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Senate Proposes Stopgap Funding to End Shutdown; SNAP Policy Whiplash Leaves Millions Insecure About Food Aid; Democrats Win Big In Tuesday Elections; Senate Bill Wants Employers To Report Jobs Lost to A.I.; Americans Feeling Worse About the Economy Amid Shutdown. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired November 09, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: 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 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. And of course, we got to this longest shutdown in government history over the issue of health care. Democrats fighting hard to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies. But it seems like now at least some of them are on the precipice of coming to an agreement with Republicans without that key demand being met.

And listen, Sara, this could be a real political problem for Democrats. We know that many Senate Democrats do not support this. They believe that the election results last week were an endorsement of the strategy that they have long taken, and that is to fight with every mechanism they can against the Trump administration.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, there may be people who are concerned about why did this go on so long if you capitulate on this. We will see what happens with so many people worried, not just about food now, but about their health care subsidies, which they won't be able to afford, many of these families. But what are you -- what does it feel like there? What is the mood among lawmakers and staffers today?

MCKEND: Well, I think that there is a bit of confusion essentially to I think in some Democrats' view cave in this hour when all that they are guaranteed is some vote on this issue that they have been fighting so hard on at some point in the future. That is a far cry than getting the policy victory they want. But listen, some Senate Democrats really wanted it to come to this resolution.

I just saw Senator Fetterman leave his car and enter the Capitol, and he said that this shutdown should have never happened, that even though he agrees that ACA subsidies should be extended, that this is not the way that Senate Democrats should have gone about it because it has caused such chaos across the country.

SIDNER: Eva McKend --

MCKEND: Sara.

SIDNER: Sorry, I know you were working so hard on this Sunday and you've been, you know, working throughout this time trying to figure out exactly what's going on so the American people can understand what's happening there on Capitol Hill. I do appreciate you being here with us tonight.

And tonight more worries for the nearly 42 million Americans who rely on food stamps, otherwise known as SNAP benefits, after the Trump administration ordered states to stop sending out money or even undoing the money they've already sent out in food aid.

CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein is following developments for us on that front.

There is some confusion now around what's next because of what the Supreme Court ruled and because of what the Trump administration is now doing. What is the latest that you know?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Sara, I think fear, confusion, deep concern for so many Americans who rely on SNAP benefits. Those are those vital nutrition benefits that people depend on to eat. And it's about 42 million Americans who are impacted, about one in eight people. And there has been so much confusion and back and forth in the courts in recent days as this has played out.

Most recently, the Supreme Court has taken up the question of whether the Trump administration is required to pay out 100 percent of those SNAP benefits by tapping into emergency funding. The Supreme Court on Friday issued a stay on the order, essentially directing a pause on a lower court order that had required them to issue 100 percent of those benefits.

The Trump administration is now telling states that they must issue a partial 65 percent benefits. We heard from Deputy Undersecretary of State Patrick Penn saying in a Saturday memo to states that they must immediately undo any steps to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025. He goes on to say that failure to comply with this memorandum may result in USDA taking various actions, including cancellation of the federal share of state administrative costs and holding states liable for any over issuances that result from noncompliance.

But before that memo even came out, many states had already moved quickly, even to distribute some of those benefits, creating so much confusion and a headache for states as well as the people who were relying on this assistance. Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who is a Democrat, said that the Trump administration is creating what he described as intentional chaos for the states.

But the Trump administration, this White House, very certainly watching next steps on Capitol Hill very closely.

[18:05:04]

President Trump, for his part, is at the Commanders-Lions NFL game. He is expected to speak to FOX in the next quarter -- Sara. SIDNER: All right. Betsy Klein, thank you so much for your reporting

there from the White House for us tonight.

And with us now, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield.

Thank you so much for being here on this Sunday. It's such an important issue that so many families are out there wondering what they're going to do. We just heard from Betsy, and we've seen what happened with the Supreme Court, where they order allow the Trump administration to continue withholding some funding for the nation's largest anti-hunger program.

Now the Trump administration is saying they want to take back any funding that was already sent out to families who receive SNAP benefits as this goes through the courts. What do you think of that?

