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Senate To Vote On A Measure To Reopen Government On A Rare Sunday Session; Hamas Released Longest-Held Hostage, Number Of Remaining Hostages Down To Four; Two Cleveland Guardians Charged Over Gambling And Money Laundering. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired November 09, 2025 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:38]

SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: You are in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Sara Sidner, in for Jessica Dean here in New York.

All right, pain in the pantry and at airports. But on day 40 of the government shutdown, hope, sign, a deal may be brewing to end the longest shutdown in American history.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune saying senators will take an initial vote soon on a working plan to reopen the federal government. This vote, of course, would need several Democrats to support it.

Now, at the same time, the Trump administration is ordering states to stop giving out full SNAP benefits and, quote, "immediately undo any full benefits already handed out this month." The order comes after a Friday night's ruling by the Supreme Court to pause the full federal benefits from being paid out.

Now, at the nation's airports, chaos. More than 7000 flights have been delayed today and more than 2000 canceled, in part because of staffing shortages with air traffic controllers, the FAA mandated flight cuts and icy weather.

We have every angle covered.

Let's start with our Eva McKend, who is on Capitol Hill. We have a slew of our best reporters on it. Eva, let's start with you. What do we know about this rare vote on a Sunday involving the shutdown?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, all indications are we could see a procedural vote in the coming hours. And that is because there may be enough Senate Democrats, eight is what they would need that were willing to work with Senate Republicans to reopen the government, presumably in exchange for some concessions from the White House. But it's not clear if there are any or what those are.

We know the Democrats have at least been pushing for some of the federal jobs that have been lost over the last couple of weeks to be restored. Those are the federal jobs that the White House has either gotten rid of or threatened to get rid of. And let's remember, Sara, the reason that we have careened towards the

longest shutdown in government history is really over this issue of health care. Democrats fighting to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies, yet they seem to be on the brink of making a deal here without that key demand being reached.

Perhaps a response to the political pressure of this moment, Sara. But they may have a problem internally. Senate Democrats are in conversation right now, no doubt a spirited conversation.

But there are many in the party that believe that last week's election results were actually an indication that they should keep fighting, were an endorsement of this strategy.

I just got off the phone with a Democratic source responsible for a lot of the mass mobilizations that have become emblematic over the last several months and he told me that he believes that this deal, although we have not seen bill tax yet, represents a total surrender from Democrats. We are still waiting to learn more, Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, I mean, they have been sticking with this idea of getting that ACA, those subsidies put into this particular bill. So we'll have to see the fallout of all this.

But do you have a sense in talking to Democrats because the Republicans are saying, look, we can pass this right now. Do you have a sense that there is real progress and pressure that is going to end up with some kind of deal either tonight during this vote or as early as Monday?

MCKEND: Well, there are centrist Democrats that are no doubt feeling pressure and feel motivated to work with Senate Republicans. The key question at this hour is, are there going to be enough?

And even if the Senate comes to an agreement, the House still has to return. You have to remember, Sara, they have been gone since mid- September. They have to come back and it has to pass in the lower chamber as well.

So we are still a long way away, perhaps from the federal government fully reopening.

SIDNER: Eva McKend, thank you so much for that reporting for us this morning.

We're going to go now to our Betsy Klein. She is at the White House. Millions of families are sort of feeling whiplash now and some fear over the food assistance benefits.

[17:05:01]

We've been hearing from the President about what to do after the Supreme Court had its ruling. What are you learning about what the president is saying about funding SNAP now?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Sara, I think the word fear is an accurate descriptor. There has been fear and uncertainty for so many low income Americans who depend on SNAP. That is those vital nutrition benefits to eat.

And that impacts about 42 million Americans, about one in eight people. And there has been so much back-and-forth with the courts over the past several days. The legal question really at issue here is whether the U.S. Department of Agriculture is required to tap into emergency funding to pay the full benefits to those Americans.

The Supreme Court ruled on Friday to pause a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to fund 100 percent of those benefits. And the Trump administration now says in a new memo that they are going to issue about 65 percent partial SNAP benefits, which are distributed through the states.

