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Rubio: 'Substantial Progress' Made with Ukraine Peace Talks; Government Shutdown Still Hurting Families Ahead of Holidays. Aired 6- 6:30a ET
Aired November 24, 2025 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: -- facing the red-hot Indianapolis Colts in Kansas City. The reigning (UNINTELLIGIBLE) champs were playing from behind throughout the game. Kansas City was down 11 points heading into the fourth quarter.
[06:00:12]
But their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes leading a remarkable comeback, throwing for a season high 352 yards.
The game went to overtime when Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker hit the game-winning field goal, his fifth on the day. Kansas City, 23 to 20. They win to stay in the playoff hunt.
Thank you for joining us for EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: A U.S. peace plan for Ukraine. Does it play right into Russia's hands? CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.
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SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): I think it would go down, frankly, as a historically bad deal.
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CORNISH: The leaked proposal that asks almost nothing from Russia and everything from Ukraine now in flux.
And the U.S. ramps up pressure on Venezuela as America's top military officer heads to the Caribbean. Is the U.S. about to go to war?
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SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: I am very confident about 2026.
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CORNISH: The Trump administration very confident in the economy. Are we looking at a disconnect with the American people?
And an NBA head coach heads to a different kind of court for his alleged role in a rigged gambling ring, with ties to the mafia.
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MERCEDES WELLS, GAVE BIRTH AFTER BEING DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL: No doctor ever spoke or came into my room.
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CORNISH: A mother speaks out after being discharged from the hospital while in active labor. Her story this morning.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More people are coming for food assistance from ever before.
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CORNISH: The government shutdown is over, but the hunger crisis in America is not.
It's 6 a.m. on the East Coast. This is a live look at Capitol Hill.
Good morning, everybody. It's Monday, November 24th. I want to thank you for waking up with me. I'm Audie Cornish, and here is where we begin.
The latest push to end Russia's war in Ukraine. The U.S. is backing a revised peace plan, and President Trump wants it finalized by Thanksgiving.
And details from that proposal are now leaking out, including calls for Ukraine to give up territory and drop its NATO ambitions, sparking backlash at home and abroad. Lawmakers from both parties are condemning the proposal.
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REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): I would not advise Ukraine to sign this. They can't sign an agreement like the Budapest and then allow Russia to invade again.
WARNER: This initial plan would be a total capitulation by Ukraine. I think it would go down, frankly, as a historically bad deal, rivaling Neville Chamberlain giving into Hitler before World War Two.
SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R-SD): This doesn't look like something that would come out of our government, particularly the way that it was written. It looked more like it was written in Russian to begin with.
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CORNISH: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the U.S. delegation in Switzerland, says the plan is still evolving, with some of those 28 points already revised.
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MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: There were items that we were discussing as part of the original 28, or it evolved. This is a work. This is a living, breathing document. Every day with input, it changes.
I can tell you that the items that remain open are not insurmountable. We just need more time than what we have today. I honestly believe we'll get there.
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CORNISH: OK. Today in the group chat, Isaac Dovere, CNN senior reporter; Sabrina Rodriguez, national politics reporter at "The Washington Post"; and Sara Fischer, CNN senior media analyst and senior media reporter at Axios.
Isaac, I want to start with you. As this plan started to come out, we got a better sense of the players who were involved, at least on the U.S. side. What do you know?
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think one of the things that stuck out to me and to a lot of people is that Jared Kushner was sitting there. Jared Kushner is not employed by the United States government. He was during the first Trump term. He does not have a role in the government.
CORNISH: But he had a role in the Mideast plan.
DOVERE: Sure, he did, but we don't really understand what it is exactly. And what -- how it jives with the hedge fund interests that he has and the business interests that seem to always be part of what has been going on with the Trump administration.
The question has always been, over the course of these ten months, where the Trump business interests end and where the work of the president begins, or vice versa.
And Jared Kushner is someone who is the president's son-in-law, who has his own business interests and investments in the Middle East and other places with work that they're doing and is there in, it seems like, a central role. Was there, as you say, with the Gaza negotiations --
CORNISH: Yes.
DOVERE: -- and again, here. But we don't know what it is and how it works; is emblematic of that.
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CORNISH: OK. And I also want to ask you, Sabrina. We're seeing Marco Rubio there, obviously, secretary of state. But he was there in a way, kind of trying to calm the nerves of Europeans.
I should just say this. "New York Post" sort of put it better than me: "Disaster Peace," which is different from "masterpiece," Isaac explained to me. "U.S. scrambles to save plan that gives Russia all it wants in Ukraine."
Can you talk about how they tried to -- I won't use "spin," but make this sound like it was more communal than it was?
SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Yes. I mean, we saw Secretary of State Marco Rubio really trying to calm people down, really trying to say, you know, this is not a done deal.
