harvest their olives. It accuses Israeli security forces of allowing the attacks to happen with impunity, saying at times they even participate in
the violence themselves.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond visited one Palestinian community under siege.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Umm Shukry hasn't walked through these olive groves in two years, now weaving her way
from tree to tree, she assesses the damage. Broken branches, trees dried out and no olives to be harvested.
"I am suffocated," she says, "suffocated from seeing my hard work turn out like this. I used to spend so much time here under the scorching heat,
tending to the trees."
Her son explains that the Israeli settlers living on this illegal outpost are to blame. He says they have assaulted him and threatened his community,
making it dangerous to access these groves for two years, all while using their cattle to wreak havoc.
DIAMOND: He's explaining that the cows came here to graze on these olive trees, basically, and this is one of the ways in which settlers have come
to try and disrupt the livelihood of Palestinians in this area and to ultimately try and force them out from their lands.
[15:15:15]
DIAMOND (voice-over): The evidence is all over these fields, but it is just one part of a disturbing picture playing out across the occupied West
Bank.
DIAMOND: For generations of Palestinians, the annual olive harvest has been associated with tradition and a deep connection to the land. But this
year, more than ever, it's been synonymous with settler violence.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Palestinian olive pickers have been attacked at least 259 times since the harvest season began last month, according to the
Palestinian authority, outpacing the violence of recent years.
Israeli settlers have carried out the overwhelming majority of attacks assaulting the Palestinians, attempting to harvest their olives. More than
4,000 trees and saplings have been damaged so far, according to the U.N.
The Israeli military has often played a supporting role to the settlers, forcing Palestinians off their land and restricting access to the olive
groves.
DIAMOND: So, this is where you were attacked.
DIAMOND (voice-over): After getting a call that his mother-in-law had been detained while picking olives, Ahmad Shakarna grabbed her heart medication
and rushed to reach her. He didn't expect what unfolded next. An Israeli settler grabs and then hits him before two Israeli soldiers push him down
to the ground. One soldier hits him with the barrel of his rifle before the settler comes in to land several more blows.
Shakarna and his mother-in-law were released without charge. He says he suffered a mild concussion.
"We experience these attacks every season, a season that has become bloody. We will not abandon it," he says. "The olive trees existed before the
occupation. It is valuable and dear to us."
DIAMOND: The Israeli military now says that they're actually going to investigate this incident. What do you think would have happened had this
not been caught on video?
DIAMOND (voice-over): "Nothing at all. Even if I was killed, they wouldn't care. The incident would have come and gone."
For now, Shakarna doesn't dare approach his family's groves.
DIAMOND: So, this is as far as you're comfortable going because of what the military or the settlers might do to you?
DIAMOND (voice-over): "Yes, of course," Shakarna says. "I don't want to put myself in danger."
At Umm Shukry's farm, a group of Israeli and Jewish activists have come to offer the Palestinian farmers their support, using their very presence to
deter attacks from settlers and the military. It has given Umm Shukry the chance to sit beneath her olive trees.
"Ten years, 10 years of me spending time on this land, refusing to leave, watering and tending to the olives with our bare hands." She says she won't
be driven away by this violence. She will see this grow, flourish once again.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Hamra, the West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The Israeli military told CNN it recognizes the importance of the olive harvest in maintaining the fabric of life in the region, but
acknowledged it has restricted entry to certain areas in order to, quote, "prevent friction". It says the IDF firmly condemns all forms of violence
which divert the attention of commanders and soldiers from their primary mission of defense and counterterrorism.
Coming up, a closer look at President Donald Trump's aggressive military stance in his second term. This as tensions appear to be brewing between
the U.S. and Nigeria.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:21:48]
FOSTER: The U.S. president is warning of a U.S. military intervention in Nigeria over attacks on Christians there. Radical Islamist groups in
Nigeria, like Boko Haram, have attacked both Christians and Muslims for years. But the violence isn't entirely based on religion, as the country
also struggles with banditry.
Nigeria's president responded by stressing his country believes in freedom of religion.
Alayna Treene joins us from the White House.
