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U.S. Puts Sanctions On Russian Oil Giants Over Ukraine War; CNN Searches For Rare Survivor Of Trump Admin's Boat Strikes; Vance To Meet Top Israel Officials, Rubio Heads To Israel; Outrage Over Demolition Of White House East Wing; New York City Residents Protest after Chinatown Raid; Australian Wins the Right to Work from Home Full-Time; Visiting Florida's Art-ificial Reef Trail; King Charles in Rome Ahead of Historic Prayer with Pope Leo. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired October 23, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:38]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Welcome to all of you as watching from around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Great to have you with us. Ahead here on CNN Newsroom, the U.S. slaps new sanctions on Russia's biggest oil companies for Moscow's refusal to end its war in Ukraine.

Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump says your brother is a terrorist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: CNN speaks to a family member of someone who survived a U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat.

And a huge win for a mother in Australia who fought her company's work from home policy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: As Russia launches new deadly strikes in Ukraine, the U.S. is hitting Moscow with new sanctions. It follows the cancellation of the upcoming Trump-Putin summit, which was expected to happen in Budapest in the coming weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We canceled the meeting with President Putin. It just -- it didn't feel right to me. It didn't feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get. So I canceled it. But we'll do it in the future. In terms of honesty, the only thing I can say is every time I speak with Vladimir, I have good conversations. And then they don't go anywhere. They just don't go anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The new sanctions will target Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, and almost three dozen of their affiliates. U.S. treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says, quote, treasury is prepared to take further action if necessary to support President Trump's efforts to end yet another war. We encourage our allies to join us in and adhere to these sanctions.

NATO's Secretary General who was visiting the White House is welcoming the decision and says the U.S. President's leadership is crucial to negotiating with Russian President Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: I have total confidence in President Trump and he's the only one who can get this done and who has a clear vision on bringing this war to a durable and lasting end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, as its economy comes under new pressure, Russia is flexing its military muscle. The country held drills to test its readiness U.S. of its strategic nuclear forces on Wednesday. The drills involved the launches of nuclear capable missiles under the supervision of President Putin. Russia says the drills were pre planned. Well, all that happening as Ukraine reels from the latest barrage of Russian drones and missiles. CNN's Nic Robertson reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: More than 430 missiles and drones fired by Russia into Ukraine Tuesday into Wednesday, according to Ukrainian officials. They say they enter intercepted about 80 percent of them. But this is another night that's so typical of the past month where Russia is targeting civilian infrastructure. Six people killed in the area in Kyiv and the area around Kyiv, many others injured. And power installations, energy plants also the target, plunging parts of Ukraine into darkness again.

The energy authorities in Ukraine saying that there are rolling blackouts because of Russia's continued strikes. And then during the day, a kindergarten in the northeastern city of Kharkiv came under attack. 48 children were rescued from there, uninjured, according to officials. But one person was killed, several others injured in that strike.

Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy in Sweden beginning an agreement with the Swedish government and the manufacturer Saab, who made the Gripen fighter aircraft. Zelenskyy saying that he hoped over time to be able to purchase more than a hundred of these Swedish fighter jets.

The air defense of course, critical in Ukraine. The amount of munitions that Russia is firing, beginning to overwhelm and stretch the air defenses. And then moving on to Norway. The Norwegian prime minister giving the Ukrainian president a commitment of $150 million worth of energy supplies again to try to keep the heat on in Ukraine, to try to keep the lights on in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president speaking about his conversations with President Trump last week.

And the president Trump's proposal that went to President Putin as well, that there should be a ceasefire in Ukraine and that the line should hold along the current front lines of battle.

[01:05:10]

This is how the Ukrainian president framed it.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: After our conversation, you saw messages, public messages from Trump. He proposed stay where we stay and begin conversation. I think this -- that was good compromise, but I'm not sure that Putin will support. And I said it to the president.

ROBERTSON: So diplomacy and war fighting always at the forefront of President Zelenskyy's mind in play on Thursday and Friday. This week, Thursday, European Union leaders meet in Brussels. Zelenskyy expected to attend. They're expected again to be looking for further military support. And then Friday, meeting in London with an expanded group of Ukraine supporting countries, again looking to shore up the military support and also trying to sort of align the European position to present a united voice to President Trump so that he may turn again and put pressure on Vladimir Putin, which seemed to have evaporated over the past few days. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: I want to welcome Inna Sovsun, a member of Ukraine's parliament who joins us live from Kyiv. Appreciate your time today.

