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Family of Twin Brothers Held Hostage in Gaza Receive Signs of Life; Gabbard to be Sworn in a Director of National Intelligence; NASA Announces Possible Early Return for Astronauts Stuck in Space. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired February 12, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war is really hanging on by a thread at this point. Now Israel's defense minister is warning of a new kind of war in Gaza should it collapse, saying it would be different in intensity. If Hamas does not release the Israeli hostages by Shabbat, the gates of hell will open on them, just as the U.S. president promised.

A few days ago, Hamas leaders said they were postponing the next release of hostages that was scheduled for this weekend, and they blamed Israel for allegedly violating the ceasefire agreement.

Liran Berman is joining us now. His twin brothers, Gali and Ziv Berman, are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. Their family just received signs that the 27-year-old brothers are still alive.

[15:35:00]

Liran, thank you so much for being with us. I know your aunt had said in a radio interview that these signs of life actually came from hostages who were returned in phase one of this current deal. Can you tell us more about that?

LIRAN BERMAN, BROTHERS ZIV AND GALI BEING HELD HOSTAGE IN GAZA: Yes, hi, Brianna. We just got the sign of life, like you said, from the hostages who came back in this current deal.

We got it through our IDF officers who accompanied us throughout this ordeal of a year and almost a half now. We didn't get much. We just got, you know, that they are alive.

The release of hostages saw both of them, but they are separated. And we knew that they were separated from November, from the first deal in 2023. And back then, the release of hostages in the first deal saw them alive and separated. But now we have confirmation that throughout this year, more hostages saw them.

KEILAR: And we see the pictures of them, you know, so full of life, so much brotherly love you can see between them just in the photos. Did you hear how they're doing?

BERMAN: No, we didn't get much. We just heard that they are alive and separated. That's all.

We saw two sets of hostages released in the past couple of weeks. The first stage was like Emily, Romi, Doron, Ofer, Yarden. They were relatively healthy, physically, at least, just by the look of it.

And then we saw the last three hostages, Ohad and Eli, going out last Saturday. And they looked devastated. So we are trying to lean on the more optimistic side of the release of hostages, and not the last three, but who can tell us what we are going to get back.

KEILAR: Yes, it was certainly hard, I think, for anyone who saw to see the condition they were in. And, I mean, Israel really has to -- and Israel and Hamas, they really have to get into this phase two of this ceasefire, right, in order for you to realize the possibility of seeing your brothers. That's really the truth here.

So what are your concerns right now as you are watching this process be threatened, but still at this point, we haven't gotten to the weekend. What are you thinking? What are your concerns?

BERMAN: It's been a crazy couple of days with Hamas announcing that they are withholding the talks and withholding the release of the hostages on Saturday. And then President Trump said what he said, that if the hostages won't be released on Saturday, then all hell will break loose in Gaza. And we are caught in the middle, and my brothers are caught in the middle.

But what I got so far is that both sides want this deal to continue. No one from Israel or Hamas said that the deal is off until now. So we are still optimistic that we are going to see hostages going to be released this Saturday. And the deal will go through with this first phase completely, and then straight to the second phase where my brothers are at.

KEILAR: As you hear some of the things that Trump has said, and he's said a lot lately, President Trump, about Gaza, about this process, he said he's called for the relocation of two million Palestinians from Gaza to turn it into the Riviera of the Middle East. That is something that a lot of Arab nations have really had a lot of difficulty with the instability that those comments have created in this process. Do you have any concerns about how what he has said could affect this process?

BERMAN: I'm not a politician. I have no idea what it means and how it's going to be facilitated, if it's going to be facilitated. I have no idea. It's way above my head. And I'm here only to release my two little brothers and all the rest of the hostages. This is a humanitarian cause, and all the rest is, like, so far from me.

So I don't know how to comment on this and what my feeling about this. My only concern is for my little brothers.

[15:40:00]

KEILAR: Yes, you and your family have been through so much, Liran, and it's so wonderful to hear that you got proof of life and that you can be hopeful as you look to the future and hopefully be reunited with your brothers soon. Thank you so much for being with us. We'll keep an eye on the story of your brothers. We appreciate your time today.

BERMAN: Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Brianna. Thank you.

KEILAR: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: President Trump scoring another major cabinet win today after the Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as the nation's top intelligence chief. The Senate also voted to advance the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, setting the stage for a final confirmation vote as soon as tomorrow.

[15:45:03]

CNN's Manu Raju is live on Capitol Hill. And, Manu, we're now learning that Gabbard's swearing-in is happening in the Oval Office as we speak.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and this came after months of internal battling to try to win the votes and win over skeptical Republicans who were uncertain whether or not she was the right person for this job. A number were concerned about her past positions on Russia, things that she had said about Edward Snowden, the infamous NSA leaker, and as well as her meeting with Bashar al- Assad in 2017. But she went behind the scenes, reassured Republicans that she was on the same page with them on a number of those key issues.

The president's team urged Republicans to fall in line as well. And she made some commitments about how she would deal with potential leakers within the intelligence community that won over some Republicans, including Senator Todd Young, who was one of the key swing votes in all of this. Now, ultimately, she won over all Republicans other than one.

