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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump Touts Economic Partnerships With Saudi Arabia; White House Yet to Say If Trump Has Received Epstein Bill; NVidia Beats Earnings Expectations Amid A.I. Bubble Fears. Ukraine: At Least 25 Killed In Russian Strikes, Including 3 Children. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired November 19, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Pamela Brown in for Jake Tapper.

And this hour, President Trump is pushing the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia today, selling the financial ties between the two nations. So, how does Congress feel about this?

[18:00:00]

I'll ask a Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Plus, questions about the bill to release the Epstein files. When will President Trump sign that bill? We will go live to the White House.

Also, eye-popping numbers from Wall Street, the A.I. chipmaker, NVidia, just reported sales growing more than 60 percent since last year. So, does that calm down these fears of an A.I. bubble or cause even more worries?

And the stage play heating up in the climate world and you can get a front row seat to the drama.

The Lead tonight, fresh off President Trump's warm embrace of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office, followed by a lavish White House dinner. Today, President Trump just served his good friend, that's a quote, a new heaping dose of praise, this time at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum hosted at the Kennedy Center. President Trump touted a $1 trillion Saudi investment in the U.S.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins is live at the White House. So, as you know, Kaitlan, President Trump had a lot to say about this new elevated relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pam, and I think if yesterday's Oval Office sit down didn't illustrate enough just how close the president's relationship truly is with the Saudi Royal Kingdom and the royal family, I mean, today certainly put that on display as he was giving those remarks here in Washington one day after he stood by the Saudi Crown Prince and defended him over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which the CIA found had been personally ordered by MBS. The president today was touting the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia and said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's great honor. That happens seldom.

That's a sign of trust. We signed a historic strategic defense agreement yesterday also, and that's something that is likewise, very rare and it's very honored company that you're in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Pam, the president there was referencing that defense agreement that they had long planned to sign when the Crown Prince was coming here to Washington. Of course, it comes shortly after he signed a similar one with Qatar earlier this year. Just speaking to the president's view of the Middle East and how he's navigating that through his own foreign policy lens, it's earned him some criticism from some people in MAGA -- in the MAGA world, obviously saying that is not what he ran on and what his supporters wanted him to run on when he was running for office.

And, of course, the fallout has continued over those remarks yesterday with Republicans sidestepping the president's comments when they've been asked about them, and including the majority leader, John Thune, earlier today on that front, when it comes to Jamal Khashoggi killing, something that has been deeply investigated, not only by the Turkish government, but also the United States government.

BROWN: And the other big news, of course, we're following at the White House, Kaitlan, is that Epstein bill? Any idea when President Trump is going to sign it?

COLLINS: No, Pam. I mean, it's just after 6:00 here. We just walked by the West Wing. Typically, when the president is still over in the West Wing, there's a Marine stationed outside the front door, as you know. There's not one right now. And so it appears that the president is not in the West Wing this evening. It's not completely clear.

But we have not gotten anything from the White House all day about whether or not the President plans to sign that bill in front of the cameras or off camera inside the Oval Office. Typically, they've obviously made a huge show of when he does sign bills or executive orders or pardons or anything of the like inside the Oval Office with his staff secretary there handing him those documents.

We have not seen any of that. And we've asked the White House multiple times if the president has even signed this bill yet, and they have given us no indication of that. Pam?

BROWN: All right. Kaitlan Collins at the White House Sports tonight, thank you so much. And watch for more reaction from Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett tonight on The Source with Kaitlan Collins at 9:00 Eastern here on CNN.

And here now is Republican Congressman Mike Lawler. He serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Hi, Congressman. So, I want to just start with your reaction to Saudi Arabia's new designation as a major non-NATO ally.

REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): Look from my vantage point as chair of the Middle East and North Africa subcommittee, Saudi Arabia is a critical ally in the region and around the globe. If we are to combat the malign influence of Iran, China, Russia long-term, Saudi Arabia is a critical strategic partner both in terms of stability and peace in the Middle East, but the larger goal of shared economic prosperity around the globe.

