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What We Know with Max Foster

Air Travelers In U.S. Face Waves Of Cancellations, Delays; Democrats: Will Open Government If ACA Subsidies Extended By A Year; U.S. President Trump Meets With Hungarian PM Orban; China's Latest Aircraft Carrier Enters Fleet As Naval Competition With the U.S. Heats Up; Pope Leo Meets With Palestinian Authority President. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired November 07, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:38]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST: Delays and cancellations at airports right across America.

I'm Paula Newton in for Max Foster. This is WHAT WE KNOW.

We begin with the growing number of travel headaches in the United States, fueled by the ongoing government shutdown.

Now, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware, more than 3,000 flights have been delayed right across the United States, while more than

850 have been canceled. Anxiety, fear and frustration are building among air travelers, some of whom, of course, as you can imagine, are blaming

members of Congress.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CINDY CURLEY, TRAVELER: We just went to an agent and they looked it up and they said, nope, that's canceled, too. And, of course, the whole board,

there were so many cancellations.

JAY CURLEY, TRAVELER: People are really hurting out here. And it's not just the traveling public, but it's affecting the whole economy. And you

people are to blame.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: All right. You heard them. The Trump administration ordered a 4 percent reduction in flights today. And the U.S. transportation secretary

says that figure, get this, could rise up to 20 percent very soon. That's if the shutdown continues.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: So, if this shutdown doesn't end relatively soon, the consequence of that is going to be more controllers

don't come to work. And then we're going to have to continue to assess the pressure in the airspace and make decisions that may again move us from 10

percent to 15 percent, maybe to 20. I don't want to see that. Or by the way, if controllers start coming to work and the pressure goes down, we can

move those numbers in the other direction.

Again, this is a moment-by-moment assessment. Again, doing all we can to make sure travelers are safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Our Ed Lavandera is at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which has seen dozens of flight cancellations and delays so far today.

Ed, good to have you there on the ground. So, tell us, what are American travelers in for, especially since I hate to break it to everyone, there

does not seem to be a quick end to the shutdown.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, and I think that is the situation where most people find themselves in, because by and

large, everyone were talking to today so far hasn't had any major problems. We're at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. This is one of the

security check points. The line there, it says it's about a 16-minute wait. We've seen it as high as 30 minutes at one point here today. And obviously,

all of those Transportation Safety Administration employees, those gate agents are working without being paid at the moment.

The flight board right over here has been showing that most everything is on time or not canceled. More importantly and this is an airport, Paula,

that normally has about 2,000 flights coming and going on a daily basis on average, and about 60 of those flights have been canceled. So, by and

large, really not that huge of a problem. And most travelers that we've spoken with say that everything has been going smoothly.

But what they are concerned about is, as they leave Dallas-Fort Worth or they're traveling in from other places, are they going to be able to travel

back out again there? The concern here is what's going to happen in the days ahead, because officials here in the U.S. are talking about a lot of

these flight disruptions continuing to increase as the days go by. And that is what most people are very concerned about here at this point. But across

the country, a great deal of frustration starting to settle in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's absurd. I think it's a complete failure of government and the government serving itself and not the people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I took Monday off just as a precaution. I know not everybody has that luxury, so it's going to be rough for some people. If

there are any delays. The other option might be taking a later flight. Maybe the red eye, usually that's a little bit more accessible, so maybe

just staying a little later and coming back Monday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got here an hour earlier than I normally would. Just to make sure that the lines weren't too long and that, you know, if my

flight got canceled, I could take another one. I will be like, as I'm coming home looking at alternatives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My bag might be a little bit crazy, might be a tad bit crazy, but got to get early. Hopefully, I'm not stuck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These politicians need to get their act together, man. It's just crazy. I mean, come on people, what's wrong with you? You know,

just get it together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope it doesn't happen again tonight for people, but it was really sad.

[15:05:01]

So many flights were just canceled, and it was not the weather.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And, Paula, what we've also heard repeatedly from people is that they feel really bad for the TSA agents who they are having to go

through, and they're sitting there working without pay. So many people we've talked to say that, you know, they're trying to be extremely nice to

those TSA agents as they make their way through airports here, like here in Dallas.