INNA SOVSUN, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Thank you for having me.

KINKADE: So it's been another deadly day across Ukraine following those Russian attacks. Dozens of missiles, hundreds of drones, a kindergarten hit, and sadly, children among the dead. Just give us a sense of the mood in Ukraine right now and what message is Moscow trying to send?

SOVSUN: The night before has been rough for the majority of the country. It was, of course, very difficult in Kharkiv with the kindergarten hit in the morning. But during the night itself, the Russians continued attack on the energy infrastructure.

The city of Chernihiv, which is roughly one and a half hour north from Kyiv, they don't have electricity for a week now. And also in the city of Kyiv, we all experience blackouts for up to 10 hours. I myself didn't have electricity at home since 7 in the morning, up until 5 or 6 in the evening, which is, of course, devastating on itself.

It's very difficult to function when you don't have electricity. You can't make food, you can't, you know, get ready or anything. That's the way how he terrorizes civilian population as well. Not just attacking through the front lines.

KINKADE: Yes. We heard from the NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, who said on Wednesday that President Trump is the only one who can open a dialogue with Vladimir Putin. From your perspective, do you agree with that?

SOVSUN: Maybe. So the question is how to open that dialogue? Because for over half a year now, for nine months, we have been seeing President Trump making attempts to open the dialogue by telling Putin basically just -- let's talk. And it doesn't work like that with Putin.

Putin only understands the language of force. He can only be forced into doing something. He cannot be simply asked or negotiated into that. But unfortunately, we have seen, you know, since the Alaska summit and then before that, President Trump is always trying to negotiate with Putin and it doesn't work like that. He has been trying to pressure Ukraine instead of trying to pressure Russia. But it is for Russia war of choice. We don't have a choice in this situation. We can only fight back.

So with the sanctions that have been introduced today, we very much hope that this will be a constant change in D.C. policy, that there will be no, you know, backstabs after that, as we have seen before. But of course, that gives us optimism that this is finally something that we have been asking for since the very beginning of this administration.

KINKADE: I want to get your view on what you think the impact of those sanctions will be. U.S., of course, sanctioning Russia's two biggest oil companies. Do you think that will actually change Putin's calculus?

SOVSUN: Well, not on itself. That is not -- that is not enough as a single step. That is why it will require for the steps, secondary sanctions for the countries that are buying Russian oil are critically important because, of course, the Russians have lost their European market to a very big extent. They're still selling to China, they're still selling to India, and making billions out of this.

[01:10:05]

And then making billions out of this. And by making billions, then they use that to make weapons to kill Ukrainians. So the sanctions which have been introduced send a strong political message. Finally, they will not themselves undermine Russia's ability to continue this war.

KINKADE: We've heard that Ukraine has increased its defense budget significantly. What else is needed right now as you head into a difficult winter? And why do you think Donald Trump denied Ukraine those Tomahawk missiles when he met with President Zelenskyy?

SOVSUN: Well, on the Tomahawks, frankly speaking, the chances were pretty slim. And we realized that when we were asking for those, we still have to ask for those, because unfortunately for us, for the last almost four years, the situations look like this. We are asking for the weapons that we need to protect ourselves. We are being denied for a year, two years, three years, and at the end, finally, our partners agree to keep those weapons.

We have seen the same conversation about fighter jets. We have seen the same conversation about tanks early on and so forth. So at the end of the day, Western partners do realize that Ukraine needs the weapons, that Ukraine is fighting alone against the second biggest army in the world.

I don't believe there is a single army in the world, apart from the U.S. apparently, that would be able to withstand fighting against such a big might. And that is why we need all those weapons. Unfortunately, it takes our partners very long period of time to realize that and to give those weapons to Ukraine. For us, that costs lives, of course, which are lost, thousands of lives of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.

So we hope the conversation on Tomahawks will continue. But it's not just Tomahawks that we need. It's the sheer amount of, you know, different types of weapons that is needed on the front lines. It's micro financial support, particularly when we are facing this winter with the potential blackouts. It's also very, very important right now. So, unfortunately, it's a lot.

But there is one thing I want to emphasize. The more Ukraine is given in a particular point of time, the shorter the war will be, and then there will be no need to give any longer.

KINKADE: Well, we wish you all the best, as always. Inna Sovsun from the Ukrainian parliament, thanks so much for your time.