So, from the standpoint of being, you know, a NATO ally, if you will, I think it's a positive step forward. And I think it goes to the larger strategic mission, which is to really normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

[18:05:03]

BROWN: So, there is the strategic component. There's also the moral component. You've been a strong supporter of 9/11 victims and families, even introducing a law that would prevent 9/11 terrorists from receiving plea deals. Here's how the Saudi Crown Prince responded when asked about the 9/11 families, quote, furious, being furious with his Oval Office visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN, SAUDI CROWN PRINCE: I feel painful about, you know, the families of 9/11 in America. But, you know, we have to focus on reality. Reality based on CIA documents and based on lot of documents that Osama Bin Laden used Saudi people in that event for one main purpose, is to destroy this relation, to destroy the American- Saudi relation. That's the purpose of 9/11.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: What did you make of that response?

LAWLER: Look foreign policy is messy. And I have been a strong supporter of our 9/11 families as a New Yorker. What happened on 9/11 was the most tragic day in our country. And there is no question that there have been serious, legitimate and verified concerns pertaining to the role of some in the Saudi government on 9/11.

I think the crown Prince is certainly correct that Osama Bin Laden's objective was to undermine the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. in part as we saw with Iran's objective of trying to prevent normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia on October 7th.

So, there is challenges anytime you are dealing with foreign policy as allies, you have to have an honest dialogue about these issues and work through them. The long-term objective is to strengthen the relationship, to address any of these concerns. It's part of the reason why I've been very vocal in support of the 9/11 families, and will continue to do so. I think having these conversations is critical. It's not something that can be swept under the rug, but I think you also, obviously, long-term, have to look strategically at how we move forward, how we ensure that a 9/11 or an October 7th never happens again.

BROWN: So, you have the 9/11 families here. You have the former colleagues and the family of Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed and the U.S. intelligence community assessed that MBS likely ordered that. He has denied that. What do you say to those families who want to see some accountability here?

LAWLER: I understand it. And, certainly, you know, the Crown Prince's response yesterday in saying that mistakes were made, that they have tried to make reforms to ensure that that type of situation with Jamal Khashoggi doesn't happen again. That should never happen, period. It shouldn't have happened to begin with. But, you know, ultimately, he is the crown prince. He will ultimately be the king of Saudi Arabia. And we have to deal with that reality. And, ultimately, we're going to have to, as allies, work through these issues.

I will tell you, having visited Saudi Arabia in May of this year, there have been significant reforms and changes made in the country that I think is a positive step forward and something that, for the long-term stability in the region and in the Middle East, is imperative. If we are going to avoid another 9/11, avoid another October 7th, it requires having strong partnerships inclusive of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and other Arab states. That is the only way we are going to be able to establish peace and stability in the Middle East.

So, there are always going to be challenges. From my standpoint, you cannot sweep it under the rug. You cannot dismiss it. It's imperative as allies to have honest dialogue diplomatically, but directly. And I think that is something that we have to keep in mind as we work through these issues.

BROWN: All right, I want to ask you about something else, another big issue, and that is the Epstein files bill. Before it passed overwhelmingly in the House, Speaker Johnson called the vote a, quote, moot point because of the House Oversight's investigation. He also said it was a, quote, political show boat pushed by Democrats.

I spoke to an Epstein survivor today. She is a Republican and here's what she said about Speaker Johnson's role in all of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY ROBSON, JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: I was present in the room when they were doing the votes as well as all the survivors, and I can say the only theatrics I saw was from him.

[18:10:03]

I think some of his comments were on that fine line. This is not a hoax. There is no theater coming from us or the survivors on our end. I'm appalled by him, in general, and I've lost a lot of respect by him. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: What is your response to her?

LAWLER: Look, I fully respect the opinions and the views of the victims. They are the ones that should be front and center in this entire discussion. As I have said repeatedly, anyone who committed a crime as part of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, whether it involved human trafficking, sex trafficking, procuring a child for prostitution, sexual abuse of a minor, should be prosecuted, period, full stop.

And from my vantage point, this whole situation should have always been focused on the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Unfortunately, throughout this conversation over many months, a lot of it centered around politics. And I think that's the frustration that has erupted on Capitol Hill.