DAN RAYFIELD (D), OREGON ATTORNEY GENERAL: I think we have to pause, take a deep breath and think about America and who we want to be as a country. We have a president right now that is doing everything in his power to pull back food benefits. They're cutting benefits, at the same time right now they're delaying payments when people are going hungry in our communities.

That's the state of where we are. And so you have attorneys general across this country that are fighting every single day to make sure that those benefits go out to those in need. I think in here in America, we should never, it doesn't matter whether you're a Democrat or Republican, we should never accept when Americans are going hungry. And it's just such a bizarre turn of events that we have a president that's fighting so hard to take people's food assistance away.

SIDNER: We are the richest country in the world, but there are a lot of people suffering right now. I do want to talk about what's happening with lawsuits that are out there because your state is one of 25, including -- plus actually Washington, D.C., that is in the process of suing the Trump administration for trying to pause those benefits.

What's the current status of that lawsuit? Because I know it is not the same lawsuit that the Supreme Court has ruled upon.

RAYFIELD: Yes. And so here in Oregon, we've already loaded our food carts for the month of November. We anticipate this to be an ongoing battle with this presidential administration. I mean, you see what the National Guard stuff here in Oregon. A Trump appointee judge said, hey, you can't use the Oregon National Guard. And then he tries to deploy the California National Guard. Then he tries to deploy the Texas National Guard.

He's going to continue to find ways to achieve this end. And so as we look at this, we've received some early on victories in court. And then we will continue to push to make sure that, frankly, the president upholds his side of the bargain, upholds what Congress wants, which is making sure that people have food assistance. But we're under no illusion that this is not going to be an ongoing battle. And I think the traumatic part about this is you have families and

children. We have 214,000 children in Oregon that rely on food assistance. That's the reality of what's going on in the chaos that they're experiencing.

SIDNER: If you look at the breakdown of those who get and receive these benefits, 39 percent are children, the government itself says. And a large number of them are elderly. And then there are quite a few people who are disabled who receive these benefits, so they rely on them deeply for nutrition.

I do want to ask you about what the USDA has said, which is basically, look, if you don't comply, then, as a state, then you will face financial penalties for noncompliance. How do you deal with that? What does that mean to you? How do you fight it?

RAYFIELD: Yes. Those are the things that we look into, right? And we look at the language of the contracts that we have under these circumstances. However, I think what has to guide us right now are values. And in America, nobody should go hungry. And that's how we're operating here. Within Oregon, we have an amazing governor who's leading with her values first, to make sure that Oregonians have their food.

We're supporting her. And if they try and come back and penalize us to make sure that people have food assistance, we're going to fight like hell to make sure that they are unable to do that. It is unconscionable that we have a government that would want to penalize states for trying to put food in the hands of people who are hungry.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about the other battle that you're in, and you alluded to it earlier, when it comes to sending National Guard troops to Oregon. The Trump administration has tried different ways of doing it, but Friday, as you mentioned, a Trump appointed judge did rule that the administration's efforts to send the National Guard to Portland were not legal. And that judge permanently blocked the deployment.

Do you think this fight is over or do you expect a response from the Trump administration?

RAYFIELD: There's absolutely going to be a response from the Trump administration. He doesn't like his Trump appointee judge who looked at the real facts on the ground, and he's going to continue to try and go around this.

[18:10:02]

I'm looking at a pattern of behavior from our president, who's attempting to normalize the use of military on our streets. At the same time, he's yanking food benefits. In a way, it's this pattern of behavior that when he doesn't get his way, he's going to continue to try and find an alternative approach to do so. We're ready for that. We anticipate that he's going to try and appeal this up. And we're prepared in the event that that's what goes on. I think we're trying to fight for this value that here in America we

don't believe you need the military on our streets. We are not a third world country. This is America, and that's what we're fighting for.

SIDNER: There has been an argument from the president that you hear quite often that it's chaos, that, you know, that the police need help, that this should not be allowed, that they need to be able to protect federal buildings. We're looking at some video now of protesters and members, I think, of federal agents that are out -- that were out there.

What do you say to the president when he makes those statements about what's happening, for example, in Portland?

RAYFIELD: Well, first off, the president really doesn't call me, and I don't think he cares exactly what I think. But I think you have a president that, frankly, will say anything. I mean, he's made a career off of relying on social media, false information, and then making decisions based upon that. And that's why the trial was so darn important. It was a three-day trial in a federal courtroom to talk about what's going on on the ground.

