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Ceasefire in Effect in Gaza; Israeli Troops Withdraw Parts of Gaza; Government Shutdown Enters Day 10; New York AG Letitia James Indicted; WH Criticizes the Nobel Committee Over the Nobel Peace Prize; Virginia Candidates Trade Attacks in Fiery Debate. Aired 9- 9:30a ET

Aired October 10, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

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SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And to see these numbers going up and up and up is really disheartening. Phillip Schermer, thank you so much for the work you do and for coming on.

A new hour of CNN News Central starts right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, the Israeli military says the ceasefire is in effect in Gaza. Thousands and thousands of people on the move. We've got the very latest. Something you don't see every day, the White House just released a statement criticizing the Nobel Committee over the Nobel Peace Prize. Can you guess why? And more than a dozen people arrested for a brazen heist from bins filled with goods meant for charity.

I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan and Sara Seidner. This is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: We begin with breaking news this morning. New images of Israeli troops withdrawing from parts of Gaza after the military announced that the U.S. brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is officially in effect. And at this hour, you are seeing an image there of thousands of displaced Palestinians who are moving north toward Gaza City. The troop withdrawal officially starting the 72-hour clock for Hamas to release all hostages.

Last hour, Kate spoke with Ruby Chen, the father of the youngest American hostage. Here is how he reacted to news of the ceasefire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBY CHEN, SON OF ITAY CHEN TAKEN HOSTAGE BY HAMAS: The fact that the president was able to convince the mediators to front load the release of the hostages is, you know, indeed what we want to see. And I pray to God and what I want the president and his team to know that this time all of the U.S. citizens, you know, they need to come out and it can't wait for a second phase or whatever it might not be.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: Now, Israeli police are now confirming that President Trump, who played a key role in negotiating the ceasefire, is expected to visit Israel on Monday, though there is new reaction from the White House this morning, a feeling of disappointment after the president, who'd been pushing for this, did not win the Nobel Peace Prize. We have full team coverage.

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House for us. And Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv. Let's begin with you, Alayna. What are you hearing from the White House after there was a big push to and get Trump to win that Nobel Prize?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. Look, I mean, a few things. One, there's still so much celebration happening in the White House over the successful negotiations that happened, of course, around this peace deal between Israel and Hamas. That is where their main focus is.

But also, of course, coming off of that, you heard the president himself yesterday address this to reporters, this idea that he believes, and he's publicly lobbied for this for many months, if not years now, that he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. I can tell you that he always had believed that if he could negotiate a peace deal in the Middle East and also, of course, try to find an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, that that would help, you know, his chances of actually earning that much coveted prize that he has always wanted, that prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.

Of course, we saw today that they passed over the president once again, and they awarded the prize to Maria Carina Machado. She's Venezuela's main opposition leader. This is what we heard from the White House communications director, Stephen Cheung, on this this morning. He posted on X, quote, "President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will." He went on to say, "The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace."

Now, one thing I do think we have to be very clear about is that despite what the president -- the success of what the president has done and his team has done with this peace deal between Israel and Hamas, the nominations for the Nobel Prize this year, the deadline for that was February 1st. We know that many people had nominated the president on this, including the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Many of them have come, foreign leaders have come to the White House telling the president that they were going to nominate him because it's something he so clearly and publicly wants.

But again, so much of what he has done around the world, but particularly when it comes to the Middle East, of course, had not even really gone into effect or had a chance to be negotiated before that deadline was over. And so, there's many people are saying, you know, potentially he could have a shot at this next year. But still, I think the news of this landed with a thud this morning.

And then, just to get into a little bit, because I know, you know, you've showed me with Jeremy that he's going to be talking about this soon, too. But this White House is kind of scrambling behind the scenes today to get ready and prepare for the president's trip to the Middle East. We know, as you mentioned, that he's going to be addressing Israeli parliament on Monday. He's also expected to go to Egypt for a signing ceremony, what they're calling the official ceremony, to sign this deal in Egypt. And so, a lot of planning around that as well.

[09:05:00]

And so, there's still a lot of, you know, feelings of relief and happiness and celebration with what they were able to do with this first phase of that 20-point plan. But the Nobel Peace Prize, something that is evading him once again this year, Sara.

