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Longest Shutdown in U.S. History Could Affect Flight Cancellations; Typhoon Kalmaegi Devastated Southern Philippines, Heading to Vietnam in Near Hours; CNN Celebrates Five Years of Call to Earth Day. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 06, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead.

Thousands of flights across U.S. airports could be cancelled starting Friday as Americans endure the longest government shutdown ever.

Homes and lives swept away in an instant. I'll speak to the head of the Philippine Red Cross about the most urgent needs as it reels from a powerful typhoon.

It's Call to Earth Day here at CNN where we will look at efforts to prevent the spread of an invasive species and how you can help.

Plus, the Paris lottery with a big twist. Let's just say the jackpot isn't a big cash prize.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

Well, the longest U.S. government shutdown is now in its 37th day and lawmakers are worried the longer it goes on, the more it will harm the American people. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is attempting to push a new deal that could potentially reopen the government, funding it temporarily through January.

And there are still multiple hurdles to overcome before presenting it to Congress. Until that happens, federal employees will continue to go unpaid, meaning potentially larger staffing shortages like in the airline industry. And families dependent on government assistance for food will live in anxious uncertainty.

Well, to ease some of the burdens on the airline industry, the Trump administration is planning to reduce the number of flights in 40 different U.S. airports. As staffing issues continue, officials say they don't want to risk the safety of passengers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: I anticipate there will be additional disruptions. There will be frustration. We are working with the airlines, they're going to work with passengers.

But in the end, our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Whitney Wild has details on how the shutdown is impacting TSA employees.

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WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this church basement, an assembly line of volunteers prepares plates destined for the airport.

UNKNOWN: They're going to work every day. At least this is one thing we can help them out with.

DARELL ENGLISH, PRESIDENT, AFGE LOCAL 777: And we're going to load these up.

WILD (voice-over): Darell English is the regional president of the National Union representing Transportation Security Administration officers.

ENGLISH: You're awesome back here.

WILD (voice-over): On a crisp Monday morning, he and other union reps load up coolers, then drive an hour to deliver free meals to TSA officers at Chicago Midway International Airport.

ENGLISH: We know that it's been a month now. Officers are struggling. So anything that we can do to help them out, they're going through a lot of personal and emotional stress right now, they're on top of their jobs.

WILD (voice-over): Amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, these TSA officers are in a holding pattern. They're essential employees, so they have to work, but they aren't being paid.

In Houston this week, a major jam at security lines lasted up to three hours as some TSA employees called out sick. Top leaders in Washington blame each other.

DUFFY: As every day goes by, I think the problem is going to only get worse, not better. I hope that Democrats come to their senses and end this shutdown.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), U.S. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: This is day 35 of the Trump-Republicans shutdown. Donald Trump and the Republicans cannot govern.

WILD: Whose fault is this? Does it even matter?

ENGLISH: Well, at this point, it doesn't matter because at the end of the day, it's about who's going to help us get fed. So we're not trying to point fingers at it. We're just trying to bring people together.

ROXY KNIGHTLY, FORMER TSA OFFICER: I felt like I was pushed into a corner.

WILD (voice-over): Roxy Knightly was a TSA officer until Friday when she says she resigned.

KNIGHTLY: I tried to push through for as long as I could, but my lease is literally about to end within the next two weeks. And if landlords require two pay stubs, I do not have two recent pay stubs.

WILD (voice-over): Now Roxy is moving out of seat.

KNIGHTLY: Kind of feel a little bit lost, to be honest with you, because I did, you know, intend to continue working as a transportation security officer. It definitely was not an easy decision for me to have to make. It breaks my heart that it's come to this.

WILD: English's big concern here is that we're starting to push into that really busy travel season between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

[03:05:05]

And he's worried that if TSA officers continue to not be paid, there are going to be more people who simply say they cannot come into work because they can't afford it, or more officers are simply going to quit like Roxy Knightly did. And he's concerned that that's going to mean much longer lines at security, making what we saw in Houston only the beginning.

Whitney Wild, CNN, Chicago.