And then a judge ruled on that, right? And you have to have certain findings to be able to federalize the National Guard. You got to have a rebellion, an invasion, or you can't effectuate the laws of the United States. None of those things existed. And what Americans should really hone in on to is what one of the building within ICE, one of the lead people within the building in ICE told the entire courtroom, said, hey, we never asked for the National Guard here in Portland, and that's why you had this judge ruled the way she did.

SIDNER: Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, I do appreciate you coming in on a Sunday to speak with us. I really do appreciate it.

All right. Still ahead, can Democrats repeat this week's so-called blue wave in next year's midterms? We'll talk to the chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party about what he thinks will be key for Dems to take back control of Congress.

Plus, Americans feeling increasingly worried when it comes to the economy. We break down the latest consumer data that shows a bit of a dark cloud hanging over the holidays. Stay with us.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:17:14]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: It turns out that if, number one, you have candidates with integrity, who believe in something, and are in it for the right reasons, they can win. And what we also learned is that when young people are engaged and involved, then we win.

Tuesday was nice, but we've got a lot of work to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: I think all Democrats and Republicans think that. Democrats taking a victory lap this week after commanding wins on Tuesday night in several races across the country. But now the countdown to the midterms begins.

We're joined now by Pennsylvania Democratic Party chairman Eugene DePasquale.

Thank you so much for being here. First, I want to get your thoughts on what we're seeing in the Senate tonight. A rare gathering on a Sunday, and we're expecting a vote. If enough Democrats agree to pass the short-term budget, but don't get an agreement to stave off huge increases in health care, is that a capitulation that's going to hurt Democrats in the end? How do you see it?

EUGENE DEPASQUALE, CHAIRMAN, PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Yes. First, Sara, thanks for having me. And my take on this is a bit different. I don't know all the particulars of this, but when I grew up we didn't have health insurance. When I was a kid, my brother Anthony had muscular dystrophy. So before the Affordable Care Act, our family was actually barred from getting health care coverage.

So I believe leaders of both parties, and particularly the president, who from when he came down that escalator in 2015, has done everything he's trying to -- possible to try to destroy Obamacare. Both parties should be working to strengthen it and make sure families who have preexisting conditions can get health care, and make sure all Americans can afford health insurance. Nothing else should be acceptable.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you, have you at all heard of a Republican plan for health care? The president had said that he is going to come up with something better, and that Obamacare is terrible and why does it need subsidies. Have you ever once heard of a plan by Republicans, their own plan, for what they're going to do about health care? We have a lot of people who are in dire straits right now worrying about the premiums rising.

DEPASQUALE: I'm 54 years old. I've never heard of Republican plan for health insurance. And all I do know is that they're trying to destroy the Affordable Care Act, trying to make sure that families actually cannot afford it without the subsidies, and also trying to destroy it by going back to the time when people with preexisting conditions couldn't get health insurance. So to me, the Affordable Care Act is a critical part of the American public right now, and it's important that we keep it and strengthen it, and make sure that the subsidies exist so that families can afford that insurance.

[18:20:01]

SIDNER: I want to ask you about the midterms because that is where the focus, I'm sure, you're focused on it, and so are many Democrats and Republicans looking ahead. There is a lot of time between what happened last Tuesday, which was a blue wave, there is no doubt about that, and the midterms.

What is your biggest worry that in between that time, what is your biggest worry for Democrats in particular?

DEPASQUALE: We probably had in Pennsylvania our best election night, at least for an odd year in Pennsylvania Democratic Party history. But we know we still have a lot of work to do. But what happened across Pennsylvania was a complete rejection of the high prices of the Trump administration, the chaos and the divisiveness. But as we move forward, I believe Pennsylvania, we're going to be the reason why Democrats win control of Congress.

We have four key seats that we're working to flip, and we are going to make sure that the Republicans in those seats completely own the divisiveness of the Trump administration. They owe the high price and the chaos that's coming out of Washington.

Look, the president promised us on day one that he was going to lower prices for average everyday Pennsylvanians and average everyday Americans. Well, it's well past day one and prices continue to go up. That's what we're going to campaign on while also running smart, tough, talented candidates running on Pennsylvania solutions to the Pennsylvania problems.

