Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Texas Court Halts Execution of Death Row Inmate in Shaken Baby Case; Hamas Official Says Hostage Release Set for Monday; Lawmakers Feel Pressure to End Government Shutdown Stalemate; No Shortage of Drama From MLB, WNBA and NHL. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired October 09, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:34:04]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": The highest criminal court in Texas today blocking the execution of a death row inmate who was set to become the first person put to death in the U.S. over allegations of shaken baby syndrome. Robert Roberson has long claimed his innocence in the murder of his two-year-old daughter. He had been scheduled to receive a lethal injection one week from today. CNN's Ed Lavandera is live for us in Dallas. And Ed, you spoke with Roberson in prison yesterday before the execution was halted. I want to get to that conversation, but first, walk us through the court's decision here.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a stunning decision coming, as you mentioned, a week before this scheduled execution. And essentially what has happened is that Robert Roberson has gotten a stay of execution. The Court of Criminal Appeals is essentially sending his case down to a lower court, so it can be looked at once again in light of new evidence.

[13:35:00]

Essentially, Roberson's lawyers and his supporters say that his -- he's accused of killing his two-year-old daughter under this idea of shaken baby syndrome. That he was violently shook her and abused her, and that that's why she died. But, his supporters say that there's a long litany of new evidence, a scope -- evidence that suggests that what really was going on is that the child was -- had been sick, was misdiagnosed, had been given meds in the days leading up to her death that contributed to the symptoms that essentially mimicked the symptoms of shaken baby syndrome.

But because of all of that, and they have been arguing for years and years, that he's not only not guilty of this, that he's innocent of killing. He never killed his daughter. It's something that he has always maintained. Now, a lower court is once again going to look at all of that. Boris?

SANCHEZ: When you spoke with him yesterday, did he think that this stay was going to happen? LAVANDERA: You know, he was, I think, reaching that point where it was starting to become a reality. We asked him, and just think about this, Boris, less than 24 hours ago, we were -- at this point yesterday actually, we were sitting with Robert Roberson on Texas death row asking him if he had thought about what he was going to say in his last statement, what were his final words going to be as he entered the execution chamber? And we had a conversation that despite everything that was going on, he was still holding on to hope. This is part of the conversation we had with him yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: I was told that this could very well be the last news interview you give if your execution date isn't changed.

ROBERT ROBERSON, DEATH ROW INMATE: If it's not stopped, it could be -- very well be right. Yes, sir.

LAVANDERA: What do you want the people to know, if this is your last chance to convince them?

ROBERSON: That I'm actually innocent, that I didn't do it. I'm actually innocent. I loved my little girl, you know?

LAVANDERA: What do you want your story to mean for others who might be in a similar situation as yours?

ROBERSON: My words of encouragement is to encourage them to keep fighting on, if they're innocent, keep fighting for what's righteous and just and fair, and try to make things better and try to make things right. If you're actually innocent, continue fighting for what's righteous and right and fair, you know?

LAVANDERA: Do you feel like you can continue doing that in this last week?

ROBERSON: I'll continue until my last breath.

LAVANDERA: So you talked about that at times you find yourself, you have like this righteous anger, but I also sense that you still are keeping hope.

ROBERSON: Yeah. I believe I got much hope. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

LAVANDERA: Is that hard to kind of hold on to as the days tick down?

ROBERSON: No, sir, because I know the truth. God knows the truth and stuff. No matter what happens, I'm going home to the free world. I'm going home to be with the Lord, right? And no matter what happens, let God get the glory, you know?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And Boris, what is staggering about this case is that over the last few years, Roberson has amassed a wide array of supporters from staunch supporter, conservative, death penalty supporters here in the state of Texas, Republicans, as well as anti-death penalty left- wing advocates as well. His scope of support has just surpassed the political spectrum here and he has gotten that much support. There was a last-minute appeal just a year ago that spared his life. And once again, his life has been spared by a court here in Texas as well. Boris?

SANCHEZ: A fascinating story. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much for bringing it to us.

Still ahead on "CNN News Central," the latest on a possible deal to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages home. We'll go live to Israel for the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:42:05]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": A long-awaited reunion could be just days away for Israelis who had loved ones kidnapped in Hamas' October 7th attacks. On that day, 251 people were taken from Israel. And since the start of the war, 204 have returned, 148 of them alive. 47 though are still being held captive in Gaza. And the Israeli government says 20 of them are still believed to be alive. Let's go to CNN's Jeremy Diamond, who is in Tel Aviv, on this story. Jeremy, what have you been hearing from people there tonight?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, Hostage Square has been the scene Saturday night after Saturday night of protests, of people raising their voices to demand the release of the hostages, to demand that the Israeli government strike a deal to bring them all home. And tonight, they are finally reveling in the fact that their hopes and dreams are becoming true, that their voices have been heard and that the Israeli government has struck exactly that kind of deal.

