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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Interview With Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD); Interview With Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA); Sean "Diddy" Combs Sentenced To Four Plus Years In Prison; Cassie Ventura's Attorney Says "Nothing Can Undo The Trauma Caused By Combs"; Hamas Agrees To Enter Negotiations To Release Hostages; Sec. Def. Says U.S. Strike On Boat Off Venezuela Kills Four; Taylor Swift's "The Life Of A Showgirl"; Trump-Epstein Statue Returns. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired October 03, 2025 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY SHALHOUB, AWARD-WINNING ACTOR, HOST, "TONY SHALHOUB BREAKING BREAD": Like the Lebanese restauranteurs and bakers were doing there that connected to the stuff that I grew up eating.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: And now, and I know you do want to go back to Lebanon when you --
SHALHOUB: I want to go back to Lebanon. I've been there once, but I want to go back to Brazil, too.
BURNETT: All right, well, Tony, it's a pleasure.
SHALHOUB: Thank you.
BURNETT: Thank you, I can't wait to see it. I'm sure everyone is -- you know, people need something sometimes to just, to learn and to feel good. So, thank you.
SHALHOUB: I hope this does it.
BURNETT: I hope so too, I'm sure. Well, don't miss the premier of "Tony Shalhoub: Breaking Bread" on Sunday at nine o'clock. Thanks so much for joining us. AC360 begins now.
[20:00:36]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Tonight on 360, with the shutdown heading into next week, and the President posting bizarre meme videos, new reporting on concerns within the President's orbit about how it's all going politically.
Also tonight, Sean "Diddy" Combs pleads for mercy at his sentencing today as a federal judge passes sentence on him. Details from someone who was in the room when it happened.
Later, all were learning about what Hamas did and did not agree to on the hostages it holds and what role a Presidential deadline played.
Good evening to you, thanks so much for joining. I'm Jim Sciutto, sitting in for Anderson. First up tonight, CNN's
learning, there are quiet concerns around the President that the politics of the government shutdown may prove more complicated than they initially hoped. Specifically, that there is little certainty within the President's orbit over how his efforts to ramp up pressure on Democrats will play with the broader public, said one Trump adviser, "I'm supposed to say this is killing the Democrats, but I don't think it helps either side, to be honest with you."
That said, if the President himself has any second thoughts, he's not showing it publicly, instead, he is continuing to gloat over the thousands of federal job cuts his budget director, Russ Vought, is preparing to unleash. This time in the form of an A.I. generated video and blue oyster rip off he posted overnight portraying Vought as the Grim Reaper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(Playing the A.I. generated video of Vought as the Grim Reaper.)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: I mean, to be clear, these are real people who would lose their jobs and this concerns the potential mass layoffs, not just temporary furloughs of American men and women with bills to pay, groceries to buy, kids to send to school, something the White House has also said it takes seriously, which prompted this question from a reporter today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: You just said this is an unenviable choice, but this is an unfortunate consequence. But the President has described this as an unprecedented opportunity to lay off additional workers. He's posted a video likening Russ Vought to the Grim Reaper. So, which is this? Is this an opportunity to fire more workers or an unfortunate consequence?
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Look, the President likes to have a little fun every now and then, and I think both things can be true at the same time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Actually not, whatever you might make of that, there is no arguing this with Republicans again today, unable to peel off more Democratic votes to pass temporary funding for the government and house Speaker Johnson keeping lawmakers away all of next week, this shutdown could go on for quite longer.
A lot of ground to cover tonight. First, we're joined by "New York Times" chief White House correspondent and CNN political analyst Maggie Haberman. Maggie, I mean, let's be fair. It's rich for the White House to claim some great regret or pain over firings. I mean, it was just a few months ago they had Elon Musk on stage with a chainsaw, bragging about cutting federal jobs with DOGE. I just wonder, do you hear from inside the White House concern that the politics of this could be damaging for them?
MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: There is concern about that, Jim. They don't quite know yet how it's going to play. Democrats, to be clear, also don't know how this is going to play. And again, I use this word play, you know, about a situation that involves people's jobs and people's livelihoods. This is not a game and when the President of the United States is posting memes about Russ Vought as the Grim Reaper, I don't know how many people see it right now beyond people like us, people who are, you know, zeroed in on his social media feed. But if this shutdown continues to go on, then it could end up becoming problematic for the President.
And again, to your question, his aides are not certain where this goes. Some of his aides had believed and hoped, for whatever reason, this was going to have reached some kind of a turning point by today. That obviously has not happened. This is now going to head into at least another several days. The House is not supposed to be back for another week and a half, so, we'll see.