I think notable, too, is, of course, we've heard throughout the year, again, deadline after deadline set for a deal. The latest one being to get something done by Thanksgiving. I think people were alarmed this weekend, hearing about the plan and thinking Thursday is right around the corner.
CORNISH: Yes, 28 points. Like, five days.
RODRIGUEZ: Wait, wait, wait. Is this deal going to, you know, actually look like this in four days? And are they actually going to land it?
And you even heard him sort of walk things back and say, you know, we need more time. And, you know, deadlines can fluctuate, which again, is kind of what we've heard all year on a loop.
CORNISH: Yes. Yes. Sara, what are you thinking as you hear this?
SARA FISCHER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA ANALYST: So, when this plan first leaked, Axios's Barak Ravid is the one who broke it. And there was alarm from both sides of the aisle. I mean, you heard it from those videos that you were playing, that this was basically -- it felt like it was Russian talking points.
Now, what you're seeing is it feels like this was a Gaza 2.0. You get a plan in place, and you try to bring both sides to the table.
What they had underestimated was the fact that this plan was not something that Ukraine and its European allies were ever going to concede to.
CORNISH: Yes.
RODRIGUEZ: Most notably, the NATO point, trying to urge Ukraine not to pursue its NATO ambitions.
CORNISH: Well, not just that. It means telling Europe and telling NATO, Look, guys, you can't guarantee the safety of Ukraine.
RODRIGUEZ: Correct. And there was no way that our European allies were ever going to go for that.
So, they realized pretty quickly that they couldn't do a 2.0 copy paste on what they did with Gaza. Now they're going back to the table.
The two people other than Marco Rubio that I feel are very involved here, Steve Witkoff, who's a very close ally of the president, was involved in those Middle Eastern talks.
CORNISH: Seen a bit of a closer.
FISCHER: Yes. But in this case, they are botching it. I mean, this is not anywhere near to being closed by Thanksgiving, given all of the Republican pushback, the fact that "The New York Post" is calling this "Disaster Peace" is a disaster for the Trump administration.
CORNISH: Yes.
DOVERE: It's also coming where we have this very strange situation where there were these three senators, Republican and independent and Democrat -- the independent caucuses with Democrats -- who said that they talked to Marco Rubio over the weekend. And he said this -- this was written by Russia. And then the State Department saying, that's absolutely false.
And we don't really know what's going on here, except that it does seem like this is another case where you see people, including Steve Witkoff, who are new to the world of international relations and negotiations, coming into a situation, maybe taking a fresh eye on it that's helpful. But in this case, maybe also getting railroaded a little bit by Russia.
CORNISH: OK, you guys stay with me. We've got a lot more to talk about. We're going to learn more about this proposal.
But coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, what's next for the former MAGA darling Marjorie Taylor Greene? Turns out, after much speculation, it's not the White House.
Plus, "Wicked: For Good" takes over the box office. Is it even more popular than the original?
And President Trump set to reveal his plan for health care as millions of families face staggering premium hikes.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Millions of self-employed workers, from freelancers to creators to those who have worked so hard to start their own businesses, are about to face a major hike in health insurance costs.
Premiums will increase by 172 percent. What regular family or individual could afford this massive increase?
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CORNISH: OK, it's 15 minutes past the hour, and here's your morning roundup. Today, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and 30 other people will face a judge in Brooklyn. Billups is accused of running rigged poker games connected to the mafia.
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JOSEPH NOCELLA, U.S. ATTORNEY, EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: These defendants, which include former professional athletes, used high-tech cheating technology to steal millions of dollars from victims in underground poker games that were secretly fixed.
The games in the New York area were backed by the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese crime families of La Cosa Nostra.
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CORNISH: Prosecutors also allege Billups used his celebrity status to attract high rollers to poker tables that were equipped with X-ray technology and altered shuffling machines.
He's been placed on leave from the Trail Blazers.
And a mother in Indiana, speaking out after she was escorted out of the hospital while an active labor. Mercedes Wells says she gave birth on the side of the road eight minutes later.
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WELLS: The nurse told me that I had to be discharged, because I wasn't further along in my centimeters. And even though she could feel the baby head, I wasn't dilated more than three centimeters.
But I know for a fact that has to be untrue, because I couldn't feel her hand at that point when she checked me.
LEON WELLS, WIFE DISCHARGED IN ACTIVE LABOR: We were driving down the road, and I saw my wife. My wife was, you know, pulling her pants down. She's like, hey, I've got to push. I've got to push.
And as she's pulling her pants down, I see -- I see my child's head.
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CORNISH: The hospital says they're taking action. The physician and nurse involved in Mercedes' care, no longer employed there.