SIDNER: Yes. To some watching this, it may seem pretty trivial to fight over the Nobel Peace Prize, considering what happened on October 7th to Israel and what has happened since in Gaza to the Palestinians. We are going to go now to Jeremy Diamond, who is right now in Tel Aviv for us. Behind you are those families and their friends who are awaiting this hostage release. What are you learning this morning?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. The celebrations are indeed continuing here at Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, where we have seen thousands of Israelis since yesterday flocking here to share in this moment together. But now we are beginning to see the early steps of the implementation of this agreement after the Israeli cabinet in the early, early hours of this morning officially approved that deal, setting into motion a ceasefire in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from key parts of the Gaza Strip. That withdrawal was completed at noon today, according to the Israeli military, meaning that a ceasefire is officially in place in Gaza.

And also, that that 72-hour countdown clock has begun. That is the countdown clock until those Israeli hostages will be released within that 72-hour range, meaning that it could be sooner than that. But that means that they will be released no later than Monday at noon, which of course coincides quite appropriately with President Trump's anticipated visit to Israel on Monday, as the Israel police has now confirmed. We know, of course, that the president's also been invited to address the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.

Inside of Gaza, we have been watching as thousands of Palestinians have begun to make their way back towards Gaza City, a city where just a few weeks ago we saw hundreds of thousands of Palestinians being forced to evacuate amid Israel's offensive in that city, and now, many are indeed beginning to return. But this is, of course, just the beginning of what will be a very, very long process in order to not only complete phase one of this agreement with the release of all those hostages and the entry of much-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza, but also in terms of building out those next steps.

Keep in mind, we're still talking about the creation of an international security force to take over parts of Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the ultimate withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. So, much that needs to be done here. So much -- so many of those details have yet to be fully, fully ironed out, and that's part of why we are continuing to see President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, still in Israel today, meeting with Israeli officials, preparing for the next phases of this negotiation.

But again, the expectation and the understanding, whether you listen to President Trump or you listen to the mediators, is that the war in Gaza is now over, but a lot of steps need to be followed through to make sure that that sticks.

SIDNER: We're seeing some extraordinary images live of Palestinians trying to go back to Gaza City with all of the things that they have left, and we are expecting to see extraordinary images of those hostages released within 72 hours by noon on Monday. Jeremy Diamond, you've done such great reporting throughout all of this. Thank you to you, and thank you to Alayna Treene. Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And joining us right now is David Sanger of The New York Times, also a political and national security analyst for CNN, and CNN Presidential Historian Tim Naftali. Thanks for being here, gentlemen. David, give me your perspective on this moment, what you're hearing about this deal, its long-term viability, all of it.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, first, it's a huge accomplishment for President Trump, probably the biggest accomplishment of his second term, and maybe of the first and second term together. You have seen American presidents win the Nobel Peace Prize, though he wouldn't be eligible -- Teddy Roosevelt, the Japanese war, but that was 120 years ago, right?

But the second, and I think really the main question here is, does the president have follow-through? Is he simply going to go in, greet the hostages, claim that he has ended the war when all the hard stuff is ahead, and it's rebuilding Gaza, making sure you take care of the immediate humanitarian emergency, and the longer-term question of rebuilding an area where 90 percent of the residents --

[09:10:00]

BOLDUAN: Given David's connection, a second to catch back up. Tim, in the meantime, what does this mean for President Trump in terms of history and legacy?

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN, FORMER DIRECTOR, NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND SENIOR RESEARCH SCHOLAR, SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Well, this is very important for President Trump's legacy, and one would wish that someone could advise him not to focus so much on the Nobel Peace Prize and focus on the next steps in the Middle East. President Trump, in a sense, has achieved something that has eluded many presidents in the Middle East since the Carter era.

He had the ability to box in the Israeli leader. He did something that Joe Biden couldn't do, and it wasn't because of Joe Biden's weaknesses, it's simply that Bibi Netanyahu played Joe Biden and could not play Donald Trump in the same way, because Bibi Netanyahu understood that there was no way of getting around this White House. He couldn't go to the Congress, as he loved to do when Democrats were in the White House, and get something better. That if he couldn't get complete support from Donald Trump, he wasn't going to get it from any authority in the United States. So, when Donald Trump made clear to him that he had overstepped by attacking Hamas in Qatar, Bibi was in trouble.

