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New York Attorney General Letitia James Speaks Post Indictment, I Fear No Man; Federal Prosecutors Met to Finalize Potential Bolton Indictment; Trump Says We'll have to See on Two-State Solution for Gaza; Israel Receives Remains of 4 out of 28 Deceased Hostages. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired October 14, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, quite a show. The first public appearance for New York Attorney General Letitia James since she was indicted on federal charges. Could new charges against others be on the way?

President Trump back in the White House this morning after his historic trip to the Middle East. Now, what comes next for Gaza? What we are seeing on the ground this morning.

A new video of a daring rescue in the water. How the Coast Guard helicopter spotted a man stranded in the frigid and stormy seas. Yikes.

Kate is out today. I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

New this morning, indicted and on stage. New York Attorney General Letitia James made her first public appearance since being indicted on two federal felony charges tied to a mortgage she took out on a home in Norfolk, Virginia in 2020. James joined New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani at a get out the vote rally. She said she, quote, fears no man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: We see powerful voices trying to silence truth and punish dissent and, yes, weaponize justice for political gain.

We are witnessing the fraying of our democracy, the erosion of our system of government. Let us stand together to defend our rights, to protect every safeguard, every institution, every immigrant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now she did not mention Donald Trump by name, but it was Trump's handpicked prosecutor and his former personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan, who secured the indictment against James. This morning, CNN is learning just how Halligan is establishing her presence, removing her own deputy and senior prosecutor, Maggie Cleary, from her position. Cleary is now one of at least five career prosecutors who've been removed or resigned from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Let's get right to CNN's senior legal analyst, former federal prosecutor, Elie Honig. Counselor, great to see you this morning. First on Letitia James, a fiery rally last night where she didn't mention President Trump by name, but she talked about the weaponization of the Justice Department.

What does that tell you about her possible defense strategy and what's the risk reward for being so public when you are under federal indictment?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, John, it's always a bad idea for anyone who's under federal indictment to make any public statement, because as we know, anything you say can and will be used against you in court. That said, it has to be relevant. And I didn't, I did not hear anything in Letitia James's comments that would be relevant to the actual mortgage fraud claims against her.

So I don't think any of that is going to be played back in court. That said, rest assured, prosecutors will be watching everything she says. To the larger point, John, there's quite a bit of hypocrisy at play here.

I mean, there's very little question that Donald Trump has politically targeted Letitia James. You can see that in Donald Trump's social media posts. You can see that in the removal and replacement of the prosecutor who did not want to bring these charges.

Without a doubt, Letitia James can argue that before trial to try to get this case dismissed. She might well succeed, but let's also not whitewash history here. Letitia James did essentially the same thing to Donald Trump.

She ran for office explicitly targeting him. She fundraised on that. She brought a lawsuit that ultimately was gutted, not quite entirely dismissed, but mostly reversed by a liberal appeals court in New York state.

So they're both wrong. They've both targeted each other and one does not validate the other.

BERMAN: Is weaponization of justice a legal strategy? They can go from the outside to inside a courtroom with any level of success.

HONIG: For sure. Yes, Letitia James, as a criminal defendant, will be able to raise a pretrial motion to dismiss based on what we call selective or vindictive prosecution.

And so if she can show that she was singled out from among others who've engaged in similar conduct because of her political persuasion, then yes, you can get a judge to throw out a case before it gets to a jury. I think Jim Comey is going to have a strong argument along those lines. I think Letitia James is going to have a strong argument along those lines. Based on Donald Trump's own public statement. So we'll see what those judges do. But yes, this could absolutely play out in court as well.

BERMAN: So we don't know what will happen next and to whom, but there has been reporting that federal prosecutors are preparing an indictment against former National Security Advisor, Ambassador John Bolton, that may have to do with the retention of classified documents there, Elie. What do you see is going on here? And it is worth noting Bolton, like James, like Comey, is someone who former -- or current President Trump has targeted as a political opponent.

But how is this case possibly different?

HONIG: Yes, I'm going to withhold judgment on the Bolton case until we see an indictment if there is one.

[08:05:00]

But are indicators that there may be more legitimacy to this case. The reporting is that this case against John Bolton originated during the prior administration, the Biden administration. There are also indicators that this case developed organically, that it was based on a leak of information from John Bolton or provisioned by John Bolton of information to some foreign entities, which then came to the attention of American intelligence.

Also worth noting, John, two separate federal judges, one in Maryland, one in DC, both reviewed and approved search warrants. When John Bolton's home and office were searched back in August, that had to go through two separate federal judges, both of whom found at least probable cause to engage in those searches. So if there's an indictment, as the reporting says there could be sometime soon, let's take a close look at that.

