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Top U.S. and Ukrainian Officials to Meet in Geneva Sunday; Bolsonaro's Supporters, Opponents Clash After His Arrest; Trump Open to Reconciling With Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) Amid Feud, Resignation. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired November 23, 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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[03:00:00]
BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, whether you are in the world, you are now in the CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.
Coming up on the show, U.S. diplomats and Ukrainian officials are meeting today to go over a proposal to end the war with Russia. President Donald Trump indicates this is not the final offer.
Former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested just before he's set to start a prison sentence. Authorities say they were worried he was planning an escape.
And President Trump says he's open to reconcile it with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. It has been a whirlwind week in U.S. politics and will break it all down.
A high-stakes meeting between top US and Ukrainian officials is set to begin in the hours ahead. We're seeing some live pictures there. We've got Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ambassador Steve Witkoff expected to join the talks in Geneva, Switzerland. They will discuss a new U.S. proposal to end the war in Ukraine.
One U.S. official says they plan to iron out language before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with President Donald Trump. The 28-point plan calls for Ukraine to give up territory to Russia, abandon its long held pursuit of NATO membership and cut the size of its army. President Trump appears open to negotiate that, saying that this proposal is not the final offer.
Well, CNN's Kevin Liptak has the latest for us from the White House.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Pressure is mounting on the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to agree to President Trump's 28-point peace plan, or at least a version of it before the president's self-imposed deadline of Thursday. American officials are preparing to meet in Switzerland with a Ukrainian delegation as they work to put their imprint on this plans. Steve Witkoff, the president's foreign envoy, and the American secretary of state, Marco Rubio, set to form the American component of that delegation. We do expect as well that they will meet with Russian officials soon thereafter as they work to get this plan in place.
Now, President Trump on Saturday did say that this was not his final offer, and I think that will be reassuring to some degree. For those who believe that this plan essentially resembles a Russian wish list. And among it its components include that Ukraine give up the entire Donbas region that's in the east of Ukraine, that it limit the size of its military, that it commit to never joining NATO, and that it give up some of the long-range weapons capability that is provided over the course of this conflict, essentially, many of the Maximalist demands that the Kremlin has been making since this conflict began.
So, I think the real question now, and I post this to President Trump on Saturday, is what happens if Zelenskyy does not agree to this plan? Listen to what he said.
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I would like to get the peace. It should have been -- it should have happened a long time ago.
The Ukraine war with Russia should have never happened. If I were president, it never would've happened. We're trying to get it ended. One way or the other, we have to get it ended.
REPORTER: So, President Zelenskyy doesn't agree to this deal by Thursday. Will you cut off military aid? Will you cut off the intelligence?
TRUMP: Then he can continue to fight his little heart out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: So, you hear there, the President not saying definitively what the consequences might be for Zelenskyy not agreeing to this deal, but I think implicit in his answer is that this will then be Zelenskyy's war and that he will essentially wash his hands of it.
Now, the European leaders have cast some skepticism on this agreement. In their meetings on Saturday, they came out with a statement that said they were concerned, in particular, about the provision that would force Ukraine to limit the size of their military. They say that this plan will require additional work.
A number of Republicans in Washington, including allies of the president's, have also voiced concerns. Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina, saying that parts of this plan are very problematic and can be made better.
[03:05:02]
Perhaps more blunt was Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader, certainly not a fan of President Trump's, who said that Putin has spent the entire year trying to play President Trump for a fool.
Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.
HUNTE: U.S. lawmakers attending the Halifax International Security Forum addressed President Trump's proposal. Some on both sides of the aisle agree that any peace plan should be backed by Ukraine.
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SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): I believe this is a Russian proposal. I hope that tomorrow's negotiations in Geneva focus on a real framework for negotiation that guarantees an outcome that benefits Ukraine rather than Russia.
SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): It's important for all of us to remember that whatever is going to be determined by the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, whatever role the United States, Europe, and all of our allies play, the decision is none of ours. It solely lies with the people and the democratically-elected leadership of Ukraine.
