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Four Killed, Eight Injured in a LDS Church Attack in Michigan; Lawmakers Scramble Before the Looming Tuesday Shutdown; Incumbent New York City Mayor Drops Re-Election Bid; Trump Meets Netanyahu for Ceasefire Talks; Last Physical Video Store Standing in France Despite the Streaming Boom. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired September 29, 2025 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, whether you're here in the United States or elsewhere around the world, you are now in the CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte, in Washington D.C. It is so good to have you with me. Coming up on the show.
Another place of worship in America turned into the site of a tragedy. The latest on what we know about the deadly attack on a Michigan church.
The sitting mayor of New York City drops his re-election bid just weeks before the polls open. We'll have a look at how that Eric Adams decision could impact the race, if at all.
Plus a live report on what to expect from today's high stakes meeting on the war in Gaza between U.S. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Welcome.
The FBI is now leading the investigation into a deadly church attack in the U.S. state of Michigan, which investigators are calling an act of targeted violence. Police say the man crashed his car into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, where hundreds of people were attending Sunday services. The suspect then opened fire with an assault rifle and used gasoline to deliberately set fire to the building.
At least four people are dead. Eight others are wounded, including children. As many as seven are still unaccounted for.
Have a listen to one church member describe all of the chaos that unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know what was going on and I didn't know if we were going to have to get down because we couldn't see anybody.
To worship my savior Jesus Christ and I didn't expect this to happen, of course, and I've lost friends in there.
REPORTER: I'm sorry to hear that.
UNKNOWN: And some of my little primary children that I teach on Sundays. I joined the church 38 years ago in that building and now it's gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Police say they killed the shooter within minutes of responding. Officials are praising the church members who rushed to protect each other.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF WILLIAM RENYE, GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: And I'd also like to acknowledge the heroism of not only the first responders, but the people who were inside that church at the time. They were shielding the children who were also present within the church, moving them to safety. Just hundreds of people just practicing their faith.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: The gunman has been identified as a 40 year old U.S. Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
CNN's Leigh Waldman begins our coverage from the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Unfortunately, the death toll continues to rise here in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, after a gunman drove into the front doors of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, opened fired and then used an accelerant and set that church on fire. You can see just how busy this scene is still behind us with first responders going down this road, continuing to search through the rubble of that church.
We're hearing from first responders that they have not been able to clear the entire property yet because it is so large and the church itself is deemed a total loss. It's extensive efforts, but they also spoke about the heroism of first responders responding within 30 seconds of that first 911 call and taking out the gunman less than 10 minutes later in the back parking lot of that chapel there. We also know that they're responding to the place where they believe that he lived, working on getting search warrants to search through his digital footprint.
The FBI is calling this an act of targeted violence, saying although that the gunman is dead, they are still working to determine a motive. It's important to them to determine a motive. We also heard that there was acts of heroism from the people inside of that church, hundreds of people inside of the church shielding their children with their own bodies, trying to keep them safe.
We're expecting to get much more information on Monday, hoping to hear more about the recovery efforts as they search through this property.
Leigh Waldman, CNN, Grand Blanc, Michigan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: Andrea Sahouri is a criminal justice reporter for the "Detroit Free Press" and she's joining me now from Grand Blanc, Michigan.
Andrea, firstly, thanks so much for being with me. How are you doing at the moment?
ANDREA SAHOURI, CRIMINAL JUSTICE REPORTER, "DETROIT FREE PRESS": I'm a little tired, but we're all good. This is the job and I'm happy to be here. Thank you.
HUNTE: Thank you for staying up for me. I appreciate it.
[03:05:00]
We have seen some truly shocking images from the scene over the past few hours. What has it been like actually being there? What stood out most to you?
SAHOURI: I'm actually from this community and so knowing how small of a town it is, I could really just sense the chaos that has been unfolded and just how much this has rocked this community. I know that in this day and age, everyone says, oh, this would never happen to our community until it does.
That's very much the sense here is just a lot of shock and disbelief. Just seeing the mass presence again in this small town has really just hit this community.
