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Ukraine's Allies Voice Concern Over U.S. Peace Plan; Trump Heaps Praise On Mamdani After Months Of Lobbing Insults; 300+ Students Kidnapped From Catholic School In Nigeria. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired November 23, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:21]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

President Trump says his peace plan for Ukraine isn't a final offer, as world leaders consider how to respond. We'll have the latest on the high stakes talks plan for today.

Nigeria searches for more than 300 students kidnaped from their Catholic school. It follows the White House threatening military action to protect Christians there.

And New York city residents react to this surprisingly friendly scene in the Oval Office. Hear how they feel about their mayor-elect and president getting along.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: Top U.S., European and Ukrainian officials are preparing to meet in the coming hours to 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 cede territory to Russia, abandon its long held pursuit of NATO membership and cut the size of its army. But President Trump says this proposal isn't the final offer.

CNN's Kevin Liptak has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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.

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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Barbie Latza Nadau joins us live from Rome with more.

So, Barbie, we heard there about Europe's skepticism about this deal. What's been the response so far from European leaders as we head into those crucial talks today?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yeah. You know, really, all eyes are on Switzerland this morning to see what is going to take place and what's going to come out of that. And the European leaders, of course, many of them are in South Africa for the G20.

[04:05:01]

They'll be meeting on the sidelines and they have a meeting tomorrow. So, it's a really crucial week heading up to that Thursday deadline.

There is a lot of concern, especially with regard to the size of cutting, the size of Ukraine's military. That's one of the highlighted concerns here, certainly because Europe just isn't in a position to sort of backfill or fill in the slack when it comes to that kind of support. If the United States does, in fact cut it, cut it out.

Now let's listen to what the German chancellor had to say about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: If Ukraine loses this war and possibly collapses, it will have an impact on European politics as a whole, on the entire European continent. And that is why we are so committed to this issue. Because if there's a chance to bring about peace, it will also have an impact on the entire European continent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU: Yeah. You know, I mean, I don't think that it can be understated just how important the end of this war would be and how it ends is here in Europe, Kim. I mean, there is just concern across the board. And many of these European leaders are very, very, very concerned about many of the points of that 28-point plan -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. Barbie Latza Nadeau, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

And former U.S. ambassador to NATO, Kurt Volker spoke to CNN about what kind of leverage Ukraine has going into these talks. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KURT VOLKER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: The -- ultimately, the leverage here is that instead of the U.S. abandoning Ukraine, which is what president Trump may view as a threat, it's going to be Ukraine and Europe abandoning the United States, which is not in our interest as the United States. And it would mean, a much greater risk of conflict in Europe, possibly a wider war.

But Europe essentially cannot live with a situation where Putin has seized territory by force, been rewarded for that, and feels emboldened to do it again. This and is exonerated for any war crimes that he's committed in the process.

This is very dangerous for Europe and European security going forward. Europe will not be able to accept that. So, this is why I think everyone is focused on amending this plan, fixing it so that it is more balanced, more reasonable, but short of that, if this is, take it or leave it, I have a feeling it's the U.S. that's going to be left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump is now saying he only plans to send the National Guard to New York City if they need it. It's a rapid reversal of his previous threats to send troops to his home city. And it comes after Trump's meeting with New York Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House Sunday.

After months of the president calling Mamdani a communist and threatening to arrest him. The two New Yorkers appeared to hit it off in their first face to face meeting.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is in New York to share how locals are reacting to their mayor-elect's surprisingly collegial meeting with Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We wanted to speak with New Yorkers about that Oval Office meeting on Friday to try and get their reaction and see what they thought about the meeting between Trump, who is from New York city and grew up in Queens, and Mayor- elect Zohran Mamdani, who represented queens and is also from New York City. Two New Yorkers sort of going head-to-head and coming out with, I think what a lot of people expected to not be such a friendly and warm reception, we saw Trump essentially say that he wants Zohran Mamdani to succeed, and that he wants to help the city of New York, not help it.

That, of course, goes against much of the president's rhetoric in the lead up to this election. We had heard him call Mamdani a quote, unquote lunatic. He called him a communist, even though he's a Democratic socialist. And so, it wasn't clear how the president was going to receive him in the White House on Friday.