The Oversight Committee has released over 60,000 documents in the past three months. Those documents are available for people to review. With this passage of this legislation, the Department of Justice should immediately release all remaining documents and the chips should fall wherever they do. And anybody that was involved in the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein should be prosecuted.

I have said that repeatedly from the start. These victims deserve justice. And that is what the focus should be about. Sadly, at times, that has not been the case.

BROWN: But just to follow up, I mean, should Speaker Johnson have held this vote earlier, given, you know, what was clearly the inevitability and it passed almost unanimously? I mean, I spoke to someone earlier. He said this could have been done four months ago.

LAWLER: Look, the Oversight Committee has been doing the work. They have been subpoenaing the records and releasing that to the public. So, this notion that somehow yesterday's vote was the first time anything is going to be released is just not accurate.

But furthermore, yes, obviously, if we could have done this earlier, that would've been great. Unfortunately, the Democrats shut the government down for 43 days unnecessarily and delayed this vote that could have been done as early as September.

So, yes, I would've liked to see this vote ultimately happen sooner. But we are where we are today, and the Department of Justice should release any remaining documents that they have in their possession, and prosecute anyone that was involved in these crimes.

BROWN: As you know, the Democrats say that Speaker Johnson didn't have to send everyone home during that, and that he could have sworn in Adelita Grijalva. Both sides have their stories, right, Congressman Mike Lawler? Thank you so much for coming on. We appreciate your time.

LAWLER: Thank you.

BROWN: We are awaiting word from the White House on when President Trump will sign the bill to release the Epstein files. And once that happens, just how much could we learn. An attorney who's represented nearly 20 Epstein victims joins us next.

Plus, breaking tonight in our Money Lead, the earnings report that had Wall Street holding its breath. Coming up, the news anyone who has retirement savings will want to know about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BROWN: The top story tonight in our Law and Justice Lead, the bill to release the Epstein files has been sent to the White House and now awaits President Trump's signature. But officials are not yet offering any detail on when that could happen.

President Trump told reporters earlier this week that he would sign the bill. Once it becomes law, then the Justice Department will have 30 days to release the files.

I want to bring in Jack Scarola. He is an attorney who has represented nearly 20 Epstein abuse survivors and spent 18 years litigating cases against Epstein. Jack, thank you so much for coming on.

So, once this bill is law, there are a few exceptions carved out that can allow the Justice Department to redact or withhold some information that is confidential to victims, child sex abuse material, or anything that could potentially jeopardize an investigation or national security. What do you think that could mean for what the public does and does not see when it comes to this case?

JACK SCAROLA, ATTORNEY FOR EPSTEIN VICTIMS: Unfortunately, we have been involved in this battle for 18 years. And what we have learned is to be very skeptical about announcements and assertions about what we are going to receive. And we need to look carefully at what ultimately is released, when it is released, in order to come to some determination as to whether significant documents are still being withheld.

But it is important, it's extremely important to remember that we are highly unlikely to get the answers to fundamental questions from any release of documents, regardless of how complete it may be. What we are likely to learn is that the more is disclosed about the nature of what went on over the course of the many years that this has been going on, the more we learn, the more we begin to recognize how many additional unanswered questions there still are.

BROWN: Well, back in July, the Justice Department memo on the Epstein case concluded that no further disclosure was appropriate -- disclosure, I should say -- was appropriate or warranted.

[18:20:02]

Then President Trump ordered the attorney general to investigate several high-profile figures named in the Epstein emails. She's named a prosecutor to look into that effort. These are prominent Dems. Here's what she said about that today. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: What changed since then that you launched this investigation?

PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Information that has come for -- information. There's information that -- new information, additional information, and, again, we will continue to follow the law, to investigate any leads, if there are any victims. We encourage all victims to come forward and we will continue to provide maximum transparency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: What do you make of the pivot here from the Justice Department that previously said it did not uncover evidence to predicate an investigation into any third parties?

SCAROLA: The assertion that there are ongoing investigations causes anyone to be very concerned that the law mandating a disclosure to the extent that it does not jeopardize ongoing investigations has an enormous loophole that is likely to be utilized by the Justice Department to the maximum extent.