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HUNTE: Meanwhile, world leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 in Johannesburg to discuss the U.S. peace proposal for Ukraine. As Kevin Liptak mentioned, European leaders have viewed the plan with skepticism, saying it needs more work.
Let's go to CNN's Larry Madowo. He's joining us live from Johannesburg, where the G20 is well underway. Larry, what can you tell us about these G20 leaders in Ukraine?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ben, these world leaders here in South Africa for the G20 Leaders Summit scrambled out of the opening session to have a separate meeting about Ukraine because that has been the main topic here. And because they're all here in South Africa, it seemed only necessary that they set aside and try and put together a counterargument to the U.S. proposal.
And when they were finished, it was about 12 European leaders and also the Japanese and the Canadian leaders, and they said that they welcomed President Trump's proposal, but it needed additional work. They consider it just a draft, but they pointed out that Ukraine's borders should not be changed by force, and they were also concerned about the limitations on the military that they said would put Ukraine vulnerable for further attack.
I want you to listen to what President Emmanuel Macron said shortly after that meeting.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: I think it's very good that the U.S. proposed something to go to the ceasefire and peace, and we have to commend these efforts. But at the same time, as what is at stake is obviously Ukrainian sovereignty and European security. It's normal to have both the Ukrainians and the Europeans are on the table to finalize this plan. So, this is exactly what we will do tomorrow and the day after in order to make a common plan.
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MADOWO: The Europeans are all reading from the same hymn sheet. And they also say that anything to do with the European Union and NATO has to be decided by the European Union and NATO. So, they're a criticism that they were not involved in this 28-point plan with a Thursday deadline that the U.S. had put forward then.
HUNTE: Yes, indeed. And stepping back from Ukraine, what else can you tell us about America boycotting this whole thing?
MADOWO: South Africa has tried to downplay the absence of President Donald Trump here after he claimed that there's a white genocide, which they say is not happening, and many of the other leaders who showed up here appeared to also support the South African position and to criticize the transactional way in which President Trump does business.
They pushed forward a declaration, which is essentially the joint position of all the leaders attending here. President Macron described it as overwhelming consensus, even though Argentina said they did not support it, so it's Argentina and the U.S. that are out of that. But that declaration includes language that the U.S. would be uncomfortable with, stressing the challenge of the climate crisis, the debt burden that many poor countries struggle with. And they even set up an international panel on inequality.
The White House slammed that declaration, calling it shameful. They accused South Africa of having weaponized the G20 presidency and the White House saying that President Trump will restore the legitimacy of the G20 when it takes over. And, in fact, South Africa has refused to hand over the G20 presidency to the charges d'affaires here in Pretoria. That is the deputy ambassador. They say President Trump will only hand -- President Trump posted, will only hand over to a (INAUDIBLE) of equal standing.
So, what will happen now, Ben, which is interesting, they will have this gavel go to the South African Foreign Ministry and the junior official there will hand over to the U.S. junior official and I guess eventually it'll make its way to President Trump.
HUNTE: It is all going on. Thank you for the updates, Larry Madowo in Johannesburg. I appreciate it.
The Atlantic Council and founder of the World Briefing Report on Substack, he's joining us from Johannesburg. Thank you so much for being with me, Michael. How are you doing?
MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, FOUNDER, WORLD BRIEFING REPORT ON SUBSTACK: Very good. Good to be with you here from Johannesburg.
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HUNTE: It's good to see you. Let's start with Marco Rubio saying that the U.S. definitely authored the now quite controversial Ukraine peace plan, but earlier reports and officials said otherwise. Have a listen to this from Republican Senator Mike Rounds.
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SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R-SD): Secretary Rubio did make a phone call to us this afternoon. I think he made it very clear to us that we are the recipients of a proposal that was delivered to one of our representatives. It is not our recommendation. It is not our peace plan. It is a proposal that was received, and as an intermediary, we have made arrangements to share it and we did not release it. It was leaked. It was not released by our members or our representatives.
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HUNTE: Okay. So, let's talk about this. Because when my team and I heard this for the first time, we were like, this seems like massive news. What's your reaction to that?