We asked New Yorkers what they made of the moment. This is what they told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: So, you saw the clip. What was your reaction?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really don't like the guy, but I'm glad that he was able to go in there and do a good job with the president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm hoping that Mamdani does what he has to do to do what's right for the city. I think it's a lot of theater.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that Trump continues to be the most transactional president we've ever had. And if people are smart, then they find a way to give him something, which may be meaningless, but it's important to him. And then he loves you and rolls out the red carpet.

PAZMINO: Are you guys supportive of Mamdani at this stage, or do you want to wait and see?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll wait and see. I'd like to give him a chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, on Friday, President Trump was asked about the possibility that he might deploy the national guard into New York City. We have seen as this administration has deployed federal forces into other cities around the country.

[04:10:02]

And he said that he would only do it if the city decides that it needs it. And that alone is already being seen as a victory by Mamdani supporters and his allies. They're looking at those comments by the president essentially as a deliverable after this meeting that he had with him on Friday. The fact that he will not be sending the National Guard unless, the city of New York tells him that it is needed.

So, we'll see what happens with this relationship over the next several months. Remember, Mamdani doesn't officially take office until January 1st, and a lot could change in the political landscape between now and then.

Gloria Pzmino, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, Trump's rapid shift in tone towards Mamdani is confusing many people, to say the least.

Brian Lehrer, who hosts the Brian Lehrer show on WNYC, tells us what he thinks Mamdani strategy might be.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN LEHRER, HOST, "THE BRIAN LEHRER SHOW" ON WNYC: To me, the Mamdani part of this meeting makes sense. He went in to try and he called the meeting. He asked the president for the meeting. The president agreed. And everybody's saying charm offensive. I guess he went in with a charm offensive.

But I don't buy the narrative that he just went in and successfully charmed the president. The president's doing something.

You know, the last time I was on with you, just before the election, I said maybe Trump is playing three-dimensional chess, endorsing Cuomo to actually help Mamdani get elected so he can use Mamdani as a foil in the midterm elections. Oh, the whole Democratic Party is going socialist, all of that. Well, this seems to turn that on its head. So, I don't understand the Trump approach here. Who's his constituency for this?

So, the only thing I could think of is maybe now Trump is playing four-dimensional chess, where he's setting himself up to say next year, see, I tried to be nice to the guy, but he's doing all these radical things, and then turn up the volume again.

But honestly, I don't know. I am puzzled by what the president did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, more than 300 students are missing after being abducted from their Catholic school in Nigeria. How the U.S. may get involved. That's coming up.

Plus, Brazil's 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.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:16:28]

BRUNHUBER: 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 by the Christian Association of Nigeria, updated the number. Some of the students are as young as 10.

Meanwhile, schools across Nigeria have been closing their doors as worried parents pull 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 and threatened unspecified military action if that doesn't change.

Umar Yakubu is the executive director of the Center for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity, and he joins us now from Abuja, Nigeria.

Thank you so much for being here with us. I spoke of outrage there in Nigeria. Is that what you've been seeing?

I mean, how are people reacting there to this latest horrific abduction? And do we know who's behind it? The motive?

UMAR YAKUBU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR FISCAL TRANSPARENCY & PUBLIC INTEGRITY: Yeah. Thank you for having me.

Yeah. Nigerians are outraged because this is not the first time. It's one crisis, too many, right? From 2012, so many schools have been kids have been abducted from various schools across all over Nigeria. And it's indicating a failure of the state to protect its citizens from all these terrorists, bandits, kidnapers and all other. These people committing all these heinous crimes.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I mean, the scale of this, you know, 300 students, I'm thinking first and foremost about those poor kids so young. I mean, given what we've seen before, do you think those students will be returned home alive and unharmed?

YAKUBU: Yeah, we hope they do. Because from our records have shown and there has been very low level of recovery of these kids. If you look at the Chibok kids up to now, hundreds have still not been returned. Only few have been returned.

So the record does not speak well of the government and their ability to be able to return these kids. So a lot more needs to be done to ensure that these kids are returned, return by the security forces, by the government and by the state governments at the subnational level.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. I mean, you talked of Chibok there. I mean, the Nigerian government promised to stop incidents like that from happening. I mean, why do these security measures keep failing?