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CYNTHIA ERIVO, ACTRESS: I'm off to see the Wizard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): No good deed goes unpunished.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: "Wicked" continues to defy gravity. The sequel, "Wicked: For Good," hit the box office this weekend, and it's even more popular than the original.
The Broadway musical adaptation earned $150 million in North America, and more than 226 million globally. It's the second biggest movie opening of this year, right behind "A Minecraft Movie."
And after the break on CNN THIS MORNING, tensions ramp up. The U.S. adds a drug cartel linked to the Venezuelan government to a terror list.
Plus, this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanksgiving is important. And we're going to help you do what we can to make sure you have food on the table.
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CORNISH: Hunger and the holidays. How the government shutdown has caused a ripple effect heading into Thanksgiving.
Good morning, St. Louis. This is normally a picture of the Arch. It's a foggy morning, so you can't see it.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They stalled on our little Food Stamps and stuff like that, but thank God we got places like this and people that donate food to -- to help people that -- that's struggling.
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CORNISH: So, Thanksgiving is just days away, and it's obviously all about sharing a hearty meal. But as the country emerges from the government shutdown, millions of families are still struggling to put food on the table.
We're talking about 14 million kids -- that's 1 in 5 children in the U.S. -- experiencing hunger right now. SNAP recipients may only get partial benefits this month, and local food banks are feeling the pressure.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been feeding our community since November 1st, all the way to the end.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are tremendously impacted right now. We had so many new clients, so many people calling. These are just unprecedented times. People are hungry.
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CORNISH: Joining me now to discuss, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot from Feeding America. She's the CEO there. Good morning. Thank you for being with us.
CLAIRE BABINEAUX-FONTENOT, CEO, FEEDING AMERICA: Thanks for having me back.
CORNISH: So, let's start with the partial benefits with SNAP. Can you talk about how that has had a ripple effect heading into the holidays?
BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: Well, every little bit helps. But what your audience may not be aware of is before the shutdown, we're experiencing the highest rates of food insecurity in a decade. And the biggest growing segment are people who don't even qualify for SNAP.
So, this country is in the middle of a hunger crisis, and this helps a bit. But it certainly doesn't solve the problem.
CORNISH: How are food banks able to catch up, so to speak? If you had more people in line, some of them, the people who used to give, how has that affected your actual kind of inventory?
BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: They haven't been able to -- to keep up. And one of the worst things you can ever see for me in this network is when I visit a food bank, and they have to turn people away.
Unfortunately, they've had to do that before the shutdown. They've had to do it during the shutdown. And there's some looming cuts coming to SNAP, which are purported to be the largest in history. They're going to have to do it after the shutdown, too, if they don't get a lot of help.
CORNISH: You said that food shouldn't be a bargaining chip. So, to you, what's the most sort of urgent thing that you want lawmakers to do; you want lawmakers to hear?
BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: Well, that it should not be a bargaining chip; that the whole country does better when everyone gets access to the food that they need to thrive. It shouldn't be a partisan issue. It shouldn't be a bargaining chip. These are real people, real lives, real kids.
You said it before: 1 in 5 of our children are food insecure. I mean, this should be something that we can all agree on. Everyone should get access to the food that they need to thrive.
And if your listening audience, the people who watch the show, when they activate, Congress activates. So, I encourage them to use their voices, call their members of Congress, make sure that people know this matters to them, and then it will matter to policymakers, too.
CORNISH: How can people help? We're sort of in a tale of two economies. There are some folks who are doing well. And then other folks, as you've pointed out, there's a growing need.
Is it better to bring food to a food bank? To give money? Is there anything particular for Thanksgiving?
BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: Yes. So, all of the above and anything that you can would be what I would say.
But I will share that those food banks have been doing this for a long time. And they're very efficient. They have relationships with grocers and manufacturers. So, $1 to them is not exactly the same as your -- your -- the people who are watching going out to the store.
So, the most efficient way to help is to provide them with -- with money donations.
If they want to know where they can do that, if they go to FeedingAmerica.org, and just type in the ZIP code that they care the most about, there'll be a food bank and pantry serving that community. So, I encourage them to do that.
I definitely encourage, if they can provide funds, do that. If they can provide food, do that. And make sure they call those policymakers and let them know this matters to them.
CORNISH: That's Claire Babineaux-Fontenot of Feeding America. Thank you for your time.
BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: Thanks for having me.
CORNISH: Straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, progress on a peace proposal. Some are questioning why would Ukraine ever sign this?
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Plus, the health scare that forced Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, to cancel his tour last year.
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RUBIO: We have made substantial progress. We've really moved forward, so I feel very optimistic that we're going to get there in a very reasonable period of time, very soon.
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CORNISH: Progress on a peace plan --