As you can see behind me, there are thousands of Israelis who are here tonight in Hostage Square and they have been throughout the day, sharing in this moment of joy and celebration, a really festive atmosphere out here. And amid this festive atmosphere, the Israeli cabinet is currently meeting to officially approve this deal, which will secure the release of all of the hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 who are serving life sentences. That is why the Israeli cabinet is meeting, in order to approve the release of those prisoners. The deal is expected to go through, and once it does, it will set off a 72-hour clock before the Israeli hostages are released from the Gaza Strip. Within 24 hours of this agreement going through, Israeli ground forces inside of Gaza will also partially withdraw, controlling by the end of that withdrawal, 53 percent of Gaza's territory.

Now, of course, in addition to all of that, we have yet to actually hear the Israeli government say in clear terms that the war in Gaza has ended once the ceasefire goes into effect. But we have heard that effectively from the Egyptians, from the Qataris, as well as from Hamas, which indicated that it received assurances, including from the United States, that this war will not resume after they release all of those hostages. And because of that, because this moment may very well mark an end to a two-year deadly war in Gaza, we have been seeing scenes of celebration in Gaza as well, with so many Palestinians breathing an enormous sigh of relief that the horrors that they have endured for two years now inside the Gaza Strip, where nearly 90 percent of buildings have been reduced to rubble, where nearly 2 million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes, and so many more have been wounded and killed, that they are finally seeing an end to all of this at this moment, two years later. Brianna?

[13:45:00]

KEILAR: Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. We are more than a week into the government shutdown, and lawmakers can't seem to turn the stalemate into a compromise.

SANCHEZ: House Speaker Mike Johnson said that emotions are high on Capitol Hill. But it's not just the Hill. Listen to this military spouse calling in into C-SPAN this morning, speaking to the Speaker, saying the shutdown literally threatens the lives of her children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMANTHA, REPUBLICAN VOTER (via telephone): And as a Republican, I'm very disappointed in my party, and I'm very disappointed in you because you do have the power to call the House back. You did that -- or you refused to do that just for show. I'm begging you to pass this legislation. My kids could die. We don't have the credit because of the medical bills that I have to pay regularly. You could stop this and you could be the one that could say military is getting paid. And I think that it is awful. And the audacity of someone who makes six figures a year to do this to military families is insane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's discuss with Michael Smerconish. She's a CNN Political Commentator and the Host of "Smerconish." Michael, great to see you as always. What did you make of how the House Speaker took that question? I mean, do you think Republicans generally are misreading the way that the shutdown is being received among people like that caller?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I put blame on both sides. We've had this conversation before, and I think it's a good thing as long as civility is maintained, when the citizenry has an opportunity to share in frank terms what they're thinking with their representatives. But there's been this trend, especially on the side of Republicans, away from town halls and I get security concerns in the world in which we're living, that's legitimate. But we give up a lot when people can't actually voice their concerns. So, I like it. It's healthy as long as it's civil, I think it's great. And I've long believed that it's the military paychecks and/or the situation with the TSA that will bring this to a close.

KEILAR: Yeah, those are often the ponds that are so important in this kind of game of chicken that gets played here. Michael, I want to listen to something that Marjorie Taylor Greene said. Here it is. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, (R-GA): Everyone is just getting destroyed. And so, I'm saying, look, Democrats, you created this mess. Republicans, you have no solutions. You haven't come up with a new plan in place, and we're not even talking about it. And it is hurting so many people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: She's calling for broader changes to the Affordable Care Act, but she says that she's getting phone calls from people who are concerned about these expiring ACA credits, these Obamacare credits, which are what Democrats are demanding. Should Republicans address the tax credits? What do you think about what she's saying?

SMERCONISH: Brianna, I've been waiting for a while to be able to say this. I agree with Marjorie Taylor Greene, could you please mark the tape so that I have this record? And when people next say you're always -- you're always hammering her. She makes some sense to me. I think that the Affordable Care Act is worth preserving. I think that there are changes that ought to be made to it. There's not a Republican alternative that's been put forth.