SCIUTTO: Hearing Karoline Leavitt there say, you know, both things could be true. That's factually wrong, I mean, either the President supports mass firings or he doesn't. Is it clear to you that he has given Russ Vought free rein to do so? I mean, is that a fait accompli that these mass firings are coming?
[20:05:12]
HABERMAN: Nothing is ever a fait accompli with President Trump and you and I have both seen that over and over again. But certainly he has used Russ Vought in a way that we have seen him use other aides, Jim, over the course of the last eight years or whatever, however many years we're talking about now, his presidencies, his two presidencies combined. Sometimes he would use Peter Navarro to try to compel people to do certain things that he wanted them to do. I think at the moment he is using Russ Vought that way but Russ Vought has a lot of plans on what he wants to do with this government.
In fact, some of those plans were unpopular enough during the campaign anyway that the Trump campaign tried downplaying it. So, you know, look, saying that the President likes to have fun when you are talking about the context of people losing their jobs. I go back to something you said at the start of this segment, which is that a few months ago, when it was Elon Musk, you know, on stage with a chainsaw, you know, eagerly talking about firing people. Trump's advisers were worried about how voters were going to see that.
They worried about how some of Trump's own voters who work in the federal government would see that. I don't know how any of that helps them. But again, I don't think people are that tuned in to this yet. They will be if this goes on for a while.
SCIUTTO: In the midst of this, the U.S. Treasurer confirmed today that a portrait of President Trump may be featured on his own coin, like a commemorative $1.00 coin in honor of America's 250th birthday notable the fight, fight, fight slogan from the attempted assassination attempt. We should note there is a U.S. law that does not allow a sitting President on a coin. What are you hearing about? Is this is this a serious plan?
HABERMAN: It is definitely a plan that at least has floated preliminarily, is going to make President Trump very happy. I thought it was notable that Treasury officials said that this was just a draft, and we will see what things end up looking like. So, this may be the plan that exists right now to please him. On the other hand, we have also seen this administration go ahead and forge plans that don't comply with rules and regulations at many points this year.
SCIUTTO: True that, Maggie Haberman, good Friday to you. Thanks so much for joining.
HABERMAN: Thanks, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Turning next to South Dakota Republican Congressman Dusty Johnson. Congressman, you so much for taking time this Friday night.
REP. DUSTY JOHNSON (R-SD): Thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: First, if I can, the House Speaker sent you all home for next week. Is that a good idea? Does that show urgency on the part of Republicans to negotiate a deal to end the shutdown?
JOHNSON: I love Mike Johnson. I am loath to ever criticize him publicly, but I would have made a different play call. I'm going to be in Washington, D.C. next week. Now, admittedly, the House has passed. We have voted to keep government open. The ball is clearly in the Senate's court, but I'm going to be in D.C., I'm going to try to be helpful any way I can. I don't think they're going to let me put Rand Paul in a headlock to try to get him to, yes, but however, I can be helpful, I'll do it.
SCIUTTO: If that happens. Please let us know, we'll be there for it.
We mentioned earlier that CNN has reporting tonight that some members of the President's own orbit are raising concerns that the shutdown strategy might not work for the President or Republicans. There was a story earlier today in "The Wall Street Journal" as well, concerns about the political ramifications for Republicans. Do you share those concerns?
JOHNSON: Two things, first off, I know this is what we politicos do. We talk about who's going to win a shutdown. Let me be clear. No one wins a shutdown, everyone loses. They are always stupid and this is probably the dumbest shutdown ever.
That being said, I don't share those concerns. I talked yesterday to two high ranking members of The White House. I talked to some pretty high ranking people today too. They're generally pretty honest with me and I am not getting the sense that there's all that much concern. I think we know from history that the party that shuts down the government trying to get a big policy concession has always had to fold their hand and kind of meekly back out of the room. I don't know why this would be any different. I think Chuck Schumer has bitten off a lot more than he can chew. SCIUTTO: Devil's advocate here, though, because the issue that
Democrats are holding the line on is health care. Specifically, as you know, Medicaid funding and ACA or Obamacare subsidies. When you look at the polling on this and we have a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation that shows this, these are issues that large majorities of both Republicans and Democrats, you see, 78 to 22 support extending. Does that -- when you see numbers like that, that's not a close call, right? Does that indicate to you that, hey, you know, maybe we as Republicans should extend these subsidies?
JOHNSON: Well, listen, I don't know everything and I don't know everything about your poll. I would say this. I've done 30 media interviews in the last week. I've probably talked to 30 of my Democratic colleagues. I probably talked to a thousand South Dakotans and what I say to them, which is the truth, Republicans are absolutely willing to negotiate on all of these big policy issues. We just want the negotiations to happen when government is open. Every single head nods and in fact, I've had some Democratic colleagues in the House tell me that, well, yes, okay, that makes a lot of sense.