BOCIURKIW: Amateur hour at the White House. I mean, imagine if you're a president of Zelenskyy and his team and you're trying to navigate these twists and turns. Is it a U.S. proposal? Is it not? Will Ukraine be involved? Will Europe be involved?
Look, at the end of the day whoever put this together it doesn't really matter. The main point here being is that it does appear from beginning to end as if it was authored by the Kremlin, as was, for example, that circus in Alaska from beginning to end by the Kremlin. No Ukrainian leader, President Zelenskyy, no Ukrainian leader could ever sign up to even a portion of this so-called peace plan because it would be the end of Ukraine as we know it as a sovereign nation.
It's a very perilous time for Ukraine right now, and I know, you know, picking up on what's happening here at the G20, a lot of leaders are debating how do we deal with such an erratic White House, erratic Mr. Trump, in order to move forward especially on peace -- achieving peace in Ukraine?
HUNTE: And while all of that is said and done, President Trump has still said that his peace plan for Ukraine is not the final offer. So, things could still potentially change, and suggested that if Zelenskyy doesn't accept what is produced, he can fight his little heart out. How should we interpret all of this?
BOCIURKIW: Very tough. You know, we all know by now that Trump's deadlines are very flexible. He likes two weeks, three weeks, whatever, especially when it comes to tariffs, but, you know, it's a very difficult time also for Mr. Zelenskyy and his team because if they respond with a no to this peace plan or push back, and, by the way, I've noticed, for example, their ambassadors of Washington is still being very diplomatic towards the Trump plan, but if they push back, do they risk once again losing that very, very crucial U.S. intelligence sharing and weapons delivery? If that were to stop even for a little while, given what's happening in Ukraine, the pounding they're taking day after day after day with drones and missiles, game over for Ukraine.
And, by the way, it's clear from to us from being here just a few days talking to E.U. Chief Von der Leyen that Europe is in no position yet to replace, to backfill what the United States is giving to Ukraine.
HUNTE: You are quite literally in the room where it happens right now. World leaders have already expressed concerns over the U.S. peace plan for Ukraine. They say it seems to favor Russia. From your perspective, how should European powers respond to it, and how are we going to see changes to what they say as a result of what we've just heard?
BOCIURKIW: Well, you know, what's important to keep in mind here is that there is some good news, which still often happen at these -- in some instances, there is a final declaration and there seems to have been consensus. Because, you know, that's not difficult to achieve when you have a China, a Russia, and maybe it was good the U.S. wasn't here. But let's not forget, these are more statements of intent, these final declarations, they're not binding, but let's see if, for example, they refer to what's happening in between Ukraine and Russia as a war, as a conflict, conflict being Russia type of narrative. And I can almost guarantee you that there will be little or zero condemnation of Russian war crimes, Russian action in Ukraine.
Having said that, I think this is a very, very important point given that India's here, given many African state says, hey, guys, I think you know, you guys should understand the meaning of territorial integrity. And what is happening right now in this peace plan is a sovereign nation attacked by an aggressor state giving up land.
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What kind of signal does that send to non-state actors to other autocrats around the world? So, it's not only Ukraine's issue or Europe's issue, it's a global issue, and especially here at the G20.
HUNTE: We appreciate your time. Michael Bociur kiw, thank you so much.
BOCIURKIW: You're welcome.
HUNTE: Israeli Strikes in Gaza killed at least 20 people and injured dozens more, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. A warning to our viewers, some of the footage that we're about to see is disturbing.
The Israel defense officer says it launched retaliatory strikes in the enclave on Saturday after its soldiers came under fire. According to the IDF, an armed terrorist crossed into Israeli occupied territory in Gaza and opened fire. The Israeli Prime Minister said the strikes killed five senior members of Hamas, but did not identify them. A Hamas official in Gaza rejected Israel's allegations as, quote, an excuse to kill. The militant group also blamed Israel for escalating ceasefire violations.