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CHURCH: President Trump is blaming the shutdown in part for Republicans' election losses, but he unveiled a new theory in a speech to business leaders in Miami, affordability. The President says it's a new word made up by Democrats, he says Republicans didn't talk about it enough or his supposed economic accomplishments during the campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think it's the best nine months, they say, of any president, and I really believe that.

And I think that we can honestly say, and I think you're going to see it even more so over the next 12 months, that this is the golden age of America. This is the golden age.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Democrats are riding high on major victories in Tuesday's elections, including races for Virginia and New Jersey for governor and New York City mayor.

Joining me now is Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia and editor of "A Return to Normalcy? The 2020 Election that (Almost) Broke America." Good to have you with us again.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS: Thank you so much, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So we are hearing that U.S. President Donald Trump was apparently blindsided by the extent of Democratic election victories Tuesday night, blaming his own party for losing and admitting Wednesday that the government shutdown was a major factor in the Democrats' big election wins. And this is now the longest shutdown in U.S. history at 37 days.

How likely is it that these election results will jolt Republicans into action to open up the country with the realization that voters are blaming them for the pain being felt across the country right now?

SABATO: I think there's a real chance that these elections will bring the two sides together to the extent that they can reach some kind of reasonable agreement. The elections, plus the fact that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and most Americans travel over Thanksgiving to see family and friends.

And of course, they've now shut down a fair portion of the flights and some of the busiest airports will not be able to operate at full capacity. That is really going to upset people if it happens. So they have an incentive now to get together and to resolve this and Republicans in particularly will be blamed and what was significant about what Trump said was even he is admitting that Republicans are getting most of the blame, which we've seen in the polls since the beginning of this mess.

CHURCH: Let's see if they can fix this. So I want to take a closer look now at what was a massive night for Democrats Tuesday, as voters delivered significant wins for the party in the New York City mayoral race, governorships in both Virginia and New Jersey, and a redistricting victory in California.

What was your big takeaway on the overall message voters were sending to President Trump and what could this potentially mean for the midterms next year?

SABATO: Rosemary, it was a Democratic landslide. There is no other way to interpret that election. And there were really two causes.

The first is the affordability crisis. The fact that prices are continuing to rise. And of course, President Trump said he solved that on day one.

Well, it's nine months later and we haven't solved anything, we're still seeing rising prices at the grocery store every week.

But the second reason cuts more directly toward Trump. He turned out to be in all of the exit polling, the number one factor in Democrats turning out. They were motivated to vote because of their disapproval of the performance of President Trump.

The reason we know Trump knew that is because he immediately said that he was exonerated, he had nothing to do with the bad results because he wasn't on the ballot. If he had been on the ballot, all of his MAGA Republicans would have shown up. Well, that's simply not true.

He was at the heart of this Democratic route that was all over the country, not just in those four contests you mentioned, but in places as strange as Mississippi, where they gained legislative seats and Pennsylvania, where they retained three Democratic judges in Georgia, where they ousted two of the Republican public service commissioners, it's a powerful group in Georgia. So this was significant and everybody got the message, particularly Trump and the Republicans.

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CHURCH: And Larry, the other key win in California, Proposition 50 passed, allowing the adoption of a new congressional map that could potentially add five more Democratic House seats for that state. Does this open up the floodgates to more redistricting plans in reply to what Texas started from the beginning?

SABATO: Remember that California is only balancing Texas. Texas was forced to do this by the Trump White House and they were happy to comply.

And that's why Governor Gavin Newsom of California undertook this effort, which in the beginning people said wouldn't even pass. It passed with 63 percent of the vote because Democrats have awakened to the threat here. My guess is that once you add up all the seats and all the states that are redistricting, Republicans are still going to gain five, six, seven seats net across the country.

But that's a lot better than what they might have gained before Democrats awakened to the threat. They probably were going to gain a net 15 seats, which would easily make the difference between the two parties in a closely divided House of Representatives after November 2026.

CHURCH: Larry Sabato, thanks as always. I appreciate it.

SABATO: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Twelve people are now confirmed dead following the fiery crash of a UPS cargo plane. A warning, you may find the images were about to air disturbing.

This dashboard footage captured the moment flight 2976 went down in Louisville, Kentucky. And you can see the fireball that rose from the wreckage as that silver truck hits reverse.

