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Gaza Faces Uncertainty; Trump on Gaza Ceasefire Plan; Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) is Interviewed about the Ceasefire; Letitia James Speaks Out; Tom Dupree is Interviewed about the New York AG Indictment. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired October 14, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Said that they had seen either unsafe content or unwanted messages in the last six months. Now, Meta disputed those study results, but the company does say that it wanted to make its guidelines clearer for parents and to give them more control.

And one really key piece of this announcement today is, last year, when these teen accounts settings rolled out, 16 and 17-year-olds could just go ahead and opt themselves out into the normal experience. Now, all teens under the age of 18 will be default placed into these PG-13 content restrictions, and they'll have to get parents approval if they want to get back to that regular experience.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: That is interesting. Also, though, couldn't you, as a teen, just sort of not tell them that you're a teenager, I mean, when you're signing up and they ask for birthday or whatever?

DUFFY: Yes. So, Meta says that it is rolling out A.I. that will catch teens if they lie about their birthday and say they're an adult. We don't yet have any real understanding of how well that's working, but the company does say that it's trying to avoid teens lying about their age to access that adult experience.

SIDNER: Interesting. Lots to look through there.

Clare Duffy, I really appreciate your reporting, as always.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, just in, word that returning the bodies of the deceased hostages in Gaza could now take weeks. So, what does that mean for the ceasefire deal?

And then speaking out for the first time since she was indicted on federal charges, New York Attorney General Letitia James, what she said and did not say about President Trump.

And it did ultimately end up in flames, but SpaceX is claiming success in a test launch for the largest rocket ever built.

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

All right, this morning the question dozens of families are still asking after we witnessed joyous reunions among the living hostages who have now been returned to Israel, but what about the hostages who were killed? The Red Cross says this morning it could take days or weeks to search the rubble of Gaza for the remains, and that some of the bodies may never be found.

New images show the devastation in Gaza City. Hamas was supposed to return the remains of 28 deceased hostages as part of the U.S. brokered ceasefire deal, but so far Hamas has only sent back the bodies of four hostages, leaving the bereaved family shocked and dismayed. A convoy carrying some of the coffins back to Israel, there's video of that there. Two of those four hostages have now been publicly identified. Both are believed to have died in the hands of Hamas.

Let's get to CNN's Nada Bashir, live in Jerusalem, for the latest this morning.

Good morning, Nada.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

And this has certainly come as very difficult news for the family members of those deceased hostages, many of whom, of course, would have been hoping that the bodies of these deceased hostages would have been returned yesterday within the 72-hour framework as outlined in the ceasefire agreement. But, of course, we did only see four bodies being returned. As you mentioned, those bodies have now been identified by forensics teams. Two of those have been publicly identified. The remaining two are awaiting public identification pending the family's permission.

But, of course, there are many other families still waiting for news. And now the International Committee for the Red Cross saying that it could take days or weeks before those bodies are recovered. Some, they say, may never be recovered.

And this is, of course, very difficult news. But as we know, the situation in Gaza is very difficult. There was already an understanding amongst mediators that it could take much longer for the return of all of those deceased hostages, given the difficult situation in the Gaza Strip, near total destruction. The Strip essentially turned to rubble by some two years of near-constant bombardment by the Israeli military.

And what we've seen since the ceasefire came into effect is Gaza's civil defense getting to work, trying to recover bodies from beneath the rubble. Hundreds of Palestinian civilians have since been recovered, but there are believed to be many, many more still buried. And, of course, the work to recover the bodies of the hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza over the last two years and return them to Israel is likely to be a long process for some.

And, of course, many family members are desperate for that closure. Of course, to carry out the Jewish funeral rites as well. A deeply important moment for many of these family members who have been waiting for two years.

But again, there is no clarity at this stage as to how long that may take. What we do know is that an international committee is set to be established in order to assist in that process of trying to recover those hostage bodies. But again, really have to underscore the level of destruction that we are talking about in the Gaza Strip.

[09:05:03]

We've been hearing from officials, particularly yesterday during the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, describing the fact that it could take many, many years and, of course, hundreds of millions of dollars to try to rebuild Gaza. So, you can imagine how difficult this process will be for so many now who are looking for their loved ones. Israeli families and Palestinian families desperate to have that closure and put their loved ones to rest.