We can't count on receiving everything that we should receive, but regardless of what we receive, we are going to find that the fundamental questions about how the justice system has been corrupted simply are not going to be answered by what's in these documents. It's going to take a thorough investigation that extends significantly beyond what has been reduced to paper at this point in time.

BROWN: All right, Jack Scarola, thank you for coming on the show.

SCAROLA: You are welcome.

BROWN: A.I. chipmaker NVidia just released its hotly anticipated earnings report defying doubters and smashing expectations. What this means for growing fears of an A.I. bubble and your own investment portfolio, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

BROWN: All right, breaking news in our Money Lead, the moment investors have been waiting for. The new earnings report from NVidia, the most valuable company in the world, worth approximately $4.5 trillion. NVidia is by far the largest maker of computer chips that power much of the world's artificial intelligence.

So, let's get right to CNN's Phil Mattingly. What does NVidia say about its earnings and how is Wall Street reacting?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: NVidia is at least the implication based on the earnings call, just listening through it, relax, relax. It has been an anxiety-ridden last couple of weeks within the markets. People are trying to figure out there are a lot of elements of the A.I. boom, which is massive and dominant in the economy that have made people concerned about the possibility of a bubble.

NVidia was probably the most watched single company earnings report that I've ever seen in the 15 or 16 years I've covered this stuff. And the reason why is not just because it's the most valuable company in the world. It is a dominant player in the space. It is extraordinarily profitable. The revenues again this quarter, gangbusters, the demand was enormous. I think when we looked at the numbers, but also looked at the earnings called the expectations going forward, all above where analysts were and where they were last quarter.

The critical point here is NVidia is kind of the choke point of the entire A.I. boom. Everything runs through or on some type of NVidia product, which means this isn't just about one company. This is about the entire space. This would be a leading indicator if demand was starting to drop, if the build out needed to slow up a little bit. There is no indication of that in this report, and so for the broader markets, this is very good news. Still a lot of questions, without any question, but for one night, at least, we get to relax.

BROWN: One night, you can sleep well.

MATTINGLY: Yes, just breathe.

BROWN: Just breathe a little bit.

But, I mean, let's talk a little bit more about that, this idea of an A.I. bubble, because you've heard some prominent people talk about the concerns about an A.I. bubble, prominent investors who have withdrawn, you know, their money from NVidia. So, how does this sort of ease those fears of an A.I. bubble?

MATTINGLY: From a broader industry perspective, again, the reason why this earnings report was so critical and why everyone was so focused on it is, one, there's just been a dearth of data. We haven't had government data for the last couple months. There's been a lot of concern related to that shutdown-driven kind of blackout if we're missing something about the broader economy. A.I., in and of itself, has been so central to U.S. GDP, to the U.S. growth, economic growth over the course of the last year and a half, that any indication that it's starting to slow up, that there's revenue drops, that there's demand drops, would be a very, very significant concern. They didn't get that, so that's a good thing.

The problem or the concern, I guess you would say, when you talk to market participants who have gotten more behind the idea of a bubble, is there are a lot of elements that, if you look back to past bubbles, are similar, maybe not entirely, but are similar. And I think the kind of critical questions that are still outstanding right now are, one, is this stock -- are the stocks currently priced for the idea that it's never going to stop growing, right? A.I. is just going to grow forever. And if that's the case, then that's going to be a problem when that doesn't happen. The other issue is what are they going to actually produce? Are there going to be products that will come out of this that people will buy? Is the uptake going to be as massive as is predicted? Those are open questions right now. And until there are answers, there's going to be real concerns.

BROWN: All right. I want to ask you about something else, and that is President Trump's, should we say, interesting comment about his treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, earlier today. Let's play some of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The only thing Scott's blowing it on is the Fed, because the Fed, the rates are too high, Scott. And if you don't get it fixed fast, I'm going to fire your ass, okay?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:30:07]

BROWN: Well, it appears to have been joking there, but he is clearly still unhappy with the Federal Reserve. How is that being interpreted?

