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Joe English is Interviewed about Aid for Gaza; Polls on Health Care; Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) is Interviewed about the Shutdown; News Organizations Reject New Press Rules; Katy Neas is Interviewed about Cuts to the Education Department; Instagram Teen Update. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired October 14, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: 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 as aid is starting to come in, but just the enormous, enormous need there?

JOE ENGLISH, UNICEF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST: It is huge. It's huge, Sara. You know, I was speaking to one of my colleagues, who was in Gaza City yesterday, and she described it as a skeleton of a city. You know, there is almost nothing left.

And the children that we speak to, they have hope for the future. You know, we spoke to one little boy who said that he wanted to go home to Beit Lahiya (ph) because that's where his home was, and that's where he left his childhood. And children in Gaza have -- have spent the last two years deprived of that childhood.

So, what we're doing now is, we're trying to get aid into them to, first of all, keep them alive. As you say, the ceasefire, we're so grateful that that is now in place. But the threat of famine, of disease, of hunger, those remain. And so we're going to try and keep children alive by reaching them with nutrition supplies, but also to get them back into school, to give them the psychosocial (ph) support they need so that they can begin to rebuild their lives, rebuild their communities.

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, there are physical -- literal physical scars and so many mental ones as well as this has dragged on for so long with so much destruction and so much death that these children have endured.

I am curious about the amount of aid coming in. Israel says, look, it's going to allow in 600 trucks a day. Is that -- is that enough?

ENGLISH: At this moment in time, I don't think any amount would be enough. But what we can do is we can focus on the task in hand, which is getting in as much as we can, day after day after day. You know, all of the scenes of joy of the hostages reunited and the 22 children, Palestinian children who were released and went back to their families yesterday as well, that gives us this hope. But we have to see it continue. We have to see the attention and the energy to rebuild, to move into the next stages of this plan that has to come into effect.

SIDNER: I am curious what you're seeing as far as security on the ground. We have reporting that Hamas has carried out some executions of Palestinians who opposed Hamas, or who they believe collaborated with Israel during this war. Is security an issue for you and the people on the ground who are trying to get this aid to people, coupled with the -- the enormous desperation on the parts of people who haven't had access to food.

ENGLISH: Yes, insecurity is always an issue, whether it's in conflicts or disasters. You know, whenever there is a desperation of need and whenever there is this insecurity, it is always a challenge. But we do this work all around the world.

You know, I've spoken to you previously about our work in Ukraine. And we know what we're doing. And when the conditions on the ground, and when the parties to the conflict allow us to do that, we can reach children. We can -- we can save their lives. We can treat malnourished children. We can get them back into temporary learning centers. And that's, you know, for parents, that's all they want. They want their children to have that chance in life. Thats -- you know, for any of us, that's what we want for our kids, for them to be safe, healthy and with the chance of a bright future.

SIDNER: I am just curious if your people on the ground are seeing other organizations, because many left. It was just too dangerous. The bombardments from Israel made it nearly impossible for some of these aid agencies to function there. And aid workers were killed. Do you have any idea about other aid organizations coming back in now that the ceasefire is in place?

ENGLISH: Yes, you know, one of the things with UNICEF and the U.N., we were there throughout. Even in the most difficult moments we were doing everything that we could to reach children and reach families. And now UNICEF, WFP, you know, all of these organizations, NGOs like Save The Children, Oxfam, they're going to be doing everything that they can to get back onto the ground.

This is the reason we do what we do. We want to save lives. We want to improve lives. And so, day by day, if we see the ceasefire hold, if we see the security situation improve, if we see the roads cleared, then that's only going to increase. And that is a good thing for Gaza's children, for the children throughout the whole region.

SIDNER: Joe English, it is a pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to walk us through that this morning.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the man who was accused of setting fire to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's home is expected in court. Investigators say that Cody Balmer targeted Shapiro's home because of the governor's views on the war in Gaza. Balmer will appear on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated arson and terrorism.

New this morning, several major airports in the U.S. are rejecting a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the shutdown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, DHS SECRETARY: Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government. And because of this, many of our operations are impacted and most of our TSA employees are working without pay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The clip was meant to play at TSA checkpoints, but airports in Las Vegas, Portland, Seattle and New York at least say it crosses a political line. Some officials cite the Hatch Act, a federal law that bars using public resources for partizan purposes.