I think that's why you have already seen three Democratic Senators vote with the Republicans, and I'm promising you on a stack of Bibles, they will not be the last.
[20:10:43]
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, though. Imagine yourself wearing a Democratic lawmaker's shoes, knowing that between 2011 and 2017, Republicans in the House and Senate initiated 70 attempts. In fact, more than 70 attempts to repeal, modify, or weaken the Affordable Care Act. So, when they hear from Republicans like yourself saying, just pass this clean C.R. and we'll negotiate on ACA subsidies afterwards -- would you trust a party that tried to kill the plan before, but now is saying, hey, actually, well talk about it, just trust us.
JOHNSON: Jim, nobody is asking for any trust and you know that. Leader Schumer is not giving up any of his leverage. If we keep the government open and do the negotiations on November 21st, the worst case scenario is he is in the same spot that he's in today. You can run this simulation 10,000 times. And again, the worst case, he's holding the same hand of cards he's holding today. There are lots of other scenarios where he's doing well. There are plenty of Republicans that that publicly are saying they are willing to consider targeted ACA, COVID era subsidies for working class Americans.
Now, listen, if Chuck Schumer wants to shut the whole thing down for families making 700 percent of poverty while we're two trillion dollars in debt, he can try to go sell that. But I promise you, he is not going to get Republicans to give him everything he wants on a six- week C.R.
SCIUTTO: Well, Congressman, we appreciate you taking the time this evening and appreciate you staying in Washington as well.
JOHNSON: Absolutely, thanks so much. SCIUTTO: Coming up next, let's go to the other side of the aisle,
Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss. So, Congressman, you hear Dusty Johnson there saying, listen, you know, we are willing to negotiate, just, you know, pass this clean C.R. You want to take that opportunity?
REP. JAKE AUCHINCLOSS (D-MA): Good evening, thanks for having me on. This is an odd thing to say because I know were having a debate here, but Dusty is actually one of my favorite members of Congress. And, boy, this country would be better off if he was leading the Republican Party, but more is the pity he's not. There's only one man who runs, controls, dominates the Republican Party, and that's Donald Trump. And Donald Trump, for the last nine months, has used the middle class as a punching bag.
He has levied the biggest tax hike in American history with his tariffs. He has gouged their health care with the biggest cut to Medicaid in American history. He's made a mockery of their respect for the rule of law with his corruption. And now he's turning around and asking the middle class to fund his government that he's going to continue to use as his personal patrimony. And he's refusing to give anything back to these hardworking Americans. And we're saying no, because the middle class hasn't had a voice. They haven't had a lobby or a Super PAC in Donald Trump's ear, but they should have the Democratic Party.
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, because one criticism you will hear from some Republicans is that these subsidies were expanded during the midst of the COVID pandemic, made bigger than they were prior. Initially, they were only going to last five years, right, and that's partly, you know, budget magic here, right. You don't want to say ten years because it adds to the deficit more when you pass the bill. So, is that an area where you might be willing to negotiate saying, we'll, they don't have to be as high as they were in the midst of a pandemic.
AUCHINCLOSS: Absolutely and actually, before the shutdown, I led several other members of Congress in a letter to House leadership explaining some of the areas that we would want to negotiate with Republicans on. It was reversing some of the worst Medicaid cuts that are going to raise the cost of long term and elder care for the middle class. It was a vote in Congress on the tariffs, not asking for, you know, my side to win the vote. We just want to literally have a vote, so the American people can see where we stand on this inflationary agenda. And some basic measures to stem the corruption of this administration. All of those three issues have supermajority support from Americans. None of them are outside the bounds of discourse and we should absolutely press the President to make good on them.
SCIUTTO: Do you share -- so, as you heard me say earlier to Dusty Johnson, there's some reporting from inside The White House that The White House is concerned that the politics might not work out so well for them.
Are you concerned, just as a member of the Democratic Party, that the longer this drags out, that it might end up hurting both of you? I mean, you guys have got to win back the ground, right? I mean, you're the ones who have to, you know, win the midterms if you want some, if you want to gain back some ground in this town.
[20:15:31]
AUCHINCLOSS: For the last decade, the Democratic Party has spent too much time telling Americans who we are against. We need to start telling them what we are for and this fight is an opportunity to explain to the American public that we are for lowering the cost of health care. We are for crusading against corruption, regardless of which side it may occur on. And we are for funding public safety by refunding the cop's grants that this administration has cut, and we can keep on going down the line.