YAKUBU: Yeah, basically, it's a governance failure and there's a lot of money, money going into the security sector in Nigeria. But there's low level of accountability. Our spending security spending increases have inverse relationship with the security outcomes. You can see billions of dollars are spent in that sector, but we don't see the results. To protect schools, to protect buildings, public spaces from all these incidents of terrorism.

So, a lot more needs to be done in terms of governance. You know, people need to be held accountable. Both at the federal level, at the state level and within the security sector to ensure that these things do not happen.

You can't run a country where we are having incidences in the last two weeks. This is like the third one that has been reported where a mass number, about 300 students, human beings moving around in an open area, which is more of Sahara or Sahara, Sahel area, you know, where its open space. You can have eyes in the sky to see movements of people, but all these things are just happening.

So, it's more of an issue of low accountability by the government itself and its ability to secure citizens of the state.

[04:20:02]

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. I mean, you spoke there of terrorism. I mean, this could look from the outside like a, like a very dramatic and stark example of the persecution of Christians. I mean, that's what the Trump administration has been saying is happening in Nigeria. He's calling this a genocide.

Is that what this is? Do you think that's going on there?

YAKUBU: No, I don't think so. I would rather rely on the armed conflict location and event data is an independent organization based in Wisconsin. They're in the United States. All their research, and they report conflicts all over the world, and their data doesn't show evidence of genocide.

I could also refer to, the -- there's a local agency called the Beacon Security Intelligence Company. They also released data and does not indicate genocide.

What all this data, international data, reflects and the local data as well. I could also take the national bureau of statistics data. Just last year, almost $2 billion was paid a ransom from kidnapping by these terrorists. So, what it clearly shows is governance failure, lack of accountability and a black hole in security spending because there has been money, a lot of money released for all these things to be secured, the schools, the public places, but nobody knows the level of accountability is very low. Nobody knows how these resources have been utilized to ensure that these things do not happen.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. And it should be pointed out. I mean, you talk about, quite rightly that a lot of this is financially motivated, but there is religiously motivated violence as well. But Muslims are as well targeted as not just Christians. And despite this, the Trump administration is promising action about this. The U.S. secretary of war tweeted this in his meeting in D.C. with Nigerian officials.

Now, this was a day before the school abductions. I want to read this. Yesterday I met with Nigeria's national security advisor and his team to discuss the horrific violence against Christians in their country. Under POTUS leadership, Department of War is working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists.

So, President Trump has ordered the pentagon to prepare to intervene militarily in Nigeria if necessary. I mean, do Nigerians think of this as a as a real threat? How is the country responding?

YAKUBU: Yeah. Its better is good to frame it properly because this term of Christian genocide, I told you the data does not support it. If you look at the data, there's a lot of data right from 2012, 2000, 2001, a lot of data where other Muslims have been killed across all states. So, if you map the data, you see there's a linear -- it's a linear graph. What you see is just violence across all states of the country. In some states, more Muslims are killed. And in some states more Christians are killed.

And this should not be happening. The bottom line is no Nigerian should be killed. Whether -- whether he's a Muslim or a Christian, if you continue with that argument, we are not going to be able to solve the problem because there's no other way. If you now assume we agree there's a genocide of a particular religion, now, how are you going to secure a particular people that belong to the same country? So that's why the framing is problematic.

The best way to frame this is that Nigerians are killed in ungoverned spaces, and the government needs to fill those spaces. You have to provide adequate security. You have to provide good governance. You have to have good schools, good hospitals. And most importantly, you need to reduce the level of public sector corruption at the federal and most more at the subnational level, the state government level and the local government level, because the dividends of democracy are not reached, the nationals, there's a lot of money being siphoned outside the country. These are the things that are enabling these terrorists to, you know, to be doing what they are doing now in the country.

BRUNHUBER: We'll have to leave it there. Appreciate your insights on this. Umar Yakubu, thank you so much.

YAKUBU: Thank you for having me.

BRUNHUBER: After two and a half years, the civil war in Sudan is regaining the attention of the international community. It comes amid reports of mass atrocities in a battle-scarred city, as well as U.S. commitments to help end the conflict.

CNN's Ben Hunte reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN HUNTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (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 (voice-over): 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.

[04:25:04]

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 (voice-over): 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: Fifty 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 (voice-over): 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 (voice-over): 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.