And, you know, one of the things that they're that officials are urging people to do is stay in touch with the airlines, keep tabs on -- on that. A

lot of these cancellations, people have been finding out before they actually come to the airport. So that's been helpful.

So, you know, really urging people to stay in touch with the airlines to stay on top of your flight situation.

NEWTON: Yeah. Which is really good advice because again, as you said, it keeps the chaos away from the airports. Not any consolation if you've

missed or had a flight delayed. But yeah, it's going to be a long weekend and perhaps a longer week to come.

Ed Lavandera, good to have you on the ground there.

So, what is the status of shutdown talks at this moment? Well, just moments ago, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer outlined the Democrats' proposal

to end the stalemate. Now, he says there must be a deal to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act before the government can reopen.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: This is a reasonable offer that reopens the government deals with health care, affordability and

begins a process of negotiating reforms to the ACA tax credits for the future.

Now, the ball is in the Republicans' court. We need Republicans to just say yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: So what we want to know is, will airline disruptions force Congress to solve the shutdown?

Joining me now is Peter DeFazio. He is former chair of the House Transportation Committee.

Good to have you.

So how about that? You know, if this drags on, this is going to get quite serious into the next week. Do you believe this is the pressure point that

both the Republicans and the Democrats need at this hour to get them moving on a deal?

PETER DEFAZIO, FORMER CHAIRMAN, HOUSE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: Well, the last shutdown under Donald Trump, it was the east -- basically the East

Coast was shut down when, a large number of staff for the TRACON didn't come to work one day. So, it was a pressure point, and it did cause Trump

to fold and then they moved ahead.

Now the question is, look, I mean, all these air traffic controllers were short numbers already. Some are just saying to heck with this. They're all

being -- many of them are being required to work overtime. And if you're working overtime and you're a junior controller -- I talked to one during

the last shutdown. He was driving an Uber for eight hours and then go into work for 10 or 12 hours.

Now, that's not -- that's not good. That is not good. This is a stressful job that requires people who are alert and not stressed out or exhausted.

NEWTON: Yeah. And that is the key point. There is a lot of stress going on for these air traffic controllers and others in the TSA also not being

compensated at this hour.

I do wonder, though, there has been this debate right. Do you feel this was an absolutely necessary move because we have had some from airlines, even

some air traffic controllers saying, look, this kind of a reduction, especially if it goes into 20 percent next week, as the transportation

secretary has suggested, is this necessary?

DEFAZIO: I don't know what kind of metrics they're using, but look, we've -- we've had a lot of delays, you know, during the shutdown when certain

towers didn't have enough people, but to say were going to preemptively determine where the shortage of controllers is going to be, with using this

formulaic approach, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I think they just got a -- they should be continuing to limp along the way they did before, which is okay, we're short controllers at Newark right

now. All right? There's going to be a lot of delays. Granted, that's not as predictable, but I think that this strategy is not -- I don't think it's

totally based on statistics or facts.

NEWTON: Could you be, I guess, a bit sobering for travelers here? The transportation secretary also suggested that, you know, even when the

shutdown ends. And let's be clear, we don't have a way out of this yet, that it will still take several days to get things back to normal, even

when it does end. Can you give us some insight into that?

DEFAZIO: Well, I'm not quite certain why he says that. It may be he thinks it's going to take that long to process checks for people, ad so, they'll

still be working second jobs and still be totally stressed out. I'm not -- I don't know what he bases that on.

You know, I think when it's announced that the shutdown is over and people are going to be paid, I think we'd return to normal quite quickly.

[15:10:03]

NEWTON: You're a former politician on a transport committee. If you were a Republican or a Democrat at this hour, what would you be advising them to

do? Because I think right now, both sides are resolute that they're doing what's fair and what's right.

DEFAZIO: Look, I served in the House of Representatives. I chaired the transportation committee. I was there 36 years. The so-called speaker has

had the House of Representatives out of session because he said, well, we need to, have a temporary opening, with a clean C.R. dated on November

21st, and the House hasn't been in session since September 19th.

Now, how the hell are they going to get those bills done by the 21st of November since the committees can't meet and they're not working? So, I

think what's going on in the House is really disastrous. The Senate is, you know, always -- the Senate, Senate, Senate.