Outrage is growing in Nigeria after more than 300 students and a dozen teachers were kidnapped at a private Catholic school. Earlier estimates were that 200 were abducted, but the Christian Association of Nigeria updated that number, some of the students as young as ten. Meanwhile, schools across Nigeria have been closing their doors as worried parents have been pulling their children from classes. Nigeria has experienced a growing wave of attacks by armed groups, as well as religiously motivated crimes. Crimes targeting religious minorities have drawn the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump, who criticized Nigeria recently for failing to protect Christians.
After two and a half years, the civil war in Sudan is regaining the attention of the international community. This all comes amid reports of mass atrocities in a battle-scarred city, as well as U.S. commitments to help end that conflict.
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HUNTE (voice over): The horrors of the war in Sudan once again in the international spotlight.
TRUMP: And we're going to start working with Sudan. I didn't think that was one that was going to be so easy to do, that we're going to start working.
HUNTE: At the request of Saudi Arabia, U.S President Donald Trump says he'll work for peace in the besieged country. The comments coming as a United Nations is calling out an alarming escalation in the conflict. The U.N. aid chief visited the Western Sudan area, where widespread abuse of civilians has been reported, calling one war torn city a crime scene.
TOM FLETCHER, U.N. UNDERSECRETARY FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: There have been mass atrocities, mass executions, mass torture, sexual violence on a horrific scale. And, of course, the people escaping have been attacked on the roads as well.
HUNTE: In late October, rebels from the Rapid Support Forces, or the RSF, seized control of the town of Al-Fasher in the Darfur region after an 18-month battle with the Sudanese military. Witnesses say it was a bloodbath and accuse RSF fighters of mass killings in the city.
MUBARAK, DISPLACED PERSON: 50 or 60 people in a single street, or 10 or 20 people, they kill them, bang, bang, bang. Then they would go to the next street, and again, bang, bang, bang. That's the massacre I saw in front of me.
HUNTE: The RSF says it acknowledges what it calls violations in Al- Fasher. Tens of thousands of people are unaccounted for, according to the U.N., after nearly 100,000 people fled the city. The Sudanese Red Crescent says, women make up almost 80 percent of one displacement camp, where many people from Al-Fasher have taken refuge. And there's an influx of pregnant women and unaccompanied minors.
A survivor from Al-Fasher says many of the men didn't make it out of the city.
SALMA MOHAMMED, DISPLACED PERSON: Some of the men were martyred and others were captured on the road while they were trying to leave. There are also missing men whose fate is still unknown or they're captured or dead.
HUNTE: Al-Fasher was the Sudanese Armed Force's last major stronghold in Darfur, and its takeover by the RSF solidifies rebel control over Western Sudan. But the Sudanese military holds much of the north and east of the country, a civil war raging for more than two and a half years. And the U.N. warns the savagery like that in Al-Fasher won't stop unless a path to peace can be found.
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HUNTE (on camera): Still to come, Brazil Supreme Court and Federal Police Force believe ex-President Jair Bolsonaro may have been planning to flee the country to avoid a lengthy prison sentence.
Plus, world leaders reach a new climate deal, but with a major emission. Up ahead, we'll get into what they left out.
See you in a moment.
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HUNTE: Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro clashed with his opponents outside a federal police station on Saturday. Bolsonaro was taken into custody and is being held at this police station over fears that he would try to escape house arrest and flee a country. The right wing former leader was convicted of plotting a coup after he lost the 2022 election. Bolsonaro was detained just days before starting his 27-year prison sentence.
Julia Vargas Jones has more.
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In one of the most dramatic turns in Brazilian politics since the January 8th attacks, Brazilian authorities arrested former President Jair Bolsonaro early Saturday morning, not because of his 27-year prison sentence was beginning but because he was preparing to flee, authorities say. Since being convicted of attempted coup back in September, Bolsonaro has been under house arrest. But a midnight alert from his electronic ankle monitor triggered security teams to come inspect the device, and then Bolsonaro admitted on video that he had used a soldering iron to try to open it.
That same night, his son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, called supporters to gather outside his father's home. The Supreme Court says that that combination of the damaged ankle monitor in a politically motivated crowd suggested Bolsonaro may try to escape.
In his ruling overnight, Justice Alexandre de Moares even raised the possibility that Bolsonaro could attempt to reach the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia noting its proximity and pointing out that some of Bolsonaro allies in the same coup case had already left the country to avoid prison.
