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Cost of Trump's 90,000-Square-Foot Ballroom Balloons to $300 Million; Moscow Says, U.S. Sanctions on Russia Entirely Counterproductive; Candidates Trade Jabs As Early Voting Begins Saturday. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired October 23, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Today, White House tear down a new view of the East Wing that Trump wants a grandiose ballroom now bigger and more expensive than first reported. This morning, new questions about the power any president has to plow through history like Trump has bypassing concerns over preservationists. Of course, questions coming too little, too late with the damage quite literally done.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The husband of late actress Suzanne Somers has created an AI clone of the Three's Company star, and he says he cannot tell the difference. What is going on here? We've got the details.

And wild video coming out of Texas this morning showing a dramatic rescue after a tow truck crashes and is teetering over an overpass.

I'm Kate Bolduan with Sara Sidner. John Berman is out today. This is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: This morning, the backlash to the ballroom, new images overnight of the demolition of the East Wing of the White House. And we're now learning the scope of this project is even bigger than we first knew. While President Trump previously said that it would not interfere with the current building, officials now say that the entirety of the East Wing is likely to be demolished by the end of the week. And the president, who showed off plans for the ballroom in the Oval Office, now says it will cost $300 million up from the $200 million the administration had initially estimated.

Listen to how the price tag has ballooned over the past few months.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I will do it and we'll probably have some donors or whatever, but it's about $200 million.

It's going to be a couple hundred million dollars at least.

I think it'll cost $250 million.

It's about $300 million. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: And now we're hearing where at least some of that money might come from, according to Donald Trump.

CNN's Alayna Treene is live at the White House for us this morning. The administration revealing some of the donors for this ballroom overnight. What can you tell us, because these images have really sparked a lot of debate?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: They have, and I'm going to walk through some of these. I'll just name some of the big names from this list of private donors to finance this new ballroom. Among them are Apple, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Google, Coinbase, Comcast, Meta. Again, there's a lot of other names as you can see on your screen right now, but all of them have actually been at the White House recently.

Just last week, the president hosted a lot of these different organizations. Some of them being -- some of the people who are helping pay for this are also individuals, people like Howard Lutnick, the president's own commerce secretary, to help finance this.

He hosted them at a dinner last week at the White House. During that, he had showed them a series of different renderings and flat table models of this ballroom. And at times, and we have reporting about this as well, not just during that dinner, but in the days since, the president has asked people around him, what do you make of these models. Do you like the bigger one? Do you like the smaller one? A lot of people have said, we're told, that they like the bigger one. And so it does seem like it is going to be bigger now than initially planned around 90,000 square feet.

And as you mentioned, the price tag seems to be keeping with that as well. It's now the president said in his most recent comments, it's going to be at least $300 million. That's up from the $200 or $250 million he has floated in the past.

And, look, I think what's really important to note out is that the person is moving forward this with extreme latitude. He's kind of bypassing, as you mentioned, a lot of the different committees and procedures and processes that normally go into renovating the White House like this, specifically with what the president is saying about how rather than just making some changes to the East Wing, they're going to knock it down entirely.

Yesterday he said that he had a tremendous amount of study with some of the best architects in the world, and he said, essentially, the determination was, quote, really knocking it down would be necessary. He went on to argue that he didn't believe that the East Wing had been much to start with.

[07:05:04]

So, there's a lot going on here. Of course, I should note the politics of this, as you mentioned, Sara, there are a lot of concerns about this and also particularly the timing of this happening in the middle of a government shutdown, seeing this -- all the money that is going into a project like this has a lot of people, you know, a little bit concerned with the optics.

SIDNER: All right. Alayna Treene, thank you so much for reporting there with those stunning images. Over to you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Thank you darling. This is breaking overnight. Russia responds after the U.S. hit the country's two largest oil companies with big new sanctions over the war in Ukraine. Russia's foreign minister is now calling that move entirely counterproductive. And we are standing by to hear from Vladimir Putin.

Also, this morning, oil prices are rising sharply as traders are worried about a squeeze on the global supply that could be coming due to these sanctions. President Trump's actions showing signs that his patience with Vladimir Putin is waning for now. He announced yesterday that he's nixed an anticipated summit with the Russian leader, a meeting that Donald Trump himself was very enthusiastic about just last week after his phone call with Putin.