NEWTON: You're a bit speechless about the Senate. We will leave it there. Unfortunately, at the sharp end of all of this are Americans, average,

everyday Americans just trying to get on with their lives.

Peter DeFazio, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.

DEFAZIO: Thank you.

NEWTON: Now, earlier, earlier, President Trump welcomed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to the White House.

While Mr. Orban is a longtime ally, they are now tensions over Hungary's reliance on Russian oil and gas. Now, the far-right prime minister seeks an

exemption from U.S. sanctions against Russian energy. Here's what Mr. Trump had to say when asked on the matter. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're looking at it because it's very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas. As you

know, they don't have -- they don't have the advantage of having sea, it's a great country. It's a big country. But they don't have sea, they don't

have the ports.

And so, they have a difficult problem. There's another country that has that same problem, by the way. But when you look at what's happened with

Europe, many of those countries, they don't have those problems and they buy a lot of oil and gas from Russia. And as they know, I'm very disturbed

by that because we're helping them and they're going and buying oil and gas from Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Kristen Holmes has more details now from the White House.

And in following the president's comments there, I am curious as to what you think. Does that mean he's leaning towards an exemption or maybe not?

And then as well, these two men really did make some news in terms of where they believe the Ukraine-Russia conflict to be going.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. So, let's talk about those exemptions first. President Trump gave every indication that

he's willing to give those exemptions. Instead of saying why Hungary shouldn't be buying Russian oil or Russian gas, he was saying why they had

to continue buying it, which of course is something that he is hearing from the leader there.

Now, this is not that surprising. President Trump has had a very close relationship with Viktor Orban, even when he was out of office. Orban went

and visited him down in Mar-a-Lago. And we know that President Trump quoted Orban multiple times on the campaign trail and praised him for being a

strong man.

So, the relationship there in plain view, President Trump believing him, saying he might need this. That's not all that surprising. What was

somewhat surprising was the fact that President Trump said that Hungary didn't have any ports, so they needed this oil, but it was actually the

Europeans that were causing all of these problems.

When it came to the war in Ukraine, they did make news, but they seem to be still on different pages. I mean, one of the things we heard from Orban,

which is something we've heard as Russian talking points, was that the Europeans and Ukraine wanted this war to continue because they thought that

Ukraine could win. The mentality that we have heard from -- and the mindset we have heard from these European leaders and from Ukrainians themselves,

is that they need more ammunition, they need more weapons to protect themselves from the onslaught from Russia, which just is relentless, not

because they need to continue this war.

So that in itself is likely to play a part in the conversations they have behind the scenes as well. We know President Trump has kind of gone back

and forth between this idea of who's at fault here for the Russia Ukraine war, talking about how Ukraine can't win, but then at another point saying

maybe they could actually win. So, where this lands, we're going to have to talk to our sources and try and get a read on it.

They both said that they believe that the Ukrainian war can be wrapped up and wrapped up shortly, but again, going back to what Orban's points were

about why, that's not something that's going to really change. The communication between Russia, the United States and Ukraine and these

European leaders, because it's just not where these European leaders and Ukraine feel that they stand.

So, we'll have to see if there's more detail as to why he thought this might end. Now, the other part of this, of course, is that Orban was going

to host both Putin and Trump for this next summit between the two of them in Hungary, before Trump called it off and imposed these sanctions, they

did say that they thought that it could come back together at some point.

[15:15:02]

NEWTON: Yeah, it's hard to believe it was just a few weeks ago when Orban was calling Hungary an island that -- would be an island of peace. And here

we are. We are no further on a resolution of the conflict.

Kristen Holmes, grateful to you.

Now, the Kremlin is rejecting several reports over a potential rift between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Now, Lavrov is no longer expected to lead the Russian delegation at the G20 summit later this month. On Wednesday, the foreign minister was notably

absent from a Russian security council meeting, and this was the same meeting where Putin floated the possibility of full scale nuclear testing.

Multiple people at a U.S. air base, meantime, have now fallen ill after they were exposed to a suspicious package containing a mystery powder. The

incident happened at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, which is where the president's plane, Air Force One, is stationed. At least seven people were

taken to the hospital, but sources say they have all now been released. The package with the mystery white powder also contained what investigators are

calling political propaganda.

CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell is tracking the investigation for us.

Josh, this is actually quite concerning. I mean, given how secure this base is, do they have any more clues as to -- well, what the package was, what

this white powder was, but obviously how the package got there.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No, you're spot on. That is the key question because were not just talking about any U.S. military

installation. We're talking about one of the most heavily guarded U.S. bases in the world. As you mentioned, this -- Joint Base Andrews is home to

the U.S. presidential aircraft fleet, including Air Force One. This is also an airfield where many dignitaries from around the world heads of state,

will come in and land whenever they visit the Washington, D.C. area.

Nevertheless, there was this package that made its way on base that prompted this scare yesterday. The package was opened inside a building

that is a National Guard readiness center. People around it started experiencing some type of illness. We know that at least seven people were

transported to a hospital for treatment. They were then released.

Law enforcement source tells me that they found some type of white powdery substance, a hazardous material response team quickly came and did what's

called a field test. This is just the initial test to try to determine what type of powder this may be. They did not determine that it was anything

hazardous, but it is undergoing further testing, particularly because it allegedly made people ill here. And as you mentioned, we're also hearing

from sources that inside that package there was some type of political propaganda that now under investigation by federal agents trying to

determine who the person was that sent this, what was the actual motive?

It is worth pointing out that, you know, we've seen white powder letters, as they're called, you know, for the last couple of decades here in this

country, sent in order to try to terrorize people. But the technology that law enforcement has used has made leaps and bounds in trying to track back

where a particular package was sent from, as well as testing where a particular type of material came from. So very sophisticated techniques

that law enforcement has, which we know that are currently being used right now to try to determine who did this.

Thankfully, no one was seriously ill, but because of the location and because of what transpired here, several illnesses, this is something that

authorities were certainly concerned about yesterday.

NEWTON: Yeah, absolutely. We'll continue to follow this investigation as this material to security around that base.

Josh Campbell for us, thank you.

Now, still to come for us, a CNN investigation reveals China is massively expanding its military capabilities, building out dozens of new facilities.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:47]

NEWTON: China's latest and most capable aircraft carrier has officially entered service. It's a significant step forward for Beijing as it seeks to

catch up with the U.S. This as new CNN analysis shows China is massively expanding its missile production sites.

CNN's Tamara Qiblawi reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIONS WRITER AND CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): China appears to be expanding its military arsenal at a historic

pace, according to the findings of a CNN investigation.

We identified and located 136 facilities linked to China's rocket force, which oversees both nuclear and conventional missiles. This is one of the

fastest growing areas of the country's two million strong armed forces.

We also analyzed satellite images to measure the scale of the expansion, details that have not previously been reported. These facilities are

research institutes, factories, bases and testing sites.

Despite Beijing's repeated denials, military experts say that this is China ringing in a new arms race. Across the country, more than half of these

sites have expanded. Several of them replacing whole villages growing by tens of thousands of feet in just five years. Others emerging out of

farmland like this one in northwest China, a testing site for hypersonic missiles complete with 139,000 square feet of brand new facilities.

Take a look at this rocket factory on China's coast. We see a yard with missiles over 60 feet long. China's military covered the roofs of the

rocket warehouses with camouflage. Freight trains transporting rockets run from one end of the site to the other, to produce missiles that are larger

and more sophisticated, China needs a lot more floor space, so that's what we measured/

Since 2020, China added at least 21 million square feet to its rocket research and production floor space. That's about the size of 375 football

fields. Historically discreet about its military posture, recently China has been flaunting its capabilities. In September, a show of force at

China's military parade. Friend and foe watched closely. Among the weapons brandished by China, the DF-26D, an upgraded version of a missile ominously

dubbed the "Guam killer."

U.S. territory of Guam is home to Andersen Air Force Base, which serves as a launching point for America's long range bombers. Because of this

missile's partially unpredictable flight path, it may potentially outmaneuver America's most advanced air defenses, and strike strategic U.S.

positions in the Pacific.

