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Israel Issues More Evacuation Orders for Gaza City; 6 Killed, Several Injured in Shooting Attack on Jerusalem Bus Stop; House Oversight Committee Receives First Batch of Documents from Epstein Estate; West Point Alumni Group Cancels Tom Hanks Award Ceremony. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired September 08, 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]

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT... these strikes have been designed not just to strike at people inside of it, but to entirely level those high-rise buildings. And this is a strategy that we've seen the Israeli military employ in southern Gaza, in Rafah, as well as in the northern part of the Gaza Strip in Beit Hanoun, where they have not only gone after what the Israeli military describes as terrorist infrastructure, but also clearly aimed to level the area of much of its civilian infrastructure, aiming to make those cities unlivable. And we are indeed seeing that very same strategy seemingly playing out in Gaza City as well -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Jeremy Diamond, live from Tel Aviv. Thank you -- Danny.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN HOST: Joining me now to talk more about these developments is retired Admiral James Stavridis. He's a former NATO Supreme Allied commander and a CNN senior military analyst. He's also a partner at the Carlyle Group, an international investment firm. Good to see you, Admiral, as always.

Let's start here by getting your reaction to, again, just this deadly shooting in Jerusalem, which, again, killed six in Israel, saying the shooters were residents of Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank.

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: It's an echo for the Israelis of the horrific events of two years ago come October. There's still a nation that looks at every casualty in very stark ways. And certainly, let's remember population. Israel is about 7 million. United States, 350 million. So every one of those six people who were killed feels to the Israelis as if 30 or so Americans were killed. So this is like a day in America where 400 people were killed in a shooting. It's a very harsh day for Israel.

FREEMAN: Now, we should say the Palestinian Authority condemned the attack in Jerusalem. And at this point, there's no evidence that the two shooters who perpetrated the attack were linked to the PA. But at the same time, Israel's far right finance minister said the West Bank- based Palestinian Authority must disappear from the map. Admiral, can you just tell us or explain to our audience what this might mean for this growing tension in the occupied West Bank?

STAVRIDIS: Certainly, it's going to significantly increase it. It's going to give lift to those on the right in Israel who want to continue to do everything they can to dismantle not only the Palestinian organizations themselves but also push the Palestinian population. So it's a very bad day for the West Bank, Danny, but I'd say it's also going to manifest itself, as Jeremy was just telling us, over in Gaza, where you'll see the Israeli armed forces go in with an even harsher hand.

FREEMAN: Well, let me turn to that, because as you noted, and as Jeremy noted, the IDF is preparing to expand its assault on Gaza City. The country's defense minister issuing a quote final warning to Hamas. When you look at -- can you at this point separate, you know, incidents like this that just happened and what is potentially going to begin soon in Gaza City?

STAVRIDIS: You and I can, but on the ground in Israel, unfortunately, tempers are running high tensions are running even higher. I think this operation that Israel is talking about effectively destroying Gaza City is going to be a loser for Israel ultimately in three ways very quickly.

Number one, I think this means the chances of them recovering their hostages alive are de minimis.

Number two, operationally, this is a very difficult military operation to go into a city like this. America did this 20 years ago in Fallujah in Iraq. It took 10s of thousands of U.S. troops months to conquer that city, which is about a third of the size of Gaza.

And then thirdly. strategically, this is going to play terribly for Israel. Already, you're seeing many, many nations recognize the Palestinian Authority as a state. All this landing as United Nations Week unfolds in New York City. This is going to be a very difficult week or two weeks or three weeks for Israel diplomatically.

FREEMAN: So many moving parts here. Admiral James Stavridis, thank you as always for breaking that all down for us. Appreciate your time.

STAVRIDIS: You bet, Danny.

FREEMAN: All right, coming up, the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein just gave the first batch of documents to the members of the House Oversight Committee.

[15:35:00]

We'll discuss with an attorney representing 11 Epstein victims coming up after the break.

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KEILAR: Members of the House Oversight Committee have just received the first batch of documents from the estate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And just moments ago, Democrats on the panel posted this image with a caption that reads, quote, here it is. We got Trump's birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein that the president said doesn't exist. Trump talks about -- or I should say, signed by Donald. And this part of this card talks about a wonderful secret that the two of them shared. What is he hiding? Release the files. That's the end of their quote.

[15:40:00]

The president denies writing the letter, filed the defamation suit against The Wall Street Journal over its reporting on it.

Arick Fudali is a attorney representing 11 Epstein accusers. First off, and we should note the White House is saying actually, this is proof it is not his signature. But what's your reaction to this page being posted by Democrats on the committee bearing Donald -- the name of Donald in that signature?

ARICK FUDALI, ATTORNEY REPRESENTING EPSTEIN ACCUSERS: Well, it's certainly a creepy and very oddly worded message or birthday note, whatever you want to call it, referring to something as wonderful secrets. It also looks like it's almost like a fanfiction conversation between whoever wrote this and Jeffrey Epstein. It's very strange. And I anticipate President Trump is going to continue to deny that's him. I, of course, have no inside knowledge whether it is or not.

