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Hams Rejects U.S. Warning of Groups "Ceasefire Violation"; Protesters Dance, Wear Costumes in D.C. "No Kings" Rally; U.S. Releases Survivors of Strike on Vessel in Caribbean; Russians, Ukrainians Skeptical of Trump's Ceasefire Call; CNN Runs the Numbers of Where the Candidates Stand; South Korean Shipbuilders Helping U.S. Navy Play Catch-Up. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired October 19, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:00:23]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to all of our viewers watching in the United States and around the world. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London, ahead on CNN Newsroom.

The U.S. is warning of an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas in Gaza, while Israel says the key humanitarian aid route into the enclave will stay closed. We'll have the latest.

Millions of Americans across the country rally to protest the Trump administration, hear from protesters who say they're worried about losing their democracy.

Plus, a ban on phones in high school. We're going to show you the rather unexpected result when one school implemented a new policy.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN Newsroom with Salma Abdelaziz.

ABDELAZIZ: There is now an urgent warning from the U.S. over the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, which is entering its second week. The U.S. State Department says that, quote, "credible reports show Hamas is planning an attack against Palestinians in Gaza." That would violate the agreement. Hamas has denied those claims, labeling them as misleading Israeli propaganda.

Meanwhile, the body of one of two Israeli hostages released from Gaza on Saturday has been identified as Ronen Engel. That is according to the kibbutz where he was killed on October 7th, more than two years ago. Engel's remains were handed over with a second hostage who has not yet been identified.

Joining me now from Nairobi, Kenya, is CNN's Larry Madowo for all of this. I want to start with this alleged eminent threat of a ceasefire violation. The U.S. says it is a threat against Palestinians rather than a threat against Israelis. That may cause some to pause. Hamas is denying this and says it is Israeli propaganda. What's going on here? LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. State Department didn't give us much more than that statement, Salma. It said it has credible reports of an eminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza. And it warned that if Hamas were to go ahead with this, measures would be taken to protect the people of Gaza.

It had informed the guarantor nations of the ceasefire agreement. The U.S. is just one of the many. You saw all these countries that were in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt to guarantee this peace agreement and focus on how to rebuild the strip after peace is fully restored.

So, some of this reporting is pointing to the fact that some of that violations may have already begun. We're working to confirm exactly what's happening and how Israel will respond, if any. But that's the Israeli position.

Hamas immediately rejected those accusations, said this is repeating Israeli propaganda, and accused Israel of actually violating the ceasefire, saying, in the past week or so, 27 Palestinians have been killed, that Israel continues to attack them. And so it is Israel, not Hamas, that's in breach of the ceasefire agreement.

And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking on Israeli television, spoke about this agreement where we are at phase one and what happens next. This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Phase B also includes the disarmament of Hamas, or rather, the disarmament of the strip, and before that, the disarmament of Hamas. When it is finished and ends successfully, I hope the easy way, but if not, the hard way, then the war will be over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: We've seen some pretty brutal ways that Hamas is reasserting itself after the ceasefire agreement was signed in one of the most shocking. This gunman, Hamas gunman executing eight blindfolded men in the streets of Gaza, that video was verified by CNN. And in the security vacuum that's been created in places where Israel is withdrawing, Hamas is moving back in and reasserting itself in very powerful ways, like in that time.

ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much, Larry, for that update and that breakdown of what's going on there. Thank you.

Israel is now delaying the planned reopening of Gaza's key border crossing with Egypt. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Rafah crossing will remain closed until further notice. Hamas says that is a blatant violation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Joining me live from Deir al-Balah, Gaza, is Tess Ingram. She is a spokesperson for UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund.

Just want to say good morning, first of all, Tess, and thank you so much for joining us. I want to start by asking you how things have changed in just about the last week, of course, when the ceasefire went into effect. I've seen a lot of humanitarian workers who are just feeling a real sense of relief and joy that they can finally actually just do their jobs and give the help that is needed.

Can you give me an example of something that you've been able to accomplish or UNICEF has been able to accomplish because of this window of peace?

[05:05:07]

TESS INGRAM, SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF: I think it is nice to focus on the hope for a minute because, of course, we've had two years of atrocities and real frustration with our ability to help children and families here in Gaza.