I mean, what exactly is the president talking about here when he says military intervention?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. Look, this is very interesting, Max, because this is really this weekend when he started
posting about it on social media, and then he was asked about it on Air Force One was the first time we've really heard the president bring this up
and talk about this. And just to remind you what he said this weekend, he threatened the West African country with potential military action and said
that the United States might cut off aid to Nigeria because of this.
And he said in a post on social media, Max, that he was instructing the Pentagon to, quote, prepare for possible action to wipe out what he said
were Islamic terrorists in the country. He said, quote, "If we attack, it will be fast, vicious and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs that
attacked our cherished Christians."
One of the most interesting things, though, was that on Air Force One last night, Max, the president was asked very directly if he, you know, if this
potential military action meant potentially U.S. boots on the ground in Nigeria or airstrikes and the president notably did not rule that out.
So, again, we're still learning more because this is really the first time we've heard where this is coming from, why the president has decided to
focus some of his attention on Nigeria. And I would note as well, of course, and you mentioned this, but Nigeria has seen these types of attacks
from radical Islamic groups for several years now. Groups like Boko Haram, but also ISIS, and they've attacked not only Christians but also Muslims.
If you look at the data, actually it looks like Muslims are targeted in a greater number.
And one key question I've had in digging through all of this has been, where is this coming from? How did this get on the president's radar? We
are still answering that question, but what is clear is that we do know that Christian groups have been lobbying the Trump administration on this
issue for some time.
And there's also been people like Senator Ted Cruz who have pushed to bring this up in Congress. Actually, Cruz, he's a member of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee. He's been trying to rally his fellow evangelical Christians, but also members of Congress, to designate Nigeria as a
violator of religious freedom. He wants to make Nigeria a country of particular concern. Other countries that have that designation is Pakistan,
Afghanistan and China.
And so, we have to see where this all falls, if the president is actually going to follow through on his threats. But again, something that seemed to
get put on his radar and he brought into the national public attention very quickly thereafter.
FOSTER: Alayna, appreciate it, from the White House. Thank you.
As Trump's war threats echo across Nigeria, he's also threatening to stop all U.S. aid to the West African nation. The U.S. president warns the
proposed intervention would be, quote, "fast and vicious" and aimed at eliminating who he calls the Islamic terrorists.
One analyst argues any unilateral U.S. military operation in Nigeria would not address the underlying factors driving instability there.
[15:25:05]
So what we want to know is, is Trump taking a more aggressive military stance generally?
Joining me now is Brett Bruen, former director of global engagement at the White House. He's president of the Global Situation Room as well.
Thank you so much for joining us, Brett.
And we were asking the question because he promotes himself as someone that solves wars, ends wars, and wants peace. But if we look at some of his
language about South America and now, Nigeria, it doesn't quite tally, does it?
BRETT BRUEN, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL SITUATION ROOM: No, it doesn't, Max. And I think this is the inherent problem in Trump trying, on the one hand, to
project himself as this great peacemaker. And yet he often, you know, shoots from the proverbial hip, whether it's on Nigeria, Venezuela.
Let's not forget that it wasn't that long ago he was threatening to colonize other South American countries like Panama, as well as Greenland.
So, he does struggle to reconcile the notion that somehow, on the one hand, not just as a peacemaker, but let's also remember, he ran as America first
on almost this populist, isolationist platform. And now we're talking about a whole lot of international interventionism.
FOSTER: Yeah, because they're not necessarily wars. Are they going into a country taking it over. It's wars against drug barons, drug cartels. It's
wars against those suppressing Christians in Nigeria. They're wars of a kind, but within a country almost.
BRUEN: Well, and I think it's important to bear in mind, Max, that there doesn't seem to be a strategy. There certainly isn't a foreign policy
doctrine behind a lot of this, and it's what makes Trump so perplexing for foreign leaders around the world, because they're trying to understand from
one day to the next. You know, he's saying that were not going to engage. We're not going to give aid to all of these countries. And on the other,
we're going to provide refugee status to white South Africans.
And I also have to underline here the fact that Trump has done away with U.S. aid, done away with a lot of our international development budget, you
know, withdraw some of the most important leverage that we have over a country like Nigeria. So, when we wanted them to do something, we could use
that aid. Now, most of it is gone.
