Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Trump Makes Major Reversal on Epstein Files; Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) is Interviewed about the Epstein Files; Jury Selection in Brian Walshe Murder Trial; Charlotte Becomes Target of Immigration Crackdown; Venezuela to Talk Adid Rising Tensions. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired November 17, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

MANUEL "MANOLO," BETANCUR, OWNER, MANOLO'S BAKERY: Parents and their mothers.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Manuel "Manolo" Betancur, I know you're closing your business you said for the first time in 28 years. Thank you for taking the time this morning to speak with us. And we'll be checking back in with you to see how things are going in the days ahead. Appreciate your time.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, a u-turn by President Trump on the Epstein files. He now tells House Republicans to vote to back their release. Is this a sign he is losing control of his party?

A bright light in the sky. The FAA this morning says the mandatory shutdown restrictions at airports are over. So, when will the delays and cancellations all end?

And the new warning that the U.S. could be falling behind in the space race. What's interesting is, falling behind to whom?

I'm John Berman, with Kate Bolduan and Sara Sidner. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

All right, the breaking news this morning, go ahead and vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. That is the new message from President Trump to House Republicans, now saying he has nothing to hide. This is a stark reversal. A complete 180 after opposing the full release for months now. It could be that the president is steering into the skid with the House Republicans expecting mass defections with that vote finally -- when it finally comes to the floor. That's expected to be tomorrow. Of course, releasing the files does not require a vote from Congress. The Department of Justice could do it right now. President Trump could call for it right now.

Still, ahead of the House vote, several women who survived Epstein's sexual abuse have joined forces to put out a powerful public service announcement. They're pleading with Congress to put the focus on the victims. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was 14 years old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was 16 years old,

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was 16.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seventeen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fourteen-years-old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I met Jeffrey Epstein.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is me when I met Jeffrey Epstein.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's time to bring the secrets out of the shadows. It's time to shine a light into the darkness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Let's get right to CNN's Alayna Treene at the White House this morning.

Alayna, what's behind this complete reversal?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, look, I think, you know, the president is being advised on exactly what this vote this week is going to look like. And he recognizes that this is one of the areas where he's going to lose, you know, this push to try and stop this vote from happening. We first saw that, of course, last week when he was calling up Republicans who were signing the discharge position. He even had one of them to the White House in the Situation Room. But now it's clear where this vote is going. And so, I think from the White House side, why not try to own it?

But there's a couple key questions and implications to this, John, because, one, it does look like, again, this House vote, this -- is going to move forward and Republicans are going to largely back it. We heard Republican Thomas Massie yesterday, one of the people who has brought this vote forward, saying that he believes 100 or more House Republicans are going to get behind this vote.

But the key question is what is going to happen in the Senate? Because what we've been hearing now for days has been that the Senate would likely not try to even take this up. The Senate majority leader, John Thune, said he doesn't even know if they were going to have a vote on this. But does that change now that Trump is essentially giving these Republicans cover for this vote and saying, look, I don't care if we have it, that's what he wrote on Truth Social yesterday, I don't care. He said, "all I do care about is that Republicans get back on point."

And that is in line, John, with what I am hearing in my conversations with people in that building behind me. Trump is very frustrated with all of this. This is the same story we've now said for months now. He wants this Epstein scandal really to go away. But that's not happening. And that's not just because, of course, many of Americans who have been fixated on Epstein and Epstein files for years now, but many of his own supporters. And so, the question is, how can they move on to the messaging that they really want to focus on, issues like affordability that the president recognizes he needs to message better on?

And so, all of that is playing a role into this major reversal. But it's fascinating because this is one of the areas where we've really seen President Donald Trump not be in lockstep with his party and have many members of his own party going against what the White House had initially wanted.

BERMAN: Yes, losing control really is another way of putting it.

Alayna Treene at the White House. What happens then in the Senate? Will President Trump actually order the Department of Justice to release the files, which he could do today? We're watching all of that closely. Thank you.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely.

Joining us right now is Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico, Melanie Stansbury. She sits on the House Oversight Committee.

Congresswoman, thank you for being here.

What do you make of the president's reversal on this discharge petition, on this vote?

[09:05:02]

REP. MELANIE STANSBURY (D-NM): Yes, I mean, I agree completely, he is absolutely losing control, because it's very clear, not only that Donald Trump is engaged in a cover up, but now his party is in the process of trying to decide whether or not to vote to hold him accountable.