So, in the past week, I've managed to join teams distributing blankets and mattresses to families that have so little to protect them from the cold winter weather, winter clothes to children, children getting a new pair of shoes for the first time in months.

And just this morning, I was at a nutrition distribution site where we were helping mothers and their babies get the nutrition supplements that they need to get healthy again after months of not being able to access the food that they need. So, we're making a difference on the ground, but much more needs to happen.

ABDELAZIZ: So, you described blankets, giving nutrition that was required for those who need it, clothes. You're talking about real bare basics that people were deprived of here. There is no way, of course, that just because the ceasefire is in place, suddenly the hungry are disaffected and everything is fixed in a night. How long is this going to take and how do you begin to fill that gap?

INGRAM: That's right. A ceasefire is good because children are not living in fear of bombardments killing or injuring them overnight, but in and of itself, it doesn't end the famine or make the trauma disappear. So, the humanitarian task ahead is immense because of the damage that has been done on the ground.

Right now, we're simply trying to meet life-saving needs because the stakes remain so, so high. We're trying to stop children from dying from preventable causes like hypothermia like infants did last winter, like starvation. And then, of course, getting children back into just being a child, whether that's accessing a learning center, getting some mental health support, having access to a recreational kit where they can play with their friends.

There's a very long list of things that we need to achieve, but to do that, we need the volume of aid coming into the Gaza Strip to continue to increase. We need to continue to be able to scale up our services right across Gaza and we need to reach those children with that very, very long list of things they need.

ABDELAZIZ: So, you're literally talking about bringing children back from the brink of death. And what's so extraordinary to me is reading that there is enough food. This is according to the World Food Program. There is enough food for three months to feed all of Gaza. So, this isn't an issue of supply. It is an issue of access.

And we're now hearing that the Rafah border crossing is going to be closed until further notice. What impact does that have? Talk to me about the access you need and how these deliveries of life-saving supplies are going right now.

INGRAM: Unfortunately, the challenge we've seen in Gaza has never been an issue of supplies. It has always been an issue of access. We've had the supplies ready to come into the Gaza Strip, but they have consistently been restricted entry, denied entry or not able to reach the people that so desperately need them.

So, this ceasefire is our opportunity to scale up. And we have seen an increase. But like you've said, Rafah remains closed. Crossings in the north of the Gaza Strip remain closed. And these are such key arteries for us to be able to bring in supplies, particularly if you can imagine being able to come directly into the north of the Gaza Strip saves us from having to traverse damaged roads that are virtually impassable, having to clear roads for unexploded ordnance and move a long distance.

So, there's a lot more that can be done to facilitate the humanitarian response. And like I said, it's urgent. Families here on the ground are still telling me they're not really feeling the impact of this ceasefire yet in terms of the volume of aid coming in. So, we have to move quickly in order to support them with, again, just basics like water, food and shelter.

ABDELAZIZ: Thank you, Tess Ingram. They are describing the Rafah border crossing and other access points as vital for the supply of aid. Thank you so much for bringing that to us this morning.

Protesters in every single U.S. state are denouncing what they describe as Donald Trump's authoritarian agenda. On Saturday, nearly seven million people joined No King's rallies across the country. That's according to the organizers.

They denounced the administration's crackdown on immigration, attacks on political rivals and threats to free speech and expression. Police from San Diego, California to Austin, Texas, thank them for carrying out peaceful and respectful rallies. Some of the cities, including Los Angeles, have been the target of major ICE raids and National Guard deployments over the objections of state officials and judges. Protesters are now making that outrage heard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ICE is out here terrorizing our communities and we're out here protecting our communities, and I just think it's an important message to show that we're all together.

JOHN CUSACK, ACTOR: The authoritarians divide and conquer and they create another, and then they pick on it and then pick on the person and harass them. [05:10:02]

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK, (D-GA): In this moment in which we are seeing a president and an administration arrogating to himself power that doesn't belong to him.

CLIFF ALBRIGHT, CO-FOUNDER, BLACK VOTERS MATTER FUND: We have somebody who just like he said to Georgia, go find me eleven thousand seven hundred votes. He's trying to tell these states, go find me 10 extra congressional seats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now we'll hear from Brian Todd in Washington -- Washington, D.C. in a moment, but first to Chicago. It is a city that has become the epicenter of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration. Protesters have a clear demand there. They want ICE agents out of their city.