But I've also seen firsthand a lot of people step up. I was at the police department numerous times yesterday and there were a lot of people coordinating food for the first responders from numerous local restaurants so that was really beautiful to see as well.
HUNTE: And I do want to get into some of that as well. How did first responders and local authorities handle the aftermath of this attack? Were there any particular challenges that you saw on the ground?
SAHOURI: You know, it was so it was heavily blocked off. And I think a big challenge was the fire, for instance. You know, late last night, police announced they recovered two more bodies from the property because, you know, like you guys said, it's total loss.
And so I think that that was a huge challenge, just getting that fire, getting that fire extinguished, being able to recover bodies early on in the investigation. You know, the fire was still going and they still had not completely taken it out so that was definitely a challenge for them.
HUNTE: These pictures we're seeing are just so scary. It's awful.
You've spoken with some local families and church members, too. What have people shared with you about how all of this is affecting them personally and what's the mood in the community right now?
SAHOURI: You know, again, just shock, disbelief. People who knew him from high school, you know, just described him as a polite, funny, nice person. And so a lot of it, again, it's just a lot of shock and disbelief.
And, you know, small town communities often step up. And so you're also seeing that as well.
HUNTE: Have you noticed any concerns from residents about their safety going forward? Have people said anything about what needs to happen next?
SAHOURI: Yes, absolutely. You know, after the shooting, police had mentioned that there were numerous bomb threats in local churches throughout the area. So safety was a huge concern.
They haven't divulged more information besides that, other than, you know, these were threats to other, you know, places of worship. And, you know, they had to clear those. And so there's a lot of sense of fear, you know, spread around the region as well.
And sorry, can you mention the second part of the question?
HUNTE: Well, with so many shootings happening in the U.S. right now, it can feel like the media attention shifts really quickly. So from what you've seen so far, do you think this will get more or less attention and other incidents?
SAHOURI: I think it will definitely get a lot of attention, especially at being a place of worship, especially at being an LDS church. I think it definitely will be getting a lot of attention. We've had responses from the President Donald Trump, we've had responses from Vice President J.D. Vance, we've had responses from state officials as well.
And so I think that you will have a lot of discourse around this, a lot of opinions and a lot of, you know, people stepping up and saying what they think needs to be done.
HUNTE: It feels like something needs to change because it can't continue like this. Andrea Sahouri, thank you for now. I appreciate it.
SAHOURI: Yes, of course.
HUNTE: Let's go now to North Carolina, where a Marine veteran is in custody after allegedly opening fire at a waterfront bar in a small city of Southport. Three people were killed there and at least eight were injured in the shooting late on Saturday. Prosecutors say one victim is still fighting for their life. Police identified the suspect as 40 year old Nigel Edge, an ex Marine
Sergeant and Purple Heart recipient. They say the shooting appeared to be highly premeditated.
The attack came just hours before the other mass shooting in Michigan. So that is two mass shootings in 24 hours, both allegedly carried out by Iraq war veterans.
The Gun Violence Archive reports for at least 324 mass shootings have happened in the U.S. so far this year, defining mass shootings as incidents in which four or more people are shot, not including the gunman.
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U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly set to meet with top congressional leaders in the coming hours, and they're all hoping to reach a deal to avoid a possible government shutdown. Lawmakers have until midnight on Tuesday to work out all the kinks.
But at the moment, neither Republicans nor Democrats are willing to budge. The President previously canceled a meeting with Democratic lawmakers trying to reach some kind of an agreement.
Democrats say they won't vote to fund the government unless specific provisions are put in place around the Affordable Care Act, and they're catching heat from Republicans for that. The White House Budget Office also threatened to carry out mass firings if a shutdown does occur. Here's what House Speaker Mike Johnson told our Jake Tapper on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: He wants to bring in the leaders to come in and act like leaders and do the right thing for the American people. It's fine to have partisan debates and squabbles, but you don't hold the people hostage for their services to allow yourself political cover. And that's what Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are doing right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: But some lawmakers do remain hopeful, like Senate Democrat Chris Van Hollen. Here's what he told CNN on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): I do have confidence that the two leaders on the Democratic side are going to hold the line on these issues, as well as this, not giving the president a blank check.