But whenever you have an opportunity to explain your agenda to the American people, I think you have to capitalize on it.
SCIUTTO: Final question, you've heard a great deal of criticism from many of your Democratic colleagues to this A.I. generated video, President Trump has repeatedly posted of the Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with a sombrero. You know, what's your reaction to seeing that -- and more than once?
SCIUTTO: Sophomoric and indicative of this President's vitriol and lack of seriousness about governing. His attitude towards governance has been treating his administration like his own personal piggy bank. His sons are a flak in their crypto schemes. His Secretary of Commerce is overseas flaking and his crypto scheme, his secretary of Health and Human Services is making money on anti-vax litigation. Everyone's on the grift. This President is on the grift, and its transparent to the American public and they're sick of it.
SCIUTTO: Congressman Auchincloss, we appreciate you joining us this Friday night.
AUCHINCLOSS: Good evening.
SCIUTTO: Coming up next, what it was like inside the courtroom as Sean "Diddy" Combs was sentenced. And what, two courthouse veterans make of the sentence he got.
Later, Hamas appears to accept at least the principle of releasing the hostages it still holds. The real question, though, what about in practice?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:21:50]
SCIUTTO: Tonight, the sentencing on sex-crime related offenses of Sean "Diddy" Combs, once, one of the most influential hip-hop and business moguls of his era. He would become with the revelation of this video of him kicking then girlfriend Cassie Ventura and the lurid details surrounding it.
One of the most notorious and late today in a Manhattan Federal Courthouse, Sean Combs became a convicted and sentenced felon. Today, Combs himself appealed for mercy from the judge on two counts
of transportation to engage in prostitution, charges related to sexual encounters, so-called freak offs between his girlfriends and others. His lawyers claimed he'd been punished already. The judge disagreed, sentencing Combs to four years and two months.
In a moment, attorneys who have been on both sides of the sentencing hearing like this one many times over their careers. First, though, CNN's Kara Scannell, who was in the court as this unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The family of disgraced music mogul, Sean "Diddy" Combs leaving court after Judge Arun Subramanian handed down hard time, telling Combs his sentence needed to be substantial as the musician irreparably harmed two women. Combs spoke in his own defense for the first time, apologizing to his victims directly and taking full responsibility for his prostitution related convictions.
"There are no excuses. I can't change the past, but I can change the future. I beg Your Honor for mercy," Combs pleaded. This came after hours of testimonials in court trying to convince the judge Combs is a changed man, a marked shift in strategy from the defense, who had repeatedly argued his innocence.
SEAN COMBS, FORMER RAPPER, RECORD PRODUCER, RECORD EXECUTIVE AND CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER: You will change the world.
SCANNELL (voice over): Combs sobbed as his team showed a documentary style video highlighting his charity work, interspersed with family moment. Huddled together supporting each other at the podium, several of his children teared-up advocating for their father, insisting he's been rehabilitated.
His son, Justin, called Combs, his superhero. His daughter told the court "He's working on becoming a better man and a more present father." Others became emotional, focusing on Combs' contributions to the Black community while underscoring his own traumas and battles with drug addiction.
The judge ultimately recognized these contributions and struggles, calling them iconic and impressive, but said, a history of good works cant wash away the record in this case.
Prosecutor Christy Slavik was not moved by the day's speeches, arguing Combs respect for the law is just lip service, calling combs a master puppeteer of his own image.
After his summer trial, where the jury heard about freak offs and hotel nights, Combs was cleared of the more serious charges against him, including sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Key evidence in the trial and in Combs' sentencing was this surveillance video from 2016, first revealed by CNN, which shows Combs in a hotel hallway violently dragging and kicking then girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, across the floor. None of the victims spoke at the sentencing, but Ventura submitted a
letter to the court warning that Combs has, "No interest in changing or becoming better."
"I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up about his abuse at trial," she wrote. It's not clear yet where Combs will serve his sentence, but he is expected to appeal the decision.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[20:25:27]
SCANNELL: Jim, I spoke with one of Combs' attorneys after the judge handed down the sentencing, and Brian Steel told me that he thought the sentence was un-American and it was wrong of the judge to consider any of the conduct that Combs was acquitted of. Now, the judge did have a message for the victims. He said to Ventura -- Combs' former girlfriend, who testified under the pseudonym Jane. We hear you, he said. They were strong for speaking truth to power and he told them that, even if you are a victim once, it doesn't mean you always have to be a victim. He said he was proud of them.
Now, to Combs, he said he might be in a dark place now, but he said to Combs, there is light at the end of the tunnel. And this 50-month sentence, Combs has already served 12 months of those, so he has about another three years in prison -- Jim.