But I want to be clear, Donald Trump and this case are not going away. The Epstein case spans decades. There are over a thousand potential victims. The DOJ has vast files, including witness statements, investigations, financial records. There are dozens of coconspirators that were never held accountable. And the latest document dump that we got last week from the estate literally mentions Donald Trump more than 1,600 times. I spent the weekend looking at these records in depth. They name multiple cases involving sexual assault conversations Epstein had that involved the president and his time at his House, and the evidence that Donald Trump absolutely knew that Ghislaine Maxwell was recruiting and grooming young women from Mar-a-Lago and bringing them to Epstein's House.

So, this is not going away for the president. And for any of my colleagues that don't understand what is in these files, open the files, read them for yourselves. This is not only scandalous for the president, these are crimes. And we will continue to investigate and see where it takes us.

BOLDUAN: The president has not been accused of any crimes or wrongdoing as it relates to Jeffrey Epstein or these files, even with these emails being released. That's one thing that we need to make clear.

STANSBURY: Yet.

BOLDUAN: But one thing about --

STANSBURY: He has not been charged yet, yes.

BOLDUAN: Yes. There's no accusations, though, of any wrongdoing so far.

The Justice Department, at this moment, does not need a vote to release the files.

STANSBURY: Oh, no.

BOLDUAN: Pam Bondi released some of what the files -- some of the files that they said they had had months ago to great fanfare, especially since the president now says that he wants to see the records released. They could bypass this vote and just release them. Is that your understanding?

STANSBURY: Well, first of all, it's important that the president has not said he wants the records released because we have already subpoenaed the files. What he put on his Truth Social is that --

BOLDUAN: No, he did -- he did overnight. He said House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein file. So, yes, he now says that.

STANSBURY: No, no, what he -- what -- no, what he said on his Truth Social is that it's OK for Republicans to vote for the discharge petition because he's already been subpoenaed to release the full, unredacted files. That is a congressional subpoena. And he has not complied with it. And he is not actually releasing the files. His Truth Social post says, go ahead, Republicans, vote for this discharge petition that's not going anywhere. That is not the same as saying he is going to release the files.

BOLDUAN: How -- he did, right, just for clarity, "House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files." He also, in this Truth Social post, says, "the House Oversight Committee can have whatever they are legally entitled to. I don't care."

What are you legally entitled to?

STANSBURY: We are legally entitled to the entire, full redacted files. That is what the subpoena says. And he has not complied, as I have mentioned.

But Donald Trump is parsing words here. He did not say he plans to release the files. He said that Republicans can vote on this House discharge petition because he knows he's going to lose the vote. He was engaged in a month's long coverup. Mike Johnson shut down the House for 54 days to stop this vote. And now he's saying, oh, I don't have anything to hide because he understands that this has been a political nightmare for him. And so, he is giving permission to vote on one motion, but he is not complying with this subpoena, which has called for the full, unredacted files, which includes thousands and thousands of documents and investigations into criminal wrongdoing that were never properly prosecuted and which we are investigating.

BOLDUAN: You have publicly clashed with Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. There's more than one viral moment that I -- that I have seen from at least committee hearings to show that. She's now apologizing for what she says, how she has contributed to toxic politics. I want to play for you what she told Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I would like to say, humbly, I'm sorry for taking part in the toxic, politics. It's very bad for our country.

I am committed, and I've been working on this a lot lately, to put down the knives and politics. I really just want to see people be kind to one another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: She is doing something that politicians do not do these days, which is she is saying she is sorry for things she has done in the past. What do you think of that?

STANSBURY: I think it's great. I'm glad to see her doing that. I think it's important. You know, I am also proud of her for taking a stand for the survivors here. If anyone has watched what has happened over the last few days and the way in which the president has lashed out and threatened her and called her a traitor for trying to stand to release files to give justice to sexual assault victims, I'm proud of the work that she's done in taking this stand.

[09:10:02]

And I think it's important that, you know, she's owning and taking accountability for her contribution to the dialogue in this country. And I hope that it continues and it influences other leaders who are also engaging in toxic politics.

BOLDUAN: Do you see her now as an ally?

STANSBURY: You know, I have a working professional relationship with her because we both serve in leadership roles on the DOGE subcommittee. We have always had a collegial working relationship. While there are some viral moments in which certainly I was gaveled profusely, in which there were rules violations in the committee, we've always had a working professional relationship.