Look, my view is, you know, there are lots of issues Democrats should be focused on, but on this one, we are united.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNTE: New York City Mayor Eric Adams has suspended his bid for re- election, this is the latest twist in the city's mayoral race. Some opponents of self-described Democratic socialists, Zohran Mamdani, are hoping that Adam supporters will now support former Governor Andrew Cuomo. CNN's Gloria Pazmino explains all about it.
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GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The race for mayor here in New York City has been scrambled several times over the last few months, and it's happening again with the news that Eric Adams is ending his bid for re-election. The mayor made the announcement on a social media video that he posted to X on Sunday, talking about the accomplishments of his administration, but saying that he was not able to mount a proper political campaign because he has not been able to raise enough money. He blamed the media for trying to undermine his campaign and for constantly reporting about whether or not he would drop out of this race.
We should mention that it was only a few days ago that the mayor was denying that he would leave the race. And we have reported about the conversations that the mayor has had about potentially taking a job in the Trump administration, if he were to leave the race.
Now, the question in all of this is how Adam's decision to leave the election would potentially benefit former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is second in the polls behind Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani. The theory behind all of this is that if Eric Adams left the race, support for the current mayor would coalesce behind Cuomo and that it would give him a real shot at challenging Zoran Mamdani, who is leading in the polls. But it's not clear that that's actually going to work out because Mamdani has continued to grow his support in recent weeks.
Mamdani posted his own reaction to the news of Adams leaving the race, saying that it confirmed that Cuomo is Trump's chosen candidate in this election. Take a listen.
ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK MAYORAL CANDIDATE: And to Andrew Cuomo, you got your wish. You wanted Trump and your billionaire friends to help you clear the field. But don't forget, you wanted me as your opponent in the primary too and we beat you by 13 points.
Looking forward to doing it again on November 4th. Hope you're well.
PAZMINO: Now, I've been speaking with senior advisors to the Mamdani campaign who tell me that the news of Eric Adams dropping out of the race was something that they were expecting. It does not change things for them, they believe that they will still beat Andrew Cuomo in the general election, they point out the fact that they beat him by 13 points in the primary, they believe they will be able to do it in the general election.
In the meantime, Andrew Cuomo praised Eric Adams for his decision to exit the race, saying that it was the right decision for the city of New York. The question now is whether or not he will be able to coalesce enough support behind his own campaign to beat Zohran Mamdani. The general election will be held in November.
Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: The city of Portland and state of Oregon have filed a lawsuit against President Trump for deploying the National Guard to the city. The President says that the troops are needed to defend an ICE facility that he claims is, quote, "under siege by Antifa." An ICE facility south of downtown Portland has been the site of mostly peaceful protests that have occasionally resulted in officials deploying tear gas.
[03:15:03]
On Sunday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said 200 National Guard troops will be sent to Portland. In their lawsuit, the city and states say that President Trump overreached his mandates by federalizing the Oregon National Guard as a response to the unrest.
But the White House says President Trump is using his, quote, "lawful authority" to deal with what the administration says has been, quote, "months of violent riots."
Portland is a sanctuary city, meaning it does not cooperate with ICE. President Trump previously ordered National Guard deployments to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Earlier, I spoke with Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. We discussed several topics, including Portland. I asked what he believes this new National Guard deployment means for the country.
Here's a listen to a part of our conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS: I'm convinced that Donald Trump is trying to make the American people see this as a normal function of government, sending troops into places that the president claims are in turmoil. Now, the truth is that Portland is not currently. It has been in various circumstances since 2020.
But he was originally targeting Chicago, and he found out that the mayor and the governor in Illinois were strongly opposed, and his staff told him it would be too much trouble to send the troops into Chicago. I don't know that he's going to fare much better in Portland.
But again, remember, he's done this in several places already, he probably will target other democratically-controlled cities. And he's trying to get us used to the idea that this is normal when it is not normal. This is very contrary to the American tradition.