We heard in that memo from Undersecretary Patrick Penn, quote, "States must not transmit full benefit issuance files to EBT processors. Instead, states must continue to process and load the partial issuance files that reflect the 35 percent reduction of maximum allotments detailed in the November 5th guidance."

He goes on to say that states must immediately undo any efforts to fund 100 percent of those benefits and that there will be consequences if they do not do so. But before that memo came out, many states had already taken steps to quickly move forward with sending those 100 percent benefits and explaining to those recipients that there was going to be 100 percent issued.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat, complained that the Trump administration is causing what he described as intentional chaos. But for all the reasons that Eva just laid out, there are some reasons to be optimistic that there is some momentum toward potentially ending this government shutdown.

President Trump, for his part, has said this week that he believes that Republicans are shouldering a lot of the blame here.

He is on his way right now to a Commander's Lions NFL football game. We expect him to talk to Fox Sports in the third quarter. We'll see if he says anything on this, Sara.

SIDNER: A lot of families wondering what they are going to do if this doesn't get sorted out. Betsy Klein, thank you so much for your reporting there at the White House.

Let us go now to a place where it's gone from fear to anger for travelers. The shutdown cannot end soon enough. Airlines have been ordered to cut flights by 4 percent now, and that number will rise.

The transportation secretary promising up to 10 percent of flights will be cut in the coming days if the shutdown continues to drag on.

Our Rafael Romo is at the world's busiest airport, that is Atlanta.

And Leigh Waldman is at Newark Airport. Leigh, let's start with you right now. What is it looking like where you are? LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, we've been monitoring

hundreds of delays and cancellations just at this airport alone. This is the customer service line, people waiting to be rebooked on new flights.

We actually just saw a celebration from this group. One woman tells me she's been here since 9 a.m., finally is getting another flight after having to cancel the first one because she got canceled and rebooked to a new airline. You can go over here and see people sitting down in these chairs waiting for hours to try and see if they will, in fact, take off tonight.

Another couple was sleeping outside of security, hoping that they can actually get to their destinations tonight.

We're seeing a lot of anger, sadness, frustration here at this airport. One man that we spoke to, his bags arrived where he's supposed to go, but he's still stuck here. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD GRIFFIN, TRAVELER: They changed the flight, then they changed it again. I don't even know how many times they changed it because every time we refreshed it, it got changed and then eventually it got canceled. So then they put us on standby. But then when we got to standby, there were like 30 other people on standby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALDMAN: Yesterday, there was a lot of patience for these travelers. That patience is really wearing thin for so many people and we can see the stress it's causing to the airport staff here, trying to make this as accommodating as they can for people. But there's more cancellations, more delays as we look into the start of the week, Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, I mean, you have some airport staff that is being paid if they work for the airlines, but you have some airport staff, like members of the TSA, who are not being paid. Have you heard anything from those who are working at the airports as they're seeing this just being the brunt of the frustration from people who are trying to get where they need to go?

WALDMAN: The airport staff that we've spoken to, they feel bad for the passengers. They're trying to do everything that they can. But we've spoken to flight attendants and to pilots who show up here to work.

They don't get paid until those plane doors close. And then they have to leave again because the flights that they were supposed to be on are canceled. And we know that the TSA employees who are making sure that travelers are safe and trying to get to their destinations on time, they're not getting paid.

[17:10:07]

And there's people who are getting very frustrated as we look to work on Monday who can't actually get there. So the tension here at this airport continues to rise throughout this weekend.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, Leigh. I know you're keeping an eye on it. As people, I can see them discussing there what they are going to do, having their flights delayed.

Let's go now to Rafael Romo, who is at Atlanta's airport. It is the busiest in the world, which can mean real pain for people who are lining up. What are you seeing there as far as delays and cancellations, if any?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sara, hi. Well, number one, a lot of people who are showing up earlier than usual and many people who are very nervously looking at their flights to see if they have been canceled or delayed.

And look at my left right here. This is a baggage drop area for Delta. It looks pretty normal, it's not terribly busy for this time of the day on a Sunday.

But then you look here at my right and look at the screens. The second screen right there, Sara, look at that. Everything is either canceled or delayed.