And so, in a sense, whereas Richard Nixon was the only one who'd go to China, Donald Trump was the only one who could box in Bibi Netanyahu, and that's going to be a very positive aspect to Donald Trump's legacy. What happens next really will determine whether Donald Trump becomes known as a peacemaker. Does the United States play a role in the reconstruction of Gaza? Will the United States continue to support the right of Gazans to stay in Gaza?

We all remember that Donald Trump briefly discussed moving Gazans out of Gaza. He stopped calling for that, of course, which would have been a violation of international law. Will the United States help restore a political system in Gaza? And finally, it looks as if the United States is willing to talk again about a two-state solution. That was something that was off the table, certainly is off the table as far as Bibi Netanyahu is concerned, but seemed to be a bit off the table for Donald Trump until the 20-point peace plan emerged.

So, there is a real opportunity for the president to establish a world historical role for himself. But let's caution him about one thing, when the United States negotiated an end to the Vietnam War, the American part of the Vietnam War with North Vietnam, Richard Nixon didn't win the Nobel Prize. Henry Kissinger won it for the United States. So, if there is a Nobel Prize for the Gaza process next year, it might be Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner who win it and not Donald Trump.

BOLDUAN: But on that note, I mean, we have the statement, right, from the White House saying that President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, saving lives, and then going on to kind of hit at the Nobel Committee. The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace. Do you think the drive and push and desire very obvious from the president of the United States is part of, I don't know, what brought about this pressure campaign to actually reach the ceasefire deal?

NAFTALI: Yes. In fact, what's interesting to me is that there was this push in the last few days, and it appears that the Nobel Committee had already made its decision. So, the U.S. government, I don't think even understood the process by which the Nobel Committee did its work, which actually surprised me.

So, I think it's healthy for the world that the president of the United States is fixated on being viewed as a peacemaker. I think that's excellent for the world. And I hope the president continues his fixation on achieving peace deals. It's good.

The president, I think, should keep in mind that the Nobel Committee looks at what happens within countries, not just among countries. After all, this year's Nobel Prize winner, Maria Carina Machado, won it for what she's done to try to reconstitute civil society within Venezuela. While the president is certainly engaged on a peace campaign outside the United States, at home he's sending troops into our cities, which is not consistent with peacemaking at home. And the Nobel Committee will be looking at that in the future, just as much as they look at his efforts in Gaza.

BOLDUAN: That's an interesting juxtaposition, that's for sure. Tim, thank you so much. David Sanger, still working on that connection, but we really appreciate David Sanger all the time. Thank you, Tim. John?

[09:15:00]

BERMAN: I think we should give a Nobel Prize to whoever can fix David Sanger's shot.

BOLDUAN: I concur, Doctor.

BERMAN: Right? All right. President Trump told Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against three specific people. Charges have now been filed against two of them, James Comey and Letitia James. This morning, what should Adam Schiff be thinking?

And then, heated moments in a Virginia debate stage in one of the most closely watched races in the country that could tell which way the political winds are blowing. And one of the biggest feuds in all of media, Drake versus Kendrick Lamar. And this morning, a federal judge sort of picks sides on a key moment of this dispute.

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BERMAN: So, new this morning, today, many furloughed federal workers will receive partial paychecks, paying them only for the days they worked before the government shutdown began. Next week, members of the military will miss their first paychecks if this shutdown is still going on.

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With us now is Congresswoman Ayana Pressley, a Democrat from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She sits on the Financial Services Committee. Congresswoman, thank you so much for being with us.

You're particularly concerned yes, about the federal workers who are furloughed, but also about federal contractors. Explain to me the issues that they're dealing with.

REP. AYANNA PRESSLEY (D-MA), FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE AND OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE: Yes, thanks John. Of course, I'm concerned about all workers, the entire labor force. But our federal workers already have protections in place. Our federal contractors who I believe are certainly deserving of assurances, there's nothing to assure that they will be provided back pay.