FOSTER: Also, a country like Nigeria, as you know, so complex. It's a huge country, so many people, so many different groups. But to say that
Christians are being targeted, that's true. So, he's not inaccurate about that. But Muslims have been targeted just as much, according to a lot of
the people you speak to there. And then there's the whole issue of lawlessness in certain areas as well. So, it's much more complex picture.
BRUEN: Well, it is, and I've actually backpacked across Nigeria from Lagos all the way up to Abuja. So familiar, familiar from the days when at the
Obama White House, we were contending with Boko Haram, having kidnaped the Chibok schoolgirls, over 200 of them.
And so, yes, Nigeria does have a considerable amount of violence, but it is, as you say, violence against multiple groups. And if we're truly
concerned about humanitarian tolls, I think we ought to be prioritizing what happened in Darfur, in Sudan, just last week, 460 humans lost their
lives in a vicious attack by the RSF, the Rapid Security Forces. Those are the kinds of things you would expect an American president to engage on,
rather than picking out these obscure issues and trying to, you know, make them into the most significant of global threats.
FOSTER: Is he going to do it?
BRUEN: You know, I think just like we've seen with tariffs, Trump often talks a big game. He uses this. And this is a point that I come back to
again and again with foreign leaders. You've got to look at the actions. Yes. He's going to tweet a lot about all of these things that he could do.
What steps is he actually taking?
I don't think thus far, since he's put out the social post that we've seen those kind of steps. So, no, I think what he's trying to do is get leaders
in Abuja to move more and to take more action, and then he can turn to those evangelical Christians and say, look what I've done for you. But I
doubt we're going to see U.S. boots on the ground.
FOSTER: Brett Bruen, I really appreciate your thoughts on that, a huge topic. Thank you so much.
BRUEN: Sure thing.
FOSTER: Still to come, Donald Trump says his influential -- his presidential poll numbers are great. But what do the polls actually tell
us?
Harry Enten is the man to crunch the numbers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:33:12]
FOSTER: Tuesday is election day in parts of the U.S., and new polls give some insight on voter sentiment. CNN's poll of polls, the average shows
that President Trump had a 41 percent approval. That's 56 percent disapproval rating. However, President Trump remains extremely popular
amongst Republicans specifically.
It remains to be seen what, if any, impact his numbers will have on races in Virginia, New York and California.
Harry Enten joins us from New York.
I guess he's going to say it's going to be great either way, but what do the actual numbers say, Harry?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yeah, according to him, it's the greatest thing ever in American history, right? He's sky high. More popular
than Lincoln, Washington combined.
But look, I think, you know, you hit it, right. There are three key races tomorrow that I'll be keeping my eye out on. And you can see the Democrats
are doing well in all three of them. What are we talking about here?
Well, we're talking about New Jersey governor, Virginia governor and New York City mayor. You know, as a New Yorker, I got to talk about that.
So, we talk about New Jersey governor, what do we see? We see the Democrat Mikie Sherrill up by six points. That's really the only close race across
the board. Abigail Spanberger, the Democrat in Virginia for the gubernatorial race, up 10 points and then Zohran Mamdani up by 16 points
here in New York City.
Now, the key question is, as you were pointing out in your intro there is what role is Donald Trump playing in these races, right? Because we have
different types of Democrats running here. We got Democratic socialist here in New York City. In New Jersey, we have much more moderate candidate, same
as in Virginia.
But the common denominator here is Donald Trump and the drag that he is on Republicans and the boost he's giving the Democrats. What are we talking
about here? Well, take a look at Trump's net popularity rating. Look at this.
In New Jersey, he's 11 points underwater. In Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia, he's 14 points underwater. Here in New York, he is 35 points
underwater. My goodness gracious.
And these, I should point out, are coming as Donald Trump is hitting his low in a number of different national polls.
[15:35:04]
And I think that this will sort of give the game away here.
Trump's net approval rating in percentage points, that CNN poll that came out this morning, 26 points below water, CBS, 18 points. ABC News,
Washington Post, 18 points.
And then the best of the bunch for Trump, which ain't too hot to trot, he's 12 points underwater.
So, what we're seeing tomorrow in those races in Virginia, in New Jersey, right? We're seeing that Donald Trump is a drain on those Republican
candidates. And then next year, as we look ahead to the midterm elections here, we're, of course, all five, 435 house seats, as well as a third of
the Senate are up. I think that we can really take a look and see how does Trump affect in these key races in Virginia and in New Jersey, and then
say, you know what? His numbers nationally look pretty similar as they do in Virginia and New Jersey.