CNN's Clare Sebastian is tracking all of this for us, and there is a lot that has developed overnight, Clare?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate. I think, first of all, this is, and we see this coming through in the Russian rhetoric this morning, a big political shift even before we start to talk about the economics. Russia has been through nine months of the Trump administration where multiple deadlines and threats on sanctions have not been enforced, have essentially evaporated, or they've been able to sidestep them. Now, these sanctions are in place and they are bigger than even the Biden administration was prepared to do. Rosneft and Lekoil, the two biggest oil producers in Russia, they account for around half of Russian oil exports.

So, look, this is definitely big. We're seeing rhetoric coming out from Russia brushing this off, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, saying, look we, our country has developed a strong immunity, she said, to western restrictions, essentially saying that it's not going to have the desired impact.

But then you hear from the former president, now, deputy head of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, saying the United States is our adversary. And their talkative, quote, peacemaker, he says, has now fully embarked on the war path against Russia. So, they are having to recalibrate around this.

As to the economic front, is this going to have the desired effect, is this going to cost Russia enough to bring Putin to the table? That is just not clear yet. It depends on a number of things. Are these sanctions going to be heavily enforced by the U.S.? Is Russia going to find workarounds as it's suggested, as it's done so effectively so far in this war, with things like the shadow fleet?

And I think there's a big wild card around India as well. From talking to experts this morning, they import a lot of Russian oil at the moment, but they are involved in trade talks with the U.S. And there are suggestions that they might be likely to adhere to this U.S. policy and perhaps cut back or stop exporting or stop importing Russian oil. And that would be a big problem for Russia.

So, we are really watching and trying to understand the impact of this and essentially what the U.S. will do going forward, how much commitment will they show to enforce these new sanctions. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Yes. And you're spot on, it seems, with the reality of it. The announcement, yes, important what -- coming from the Treasury and how they're saying it, but the follow through and how it's going to impact the biggest purchasers of Russian oil and gas is really what needs to be seen and is not quite known yet.

It's great to see you, Clare. Thank you so much.

Ahead for us a fiery final debate in the race for New York City mayor. What led to a heated back and forth on stage and one candidate describing himself as Braveheart.

And new strikes overnight on alleged drug cartel boats. The president now going even further, saying there could soon be military strikes on land.

And Suzanne Somers' husband and the A.I. clone, his creating of his late wife, Alan Hamill's take, you can't tell the difference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then after about two or three minutes. I totally forgot I was talking to her twin. I was talking to a robot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:10:00]

SIDNER: In just a couple of days, early voting begins for the New York mayoral race. And last night, the candidates battled it out in their final debate. Democrat Zohran Mamdani is trying to keep his lead in the polls over Former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

But a big topic of discussion with someone not in the room, President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW CUOMO (I), NEW YORK MAYORAL CANDIDATE: He thinks he's a kid and he's going to knock him on his tuchus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: That was the response from Cuomo. But there was a lot of back and forth here and it got really fiery.

Our Gloria Pazmino was there watching the whole thing. Big crowd, lots of reactions.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The energy in the crowd, the fact that there was even a crowd brought a whole new dynamic to this final debate. And, Sara, a lot of people who have not paying close attention to this race are starting to tune in because early voting begins this weekend.

Now, this was a final chance for all of these candidates to really make the case directly to voters, but it was also a last chance for Andrew Cuomo, who's behind in the polls, to try and perhaps change the momentum of this race. And he really had a much better performance than he did in last week's debate, a lot of directed attacks at Zohran Mamdani's lack of experience. He said that he was not prepared to lead a place like the city of New York, and that he would not be able to stand up to Trump.

[07:15:03]

Mamdani, of course, returned fire saying, well, Trump actually wants you to be mayor. Take a listen to this one exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Donald Trump, I believe, wants Mamdani. That is his dream, because he will use him politically all across the country, and he will take over New York City. Make no mistake, it will be President Trump and Mayor Trump, and he will come in and take over the city.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: We first just heard from the Republican candidate for mayor, and then we heard from Donald Trump's puppet himself, Andrew Cuomo. You could turn on T.V. any day of the week and you'll hear Donald Trump share that his pick for mayor is Andrew Cuomo. And he wants Andrew Cuomo to be the mayor, not because it will be good for New Yorkers, but because it will be good for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Sara, there was a substantive discussion last night. Zohran Mamdani also making some news, saying that he is committing to asking the NYPD commissioner to stay on the job, Jessica Tisch, someone who is well-respected, well-liked by other city leaders here in New York. So, he is making a public commitment that he intends to keep her on. Still remains unclear whether or not she will accept that offer.