Bolsonaro's lawyers insist that none of this adds up. They say the device was functioning normally, that the gathering was a prayer vigil and that the arrest amounts to nothing more than political persecution. But Brazil's attorney general agreed with police that the risk of escape was real. And around 6:00 A.M., police entered Bolsonaro home and took him into custody. He's now being held in a special cell at the federal police headquarters.
Across Brazil, this news of his arrest has highlighted just how deeply politically divided the country continues to be, with some celebrating openly in the streets, and some calling it an abuse of power. And then in Washington, President Trump, who was once one of Bolsonaro's closest international allies, said on Saturday, he hadn't heard of the news of his arrest. And once he learned, he said that was too bad. It's a markedly different tone from just a few months ago when the same President Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on a slew of Brazilian goods over what he called a witch hunt of a trial against Bolsonaro.
Now, with or without support from the White House, Bolsonaro still has one appeal left before his 27-year sentence becomes final. What this preventative arrest does is it sends a clear message that Brazilian authorities are willing to act quickly and publicly when they believe democratic order is at risk. And it also highlights just how volatile the political landscape is in Brazil as the country moves towards the 2026 presidential elections.
Julia Vargas Jones, CNN.
HUNTE: And we just want to note that while Bolsonaro admitted he used a soldering iron on his ankle bracelet, he said he did not attempt to remove it.
World leaders have reached a new climate deal at the COP 30 Summit in Brazil, but it stopped short of the one thing that many countries were pushing for, a roadmap away from fossil fuels. After two weeks of tense negotiations, the final text includes no mention of coal, oil, or gas, and they were the mind main drivers of the climate crisis. This marks a retreat from consensus agreements reached just two years ago in Dubai. However, the deal does call for increasing funding to help vulnerable nations adapt to the impact of climate change.
Iran is battling a chronic dirty air problem with emissions from older cars being a big factor. The toxic smog was so bad on Saturday in Tehran. Its air quality surged to unhealthy levels with an index of 184. Local media says the city is imposing emergency restrictions, including closing kindergartens and preschools for five days. Some residents report shortness of breath and being unable to see far distances due to the hazardous smog.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be honest, it's a shame that you open the window. Smoke is blowing under your nose and the situation of the weather is so bad that you can't see the mountains and you can only see a thick black layer when you start your day.
One reason is because of our gasoline, and another reason is because of worn out cars, which haven't been responsible for yet, meaning there's not much supervision. Most of the air pollution is because of our gasoline and cars and our poor quality fuel.
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HUNTE: More than 100 communities in Southern Thailand are under evacuation orders due to severe flooding. Many people were forced to flee their homes and cars wading through knee deep water to get to safety. Authorities say the area received nearly 60 centimeters or almost two feet of rain in just three days.
Air traffic was suspended for several hours on Saturday at Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands. The Dutch defense minister says multiple drones were spotted at the airport. He says, the military has taken measures against the drones. Drones and other airspace incursions have caused considerable disruption across Europe in recent months. In September, more than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, and three Russian military jets violated Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes.
Still ahead, President Trump says he would consider extending an olive branch to his former ally, turned foe, outgoing Lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Green. All of those details when we come back. See you in a moment.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
Top U.S. and Ukrainian officials are preparing to meet in the coming hours to discuss a new draft U.S. peace plan. President Donald Trump has given Kyiv until Thursday to accept the proposal, which is facing major backlash for giving into Russia's demands. A separate meeting between a Russian delegation and the U.S. is also in the works.
Brazilian police have detained former President Jair Bolsonaro over fears that he may try to escape house arrest. The country's Supreme Court says he admitted to tampering with his ankle monitor using a soldering iron. His lawyers dismissed those claims. In just a few days, Bolsonaro is due to start a 27 year prison sentence for planning a coup after he lost the 2022 election.