SCIUTTO: Kara Scannell, outside the courthouse. Thank you so much.
Joining me now, former federal prosecutor Alyse Adamson and criminal defense attorney Arthur Aidala. Good to have you both on
Alyse, first to you, to the defense's critique -- part of their critique is based on the fact that the judge mentioned things such as coercion, which were included in charges that he was acquitted of.
So, what is the judge's legal leeway here to consider things other than in the charges he was convicted of?
ALYSE ADAMSON, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Yes, I think that's an important question, Jim, because the judge did mention this coercive conduct and did take into consideration things like the video we just saw and some of other conduct of Combs. But what's important here, and the judge made clear, is that he was not considering that conduct with respect to the applicable guideline range. That's that calculation about where Combs could be sentenced based on the offense, which is the Mann Act other characteristics, like his criminal history. But its relevant conduct in determining where in that sentencing range he was going to exercise his discretion and ultimately sentence Combs.
SCIUTTO: Right.
ADAMSON: So, there's a very important distinction. I understand the defense's argument and they have to make it. They have to bring it up on appeal. But it wasn't that the judge was considering acquitted conduct. He was considering relevant conduct to decide whether or not that human being is safe returning into the community.
SCIUTTO: Right okay. So, Arthur, to that point, the sentencing range five to seven years ends up being four years and two months. In your view, something of a win, perhaps for the defense.
ARTHUR AIDALA, NEW YORK CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think it was a big win for the defense. I practice in that courthouse all the time against that prosecutor's office in front of those judges. Technically, he could have gotten 20 years in jail. The prosecutor asked for 11 years, which the judge said. That was ridiculous. The defense attorneys asked for time served. The judge said, that's ridiculous.
But the Department of Probation, that's supposed to be the neutral party that looks at other charges like this and other cases with other defendants, they came down with about seven years, and the judge undercut them, which is in and of itself is that's a win.
Also, when you start off with a client who is facing basically life in prison, and now he'll probably be in a halfway house within two years, that's a win.
SCIUTTO: Yes, I was going to ask the next question is how long is he actually in prison for that time -- Alyse, the judge reacted to that video presentation, which was pretty glitzy and tried to focus on his contribution to society through the years, which, by the way, you can do here. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that. But I wonder, was it too glitzy to some degree? I mean, was it was it so smooth as to not match, particularly when you look at the video, I mean, the Cassie Ventura video?
ADAMSON: Yes, Jim, first of all, I mean, in my years as a prosecutor, never saw any professionally produced video played at sentencing. And that's because most defendants can't afford a professional videographer, right. I do think the juxtaposition was stark between that video and the Cassie Ventura hotel video. What I think carried more weight was the words of Combs' own children who were begging for mercy, who were explaining to the court who their father was.
So, I don't think the video carried the day, but I do think the Combs' children and other people who knew about Combs' commitment to the community was very persuasive.
SCIUTTO: Yeah. I mean, his children said I mean, he said in the courtroom that they've never seen him undergo such a change as this, as this before.
Arthur, you've defended a lot of clients in court. Have you ever seen anything like that?
AIDALA: Well, I will tell you, I think if there's any winners here, in my opinion, it's the judge. He's a relatively new judge. He has an unbelievable background. He clerked on the Supreme Court of the United States of America. He handled the trial very well and even today, he showed empathy and compassion for the victims. He said, we heard you, and I'm taking the trauma you went through into
consideration. But at the end, he also spoke to the defendant, and he said, you know, you'll get through this. You and your family will get through this. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I've spoken to the defense team. They said that during the course of the trial, he handled himself in a very fair way. And in the Southern District of New York, where the judge isn't known to be a little tough. He really comes out, in my opinion, as being the star here.
[20:30:47]
SCIUTTO: Yes, I mean, you also see, I mean, how much power judges have in the courtroom. We do have the statement from Cassie Ventura's attorney saying the following. "While nothing can undo the trauma caused by Combs, the sentence imposed today recognizes the impact of the serious offenses he committed. Ms. Ventura will continue healing, knowing that her bravery and fortitude have been an inspiration to so many."
I wonder, Alyse, how do you think the victims of this -- and there were many alleged victims of his behavior, how do you think they see this?
ADAMSON: Yes, I think similar to Cassie, that they have been heard, that they've been seen, and quite frankly, that they have been believed. When Combs was acquitted of the top counts, you know, the prevailing view was it was going to have a chilling effect on victims. I think now, seeing that Combs is actually facing real time, that might be more of an incentive for other victims to come forward --
SCIUTTO: Yes.