And if the polls are right -- and of course, polls don't vote. People do. But if they're right, I think there's going to be a lot of Republicans
going, ooh, I don't really like that, Max Foster. But I'll tell you this much. They may not like the results tomorrow, but I like you because I
think you're a pretty chill dude.
FOSTER: We love the way you do the numbers. It's also interesting, just briefly, Harry, for Democrats though as well, right? Because you've got
different forms, you know, Democratic Party thinking coming through. And they're going to express an interest in one side or the other.
ENTEN: Yeah, look, I think, you know, we were kind of talking about it, right? You know, in New York City, you have someone who's way to the left
and Mamdani as opposed to New Jersey and Virginia, right, where we have much more moderate candidates kind of coming through.
I think there's going to be a real discussion if all three of the Democrats win, which is what we'd expect based upon the polling, if they all three
win, I think there's going to be a national conversation about where does the Democratic Party go from here? What is working? Does what happened in
New York City, does what works there actually apply nationally, or will Democrats try and take the lessons from Virginia and New Jersey, which are
much more in the middle of the electorate, and say, you know what, we need to run more moderate candidates.
And I think that's going to be a real question as we look at those Democratic primaries next year for especially United States senate, look to
a place like Maine, where you have the incumbent governor running against a much more liberal challenger in that Senate primary to take on the
incumbent there, Republican Susan Collins. I think that's going to be interesting. See if any of the lessons that we learn from tomorrow apply to
those primaries going forward.
FOSTER: Nobody explains it better. Harry, appreciate your time. Thank you.
ENTEN: Thank you, my friend.
FOSTER: It is the final moments of trade on Wall Street and stocks are mixed, with the Dow dropping a bit today. But the S&P 500 and Nasdaq are up
thanks to artificial intelligence deals, obviously, including Amazon's with OpenAI.
This is our business breakout.
Airports across the U.S. are experiencing flight delays and cancellations due to a shortage of air traffic controllers amid the government shutdown.
At least five air traffic control towers say they are understaffed today, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy insists flying is still safe, saying
the government would shut down air travel entirely if it wasn't.
The Trump administration will provide partial food stamps for November. It will tap into the program's contingency fund whilst the government shutdown
continues. About 50 percent of benefits from the supplemental nutrition assistance program will be covered. However, recipients will not see the
payments immediately.
Huggies maker Kimberly-Clark is buying the parent company of Tylenol, Kenvue. The deal is worth nearly $50 billion. Tylenol remains under
increased scrutiny after U.S. President Donald Trump made unproven claims linking autism to Tylenol use during pregnancy. That sent Kenvue stocks
sharply lower.
CNN business and economics reporter Anna Cooban joins me now.
They must know something that we don't if they're paying that price, right?
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: Yeah. I mean, many people are looking at this deal and sort of asking the question like, why
does Kimberly-Clark want to get involved with this? Because, okay, these claims are not proven. The science does not show that there is a link
between having Tylenol during pregnancy and autism.
However, this is a legal basket case or a minefield, potentially. You've got the secretary general of -- sorry, the attorney general of Texas
actually filed a lawsuit last week, which basically, you know, against Kenvue saying, you know, these claims, repeating these claims around
Tylenol.
And so why does Kimberly-Clark want to get involved in this? Some people are looking at this deal and saying Kimberly-Clark is paying too much for
it, $21 a share, when Kenvue closed down at $14 a share last Friday.
So maybe they're seeing something we're not, Max.
FOSTER: It's an opportunity for Tylenol to perhaps rebrand, or at least, you know, under new leadership, say we're going to handle things
differently. We'll look at the research again. There is some conversation someone at the parent company can have with Trump, which the current
company can't maybe.
COOBAN: But potentially, yes. And these two companies obviously think that together they are -- they are stronger. And, you know, this M&A deal of
this size $50 billion, this is a sign ultimately of confidence. And Kimberly-Clark is perhaps taking the longer view that Kenvue was still an
enormous company with millions of consumers around the world. People are still consuming Tylenol by the millions, and they're hoping that this
controversy will blow over.