Ben Hunte, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: There's discord in Brazil over former President Jair Bolsonaro's arrest.

Bolsonaro's supporters clashed with his opponents outside a federal police station on Saturday. The former right wing leader was taken into custody and is being held at this police station after the country's Supreme Court said he might be trying to escape, house arrest and flee the country.

Just days from now, Bolsonaro is set to begin a 27-year prison sentence. He was convicted of plotting a coup after he lost the 2022 election. Police requested the arrest ahead of a planned vigil outside Bolsonaro's residence, fearing it would be used as a distraction to allow him to escape.

Now, Brazil's Supreme Court also released a video which it says shows Bolsonaro admitting to tampering with his ankle monitor with a soldering iron. Bolsonaro says he did it at a curiosity his legal team insists he wasn't plotting an escape.

Here's how President Trump, a longtime ally of Bolsonaro, responded to the news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: What?

REPORTER: Any comment about the former Brazilian president being arrested today?

TRUMP: No, I don't know anything about it.

REPORTER: Mr. President, are you willing. Are you -- TRUMP: Is that what happened?

REPORTER: Yes. Sir. Yes.

TRUMP: That's too bad. That's too bad. No, I just think it's too bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: There's been many flight cancellations this weekend after the U.S. warned international airlines about flying over Venezuela, Brazil's Gol, Colombia's Avianca, and TAP Air Portugal canceled flights departing from Caracas on Saturday, and Spain's Iberia plans to cancel flights to Caracas starting Monday until further notice.

The cancellations come a day after the federal aviation administration issued a warning about the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela, the FAA said aircraft at all altitudes could be at risk.

The U.S. isn't at the G20 Summit in South Africa this weekend, but Washington's peace plan for Ukraine couldn't be ignored. We'll look at what world leaders are saying about it in Johannesburg. That's coming up next.

Plus, will Mother Nature cooperate for millions of people expected to travel this holiday week in the U.S.? We'll look at the Thanksgiving forecast after the break.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:32:39]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

A high stakes meeting between U.S., European and Ukrainian officials is set to begin in the hours ahead. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ambassador Steve Witkoff will be at the talks in Geneva, Switzerland. They'll discuss the U.S. proposal to end Russia's war on Ukraine.

President Donald Trump has given Kyiv until Thursday to accept the plan, which is facing major backlash from critics who say it looks like a Russian wish list. But Trump says it isn't the final offer. A separate meeting between Russian delegations and the U.S. is also in the works.

Meanwhile, world leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 in Johannesburg to discuss the U.S. initiative. European leaders have viewed the plan with skepticism, saying Ukraine's sovereignty and the security of the entire continent are at stake.

CNN's Larry Madowo joins us live from Johannesburg, where the G20 is underway.

Larry, as I say, lots of sideline meetings there about Ukraine. What are you hearing?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim, it's almost as if Ukraine was the main topic here at the G20. These world leaders scrambled out of the opening session to go into this side meeting to figure out how to protect Ukrainian and European interests, after that 28-point plan was presented by president Trump, and especially given that Thursday deadline, the Europeans were alarmed that they were not involved in this, that the Ukrainians were not involved in this.

And they put out a statement saying they welcomed the proposal from President Trump, but they considered it the first draft and needed a lot of work. They also said they were concerned by the proposed limitations on the size of Ukraine's military, saying it would leave the country vulnerable to attack. And they said Ukrainian borders should not be changed by force.

President Emmanuel Macron of France, who is part of the E3 and who have spoken to President Zelenskyy in the last few days, said this after that meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: Our unique problem, all of us is Russia, which started this war. We refused to take the ceasefire proposals in February, March, July, August, et cetera. And didn't provide any guidance if they are okay just to have a ceasefire now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: It's clear that the Europeans do not trust Russia as President Macron says there. There's been many other attempts at a ceasefire, and that's why the European leaders, including the Canadian and Japanese leaders, said anything involving the European Union needs to be consulted with the E.U.

[04:35:08]

Anything involving NATO need to be consulted with NATO. So they didn't like that Ukraine will be forced to agree to not join NATO under this American presented plan, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. And, Larry, looking beyond the Ukraine issue now, I mean, G20 leaders agreed on a joint statement despite U.S. objections. Take us through what that statement was about.