It really wasn't even a Republican platform, but there certainly wasn't an alternative to the ACA. It's always what's wrong with the Affordable Care Act, which I think is the worst system of providing health insurance, except for all the others. It frankly makes intuitive sense to me that we're going to turn to private insurers in a marketplace and people are going to be able to go a-la-Amazon and buy their health insurance. And that if everybody gets health insurance, the pool will be sufficient that we can take care of people with pre-existing conditions.

The timing of this is not on the side of Democrats. They're like a month off because when open enrollment starts in November and people now get statements in the mail that show the escalation of their premiums, that's when they'll have the most leverage. But God help us. I hope this is over before we hit November 1st.

SANCHEZ: On the question of broader timing in essence of the midterm elections coming up next year, Green has voiced concern that the shutdown and the health and insurance crisis as she puts it, is going to hurt Republicans next year. How do you see it?

SMERCONISH: Only if the premiums go up as high as forecast without some type of negotiation because in the world, Boris, in which we are living, my God, just look at this news cycle, who knows what's to come between now and next November? So, I don't know. I'm uncomfortable saying that people are going to remember this unless the premiums are high without being adjusted.

[13:50:00]

KEILAR: So we have seen, Michael, a few heated confrontations between members of Congress on the Hill during this shutdown. I wonder how you're gaging those. Do you think they're made for TV or Twitter moments? Or are you reading these as a sign of a deeper tension?

SMERCONISH: I think that they are totally for clickbait and fundraising and to appease each side's base. And I know there've been instances and we could single one or the other out, but that's how I regard them, and it works. I mean, sadly, it works because they get the attention and the people who we would hope would be deal makers and adults behind closed doors, to the extent they exist, they don't command our attention.

So I think it's lose-lose by the way. I just -- I think they all come off looking bad. I think Republicans run a larger risk because the perception of the electorate is Republicans are in control of the White House and both Houses, and there's not an appreciation of the fact that it takes 60 votes in the Senate to break this log jam. So, I think the GOP runs a pretty significant risk among people who are not dialed in and paying really close attention.

KEILAR: Yeah, really interesting. Maybe a bit of a race to the bottom here in Washington as we're watching this shutdown.

SMERCONISH: Yes.

KEILAR: Chug along here. Michael Smerconish, great to speak with you as always.

SMERCONISH: Thank you, guys.

KEILAR: And ahead on "CNN News Central," arguments about the National Guard deployment in Oregon. We'll tell you what a panel of three judges had to say to state attorneys arguing against the White House. We'll have that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:58:42]

SANCHEZ: We can almost always count on the world of sports to provide us with great entertainment and drama, especially this time of year. We have the Major League Baseball playoffs, the WNBA reaching its championship final, and the NHL finally dropping the puck for the start of a new season. CNN's Andy Scholes is in Las Vegas, right outside the sphere (ph) for us. And Andy, we got it all last night, especially some emotional highs and lows.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: We did and certainly lows in New York, Boris, because it was another season, another disappointing end for the New York Yankees. They've -- they only won one title in the last 25 years. That was back in 2009. So, all the Yankees fans leaving the stadium super sad once again last night. Yankees only able to score two runs in game four. And in the bottom of the night, the Blue Jays striking out Cody Bellinger for the final out to get the win 5-2. And well then, all the celebration was on for Toronto. They're back in the ALCS for the first time since 2016. And here's what Aaron Judge had to say afterwards about being eliminated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AARON JUDGE, NEW YORK YANKEES OUTFIELDER: We didn't do our job, didn't finish the goal, had a special group in here of a lot of special players that made this year fun. But, we didn't get the ultimate prize, so we came up short.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right, the Phillies meanwhile surviving to fight another day against the Dodgers. Kyle Schwarber finally breaking out of that big slump with two home runs. Philly would win 8-2. Game four today, 6:00 Eastern. You can watch that one on TBS or stream it on HBO Max. Meanwhile here in Vegas, they need to start making some plans for a victory parade down the strip because the Aces are now one win away from another WNBA title. But game three in Phoenix was a nailbiter. Five game, five seconds left. MVP A'ja Wilson coming through with a turnaround jumper. She had a game high, 34 points.

Now, DeWanna Bonner almost miraculously tied this game at the buzzer, but her shot rimmed out, the Aces win the thriller 90-88 to take a commanding 3-0 lead in that series. They can close it out in game four tomorrow. Now, it was an awesome atmosphere here in Vegas for the golden night season opener against the L.A. Kings. Now, the pre-game show always a big deal. They had 64 drones flying around in the pre- game show on the ice. First time ever that's happened at a hockey game. It was really cool. Now --