ADAMSON: -- when similar things happen to them.
SCIUTTO: And that's the thing, right, because this is -- this gives no joy to anybody to have to air those traumatic experiences in public in a courtroom.
Arthur, final thought?
AIDALA: Well, I also think -- and Alyse will correct me if I'm wrong -- I also think she got $30 million, and, you know, that's a significant settlement. I mean, there are personal injury cases where people lose their legs and they don't walk the rest of their life and they don't recover $30 million.
So I'm not being a wise guy, but that's got to --
SCIUTTO: Well --
AIDALA: -- help in the healing process so that you can raise your family --
SCIUTTO: And also relate for who --
AIDALA: -- in any way you need. SCIUTTO: Who was on the other side of that decision is someone with the wealth of Diddy Combs as well.
Alyse Adamson, Arthur Aidala, thanks so much.
AIDALA: Thank you.
ADAMSON: Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Next, Hamas' response to the President's Gaza deadline. We're going to lay out what they have and have not yet agreed to, their differences.
Plus, another U.S. strike, a deadly one, on a boat off the coast of Venezuela.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:37:16]
SCIUTTO: Hamas has announced it is willing to release all hostages held in Gaza under the framework laid out in President Trump's ceasefire proposal. However, it added that it was ready to enter negotiations to, quote, "discuss the details." This comes after President Trump set a deadline this morning for Hamas to respond by Sunday, or, quote, "all hell will break out against Hamas."
Following the response from Hamas to his peace proposal, the President posted on social media, quote, "Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly." Late tonight, he posted this video.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a big day. We'll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down and concrete. Very importantly, I look forward to having the hostages come home to their parents.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
SCIUTTO: CNN Jerusalem Correspondent Jeremy Diamond joins us now. And this news just came in to CNN, that is Israel saying it is preparing to, quote, "immediately implement the first phase of Trump's plan for hostages release." What does that mean exactly? Are we going to see some concrete moves in the coming hours?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: You know, Jim, we are watching this kind of live diplomacy via statement that's been happening over the course of the last several hours. It began with that Hamas statement. Then you had this Trump post on Truth Social.
And now this statement from the Israeli prime minister's office, which I want to read to you in full. "In light of Hamas's response, Israel is preparing to, quote, "immediately implement the first phase of Trump's plan for the immediate release of all hostages. We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel that are consistent with President Trump's vision.""
And so the message here is that Israel is preparing to move forward with the first phase of this plan to end the war in Gaza, and that is the immediate release of all 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. What this statement does not reference, however, is the demand from President Trump, first of its kind, for Israel to, quote, "immediately stop" the bombing in Gaza in order for that hostage release to go forward.
And so that will be the question now. Is Israel prepared to cease fire in order to allow for that hostage release to go forward? And is Hamas willing to release these hostages before the other details of this deal are actually all ironed out? These are just questions that we simply do not have the answer to at this stage.
But keep in mind that that 20-point proposal from President Trump called for the hostages to be released within 72 hours of both parties reaching an agreement here. We just don't know at this stage --
SCIUTTO: Yes.
DIAMOND: -- whether that clock has actually begun ticking.
[20:40:11]
SCIUTTO: Yes, I imagine there's a great deal of anticipation from hostage families who've been waiting for so long.
Jeremy Diamond, thanks so much for joining.
Joining me now, CNN Global Affairs Analyst Brett McGurk. Brett, of course, helped lead negotiations for two ceasefires and hostage releases in Gaza, including those earlier this year.
Listen, we've been at points before in these negotiations where they fell apart. These seem to be more serious. What is your read? Is this -- are we on the brink of something good here?
BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Jim, I'm so hesitant to say we could be on the brink of a breakthrough. I've been through this before.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
MCGURK: I've dealt with the hostage families. Obviously, all the people in Gaza want this war to end, so I don't want to make a prediction. However, I've been talking to people involved in this process, and I do feel that we are now in the endgame of this war. I think the pieces are really coming together.
And Hamas is being put under tremendous pressure by Turkey, by Qatar, by Pakistan, by everybody, saying enough. And President Trump is putting real pressure on the Israelis. And so you have these -- you have the stars aligning now. I think we'll see a lot of diplomacy over the next 72 hours to get in place that ceasefire or the hostage exchange.
What the Hamas statement said today leaves a lot to interpretation, OK?
SCIUTTO: Details, details.
MCGURK: But it does say we accept the formula for the prisoner hostage exchange. Having done these negotiations, that's a big deal. The Trump 20-point plan said all hostages, all of them, living and remains, for 250 life sentence serving Palestinian prisoners, that's a lot, and 1,700 Gazan prisoners who have been captured over the course of the war, mostly fighters.