And this is the screen that shows you cities starting with a C and a D canceled that I can see right now. Charlotte, North Carolina, Cleveland, Ohio, Colorado Springs, Columbia, South Carolina, many regional airports, based on what we can see here, are getting the brunt of this series of cancellations.

And I talked to a man earlier who told me that his family bought two tickets to make sure that his wife would come back because the airline told him, hey, if you don't get another way to get her back to Atlanta, we may have to cancel the flight.

I also spoke with a man who told me that he had just learned about a very frustrating situation where his flight had been canceled. And he was trying to navigate all that with a number of different airlines. This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED GEORGES, TRAVELER: I'm on my way to the airport today, flying back to Sarasota. And I get the alert this morning that it's been canceled, not yesterday. So now I'm scrambling, trying to find a flight back.

ROMO: Do you have any good options right now?

GEORGES: No, right now it's just getting through this fiasco.

SARAH LUNDEEN, TRAVELER: I would hope that both sides would start negotiating to get things back open for folks. But I understand from people coming to work without being guaranteed pay or waiting on back pay, I can understand why it's tough to keep everything staffed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And this is what officials are saying here at the world's busiest airport.

And I quote, "Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is operating without interruption. We are aware that ATL has been identified among the airports affected by the FAA's temporary air traffic reductions related to the ongoing federal shutdown. Therefore, we are preparing to activate measures to ensure that passengers who may be affected by the FAA flight reductions continue to have an optimal experience."

And again, as you know, Sara, this is Delta Airlines hub. And what happens here may have a ripple effect not only across the nation, but across the world. Now, back to you.

SIDNER: Yes. If you live in a place that is close to Atlanta, they used to have this saying when I was a kid. It said, if you're trying to get to heaven, you're going to have to go through Atlanta to get there. That's how many flights go through Atlanta, even unless you have a direct flight from somewhere else to somewhere else.

Rafael Romo, thank you so much. We'll check back in with you.

All right. We are joined now by former Republican representative from Illinois and CNN senior political analyst Adam Kinzinger. Thank you so much for being here on a Sunday.

There was a lot to talk about. There's a lot of frustration out there for good reason. First, I just want to see what you're hearing from your former colleagues in Congress, if anything, about this potential deal that might be worked out with some Democrats starting to come online to say, all right, we might be able to, in the numbers that are needed, which I think is seven plus, agree to some kind of deal.

Are you hearing anything about that?

ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST AND FORMER ILLINOIS REPRESENTATIVE: No, not about the specific one. You know, it's obviously new. I'll try to see what I can find out.

But I think, you know, Democrats are dealing with now what's kind of our exit strategy. And I think if they can get something, they certainly have won the shutdown fight on the messaging. But here's an interesting point.

So you said, you know, it's a little frustrating day. Congress has been paid twice now. So congressmen get paid every month at the beginning of the month, they've been paid twice, $30,000 they've gotten since the shutdown has started.

And you put that in contrast with, you know, TSA agents not getting paid, air traffic controllers, the whole thing. And I think there's the right to be frustrated.

And on top of that, Sara, is the fact that Congress has not been the house, has not been in in like six or seven weeks.

[17:15:04] They keep saying reopen the government and then we'll negotiate. Could you imagine if they actually would have been in D.C. and negotiating?

The crazy thing is when I lived through a number of shutdowns, they're not fun, but we never could go home during a shutdown. You were forced to stay.

So I don't know. This is a weird one to me.

SIDNER: What you're saying is something that we have heard echoed from other members of Congress who have said, when you are together and you have to talk to each other, things tend to get done. When you are away from each other and you can just spew whatever you want in your bubbles, then things tend not to get done.

And that's what we're seeing the longest shutdown in history. I just want to just let you reflect a bit.

Can you believe that this has gone on for so long? When you consider what is happening, there are veterans that we're seeing lines of veterans for food. We are seeing lines, like miles-long lines in some states from families just trying to get a box of food.

You've got TSA, you've got the flight traffic controllers who are stressed to the max, going without paychecks and having to do separate jobs like going and driving for Uber to try to make ends meet. Can you believe we are still in this situation right now?