John.

BERMAN: That is so difficult for so many of these families. Nada Bashir, in Jerusalem, thanks so much for your reporting.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, I think we're going to go now to Alayna Treene, who is live for us at the White House.

We are, you know, what's grabbing attention really is what President Trump is not saying about the peace process. When asked on Air Force One, on his way back from that historic agreement being signed for the ceasefire deal, he was asked about whether or not the United States still believes in a two state solution, and he sort of declined to answer that question, saying he's really more focused on rebuilding Gaza.

CNN's Alayna Treene there for us at the White House.

What are you learning?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, look, I think a lot -- a big part of this, Sara, is that he doesn't want to say anything at this moment that could jeopardize what is still a very fragile agreement between all of these parties. And part of this, and part of what was so interesting about the president kind of dismissing, and I do want you to hear what he said in his own words, is that he does view what is happening, and all of yesterday, as really a longer term peace deal. He has said repeatedly, and he made this very clear in all of the different speeches he gave while in the Middle East yesterday, that he doesn't see this as just an end to the war or a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but he wants it to be a much longer lasting type of peace for the entire region.

And many leaders, including many of the ones who were standing behind him when he was at that summit in Egypt, have called for a two state solution to recognize a Palestinian state, saying that is the only way to achieve what the president is talking about. But listen to how Donald Trump framed this when talking to reporters on his way back from the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm talking about something very much different. We're talking about rebuilding Gaza. I'm not talking about a single state or double state or two state. We're talking about the rebuilding of Gaza.

A lot of people like the one state solution. Some people like the two- state solution. So, we'll have to see. I haven't -- I haven't commented on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So again, you're hearing him trying to kind of carefully discuss this. Some of the people who like, of course, the two-state solution are many of the people who were sitting next to him when he was actually signing this agreement. The, you know, leader of Egypt, the leaders of Qatar, the leader of Jordan, who actually said he believed lasting peace is impossible without a two-state solution.

But, of course, Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu are very against something like that. So, this is something, of course, that will still need to be negotiated.

And I think the bottom line here is that yesterday was a celebration. I think having all of the remaining living hostages returned to their families, no one can discount what an achievement that was. But there is still, Sara, so much work to be done to carry out the rest of that 20-point plan. You heard the president say yesterday he believes that they are already in phase two of that plan, but so much still needs to happen to fully carry out, including the disarming of Hamas, figuring out who is going to govern Gaza as they move forward, and how all of these leaders in the region will work to make sure that this lasts, that there are security guarantees, to ensure that the conflict does not begin once again.

SIDNER: Yes, phase two. Certainly the most complicated of the two phases. But there is no denying that phase one meant so, so much to the families of the Israeli families waiting for hostages and to Palestinians waiting for their loved ones to be let out of prison.

Thank you so much for your reporting there from the White House. Appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: All right, with us now is Congressman Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat from New Jersey.

Congressman, thanks so much for being with us this morning.

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): Good to see you, John. BERMAN: We did just get word, the Red Cross now saying it could -- it could take weeks to recover the bodies of the Israeli hostages killed inside Gaza. Obviously, that's way outside the 72 window that was part of the ceasefire deal. We're also beginning to see reports that Hamas is reasserting some of its authority in parts of Gaza.

I'm just curious, what concerns you might have as we advance day by day into this ceasefire about what pressures might be placed on it?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, first, of course, yesterday was a great day, an emotional day, for so many families and for so many around the world who wanted to see what happened yesterday with those 20 hostages getting out.

[09:10:08]

And seeing those reunions were just, you know, I mean, if that didn't pull at your heartstrings, I don't know what will.

But, you know, there's 24 hostages that are left, as you pointed out, that are still in Gaza, the remains, and we need to give closure to those families and let them mourn.