SOVSUN: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, President Trump says he believes the U.S. has the legal authority to launch strikes international waters when targeting drug cartels. He also announced a stop to all payments to Colombia, accusing President Gustavo Petro of failing to stop the production of drugs. The U.S. Secretary of Defense has announced military strikes in two separate boats in the eastern Pacific.

Officials said two people were killed in the first strike and three in the second. That makes nine known strikes by the U.S. military since the start of September. CNN traveled to Ecuador to try and find one of the people who survived one of those strikes, and his family say he was just a father trying to provide these children. Locals add it's not uncommon for people to turn to drug running when desperation hits.

Our David Culver filed this report before news of the most recent strike in the eastern Pacific.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this small Ecuadorian coastal town, nearly everyone knows someone who's left for work and never come back. CULVER: This is all her brother, Andres' clothes, the mattress where

he slept up until nearly a year ago. She says he was desperate for work, that he was concerned about providing for his six kids and he said he needed to go to work. And like many in this small coastal town, he is a fisherman.

The thing is, and this is what she found odd, he left behind all of his fishing gear. She says he's a good person and that was just trying to make ends meet. President Trump says your brother is a terrorist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

CULVER (voice-over): Her brother, Andres Tufino Chila, isn't a stranger to U.S. law enforcement. Court records show he was arrested, convicted and jailed in 2020 for smuggling drugs off Mexico's coast before being deported. Now, after surviving the latest U.S. strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, he's believed to be back in Ecuador and free.

Officials here say they have no evidence he broke local laws and released him. Yet his case has put a spotlight on a broader question. Who and what exactly are these U.S. strikes trying to stop? Since early September, the U.S. has carried out at least seven strikes off Venezuela's coast.

[01:15:06]

The Trump administration says they're about saving American lives from drug overdoses. Yet most U.S. overdose deaths aren't from cocaine. They're from fentanyl, largely produced in Mexico and smuggled over the border, often by U.S. citizens.

It's not clear where exactly the U.S. has been targeting suspected drug running boats, but. But our analysis of U.S. military flight data shows dozens of surveillance flights just north of Venezuela in the Caribbean, far from Ecuador's shores, where cocaine from Colombia in the north and Peru in the south pours in before moving out to sea, using Ecuador essentially as a transit hub to the Pacific. This is how about 70 percent of the world's cocaine supply gets to the U.S. and Europe and beyond.

And the drug runners, the ones risking it all at sea, mostly are not gang members. They're fishermen, often seen as expendable by the gangs that control them. Ecuadorian officials say they're also cracking down, even with limited resources. Still, many here say the trade feels impossible to escape.

CULVER: When you ask them about the amount of involvement in narco and drug trafficking, some are hesitant to disclose it. He says as he looks at it, probably 25 to 30 percent are working in illicit drug trafficking activity.

CULVER (voice-over): Some say they have no choice. In 2023, gangs ambushed a fishing village in the north, targeting those who refused to pay extortion. Nine were killed, dozens wounded. Others say the money makes it worth the risk. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We put a box in the hull of the boat to hide the

drugs. As a fisherman, I could make $300 a month. But doing an illegal run up to just off the coast of Mexico, I can make $30,000 to $60,000 a month. It's good money.

CULVER (voice-over): If you survive the trip. Since 2024, Solanda Bermeo's (ph) group has documented more than 2,800 Ecuadorian fishermen missing, dead, or detained abroad. These women, some two dozen who wanted to share their stories with us, know their loved ones broke the law. But they also know why.

We don't have work, we don't have any way to support ourselves, she says. As the U.S. strikes continue far from these shores, the ones caught in the crossfire are rarely cartel leaders, but the men who take the risk for them.

CULVER: She says she really wants to talk to her brother Andres. She's grateful that at least he's alive, especially considering her other two brothers are both in prison. One here in Ecuador, the other in the US. Both of them accused of being fishermen turned drug runners.

We did ask that one fisherman turned drug smuggler who showed us how he hides drugs inside of his boat. If the drug smuggling has slowed down in light of the recent strikes from the U.S. and he said nothing's really changed, that speaks to in part the fact that there are just so many risks already leading into this type of work that they've been carrying out that many of them say it's just another one that could potentially keep them from returning home.

Others say that they are motivated by the money in which they can gain a lot of that. And still others say this is about being under the control of gangs, that they have no choice when they're being coerced and threatened.