CNN's Whitney Wild shows us how they got that message across.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: There are thousands of people who have taken to the streets in Chicago. This is whacker. This is one of the really iconic streets here in Chicago. This is right along the river. It is one of the most recognizable spots in the city. We are right outside Trump Tower.

And when you hear this crowd walk by Trump Tower, you hear people chanting shame. You hear chants of booze. You see people giving those letters the middle finger.

This is as -- as a group that people here believe that this is the strongest rebuke they can give the Trump administration. This is the loudest message they can send to him is getting together in an enormous mass. We are talking about, again, tens of thousands of people here in the streets of Chicago to send the same message.

They are saying in a word, no. Other people I spoke with who said that they came out today, who said that their message to the Trump administration is obey the law, obey the Constitution. Other people out here are telling me about their personal experiences and what it feels like to live in this city right now and live just outside the city.

As you see these ICE actions, one woman whose parents are from Mexico told me that her neighborhood feels different. It feels quiet. She said that people are afraid that she's out here today because they can't be out here because they're afraid to be out here.

Here's more from what she told me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, unfortunately, there's been a lot of, you know, ICE agents hitting the blocks where I'm from or where I do come from. And, you know, I -- like I said, I come from immigrant parents. I have immigrant family members and just seeing the fear in their face every day, having to go to work and then hopefully coming back, it's just very scary.

WILD: What is really striking when you come out here are a few things. I mean, the first is just the wide range of different types of people who are here. We've seen famous actors. We've seen people from all age groups, all races, all different parts of the city, far outside the city, places like Nashville, Tennessee, here today to make their voices heard. The other thing you notice when you're out here is the signs. If you can see behind me, I mean, look at here.

See, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, that's the type of homemade sign you're seeing out here. These are the ways that people are sending their messages again to the Trump administration outside Trump Tower, high above their heads here in the city of Chicago.

And then finally, among all of the anger here, one message is very clear based on everyone I spoke to today. And they say that at times like this, they are feeling hopeless. But it is rallies like this. It is a camaraderie they feel in the crowd from people they don't even know who care about their experiences that make them feel like in these very challenging times that there is hope.

So, that is what it feels like here on the streets of Chicago. Again, tens of thousands of people here at that No King's Rally. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a typical scene here at the No King's Rally in Washington, D.C., people dancing around, people in inflatable costumes and all sorts of different costumes and all sorts of colorful and interesting signs that they're flashing. This rally was the scene of tens of thousands of people gathered here at the foot of the Capitol on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Now, a couple of central themes here for this rally in Washington and all over the country. This is one of more than 2,500 events that were staged for the No King's events on this day.

Now, Ezra Levin, he is one of the co-founders and co-organizers of the No King's Rallies. He told CNN earlier that they have two main goals for these rallies. One, he said, is to burst the bubble of inevitability, the idea that no one can challenge President Trump. And another was to gather more momentum for more events like this across the country to resist the Trump administration, which he calls a, quote, "an authoritarian regime."

Now, on the other side, Republicans like House Speaker Mike Johnson and some senators have said that this crowd is anti-American, that they're America haters. Mike Johnson said that some of the people who come here are pro-Hamas and Antifa supporters. The people who organize this deny all of that. They say it's because they love America so much that they wanted to hold this rally.

[05:15:00]

Here in Washington, we've seen speakers like Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Chris Murphy, Bill Nye the Science Guy from TV, all speaking about different issues here. Another issue was the idea of security and maybe the potential for violence.

Now, this rally here and as we just show you again down Pennsylvania Avenue where the crowd is still fairly thick here, this this rally here has been very peaceful so far. No issues really regarding law enforcement, no need for law enforcement to intercede here so far. And the Department of Homeland Security did issue a caution ahead of these rallies that there was the possibility of violence, that there was the possibility that maybe some agitators who are known to show up at these events would show up and start trouble.

And they also said to kind of look out for counter protesters and things like that. That has not been an issue so far at this rally. A fairly heavy police presence all around this event. But the police are kind of hanging back, not really interceding at all and kind of let letting things play out. So, very spirited and animated and energetic turnout here in Washington.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: As Brian mentioned, Republican leaders, along with President Trump and his administration, have spent weeks pushing their own message about the No King's rallies and other protests.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM EMMER, (R-MN): We call it the Hate America rally because you'll see the hate for America all over this thing when they show up.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON, (R-LA) SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: It's all the pro Hamas wing and the Antifa people, they're all coming out.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): There's considerable evidence that George Soros and his network is behind funding these rallies.