And we're talking about, some of our hardest working lowest paid workforce security guards, custodians, food service workers. And so, that's why I'm introducing the Fair Pay for Federal Contractors Act which will ensure that retroactively they will be provided with that back pay because this is incredibly disruptive and disastrous.

You know, I worked as an unpaid congressional intern working three paid jobs. I was a hotel worker for close to a decade. I know what it is to be a part of an invisible workforce and I -- and people don't understand just how hard people are working already to make ends meet. And then to compound this with missed pay, the ways in which it is disruptive, it just has disastrous consequences. And I want to make sure that our federally contracted workers are made whole, and working very closely with my labor partners and their effort.

BERMAN: I want to talk about possible ways this shutdown could end. Yesterday I was speaking with democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has rejected the idea of a one-year extension on Obamacare subsidies. But there are senators now discussing the possibility of, well, maybe instead of a one-year extension, you do an extension of two or more years, but you cap eligibility at those with incomes around $200,000. What do you about think about something like that?

PRESSLEY: John, what I'm focused on right now in this moment, and I'm just so glad that the Democrats are holding the line and using our leverage. And healthcare is certainly worth that fight because it's not a nice to have, it's a must have.

And what we know is given the impacts of the big ugly bill, the cuts to Medicaid, it is essential that we restore those cuts. It's essential that we save healthcare, that we make permanent, those Affordable Care Act subsidies, which lowered the cost of healthcare and that we reopen the government. And that's the focus right now. But healthcare is not a nice to have, it is a must have.

People are going --

BERMAN: I hear what you're saying.

PRESSLEY: -- to get sicker. People are already -- yes.

BERMAN: I'm sorry to interrupt, but you used the word permanent. and I just want to establish, you know, what the line is for you. Will you not support funding the government unless the Obamacare subsidies are made permanent?

PRESSLEY: I don't have any text -- anything in front of me right now, John. What I'm saying right now is that we are holding the line. This is a fight worth fighting. I don't want -- we're already given the impacts of the big ugly bill. People are getting hungrier, poorer, sicker. And if we don't have those tax subsidies, you have a situation where people will not get diagnosis, they won't manage chronic disease, they won't have critical health interventions. And the greatest wealth of our nation is the health of our people.

And so, I'm focused on the health of our people by ensuring that some of our most vulnerable, like our service workers who are some of the hardest working and lowest paid, that they are made whole after this shutdown. And I'm also focused on this fight for healthcare, across the board. That we restore the cuts to Medicaid and that we extend these tax subsidies. BERMAN: Understood. Sorry to interrupt there. We mentioned you're on the Financial Services Committee. The treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, confirmed that there is in play now that this some $20 billion bailout for Argentina. It involves propping up the peso and different things there. I wonder what your views are on as much as $20 billion going to prop up a foreign country in this moment?

PRESSLEY: Yes. I mean, again, in this moment I remain squarely focused on the people who sent me to Washington to fight on their behalf and for the stabilization of their family and for the health of our communities. And again, that's why I'm glad that right now in this fight I'm focused on our federal workforce and the fight for healthcare.

[09:25:00]

And I also would love to have, you know, the executive office be focused on things other than weaponizing the Department of Justice and attacking people for doing their job. What we need is an executive that is not obsessed with an enemy's list, but is instead focused on a to-do list of meeting the needs of struggling and working families and using their position to uplift families and to advance progress instead of to enact, hurt, and harm.

His -- so, Tish James, these allegations against her are baseless. Donald Trump is -- seems to be obsessed with black women who are effective and good at doing their jobs. But these attacks against Tish James, against James Comey, these would be -- should be of concern to any person of conscience. It is degrading the things that are foundational to our democracy and to our constitution. And I hope to hear everyone amplifying their concern and their vigorous defense of what should be our foundational principles.

BERMAN: Congresswoman, Ayanna Pressley coming to us from the greatest city on Earth, Boston, Massachusetts this morning. Thank you so much for your time this morning. Appreciate it. Sara.

SIDNER: All right. A brand-new move in the legal battle to send the National Guard to Illinois. The Trump administration now appealing a judge's ruling blocking the National Guard deployment to Chicago. And video showing the terrifying moment a massive earthquake shakes the Philippines.

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