BOLDUAN: Congresswoman, thank you for your time.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, ahead, we are cleared for takeoff. The FAA now ending its mandatory flight reductions after hundreds of cancellations per day. How long might it take for things to get back to normal at the airports?

And a brand new study this morning showing about a quarter of American women do not get prenatal care in their first trimester. The numbers behind this alarming trend.

And jury selection set to begin in the case of an alleged killer accused of dismembering his wife because she wanted a divorce.

Those stories and more, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:15:19]

SIDNER: The final pretrial hearing is underway right now in the case of the Massachusetts man accused of killing his wife and dismembering her body because she wanted a divorce. Friday, the judge accepted a doctor's report stating that Brian Walshe is competent to stand trial. His wife Ana's body has not been found.

Joining me now is CNN's Jean Casarez.

I know you've been following all this. There's a lot of evidence that the prosecution has laid out, but the defense has its points, too. What are you learning this morning?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here we are right now. And these are live pictures right here in the courtroom in Dedham, Massachusetts. This is actually the Karen Read courtroom. And this case is at the same courthouse, obviously. And Brian Walshe is there. There was a question whether this trial was going to go because this is the pretrial -- final pretrial hearing. Tomorrow jury selection begins. He was found competent, though. On Friday they had a hearing. He is competent. Trial will go forward.

Now, jury selection starts tomorrow. They hope to talk to 67 -- 60 to 70 jurors per day. Actually, there's going to be 126 summoned for tomorrow. The judge says if we have to go into Thanksgiving week to get a jury, we will.

But here's the question. First of all, how long will it take to get a jury? Can they get a jury? Because there's been a lot of pretrial publicity. And it's not that all the publicity is there. Can a person, a prospective juror, be fair and impartial? And some of the things that have been out there, because this is Brian Walshe, who was married to Ana Walshe. She had a very high profile job in Washington, D.C., so she commuted back and forth to Massachusetts.

But on New Years Eve into New Years Day, in the early morning hours of 2022 to 2023, that was the last time she was ever seen. Once she was reported missing, law enforcement had several interviews with him, but then he consented to give his electronic devices, including his child's iPad mini. Some of the things that these prospective jurors have heard in the last two years are some of those Google searches. And the prosecution believes this is the mindset on January 1st, how long before a body starts to smell? Ten ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to. How long for someone to be missing to inherit? Ana Walshe was worth millions. How to clean blood from a wooden floor.

And it goes on from there. Hacksaw used to dismember was a little bit after January -- it was January 2nd, and then furthermore, there's been video that's been out there for the public showing him deposit black plastic bags in the dumpsters. And then also there's some Home Depot video of buying a hacksaw and a hatchet and cleaning supplies.

But he has pleaded guilty. So, what is going to be the defense? That's what we want to know.

But first step is to get that jury. And then, the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend, is when the trial will actually begin with opening statements and witness testimony. Should last three to four weeks, almost up to Christmas.

SIDNER: Just to be clear, he's pleaded not guilty in this case. His attorneys have a lot to say about the investigator in this case for the police. And we'll have to see what the jury decides.

CASAREZ: And we'll see if Michael Proctor, who was the lead investigator for Karen Read, amounts to anything because his personal cell phone, all of his electronic devices were looked at by federal authorities. The prosecutor got things that could help the defense. It's in the defense hands. We'll see if they call him. I know Joey Jackson says they will. And we'll see if that all can impact a reasonable doubt in this case.

SIDNER: This case is disturbing nonetheless. Thank you so much, Jean Casarez, for going through all of it with us. Appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: All right, new this morning, more than 80 people arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina. A new target in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Multiple videos have surfaced showing encounters with federal agents. Some businesses have decided to close to try and prevent community members from being targeted.

Let's get right to CNN's Dianne Gallagher, who's in Charlotte this morning with the latest from there.

Dianne, what are you seeing?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I've lived in Charlotte for years, and I have never seen east Charlotte, which is full of sort of vibrant, busy vibes, it's full of businesses that are owned and cater to immigrants, I've never seen it look like a ghost town like it does today. And much of this started on Saturday when the Customs and Border Protection operation they've called Charlotte's Web began.

We're in front of Manolo's Bakery. It's a very popular Colombian bakery. They are closed today for the first time in more than a quarter century. You can see the notes from the community that are left here. They've been putting up private property signs since an incident where the owner says he saw men in green uniforms running through his parking lot, chasing people down.