And then at the end of last night, as all the candidates were making their way around the spin room, we got a look at Andrew Cuomo, who left the venue very quickly and ended up courtside with the current mayor, Eric Adams, who, as you know, has dropped out of this race. I was told that this is not to be interpreted as an endorsement, but we do know that Mayor Eric Adams is considering weighing in on this election.

SIDNER: It's interesting and fiery and all the things, Gloria Pazmino, also has national implications, as you well know. Thank you so much for your reporting this morning. All right, still ahead, the NCAA says, gamble away, kids. The new rules on college athletes betting on professional sports.

And a recall on some Coke products there, which cans could have metal inside them. We'll talk about it coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: What a welcome. The Spurs' Wemby spoiled the NBA debut of the Mav's Cooper Flagg with something of a blowout on Dallas turf.

Let's get over to see that Coy Wire, who's got all of it for us. Fill me in, my dear.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: What's up, Kate? Two former number one overall picks going at it, including this past drafts top pick, Cooper Flagg of the Mavs, but this night was all about the Spurs 2023 Pick Victor WembanyamaWin Bama. Dude trained with Shao Lin Monks at a temple in China during the off season. Kung Fu meditation, temple chores, he wanted to improve flexibility, strength, balance, put himself under unusual stress. Well, it looks like his opponents are going to be the ones under unusual stress this season. Wemby, tallest man in the NBA, putting up highlight reel dunk after dunk, dominating with a 40-point 15 rebound performance.

As for Flagg, not the greatest welcome to the association moment. He finally made his first shot of the game in the second half, finishing with ten points. Still at 18 years old, second youngest player ever to debut in the NBA behind only LeBron, he'll be just fine. The Spurs dominate this one, 125-92.

The 76ers got them a good ones. Facing the Celtics, their rookie revelation, V.J. Edgecombe, delivering a dazzling 34-point performance, highest scoring debut for any player since the legend, Wilt Chamberlain, in 1959. Tyrese Maxey, magnificent, dropping 40 points, sheer speed and sizzle. But it was Edgecombe, the rookie, having a rookie moment. He missed two free throws with just seconds to go with his team up just won. So, that gave Boston's Payton Pritchard an opportunity to win, but, no, it did not go.

The third overall, pick out a Balor breathing as sigh of relief as Philly wins, 117-116.

MLS Cup playoffs Wild Card clashes kicking off and the Portland Timbers' Felipe Mora delivers a brilliant brace against Real St. Salt Lake in a 3-1 Triumph, their first postseason win since 2021. Mora playing with a paternal passion. Welcome to baby girl Eleonore into the world just a few days ago.

Portland will now face top seeded San Diego F.C. in round one. The other wild card match, Chicago beat Orlando and will face Philly.

The NCAA approved a rule change on Wednesday that will allow athletes and athletic departments staff members to bet on pro sports, Kate. It goes into effect next week. The NCAA rule forbidding their athletes from betting on college sports still stands, but this change comes despite the NCAA saying it doesn't endorse betting on sports, particularly student athletes.

The chair of the D2 Management Council saying, quote, that this change recognizes the realities of today's sports environment. Kate, just last month, the NCAA banned three men's college basketball players for betting on their own games, so many are up in arms about why they chose to go this route for their student athletes.

BOLDUAN: I mean, what could go wrong, Coy? What could go wrong?

WIRE: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

WIRE: Yes. It's a tough one. And, you know, betting being very addictive. It's just seems like a very precarious situation you're putting your student athletes in. So, we'll see how this all plays out. The rule goes into effect November 1st.

BOLDUAN: All right. Coy Wire, I'm always betting on you though my love, always betting on you.

WIRE: I appreciate you.

BOLDUAN: Here we go to this, new this morning, a holy and historic visit.

[07:25:01]

King Charles is the first British monarch to pray with the Pope in hundreds of years.

And the battle between the biggest podcaster and the governor of America's biggest state getting personal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ROGAN, HOST, THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE: You killed Hollywood. Like Hollywood doesn't exist anymore. It's literally gone.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): I'm punching Joe Rogan, okay? That's son of a bitch not used to that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: We're in day 23 of the government shutdown, and today, the Senate is expected to vote on a GOP-backed bill to pay certain essential federal workers.

[07:30:06]

The vote comes just today before millions are expected.