And so they feel given they're not gang members themselves, they're not high level cartel members, they're simply fishermen, that they have no choice but to go along with it. David Culver, CNN, Guayaquil, Ecuador.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to meet with top Israeli officials in the coming hours in an effort to ensure Israel remains committed to the ceasefire deal. The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who's arriving in Jerusalem Thursday, says he's not worried about the deal falling apart.

On Wednesday, Vance met with Israeli hostages and families of hostages after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Well, Israel and the U.S. are criticizing the top U.N. Court after the International Court of Justice rebuked Israel's blockade of Gaza during the war. The court says Israel is obligated to work with U.N. agencies to facilitate humanitarian aid in Gaza and to ensure the basic needs of civilians are met. The ICJ says UNRWA, the main U.N. agency serving Palestinian refugees, has not violated impartiality rules and Israel must support their relief work.

The court says Israel has not substantiated its allegations that a significant part of UNRWA employees are members of Hamas or other terrorist factions. The ICJ reminded Israel for its obligation as an occupying power not to use starvation as a method of war.

[01:20:05]

The court's non-binding ruling is one of several cases related to Israel since the war in Gaza began in 2023. The ICJ case on genocide is ongoing and is expected to last several years. Israel has repeatedly denied the allegations.

New York City residents are protesting after federal officials arrested nine people in a chaotic immigration raid in Chinatown. What the acting director of ICE says is coming, next.

Plus, the East Wing of the White House is now a demolition site. President Trump plans to build a big forum that's now much more expensive than first planned. Stay with us.

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[01:25:07]

KINKADE: Well, President Trump is moving full speed ahead with his plans to build a huge new ballroom at the White House. Bulldozers have already demolished the entire East Wing. The project has sparked outcry and questions over whether the president has the legal authority to tear down sections of the historic executive mansion. CNN's Tom Foreman reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the historic East Wing of the White House is ripped down, outrage is piling up, with preservationists saying they are deeply concerned new construction will overwhelm the White House itself. And former first Lady Hillary Clinton posting, it's not his house, it's your house, and he's destroying it.

SHAWN MCCREESH, WHITE HOUSE REPROTER, NEW YORK TIMES: The reader response has been overwhelming. I mean, people are emailing me every five minutes. There's something about these images that have really upset people.

FOREMAN (voice-over): The White House communications director is dismissing the worries as pearl clutching by losers. And President Trump has not even blinked.

TRUMP: You probably hear the beautiful sound of construction to the back. You hear that sound? Oh, that's music to my ears. I love that sound. Other people don't like it. I think when I hear that sound, it reminds me of money.

FOREMAN (voice-over): After planting massive flagpoles outside the White House, slathering the Oval Office in gold trim and paving over the legendary Rose Garden, Trump is relocating the office of the First Lady and more, and demolishing the space to fulfill his longtime dream of installing a vast ballroom bigger than a football field, able to hold about 1,000 people.

In an architectural rendering, the $200 million add on looks like something from the French palace of Versailles, or, as many critics have noted, a salute to Trump's Florida home, Mar-a-Lago. Trump's allies seem fine with that. And on Capitol Hill, they echo the president's claim that the cost will be covered by private donors.

REP. STEVE SCALISE (R-LA) U..S HOUSE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY LEADER: It's not even taxpayer money. It's going to be a permanent renovation that'll enhance the White House for all future presidents.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Parts of the White House have been extensively renovated before with the input of presidential families. But this time, the apparent lack of significant outside oversight, the shifting details, and Trump's open disdain for government itself is plaguing author Robert Arnold, who captured the feelings of many on threads.

ROBERT ARNOLD, AUTHOR, "DEFIANCE TIL DEATH": It feels like the whole story of his goddamn term. Break it, sell it, lie about it, blame the press, move on before the dust settles.

FOREMAN: And that seems to be the chief complaint of so many critics. They say this really is the people's house and Donald Trump is just a renter. But they can't seem to stop him now. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Immigration is a major issue in the New York City mayors race featuring prominently in the candidates final debate. Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, all rejected the Trump administration's crackdown, but they did not agree on many other issues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: We first just heard from the Republican candidate for mayor, and then we heard from Donald Trump's puppet himself, Andrew Cuomo.

ANDREW CUOMO, NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: Zohran is a great actor. He missed his calling.

CURTIS SLIWA, NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: Andrew, you didn't leave, you fled from being impeached by the Democrats in the state legislature. Leave. You fled.