MATTINGLY: So, here's how I think you should view those comments. One, you don't necessarily need to swear at a big speech, but I'm not offended by it. It certainly got laughter from the crowd. I think the critical element is this.

Jay Powell, his term ends in May. One of the treasury secretary's big pushes behind the scenes has been, look, he's almost out of here. You're going to get your pick. You've had a couple of selections already. Don't make my job harder as treasury secretary and really rattle the entire global economy by doing this, by trying to do this, especially when you don't know if it's going to be legal.

What you heard from the president today is really reflecting what I'd been heard hearing for several months about the kind of the dynamics inside the West Wing, which is Bessent saying that, and Howard Lutnick, kind of the commerce secretary, being like, yes, sure, why not? If you're into it, go ahead. I don't think it's quite that simple.

The reality is, if you're closely watching what's been happening here, when it was very clear the Fed was going to lower rates or cut rates, in the last couple of meetings, the president did not say a single thing. Right now, market expectations are 50-50 at best. There's no clear guidance about what the Fed's going to do in December. Suddenly, the president starts talking about firing Jay Powell again. So, working the refs is not something the president is afraid of doing. I think there's an element of that here.

BROWN: All right. Phil Mattingly, great to see you. Thanks so much.

So, will a Gaza-inspired his plan for Ukraine work? Top Trump military officials are in Ukraine right now trying to make land concessions sound palatable to the war-torn country, and just as Russia launched yet another deadly attack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:00]

BROWN: All right. In our Politics Lead, a new poll is giving signs of life for the Democrats. The national -- NPR/PBS new survey asks which party voters would back and Congress if the midterms were held today. Democrats hold a 14-point lead over Republicans, as the party looks to duplicate last month's victories and stage a comeback next fall.

My panel joins me now to discuss. So, Kate, this is the largest lead Democrats have held in the poll since, I believe, 2017. What do you attribute that to?

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: A couple of things. I think, first of all, people are frustrated with the state of the economy. They feel like prices are not coming down. Trump campaigned very aggressively on, I will bring prices down, I'll bring them down immediately, people aren't feeling that, and so they're looking for an alternative.

And then, secondly, I think Democrats have done a really good job in the campaigns and the elections that they've been contesting the off- year elections, the Spanberger campaign, the Sherrill campaign, I think, were very effective at driving this contrast on the economy. And I think you're seeing a lot of energy coming into the party. The party's kind of waking up again after a really difficult 2024. And so they're finding their foothold in terms of offering an alternative direction to what people are seeing from Trump.

BROWN: And, Matt, when voters were asked this last November, they were evenly divided among each party, if you look at that. Is Trump to blame for these new numbers we're seeing, do you think?

MATT GORMAN, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER, TIM SCOTT PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Well, Trump was president about a month ago too, so I don't think it's solely him. I was working for House Republicans in 2017, so those numbers have, I think, flashbacks too. But, look, I think one of the biggest things, I'm going to see that's a consistent pattern. If we're seeing that same number, 14, 10-plus in another month, then I think there's some alarms going off. I think Democrats inherently have an edge on the generic ballot, but that's about 3 or 4 points, not 14.

I think one of the other things that we have to do better at is we have to get the low propensity voters, the voters that only come out for Trump when he's in the ballot out in those midyear or those off- year elections as well. We used to be able to do it during the Obama years in 2014, 2010. We were great at it. But when the kind of the bases flipped a little bit, that's when we had trouble. We have to get that back.

BROWN: Well, and, of course, one of the big campaign promises Trump made was on affordability, lowering prices. And, as you well know, people are not necessarily feeling that, his supporters aren't. Do you think the Republicans are doing enough to address that issue and the White House as well?

GORMAN: Yes. I think refocusing on affordability, I mean, we're talking about the Epstein files during the last hour and he made it very clear he wanted to focus again on affordability. There was a very clear message coming out of Virginia, New Jersey and some of those off-year races that they need to make sure they're focusing, talking about affordability, on the things they can sell, like the gas prices going down, sell it, things they can do better, focus in and double down on it.