FOSTER: Okay, Anna, thank you so much.
[15:40:01]
Still to come, Jihadi fighters are tightening their grip on the capital of Mali, attacking fuel supplies and instilling fear. We'll talk to an expert
about the situation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Africa's Sahel region has long been a breeding ground of jihadist groups, and Mali is under siege by fighters affiliated with al Qaeda. The
group, known by its acronym JNIM, is closing on Bamako, Mali's capital. Over the past two months, it's stepped up attacks on fuel supplies and
ambushed tanker trucks. Schools and colleges are closed because of shortages. Mali's military junta and its Russian partners are struggling to
keep control.
Militant groups have been active in Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger in recent years, too. It's a regional problem. What we don't know is
why is there so much instability in Mali?
Joining me now is Colin Clarke, executive director of The Soufan Group.
Thank you so much for joining us, Colin.
Just take us through the two sides here because JNIM, you know, is called a group of terrorists by the U.S. and by the government in Mali. Other people
call them a rebel group. I mean, how do you define the two sides here?
COLIN CLARKE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE SOUFAN GROUP: Well, they're listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States as an active
branch. This is the Sahelian branch of al Qaeda. It's actually a merger of multiple jihadist groups formed in 2017, including al Qaeda in the Islamic
Maghreb.
So, it's a group with a long history. None of this happened overnight. This is something that I've been at The Soufan Center, we've been writing about
and speaking about for years, actually, the entire Sahel region is now large swaths of it have been taken over by various jihadist groups,
including JNIM, but also the Islamic state, Sahel province, pressing these military juntas and encroaching on other parts of the region, including
coastal West Africa.
FOSTER: And JNIM has used a very effective piece of economic warfare, if I can call it that. They've taken control of fuel tankers and fuel trucks and
basically starved the capital, and most of the country of fuel. They're controlling it. And that is what's having the impact right now.
CLARKE: Absolutely. So, this is a shift that we noticed months ago, this economic warfare strategy where the group began trying to choke off supply
lines into the capital of Bamako, Mali is a landlocked country. Ninety-five percent of its fuel is coming from elsewhere, including Senegal and Ivory
Coast. They've been kidnaping truck drivers, blowing up fuel tankers, filming that and using that as part of its propaganda.
This is a group that very well could in the same way we've seen in Syria and Afghanistan, topple the government. And we could have another jihadist
group ruling over a country, you know, this again, the third one, the Taliban being August 2021. And Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in December 2024.
This could be now the third group in a number of years that consolidates power in the same manner.
FOSTER: But they could also use it as a base to, you know, further attacks on neighboring countries. I mentioned Niger, for example.
CLARKE: Yeah. So, there's a big concern over the domino effect, right? If this -- if the government in Mali falls and this is a government that's
been unstable for some time military coups in 2020 and 2021, there could be this domino effect in Burkina Faso and Niger.
Again, we talk a lot about weak and failed states or fragile states. This is a weak and failed region. This is a whole, you know, large landmass here
where we have, you know, jihadist groups essentially enforcing Sharia law, and making life quite difficult for those governments.
Now, the governments have necessarily helped themselves bring in Russian mercenaries, who have conducted really kind of scorched earth tactics, have
actually pushed civilians in the region, to join the side of or at least have sympathy for these groups.
FOSTER: So, Russia supports the military in the country, right? So, you know, are they pulling out or are they adding more resources? They're
clearly not -- it's clearly not working whatever strategy they're using.
CLARKE: Yeah. So, this is not a good advertisement for what's now known as the Afrika Corps, formerly the Wagner Group. Russian mercenaries have been
implicated in a number of massacres, including in Mali over the years.
And so, these fighters, these mercenaries are now largely confined to their military garrisons. We don't see them active operating, like we would
expect alongside Mali and military forces. And so, there's definitely some backlash from incidents that the Afrika Corps and before it, the Wagner
Group, have been involved in.
But again, if you look at what happened in Syria and the Russians had propped up Bashar al-Assad for a long time now, these kind of, states in
Africa that are quite fragile. This doesn't, you know, reinforce a lot of confidence in the Kremlin which clearly has its hands full in Ukraine and
is unable to project influence in the Middle East, in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, in the way it would like.