SIDNER: Look, the economy is also what hurt former President Biden. We are now seeing the response to what's happened since then. I do wonder, though, if you're at all concerned that perhaps looking at what happened on Tuesday that Democrats might be reading too much into these wins for Democrats, or do you have real hope that this exact same thing will happen during the midterms?

DEPASQUALE: Look, I'm a former college baseball football player. So, look, on one hand, that was a big night. I don't -- and I don't believe the president is going to change course. But I also believe that we have other battles ahead of us. So you can't just rest on your laurels. We have to even do a better job of raising money, doing a better job of organizing, do a better job of knocking on doors.

We did a great job, but we can build upon that and be even better. And that -- and with that better effort, and I know that the president simply is incapable of changing course. With that better effort and the divisiveness and the high price of the Trump administration, Pennsylvania will deliver a new majority, a Democratic majority, to the United States Congress. And we'll reelect Governor Shapiro as governor and we'll hold our Pennsylvania statehouse and flip the Pennsylvania state Senate.

SIDNER: You know, when you bring up athletics, you make me have to say that I am a former volleyball player, college player for the University of Florida, home of the Fighting Gators. But I know what it is to have to fight through something like you mentioned. And there is always a lot of work to do between, no matter if you win or lose a game, you have a heck of a lot of work to do afterwards to try to win the next one. No matter what happened in the previous game.

I do want to ask you about -- DEPASQUALE: You should always try to get better. That's right.

SIDNER: Yes, there's a lot of hard work that goes into that. I want to ask you about what happened here in New York. Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani had a convincing win in New York City, but it took a long time for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to back him. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer still hasn't said whether he backs him. He certainly won't say who he voted for in that race.

What do you see as Mamdani's effect on the Democratic Party?

DEPASQUALE: Look, I can't speak to the other leaders, but I can tell you this. I've got a son who's 26 and a daughter who's 22, and it is a struggle for them to afford average, everyday living. Look, you know, mom and I are able to be helpful, and they're both doing a great job. And my daughter has a full-time job in Philadelphia. My son has a full time job in D.C., so they're doing better than most.

And it still is a struggle. What I think the mayor-elect in New York did was he touched on this affordability crisis that's happening not only in New York, but in major cities and across the United States. And that's a result of basically the Trump tariffs and the chaos and divisiveness that's coming out of Washington and Democrats are going to work across the country next year to make sure that we address this affordability crisis so that average, everyday Americans can afford to live in the United States. And I've seen that firsthand with the challenges my children are going through.

SIDNER: What do you think is the biggest stumble that the Democrats have made and how do you correct that?

DEPASQUALE: Well, I -- in the past, who knows? Like, look, you can always get better. And I think the thing we need to focus on is we need to win the battle for the future. I think there was a period of time where we had -- we weren't doing a good enough job of listening. And I think in the previous four years there was -- out of Washington, there wasn't a recognition of the challenges that was going on with the higher prices.

[18:25:01]

And I believe Democrats have learned that lesson, and we are going to fight to address that and make sure that we never lose touch with the challenges of average everyday Pennsylvanians and average everyday Americans ever again.

SIDNER: Yes, that's a really good point. We're also seeing some of that happen with the current president, who just last week said there's not an affordability issue and that's something that a lot of Americans have something to say about.

Eugene DePasquale, thank you so much for visiting with us. Live there from Pittsburgh. Appreciate it.

Coming up --

DEPASQUALE: Thank you, Sara.

SIDNER: It is a -- appreciate you. It's a nightmare scenario straight out of a science fiction movie. Will robots begin taking over the jobs? We talked to an A.I. expert about whether the warnings you're hearing are based on truth or just a lot of hype.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:13]

SIDNER: A new bipartisan bill in the Senate wants employers to be very clear about how many American jobs are being lost to artificial intelligence. I'm sure you want to know the answer to that. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley said, and I'm quoting here, "The American people need to have an accurate understanding of how A.I. is affecting our workforce, so we can ensure that A.I. works for the people, not the other way around."

The bill, introduced by the Missouri Republican and Virginia Democrat, Senator Mark Warner, would require large companies and government agencies to report A.I. related job impacts every three months. That could be new hires, layoffs, or job displacements. The Labor Department would then add up those changes and make them all public.