And so, yes, this was not what the plan was. It was supposed to be 72 hours. It was not supposed to be four, as released yesterday. And you see teams on the ground right now, right, the hostages, as you probably know, the Egyptians working with the Israelis and others, forensic teams on the ground looking for the remains. And I think that's critically important. That can't be delayed. And we can't let that get in the way of moving forward here into this next phase, which is critical. That's where Hamas, as of -- as you pointed out, will have -- is required to lay down their weapons, to give up their governing -- governing responsibility. That is a tough, tough phase, but it has to happen. Hamas can -- Hamas terrorists cannot remain in control if we're going to find a way forward in Gaza.

BERMAN: What happens if they don't lay down their arms? What happens if they continue to push control in certain parts of Gaza?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, you see what they're already doing, right? The -- what they're doing to other people in Gaza, killing, retribution. And there's -- there's word that they're holding back food and aid already, which is not a surprise given that's what they've done all along, Hamas.

So, if -- they are certainly not only not up to the task, but they got to get out of the way. And I just -- I think there's going to be -- continue to be a tremendous amount of pressure from all the parties that were involved, all the countries in the Arab world that were involved. And so, you know, I don't think that's an option. The key is just keeping up the pressure. Clearly, the American leadership has been incredibly strong, and we've got to keep the pressure up.

BERMAN: I want to ask you about something that took place in New York City last night. There was a political rally for the New York City mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee. I want you to listen to what he said about the Democratic Party.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: There is something special in this room tonight. It's power. It's the power of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers united, ready to usher in a new day. It is the power of a movement that won the battle over the soul of the Democratic Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, as you sit over the river, to what extent do you think that Zohran Mamdani has won over the soul of the Democratic Party?

GOTTHEIMER: I think Mamdani's run a good campaign. He certainly hasn't won over the soul of the Democratic Party. He's an admitted socialist. And, you know, I believe he should be in the socialist party, which is where he belongs, with many of his views, which I think are way out of touch with where Democrats are and where the country is.

You know, we -- we certainly -- things -- like where his refusal to condemn globalize the intifada has continued -- continually off base on a lot of views with socialized grocery stores. And that is not the future of our party. We need common sense. We need reasonable people who are willing to get things done. But -- but again, he's run a good campaign. And -- and the bottom line is, I would argue, is a different direction for our party.

BERMAN: So, we are day many, many now into the government shutdown. I've lost count at this point. The House is not in session. I think Democrats are headed back to Washington, but Republicans, by and large, certainly aren't there. You -- you've been involved in bipartisan discussions on several subjects over your time in Congress. Can you sit here and outline what you think a deal would be that might satisfy you, but also some of your Republican colleagues?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, I remain in discussions and I don't negotiate in public. But I think -- I'll say this from a -- a broader standpoint, and I'm headed to Newark Airport today, and then to Washington, because you've got FAA workers and the tower who are not only not getting paid, but we're seeing huge closures and delays at airports and cancellations of flights because we -- the government is closed.

And -- and this is pretty simple and why I really think we can get a deal done here and why we've got to keep sitting at the table and why the speaker of the House should call Congress and the House back into session instead of staying at home. We should all be in session, working 24/7, like many of us have been, but the House has to be open. Because here's the deal, we can reopen the government and deal with the biggest issue that's out there right now that we're facing, which is these health insurance premiums. We know that beginning on November 1st the market -- just a couple weeks, the health care marketplace reopens.

[09:15:02]

That's where people sign up for their health insurance every year. We also know that if we don't extend these health insurance premiums, this is to support these tax credits, to help people pay their insurance premiums because they're just through the roof, we know they'll go up even more. $20,000 a year for a family of four here in New Jersey. That's insane. People can't afford that.

So, all we're saying is, let's get that done. Time is up. We can't delay this anymore. We've got to get this done now. That's what -- and I think there's a deal to be had here. And we should just keep talking to each other. I don't think we should blame one another. I think we should just sit down and work it out and figure out how we can extend these health insurance tax credits, these premium tax credits to help families pay for their insurance because they're getting crushed by those utility bills and by food prices and everything else. We can get this done, and we shouldn't stop working until we do.

BERMAN: Well, Congressman Josh Gottheimer, if you decide you do want to negotiate in public, bring a friend, come here on the show and we can hash it all out together.

Congressman, thank you very much for being with us this morning.

GOTTHEIMER: Thanks.

BERMAN: Appreciate it.