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: The farthest left, the hardest core, the most unhinged in the Democratic Party, which is, you know, a big title and, you know, no kings equal no paychecks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein spoke to us earlier about this kind of rhetoric.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think it is extremely dangerous and it's extremely disdainful. I mean, it's dangerous in that you have so many voices like Trump equating resistance to his agenda with sympathy to communism or terrorism. It is delegitimizing dissent. And that is a very ominous threshold to cross. And importantly, it's not just Trump who has long done this. You are now seeing this spread broadly in the leadership of the Republican Party in Congress.

Secondly, it's disdainful. I mean, you're talking about probably when all is said and done, they're going to be six million, seven million people out on the streets. And the speaker of the House is saying they hate America. This is his deplorables moment. This is Mike Johnson's deplorables moment. He is saying that a vast swath of the country is fundamentally reading them out, you know, of kind of mainstream America.

And, you know, in the media, we chewed over Hillary Clinton's deplorable comment for a long time in 2016. You know, I just wonder if the full implications of what Mike Johnson is saying here are going to get the same treatment.

ABDELAZIZ: Donald Trump also likes to boast that he is a peacemaker, but his credibility is being put to the test in Ukraine. Still ahead, what ordinary Ukrainians and Russians think about his efforts to stop the war.

Plus, the U.S. released two survivors detained after a military strike on Venezuela in the Caribbean. But questions are growing over the military's use of lethal force. Please stay with us.

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[05:22:19]

ABDELAZIZ: Two survivors of a U.S. strike on a vessel in the Caribbean were returned to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia on Saturday. Colombia's interior minister said the person repatriated there arrived with brain trauma and breathing on a ventilator, adding that he will be prosecuted for drug trafficking.

Now, Ecuador said only that the individual in custody was being medically evaluated. The U.S. says it is targeting drug trafficking. In a social media post, President Trump called the survivors, quote, "narco terrorist" while claiming their vessel was carrying fentanyl. But so far, the U.S. has provided no actual evidence that this vessel or any of the watercraft involved in the six known military strikes were actually engaged in drug trafficking.

And questions are mounting over the tactics that the military is using.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: Instead of blowing it up, why don't we capture it, we have that capability, we know how to do that, take the crew off and interrogate them and prosecute them and follow the evidence all the way back to Nicolas Maduro.

So, while I'll conclude here, I'm surprised the administration is releasing the two people they took off of that. Better would be to hold them, interrogate them and get further evidence to go after Maduro, not simply release them back to their countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: The U.S. embassy in Trinidad and Tobago has issued a security alert for Americans there. Officials say all American government facilities should be avoided throughout the weekend, citing unspecified threats.

The warning comes amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela, which is less than seven miles from Trinidad. And "Reuters" has reported that two men from Trinidad are believed to have been on one of the boats struck by the U.S. military in the Caribbean.

The U.S. president's latest call to stop the fighting in Ukraine appears to be falling on deaf ears in Moscow. Ukraine says Russia pummeled it with more than 260 guided aerial bombs on Friday. That is a new record. While a while a Russian blogger claims there is fighting in the center of Kupyansk, a city that's been under Russian siege for more than a year now.

Now, CNN cannot confirm that. But Ukraine said this week that dozens of Russian troops infiltrated the city. As you're about to see, ordinary Russians and Ukrainians do not have much faith that peace is coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): U.S. President Donald Trump once again taking on the role of mediator in chief, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. And in the coming weeks, set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Hungary to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: I think we have a good chance. I think President Zelenskyy wants it done. And I think President Putin want it done. Now all they have to do is get along a little bit.

(CROSSTALK)

[05:25:09]

ABDELAZIZ: But even if the U.S. president believes there is momentum for a potential peace deal in Ukraine, especially after the ceasefire in Gaza, some people back in Kyiv are skeptical that more talk even at such high levels will make a difference after more than three and a half years of war.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They say one thing and do another. But we, the people of Ukraine, are suffering under the shelling. There is no electricity or water. This is our situation. This is the war.