MADOWO: The South Africans wanted to get this out of the way. It was the first order of business during the opening session Saturday, and they did get it across the line, even though Argentina said it didn't support it. President Ramaphosa described it as overwhelming consensus, and he uses language that the U.S. isn't comfortable with, such as stressing the challenge of the climate crisis, the debt problem in poor African countries, poor countries around the world deal with, and they agreed to set up an international panel on inequality.

There's 22 pages here. The U.S. immediately called it a shameful that they did this. They accused South Africa of weaponizing the G20 presidency and the White House, saying that President Trump will restore the legitimacy of the G20 when it takes over the presidency.

In the meantime, this afternoon, this was supposed to be the handover of the G20 presidency to the U.S. the U.S. was going to send Mark Dillard. He's the chef d'affaires. So essentially the deputy ambassador here in South Africa said it will not be handing over the presidency to a junior official. They will have the foreign minister do that with somebody at the same level, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right. Thanks so much for your reporting there. Larry Madowo in Johannesburg, thanks so much.

A new climate deal has been reached at the COP30 Summit in Brazil, but it stopped short of the one thing 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, the main drivers of the climate crisis. This marks a retreat from consensus agreements reached just two years ago in Dubai. The deal does call for increased funding to help vulnerable nations adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Earlier, we spoke to Henna Hundal, a five-time U.N. climate delegate who's in Brazil for cop 30, and we asked her whether this new agreement suggests a change in how global powers are choosing to approach climate change. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HENNA HUNDAL, DELEGATE TO THE U.N. CLIMATE CHANGE CONSERVATIVES: I think there is actually a focus on adaptation, which is good in a way, and we did get some strong points there emerging from the outcomes of the conference. For example, we got the passage of the Belem health action plan, which is a recognition of the fact that health care and the climate crisis are inextricably linked, that is to say that floods, fires, heat, they don't just show up in our climate assessments. They also show up in our urgent care centers, our emergency departments or hospitals.

And the fact is, we have to make sure that our health care systems are durable enough to withstand the pain points of the climate crisis. So, the passage of that plan, I think, is a great example of addressing the adaptation portion of the equation. But we really do need to hone in on mitigation. And that relates to the fact that fossil fuels are driving climate change. And unfortunately, the pact that emerged from this conference failed to address that head on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: More than 80 million people in the U.S. are expected to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday this week, and weather could put a damper on those plans.

Meteorologist Chris Warren has the forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Sunday, looking pretty quiet for much of the eastern seaboard, but a little bit cooler for some as well, where that sun is going to be seen in the northern tier cold front, were going to see cooler temperatures. However, this is where there is the chance for more rain, more thunderstorms, and possibly some flooding.

So Texas, we're watching you and it's with this system that will continue to work across the southwest during the day here on Sunday. And then push by late Sunday into Sunday night and into Monday morning, that rain and even a flood threat. And it's going to be in the zone that ends up with this, that yellow and orange. The two to four, even four to six inches of rain falling in a relatively short period in a matter of a few hours could lead to some flooding.

So just a heads up. If you find yourself you plan to be in any of these areas, and that does include the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Here's that big system and how it's going to play out in the coming days. Jumping ahead here to Monday as we watch this system push through the Mississippi River Valley into the Ohio Valley by overnight Monday into Tuesday.

Notice here on the backside of this, there is going to be some snow. So that's a sign in the hint or a reminder that colder air is on the way and on the way in a big way here. So while temperatures are going to be a little bit cooler than Saturday for Sunday, even a little bit cooler than that here on Monday and Tuesday, but still warm, I mean, still for this time of year, were knocking on the door of Thanksgiving here. Temperatures in the 70s in Atlanta, 80s in Orlando.

But this changes in a big way by the end of the week. After this cold front comes through. Daytime highs in Atlanta about 20 degrees cooler than where you are over the weekend, with highs only in the 50s.

[04:40:05]

Orlando, you're going to see temperature readings in the 70s, and in Minneapolis, the twin cities here, temperatures not getting above the freezing mark.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Officials say a fire that broke out on a cargo ship in the port of Los Angeles Friday is now substantially contained. It began as an electrical fire and rapidly spread to other parts of the ship. More than 180 firefighters battled the blaze because of hazardous chemicals on the ship. People living nearby were told to shelter in place and that order has now been lifted. No injuries were reported from the fire.