I'm not so sure that's going to fall in the same bucket as the Comey and James cases.

BERMAN: Just, you know, Americans, I think voters know a lot about the classified document retention now. Do we know how this case could be similar or different to the cases of, say, former President Biden or current President Trump and their retention of classified documents?

HONIG: Right. There certainly is recent precedent of investigations and in some cases prosecutions. Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, all were subject of substantial investigations for mishandling of classified info.

The two key facts to watch for, one was the handling of that classified information or mishandling. Was it intentional or was it accidental? And second of all, was that information disseminated? Did the person provide it to any outsider?

Those are really two key questions. If the answer to both of those is yes, then I think it's much more likely we will actually see a criminal indictment of John Bolton. BERMAN: As you say, we don't know for certain right now, and obviously we need to see the details if in one it does come out. Counselor Elie Honig, always great to see you. Thank you so much for being with us this morning -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, just ahead, a desperate search and rescue mission in Alaska underway now after a record and deadly storm surge tore through its western coast, sweeping homes away and leaving more than a thousand people now displaced.

Also, Instagram goes PG-13 for teens on their platforms, the change that Meta is making to the app to make it safer for teenage users.

And oh, gourd, oh my gosh, that's a big one. Pumpkin growers from far and wide weighing in to see who has the biggest, heaviest, most plumpy, plumpy pumpkin you've ever seen. Let's take a look. Coming up.

[08:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: All right, this morning, what comes next for Gaza?

All of the living hostages have returned to Israel and nearly 2,000 Palestinians has been released from prison. President Trump says that phase two of the ceasefire plan is already underway, yet a lot of the details of his 20 peace plan remain unresolved. And on the trip home from Egypt, he declined to endorse a two state solution.

Also, Hamas has returned the remains of only four out of the 28 deceased hostages as required under the deal. This convoy carrying some of the coffins that you see there back to Israel.

CNN's Nada Bashir is live in Jerusalem this morning for us. What details are we learning and movement are we learning towards phase two of the ceasefire?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we had a lot of big talk, a lot of significant commitments being made yesterday at the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit, particularly from the U.S. president around this 20 point peace plan. We've heard from President Trump saying in his words that we are already into phase two of that plan. He says in his words that the war is over despite the trepidation that is held among some, that there could be a return to hostilities if the ceasefire breaks down, if there are any violations.

But of course, we saw that significant first step, the release of all living hostages and now four deceased hostages. We've seen the return of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal. But there is still a lot of questions around what those next steps look like, around the details, questions around demilitarizing Hamas.

That has been a key point for the Israeli government from the beginning of negotiations, what that looks like, how that will be finally achieved and guaranteed. And of course, we've heard indications from the Israeli prime minister that if this isn't achieved, in his words, the easy way, Israel will look to the hard way, as said by the Israeli prime minister just a few days ago.

And then, of course, there's a question of internal security and governance, a peacekeeping force in the Gaza Strip. Again, no clarity around that. We've heard the French President Emmanuel Macron saying that France will play a special role in that part. But, again, we are still waiting for more clarity.

And then, as you mentioned, of course, questions around the steps towards Palestinian statehood. Is this something that the U.S. president is committed to? It certainly is something that Arab leaders want to see.

But, again, no real firm commitments on that front.

SIDNER: Yes, I do want to ask you about the remaining deceased hostages who are still in Gaza and what is being done about them. Because I know, initially, Hamas had said, look, we may not know where all of them are. But I think the families in Israel were quite surprised to see that only four of them, their bodies being sent back from Gaza. What are you learning there?

BASHIR: Absolutely, a lot of hopes dashed yesterday. Only four bodies returned.

[08:15:00]

We know, of course, at this stage, according to authorities, that all four have been identified. Only two publicly named. The remaining two authorities are waiting for the family's permission to name them.

And this, of course, has been a heartbreaking moment for many families waiting for this day. But it was understood prior to Monday that this may be a long process. And while, as part of the deal, Hamas had committed to returning all of the hostage, including all of those deceased, within the 72-hour framework, it was understood by all those involved in those negotiation efforts that that might be a very difficult task ahead.

Now, we do understand that there is said to be an international committee that is set to be established in order to assist in recovering those remaining bodies. Again, the details around that at this stage are unclear. We know that since the cease-fire has come into effect, Gaza's civil defense has been recovering hundreds of bodies buried beneath the rubble.

But for the families awaiting to receive that closure, to finally lay their loved ones to rest, this will be a difficult moment as they continue to wait.