ABDELAZIZ: Trump has called for both Ukraine and Russia to stop the ceasefire, but he's not to stop the fighting at their current battle lines. But many Ukrainians say they don't trust Russia to keep its word.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Even if we stop at the current borders, Russia will mass its forces during the ceasefire and then attack again with greater numbers.

ABDELAZIZ: There were mixed feelings in Moscow, too, about what could be achieved at another meeting between Trump and Putin after there were no breakthroughs at a previous summit in August in Alaska.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think it's already quite obvious that this is some kind of mundane news. In my opinion, it's just another meeting, another phone call. So, I don't know. I'm not expecting anything.

ABDELAZIZ: Still, the prospect of peace is something both people in Moscow and Kyiv say they hope for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): God willing, everything will end peacefully and perhaps even the special military operation will come to its logical conclusion.

TRUMP: I just care about saving lives --

ABDELAZIZ: A piece that U.S. President Donald Trump would very much like to broker, but one that people on both sides of the war are growing wary of waiting for.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: A rivalry in the high seas as China and the U.S. strive for dominance in the Pacific will tell you how the U.S. Navy could close the gap with China's growing ship industry with some help from an ally. And as New Yorkers get ready to choose a new mayor, the candidates face off in their first debate, some highlights and a breakdown of how things are going by the numbers. Next on CNN.

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[05:30:31]

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. Let's check some of today's top stories. Hamas is now denying U.S. claims that a militant group is planning an attack against Palestinians in Gaza. The U.S. State Department said it had received credible reports that Hamas may violate the ceasefire deal it reached with Israel. But Hamas says the accusations are, quote, "misleading Israeli propaganda."

Two survivors of a U.S. military strike on a vessel in the Caribbean were released to their home countries on Saturday. The survivors were sent back to Ecuador and Colombia. Despite President Trump's allegations that the craft was involved in drug trafficking, the U.S. has yet to provide any evidence of that claim.

And protesters, organizers say some seven million people turned out for No King's rallies across the United States. On Saturday, Americans held peaceful protests in all 50 states in cities both large and small. They rallied against what they say is the Trump administration's authoritarian agenda, including its crackdown on immigration and free speech.

Earlier, I asked Mark Shanahan, associate professor of politics at the University of Surrey, I asked him whether Donald Trump is actually acting like an authoritarian, as protesters say, or whether he can be curbed by judicial powers, Congress or even street demonstrations.

MARK SHANAHAN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF SURREY: Street protests can raise the issue to a height and raise it around the world. The very fact that you're talking to me in the U.K. this morning, and we're looking on in horror and in fascination at what Trump is doing.

Your whole system was set up for no tyrants. It was set up with the separation of power so that you couldn't have another George III. Now, whatever Donald Trump was elected to, it was not to be emperor or king. And what we are seeing is a massive overreach of executive power.

So, the attempt to rule by executive order, to sideline and marginalize Congress, to pack the courts with conservative judges that don't interpret the Constitution and look at whether his actions are constitutional, but back him up. The courts will be very, very important going forward in challenging Trump. And he is not getting his own way with many of his actions. And they are being ruled unlawful by the courts.

Congress, we know it's completely paralyzed at the moment. There is a shutdown. It's not strong enough in his favor just to drive through his agenda. But here is somebody who, backed by an alliance of Christian, conservative, libertarian voices, is pushing towards autocracy. The one thing is America is about we the people. It's about the rule of law protecting the state. We're in a situation now where Trump is misusing law to go after his enemies.

And we're seeing, very peacefully, millions of people across all 50 states, not just in the big cities, but in Boise and in Topeka and in Kansas City, coming out in their thousands and thousands to say that this is not right.

The big change, of course, will be if elections run smoothly next year and potentially the Republicans lose the House of Representatives, then that will curtail some of Trump's power in that there will be legislative fightback.

ABDELAZIZ: New York City is just a few weeks away from choosing its new mayor. Candidates faced off in their first debate this week, sparring over everything from the Israel-Hamas war to how they would handle President Trump. The tense exchanges were notable between Democratic frontrunner Saharan Mamdani and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW CUOMO, NEW YORK INDEPENDENT MAYORAL CANDIDATE: This is not a job for a first timer. Any day you could have a hurricane, you -- God forbid -- a 9/11, a health pandemic. If you don't know what you're doing, people could die

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. Cuomo. We have to move on.