Well, they voted for Donald Trump because he said he'd fix the economy year on. Many say they're still waiting for results ahead. The struggles facing a key Pennsylvania district. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: A district that helped President Donald Trump win the White House is now feeling the impact of his economic policies with the cost of living soaring in parts of the presidents due to, in part to the president's tariffs.

Voters in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, say they're struggling to get by.

CNN's John King has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bethlehem is blue collar, full of people living paycheck to paycheck. Full of people who come to Jenique Jones for help.

JENIQUE JONES, PENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT 7 VOTER: My business assists people in repairing their credit, managing their finances and basically being financially organized.

KING: So, if you're busy, times are tough.

JONES: Absolutely, completely.

KING: And you're busy right now?

JONES: Super busy.

KING: What kind of stories are you hearing?

JONES: My husband lost all of his overtime. My kid's daycare went up. Can't afford the cost of food. Using credit cards for everyday expenses. No money left after the bills are paid. Pretty much just a whole bunch of financial mess.

KING: We changed presidents at the beginning of the year.

JONES: We did.

[04:45:00]

KING: And the guy who moved into the White House said that he was going to fix it. Several times he said it would be easy.

JONES: Absolutely.

KING: Has he fixed it?

JONES: Absolutely not. I'm definitely waiting for him to fix it.

KING (voice-over): Jones is a three-time Trump voter, but she says he has simply failed to keep his promise to lower the cost of living.

JONES: I'm -- I'm very let down by that. Very, very let down because I feel like it's only gotten worse.

KING: Pennsylvania ranks highest among the states in terms of food inflation. Grocery prices here up more than 8 percent this past year. That is way above the national average.

Housing costs are another piece of the affordability challenge. A one- bedroom apartment here in Bethlehem runs about $1,900 a month on average. That is up nearly 6 percent from last year.

KING (voice-over): This is Gentlemen's Barbershop. Customers gripe a lot about rising costs. Ashley Ruiz tries to help.

ASHLEY RUIZ, PENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT 7 VOTER: I'll tell the client, hey, if you get it cut a little shorter, the haircut will have a longer lifeline. Because I want them to feel like they're getting a service that will last longer so their money goes further.

KING (voice-over): She gets it because she does the tough math at home. Rent, food, childcare.

KING: All up.

RUIZ: They are a lot higher. So, I try to make wiser decisions and hope that things will get better.

KING (voice-over): A mix of politics around this table, but everyone agrees costs are up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Insurance is crazy. It's coming on more crazy than next year.

KING (voice-over): Owner Ronald Corales is another three-time Trump voter. When clients or co-workers grumble about costs, Corales urges patience.

RONALD CORALES. PENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT 7 VOTER: Well, hopefully soon. I mean, like ...

KING (on camera): But it hasn't happened yet?

CORALES: Not really. We don't really see it at the moment. Like I said, I think we have to give him some time.

KING: Back in Bethlehem's heyday, this was its economic powerhouse, Bethlehem Steel. But the blast furnace here last fired 30 years ago, November 1995. A lot of change, but Bethlehem still matters politically.

This is Pennsylvania's bellwether, Northampton County, a place known for picking winners. The winner here in Northampton has gone on to win statewide and win the White House in the last five presidential elections. And in 29 of the 32 presidential elections dating back to 1900.

Trump's win here in 2024 also helped flip this congressional district, Pennsylvania's seventh, from blue to red. Now, the margin in that House race was just 4,000 votes. And so, with affordability as issue number one, Democrats have this district high on the target list as they try to retake the House in next year's midterms.

KING (voice-over): John and Lisa Ronca own Cutters Bike Shop. Their teenage daughter rides competitively. Sometimes gets injured. They get their health insurance through the Obamacare exchange, and their renewal letter just came.

LISA RONCA, PENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT 7 VOTER: It's going to be triple and ...

JOHN RONCA, PENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT 7 VOTER: Triple this year.

L. RONCA: ... which equates to double the cost of what we pay for our mortgage for our house. So, that's so we can't keep that plan, to say the least.

KING (voice-over): Health care costs going up, their profit margin already down.

KING: Why? Is this a tariff question?