MAMDANI: We just had a former governor say in his own words that the city has been getting screwed by the state. Who was leading the state? It was you.

CUOMO: Governor Hochul. MAMDANI: You were leading the state --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The candidates also spied over who would best able to deal with President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAMDANI: Donald Trump ran on three promises. He ran on creating the single largest deportation force in American history. He ran on going after his political enemies. And he ran on lowering the cost of living. If he wants to talk to me about the third piece of that agenda, I will always be ready and willing.

But if he wants to talk about how to pursue the first and second piece of that agenda at the expense of New Yorkers, I will fight him every single step of the way.

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Cuomo's allies have been trying unsuccessfully to get Curtis Sliwa to exit the race, claiming it would boost Cuomo's chances against Mamdani, who is leading in the polls.

The Trump administration is accelerating its immigration crackdown in New York City, warning that more arrests are coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD LYONS, ACTING ICE DIRECTOR: You will see us making those criminal arrests to make New York safe again. But I will tell you that it's definitely intelligence driven. It's not random. We're just not pulling people off the street. There was a specific reason based on criminal intelligence and criminal activity that we showed up on Canal Street.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:30:04]

KINKADE: Residents turned out on Wednesday to protest the crackdown after federal agents arrested nine people in Chinatown a day earlier. The Department of Homeland Security says those taken into custody were in the country illegally.

More now from CNN's Maria Santana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA SANTANA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Normally, the stretch of Canal Street in Lower Manhattan is full of street vendors that lay out what look like bedsheets, trying to sell counterfeit goods like handbags, sunglasses, watches.

And it is not a rare sight to see them wrap up everything in these sheets and disappear quickly when the police enters the area.

But Tuesday afternoon they were met by federal agents instead. Masked and heavily armed ICE agents descended upon this area in what the Department of Homeland Security said was an operation targeting counterfeit products.

But that's when complete chaos erupted. Protesters came here yelling, blocking traffic and tried to stop these arrests.

In the end, nine immigrants from countries like Mali, Senegal and Guinea were arrested. The Department of Homeland Security said all nine were in the country illegally and had long criminal records

Here, right now, the vibe is very different. You can feel the fear. Many of these street vendors did not come back, and those that have remained say they are afraid, but they have no choice but to work.

Local and state officials have denounced these actions, saying that you don't make New Yorkers safer by attacking New Yorkers.

Maria Santana, CNN -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: A woman in Australia was told by her employer to return to the office two days a week, so she fought them and won. Coming up, what the landmark ruling means for other work-from-home employees in Australia and beyond.

[01:32:07]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: An Australian banker has won the right to work from home every day in what's being hailed a landmark case. Karlene Chandler challenged Westpac's demand that she work in an office two days a week.

The Australian bank is one of many companies that have been rolling back its work-from-home policies that were introduced during the COVID pandemic.

But the country's, or the state's labor tribunal rather, ruled in favor of chandler and says that she has the right to work from home all the time.

Well, I want to get more on this now and what it could mean for Chandler and other employees like her.

Tim McDonald is a principal at McCabes Lawyers and joins me now live from Sydney. Good morning -- good afternoon to you. Thanks for joining us.

TIM MCDONALD, PRINCIPAL, MCCABES LAWYERS: Hi, Lynda.

KINKADE: So this Fair Work Commission ruling against Australian bank Westpac is not just about one employee. It is a landmark decision. It could affect millions of workers. Can you explain the significance of this case?

MCDONALD: Yes. I think a lot of working parents with young children are going to take some comfort from this case that flexible work arrangements are more likely to be accepted by their employers.

But in this case, Westpac, which is a very large employer had fairly typical arrangements about a hybrid work-from-home, work in the office, were trying to get all their employees to come back to the office at least two days a week.

And Ms. Chandler didn't want to do that because it was going to cause a lot of problems for her in terms of trying to pick up her kids from school. And during COVID, she'd mainly been working from home. They'd moved a fair way away from Sydney, and, as kids were at a school, a fair way distant from that as well.

And it was going to be about two hours for them to come to the office after dropping the kids off at school.

KINKADE: And so from a legal perspective, could this change the way businesses operate when it comes to denying or approving a work from home request?

Each of these cases are considered on an individual basis, but one of the -- but there are a number of rules in the legislation about how these flexible work requests should be considered and what the Fair Work Commission said was that there hadn't really been an adequate consideration by Westpac of the particular circumstances of this employee. And they hadn't really tried hard enough to see if they could accommodate an arrangement that would work for both.