Senate Republican leader, the former Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, who issued a scathing statement about her past views and said that they simply raise alarm bells for someone in such a key post. She said that her history of alarming lapses in judgment should not give her access to some of the nation's secrets and to be overseeing the entire nation's intelligence apparatus. But McConnell didn't make his views known until after he voted no on her nomination.

He didn't lobby other Republicans to vote against her. And ultimately, 52-48 was the final vote on that.

And then the Senate moved quickly to overcome a Democratic-led filibuster on RFK Jr.'s nomination to lead the Health and Human Services Department. That vote came along straight party lines, 53-47, meaning the final confirmation vote on that nomination, as controversial as it was, is expected to happen tomorrow, as we expect Republicans also to fall in line there. It would need four Republicans to break ranks to stop that nomination from going forward. But so far, Boris, zero Republicans have said they would oppose his nomination.

The only one to watch, again, would be Mitch McConnell. And if he breaks ranks, still would not be enough to scuttle that nomination. So RFK Jr. could become the leader of the nation's health agencies by tomorrow -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Manu Raju, live for us on Capitol Hill. Thanks so much for the update, Manu.

So their flight plan has been updated again. We'll tell you when the two NASA astronauts may finally be coming home after being stuck, stuck. They were stuck in space for eight months.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: After eight months stranded in space, NASA has a new plan to bring two astronauts home. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were scheduled to finally come home in late March, but NASA says it's switching space capsules and will launch its Crew-10 mission as soon as March 12th.

KEILAR: Mechanical issues plagued the first leg of their trip on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. Former NASA astronaut

Mike Massimino is with us now. All right, Mike, how do you think these two are feeling? We feel kind of, I think a lot of people do, quite invested in this saga. It's so unusual. And we've been watching them. They're in good spirits. But how do you think they're feeling about this?

MIKE MASSIMINO, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: I think they're actually feeling OK in general. They looked at the extension of their flight as an opportunity, and they're doing well. They got a chance to do a couple spacewalks, Suni did, and Butch and Suni. The best thing you can do as an astronaut is a spacewalk. It's extraordinary. So they got to do that and other things and be a part of the Crew-9 mission.

And we'll see what they say when they come home. My guess would be is that they'd be happy to stay there longer. But you look at the bright side of things, I think they're both very resilient.

So now they've got to hurry up and get all the things they thought they had more time to do, get those done a little bit more quickly, and get home and see their families and friends a little bit sooner than expected.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Mike, I have a question about why NASA was able to move this date up. They apparently opted to swap the newly built SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for the Crew Dragon Endurance. Why didn't they just decide that earlier?

MASSIMINO: That's a good question. I'm not sure. I'm not sure if the Crew Dragon, the new one, which doesn't have a name yet, it still goes by its serial number. It could be that that one was going to be delayed even longer, or it could be a change. There's many reasons why you could change it. A change in the manifest, in the flight rate, in the use of the launch pad, activities at the Cape, crew training.

I mean, it could be a lot of things. And it probably was more than one reason that they did this. But they made the decision to swap out those two spacecraft. We could guess as to why, but they did that and decided to bring them back, send Endurance up with this crew a little bit sooner, which allows them to come home a little bit earlier.

KEILAR: And, Mike, I know that astronauts love to astronaut. So this has been a tremendous opportunity for them. But their families, can you talk a little bit about their families?

They were expecting them to go on what would be a short mission, and here they have missed. I'm sure they're so supportive of them, right? Suni and Butch couldn't do what they do without their support. But their families have been through quite a saga wanting them home.

MASSIMINO: Yes, I know them. I know Suni and Butch very well. I've worked with them for many years, and I'm still friends with both of them. And I know their families as well. And their families are always the real heroes in these stories, right? Suni and Butch are off on an adventure.

It's important work that they're doing for the country and for the space program, and their families are there supporting them. They're both Navy veterans. Both Suni and Butch are Navy aviators, so their families are used to this sort of thing.

[15:55:00]

When you live a life of service like this, especially Suni and Butch have their entire lives in service to their country, that you make sacrifices. In this case, you know, it's, I think, not a bad deal for Suni and Butch necessarily, extra time in space. But certainly their families miss them and are always concerned about them, and they'll be happy to get them home.

So I think that's great you brought that up, Brianna, because the families don't always get the credit they deserve in these types of things. These families are our veterans, our astronauts, and all the people, the journalists who are out there making sacrifices, you need that support at home to do well.

KEILAR: Yes, this, what they're doing, is definitely a family business. We see that. Mike, it's great to have you. Thank you so much.

MASSIMINO: Thanks. Thanks for having me.

KEILAR: Great to have you.

And coming up, RIP Duolingo.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:00:00]

KEILAR: All right, Duolingo says it's make-believe mascot Duo the Owl. Dead. The language learning app says, quote, authorities are currently investigating his cause of death. We are cooperating fully. To be honest, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know?

SANCHEZ: Wow. They go on.

We're aware he had many enemies, but we kindly ask that you refrain from sharing why you hate him in the comments.

The app's icon and X handle have already been turned into what appears to be a very dead Duo. Usually I don't enjoy promoting these clearly naked reaches for marketing, but it's for learning a new language, so that's good.

KEILAR: Auf Wiedersehen, Duo.

And "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts now.

END