J. RONCA: Every, like, two to three months, we get letters from the companies, you know, we got to increase. We're having a 10 percent increase, another 10 percent increase. And it just keeps, keeps escalating.

KING (voice-over): Sales tend to spike around Christmas, but they're worried this year.

L. RONCA: Two-inch single speed kids bike was $250, which is still decent, decently high. $400 just in the last couple of months. So, it's kind of tough. I don't know how many kids bikes we're getting for Christmas. I mean, who want -- who's going to spend ...

KING: From $250 ...

L. RONCA: ... to $400.

KING: ... to $400 in a couple of months ...

L. RONCA: Yes.

KING: ... this year.

L. RONCA: Yes.

KING (voice-over): The Roncas don't like Trump and tend to vote blue. But they did support moderate Republican Charlie Dent a few years back when he was the congressman here.

J. RONCA: And it's like I have no problem voting for either side if the person's good for the area.

KING (voice-over): But their stress this November shapes their early thoughts about next November. L. RONCA: Yes, just this year, it's -- it's a -- it's a big change.

KING: He keeps saying that that's a myth, that prices are down, that, you know, they're gone. Inflation's over.

L. RONCA: He doesn't go food shopping. I mean, I don't know. Yes, it's hard.

KING: How do you vote? Local or national?

J. RONCA: I -- I would -- I -- to me, I'm going to vote for a person who puts a check on them. You know what I mean?

L. RONCA: Yes.

J. RONCA: Who's going to -- who's going to reign --

KING: Right.

J. RONCA: -- with the President in it.

KING (voice-over): Frustration with prices and with the President in one of those places that tends to decide whether the country stays the course or shifts gears.

John King, CNN, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Scientists are using digital tools to map the brain of one of the smallest animals. We'll explain how it could save human lives, coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:53:48]

BRUNHUBER: Scientists are using one of the world's most powerful supercomputers to create a digital model of a mouses brain. It could lead to lifesaving research for humans.

CNN's Allison Chinchar explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This colorful 3D model with flashing lights is a simulated mouse brain, and those flashes represent neural activity. It's a step toward one day creating a virtual human brain that could lead to lifesaving research into diseases such as Alzheimer's and epilepsy.

ANTON ARKHIPOV, RESEARCHER, ALLEN INSTITUTE: Ultimately, it would be fantastic to be able to run simulations at the level of the human brain with this level of detail that we have in this simulation. Currently, it's not feasible.

CHINCHAR (voice-over): Using one of the world's fastest supercomputers. Experts from the Allen Institute in Washington teamed up with their counterparts in Japan to create the model that shows nearly 10 million neurons and 26 billion synapses in the brain of a mouse. Researchers say mice share most of their genes with humans, but are much easier to study up close, making them the perfect choice for this kind of analysis.

[04:55:01]

ARKHIPOV: The model was constructed by integrating very carefully and systematically a large array of data about the cell types, connectivity, and neural activity across the mouse cortex, primarily the Allen Institute data.

CHINCHAR (voice-over): Even the most powerful supercomputers aren't yet strong enough to simulate human brain in the same amount of detail. But for this team, the virtual mouse brain is a technical milestone for brain study.

ARKHIPOV: This is the most beautiful thing that other people can come up with something that you cannot even imagine, and, make some breakthroughs this way.

CHINCHAR (voice-over): Allison Chinchar, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: A major weekend for U.S. college football is underway. Tennessee finally lifted the curse of the swamp. The 20th ranked volunteers defeated the Florida Gators 31-11. Saturday's victory marked Tennessee's first win at Florida since 2003. It was the Gators' worst home performance in more than a decade.

And an upset here in Atlanta. Pittsburgh held off number 15 Georgia Tech 42 to 28 on Saturday, and that knocks the Yellowjackets out of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. The loss -- the loss also broke Georgia Tech's ten game home winning streak. In fact, it was their first home defeat since 2023. Pitt is still in contention and could reach its first title game since 2021.

And on the West Coast, it was likely sunset for USC's hopes of making the college football playoff. The Oregon Ducks beat the Trojans 42 to 27 at home on Saturday, and the victory improves the sixth ranked Ducks' chances of making the playoff and hosting a game. Oregon visits rival Washington next Saturday.

Well, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.