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Another view and screams of shock. Officials say the death toll is expected to climb with people still missing. Transportation safety investigators have recovered the so-called black boxes, but there's no word yet on what caused the crash.

Flights resumed at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport on Wednesday but there is a big backlog. The UPS CEO says the company will work with the National Transportation Safety Board as they investigate.

We are getting new video from the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk where a battle is underway for its control. The footage shows a Ukrainian soldier operating a remote control vehicle amid heavy damage in the city. Ukraine said up to 300 Russian troops are in Pokrovsk and they're closing in on the last supply line for the Ukrainian defenders.

Independent observers say both sides have recently made tactical advances. Russia has been trying to seize the key logistical hub for over a year. If it succeeds, Pokrovsk will be the largest city it captured in two and a half years.

Well Russia's President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is exploring the possibility of carrying out nuclear tests if the U.S. resumes its nuclear testing. U.S. President Donald Trump recently instructed the Pentagon to do that, something neither country has done since the 1990s. It was not clear whether Trump was referring to a nuclear weapons test or a test of a nuclear-capable weapons system.

As Fred Pleitgen reports, Mr. Putin is also promoting nuclear technology at home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Russians certainly are pushing ahead with the modernization of their strategic nuclear weapons program, something the Russian leader Vladimir Putin says is, of course, very important for the safety and security of this country, but something that does have many other countries in the world quite concerned.

Now, Vladimir Putin gave out awards -- state awards, to some of the scientists who are working on this strategic nuclear weapons program, and he says that some of the things that are being developed will put Russia ahead of the competition, not just in the coming years, but will be important for the entire 21st century.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): All our objectives for creating advanced weapons systems, developing the defense systems, and equipping the Russian army and navy with modern hardware and weaponry are being fulfilled.

PLETGEN: Now, if we look at some of the weapons that the Russians have introduced recently, they are quite remarkable. There is, for instance, a missile, a cruise missile, called the Burevestnik. Now, the Russians say that it's actually nuclear-powered. It has a

powered engine in it, meaning that it can travel almost an unlimited amount of time and almost an unlimited distance. The Russians are saying that that's something that will give them an edge over other countries that also have nuclear weapons.

And then just a couple of days ago, the Russians also launched a new submarine called the Khabarovsk, and that is actually a submarine that can carry Russia's new, also nuclear-powered torpedo called the Poseidon. And the Russians say that this torpedo indeed is capable of unleashing what they say would be a radioactive tsunami against coastal targets, but of course also against enemy ships as well.

[03:15:04]

The Russians are saying that they don't want to threaten anybody with all of this, that this is purely for their self-defense and for their national interest. But of course, we know that the U.S., for instance, is quite concerned that even U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. as well will start nuclear testing again.

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CHURCH: Concerns are growing about the security surrounding the President of Mexico after a bizarre public groping incident. We will have a report from Mexico City.

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CHURCH: A man is in custody after he appeared to grope the President of Mexico in public on Tuesday. Video of the incident has sparked outrage online and renewed a debate over harassment.

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With President Claudia Sheinbaum calling the incident an assault on all women. We have more now from CNN's Valeria Leon.

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VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum is pressing charges against her on Tuesday. The man was arrested overnight according to Mexico City Mayor Clara Burgada and is in custody at the Sex Crimes Investigation Unit.

The incident took place when a man broke through a crowd of people greeting Sheinbaum in Mexico City and appeared to grope her, according to viral footage of the incident. Sheinbaum spoke about it earlier today.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I experienced this episode of harassment. At the time, I was actually talking to other people. I realized immediately, Juan Jose, who coordinates the entire assistance team, intervened, and it was only after watching the videos, that I understood what had really happened because I was talking to a lot of people. Yes, I obviously felt this person get close. He was, I repeat, completely intoxicated. I don't know if he was on drugs but I decided to file a complaint because this is something I experienced as a woman but it's something all women in our country experience.

LEON: Tuesday's incident has raised questions about Sheinbaum's security. When asked whether she would consider increasing her security given how easily the man approached her, Sheinbaum said she will continue as usual, insisting there is no risk against her.