[08:35:04]

One airport called the tone, quote, "unnecessarily alarmist." Another said it violated their policy against political content. It's unclear whether any airport has agreed to show the video.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, two weeks now since the government shutdown began, exactly 14 days that we're heading into today and neither side seems to be budging. At the center of it all is the Affordable Care Act and federal subsidies that make it much more affordable for American -- for many Americans. Democrats are refusing to back a spending deal to reopen the government unless Republicans renew those subsidies. But what do voters think about all this?

CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten is here.

So, how different is the opinion about the ACA than it perhaps used to be? What's happened?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes. You know, one of the great underlying things that I don't think is necessarily appreciated here is just how much of a comeback story we're talking about in terms -- in terms of opinions of the Affordable Care Act. I mean the net favorable rating, back when most of the provisions went into effect back in 2014. Look at that, the Affordable Care Act was way under water at minus ten points. By the time of the first Trump term, you got it plus six points. Look at where we are now, plus 30 points on the net favorable rating. We're talking about the Affordable Care Act on the net favorable rating being 40 points higher than it was when most of the revisions went back into -- went into effect the first time around back in 2014, 11 years ago.

So, the key thing to understand about this entire debate is, Democrats want to have this debate now in 2025 as compared to 2014, when the Affordable Care Act was not popular. Now, the Affordable Care Act is massively popular.

SIDNER: Who is using this as a whole, the ACA, also known as Obamacare. But who is -- who is the group of people that are -- that are actually using it? ENTEN: Yes, this, to me, was one of the biggest surprises. When you

actually dig into the data, you can understand why Marjorie Taylor Greene is doing what she's doing and why this debate is actually dividing Republicans. Because take a look here, who are the ACA marketplace enrollees? Look at this. The plurality are actually Republicans. Republicans are more likely to use the marketplace than Democrats are at 45 percent. Democrats at 35 percent. Then you get independents at 20 percent.

But the key nugget here is Republicans are more likely, in fact, to be the enrollees in the marketplace than Democrats are. And the majority of enrollees, 57 percent, are in Republican held congressional districts, like Marjorie Taylor Greene's. So, what we're seeing here is it's not actually Democrats who are the only ones who are taking advantage of Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act. There are a lot of Republicans. And the clear plurality of those who are the marketplace enrollees are actually Republicans, and the majority of them are actually in Republican-held districts. And that is why, Sara, you're seeing this debate really divide Republicans and really unite Democrats.

SIDNER: Yes, it goes with the saying, all politics are local. And that really gives you a sense.

ENTEN: You got it.

SIDNER: Do want to ask you about which party people as a whole trust more when it comes to health care?

ENTEN: Yes. Again, this is why Democrats want to play on this turf. Because if you look at the party that's trusted the most on some key issues, the economy, immigration, crime, it's Republicans. But once you're in the health care space, now you're in the Democrat's territory. Democrats are favored by the public by a ten-point margin when it comes to health care. So, when we're talking about health care, when we're talking about the Affordable Care Act, when we're talking about subsidies, these are all things that favor Democrats and divide Republicans. Democrats want this debate about the shutdown to be about health care and the Affordable Care Act because they feel like they're on winning terrain. When it shifts over to something else that's more favorable to Republicans, but as long as it's about the Affordable Care Act and about health care, that is where Democrats say, two thumbs up.

SIDNER: And I've noticed one thing about you this morning that has nothing to do with any of this, nice, new shoes. Very shiny this morning. Nice.

ENTEN: Yes, I wore the -- I wore the exact same shoes for eight or nine years. They went to the beach with me. But it turns out, getting salt on your shoes, not necessarily a good thing. But new shoes. I think I'm looking pretty gosh darn sharp, Sara Sidner.

SIDNER: Mama's got some new shoes. Love it. Harry Enten, thank you so much.

ENTEN: Thank you.

SIDNER: You are. You are.

John.

BERMAN: Always looking sharp.

With us now is Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, a Democrat from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Congresswoman, thank you so much for being with us.

You know, just a short time ago we showed this video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that was sent out presumably to be shown at TSA checkpoints, at airports across the country, which blame -- we have it up on the screen right now, which blame Democrats for the shutdown.

What do you think of this? What do you think of this use of government resources?

REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA): Well, I heard the list of things that was wrong with it. The other thing that's wrong with it, it's just plain not true. So, it's completely inappropriate that such a thing would be played.