BEDINGFIELD: It's -- I will say, though, as somebody who sat in that White House communications director chair and spent a lot of time trying to talk about the things that were going well in the economy, while people were feeling like prices were going up, people don't want to hear it. They don't want to hear macroeconomic talking points about GDP, when they feel like they go to the store and their groceries are more expensive.

And we've seen Trump over the last few weeks as he's clearly felt the pressure to come back to this affordability case, we've kind of seen him say, things are great, things are going well. That is not a winning message when people are not feeling it.

BROWN: So, what do you think, as someone who was in that position and you did hear President Biden at the time, say, hey, look at the numbers, things are good, what was the lesson learned there? How do you think the White House should communicate?

BEDINGFIELD: Yes. Well, far be it for me to offer Donald Trump advice on how to win an election. But, you know, I think that he should he's got to show that he understands what people are going through. I think a message that feels like he's not connecting with where people are. He's got to eat some humble pie. He has got to say, prices haven't come down as quickly as I wanted them to, here are the things I'm doing to bring him down, and he is got to focus on it relentlessly.

I mean, another problem he has here is he continues to -- you know, he's talking about the ballroom. He's obviously been dealing with the Epstein fallout. He's been doing a tremendous amount of foreign policy, been putting that front and center. And so I think voters just have not been hearing from him on affordability either, which is the other thing that he would have to adjust, but, again, not looking to give Donald Trump advice on how to win elections.

BROWN: I know. I was just curious, though, what your lessons learned from that, having been the White House during that time. But what do you say to Kate's point? I mean, this is -- like MBS is visiting right now, right? I mean, there had been that criticism. He's too focused on hosting foreign leaders and traveling abroad.

[18:40:04]

Now, you have the Epstein Saga. Are you concerned all of this is a distraction?

GORMAN: No. I mean, look, one of the things I thought was really impressive the day after Election Day, J.D. Vance came out, and I almost took it as a playbook for what -- how they can kind of come back from this, talked about low propensity voters, talking about focusing on affordability.

And I think you're right. I mean, I know from the outside you were sitting in the chair, I wasn't, but I feel like it was always being in the Biden years, it's just around the corner too. It's inflation is transitory. You have to acknowledge that Rome wasn't built in a day, and I think they need to acknowledge, kind of like what you said is that, even though it might not be where you want to go right now, there's a vision, there's a plan for it.

BROWN: But what about what Republicans are saying this, you know, we inherited so much from the Biden administration with inflation? Is that really a winning message?

GORMAN: I mean, it worked for Obama for how many years? I mean, it was the Bush economy for about three or four years of Obama's term. But, no, seriously, though, that you have to be realistic and you have to tell the truth about stuff coming in from the Biden years. It was not what the economy that we wanted. But, again, I think you have to also own that you are now in charge. You have the ability to hopefully affect some policy that can bring down affordability, bring down costs. And, again, gas prices are down, sell that as well. That's not GDP. It is not some esoteric thing. It's real. People feel that almost more than anything else.

BROWN: And what you would respond to --

BEDINGFIELD: I think the time's up on the argument that this is the Biden economy, I think, you know, especially because Trump had came in and was so aggressive about implementing these tariffs that have caused prices to go up for people. He really -- Trump really threw his arms around the economy. He really put his stamp on it. And so now to say to people, you know, almost a year into his presidency, well, it's the Biden economy, I don't think that flies.

BROWN: All right, everyone thinks so much, great to see you.

So, is there a new plan in the works to end Russia's war in Ukraine? The movement happening overseas that may signal something is brewing, up next.

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[18:45:47]

BROWN: In our world lead, a rare Russian attack on western Ukraine killed dozens today, including three children. And this comes as top U.S. Defense Department officials travel to Kyiv to work on hammering out a new peace plan with Russia.

CNN analyst Barak Ravid reports on "Axios" the Trump plan includes giving Russia parts of eastern Ukraine it doesn't currently control and turning it into a demilitarized zone. The plan, modeled off the Gaza peace proposal, would be an enormous win for Russia and likely a tough concession for Ukraine.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is following all of this from London.