World leaders have reached a new climate deal with the COP 30 Summit in Brazil, but it fell short on fossil fuels, completely omitting language around coal, oil, and gas key contributors to the climate crisis. Instead, it focuses on mitigation and adaptation efforts, including global health initiatives.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he could be open to reconciling with Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene. President Trump's comments come just hours after he bashed the outgoing congresswoman on social media. In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump called Greene a traitor. The president also claimed that Greene is resigning due to poor polling numbers and fear of facing a Trump-endorsed candidate in the primary.
CNN's Camila DeChalus is in Washington with the latest on Greene's surprise resignation.
CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN REPORTER: Well, Marjorie Taylor Greene's resignation announcement definitely came as a shock to everyone, not just members of Congress, but also to the entire Republican landscape.
Now, early on in her tenure, she made clear that she was a strong supporter of President Trump and said she will do whatever it takes to really push his legislative agenda forward. But in the recent months, she's become increasingly critical of the president, often accusing him of focusing too heavily on foreign policy issues and not enough on the issues that were impacting Americans here in this country.
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And she also did not shy away from criticizing members of her own party, especially during the government shutdown. She openly criticized the House speaker, Mike Johnson, saying that he needed to do more to address the growing healthcare crisis.
Now, even though Marjorie Taylor Greene is considered to be a polarizing figure on Capitol Hill, during these last few weeks, she also took part in a bake by par and push to release all the Jeffrey Epstein files. And that did not go well with President Trump on his end. He did not hold back his criticism of her, and he even went as far as calling her a traitor.
Now, earlier today, when reporters asked him about her, he called her a nice person, but ultimately said that he would openly support another person if they tried to challenge her in the primaries.
Now, Marjorie Taylor Green did not announce what she plans to do after leaving office, but her departure does beg an even bigger question, and that is, will we see more Republican lawmakers leave office if they begin to openly criticize the Republican Party or even President Trump during his time in the Oval Office?
Camila DeChalus, Washington, CNN.
HUNTE: Let's keep talking about it. Joining me now is Mark Shanahan, associate professor of politics at the University of Surrey. He's joining us live from Oxford, England. Good morning, Mark. Thanks for being with me. How are you doing?
MARK SHANAHAN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF SURREY: I'm doing very well, Ben. Good to be with you.
HUNTE: Good to see you. Let's talk about MTG. So, we've heard President Trump say he can patch up differences with anyone, including Marjorie Taylor Greene. Were you surprised to hear him speak so positively about her after everything that's happened?
SHANAHAN: There's a Trump who goes on Truth Social late at night when he is at home, in the residence, or in Mar-a-Lago, and he's brooding and he's angry, and we get these Truth Social posts that just really displayed that anger.
Then he talks to a few more people. They talk him down a little bit. He comes around to realize that having an ally turn into an antagonist is not good for him. And what he really doesn't want post her career in the House of Representatives is for Marjorie Taylor Greene to be going all across the media and attacking his presidency and being a thorn in his side.
I mean, we're seeing the big Republican tent is fraying quite a lot at the moment, but he would prefer to have her within that tent rather than being on the outside with a machete cutting its pieces.
HUNTE: That makes a lot of sense to me. What do the developments of the past few days tell us about Trump's current influence over the Republican Party and his strategy just heading into the 2026 midterms?
SHANAHAN: Well, for the first time, really, since he's been elected as president, his grip on the party is really not as strong as it was. We're seeing the party being much more now concerned with those 2026 elections, which means turning round to issues such as what is going to get people elected locally in their districts or in their states.
Meanwhile, Trump is sitting in the White House. He's bringing in people, everyone, from Viktor Orban to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. He is traveling around the world quite a lot. His Oval Office is now seemingly gold plated. And there seems to be a divergence between the outside of president who is very much working on behalf of ordinary Joe and Jess MAGA America to the president who we now see in the White House really quite cut off from ordinary Americans, surrounded by donuts of tech bros and Wall Street backers. And his policies appear at the moment more concerned domestically with making the wealthy even wealthier.
And when we look abroad, whether it's Ukraine or Gaza or whatever, it's much more about chasing a Nobel Peace Prize than really being an effective global leader. And this is not playing well in Peoria, Illinois.