We don't use American troops against Americans in American territory. HUNTE: And speaking of things that don't seem too normal at the
moment, the Justice Department were actively watching Trump trying to use it against his political enemies, right? We've also had developments involving James Comey and Christopher Wray. How do you see their role in this bigger fight over whether institutions can withstand Trump's pressure?
SABATO: Everyone ought to be concerned about this, because not only did Trump pick out a former FBI director Comey for selective prosecution, there's no question prosecution, which may get the case thrown out before it even gets to a jury.
But what's really disturbing is this weekend he expanded it to yet another former FBI director, a Republican FBI director, I might add, Christopher Wray, based on the completely false premise that somehow Wray sent several hundred FBI agents into the Capitol on January 6th to stir things up, to generate the actual insurrection based on their decision to cause Trump trouble.
Totally false. A number of investigations have already shown this. There's no indication that a single FBI agent was part of the insurrectionist crowd.
So this is Donald Trump, again, trying to find a reason to suggest to Americans that January 6th was legitimate, when in fact it was the very first attempt since the Civil War by a President to conduct a coup d'etat.
HUNTE: When you put all of this together, let's talk the shutdown, Adams, Portland, the battles over the FBI and the Justice Department. What does all of this tell you about the direction of American democracy right now?
SABATO: American democracy is greatly threatened, and you would have to be blind not to see it. It's tremendously disturbing to people who have studied the decline of democracies and how democracies move into autocracies, authoritarianism.
Donald Trump has put America very quickly on an authoritarian track. We are well down the authoritarian highway, and there's no indication that this won't continue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Okay, U.S. President Donald Trump promises something special on Gaza ahead of his high-stakes meeting with his Israeli counterpart. But sources say Netanyahu has reservations about the White House's ceasefire and post-war plan. All the details just ahead.
Plus, there are two major storms in the Atlantic Ocean right now. Tropical Storm Imelda's path continues to change as Hurricane Humberto reaches Category 4, where they're headed next? See you in a moment.
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[03:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HUNTE: Welcome back.
It looks like the U.S. will be spared the brunt of Tropical Storm Imelda. It's now expected to strengthen and veer toward the powerful Hurricane Humberto.
Humberto is a Category 4 hurricane and is predicted to stay far out in the Atlantic, while neither storm is expected to make a landfall. They will affect the U.S. Meteorologist Chris Warren has more on the two storms for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS WARREN, METEOROLOGIST: We did see some dramatic improvements with the forecast in terms of what is expected to happen with both of the storms that we've been watching, so we often talk about how the forecast can change. I want to show you just how much the forecast changed from Friday to Sunday.
The National Hurricane Center issues these cones, where the center of the storm is expected to go through the middle. Then there's a variation based on historical errors of where it has gone in the past.
So this was Friday at 5:00 and the storm was expected to go somewhere through here and then the forecast changed. It changed a little bit and notice the trend. This is what we look for when there's an event that we're looking at, a hurricane, a tropical storm, days in advance, there are multiple forecasts.
Sometimes it'll lock on and stay almost the same for several different forecasts. In this case, the trend was our friend, both in terms of getting confidence in the forecast and the final outcome of what ultimately is expected to happen with this.
Some of the forecast models coming into a better line too on Sunday, showing them tightly put together. Sometimes it looks like wet spaghetti. We call them spaghetti models for a reason.
[03:25:05]
It looks like someone sometimes throws wet spaghetti right onto a plate, and they kind of go all over the place. In this case, there is that agreement. You have the very strong storm, Humberto, and then Imelda.
So a major hurricane helping to influence. You can kind of see here, you get that look that they're kind of interacting a little bit, and then the stronger one moving off, and the other one kind of coming along with it.
And so while that is the overall forecast with the center, still a lot of moisture coming up close to the southeast coast. The front's going to help get some rain out of it, and you can see the forecast showing two to four inches with the heaviest of rain, that six-plus, going away from land, when again it was possible just a few days ago that it was going to be a big-time rainmaker inland.