So, Nick, tell us more about the scope of last night's attack.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, a particularly horrific night in western Ukraine, normally comparatively safe, a total of 470 drones and nearly 50 missiles launched one possibly more of them hitting two nine story residential blocks in the town of Ternopil, where the latest count puts 25 killed. That's from across the country, but also, to, 92 injured, 18 of them children. Three of the dead children as well. Particularly horrific scenes in a city which would normally consider itself to be relatively safe, as I say, and the scale of Russian activity in Ukraine's skies, cause it seems multiple NATO nations to respond.

Poland closing two airports, briefly launching jets in response to Russian activity, and Romania saying that a drone entered its eastern territory briefly and scrambling jets as well.

At the same time, Russia claiming it shot down four ATACMS missiles, long range missiles supplied by the United States that were fired by Ukraine towards Voronezh. So particularly hectic night in the skies and a particularly large and horrific death tolls.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Our thanks to Nick Paton Walsh for that report.

Joining us now is CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Great to see you, Colonel Leighton.

So, "Axios" is reporting that according to the Trump plan, the U.S. and other countries would recognize Crimea and the Donbas as lawfully Russian territory, but Ukraine would not be asked to. That would be a major concession.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It really would be. And you know, Pamela, when you look at the map, here's one of the key things right here. These territories right here that I've made with the red dots, those are parts of the Donbas region that Ukraine actually still controls. Plus, Zaporizhzhia right in this area.

So, the supposition piece, in fact, I'll change that to this color because what this means is this part might actually be given to Ukraine. So, and the Russians may be withdrawing a little bit in here. But in the Donetsk region and Luhansk region, that's where Ukraine is supposed to give up all of its territory.

Right now, Ukraine controls 12 percent of the Donbas region. That would mean 12 percent of that territory would become Russian, but in a demilitarized zone, according to this plan. BROWN: And as this is all going on, what kind of messages Putin

sending with that attack that Nick just talked about so close to NATO countries?

LEIGHTON: Yes. So this is -- you know, when you look at this, this is in Ternopil, which is in the western part of Ukraine, and this is right near the polish border, as you see right here, that is Poland and Slovakia and Hungary and Romania right here. So, this is an area this town has about 230 or so thousand people. Its about, I think, the sixth largest, fifth or sixth largest city in Ukraine.

So, this is a major effort by the Russians to really put everything at risk. Normally they don't strike in the west, they do strike in the east. And they also struck Kharkiv, which is Ukraine's second largest city. So, we're talking about, you know, 1 million or so people in that area.

So, this is a key message that Putin has sent. Basically, this is -- everything here is at risk. And I'm going to force Ukraine to do the kinds of things that I want it to do on the peace table.

BROWN: And Russia is also claiming that it took out for U.S. ATACMS missiles. How hard is it to take out those missiles?

LEIGHTON: So, this is what it looks like, what an ATACMS looks like when it is launched and goes into flight. So, you can see it goes on a very high trajectory. That makes it very difficult for it to intercept. So, when you look at that particular element and these are the statistics used for the ATACMS.

[18:50:04]

It is generally difficult to get them both when they launch as well as when they descend, because they come in at a very steep angle. But it's not impossible. And if the Russian report is true, they actually have the capability of, knocking these out. If they hit four of them, that's pretty remarkable. They haven't been able to do that in that much of a, you know, of a concerted effort. But the ATACMS is a very good weapon, but it is still not invulnerable to Russian air defenses.

BROWN: All right. Thank you so much, Colonel Leighton. We appreciate it.

And up next, a story bound to get your attention. It's about a new stage play, making waves. And the subject is a hot topic that impacts every single person on planet earth.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:55:08]

BROWN: Breaking news in our law and justice lead, the White House has issued a lid for today. And that means we won't see the president for the rest of the day, offering no indication of whether President Donald Trump signed the Epstein files bill or whether he plans to sign it before the nights' end. The White House had previously said Trump would sign the bill when it got to his desk.

And turning now to our "Earth Matters" series, the planets hottest climate conference is happening right now. And while it may seem less than bingeable when things heat up, contentious negotiations create the perfect storm for a stage play.