KINZINGER: No, but in a way, we live in the most dysfunctional time. So it's kind of believable because I mean, the last Congress, the House passed the least bills, like from any Congress since before the Civil War.

Again, they're not even in. This is the crazy part. You had mentioned how like, you know, the negotiations and stuff like that.

A hundred percent true. Let me give you an example.

When I was in Congress, you know, we'd have a shutdown. So everybody has to stay. It's miserable because you do want to go home.

You know, what was us, right?

But, you know, at night you go out and maybe have drinks with people either on your side or the other side. Or, you know, you have lunches with people and it's in those conversations. I've been part of them where something like sparks.

And it's like, hey, what if we give you, as an example, a vote, you know, on this, if we can guarantee a vote? And that's how this stuff happens. They've been gone.

So congressmen should get paid. I'm not, you know, obviously they should. But they've gotten before taxes $30,000 during the shutdown while other people are striving to get by. So I can't believe it because the tone deafness, you know, on top of the fact that there's not been a slowdown in the ballroom construction, on top of the fact that Mar-a-Lago had a great Gatsby party and they just had another party, I think, yesterday.

The tone deaf thing is what I think is so unbelievable to me.

SIDNER: Yes, it is hard to believe when you think of the suffering that is happening out there, especially when it comes to, I think it's 39 percent of the people that get SNAP benefits are children.

I do want to ask you about those benefits. The Trump administration has ordered states to stop or pull back, take back SNAP benefits that may have gone out before the Supreme Court ruling. The Supreme Court ruled that they can stop them for right now as they look at this, let the lower courts look at this case deeper.

I'm just curious. We've never seen an administration, even during a shutdown, and you were there for these shutdowns, the second longest one ever during the Trump administration in 2017, I think it was.

But we've never seen this happen before. No administration has let this happen, that SNAP benefits are stopped, that food assistance is stopped. What is happening here?

KINZINGER: I mean, it's this desire to create pain. I mean, that's the only way to describe it. Look, if I was President of the United States and let's say there was a court order that said I couldn't pay SNAP benefits, that hasn't happened, by the way, but let's say that was a court order, and some states happened to get the money and pay them out, you know what, I'd actually be happy about that.

Because even though maybe it kind of went around what the judge said, people got their benefits. They are proactively now, proactively trying to pull that money back.

And again, it bears repeating, the ballroom construction hasn't stopped. They're having big fun parties at Mar-a-Lago. Homeland Security puts out these videos about how awesome it is to deport people. Like, okay, we can deport people, but to celebrate it like they do, and then to pull this money back. Again, the only thing I can say is the stuff that's happening isn't overly surprising.

What's overly surprising is how absolutely bad at the messaging and what they're doing that the Republicans are.

[17:19:55]

By staying home, by trying to stop SNAP benefits, by not doing everything you can to make sure people get paid, it shows, I mean, honestly, a party and administration completely either out of touch or they simply don't care what the American people think. And I think that's being reflected in the polling.

SIDNER: Well, it was certainly reflected this past week and a half ago when there was an election and there was a sweep by Democrats. But look, there's a lot of anger to go around for all parties because Congress must do its job. And so far, it just hasn't. Congressman Adam Kinzinger, thank you so much. I do appreciate you taking some time on a Sunday for us.

KINZINGER: You bet.

SIDNER: All right. Still ahead. In a critical milestone for the ceasefire deal in the Middle East, Hamas has finally returned the body of its longest held hostage.

Plus, two major league pitchers charged in a sports betting and money laundering scheme.

And families across America say it could literally make the difference between life and death. The latest battle to hold on to health care subsidies before they run out. You're in the "CNN Newsroom," we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: For more than a decade, Hamas has kept the body of an Israeli soldier killed in 2014 in Gaza. Today, as part of the recent ceasefire agreement, Israel says Lieutenant Hadar Goldin's body has finally been returned. That leaves just four hostages' bodies still in Gaza.

CNN's Oren Liebermann has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: More than a decade after Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was killed at the end of the 2014 conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, his remains were returned to Israel.