CUOMO: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Mamdani, do you want to respond?

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D) NEW YORK DEMOCRATIC MAYORAL NOMINEE: Yeah. And if we have a health pandemic, then why would New Yorkers turn back to the governor who sent seniors to their death in nursing homes? That's the kind of experience that's on offer here today. When I don't have an experience, I make up for an integrity. And when you don't have an integrity, you could never make up for an experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:35:10]

ABDELAZIZ: So, how are things likely to play out on Election Day? Our Harry Enten runs the numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Unless something changes in a little bit more than 14 days, this mayoral race is pretty much gosh- darn over. What are we talking about?

Well, let's take a look at the polling choice for New York City mayor. You see Democrat Zohran Mamdani crushing the field. You know, back in September, he was ahead by 15 points over independent Andrew Cuomo, 45 percent to 30 percent.

Cuomo was hoping to shrink the gap, shrink the gap between September and Election Day. But the margin by which Mamdani is leading has become wider. Take a look here.

Now you see Mamdani right near the 50 percent mark at 49 percent of my average of polls compared to Andrew Cuomo at 31 percent. That is an 18-point advantage. And then, of course, you have Curtis Sliwa, the Republican, way, way back. He was at 17 percent back in September. Now it's just 15 percent. So Mamdani is winning in a divided field.

Now, maybe Sliwa gets out of the race, and maybe that helps out Cuomo. I'm not even sure that would be enough. Why? What is going on? Why does Mamdani lead this race? Well, there's been a lot of talk about the issues, affordability, et cetera.

Now, that's important, but sometimes politics is really, really simple. What do I mean? Well, who's the more likable guy? Who do voters actually like? And take a look here. This is the net favorable rating of the different candidates in New York City.

You can see Curtis Sliwa way, way underwater at minus 15 points on the net favorability rating. You see Andrew Cuomo. He is also underwater at minus 6 points. But look at Zohran Mamdani. He actually has a positive net favorable rating at plus 15 points. Again, sometimes politics, unlike life, is really simple.

And in this particular case, the reason Zohran Mamdani is crushing the field is, simply put, he is the best liked guy in a field of unlikable characters as far as the New York City electorate is concerned. And unless something dramatically changes over the final two weeks plus of this campaign, the next mayor of New York City is going to be Zohran Mamdani.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: The U.S. is hoping South Korea can help it play catch up with China's naval power. The Chinese Navy is now the world's largest, and for now, Beijing is able to outbuild U.S. shipyards. But as Mike Valerio reports, the U.S. has a big card to play, one that is practically in China's backyard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the moment you step inside this cathedral of cranes, the planet's biggest shipbuilding complex operated by H.D. Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea, and on nearby Geoje Island, a harbor where giants are born, run by the Hanwha Ocean, you get the feeling you're in a city of ships.

VALERIO (on camera): We're here at the world's largest shipyard, and it is wild. Colossal ships everywhere.

VALERIO (voice-over): This single site builds about ten times as many large commercial ocean vessels as the United States builds in a single year.

And South Korea's president, Lee Jae Myung, says his country can help, quote, "make American shipbuilding great again." President Trump has taken notice.

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: They build them very well in South Korea. They're also thinking about coming to our country with some shipyards to start us on the process of building ships again.

VALERIO (on camera): What we're looking at right now are about 20 vessels that are under construction all at the same time. Hyundai tells us this year, it's expected to deliver 50 ships, all from this colossal facility in Ulsan, South Korea.

VALERIO (voice-over): Why it matters: China now builds warships at a pace the U.S. cannot match. It has a navy that's larger, backed by a network of sprawling shipyards.

The U.S. has just four shipyards left, down from 11 after World War II. Shipyards back in the U.S. are jammed: too few docks, too little capacity. So now, the U.S. Navy is sending some of its ships here to South Korea for essential repairs.

VALERIO: What's the most difficult part of all of this? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The propeller, propeller propulsion system.

VALERIO (voice-over): This is the third Navy cargo ship Hanwha (ph) was repaired, the USNS Charles Drew. H.D. Hyundai just started work on another Navy ship a few weeks ago.