So this trend is expected to hopefully hold and keep the rain just minimal at the coast, where there could still be some flash flooding. But what is going to be dangerous, possibly life-threatening, these big storms generate a lot of rough surf, dangerous waves, and a very dangerous rip current risk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: Still to come, why the deadly Michigan church attack stands out, even in a country ravaged by seemingly endless gun violence. I'll ask an expert all about it ahead.
Plus, Russia claims it does not target civilians in Ukraine, but it's the civilians, including children, who are the ones dying in Moscow's airstrikes. The aftermath of one of the largest air assaults in the war, when we come back.
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[03:30:00]
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HUNTE: Hello. Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Ben Hunte. Let's check some of today's top stories.
The U.S. is inching closer to a potential government shutdown. In the coming hours, President Trump is set to meet with top lawmakers to see if they can reach an agreement to fund the federal government. But so far, Democrats have been totally unwilling to negotiate unless cuts to the Affordable Care Act are restored.
Portland and the state of Oregon have filed suit against President Trump for deploying the National Guard to the city. The President says 200 troops are needed to protect the ICE facility there from what he claims are quote, violent protests. In their lawsuit, the city and state allege that the president has overreached his mandate.
At least four people have been killed in an attack on a church in Michigan. Police say a 40-year-old Marine veteran drove his car into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, began firing an assault rifle and set the building on fire. Police killed the suspect soon after responding, at least eight people were wounded and as many as seven are still unaccounted for.
Earlier, I spoke with Donell Harvin at Georgetown University's Emergency and Disaster Management masters program. I asked him what stood out about the scale and nature of the church attack in the midst of so much gun violence in the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONELL HARVIN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY EMERGENCY AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT MASTERS PROGRAM: A lot of these assailants learn from each other. They particularly learn from the first response of previous assailants. But what makes this one unique is the tactics, techniques and
procedures that were used. This is what we would call a hybrid attack. Generally, you see a vehicle ramming or arson used, particularly against a house of worship or a mass shooting.
This individual, it seems, brought all three of those together really effectively, unfortunately. And that's what we see today. It's a horrible scene.
HUNTE: It is. Officials say that this was a targeted act of violence. Can you just break down what investigators mean by that? And what are they likely looking at to determine who or what was the target?
HARVIN: Yes, so that's a real technical term that we use in homeland security and counterterrorism. And that means that this individual had intent on attacking a particular individual or group. Now, the investigation is still ongoing, so we don't know if this individual had some type of grievance, particularly with this church or someone in this church.
But it seems like it hasn't happened since, right? It's not like someone just woke up one day and decided a random act of violence. This is targeted and they believe specifically to this church.
HUNTE: The shooter was also a Marine veteran, which is so sad to read. How much weight will investigators put on his military background in trying to understand a potential motive?
HARVIN: Well, you know, we always talk about motives and from the parishioners standpoint, from the public standpoint, it becomes an academic type of discussion when we have so many of these, as you said before, almost weekly. But what that allows officials to do is look back and see if there was any mental health or physical health or any type of issues that occurred while they were service members or subsequent. And once you leave the service, military service, you get services from the Veterans Administration, what we call the V.A.
And so if there was some type of red flags that potentially were missed, they'll be able to kind of dig down deep and see that, whereas a normal citizen, if you and I had problems, they may not have access to that or we may not have access to the health insurance or health coverage that these veterans do. So they'll be able to look at that as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: U.S. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu are set to discuss the war in Gaza in the coming hours, but the outlook on the high stakes meeting already appears divided.
Mr. Trump took to social media on Sunday to promise something special is coming on Gaza. Sources say the White House is bracing for Israeli opposition to certain elements of its 21-point peace plan.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu faces mounting pressure at home to sign a peace deal and secure the hostages return. Hamas said on Sunday that it had not received any new proposals for a ceasefire.
CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live from Abu Dhabi. Thanks so much for being with me, Paula.
The U.S. President has been boasting about this plan. It's been quite wild to see, actually. But the Israeli Prime Minister has allegedly already signaled that he won't accept parts of it. So what's the latest you're hearing?