I signed on to a letter yesterday for Philadelphia International Airport. And the majority of southeastern Democrats signed on to it, started by Brendan Boyle, to say, don't play it. It's a political video and it has no place in our international airport. It has no place misadvising, misleading the flying public.

[08:40:02]

BERMAN: A couple interesting things have happened in the shutdown over the last 24, 48 hours. The Trump administration says it has found money to pay military service members for this paycheck. They say they found money for WIC, the funding that goes for nutritional things for women, infants and children. And now they say they're looking for money to pay for federal law enforcement officers.

Do you support these moves from the administration?

DEAN: I support reopening the government. And I want you to know, and your viewers to know, House Democrats are returning to Washington again this week, today actually. Hakeem has called us in, and I'm delighted that he has. We stand ready for the third week in a row to do the job of reopening the government.

But contrast that with the speaker. The speaker has, for a third week in a row, said to his own members, stay out, stay home, go on vacation, whatever you want to do because we're not going to participate in getting the government reopened.

I had a conversation with the speaker, and I noted to myself that there he was surrounded by Capitol Police officers who keep him safe every hour of every day. They're not getting paid. There's shame in that. And they know what's going on here. You know that the week before these last three weeks, the speaker sent us home because of the Epstein files.

So, this is a Republican shutdown. It is an Epstein shutdown. And I think the speaker is absolutely failing to lead when he says to his members, stay back. They know this is about American's health care. They know that people are going to suffer loss of health care or skyrocketing insurance premiums.

BERMAN: But how do you feel about these paychecks going out during the shutdown? They're -- they're -- I don't think anyone's opposed to people being paid. But people look at this and say, this could actually extend the shutdown because it takes out some of the pressure points that might exist that would lead Democrats and Republicans to come together.

DEAN: Oh, you know what, of course I want our military paid. Of course I want federal law enforcement officers to paid -- be paid. There's a way to do that. I'm in appropriator. We should have passed appropriations bills. There's a way to run a government. And this is not the way to run a government. And trying to borrow from this fund or take from that fund, I think they're hoping to use the big tariff slush fund that's driving our economy into the ground, frankly. That's no way to run a government.

We, the Democrats in the House, as well as the whole Senate is coming in today too, we're here, we're ready to make sure that the government is reopened for all of the American people, for the working people of the United States.

BERMAN: You are on Appropriations. You also have a seat on Foreign Affairs. Two plum assignments there. Don't know how you manage to work that one. But I'm asking you, as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee right now, Congresswoman, as you look at the president's trip to the Middle East yesterday and the ceasefire that's in place, the return of all the remaining living hostages, what are you looking for next in terms of gauging the success going forward in the region?

DEAN: Well, John, let me just tell you, for me, yesterday was a day of such joy. You know I wear this dog tag, "bring them home now." And to see the live 20 hostages return, what joy. I can't imagine, frankly. I've met with their families. I've met with hostages. And just extraordinary joy. I'm delighted. And I give President Trump credit for that.

Of course, we still have the remains of 24 deceased hostages yet to come home. So, I'll continue to wear this until the last is home.

So, what do I hope now? That the president stays focused on it. And along with our partners in the Middle East and around the world, we move forward toward peace, restoration of some semblance of Gaza rebuilding, humanitarian aid rushing in as we are seeing it, an end to this suffering.

As I said, I felt just extraordinary joy. I also feel sadness. Sadness that so many suffered for so very long. So many lives lost. Almost 70,000 it is estimated. Half of those women and children. I've met with those children. I've met with mothers with their children who have suffered amputations and other life threatening injuries. The suffering has been unbearable.

So, my prayer is for the return of all of the hostages and an end to the suffering and a two state peaceful solution.

BERMAN: Congresswoman Madeleine Dean from Pennsylvania, we do appreciate your time this morning. Thank you very much.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, it's deadline day for media outlets to sign the Pentagon's new restrictive press access rules. It states that reporters cannot solicit or report on any information the Department of Defense does not authorize.

[08:45:03]

News organizations across the board, including CNN, as you might imagine, rejected signing a pledge like that. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called Pentagon press access a, quote, "privilege, not a right," and responded to outlets who aren't signing it with a single waving hand emoji.

Joining me now, CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter.