The incident on Tuesday has reignited conversation around an issue that runs in Mexico. Official data shows that about seven out of 10 women in the country have faced some form of violence and nearly half say they've experienced sexual violence.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Palestinians returning to their neighborhoods in Gaza City say they are struggling to rebuild their lives and basic necessities are out of reach. Nearly all the city's 2.3 million residents lost their homes to Israeli bombardment and shelter is scarce as winter approaches.

Palestinians crowded in front of a soup kitchen in Khan Younis on Wednesday. The World Food Program says only half the food needed is coming into the enclave. Israel says it's fulfilling its ceasefire obligations.

A newly freed Israeli hostage says he was sexually assaulted while he was held captive by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the story.

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JERMEY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Rom Braslavski was held hostage in Gaza for more than two years. Released last month under the ceasefire agreement, he is now alleging that he was subjected to, quote, "horrific and humiliating sexual assault during his captivity."

Braslavski told Israel's Channel 13 "Hazinor" program that he was stripped naked and tied up while he was held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group in Gaza. We obtained an exclusive clip of that interview.

ROM BRASLAVSKI, FORMER ISRAELI HOSTAGE (through translator): They stripped me of all my clothes, my underwear, everything. They tied me up from the...

When I was completely naked, I was wiped out, dying without food. And I prayed to God, save me, get me out of this already. And you just say to yourself, like, what the hell is going on?

It is sexual violence and its main purpose was to humiliate me. The goal was to crush my dignity. And that's exactly what he did.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Did they do more things like that?

BRASLAVSKI (through translator): Yes. It's hard for me to talk about that part specifically. I don't like to talk about it.

DIAMOND: And you can see in his eyes just how difficult it is for him to talk about this. He described each day in captivity as surviving another day in hell, only to wake up to another hell the next day.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad did not respond to our request for comment. Other Israeli hostages have also alleged that they were sexually assaulted or abused in captivity, but Braslavski is the first male hostage to allege that he was sexually assaulted.

The U.N.'s Special Rapporteur for Sexual Violence previously found clear and convincing information that hostages in Gaza were sexually abused.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, a typhoon with damaging winds and rain is heading to Vietnam after killing dozens of people in the Philippines. The latest on relief efforts next.

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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

More than 110 people have been killed in the Philippines by the deadliest typhoon to strike Asia this year. Typhoon Kalmaegi now has the strength of a category four hurricane and it's expected to make landfall in Vietnam in the coming hours.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working behind the scenes on a deal that could reopen the U.S. government. While many of its details are yet to be finalized, sources tell CNN it would provide funding through January and may also place safeguards on congressional spending abilities.

Authorities investigating the deadly crash of a UPS cargo plane have recovered its so-called black boxes, but there's no word yet on what brought down flight 2976 in Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday. At least 12 people have been killed and officials say that death toll is likely to rise.

Well more now on the deadliest typhoon to hit Asia this year. Typhoon Kalmaegi is now the equivalent of a category four hurricane according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. It's expected to make landfall in central Vietnam in the coming hours in an area still recovering from flooding and landslides caused by weeks of record rainfall.

Kalmaegi killed at least 114 and left more than 100 missing in the Philippines. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared a state of national calamity and promised to continue relief and response operations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): We have lost everything. We don't have a home. We need help.

We have no place to sleep, no food, nothing to use. We only have torn clothes. We just need food, rice, anything to eat, but we have nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Richard Gordon is the chairman and CEO of the Philippine Red Cross, he joins us now from Manila. I appreciate you being with us.

RICHARD GORDON, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, PHILIPPINE RED CROSS: Thank you, Rosemary. Thank you for inviting me.

CHURCH: Absolutely. Typhoon Kalmaegi is strengthening and set to make landfall in Vietnam in the coming hours after wreaking havoc in parts of the Philippines, killing at least 114 people. What is the level of destruction on the ground in some of the hardest hit areas and how big is the relief effort likely to be for the Philippines?

GORDON: Well, this is a very devastating typhoon. We have so many houses that have been destroyed. Almost 6000 people -- 6000 houses have been destroyed, plenty of places have no power and no water.