HUNTE: Let's switch a bit. Let's talk about redistricting. The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the lower court's ruling on Texas' 2026 Congressional map. What is going to happen next?
SHANAHAN: It is likely to be picked up by the Supreme Court, and Trump and Republicans are hoping that the Supreme Court, one, acts quickly and, two, overturns that ruling. They've got to find a good reason to overturn that ruling. Even though the court is very conservative, it has a 6-3 supermajority in favor of Republican thoughts and Republican issues.
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It acts on constitutionality. And it may well be that they don't reverse the actions of the lower courts and that Republicans under Governor Abbott in Texas can't do the kind of gerrymandering that is likely to be necessary to hold onto the House for Republicans. Generally, in midterms, there is a reversal, that there is a pushback from the other party, the party not in power. If that actually happens, then the Democrats take the House and even now conceivably the Senate, Trump will be a lame duck president for his last two years.
HUNTE: Wow, there is so much going on. We'll leave it there for now. Two Brits talking about American politics, we'd love to see it.
Mark Shanahan, thank you so much for now. I appreciate it.
SHANAHAN: Thank you.
HUNTE: Next, lions, tigers, and bears, oh my, dozens of neglected zoo animals in Argentina are getting a second chance at life. The massive rescue operation just ahead. See you in a moment.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. Years after a popular zoo was shut down in Argentina due to mounting safety concerns, dozens of neglected lions, tigers, and bears are finally receiving proper care. Ivan Samenti tells us how a rescue organization is giving the animals a new life.
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IVAN SARMENTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These tigers and lions have been living for years in overcrowded and poor conditions in what used to be a private zoo where visitors were encouraged to touch and feed wild animals.
LUCIANA D'ABRAMO, PROGRAMS DIRECTOR, FOUR PAWS: The former Lujan Zoo closed its doors in 2020, and since then, animals have been living here and the conditions haven't been ideal. We spend a lot of time fixing a lot of the safety concerns in the enclosures, getting to know the animals and getting to know the team on the ground.
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SARMENTI: The zoo's owners claim that since it was shut down, they've had no funding to feed or care for the animals. But in late October, an international team of veterinarians and wildlife special arrived at the property located about 50 kilometers from Argentina's capital.
D'ABRAMO: We are over 15 people from for post here on the ground. Now we have 62 big cats and 2 bears that need to be assessed.
SARMENTI: Four Paws, the global animal welfare organization leading the operation, it's an NGO funded mostly by private donors. The group has set up a field veterinary hospital at the site allowing teams to carry out complex procedures on dozens of large predators.
DR. AMIR KHALIL, MISSION CHIEF VETERINARIAN, FOUR PAWS: So -- and we have to bring this animal here to the operation table darted. We make incubation for the animal, ensure that the anesthesia running well, that the animal get the required infusion and the medication, vaccination. But a lot of things we have to do, like my colleagues, sometimes, like with this tiger behind, we have to do an X-ray, we do ultrasound, so a lot of procedures have to be done. We take blood samples to examine the animals and, sure, sometimes need some operation, like here we have dental work. One canine is infected. The root canal creates a lot of pain for this tiger.
SARMENTI: Four Paws to relocate all the animals to safer environments. The organization has also signed an agreement with the Argentine government to work on long-term policies aimed at ending the trade and improper keeping of captive wild animals.
D'ABRAMO: We need to make sure that these are the last animals that, that are suffering under these conditions, and that they serve as ambassadors of change, not only here in Argentina, but definitely around the world, so that we show an example.
SARMENTI: In the month ahead. All 64 animals are expected to be transferred to large sanctuaries, most likely in Africa, where they'll begin a new life, one meant to resemble freedom as closely as possible.
Ivan Sarmenti, CNN, Buenos Aires.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: Millions of the world's most beautiful butterflies are gathered at a sanctuary in Mexico. Have a look at these monarch butterflies. Every year, they migrate from Canada and the United States to warmer weather in Mexico. Mexico's government says the monarch population has nearly doubled from last year. This, a sanctuary, opened to visitors on Saturday and has even inspired some of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PLINIO PADILLA, SANCTUARY VISITOR: The butterflies are a marvel. We were talking with my wife and my daughter about the journey they make from Canada through the United States and down to Mexico, and then back again. This motivates us to take care of them, to take care of this environment in which they survive, and for everyone who visits these places to do the same.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Up ahead, a high-stakes battle for a world title unlike any other. We'll take you behind the scenes of the World Cheese Awards and find out how they choose the best of the best.