Hamas said early on Sunday that they would be transferring the remains of Goldin to the Red Cross and on to Israel. And that was confirmed a short time later by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, even before the remains had been confirmed and identified, said that Goldin, his remains, his body were on his way home for a proper burial.

A short time after it was confirmed that the remains were indeed Hadar Goldin, his family, his father, Simcha Goldin, issued a statement in which he said, we brought Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, our son, a fighter, to be buried in Israel. We achieved this because our soldiers fought to bring warriors back from the battlefield. The IDF brought Hadar back to his homeland, no one else.

This marks the fifth transfer of deceased hostages from Hamas to Israel within just about a week and this is a key critical phase of the first phase of the ceasefire deal. It is, in fact, the one that is still ongoing here. There are, at this point, four deceased hostages who remain in Gaza from October 7, 2023, and Israel has demanded that they all be returned, even as the government knows and has known for quite some time now, as CNN has previously reported, that Hamas may not know the location of all of the deceased hostages.

This, however, is a key part of the ceasefire agreement and is required to move on to the second phase, which calls for an international security force in Gaza and a lot of the details to be worked out. And that's where the U.S. effort is right now, to make sure this U.S.-brokered ceasefire continues forward and progresses here.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, we also saw continued settler violence against Palestinians, activists and journalists, this time in the Palestinian village of Beit Ha, near Nablus. That's where witnesses and activists say Israeli settlers descended from a hilltop and attacked during the annual Palestinian olive harvest there, injuring not only Palestinians, but also journalists and activists.

An Israeli photographer captured these scenes from the attack on Reuters journalists. Reuters confirmed that two of their journalists were injured at the scene there. The Israeli military said they were aware of and responded to the incident and were aware that Palestinians were injured there as they investigate, they say they, quote, "condemn any acts of violence."

But the United Nations has pointed out that there were more than 260 settler attacks in the month of October, far more than have ever been recorded in a month since records were tracked going back nearly 20 years.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Our thanks to Oren Liebermann for that report.

All right. The U.N. human rights chief says abominable atrocities are being carried out right now in Sudan. Tens of thousands of Sudanese are fleeing a violent paramilitary force that has reportedly massacred hundreds of people in El Fasher, that is located in the Darfur region of Sudan, a gold-rich country in East Africa.

The International Organization for Migration estimates tens of thousands have fled the ethnic attacks in the city. You are seeing the pictures of where they are.

One aid group saying more than 16,000 people are now in crowded camps in barren areas west of the city with few tents, many patched together from tarps and sheets, as you saw there. The group says they are in urgent need of food, medicine, shelter and support.

All right. Ahead after the break, China's most advanced aircraft carrier is now in service. What this means for the race to top America as the world's most powerful military, you are in the "CNN Newsroom."

[17:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SIDNER: China's most advanced aircraft carrier yet officially entered

its fleet this week. It is a huge step for China as it tries to catch up with the United States on naval supremacy. This is CNN analysis and investigation of satellite images, maps and government notices reveals that China has had a huge surge in sites linked to missile production since 2020.

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis is joining us now. He's a senior military analyst here at CNN, of course, and a partner of the Carlyle Group, an international investment firm.

Thank you so much for being here with us on a Saturday. Just can you go over what this means for China to be making this move with this new equipment?

[17:35:10]

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS, CNN SR. MILITARY ANALYST, PARTNER AT CARLYLE GROUP, AND FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: Well, let's start with their brand new carrier. It's called the Fujian.

And here's the thing, Sara, unlike every other aircraft carrier in the world, except ours, this one has catapults, meaning it can launch these huge, heavy aircraft into the air. So it's a big step forward.

Now let's keep it in perspective: U.S. has 11 carriers, they're all 100,000 tons; Fujian is one of three Chinese carriers, and Fujian is only 80,000 tons.

And then secondly, and most importantly, our carriers are nuclear- powered, meaning they can stay at sea effectively indefinitely. We just send them food and fuel for the airplanes. Fujian has to come into port and doesn't have that nuclear power, the nuclear reactors that ours do.

So we're still way ahead in carriers, and we're still way ahead in submarines. But before you sit back and get comfortable and say, well, Admiral, sounds like China's getting better, but they're not quite there yet.