We're joined now by Darrell West, senior fellow with the Brookings Institute and an expert on artificial intelligence, robotics and the future of work.

Thank you for being here. This is a subject that so many people are worried about, are looking at and wondering if their job is at risk. We've heard of a lot of layoffs recently that have to do with A.I. but how much is A.I. to blame at this point for what we're seeing in the job market?

DARRELL WEST, SENIOR FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Well, Sara, we are seeing A.I. related job losses already take place. So certainly in terms of entry level jobs, anything that is routine or administrative already can be automated and actually is being automated. But it's not just entry level jobs. There are more white collar jobs and professional jobs that are being affected by A.I. and automation.

For example, A.I. can now read x-rays and CAT scans with a high degree of accuracy. So radiologists, you would think that would be an occupation that would be immune from A.I., it actually is not. We're seeing a lot of A.I. come into finance, transportation and many other areas, so I applaud those senators for introducing that bill. We need more information about exactly what the job impact is.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you, just on a larger scale, are we going to see something like what happened to blue-collar workers when manufacturing jobs left places like Detroit? When it comes to white- collar workers who are going to see A.I. come in and sort of decimate some of the things like going into law firms, those entry level jobs, looking up like you just talked about, looking at, you know, charts and those sorts of things that a computer can do sometimes even quicker and better than we can as humans. are we going to see a huge mass change here?

WEST: We are certainly going to see a change in some of those professional occupations. I mean, just take the legal area. I mean, what do lawyers do? A lot of what lawyers do is somebody comes with a complaint. Lawyers do research. They look at past cases, see what might be relevant for them. A.I. can do that. A.I. is actually really good at reviewing past legal cases, undertaking a literature review and so on.

Like in my own area of education, what do academics do? You know, we analyze information, we conduct literature reviews, we analyze data. Those are all things that A.I. can do. So I do think that it's not just going to be a problem of entry level positions, but some of these higher level professional and white-collar jobs that one might think would be immune to automation actually are not likely to be.

SIDNER: You know, it's fascinating. Are there specific jobs that you right now look at and go, if I was a kid going to college, I would not be studying that? That's going to go away. What are you seeing?

WEST: Well, the funny thing is, you know, five or 10 years ago, people were always saying, oh, you need to learn how to code. Like, you would think that software design, software coding, you would be immune.

SIDNER: Right.

WEST: But, you know, the tech companies have announced a lot of layoffs over the last few months, and several of them themselves have pointed out that one-third or more of the people they have laid off basically are software engineers and software coders, and they specifically cited A.I. as the reason for those layoffs. So, you know, that's a job that one might think would be safe, but no longer is.

The transportation area like autonomous vehicles are starting to appear in major American cities. And so probably a little bit more down the road, taxi drivers and ride-sharing service drivers are going to be at risk. So A.I. is really going to affect a lot of different sectors.

SIDNER: Yes, a lot of different things. And some things that we can't see yet because we don't know just how good A.I. is going to become. But it's certainly becoming very good at certain things very quickly.

I do want to sort of ask you just kind of on a broad spectrum, how important is it that there is governance of this?

[18:35:06]

I mean, for a long time, people have been asking the government to try and sort of deal with and regulate social media, which it really hasn't yet. How important is it for the government to get involved now when it comes to A.I.?

WEST: We certainly need better guardrails in place. We need better transparency about how these algorithms operate, what kind of decisions they're making, the kind of data they're using. We need to think about the impact on personal privacy and cybersecurity because those things are at risk. I mean, every day there's a big increase in consumer fraud and scams that are taking place.

So government does have a role to protect consumers. That is a classic role of government. We also need to improve our job retraining situation. I mean, there are going to be new types of jobs that are created as well. But there's a question as to whether the people being laid off due to A.I. will have the skills needed to qualify for those new jobs. So job retraining is something that both the public and private sectors need to take more seriously.

SIDNER: Yes, those are really good points, but I have to say it is scary sort of talking through all the possibilities that A.I. can just replace us and do it, you know, better and faster and cheaper, which is what companies are looking for.

Darrell West, I do appreciate you looking into this and keeping tabs on it. We'll be checking back in with you, I'm sure, over the next few months and years.