See you in a bit.
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[03:50:00]
HUNTE: Welcome back. I have to warn you, this next story is pretty cheesy. Ha, ha. In Switzerland, more than 5,000 cheeses from 46 countries are facing off at the World Cheese Awards. CNN's Barry Nield takes us inside to see how judges pick the world's best cheese. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARRY NEILD, CNN GLOBAL TRAVEL EDITOR: We're here today in Bern, the capital of Switzerland, at the World Cheese Awards. Behind me are more than 5,000 cheeses from 46 countries. They are vying for the title of the World's Best Cheese 2025.
The World Cheese Awards is one of the biggest events of the year for dairy producers, gathering record numbers of cheeses in one giant aroma-filled venue.
It was started in 1988 as a way to celebrate the international cheese scene, and it's now held in a different country each year.
Cheese makers, experts, and aficionados all gathered to share knowledge and taste as many cheeses as possible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, a cheese is very good if you want another piece.
NIELD: What does it mean to win?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything. Having the best cheese in the world, you must be pretty good at what you do.
NIELD (voice over): To find a winner, small groups of judges each taste 40 different cheeses. Their favorites go through two more rounds of selection before a champion is crowned.
Does your mouth get really tired of eating cheese?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do lots of water. Make sure our pallets are fresh with apples as well, and we try and work our way in order mild to more strength.
NIELD: The aromas, the salting of every direction. And for somebody who loves cheeses like me, this is really frustrating. Only the judges can taste them. It is just great just to smell them and just be among all these special different cheeses.
Oh, no, don't temp me. Oh, no.
SUSAN STURMAN, WORLD CHEESE AWARDS JUDGE: So, we look at the cheese, we look at the rind. We look to see whether the rind is consistent, and we check the body and texture. We bend it, we see whether it breaks or not. Then we smell it and see what the aromas are like, and if it's expressive. I'm looking for personality with cheeses, and I'm still eating cheese and you're still not?
NIELD: Yes.
I've seen some incredible cheeses around here. There's goat cheeses, cow cheeses, camel cheeses, blue cheeses, purple cheeses, green cheeses, cheeses in jars. I've seen cheeses that will haunt me for the rest of my days.
It's blue spores everywhere.
STURMAN: By the time we're done here, we will not want to see cheese for weeks.
NIELD: So, we're at a crucial stage in the competition now. Each of the 110 judging tables has chosen their super gold winner. We're not allowed in there. It's all hush. So, we've just got to wait on the sidelines to find out the news.
Is it a really competitive world?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, everyone wants to win. I think we're human beings, right? But I think everyone wants to make artisan cheese better. I think that's more important to us.
NIELD: We're just waiting to find out who is the big winner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The (INAUDIBLE).
[03:55:00]
NIELD: How does it feel to win?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very overwhelming.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: I love it.
Some European cities are now decorated for the holiday season. In Lisbon, Portugal, tour and locals gathered for a tree-lighting and fireworks display on Saturday. Nearly 200 kilometers, more than 100 miles of energy efficient LED lights will illuminate the city for the holidays.
Thousands of people were in the streets of Barcelona on Saturday to check out the holiday lights. These two iconic buildings designed by Anthony Gowdy (ph) were lit up for the holidays, as were fountains, hotels, markets, and shops.
Mexico City hit full volume with a march of Mariachi bands through the capital celebrating Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians.
Celebrations began in the city's Garibaldi Square, the year round heartbeat of mariachi music. From there, the bands headed to mass in a musical pilgrimage to the basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe. The energy was electric, but Mariachis this year say they're praying for more gigs and some financial relief. Fabulous.
That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and I'll see you again tomorrow. There's so much more CNN Newsroom just ahead.
Kim, over to you.
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