[03:35:07]
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ben, what we're hearing from three Israeli officials is that there are reservations on the part of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Part of this 21-point deal that the U.S. President is pushing say that there are aspirations for a Palestinian state, recognizing those aspirations, also talking about there being a role potentially for the Palestinian authority.
Now, we know that both of those points would be unacceptable to the Israeli prime minister. Netanyahu has made it very clear that he does not want a Palestinian state. He has been very publicly dismissive of a Palestinian state, certainly over the last week with the United Nations General Assembly and a number of countries recognizing a Palestinian state.
So that will clearly be a significant sticking point. We're hearing from one of the officials, though, that this plan was put in place with the agreement or at least with the help of Netanyahu. There was coordination with the Israeli prime minister and the White House is very clear and open eyed by the fact that there will be pushback on these particular issues.
Now, we also heard from the Israeli Prime Minister on Sunday. He was asked about this potential deal on Fox News. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're working on it, Jackie. It's not been finalized yet, but we're working with President Trump's team, actually, as we speak.
And I hope we can make it a go because we want to free our hostages. We want to get rid of Hamas rule.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: Now, clearly, there are many that are hoping that this will be the deal that sticks this time. Civilians in Gaza desperately hoping for a ceasefire and the families of those hostages still being held by Hamas and other groups hoping that this will be the breakthrough as well.
We have, though, heard this kind of optimism from the U.S. President in the past. We've heard it a number of times where he has said that he believes deal has been close. It hasn't materialized up until this point. But what we did hear from
an Israeli official was, quote, mix appear more serious this time. So there is hope that this is the time that it will work.
The last time these talks broke down was back in July. And that's when the U.S. and then Israel walked away from these talks. So there is optimism.
It does appear at this point as though it is largely being held by the Trump administration. Hamas says it hasn't seen this proposed plan up until this point. And we know the Israeli Prime Minister will be pushing back on a number of issues at their meeting later today, Ben.
HUNTE: Let's see what happens next. Thank you for your coverage. I appreciate it, Paula.
The death toll has risen to at least 41 people from a crowd crash in southern India. Families are in mourning following the tragedy when tens of thousands had turned out to see the actor-turned-politician known as Vijay at a rally. More than 90 people were injured and dozens of doctors came from surrounding areas to treat the victims.
Vijay's public appearances have drawn huge crowds, at times overwhelming local venues. An investigation into Saturday's incident is underway.
Residents of Kyiv are cleaning up after a massive Russian missile and drone attack targeting the Ukrainian capital. Military officials there say Russia launched 48 missiles and nearly 600 drones overnight on Sunday. That makes this one of the largest sustained air assaults on Kyiv in the war.
At least four people were killed, including a 12 year old girl. Dozens of people in Kyiv and outside the capital were wounded, too. Ukraine's President says the attack proves Vladimir Putin has no desire for peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today, all day after the Russian strike, we were dealing with the aftermath in Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv region and other regions of ours. Most of the hits are regular civilian residential buildings, civilian sites.
More than 80 people were injured. Unfortunately, four people were killed, among them one child. My condolences to their loved ones.
We will during this week work together with our European friends so as to implement as soon as possible the steps agreed on air defenses. Russia is sure to answer for all it is doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Still to come, New York Mayor Eric Adams drops out of the race to keep his job. But who stands to benefit the most from that? We're going to crunch the numbers after this break. See you in a moment. [03:40:06]
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HUNTE: Republican Party's top brass is coming to President Trump's defense following the criminal indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN's Jake Tapper he did not think Trump pressurized his Attorney General to go after his political foes. That is despite the President's social media post telling Pam Bondi to bring criminal charges against his enemies, including Comey.
Here's what Johnson and other GOP leaders had to say on the matter. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNSON: A Grand Jury that is not, you know, a nonpartisan, non-biased Grand Jury that was assembled, looked at the charges, and they agreed. They voted to bring an indictment of James Comey, not President Trump, not the DOJ, but a Grand Jury.
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD), U.S. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: You know, the President says a lot of things in public, and he has through the years. He's not a fan, as we all know, of James Comey, neither is James Comey a fan of President Trump. But I think at the end of the day, it's about the justice system and them settling this one way or the other.