And as CNN's Bill Weir reports, you can now get a front row seat to all the drama.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From afar, they seem so wonky, so dry, so unproductive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sea level rise will threaten survival.

WEIR (voice-over): But in the rooms where it happens, every cop holds a bit of drama for a thousand Shakespeares.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The developing world will no longer be brushed aside.

WEIR (voice-over): And while few will see the inner workings of COP30 underway in Brazil, you can now buy a ticket to COP3 in Kyoto, when small island nations stood up to super polluters and petro states until nearly 200 nations unanimously agreed to fight climate change. And audiences first in London, now in New York's Lincoln Center.

Have a seat at the table.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wrestle this process into an agreement for the sake of your children and mine.

WEIR (voice-over): Next to Germany or Tanzania, for an intimate look at the haggling over humanity's fate.

JOE ROBERTSON, CO-WRITER, KYOTO: The inspiration of writing "Kyoto" was actually talking to the amazing men and women diplomats, delegates scientists, lawyers, legal minds who toil every day and have done for decades at the heart of these big multilateral negotiations.

STEPHEN KUNKEN, ACTOR, KYOTO: Now, I know what people like you think of lawyers like me. But I'm the only one who can tell this story.

WEIR (voice-over): In a play about agreement. Our guide is a notorious merchant of disagreement named Don Perlman.

KUNKEN: Let me tell you an uncomfortable truth, people. This is oil!

CROWD: Yes.

KUNKEN: This is oil! This is oil!

WEIR (voice-over): And while fossil fuel lobbyists now descend like locusts on every cop, he was their founding father.

KUNKEN: It is the American sacrament --

WEIR: Who was Don Perlman?

KUNKEN: Oh, just a great guy. Don -- Don Perlman worked in the Department of Energy for the Reagan administration.

ROBERTSON: He was an oil lobbyist, a real -- a real Washington oil lobbyist who tried every point during the negotiations in the 1990s to stall and obfuscate and delay the process. And he did so for reasons that he truly believed in.

KUNKEN: The climate council exists to do one thing, prevent targets and timetables for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

A big part of his way of working was to sort of work in the shadows.

WEIR: Yeah.

KUNKEN: And a lot goes on in the shadows. And until you shine a light into the shadows, that's where the mold can grow.

WEIR: That was COP3. We're about to go into COP30, and I don't think it could be worse in terms of what has happened since then. How do you wrap your head around what has happened since the climate negotiations and what we're living through now?

ROBERTSON: I think there's a lot of -- I think a lot of people look at the COPs every year, and there's a lot of sense of, of sort of despair, as you know, and a an apocalypse. But before Kyoto, the world was on track to warm by four or five degrees, which would have been truly sort of world ending because of those negotiators working day and night and into the early hours, the Kyoto protocol and the agreements that have happened since Paris and beyond mean that actually were not looking at that at all.

So, while we're not in a good place, we're also in a much better place than we would have been. I suppose we wanted to celebrate that and to tell, you know, if it's possible, a little more of a hopeful story about this subject.

WEIR (voice-over): Bill Weir, CNN, at New York's Lincoln Center.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And our thanks to Bill Weir there.

Our last lead starts with First Lady Melania Trump paying a pre- Thanksgiving visit to schoolchildren in North Carolina. She and Second Lady Usha Vance also met with U.S. military families at Camp Lejeune and at Marine Corps Air Station New River to show appreciation for those who served during the holiday season. The North Carolina trip was their first joint appearance without their husbands.

Also in our national lead, gray is for funerals. That's what President Trump has said about the historic Eisenhower Executive Office Building that he was planning to repaint white. Today, the Trump administration agreed not to take any step forward

after a preservationist group filed a lawsuit asking for a formal process for any renovations until the end of the year. The Eisenhower building is right next door to the White House. Constructed in 1888, it was originally built to hold the State, War, and Navy Departments, and it now serves as extra space for the president's staff.

Well, you can find me on Instagram @PamelaBrownCNN. Follow the show on Instagram and at -- in X @TheLeadCNN. And if you ever miss an episode of THE LEAD, you can watch the show on the CNN app.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now.