Danny Beeler is the principal engineer on the Charles Drew.

DANNY BEELER, PRINCIPAL ENGINEER, USNS CHARLES DREW: Me as the person that's worried about all the maintenance on the ship and fixing things, I can get a lot more done in a shorter time period in a shipyard like this, as opposed to one back home.

VALERIO (voice-over): The before and after difference: rust to renewal. It's work to keep the U.S. fleet running overseas.

Analysts say South Korea's shipbuilders are known for finishing on time and on budget. One of their secrets: components from nearby supply chains.

[05:40:02]

LEE JIN, VICE PRESIDENT, H.D. HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES: Here in Korea, we can get that in one day or one hour, maximum one weeks.

JEON YU-SU, GENERAL MANAGER, HANWHA OCEAN (through translator): Hanwha Ocean also has a supply chain established within 50 kilometers of the shipyard, which enables us to get necessary material or manpower from our established relations with companies to quickly repair a ship.

VALERIO (voice-over): A next step in the partnership could be South Korea building, not just repairing, U.S. Navy ships. But U.S. law would need to change. Foreign companies are barred from constructing American warships. The Navy secretary says he is open to a change.

JOHN PHELAN, U.S. SECRETARY OF NAVY: In the short run, I have got to get hulls in the water, and so that means all options are open. So, we have to look at foreign and domestic.

VALERIO (voice-over): Hanwha already runs a shipyard in Philadelphia and wants to grow. Hyundai, too, is looking for a bigger U.S. foothold. The question now: could parts of America's warships be built here in South Korea as the U.S. tries to revive a once mighty shipbuilding industry with South Korean help?

VALERIO (on camera): What about construction of U.S. Navy ships? Is that the goal?

JEON: Yes.

VALERIO: Yes.

VALERIO (voice-over): Mike Valerio, CNN, Ulsan and Geoje, South Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: We'll be right back.

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ABDELAZIZ: Alaska's governor says recovery from last weekend's deadly storm could take at least a year and a half. The largely indigenous town of Kipnuk near the Bering Sea has been devastated. More than 2,000 people are displaced after remnants of Typhoon Halong slammed the area with the strength of a Category 2 hurricane.

One person was killed and dozens of people had to be plucked out of their houses as homes floated away. The state's governor has asked the White House for a major disaster declaration.

Now, earlier, my colleague Polo Sandoval spoke with Yereth Rosen, a reporter with the Alaska Beacon News Organization.

I want you to take a listen to what Rosen says are the factors fueling this storm's unusual intensity.

[05:45:07]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YERETH ROSEN, REPORTER, ALASKA BEACON: Fall storms along the Bering Sea coast are normal. But in the past and recent storms have been different. Part of it is the marine heat waves when storms pass over these. You know, you've heard of the blob. We have a new blob now in the North Pacific. And when the storms pass over those big, intense blobs of heat, they become strengthened. And that's a climate change factor.

Part of what makes these recent storms so devastating is permafrost thaw. And then the storms themselves, the storm waters themselves, hasten more thaw. And, you know, just plain old warming temperatures.

And then, as people point out constantly, have been pointing out for years, retreat of sea ice is a factor. That also means more warm waters and more storms, but -- or more intense storms. But later in the season, later the late fall storms or winter storms, they happen when there's open water instead of -- instead of having an ice barrier.

So, this is a problem for all of western Alaska, all of coastal Alaska, western coastal Alaska, all the way up to, you know, the far Arctic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: A Chilean high school is cracking down on cell phone distractions among students. And educators say it is making a difference. They are secret assigning phone cases that block cellular signals. CNN's Crito Furo (ph) takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For these students at high school in Santiago, Chile, things were clear. Both they and their classmates easily lost concentration because of their cell phones.

JOSE PRIMERA LEAL, STUDENT (through translator): I played meety-meety (ph). I spent half the time on my phone and then went to play volleyball with my classmates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least until now, school leaders decided to implement a pilot program that they say seeks to limit the cell phone use during the school day and promote more concentration, social interaction and learning in the classrooms.