REP. STEVE SCALISE (R-LA), U.S. HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: This isn't about what he did to the President. It's about lying to Congress and obstructing justice. And that's what he was indicted for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: The Sunday talk show appearances come just days after Trump told reporters he expects other political opponents to be prosecuted. When asked about the precedent that the indictment might set, and whether Democrats might follow suit too, Trump accused the left of starting it.
The redistricting fight between red and blue states is still underway, after Missouri's governor signed a Trump-backed plan that could give Republicans another House seat. The plan is meant to help the GOP hold on to their slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats need to gain just three seats to win control of the House.
Opponents are trying to stop Missouri's move with a petition for a referendum on the new map they have until mid-December to collect 110,000 signatures. That would put Missouri's map on hold until the voters have their say.
[03:45:07]
This all comes after Texas redrew their maps last month to give Republicans a five-seat advantage. California Democrats responded with their own redrawn map, which would give Democrats five seats if voters approve the plan this November.
Complicated stuff.
More now on the New York mayoral race. It's in a state of flux after current mayor Eric Adams suspended his bid for re-election. While the move isn't expected to drastically alter the race, Adams' exit does make the math a little bit more interesting between the two top candidates at the moment, Democrat Zohran Mamdani and former governor Andrew Cuomo.
CNN's Harry Enten breaks down all the numbers for us.
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HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hey there, with the news of Eric Adams dropping out of the race for New York City mayor, the big question is what type of difference could this possibly make in terms of who wins the mayoral race come this November?
Well, a look at the polling data suggests that Adams dropping out really won't make much of a big difference at all. What are we talking about here? Well, let's take a look here.
Mamdani, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate, leads this race no matter what. If Adams is in the race, which he no longer is, Mamdani was ahead by 19 points.
Look at the lead now that Adams is out of the race. According to polling data, Mamdani is still ahead by double digits. He's ahead by 15 points, which is slightly smaller than the lead he had when Mamdani was in the race, but we're really only talking about a four-point difference here, we still have Mamdani clearly out ahead by double digits.
Now, why does Mamdani still lead this race even with Adams? Adios amigos.
Well, let's take a look at the data. Choice for New York City mayor. You see Zoran Mamdani with 45 percent, but then you see there's not one other candidate against Mamdani. There are two other candidates against Mamdani, and they are splitting the opposition.
We see Andrew Cuomo, of course, the former governor of New York, with 30 percent, and then you get the Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, here with 17 percent. Now, if you added the Cuomo together with the Sliwa, you would in fact get 47 percent of the vote, and you might say, hey, that beats Mamdani's 45 percent of the vote, but you can't actually do that because there are some Curtis Sliwa voters who will in fact vote for Mamdani.
So, let's just enter a universe in which Sliwa exits the race, which he has shown no signs of doing so far. What would occur to the margin in which Mamdani would lead?
Well, it would shrink, but Cuomo still trails in a two-way against Mamdani. You see it right here. Zohran Mamdani with 49 percent, Andrew Cuomo with 42 percent, Mamdani right near the 50 percent mark, and still with a significant, though shrunk, lead of seven points.
Now, one little extra nugget I'll point out here. You know, of course, Andrew Cuomo ran against Mamdani for the Democratic nomination, and Curtis Sliwa may make the argument, hey, give me the chance against Mamdani one-on-one, because you already had your chance in the primary, Andrew Cuomo, but get this, even if Cuomo were to drop out and it created a one-on-one between Sliwa and Mamdani, Mamdani would still likely win.
No matter which way you slice the New York pizza pie, the bottom line is this. Zohran Mamdani maintains his lead and is the favorite to be the next mayor of New York City. Back to you.
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HUNTE: A Paris specialty shop is using celebrities and nostalgia to preserve a bygone era. Ahead, see how it's fighting an uphill battle against streaming giants. See you in a moment.
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[03:50:00]
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HUNTE: Welcome back.
Bad Bunny is going to the Super Bowl.