And it's kind of difficult to go through some of the villages because the debris is all over the highway and many trees have fallen. So it's a fight to get to as fast as you can to the people who are, you know, have been affected. Of course, it's a planting season now, so they would have to replace all the seedlings.

So that's definitely not mentioning just the deaths or the injured and the missing. This is a very difficult typhoon to fight.

And right now the Red Cross is putting in several water tankers, four of them. And we have front-end loaders to help clear the debris, along with the government. They have other equipment, of course.

But the important thing is to get to the heart of the damage so that we can start distributing food. We have food trucks that have hot meals so that people don't have to cook because their utensils are gone. And so the water is there and we are distributing bladders in strategic areas so people will line up to the campsites.

So it's important to know that there's another typhoon coming up north. It's a super typhoon. So we've been hit by several typhoons, earthquakes in the last month alone.

CHURCH: Yes. So it sounds like some progress has been made at least to get some of the food and clean water and of course medicine to those most in need. But how difficult will it be to get aid to some of those more remote areas that you referred to, some of the hardest hit areas that it's difficult to get access to presumably at this point?

GORDON: Well, we are used to this. The moment we are able to clear, and I think we're doing good progress on that, we will be able to reach many of our beneficiaries. I don't want to call them victim but anyway there are some areas like in the Oriental Negros where a volcano is acting up, Kanlaon, and in fact some people are killed by cascading rockfalls.

That's going to be hard to handle because there are the high mudflows and we are coping with that.

[03:35:05]

We have these Negros as they are and we have many more volunteers and I'm very proud of them. They're really doing their level best.

CHURCH: And what would you say is the greatest need right now in the Philippines and what plans are in place to help with this next typhoon that's forming and set to hit the northern part of the country on Sunday as you mentioned?

GORDON: Well that's the other side of the archipelago. Right now we're mobilizing our volunteers and the government has already ordered the people to prepare and that's going to be a very big chunk of the archipelago because the swath of the typhoon will be very big.

And so we're predicting what can happen. We're planning for the incidents that may happen such as a storm surge and you know houses that are going to be blown away. We're aiding people to tie down their houses so that we minimize the wind, you know, letting all the G.I. sheets fly around so the lesser people will get hurt.

And we are doing pre-emptive evacuation. We also have sent many of our water tankers in the area. We also have pay loaders in the area from the Red Cross.

You know through the years the Red Cross has put up a lot of logistics that we'll be able to cope immediately. But you know typhoons are getting stronger. This is a phenomenon all over the world and we really have just to cope and make sure that our volunteers find their way in making sure that we can reach the vulnerable all the time.

CHURCH: It is a massive operation ahead of you. We salute you and all your hard work. Richard Gordon in Manila, thank you so much for talking with us.

GORDON: Thank you.

CHURCH: And CNN's Call to Earth Day is underway with people around the world doing their part to fight climate change. Still to come, we look at what happens when invasive species set in and go unchecked.

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[03:40:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back.

Well, right now, CNN's annual Call to Earth Day is swinging into action in celebration of how people come together to help protect the planet. More than 600,000 people of all ages are taking part in a day- long event around the world on T.V., digital and social media in English, Spanish and Arabic.

This year's theme is called Guard Your Greenspace. We are asking participants to show us how they're guarding their shared spaces for future generations. And CNN has a team of reporters covering Call to Earth Day across the globe in Los Angeles, Atlanta, London, Nairobi, Beijing, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

In Kenya, some students are using the occasion to learn about native trees in their country. And Victoria Rubadiri joins us now from Nairobi. So, Victoria, what are the students telling you they're learning?

VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it is a beehive of activity here. Literally, the forest has become the classroom.

Students, as you said, are learning about indigenous trees. They're also planting some tree seedlings and some very interesting things they're doing here.

Rosemary, I don't know if you've ever heard of a bug hotel. So, I'm going to speak with my friend, Anya.

Anya, so what is this all about? What is a bug hotel exactly?

ANYA, VOLUNTEER: A bug hotel are things for -- us humans have hotels, bugs need hotels too. Bug hotels are stuff like hotels, but for bugs.

RUBADIRI: This of course is keeping up with biodiversity, different insects that you'll find in the forest.