That's the formula. Hamas negotiates that formula for weeks and weeks. Again, I've been involved in this. They said we accept it, and now Israel is saying we accept it. So that's the hostage prisoner exchange.
SCIUTTO: Right.
MCGURK: So this week, stop the fighting because you've got to have a ceasefire to get the hostages out. I think you'll see more humanitarian aid going in once the fighting stops and hostages coming out. That's what we've got to focus on this week.
SCIUTTO: How about the more intractable issues? For instance, disarming Hamas, right? What happens to Hamas leaders? Do they have to leave? Do they give up complete control? Because those are the ones that --
MCGURK: Yes.
SCIUTTO: -- have proven more difficult in the past.
MCGURK: Yes, look, here's the deal. If Hamas stays in power in Gaza and in control, there's no hope for the future. And what Hamas did in the first phase of the ceasefire back in January, remember, they released hostages, but they came out of their tunnels, full military kit --
SCIUTTO: I remember the day. I was there.
MCGURK: -- to say we are in control.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
MCGURK: And Israel is not going to accept that. But here's what's changed. And, look, I give real credit to the President and to his team and to Steve Witkoff and Jared who have been working this. There's now a consensus among Arab and Muslim-majority countries that Hamas' days in Gaza are over, that they have to disarm.
There has to be an interim security and political structure. Hamas will resist that --
SCIUTTO: Yes. MCGURK: -- but they don't have any maneuvering room. And Iran is no longer a powerful player. They don't have Hezbollah.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
MCGURK: They are isolated and weakened. So, again, I go back to where I started. This is going to be tough. There's still a lot to do. But I think the stars are aligning. I think we're in the endgame.
And I'm very hopeful, but I don't want to predict because I know families are on the edge of their seat.
SCIUTTO: Of course.
MCGURK: And I've been let down before in these things, that we will see hostages coming out this week. I really hope we see that. And everybody wants this war to end. Activists, Democrats, Republicans --
SCIUTTO: Yes.
MCGURK: -- get behind this. France, U.K., everybody. It's time for this war to end. The stars are aligned. Let's get it done.
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you about the pressure on Israel because it was notable to hear President Trump say publicly, Israel, stop the bombing of Gaza. That's something that Netanyahu has very much resisted. I mean, he's even resisted that sort of pressure and guidance from his own senior military advisers, that the military aims have been met to the extent that they can be met.
MCGURK: Well, there was a -- in that Hamas statement, it said we're ready to do the hostage release when field conditions are met.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
MCGURK: OK? I think you interpret that to mean. I know there's a lot of diplomacy going on today, that we have to have a ceasefire in order to collect the hostages, get them ready. ICRC has to go in. We've done this before. You have to have a ceasefire.
If what Hamas means is field conditions mean full withdrawal of the IDF --
SCIUTTO: Right.
MCGURK: -- before we release hostages, then we're going to be nowhere. But I think what they meant by field conditions, as I understand it, is you have to have the fighting stop so we can collect the hostages, have the Red Cross --
SCIUTTO: Right.
MCGURK: -- and Red Crescent come in and do the exchange, as we've done before. So that's a necessary condition. But, look, I -- when you get to an endgame like this, all sides try to get the last --
SCIUTTO: Sure.
MCGURK: -- little last piece. Bottom line, this is the endgame of the war. Let's end this war. Everybody get behind it. You've got to put pressure on Hamas, everybody who has influence over them, and a lot of countries do, and you've got to keep pressure on the Israelis.
SCIUTTO: Speaking of pressure on the Israelis, was the Israeli attack on Qatar, this strike against --
MCGURK: Yes.
SCIUTTO: -- Hamas officials there, was that a breaking point to some degree between Israel and President Trump?
MCGURK: Yes. You know, I said at the time it was, first of all, a tactical failure because it didn't hit the target, and a strategic blunder.
[20:45:04]
Because I think the White House was surprised, which is pretty shocking, and it united the GCC states, including UAE and Bahrain, which have relations with Israel, behind Qatar and said, you know, this really crosses a line, an overt military attack into an Arab capital in the Gulf.
SCIUTTO: In an urban area.
MCGURK: But as we see the last two weeks, it now seems to have galvanized this incredible burst of diplomacy in a constructive direction. I thought the burst of diplomacy from France and the U.K. recognizing Palestinian state without any conditions being set, not talking about hostages being released, that was a mistake.
This deal, this really ends the war. You got a ceasefire, you got the hostages out, and most importantly, you set the conditions in Gaza for a future for the people of Gaza and peace. That's a long way off, but it's all in that plan, that 20-point plan.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
MCGURK: And it's not just a U.S. plan. It's now endorsed by Arab- Muslim states.