QIBLAWI: Why does this matter? Because in our previous investigation, we found that the U.S. burned through around 25 percent of its THAAD air

defense systems in just 12 days. The Pentagon has been scrambling to replace them. Now these are the very interceptors that are designed to

shoot Chinese rockets down.

Is it fair to say that this is an arms race?

WILLIAM ALBERQUE, FORMER NATO DIRECTOR, ARMS CONTROL: We're talking about operational missiles, missiles for theater warfare and battlefield.

[15:25:03]

We're talking about strategic missiles -- missiles for strategic dominance, for deterring the United States and possibly defeating the United States.

I would say it's not only fair to say that it's an arms race, but China has already sprinted off the starting line.

QIBLAWI (voice-over): Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now, it's a pay rise like no other. Elon Musk is on course to become the founding member of the trillionaire boys club.

Coming up, we'll tell you exactly what he can do with that paycheck.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: Now the flight disruptions across the United States will only get worse if the government shutdown continues. Of course. And right now, I

hate to say it, there is no end in sight. Thousands of flights have been delayed or canceled after the Trump administration ordered airlines to

reduce flights at 40 airports nationwide due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

One traveler in New Jersey says she's driving to her destination thousands of kilometers away after missing her flight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN SOIKA, MISSED HER FLIGHT AT NEWARK: I'm renting a car. I have to be back in Utah by Tuesday. And from what I hear with the counters, the

airline counters and TSA, they literally said to me, if I were you, I wouldn't travel over the next three days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, just a short time ago, the U.S. transportation secretary said the percentage of flight cuts could jump to 20 percent if the government

shutdown doesn't end relatively soon.

Now to that end, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says his party is offering a, quote, "very simple compromise to reopen the government". He

says Democrats would agree to end the shutdown in exchange for one more year of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.

[15:30:05]

But there is little expectation that Republicans will accept that offer.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is on Capitol Hill.

Given you -- given how much you've covered these politicians, let me guess. Schumer's proposal is already a nonstarter with Republicans?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Paula, really, this proposal from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was expected to fall flat among Senate

Republicans. Right now, actually, the Senate Republican caucus is meeting privately the first time that they're getting together since Schumer made

this offer. But the big difference in what Schumer has proposed here is asking for a one year extension of the Obamacare subsidies in order to vote

on reopening the government.

Democrats in the past had not really given that level of specificity about the extensions. They had simply said they wanted to hold negotiations now

about what would happen with these subsidies when they expire. Instead, what Schumer believes he believes this is a simple proposition for senate

Republicans to get on board with, because their argument is that it will just extend the subsidies for one year without any negotiations, waiting

for the negotiations to happen until next year.

But Senate Republicans, even the few that have said that they believe something does need to be done with these Obamacare subsidies, the heart of

their argument has been any extension needs to come with some reforms to the program. And that is why this is expected to fall flat. And even if it

were somehow to get through the Senate, that would still need to make its way over to over to the House. And House Speaker Mike Johnson has been very

noncommittal about putting a vote on Obamacare subsidies on the House floor. That is because the House Republican caucus might actually be even

more difficult to wrangle together than Senate Republicans.

So, a lot remains up in the air with this latest proposal from Senator Chuck Schumer. Really for him, this offers the ability for Democrats to

show they're united in something, but it does not seem like Republicans will get on board with that plan.

NEWTON: Yeah. And, Arlette, I have to ask you, kind of a double barreled question here in the first. I mean, the Republicans believe that the

success Democrats had earlier in the week with their elections, that that's actually lengthening the shutdown, but also, you know, the president

doesn't seem to be willing to get involved here. Is there any change on that?

SAENZ: Right now, there does not seem to be any change. We heard from President Trump in the day after the Democrats sweeping elections across

the country. He told senate Republicans that they need to open up the government immediately. But he's not getting involved with any talks with

Senate Democrats and House Democratic leadership.

Senator -- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that they want Trump to come to the table because they believe that he actually wants to

get something done on health care. But it's the Republican caucuses in the House and Senate that are holding them back.