I have another friend here, William, who's going to speak to me about the importance of indigenous trees.

Trees, of course, help to cool the air and to also protect the soil. So, what more can you tell me about this tree here?

WILLIAM, VOLUNTEER: So, this is a water berry and I'm going to be -- I chose this type of tree because I'm going to be talking about water later on today.

RUBADIRI: Later on today. Of course, we know water is essential to make sure the trees get the nutrients that they need, but this is what today is all about strengthening biodiversity as well as planting the trees of the future as they guard their green spaces.

CHURCH: Thank you, Victoria. That's great, it was fun hearing from those kids. I appreciate your report.

Well, one of the biggest threats to green spaces can be species that aren't supposed to be there in the first place. One example is the red fire ant, one of the world's most invasive species.

It has appeared in Sicily in recent years and, as you're about to see, eradicating it is an uphill battle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCIA ZAPPALA, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CATANIA: The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, has been listed among the 100 most invasive species of any kind of organisms around the world. The story of the presence in Sicily scares me a lot.

[03:49:59]

It's a species of South American, Central American origin and it was reported officially in the E.U. for the first time in the southern part of Sicily in September 2023. The eradication plan is presently going on where the University of Catania is dealing with a survey of the presence of the red imported fire ant over the eastern Sicilian territory.

We are at a nursery called Spina Gallo, which is a nursery of the regional government. At a certain point in this nursery the presence of the red imported fire ant was reported.

ROBERTO CATANIA, POST-DOCTORATE RESEARCHER, UNIVERSITY OF CATANIA: Every single pot has a single colony with multiple queens inside the nest. So the transportation of this material, this vegetational material, can easily facilitate the spread of Solenopsis invicta in other regions.

ZAPPALA: Its scientific name comes from the fact that it was considered invincible because of the speed of their movement, because of the toxins they have. There are very few natural enemies reported.

FERDINANDO CALDARELLA, AGRONOMIST (through translator): They are harmful to agriculture because they attack the root parts of plants. The workers cannot go to harvest the fruit because they are attacked by the fire ants.

CATANIA: So these pieces can affect a lot the behavior of the people in relation to their lifetime, their lifestyle.

CALDARELLA (through translator): So what's the problem?

GIUSEPPE, LOCAL RESIDENT (through translator): Here they are.

CALDARELLA (through translator): So this is the red fire ant. It's very small, two, three millimeters long, very lively and therefore also called a warrior because it attacks. Let's get out, let's get out because they're coming out of the ground.

Let's get out of here because this is a minefield.

Children who walk barefoot here end up in hospital.

It's a silent invasion because the problem cannot be recognized until there is a high number of nests per hectare. It clearly attacks animals, humans and crops, destroying them.

We have examples from other countries that are fighting it, spending millions of dollars in the process.

ZAPPALA: Eradication is a challenge. It only was successful in New Zealand and they started from one single nest. This is going to be a long job and a very challenging task.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And join CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir as he sits down for an exclusive conversation with legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle. "No Blue No Green" airs at 1:00 p.m. in London, 9:00 p.m. in Hong Kong on Thursday, that's 8:00 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

Still to come, how you can land a final resting place in a legendary cemetery in Paris. A lottery with a grave twist, that's next.

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CHURCH: Disturbing new developments in Sudan's two and a half year civil war. Injured and starving civilians are fleeing what had been the army's last stronghold in Darfur, the city of Al-Fasher after it was captured by the rival Rapid Support Forces or RSF.

Thousands of internally displaced people are now arriving in the town of Tawila seeking aid. The fall of Al-Fasher to the RSF marked a pivotal moment in Sudan's long conflict. It's believed hundreds of thousands of people remain trapped there without food, water or medicine.

Rights groups have accused the Rapid Support Forces and their allies of ethnic cleansing. Meanwhile, aid groups in the northern Sudanese city of Al-Dabba are getting ready for an influx of refugees.

Now to your Business Breakout and here is a look at the main Asia- Pacific markets. They are all ending today's session in positive territory.

And these are the business headlines.