HUMBERTO GARRIDO SAN MARTIN, DIRECTOR, BICENTENARIO DE LO BARNECHEAN INSTITUTE (through translator): This is a project born from the need for schools to pay more attention, because they were using technological devices a lot. And these cell phone signal blocking cases were developed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a case, a kind of soft-shelled fabric. You put the cell phone in it and it doesn't get a signal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here at the entrance, they give you your case, each with a roll number. You put your phone in, close it, and then when you leave, you put a magnet on it and it unlocks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And while the TikTok dances and Instagram photo sessions have stopped while they're at school, most students appreciate the measure.

LEAL (through translator): I actually thought it was great. I've had the case for two months and have gotten used to not having my phone during the school day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think it's a good idea because people concentrate better in class and aren't distracted by their cell phones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The program is in its first phase, which includes 100 students. Authorities are already reporting good results and students are paying more attention during the school day.

Crito Furo (ph) CNN, Santiago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: And we'll be right back.

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[05:52:34]

ABDELAZIZ: As Formula 1 roars into Austin, Texas today, the sports U.S. following is bigger than ever. Races in Miami and Las Vegas have ramped up interest, but that's not the whole story. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff sat down with CNN's Carolyn Manno to talk about what's accelerating the popularity stateside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Three races now here on the calendar were set for the United States Grand Prix this weekend. How much growth do you see here stateside?

TOTO WOLFF, TEAM PRINCIPAL, MERCEDES: A lot. I think if you would have told me seven or eight years ago that we would have this kind of attention and engagement and audiences in the U.S., I wouldn't have believed it. Of course, we went to Austin, which was -- which was a good Grand Prix for us.

We enjoyed being in Texas. There was a lot of audiences that came from Mexico, Latin America, and South America. But today we have this footprint in Miami and Las Vegas and Austin, and every event is great in itself. And you can see the interest has grown so much because of a variety of factors, but nevertheless something we are really proud of having achieved.

MANNO: Developing storylines and characters is what has made Drive to Survive such a success. This is an investment from Apple and a major motion picture that has been formulated around Formula One. How has your life changed since all of these outside media influences have ultimately lifted the presence of this sport?

WOLFF: Drive to Survive dropped when COVID happened. People were at home. Suddenly you hear those stories that younger audiences connected with their parents or grandparents. And that has helped us, I think, the fight between Mercedes and Red Bull and Verstappen against Hamilton was huge and controversial and polarizing, but also fascinating. And since then, lots of young drivers have joined Formula One. They are very active on social channels.

And you combine all of these factors and put the sport where it is today. And then, obviously, the great movie that came out with Brad Pitt that was a big, big success, also stateside. And it helped us going from strength to strength.

MANNO: The big headline of the day, your driver lineup confirmed for 2026. And I read that you said it wasn't a matter of if, but when. How satisfied are you ultimately with keeping George and Kimi in the fold moving forward?

WOLFF: Both drivers have been a part of our junior program. George, since he was 16 or 17, and Kimi, 11. And that's why it was always clear that we would continue with the two.

[05:55:05]

But it's also important to, you know, to respect driver needs when it comes to a certain framework, how to perform best. And that is why we have taken the time to discuss that. And now it's when it comes to a certain framework, how to perform best. And that is why we have taken the time to discuss that. And now it's basically a confirmation of what we said all along anyway.

MANNO: Can you tell us anything about the deal in and of itself? Is it 2026 or 2026 and potentially beyond for George? I know you mentioned Max and he was mentioned in discussions about potentially coming over to Mercedes. Could that storyline potentially resurface in 2027?

WOLFF: You know, in Formula One, the stories surface always because there is a sense of, you know, intricacies of who's going to sit in the car and when and where. No, but the aim is to continue with both drivers long term. It's something that we would be very proud of, of making this team successful, coming back to winning world championships with either of the two. So, that's the main focus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: We're shifting gears from fast cars to slow crawls. Today is International Sloth Day. And yes, there is such a thing. It honors the lovable slowpokes that remind us it's OK to take our time. But while they gently meander through the rainforest, the threats they face are accelerating fast.

According to the Sloth Conservation Foundation, they are threatened by habitat loss, road collisions and the international pet trade. There are plenty of ways to get involved today. Visiting a sloth at your local zoo, donating to conservation efforts or even just taking a moment to relax and appreciate the slower side of life.

Thank you for joining us. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. "CNN This Morning" is coming up right after the break.

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