[01:39:46]

MCDONALD: And it was also said that they had to establish reasonable business grounds to refuse a request. And they hadn't really done that because it seemed as though this employee had been working remotely for some time and had been doing so quite successfully.

KINKADE: Yes. Westpac argued, right, that it needed this employee physically present for team communication and training. The commission, of course, rejecting that.

Does it set a precedent in any way, or is it more likely that businesses will watch this case closely when they come to making their own decisions?

MCDONALD: I think it will certainly influence the seriousness with which business takes account of these flexible work requests. And I think it's going to have people thinking about things because

for large businesses like Westpac, it's going to be very difficult if you have some employees doing their own thing and then others having to come into the office on particular days.

So I think, there's more to be said about working from home arrangements, but this will be an important part of the conversation.

And in terms of trying to balance up the interests of employees and employers in this situation, I think it maybe puts the balance -- tilts the balance more in favor of the employee with these types of requests.

But I think there are important distinguishing characteristics, particularly that this employee had been doing this for a while so successfully, and the impact upon her was going to be pretty significant if the request was refused in that she was probably not going to be able to continue in her job because she lives so far away from the office.

KINKADE: Yes, more than a two-hour commute, I believe she said.

MCDONALD: That's right.

KINKADE: I can only imagine, though, now how awkward it might be working for a company after you've won such a public case against them. Do you think that might be a different challenge for Karlene Chandler?

MCDONALD: It may well be. Look, there are strong protections under the law in relation to people who seek to exercise these types of protections. But I suppose it does leave a sort of question about there doesn't seem to be any reason for her to ever come back to the office. And I don't know how that's going to work in the longer term. But it certainly meets her particular circumstances for the moment.

KINKADE: Yes, certainly a fascinating case.

Tim McDonald, appreciate your time. Thanks so much for joining us.

MCDONLAD: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, still to come, we visit Florida's coastline where a new underwater trail hopes to aid in restoring the coral reefs there.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

[01:42:14]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back.

Coral reef ecosystems which support a quarter of all marine life have now reached a tipping point, according to a recent report from 160 researchers worldwide. Today, in "Call to Earth", we visit south Florida's Atlantic

coastline, where a unique approach to reef restoration is taking shape.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just off the shoreline of Hollywood, Florida, a destination city north of Miami, a new attraction is being installed that its creators hope will make a lasting impact on those who visit it.

DR. SHELBY THOMAS, CO-FOUNDER/CEO, OCEAN RESCUE ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL: This is an incredible moment, truly magical. It's been years in the Making and so excited to finally have this reef going out in the water.

ASHER: Part art, part science, the so-called "Guardians of the Reef" is a living installation spearheaded by scientist Shelby Thomas, founder of Ocean Rescue Alliance International.

The goal of the project is to promote both ecotourism and help restore marine life.

THOMAS: This is our fifth artificial reef project, but our first nearshore reef.

ASHER: Designed in partnership with city authorities, the underwater sculpture trail includes 50 reef structures across four shallow water locations.

THOMAS: Most of our sites are easy, open water dives around 30 to 60 feet of water. But this one will be between 8 and 15 feet of water.

Often diving natural systems and reefs cost a lot of money and training and skills, and this becomes a free resource not just to the public, but the community to actually have and connect with on a daily basis.

ASHER: Floridian waters are home to the third largest barrier reef system on earth, known as the Florida Reef Tract. And like most coral ecosystems around the world, it too is in a concerning state of decline.

THOMAS: Here in Florida, disease and warming temperature has been one of the biggest impacts on killing a lot of our reefs. Reefs are very resilient, but we have to act fast.

ASHER: Thomas acted by collaborating with like minds from the worlds of art, engineering and science. She says its taken nearly seven years and more than 35 designs to get to this point.

THOMAS: So what you're looking at here is one of the habitat artificial reefs. There's 38. Of them for this project.

ASHER: Each structure is custom made using sustainable materials to look and act like a natural reef, while also being a call to action. THOMAS: We also have 12 artistic sculptures that are themed around

"Guardians of the Reef: the Ocean Protectors and Warriors".

ASHER: There are also designs featuring symbolic marine life, and of course, opportunities for posting to your social media accounts.