But right now, the president really hasn't weighed in on this latest proposal. He's kind of letting the Senate and Republican -- Senate

Republican and House leadership hammer this out. But Democrats really are feeling emboldened in this moment after they swept in races across the

country. They feel like their voters have said that they want them to continue showing a fight against Republicans, and that is why they are

willing to hold off in this shutdown standoff as they are trying to extract more concessions from Republicans on the issue of health care, which they

believe needs to be more affordable for Americans.

NEWTON: Yeah, we'll see how long this lasts, given that anger really, truly is building, whether you're a Republican, Democrat or independent in

this country.

Arlette Saenz for us on Capitol Hill, appreciate it.

Now it is the final moment of trading on Wall Street. And stocks are down - - or going to be down slightly for the week. The Dow Jones slightly lower as you can see there. But tech stocks have taken a big hit today.

This is our business breakout.

Economic impacts from the ongoing U.S. government shutdown are far worse than expected. That's according to National Economic Council Director Kevin

Hassett, as it predicts a downturn in gross domestic product of the shutdown carries on, which could then lead to a recession.

As airports across the U.S. feel the sting of the government shutdown, we're seeing signs that many people are opting to drive rather than fly.

Hertz is reporting a 20 percent spike in one-way rentals after flight cancellations continue to pile up.

Australia's flag carrier Qantas released images of its new passenger jet geared for long haul flights. The plane, still under construction, will be

the first to fly nonstop from Sydney to London and New York. The Airbus is expected to fly up to 22 hours straight, thanks to adaptations like a

22,000-liter fuel tank.

Elon Musk, the world's richest person, probably won't lose that title anytime soon. That's because Tesla shareholders approved his new pay

package on Thursday, worth $1 trillion.

[15:35:00]

But that is, if certain benchmarks are met. Musk doesn't take a salary, but he does receive stock grants.

Our Anna Cooban shares what $1 trillion could buy for -- could buy you these days.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: What could $1 trillion really buy you? It's not a question that many people have to ask themselves

but it's something that Elon Musk might have to ask himself because he may actually have that at the end of the next decade.

Now, this is because the shareholders of Tesla, the company that he runs have voted to give him this pay package.

This would come in the form of stocks given over the next 10 years, but crucially, only if Elon Musk can hit certain targets, both financial and

operational for the company. And there's a lot for him to do. Tesla has been suffering as sales and profits have plunged over the first half of the

year. It's facing rising competition from EV makers in China, and it's trying to pivot more into the A.I. and robotics space.

So, there's a lot on Elon Musk's to do list. But enough about that. What can a trillion really get you?

Well, look at all those zeroes. It's hard to really grasp the concept of it. But if we try to break it down, $275 million per day, that's what it

could get you. Not too shabby. It could also get you 10,000 of these guys. Brian Niccol, he is the CEO of Starbucks, and he is given a paltry $100

million pay packet per year.

It could also get you Coca-Cola, that little known company that's worth around $300 billion. And it could allow you to buy a 12-pack of Coke, cans

of Coke for every single human being on the planet. And bearing in mind there are over 8 billion people on the planet, that is a pretty big deal.

Now, we could also buy you Switzerland. I don't think it's for sale, but its GDP is around $900 billion per year. So, if it was wanting to be sold,

Elon Musk could potentially buy it. And so that just gives you a sense of how much money this really is.

But as I said before, Elon Musk isn't just going to be given this. He has to do things in order to get the stocks that could be worth this. This

amount of money. Firstly, the most eye-popping target is he needs to get Teslas market cap up from the current $1.45 trillion to $8.5 trillion over

the next few years.

And to put that in context, the most valuable public company right now is Nvidia. The artificial intelligence chip maker, that's worth around $4.75

trillion. And last week it actually hit the $5 trillion mark, the first company in the world ever to do so.

So that gives you an idea of the numbers that we're talking here. Musk himself said in a call to investors last week that if he was to get this

kind of money, he didn't even know if he could spend it.

Anna Cooban, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: I think we can all figure out things he could do with it.

Okay, the human trafficking crisis in Libya is getting worse. Coming up, our CNN investigation uncovers the ransom demands migrant families are

facing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:41:05]

NEWTON: Global immigration has hit record levels this year. More and more migrants from countries like Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia are

fleeing war and prosecution. Persecution, pardon me. Many of them make their way to Libya in the hopes of reaching Europe, Canada and the United

States.