They have 360 ships total, we only have about 300, Sara. So quantity has a quality all it's gone. And as we go forward, this is a real turning point for China, bringing this kind of big carrier to sea.

SIDNER: What does this say about, because I know that, you know, there are lots of arguments with countries in the East China Sea. What does this say about what the United States may do in response to this for fear that China's catching up and catching up fast?

STAVRIDIS: Yes, it's the East China Sea and the South China Sea. There are enormous bodies of water. South China Sea, half the size of the continental United States. China claims it as territorial waters.

So clearly the reason they're building this big fleet and adding aircraft carriers is to challenge not just the United States, Sara, but really the rest of the world, which disputes this claim. So what should we be doing about it? We've got to maintain our

advantage in submarines. The subs are really the apex predators of the ocean.

We need to maintain our edge in carriers. We're still way ahead. And number three, we need to work with our allies, partners, and friends so we can have bases in Japan, in South Korea, in the Philippines, in Australia, as we do now.

If we do all those things, we'll be able to stay comfortably ahead of China.

SIDNER: All right. We will have to wait and see. And we've got this new investigation that we're going to get to by CNN in just a minute that talks about some of the missiles production that appears to be happening in large numbers there in China as well.

Admiral James Stavridis, thank you so much for walking us through that and showing us just what a big deal this is for China to have made this aircraft carrier. We will be talking to you in a bit. I appreciate you.

Ahead, healthcare for millions of Americans is a key reason for the government shutdown. We talked to some people directly impacted about the fears they have if those subsidies do expire. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:40:00]

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SIDNER: Healthcare premiums are at the center of the government shutdown stalemate. Lawmakers are divided over extending subsidies for plans under the Affordable Care Act. Millions of families say not extending them could literally be the difference between life and death.

CNN's Gabe Cohen joins us to share their stories.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS VETTER, ACA ENROLLEE: Starting in 2026, the extra help will end and your monthly payments could go up.

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As they scan health insurance options for next year, Chris and Donna Vetter are choosing between breaking the bank and ditching their coverage.

Right now, they pay $400 a month. Next year, that premium jumps to more than $1,900 monthly.

C. VETTER: $1,500 increase. I don't know where that will come from.

COHEN (voice-over): The enhanced subsidies that capped most premiums on the Affordable Care Act marketplace are set to expire unless Congress steps in.

COHEN: Those price hikes, what does that mean for you guys?

DONNA VETTER, ACA ENROLEE: No healthcare.

C. VETTER: No healthcare. Flat out. Well, we keep healthcare and we don't keep anything else in our life.

COHEN (voice-over): Chris is a retired federal worker. Donna runs a small medical billing business here on Maryland's eastern shore.

C. VETTER: It's rolling the dice big time.

D. VETTER: God forbid, you know, car accidents, heart attacks, cancer. You mean, we've got, we'll have nothing.

COHEN (voice-over): Premiums are rising for the 24 million Americans on ACA plans, what many call Obamacare. And for the millions losing the enhanced subsidies that lowered insurance costs over the past five years, those increases are steep, more than double on average.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: That is unsustainable.

COHEN (voice-over): It's at the center of the shutdown standoff in Washington. Democrats demanding Republicans extend these subsidies or say they'll block any deal to reopen the government.

[17:45:09]

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: It's time to stop the political games.

COHEN (voice-over): C.L. Marshall's premium is set to spike 40 percent, and he never got a subsidy.

C.L. MARSHALL, ACA ENROLLEE: It's going to be significant, you know, and it's something that I'm going to be forced to pass along to my customers.

COHEN (voice-over): He runs a fishing charter in Maryland. He's a Trump supporter and serves as a local Republican council member.

MARSHALL: And this reaches beyond party, Republican, Democrat, whatever. This is a humanitarian issue. The key is going to be finding an affordable middle ground on this thing.

I don't see the subsidies going away.

SUNNI MONTGOMERY, ACA ENROLLEE: I fought really hard. Don't do this to us.

COHEN (voice-over): In Alabama, 63-year-old Sunni Montgomery is battling lung cancer with daily oxygen and scans every three months.