FOSTER: Okay. Colin Clarke, really appreciate your analysis of that, you know, that broad region and what's going on there.
The United Nations and India are pledging their support to Afghanistan after a deadly earthquake struck early on Monday morning. The powerful 6.3
quake struck near Mazar-I-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, where search and rescue operations are underway. Afghan officials say at least 20 people are
dead and hundreds injured. They fear the number could be much higher, though, as people are pulled out of the rubble. Also damaged in the quake,
the Mazar-I-Sharif's iconic blue mosque. The site is one of Afghanistan's architectural treasures and a major point of pilgrimage.
Only a week after one of the most powerful Atlantic storms tore through the Caribbean, the death toll continues to rise. Hurricane Melissa has caused
at least 59 deaths across the Caribbean, and that's according to "The Associated Press". Twenty-eight of those deaths are in western Jamaica,
where the category five hurricane made landfall. Entire communities were demolished and left with no power or running water at all. Residents say
they feel overwhelmed and heartbroken.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAMELA FOSTER, HURRICANE MELISSA VICTIM: Whenever I get over emotion, I just cry, just try to cry, but I try to hide it from them. I try to be
strong with them and -- but deep inside, I'm crying. I'm really, really crying. But I just like hide it. Yes -- just live -- we will survive, we
will survive, we will survive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: We'll be back after a short moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:52:29]
FOSTER: Returning to our top story, Tuesday's elections in the U.S. will provide fresh insight on the president's appeal to the Latino community.
Some voters tell CNN they're not happy with what they've seen in Mr. Trump's second term. Reasons range from a massive immigration crackdown to
economic worries.
Our Maria Santana has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARIA SANTANA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Normally at this time, Ricardo Francisco's Dominican restaurant is full, serving clients Pica
Pollo, Pernil, and the traditional Tres Golpes: mashed plantains with fried eggs, cheese, and salami.
SANTANA: Tres Golpes, the three hits, is my favorite dish. The platanos.
SANTANA (voice-over): But he says business has dropped about 35 percent in the past year.
SANTANA: Do you think that Trump's immigration policies and the way he's cracking down on immigrants, that that has something to do with it?
RICARDO FRANCISCO, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER (through translator): Of course, that's had a lot to do with it. There are fewer people out on the streets.
Now, they prefer delivery instead.
SANTANA (voice-over): When we first met Francisco last year, just after the election, he said he backed Donald Trump, trusting his economic plans
while brushing off his talk of mass deportations.
FRANCISCO (through translator): No, I don't agree with mass deportations, because almost all of us here are immigrants. I think Trump should
reconsider that. And I think he will.
SANTANA: It hasn't even been a year since Trump has been in office, and you don't like what he's doing with immigration?
FRANCISCO (through translator): No, because many families have been separated. I think the government should refocus and pay more attention to
the economy.
SANTANA (voice-over): That frustration seems to be growing across Allentown. Large crowds recently gathered throughout the region as part of
nationwide "No Kings" protests.
A once industrial hub in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the city is now home to a majority Latino population that swung sharply toward Trump in 2024.
JOHNNY HERRERA, BARBER (through translator): The majority of us regret it very, very much.
SANTANA (voice-over): Johnny Herrera, a barber at a local shop, says that many here feel deceived by Trump.
HERRERA (through translator): Right now, I don't support him. He said he would go after the undocumented immigrants doing wrong and help those who
are working and doing the right thing. But that's not what's happening.
SANTANA (voice-over): Back at the restaurant, Francisco worries that, if things don't change soon, he may have to close.
[15:55:01]
FRANCISCO (through translator): I don't have the resources to keep this place running long-term.
SANTANA (voice-over): But he's still not ready to completely give up on Trump.
FRANCISCO (through translator): He has time to recover, to regroup and to govern well. I think so.
SANTANA (voice-over): He hopes he's right this time. And if he is --
SANTANA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
FRANCISCO: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
SANTANA (voice-over): -- he says, "Next time lunch is on me."
SANTANA: I'm going to come back.
SANTANA (voice-over): Maria Santana, CNN, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: I'm Max Foster. That is WHAT WE KNOW.
Do stay with CNN. We'll have more after this short break.
END
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