Now, a warning, what you're about to see is disturbing. Once those migrants reach Libya, many of them are captured by criminal gangs. CNN has

identified videos of these migrants being brutally tortured. Those videos are then sent to family members right around the world, who demand

thousands of dollars in ransoms.

CNN's Isobel Yeung traveled to the heart of Libya for this story, where this horrific abuse is taking place.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We're here in this barren southernmost part of Libya, at the heart of the migrant trail.

Authorities say they're overwhelmed with the influx of recent arrivals. Several 100 migrants are being held in this detention center after

illegally crossing into the country.

YEUNG: Hi, Assalamu Alaikum. You have not left this room for three months.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, yeah. Nobody cares for us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are some sick here.

YEUNG: People are sick?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, sick.

YEUNG: I'm not surprised people are getting sick. It's crowded. Pretty shocking conditions.

YEUNG (voice-over): Kramton (ph) among them is a man who has just been arrested on suspicion of collecting money for ransoms. The police

interrogate him over his involvement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, but what's your role?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My role is transfers --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So therefore you are a partner!

YEUNG: It seems like this guy is admitting to his involvement, saying that he's involved in the "hawala" system, which is taking money from these

migrants and paying his boss, who is the big trafficker.

YEUNG (voice-over): The suspect, hands over crucial details about a farm where he says the migrants who paid him are held for ransom.

The police gear up and plan to raid the premises.

YEUNG: So, these guys are heading towards a location that they believe a trafficker is operating, where he's holding migrants that they believe have

been tortured and held for ransom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This room is a secret prison!

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

YEUNG: They're searching through this room that they believe is where migrants were being held. It doesn't look like anyone's like they fled or

been taken to the next spot.

There's a lot of clothes hanging up here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The traffickers keep the migrants' passports in this room, and when the ransom is paid, they return the passports.

[15:45:00]

YEUNG (voice-over): Unknown numbers of migrants are still under the control of their captors. Women and children are often the most vulnerable.

In this detention center, almost everyone tells us they've been trafficked and tortured, mostly Eritreans and Ethiopians they've paid their ransoms

and are now waiting for help from the U.N. Because of the harrowing details of what they've been through we're keeping some people here anonymous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These guys, they touched me and they did something every day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like, four boys, they do like that.

YEUNG: It sounds like you've been sexually abused. Have you had any medical treatment for it? None?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She checked me, like, for pregnant.

YEUNG: You're not pregnant.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I'm not pregnant. But it hurts too much. Even I want to die, but I cannot do it.

YEUNG: You've been hurting yourself?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

YEUNG: On this hand?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

YEUNG: On this arm?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

YEUNG: It's so awful to hear someone who is so young, you're just 16- years-old talk about not wanting to live anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every girl, they do this. Every girl.

YEUNG: Every girl is the same.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

(CRYING)

YEUNG (voice-over): Suddenly, everyone in the room breaks down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone having pain. Everyone.

YEUNG: Everyone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

YEUNG: I mean, it's actually unbearable amounts of pain in this one room. Just every single woman child in here just seems like they've suffered the

most horrific experience.

YEUNG (voice-over): Girls as young as 14, children, pregnant women. These are just a small sample of people trafficked through a living hell.

It's rare that authorities get to the torture sites in time. Back in 2022, acting on a tip off from migrants who'd escaped, they were able to free

over 150 people.

They were held inside these rooms for months and said they'd been brutally abused. Standing outside guarding the rooms was an Eritrean man called

Tsinat Tesfay.

In this footage, you can see the newly released migrants pointing and screaming at Tesfay.

We received special permission to meet with Tesfay in a high security prison. He's been convicted of kidnapping and is serving a life sentence.

He says he's innocent and that he was one of the migrants being trafficked, rather than someone responsible.

YEUNG: How do you explain the fact that so many of the migrants that you were with that day say that they were tortured and abused and treated

horrifically, and you're saying that you saw nothing.

TSINAT TESFAY, PRISONER FROM ERITREA: No, no. I didn't see torture.

YEUNG: Why is it do you think that Eritreans end up working with these Libyans in these human trafficking networks?