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The NFL announced that the Puerto Rican superstar will headline the halftime show for Super Bowl 60, it's going to take place on February 8th in Santa Clara, California. The three-time Grammy winner recently wrapped up a two-month residency in Puerto Rico, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in tourist revenue for the island. He has been outspoken about not touring in the U.S., citing fears of immigration raids at his concerts.
Sunday night football was an absolute thriller between the Packers and Cowboys in Dallas. Green Bay, an early favorite to reach the Super Bowl, jumped out to a 13-0 lead, but Dallas came storming back with 16 unanswered points late in the first half.
Both teams came out swinging. After halftime, there were seven consecutive lead changes before the Packers hit a last-second game- tying field goal to send it to overtime.
Dallas took a three-point lead in the extra period, but Green Bay kept hanging around, eventually settling for another game-tying field goal with no time left. 40-40 was the final score, and that is the second- highest score in tie-game in NFL history.
Before Netflix and the rise of streaming giants, there were physical video rental shops. Remember those? They are long forgotten in many countries, but in Paris, the city of lights, people are fighting to keep the lights on, and the city's last old-school DVD stores.
CNN's Saskya Vandoorne takes us inside a film lover's paradise.
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SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN CORRESPONDENT This is one of Paris' last remaining video rental stores, tucked away in the 11th arrondissement.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): With row upon row of DVDs, J.M. Video is a haven for film lovers, even attracting Hollywood stars, like Hugh Jackman --
UNKNOWN: "Casablanca." I love this movie.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): -- Cillian Murphy --
UNKNOWN: Oh, "Scarecrow," one of my all-time favorite films ever.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): -- and Brad Pitt.
UNKNOWN: I tell you what, man, just really nice being in here. Like, it's really cool, right?
UNKNOWN: Surrounded by all these great films. I forgot all about it.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): Founded in 1982, J.M. Video was once one of thousands of video rental shops in France. Now just 10 remain, two of which are in Paris. But faced with rising rents, dwindling demand, and ever-expanding competition from streaming services, the shop is in a fight for its life.
THEO BANCLIHON, MANAGER, J.M. VIDEO (through translator): We've seen a decline that's been constant for quite a few years. It's more than ever the case today, and especially more than ever since COVID, which generated new habits and a new relationship with streaming platforms, especially among our customers.
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VANDOORNE: And choice isn't the issue. J.M. Video offers more than 50,000 films, that's more than the combined catalogs of all the major streaming services.
VIRGINIE BRETON, CUSTOMER (through translator): It's one of the only places in Paris where there's a real film collection. You can do verticals.
You can do, you know, you can do real research. You can find things that can't be found anywhere else.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): Despite introducing new initiatives to bring in customers, it hasn't been enough to keep J.M. Video afloat.
In September, the shop launched a crowdfunding call, raising around 30,000 euros in less than three weeks. But that's still short of the 35,000 needed to meet immediate needs and 65,000 to secure the shop long term.
And while DVD rentals might feel like a relic from the past, J.M. Video's manager believes they're also a refuge from the current streaming era and an important repository for film's future.
BANCLIHON (through translator): We're a kind of beacon in the night, a somewhat iconoclastic place that actually goes against the new ways of consuming a certain culture. It's true. And at the same time, that's precisely what makes us important.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.
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HUNTE: "One Battle After Another" starring Leonardo DiCaprio has topped the U.S. box office in its debut weekend. It opened with ticket sales of $22.4 million. The comedic action thriller follows DiCaprio's character and his wife who take on daring humanitarian missions.
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LEONARDO DICAPRIO, AS BOB FERGUSON IN "ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER": This is Bob Ferguson. I was a part of the French 75.
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HUNTE: When his wife disappears, Bob's life gets even more complicated. We should note Warner Brothers Pictures shares the same parent company as CNN.
That's all I've got for you, thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Washington, D.C. For our viewers in North America, "American Pulse" is next, for the rest of the world it's "The Amanpour Hour."
But don't go anywhere. Stick around for "Early Start" with Brian Abel starting at 5:00 a.m. in New York, 10:00 a.m. in London. And I will see you at the weekend back in ATL, see you in a bit.
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