MONTGOMERY: I want to live. I want to stay alive. COHEN (voice-over): She says her premium is going from 540 a month to

more than 1700.

MONTGOMERY: I have to face the reality that I am probably going to become a late stage cancer patient who's uninsured.

COHEN: If you don't have insurance, what will that mean for your scans and your treatments and your oxygen?

MONTGOMERY: I won't have any of those. Life's going to get a lot harder.

AMANDA RUSSELL, ACA ENROLLEE: That's gone.

THEO RUSSELL, ACA ENROLLEE: That has gone up.

COHEN (voice-over): Back in Maryland, the Russells scroll through their enrollment options.

COHEN: So your health insurance is going from 400 some to about $1,100.

A. RUSSELL: For me, it was, okay, can I keep the kids insured?

COHEN: You were going to put them on health insurance and take yourselves off if you--

T. RUSSELL: -- It really had to.

A. RUSSELL: Yes. It was going to suck.

COHEN (voice-over): But they just found out their kids qualify for Medicaid because Amanda, who works two jobs and seven days a week, took a pay cut in her new position.

A. RUSSELL: You feel like you have to stay at a lower paying job.

COHEN: She had to double what she's currently making at her current job.

T. RUSSELL: For it to even be worth it.

COHEN: Yes.

COHEN (voice-over): These sun setting subsidies, pulling them further into a financial maze.

T. RUSSELL: It becomes nearly impossible to try to dig yourself out of a rut that you've been placed into.

Gabe Cohen, CNN, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Man, if these family stories don't move Congress's hearts, I don't know what will. Wow. All right. After the break, accusations of sports gambling and money

laundering. Two major league players facing serious charges tonight here in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:50:00]

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SIDNER: Two baseball pitchers have been indicted now for allegedly taking part in a scheme to rig bets on major league games.

CNN's Don Riddell is joining us now. You've been on this story since it broke, which happened not long ago. What can you tell us about this case?

DON RIDDELL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Sara. According to prosecutors, the Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, are facing charges on multiple counts of wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, money laundering conspiracy and more.

Ortiz has been arrested, he is in custody. His lawyer has told CNN that his client is innocent, adding that there is no credible evidence Ortiz did anything other than try to win games.

Both men were placed on non-disciplinary leave by the league back in July. In a statement to CNN, the Guardian said, quote, "We are aware of the recent law enforcement action. We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue."

MLB also says that it is cooperating with the investigation by the Department of Justice. And these accusations are serious. If proven, these players could be looking at potentially decades behind bars.

And of course, all of this is coming, what, barely two weeks after a similar scandal rocked the NBA. On that occasion, two players and a coach were arrested for their roles in insider trading in sports betting and rigged high stakes poker games. In both cases, the NBA and MLB, Sara, the indictments are coming from the same U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn.

SIDNER: Well, it's quite a thing as sports betting explodes in popularity. We will have to be watching these cases. I know you'll be watching them both closely.

Don Riddell, it is a pleasure. Thank you so much.

Still ahead at 6:00, we may be on the verge of seeing the Senate finally vote on an agreement that could pave the way to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. We are live from D.C. with the latest there. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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SIDNER: All right, you are in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Sara Sidner, in tonight for Jessica Dean in New York. She will be here in just about an hour.

Now, in Washington, the Senate is about to gavel back into work. A rare Sunday night session with hopes that senators can finally vote to end the shutdown, a shutdown that is now in its 40th day, the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

A source telling CNN reporters several Senate Democrats are now willing to back a plan that does not extend health subsidies. However, it does guarantee a vote on them in the future. Of course, that does not ensure that it will become law.

Eva McKend, joining us now from Washington with an important update. What are you learning at this hour, Eva?

MCKEND: Sara, all indications are we could see a procedural vote in the coming hours, and that is because there may be enough Senate Democrats willing to work with Senate Republicans to reopen the government.

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Now, perhaps this could be an exchange for some key concessions from the White House, but it's not clear if at all, what those concessions are. We know that the Democrats have at the very least, in addition to many things, have been fighting to restore the federal jobs that have been lost during the shutdown. Those are the jobs that the administration either got rid of or threatened to cut.