Brian, what should outlets expect today? Obviously, especially those who are saying, we're not signing this because you are basically telling us what we can and cannot report on or say.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, this was originally described a number of weeks ago as a pledge. There were some revisions after negotiations with media outlets. But newsroom leaders and media lawyers looked at this document from the Pentagon and said this was simply unacceptable. It's an infringement on First Amendment rights. It has the potential to criminalize acts of journalism because so much of what reporters learn about the military, some of it comes from leaks, some of it comes from sources who are not technically authorized or allowed to provide the information, but they're sharing that information in the public interest.

This new document, this new so-called pledge, would potentially criminalize that kind of coverage and put journalists at risk of prosecution. So that is why so many news outlets are standing up and saying they will not sign the papers today.

The Pentagon issued a 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time deadline today. And they say any journalist who has a press pass for the Pentagon complex who does not sign the new paperwork, they'll have to turn in their press pass by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, meaning 5:00 p.m. Wednesday. This means that essentially all of the beat reporters who currently have the ability to enter the Pentagon complex, to go up and speak with spokespeople in person, to attend press conferences if they're ever held, those people will lose their access. They'll have to turn in their press passes.

But it is remarkable, Sara, the show of solidarity that we are seeing. Dozens of media outlets at this point all agreeing, they're not going to sign this paperwork. They're not going to go along with these restrictions. They are going to choose to hand in those press passes instead.

SIDNER: I'm curious about, you know, when you look at this board here, and it shows you all of the different organizations, one that stands out there is Newsmax, which has been very pro-Trump.

STELTER: Yes.

SIDNER: What are -- what are the right-leaning publications doing in all of this?

STELTER: It's one of the most important details here. Newsmax has said it is not going to sign this pledge. It wants some sort of resolution. But it's not going to sign the pledge as it stands now. And I'm told Fox News is taking the same stand. And Fox, along with the major broadcast networks, is going to come out later today and say it's not willing to sign along and play along with these rules either.

CNN, of course this network, already said last week that it wasn't going to go along with these rules. Let me show you first CNN's statement saying, "CNN's mission to report on fully and fairly about the U.S. military and the Trump administration will continue regardless of physical access to the Pentagon. We will not be deflected from our duty to hold all three fairly and fully to account, and we'll continue to report on the actions and decision making processes of the U.S. government without fear or favor."

Newsmax, in a statement, saying much the same thing.

So, it is telling, we're seeing some of these pro-Trump or conservative outlets say that they will not sign the pledge. At the same time, major mainstream outlets, like the AP, CNN, Reuters, "The Wall Street Journal," they are all rejecting this edict from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

SIDNER: What legal action are you thinking that these organizations, as they're -- as they're looking at all of this, might take?

STELTER: Well, that's the next possibility. Yes, that's the next possibility because this deadline is today. The press passes have to be handed back on Wednesday. We may see legal action by news outlets down the road. But one thing is clear, news outlets, like CNN, are going to keep covering the Pentagon, even if we're not allowed inside the building.

SIDNER: Yes. And covering it because also press -- the press is doing this to inform the public. The public pays the taxes for the Pentagon to exist. Lots of complication there. Thank you so much, Brian Stelter, for being here with us early this morning. All right, we've got some new developments this morning on layoffs

that are hitting the Education Department. Nearly all staffers who focus on special education are affected.

Also, as they say, go big or go -- gor -- I can't even do it, guys. I can't even make the joke. I'm too tired -- gourd home -- gourd home. Whatever. We're talking about the world pumpkin championship, and you're going to see, like, the hugest pumpkins you've ever seen in your life. Stick around for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:53:25]

SIDNER: New this morning, sources telling CNN the latest round of layoffs at the Department of Education has hit nearly all of its staff that handles special education. Now, disability advocates are sounding the alarm, saying the layoffs could impact programs that serve millions of children, youth and adults with disabilities nationwide.

Joining me now is Katy Neas, CEO of the Arc, which advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She also served as the deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services under President Biden, the same office that has been largely impacted, by the way, by these layoffs.

First to you. Your organization represents millions of people with disabilities and their families. What's happening to them because of these cuts? And what will potentially happen now that this huge layoff is in effect?

KATY NEAS, CEO, THE ARC OF THE UNITED STATES: What we're hearing from families every day is that they are having a difficult time filing a complaint if they feel their child has been discriminated in school. They are having very difficult times getting an answer to a question about what the policy means in their states. Quite frankly, they're just very frightened that the protections and equal access to education that their children are entitled to under the law is at grave risk.