But, you know, this -- even if it is him, it really just reinforces something we already know, which is Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump were associates. They were friendly. They were -- they socialized together. We've seen the video thousands of times of the two of them dancing at that party, purportedly leering at women and discussing the women. So this isn't really anything new that in the 90s and early 2000s.

Jeffrey Epstein associated with Donald Trump and many other very high profile and power individual, powerful individuals. That was really his MO. So certainly the letter is odd and I think creepy is probably the best word to describe it. Whether it's Donald Trump or not, I'm sure he will deny, but it doesn't really give us that much information that we don't already know.

KEILAR: OK, so I want to ask you about something that we don't know. Which is this extraordinary press conference last week with all of these accusers. Has DOJ contacted you as a lawyer who represents several of them to talk to any of the victims that you represent?

FUDALI: That's an emphatic no. I have not been reached out to by anyone in the DOJ or any government official, anyone from this administration. And that's pretty much a pattern of what's been happening for decades, which is the government and law enforcement has completely neglected, forgot about, and I could even say re-victimize these survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. Whether it was the sweetheart deal and the travesty of justice in 2008, where there was actually a specific instruction from Alex Acosta not to notify the victims of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes or Jeffrey Epstein's accusers. Of course, allowing Jeffrey Epstein to commit suicide in his own in federal custody. And then, of course, giving Ghislaine Maxwell a sweetheart deal and moving her to a minimum security resort and giving her a platform to deny.

The victims and the survivors and their representatives were not just, were not -- were not considered during any of that. There was never any discussion. There was never any reaching out to them to see how they feel about any of this. And in fact, there was a concerted effort not to, which is so appalling and it's really offensive to the one someone like me who represents these survivors, but really to the survivors. Anyone who watched the rally on the Capitol steps or saw the other rally for the survivors that I spoke at. I can't imagine anyone seeing that and not wanting to reach out and finally getting the victims and the survivors perspective on all this.

KEILAR: And just really quickly, you're in touch with other lawyers, I presume. Have they told you if DOJ has reached out to talk to their clients?

FUDALI: Not to my knowledge, and we keep hearing about all these meetings and strategy meetings and conversations that this administration and Department of Justice are having to discuss how to handle these files. Something that has been jarringly missing from these meetings is a representative of the of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein.

KEILAR: So after these survivors came together, they got a really positive public response to their courage to be public. You could see how difficult it was for them to do that. How are victims talking now about their hopes for what will come of their banding together and demanding justice? What does that look like for them?

FUDALI: Well, there's sort of two sides to it. One thing I certainly agree with you, it was a extremely empowering moment for both rallies and press conferences to see so many survivors of Jeffrey Epstein stand in solidarity. The survivor I was actually with, one of my clients, this was the first time she'd ever appeared publicly as a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse. So that was a really special moment for her and for me.

So there's a lot of, you know, hope and positivity and empowerment. But on the other side, there's also a lot of negativity because they've been empowered and they've been advocating for decades and nothing has happened and they continue to be forgotten and re- victimized. And there is no indication that this administration or this Department of Justice is changing their tune on being 100 percent transparent, which is, of course, releasing these files and giving these survivors the accountability and the exposure, and ultimately the closure they deserve.

[15:45:00]

KEILAR: The victims talked last week about talking amongst themselves and compiling a list of other people who victimize them? How many people are we talking about being on that list, do you think?

FUDALI: Well, who knows really, right? I mean, we know we certainly know that Jeffrey Epstein surrounded himself and was, you know, his sexual trafficking was facilitated, enabled by multiple other individuals. He didn't do it himself. Of course, Ghislaine Maxwell's already been convicted of. How many other people, though, actually, you know, I say co-abuse with Jeffrey Epstein? That number remains to be seen. Of course, there's been a lot of allegations out there. There's been lawsuits. There's been settlements with some high-profile individuals. It's unknown at this point how many people actually are accused of actually abusing along Jeffrey Epstein along with Jeffrey Epstein.

But it is important to remember that Jeffrey Epstein was a monster of a predator, and there's reports, and I've discovered in my investigations that he was abusing up to three women a day for decades. So I think there's a there's an underestimated -- it's underestimated by the public how much Jeffrey Epstein actually abused himself was sex trafficking to himself, although they're very may well be other very high-profile individuals who participated in that atrocious behavior with him?

KEILAR: Arick Fudali, thank you so much for talking with us today. We appreciate it.

FUDALI: Thanks for having me.

KEILAR: President Trump is celebrating after reports that a West Point organization is canceling an award ceremony honoring Tom Hanks. We'll have details next.