THOMAS: We have two selfie stations. One is a selfie tail where you can become a mermaid too. And if you come and take a photo at this site, you also are taking a pledge to become an ocean warrior and guardian of the reef.

[01:49:48]

ASHER: While the large sculptures are intended to grab your attention, the most significant feature is the smallest, a pioneering innovation called a coral lock.

THOMAS: Each reef has at least 200 to 300 coral lock receivers that we can then take the corals from the lab that are growing on the coral lock plugs and simply be able to come out and screw them into the structures and be able to outplant at scale.

ASHER: The organization's recently opened lab called "We Restore", was built as a collaborative space where both marine life and research can flourish.

THOMAS: We have modified the traditional coral locks specifically to fit these soft corals, and it's meant to be like a rework for restoration.

So we'll be growing corals of our own to help scale and outplant on our artificial reef projects. But we're also holding space for other students, universities and nonprofit partners that might need to use this space to grow out coral, oysters or mangroves.

ASHER: Ultimately, Shelby Thomas is dedicated to preserving our planet's natural ecosystems and believes a good way to start is by building a foundation for their appreciation.

THOMAS: We're really using the power of art to encourage people to become ocean stewards. We want to be able to provide a voice to the ocean and to marine ecosystems that need it, and that we're co- creating with nature as the engineer as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the hashtag "Call to Earth".

We'll be right back.

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KINKADE: American ballerina Misty Copeland is retiring from the American ballet theater after a trailblazing career. In her final appearance on Wednesday, Copeland performed excerpts from "Romeo and Juliet" and "Sinatra Suite" and was honored at the star-studded gala.

Copeland joined the company at the age of 18 in 2001, and in 2015 she was the first black woman principal dancer, the highest company ranking. We wish her all the very best.

Well, King Charles is in Italy ahead of his historic meeting with Pope Leo. In just a few hours, Charles will become the first British monarch to publicly pray with a pope since 1534.

CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb has more on this landmark event.

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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is an historic visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla to the Vatican. It will mark for the first time in at least 500 years, that an English monarch will pray alongside a pope.

Pope Leo XIV and King Charles will take part in a special service in the Sistine Chapel focused on care of creation, a longstanding concern of the king's and a priority for Pope Leo.

After their meeting in this prayer service, King Charles will then go to the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the walls, a papal basilica, which has given him a new title and has commissioned a special chair for him to use during a prayer service. A chair that emphasizes and reflects unity between Catholics and Anglicans.

This visit is focused on unity and overcoming past divisions. Of course, it was 500 years ago that King Henry VIII in the English Reformation broke with Rome and established himself as leader of the Church of England.

King Charles, as the supreme governor of the Church of England, is in this visit seeking to overcome those past divisions to emphasize dialog and friendship between Christian denominations.

[01:54:56]

LAMB: It's something that he has shown a particular concern for. He has shown he wants to engage with the Catholic Church.

Of course, this visit by the king takes place as there are a slew of allegations against the king's brother, Prince Andrew, back in the U.K. But King Charles hoping this visit can emphasize the importance of building bridges and dialog.

Christopher Lamb, CNN -- Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, Tesla's best quarter of the year is not impressing investors. Elon Musk's car company sold nearly half a million vehicles in the third quarter, a new record for Tesla as Americans rushed to buy electric vehicles before a federal tax credit expired on October 1st.

But the carmaker's income is down nearly 30 percent from a year ago, a steeper drop than analysts had anticipated. Sales here in the U.S. are expected to plunge in the fourth quarter without the tax credit. Tesla's shares have fallen 2 percent in after-market trading.

Well, forget hands-free driving and keeping your eyes on the road. general Motors says it will introduce eyes off driving starting from 2008 -- 2028, rather, in the new Cadillac Escalade.

Other car makers have been investing heavily in self-driving technology and companies like Waymo already have driverless cars on the road.

But GM hopes to be the first to make personal self-driving cars a mainstream hit. One benefit of eyes off technology people could send emails or watch movies on their way to work. That sounds great.

Well, a glimpse into the future from a Chinese firm selling a vehicle with a detachable aircraft. The land aircraft carrier made its debut in Dubai earlier this month.

The makers say that once it's detached, the aircraft takes off and lands vertically. It can be flown automatically or manually, with little technical skill required.

The company behind it believes the global market for vehicles of this kind will be worth over $200 billion in about five years' time.

Well, thanks so much for joining us. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Stay with us. NEWSROOM with my colleague and friend Rosemary Church is up next.

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