All right. Ahead, still to come, Americans feeling anxious as the holidays are inching closer. Why rising costs and no real relief in sight. Our chief data analyst Harry Enten joins us next to run the numbers for us.

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[18:41:24]

SIDNER: OK. A live look of Capitol Hill. The Capitol there where we are keeping a close eye on the Senate floor as lawmakers look to advance a plan to potentially end the government shutdown now in day 40. But there are still key sticking points between the shutdown and rising prices. Consumer sentiment is at its lowest level that we've seen in years. That's according to a new survey from the University of Michigan.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is joining us now to run the numbers on how Americans are viewing the state of the economy.

You always bring such good, happy energy, but this is not so great, is it?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: No. It is not great at all. We're setting records in the way you don't want to set records, Sara Sidner. What are we talking about? Well, if you know anything about the University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index, it's broken into future expectations as well as current conditions.

I want to look at current conditions because, get this, Sara, it is the worst ever. My goodness gracious, and down 30 percent from January, the worst ever. And keep in mind they have been tracking this, I believe, since 1951. And there has never been until the preliminary measurement that came out late this past week a measure for the current conditions that is worse than the one that came out at the end this week. Way, way down from the beginning of this year. As I said at the top,

setting, the types of records we don't want to set, and that's the consumer sentiment, the current conditions -- Sara Sidner.

SIDNER: That is not good. I do want to ask you, who are they blaming for this? Like when they look at it, who is getting the brunt of the blame?

ENTEN: The buck stops with the president of the United States of America. That's where the buck stops. So take a look here. Trump's policies have worsened economic conditions in America. We're talking about three in five Americans, 61 percent, say that. How about worse than your own finances? 51 percent. The majority say that.

So, look, Donald Trump may try to escape blame on some of this, but the bottom line is this. We are seeing current conditions, the consumer sentiment, the worst ever since '51, three in five, a super majority of Americans saying that his policies have made economic conditions in America worse. And a majority, although just north of 50 percent, saying he's worse than your own finances. So the buck is stopping with the president of the United States -- Sara.

SIDNER: Look, we have a very polarized political group here, political class. What are those in the center of the electorate saying?

ENTEN: OK, so you see these numbers, right? And you know that those on the left are going to hate Donald Trump, while those on the right are going to love Donald Trump basically no matter what he does. So it really comes down to the center of the electorate. I want to talk about pure independents. Those who don't lean towards either party and take a look here, disapprove of Trump on the economy.

Look at this. We're talking nearly four in five, nearly four in five pure independents, 79 percent disapprove of Trump on the economy, according to ABC News-"Washington Post" poll. Come to this side of the screen. That's no outlier because look here, we're talking about 76 percent north of three and four of pure independents, according to Marquette University Law School, who say that they disapprove of Donald Trump and the economy.

And when you put it all together, Sara, and you talk about independents, I have it here as a little nugget so that I could say it to the audience. We're talking about minus 58 points. His net approval rating on the economy when it comes to pure independents. Right now, what we're talking about is just a disaster for President Trump and the economy. And you sort of course in those off-year elections in Virginia and New Jersey this past Tuesday, where, of course, the Republicans went down to defeat the gubernatorial candidates by double digits.

[18:45:06]

SIDNER: Right. It was the top issue. I think we talked about that over and over and over again when it came to why President Trump was put into office. I'm going to throw you for a loop because I have a little extra time

here, Harry. It's stump Harry day. You are one of the most frugal people I know. I am also fairly frugal. We drive off of this with each other. What advice would you give someone to -- what is one really frugal thing that you do that nobody knows about unless they really -- unless they know you?

ENTEN: One really frugal thing is I will always go the extra block to go away from the brand name Duane Reade's CVS and go the extra block to the local bodega, because I can usually save $0.25 to $0.50 on soda. I'm not proud of it, but the bottom line is my father grew up during the Great Depression. He was a penny pincher. I'm a penny pincher. But don't be, you know, what is the pound foolish, right?

SIDNER: Don't be -- yes.

ENTEN: Don't be penny foolish.

SIDNER: Pennywise and pound foolish.

ENTEN: Thank you. So I never cheat on the GF when it comes to the money. I always try and spend the money on her and I try and save it on myself.