The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether Donald Trump overstepped his authority in imposing sweeping global tariffs. Some of the conservatives appeared skeptical on Wednesday about the Trump administration's arguments. President Trump warns that reversing the tariffs would cause a global depression and devastate the U.S. economy.

Online fast fashion retailer Shein opened the doors Wednesday for its latest venture in France. Its first bricks-and-mortar store opened inside one of the most famous department stores in Paris, BHV. Protesters demonstrated condemning the Chinese brand's ultra-cheap fashions, Shein plans to open more stores in five French malls.

An upcoming vote could eventually make Elon Musk a trillionaire, shareholders will decide in the coming day whether to approve the Tesla CEO's new pay package. The company warns that if it doesn't pass, he might pursue other interests. The compensation would come in the form of additional shares of Tesla stock, Musk is already the world's richest person.

Well another extremely wealthy business leader is sharing his thoughts on artificial intelligence. The CEO of JPMorgan Chase says A.I. is capable of making companies hugely productive. Jamie Dimon concedes that the technology could decimate jobs in certain fields, but insists it will create positions elsewhere.

He spoke exclusively to CNN's Erin Burnett.

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JAMIE DIMON, CEO, JPMORGAN CHASE: I think the much wiser way to look at it is that there will be jobs that are eliminated 10 percent, 50 percent, 80 percent by A.I. It will also create jobs, just like when people had the car, you know, the horses, but they car created mechanic jobs.

Tractors eliminated and fertilizer eliminated, you know, 39 million jobs in farms. You get better food, better farm, and all that brainpower and human capital went to do other things over time. The only real risk for society, forget military nuclear proliferation, which I worry about, is all things get used by bad guys.

That's true for almost anything. So we need to think that through and regulate it and proper regulation, not over regulation. And if somehow it's too fast for society, so I do a thought exercise.

I think there are 2 million commercial truckers in the United States. If it eliminated 2 million jobs tomorrow and it was safer for the streets, less CO2, better time delivery, no complaints, happier customers, would you push that button and put 2 million people out of jobs, you know, making good paying jobs that support families, where the next job they have may be, you know, may be stocking shelves somewhere at $25,000 a year?

Well, if you want a revolution, that's a good way to do it. So if that happens, we, civic society and government and business, should say, hey, let's be thoughtful. Income assistance, adjustment, you know, solar retirement, phasing in over time, retraining, relocation, so society benefits and you don't have 2 million people who suffer terribly. And, you know, that's kind of the same mistake we made with trade. You

know, there are huge benefits, but, you know, certain towns got wiped out. And so we need to be very thoughtful how to handle that if it happens too fast.

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[03:55:02]

CHURCH: Paris has announced a lottery with a most unusual prize. Instead of cash, it's the chance to be buried in one of the French capital's most celebrated cemeteries, the final resting place for several famous artists. CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has more now from Paris.

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SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: People are entering a lottery to be buried in the same cemetery as celebrities such as Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde.

This is the Pere-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, one of the most visited in the world. But back in 1804, no one wanted to be buried here because it was far outside the city center and people preferred traditional church cemeteries.

So officials moved the remains of figures like Moliere, La Fontaine, and it worked. The once empty cemetery suddenly became the place to be buried in Paris, and it's been that way pretty much ever since.

Now the city's trying another unusual idea, and it's organized a modern-day lottery that gives regular Parisians a chance to win a burial plot here if they help restore one of the cemetery's neglected tombs.

Each plot costs around $4,500, and if you win, you're responsible for restoring the old tomb and you'll earn a burial plot next to it. It's a rare opportunity since space in these cemeteries has been nearly impossible for more than 100 years.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Millions of people around the world caught a glimpse of an out-of-this-world spectacle last night, a supermoon, when the moon is close to the earth and appears larger. Images show the celestial event lighting up the skies over India. This is the second of three back-to- back supermoons this year.

And here's the view over Sydney's Bondi Beach. According to the old farmer's almanac, this full moon is known as the beaver moon.

And these images come from the German city of Cologne. The almanac says the beaver moon is named for the time when beavers begin making preparations for the winter. I want to thank you so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church.

Have yourselves a wonderful day. "Early Start" with Brian Abel is coming up next after a short break.

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