[09:20:07]

Just a few moments ago we actually saw an SUV come through this parking lot, and people who have call themselves community watchers came through with whistles blowing to try and chase that SUV away. The owner told me that the reason why he closed was because even though he's a U.S. citizen who is carrying his passport with him right now because he says he has an accent and he's brown, he says he doesn't want his customers to risk being apprehended by just coming out to get some bread.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANOLO BETANCUR, OWNER, MANOLO'S BAKERY: I decided not to risk my customers, not to risk my employees, and not risk myself and my family. That could be myself, my wife, or my kids who were working on the streets and they just turned down to the floor like what I saw. So, it's too risky and I don't want to carry my shoulders the heaviness of maybe a kid to lose their, their father or their mother because they were on their way to the bakery to get a cake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Now, DHS has said the reason for this operation in Charlotte is because it's going to, quote, target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to the tar heel state because they knew sanctuary politicians would protect them and allow them to roam free in the American streets. The governor, Josh Stein, a Democrat, has said that he would like for the people in North Carolina to remain peaceful but also vigilant and record any inappropriate behavior that they may see, and then send that to local authorities.

BERMAN: All right, Dianne Gallagher, in Charlotte this morning. You are there monitoring this. Keep us posted as to what you see.

All right, the longest known distance race in the universe is back on. This morning, the renewed rush to make it to the moon.

And the National Zoo is open. You can see the pandas live and in person and ask the key question, what are they hiding?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:26:17] BERMAN: New this morning, the FAA has ended its emergency flight reductions at 40 U.S. airports. Travel now is supposed to return to normal after weeks of mass delays and cancellations. The FAA slashed flights at many of the country's busiest airports they said to ease pressure on air traffic controllers during the government shutdown. Now it says staffing issues have stabilized just in time for Thanksgiving.

Civil rights leader, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, remains in a Chicago hospital this morning. Jackson is 84 years old and has been receiving care to manage his blood pressure, we are told. His family says he is breathing on his own and not on life support. In a statement, his Rainbow PUSH Coalition said he was hospitalized Wednesday and placed under observation for a rare neurodegenerative condition he has had for more than a decade. Jackson's family says he has shown brief but meaningful responsiveness, even urging churches to prepare food baskets for those in need. Reverend Jackson has been a towering figure in the civil rights movement for more than half a century. His family says they do remain hopeful as he continues to recover.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Also this morning, the president is adding more firepower to the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean today, even as the president himself is now floating the possibility of diplomatic talks with the Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro. Just days after President Trump had said he is considering military action, not just in international waters there, but also inside Venezuela.

Now, today, one of Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, was on the show this morning and he says, well, he supports, himself, regime change. He says that Trump's confusing public stances here isn't helping anyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I support the idea of returning the government of Venezuela to its own people. What I'm -- what I'm troubled about here is, I don't see what the plan is. And I think the erratic shifts in Trump's public statements underline that we're not entirely clear either what the objective is or how we intend to carry it out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And joining me right now is retired Admiral James Stavridis, who oversaw operations in that region from 2006 to 2009. He's a CNN military -- senior military analyst and former NATO supreme allied commander.

It's good to see you again, Admiral.

So, you heard Bolton there. He says he supports regime change in Venezuela. He just doesn't understand why he doesn't see a plan. And he says that that is very troubling in his view. In order to pull it off, if that is the goal here, does the president of the United States need to be -- need to clear up what the objective is or how they do intend to carry it out?

ADMIRAL JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: I think so. And my guess, Kate, is that we'll see some clarity as the week moves on simply because so much firepower is arrayed off the coast of Venezuela. As you know, we're now up to about a dozen warships, a nuclear-powered carrier, 80 combat aircraft there alone. F-35s operating out of Puerto Rico. This is a big show of force. And so, I think the president hopes that Maduro will just fold his cards and depart. I highly doubt that's going to happen.

I applaud the idea of getting into a negotiation before you start dropping bombs. So, let's see what unfolds as the week does.

Final thought here, Kate. There is plenty of firepower there to conduct strikes into Venezuela. There's not enough there to put boots on the ground and do a regime change. This is not Panama, a tiny country of four million people. Venezuela is twice the size of California, has a population of well over 30 million. It will be a tough nut to crack militarily.

[09:30:05]

BOLDUAN: When we spoke last week with the Gerald Ford heading there and now there,