SIDNER: Yes, and another hugely difficult moment. We're looking at the pictures of the destruction there in Gaza. There is untold amounts of work to be done there, both humanitarily and for rebuilding.

Nada Bashir, thank you so much for being there live for us from Jerusalem. Still ahead, Southern California bracing for a bunch of rain and the

potential for mudslides, adding insult to injury for residents still recovering from those deadly fires.

And later, the long road home, how returning to normal life, far easier said than done for both Israelis and Palestinians.

[08:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, happening now, rescuers in western Alaska are working to find people still missing after the remnants of a typhoon tore through remote coastal communities. Hurricane force winds and record storm surge swept homes off their foundations, displacing more than a thousand people.

One person was killed, at least. Crews have rescued dozens of people, some pulled from rooftops. Officials are calling it one of the largest emergency responses the state has seen in years.

Evacuation warnings in place across parts of Los Angeles today, especially near the burn scars from the fires earlier this year. A rare October storm is hitting Southern California. Forecasters say heavy rain, strong winds, even a possible tornado could trigger dangerous flash floods and debris flows.

Let's get right to CNN's Allison Chinchar watching all of this for us. Good morning, Allison.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And good morning. Yes, behind me, you can see a live look. It's very dark, but also very gloomy here along the Santa Monica Pier because we have all of those rain showers in and around that general vicinity.

But it's not just in and around L.A. Take a look at the entire state of California. You have this large swirl here of very heavy rain and yes, even some snow for those higher elevations and quite significant snow in some of those spots. We also have a severe thunderstorm watch. And for those paying attention, this is rare for this area.

In fact, this is the first severe thunderstorm watch for this particular area in roughly 17 years. Again, they get rain, they get fires, but the severe aspect of these storms is not something that is all that common.

We've had some watches and warnings off and on most of the morning. We've even got a flash flood warning just to the northwest of Santa Barbara. Again, where the intensity of that rain that's coming down is very heavy. So again, it doesn't take much for a lot of that to cover roadways and such.

The bigger concerns here are these two white spots that are highlighted. These are the burn scars. So as that heavy rain kind of rushes over those burn scars, it can't really absorb that water and so most of it just becomes runoff. It can take some mud and dirt with it, triggering landslides, mudslides, things of that nature. So these are two areas especially that we are paying close attention to over the next couple of hours. We have the potential not only for the flash flooding over the areas of burn scars, but again also the high risk of rockslides, mudslides, and then also just urban flooding.

Again, even when you just get very heavy rain that comes down, it can still kind of overrun a lot of the roads and streets in some of these areas. You also have a lot of dry creek beds that can fill up very, very quickly, especially with some of these intense bands. And then a little bit farther to the north, again, you've got very heavy rain coming here over Fresno at time off and on.

It's been pretty heavy in Sacramento. And then yes, take a look up through the Sierras. You've got quite heavy snow coming down across portions of these. So do keep in mind you may end up having some of those small roads closed down, especially as that snow really begins to pick up.

You're talking one to three feet of snow in the pink highlighted area that you can see here and several inches for the purple area. And that does also include Reno that's under that advisory.

So again, just kind of keep in mind you've got a lot of these areas that are looking at quite significant amounts of rain and snow. The forecast as we go later into the day, once we get towards Wednesday though, you'll see the bulk of that moisture begins to move eastward. So you're talking Nevada, portions of Utah, and even into Arizona and Colorado.

That's where the bulk of that moisture will spread once we get to about 24 hours from now.

BERMAN: Watching that move eastward, but you said three feet of snow in October up in those mountains?

CHINCHAR: Three feet.

BERMAN: All right, we'll watch that very closely. And I hope people in Los Angeles area near those burn scars pay attention because this is a potentially dangerous situation there. They've been through enough already.

Allison Chinchar, thank you so much for all of that.

All right, the Defense Department moves to place major new restrictions on journalism inside the Pentagon, telling reporters to sign a document or else. This morning who is signing, who is not, and what happens next.

And a new video by the Transportation Secretary -- no, new video by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is being rolled out at airports across the country. Why some airports are refusing to show it.

[08:25:00]

SIDNER: President Trump is already talking about rebuilding in Gaza, but after more than two years of war, we're showing you some new images of what hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are returning to, most of it in ruins. Humanitarian groups are ramping up aid efforts there. A U.N.-backed report from August, though, found that more than a half a million people in Gaza were trapped by famine, many of them children.

Joining me now, Joe English, an emergency communications specialist with UNICEF. First of all, UNICEF has been on the ground in Gaza. What are you learning?

What are you hearing from those who are on the ground? ...

[08:30:00]