SCIUTTO: Mayors (ph).
MCGURK: -- European allies, so everybody got behind it. This is the plan. It's going to be the only plan, and let's get this war finished.
SCIUTTO: Hostage families, the anticipation, I imagine, but also the people of Gaza who would --
MCGURK: Amen.
SCIUTTO: -- want to see peace.
MCGURK: Yes.
SCIUTTO: Brett McGurk, thanks so much.
MCGURK: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: One other quick note, Defense Secretary Hegseth today said the military this morning hit another small boat, you see it there in the Caribbean, the fourth so far, just off the coast of Venezuela. Secretary Hegseth called it a narcotrafficking vessel, that's a word we've heard a lot often, and called the four people killed on board narcoterrorists, other word we've heard a lot.
Coming up, a change of pace. Swifties rejoicing at the release of "The Life of a Showgirl," Taylor Swift's 12th album, but not, as you'll see, without controversy.
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SCIUTTO: Taylor Swift's 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl," debuted at midnight last night, and with hours, it broke a Spotify streaming record. For more, here's CNN's Jason Carroll.
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JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A small sample from a song called "Opalite," it's one of 12 new tracks on Taylor Swift's just-released album titled, "The Life of a Showgirl," and it already has her fans wanting to hear more.
CARROLL: Favorite song on the album so far?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Opalite."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's Taylor Swift!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God!
TAYLOR SWIFT, POP STAR: Hi.
TAYLOR: The album is out, and I have such uncomplicated feelings of joy about it.
CARROLL (voice-over): The pop star is all about the art of reinvention, and she has reset the stage once again with her latest album.
CROWD: Two, one, whooh!
CARROLL (voice-over): Unlike her last album, a two-hour poetic anthology about heartbreak, "The Life of a Showgirl" is more concise and upbeat, at times tackling issues with fame and the music industry. There's a track that incorporates music from the George Michael hit, "Father Figure."
At 35, Swifties say their pop idol is taking a more sensual tone this time around, and it's reflected not only on her album art, but in the lyrics. This version of Swift is just fine with dedicated fans who have grown up with her over the years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The same way I was crying to the outside when I was a left-out 12-year-old kid, I'm like crying to eldest daughter last night. Like, it just goes across like my whole life.
CARROLL (voice-over): 12 tracks on her 12th studio album, fans across the country waited in line to be among the first to buy it at midnight, others showed up to late-night listening parties. The album is a coda to her biggest year yet. She finished her record-shattering Eras Tour. She announced in an Instagram post that she owns her masters, and of course, she's now engaged to NFL star Travis Kelce.
TAYLOR: I used to kind of have this dark fear that if I ever were truly, like, happy and free being myself and nurtured by a relationship, that like, what happens if the writing just dries up? And it turns out that's not the case at all, and we just were catching lightning in a bottle with this record.
CARROLL (voice-over): It's not just music, it's also a movie event. Fans on Friday flocked to theaters to see Taylor Swift, the official release party of a showgirl, to celebrate the new album.
CROWD: It was so good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really haven't felt this specific joy since the Eras Tour.
CARROLL (voice-over): It's a rollout designed to make "The Life of a Showgirl" not just an album, but a spectacle.
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CARROLL (on-camera): As is often the case, music can be open to interpretation, and some fans are already speculating that there's a particular song on this album that takes aim at another pop star, Charli XCX. Well, what we can tell you for sure is that Swift is working with some of the very same producers that she worked with in the past, some of these producers who helped her make some of her biggest hits, and fans are already saying that this new album is another big hit.
Jim?
SCIUTTO: Yes, my daughter's one of them.
Jason Carroll, thanks so much.
Coming up, the Trump-Epstein statue has now returned to the National Mall here in Washington. We're going to explain how, coming up.
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SCIUTTO: One last story to end on tonight, the Donald Trump-Jeffrey Epstein statue has returned to the National Mall. It was originally installed early last week, called Best Friends Forever, featuring the President and the late convicted sex offender holding hands.
Despite a permit issued by the National Park Service, it was torn down a day after it made its debut. An Interior Department spokesperson said it was out of compliance with its permit. Well, it's now back. A new permit was issued on Tuesday, notably just before the government shut down.
And before we go, a reminder, be sure to tune in to watch my show, "The Brief," guiding global audiences through the fast-paced news cycle with insight analysis and heart-aching interviews. "The Brief" airs weekdays, 6:00 p.m. Eastern, on CNN International and streaming on Max.
The news continues. The Source with Kaitlan Collins starts now.