SIDNER: You have said that the special education office went from about 200 or so employees to less than ten. I mean, what were these workers doing?

[08:55:00]

And what happens now that they are gone? That is a huge drop in personnel.

NEAS: Absolutely. So, the federal special education law sets out specific tasks that the U.S. Department of Education has to do in partnership with states. The people who are to do those tasks are no longer working. And so that's everything from making sure that states have in place the policies and procedures to do the job they need to do. One of the most important things that states have to do is identify

every eligible child who may be eligible for special education services. States have to do that. It's a -- it's -- and the U.S. Department of Education partners with states on strategies to make sure that they are finding every child. The folks who do that are gone.

The other thing that the department does is manage grants to help improve our knowledge of how best to educate students with disabilities. And that's really important in those states that don't have a huge footprint. You know, big school districts have access to a lot more resources than small ones do. And those small ones and small states really rely on the expertise of those staff at the Department of Education to do the job that they want to do.

SIDNER: Can the law still be followed when it comes to what is required by the federal government for those who have disabilities?

NEAS: It's a really important point. The law has not changed. The implementation of the law is going to be much more difficult. I always say there are 7.5 million children who are receiving special education services. Each one of those children has an individualized plan tailored to them.

SIDNER: Right.

NEAS: So you have 7.5 million opportunities to do it right and 7.5 million opportunities to get it wrong. And the support that states and districts get from the Department of Education really cut back on the times where things can be done in error.

SIDNER: Katy Neas, thank you so much for going through that with us. It's a really important issue that a lot of parents are facing.

John.

BERMAN: All right, a wild scene caught on camera in Miami Beach. Surveillance video shows a Tesla slamming into the patio of a tavern. Police say the car was a rental driven by tourists who took off after the crash. Two of the three were later detained. No one was hurt.

Coast Guard rescue off the Massachusetts coast. A ferry crew in Falmouth spotted someone in the water and tried to help, but the waves were just too rough and they called in a Coast Guard helicopter, which was able to pull the individual to safety.

And this morning we have a winner in the world championship pumpkin weigh off. This was in California. The pumpkin weighed in at more than 2,300 pounds. Oh, my gourd, as Sara Sidner would say. A man from --

SIDNER: I can't say it.

BERMAN: A man -- she said many times. A man from Santa Rosa took home the crown. He pocketed more than $21,000 in prize money. No word, Sara, if he shared it with the pumpkin.

SIDNER: Dang. I -- listen, that's a lot of pumpkin pie. But I am a -- not a pumpkin pie girl. Do you like pumpkin pie?

BERMAN: I do. I do.

SIDNER: You do?

BERMAN: This just in.

SIDNER: OK. Well, maybe I'll get you a store bought one because I'm not going to -- I'm not going to make it. I apologize, I just can't do it.

BERMAN: Sure.

SIDNER: Sweet potato, all day. I'm the sweet potato girl. Just so you know. In case you want to get me a present.

Anyway, John's not saying anything because he's not getting me anything.

All right, new this morning, Instagram announcing it is going PG-13 for its teenage users, further cracking down on what millions of young people can actually see on their feeds. The platform says parents and teens will notice the change with Meta's latest update.

CNN's tech reporter Clare Duffy joins me now, breaking this down for us.

What exactly will they be seeing? What exactly is Meta doing here?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes. So, Meta rolled out these new default privacy protections and content limits for teen accounts last year. And now it's making those content restrictions even stricter by aligning its content guidelines for teens with PG-13 movie ratings.

So, what does that mean? That means that teens will have a harder time seeing things that have strong language or posts that could encourage risky behavior because they include risky stunts or drug paraphernalia. They're going to make it harder to search for things like alcohol and gore. Teens won't be able to follow or interact with accounts that regularly post that kind of age inappropriate material. And teens conversations with Meta's A.I. chatbot will also remain PG- 13, according to the company.

Now, this comes as Meta has continued to face criticism that its teen account safety settings were continuing to fall short of keeping young people safe on the platform. One study published by a group of online safety organizations found that 58 percent of 13 to 15-year-olds said that they had seen either unsafe content or unwanted messages in the last six months.

[09:00:04]

Now, Meta disputed those study results, but the company does say that it wanted to make its guidelines clearer.