[15:50:00]

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KEILAR: The West Point Alumni Association is canceling an award ceremony honoring Tom Hanks. This is according to The Washington Post. The actor famous for his roles in Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, set to be recognized for his veterans advocacy later this month, but the Post says the event has been called off.

FREEMAN: President Trump applauded the cancellation, writing on Truth Social, quote, We don't need woke recipients getting our cherished American awards, end quote.

Meanwhile, an e-mail from the president of the Alumni Association apologized for the cancellation, saying the decision, quote, allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the world's most lethal force, the United States Army.

All right, for more on this, we have Dan Lamothe, Pentagon reporter for The Washington Post. Dan, first, can you set the scene for us? Why was Tom Hanks picked for this award in the first place?

DAN LAMOTHE, PENTAGON REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Sure, this is called the Fayer Award. It's a prestigious award that the Association of Graduates at West Point awards every year. The recipients range, past presidents, past defense secretaries, Bob Hope, Walter Cronkite. It's really, it's a high level list. It's typically somebody who's kind of later in their career has a really extensive list of accomplishments, and usually that ties in the military.

In this case, he was awarded both for his work on screen, but also his work with a variety of veterans organizations. I mean, this is somebody who did significant fundraising efforts for the World War II Memorial, a Dwight Eisenhower Memorial, and the World War II Museum in New Orleans as well.

KEILAR: And what did you find out about how this happened and why this happened?

LAMOTHE: Yes, on Friday evening, I received a tip that some sort of announcement that had gone out and created some churn with faculty. I started calling around to alumni that I knew from West Point and was eventually able to get my hands on a message that was sent by the Association of Graduates to a group of faculty, basically announcing the cancellation of the award ceremony. That actual message didn't really lay clear one way or the other whether or not Tom Hanks would receive the award anyway. It now appears he will. But one way or the other, it looks like the association, in its attempt to try and stay out of politics, has actually managed to pull itself in.

FREEMAN: Dan, you detail in your article as well all the recent changes at West Point and the Trump administration actions around the service academies. Just give me your perspective in your reporting. How is West Point trying to navigate this tough moment?

LAMOTHE: Yes, West Point's under a microscope by the Trump administration. This is something that Secretary Hegseth at the Pentagon has zeroed in on. This is something that President Trump to some degree has zeroed in on as well. It's basically at the idea that they want this university which has kind of dual mission, you know, you're training officers, but it is also a university to kind of narrow its focus to really war fighting and war fighting alone.

So a lot of the things that West Point has long done that kind of broadens students' horizons that gives them the opportunity to see things in a broader way, has been necked down. They've also done things like put the portrait of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general, back in the library. That was controversial. That happened last month. So, it's just a variety of culture war issues really at the fold here.

KEILAR: And you also mentioned in your story -- I want to zero in on this. It's how West Point recently revoked the appointment of former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency chief Jen Easterly. This would be the former CISA chief instructing cadets as they're confronting an emerging cyber threat that's going to really define their military careers. And it gets nixed, it appears, because of politics. How widespread are the concerns that these kinds of things are really affecting the education that future military officers are getting?

LAMOTHE: The concern I'm hearing, to the point where some people are now thinking about pulling their donations.

[15:55:00] The concern I'm hearing is that there is value in hearing the other side. There is value in hearing the counterpoints. Someone like Jen Easterly had served in the Bush administration, had served in the Biden administration, and had graduated from West Point. The Trump administration doesn't like her. There was at least a conversation and debate about whether or not her appointment there was appropriate, but, you know, it was nixed by the Trump administration rather than kind of allowing those other viewpoints to be aired.

FREEMAN: Dan Lamothe, thank you so much for breaking down your reporting, really appreciate it today.

LAMOTHE: Thank you.

FREEMAN: All right, coming up ahead, a world-record attempt in Germany that ended with, yep, a lot of spilled beer. We have that story coming up.

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FREEMAN: All right, forget 99 bottles of beer on the wall. Apparently 31 mugs of beer in the hand is just way too much. A German waiter just attempted to break the men's Guinness World Record -- look at that right there -- for carrying the most beer mugs about 130 feet.

KEILAR: During this record attempt, Oliver Struempfel somehow managed to carry 31 giant mugs full of beer cradled and stacked in his arms. Oh my Lord.

FREEMAN: He shouldn't have spilled it.

[16:00:00]

KEILAR: 50 feet, then, OK, then, look here. Things start going wrong. As you can see, there's one goes, and then the cascade. Mugs just dropping. 17 of the 31, though they managed to make it safely to the table. Fell short of the record. Struempfel is not crying, though, over his spilled beer. He's vowing to try and break the record next year.

I love that. I love saying his name.

FREEMAN: Yes, Struempfel.

KEILAR: Yes.

FREEMAN: He'll win next year, I think.

KEILAR: Yes.

FREEMAN: I have a good feeling.

KEILAR: Oh, that looks great. Delicious.

All right, "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

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