TESFAY: It's all about money. They want to change their lives.

YEUNG (voice-over): This business is bigger than one man. The network Tesfay was accused of operating in stretches across this vast desert and

has links to traffickers in Uganda Ethiopia and the Emirates.

Libya can't tackle this alone, while a rise in anti-immigration politics is failing to translate into international cooperation, many thousands of

people making this treacherous journey will continue to live through this never-ending nightmare.

Isobel Yeung, CNN, Libya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:51:27]

WATSON: Just in to CNN, James Watson, the renowned molecular biologist who became a pioneer of genetics, has died after a brief illness. Along with

Francis Crick, he discovered the double helix structure of DNA, which led to the mapping of the human genome. He won a Nobel Prize for his work in

1962. James Watson was 97 years old.

Now, this weekend, Pope Leo XIV will mark six months of leading the Roman Catholic church. On Thursday, the pontiff met with Palestinian Authority

President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican. They discussed the urgent need to get more aid into Gaza and their shared view that a two-state solution is

the way to a permanent peace. Human rights have been high on the agenda for this pope since his historic election in May.

CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb tells us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first American pope has been elected, Cardinal Prevost.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six months ago, Cardinal Robert Prevost made history when he was elected pope and took the

name Leo XIV. The idea of a pope from the United States had previously been unthinkable, but the Chicago-born pontiff defied all the odds. His

background won over the cardinals, a low-key figure who spent years in Peru as a missionary and more than a decade leading his religious order, the

Augustinian.

Elected too just months after President Trump won his historic nonconsecutive second term and with a Catholic vice president, Leo has

spoken out on the plight of migrants, voicing concern about those detained in his home city of Chicago, calling on Catholic leaders in the United

States to speak up.

POPE LEO XIV, CATHOLIC CHURCH: Someone who says that I'm against abortion, but I'm in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants who in the

United States, I don't know if that's pro-life.

LAMB (voice-over): Like Pope Francis, Leo also speaking out on protecting the environment, serving the poor, and welcoming LGBTQ Catholics like

Francis, also facing criticism for doing so. But Leo is a more reserved personality than his predecessor and less of a disrupter.

POPE LEO: Let us pray.

LAMB (voice-over): He wants to be a unifier who avoids fueling polarization. He insists on dialogue with those who disagree, including

healing divisions of the past.

The first months of Leo have revealed his more formal papal style, along with his personality. He's a pope who loves sports, particularly the

Chicago White Sox. Even shouting back to a rival Chicago Cubs fan from his popemobile.

POPE LEO: They lost.

LAMB (voice-over): He's also able to connect with people by speaking different languages fluently.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

POPE LEO: You are the light of the world.

LAMB (voice-over): And he's still in regular touch with his brothers, who have both visited him in Rome.

It's still early days for Leo, age 70, which is relatively young for a pope. He's taking his time.

Later this month, he'll embark on his first foreign visit to Turkey and Lebanon to emphasize peace in the Middle East.

Leo still has a full in-tray in big appointments of church leaders to make. Although his first months have been a time of acclimatization, the first

American pope is getting into his stride.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: The Grammy nominations were announced earlier and one artist dominates. Kendrick Lamar taking in nine nods, including Song of the Year

for Luther.

(SONG)

[15:55:08]

NEWTON: The Recording Academy also recognized Kendrick Lamar for album and record of the year. Other big nominees include Lady Gaga, who nabbed seven

nominations, Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter also received multiple nominations. The Grammy winners will be announced Sunday, February 1st, and

it is quite a show.

Finally, tonight, Prince Harry -- why is he saying sorry to Canada? Even though in Canada we say sorry about a lot of things. This comes after the

prince and wife Meghan attended game four of the World Series in Los Angeles.

Get this -- they were both wearing Dodgers hats. The prince says he was being respectful to the host, the owner of the Dodgers. But many fans in

Canada not pleased. Harry is the son of Canada's head of state, King Charles, and the Blue Jays are the only MLB team in Canada.

The prince gave a lighthearted apology while in Toronto to honor Canada's military.

I'm Paula Newton. That's WHAT WE KNOW.

Stay with CNN for more news.

END

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