SIDNER: It's very smart. You know what I do and you know some of this, when the company gives you swag, use it at home and at the office. Don't go buying these things. If the company is giving it to you, use it, right?

ENTEN: Of course.

SIDNER: That is one thing.

ENTEN: Always use what the company gives you. Any free clothing is clothing of mine.

SIDNER: Agreed. Harry Enten, it is always a pleasure to see you.

ENTEN: Bye.

SIDNER: We'll see you in the morning. You better be there.

ENTEN: Sounds good. I'll be there.

SIDNER: All right. Bring your wallet.

Coming up, not one, but two monster typhoons slamming straight into the Philippines. A look at the aftermath straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:51:30]

SIDNER: That is terrifying. Those howling winds you're hearing are from Typhoon Fung-Wong, the second major typhoon to hit the Philippines in less than a week. This second powerful storm killing at least two people and forcing nearly a million people to have to evacuate, and look at the pictures of the flooding there. Philippine disaster officials tell CNN that people are just shell shocked as this is the country's fourth major typhoon in less than two months.

Just a few days ago, Typhoon Kalmaegi hit the nation killing nearly 200 people before moving to Vietnam, where another five people were killed in that storm.

Now, tens of thousands of Sudanese are fleeing a violent paramilitary force that has reportedly massacred hundreds of civilians now in El Fasher. In the Darfur region of Sudan, which is a gold rich country in East Africa, one aid group says in the last two weeks, more than 16,000 people have fled to overcrowded camps like the ones you're seeing there in barren areas west of the city, with few tents. Many are just patched together.

You can see it there with tarps and sticks and sheets. The group says they are in urgent need of food, medicine, shelter and support.

All right, voting underway for the 2025 CNN Hero of the Year. In the meantime, we're catching up with remarkable CNN Heroes from years past whose work continues to grow and inspire positive change around the world. We met Amanda Boxtel in 2018 and learned about her extraordinary story of resilience. After becoming paralyzed, she dedicated herself to bringing high tech physical therapy to others with mobility challenges.

Now, Anderson Cooper shares how Boxtel's efforts are moving onward and upward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA BOXTEL, 2018 CNN HERO: I feel like the mountain had robbed me of the use of my legs, but I was determined to show that I wasn't going to give up so easily.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): At 24, Amanda Boxtel was paralyzed in a skiing accident. After years of physical therapy, she had the chance to try a new, costly technology. An exoskeleton designed to help people with mobility challenges.

BOXTEL: I stood up and I walked for the first time in 18 years, and it was as if all of my dreams were burgeoning to life in one upright, powerful moment.

COOPER: Amanda purchased her own exoskeleton and walked 130,000 steps in a year, easing her chronic pain.

BOXTEL: Right leg was the first to come back. Was that right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct.

COOPER: In 2015, she founded Bridging Bionics to help other people with mobility issues benefit from the technology.

BOXTEL: It's not easily accessible. It's not affordable. And I thought we could get a whole community up and walking with this unit.

COOPER: She even teamed up with her fellow 2018 CNN Hero, Ricardo Pun- Chong, who provides free housing and support for sick children and their families while they undergo medical treatment in Lima, Peru. When Amanda learned a child in his program needed a wheelchair, she wanted to help.

BOXTEL: She has cerebral palsy and she was in a stroller. She's been in a stroller for her whole life.

[18:55:01]

It's time, don't you think, for her to have a wheelchair to call her own?

Look what we have for Daleska.

RICARDO PUN-CHONG, 2018 CNN HERO: Thank you so much.

With this new wheelchair and with her surgery, she's going to have a better life.

COOPER: Amanda recently secured a dedicated space for her work, allowing her to help more people access high-tech physical therapy.

BOXTEL: We are truly giving the gift of mobility for free or next to nothing, to help our community get upright and walking again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: To learn more and vote for CNN Hero of the Year, go to CNNHeroes.com.

Now still ahead in the next hour, we're keeping a close eye on Capitol Hill. We could see a vote for -- from the Senate floor to end the shutdown. We will see.

Thank you so much for joining me this evening. I'm Sara Sidner. Jessica Dean is back with us after the break. And remember, if you're in the United States, you can now stream CNN wherever you want and whenever you want on the CNN app. Visit CNN.com/WatchforMore.

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