GOTTHEIMER: Thanks. Thank you.

BERMAN: Sara.

SIDNER: Nice -- nice try, John Berman. I like it.

All right, she's indicted but undeterred. New York Attorney General Letitia James giving a fiery rebuke of the DOJ under President Trump.

Plus, what happened when a powerful storm blew through a popular zoo in Phoenix.

And a huge celebration for SpaceX. It's Starship launching and completing its mission. But the end did not go as planned. We'll show you what happened, next.

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[09:21:08]

BERMAN: This morning we're now hearing from New York Attorney General Letitia James for the first time since she was indicted on federal charges. She took the stage at a rally for New York City Democratic Mayoral Nominee Zohran Mamdani last night. She did not specifically mention the president by name, but made it clear in the wake of her indictment, she says she's not afraid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: Triumph over fear, and courage. Courage, my friend, is resistance to fear. And so I fear no man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, CNN's Gloria Pazmino. You're seeing her right there. She was in this room. Thousands of people at this rally.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thirty-two hundred to be exact, in a room that could fit 3,500. And although Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral nominee, was the headliner of the evening, Tish James got a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes. And people there were extremely sort of excited and in support of her. This is the first time we're seeing her in public after the indictment. And you could hear in her remarks that even though she didn't name check president Trump, she was very much talking about him.

Now, James referred to Zohran Mamdani at one point as her little brother. She really complimented him, called him one of the boldest voices in New York's political history. And she tried to draw this contrast in the moment that we're in now, including her indictment and his election. And she talked about not being afraid, trying to show a united front against Trump between her and Mamdani.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: I stand on solid rock. And I will not bow. I will not break. I will not bend. I will not capitulate. I will not give in. I will not give up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: You know, John, I was at the attorney general's campaign launch several years ago when she first announced she was running for attorney general, and she was making remarks very similar to what we heard last night back then, saying that she planned to hold Donald Trump accountable. Since the indictment, she's raised nearly $1 million in donations from her supporters. So, we're seeing the effect that that's having.

And in terms of this Democratic mayoral race that we are about to have in a few weeks, the general election is in November, we're just a few weeks away, we're seeing another prominent Democrat get involved today. The governor, Kathy Hochul, will be appearing with the nominee, Zohran Mamdani, back in his home district in Queens. It's the first time they're appearing together since she endorsed him.

BERMAN: All right, a lot going on. Swirling political worlds and legal worlds here. All of your beats wrapped up into one.

PAZMINO: That's right.

BERMAN: Gloria Pazmino, great to see you. Thank you very much.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, joining me now, Tom Dupree, a former deputy assistant attorney general.

Thank you so much for being here.

Let's start with New York AG Letitia James. You heard those fiery words from her. She's accused of bank fraud and lying to a financial institution. She is calling this prosecution in no uncertain terms a desperate weaponization of the DOJ. How strong or weak is her argument that that is exactly what this is, political persecution?

TOM DUPREE, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, she certainly has a strong argument that this is a prosecution that was directed by the president rather than by career prosecutors, and that the president has been very open, for months, if not years, about his desire to prosecute Tish James for something. So, she's right on that front.

Whether or not that leads to this indictment getting dismissed, I'm a little more skeptical. Trying to knock out an indictment on the grounds of vindictive prosecution or selective prosecution is very, very difficult to do.

[09:25:04]

And I'm not entirely convinced she has a winning hand on that argument. My sense is her stronger arguments would either be to challenge the appointment of Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. attorney who brought this prosecution, or simply to defend the case of mortgage fraud on the merits and prove her innocence.

SIDNER: Speaking of Lindsey Halligan, Maggie Cleary, the senior Justice Department prosecutor who briefly led the U.S. attorney's office in the Eastern District of Virginia last month, before Halligan took over, has been removed from office. What is happening at the DOJ now? How is -- when you look at what is happening there with the removal or the deciding of some prosecutors to leave in protest, what does this say about the Department of Justice now?

DUPREE: Well, what it says is that it is moving from a model in which traditionally prosecutors would engage in a collaborative enterprise in deciding whether to bring charges. You know, people would disagree. They would all look at the evidence. Everyone would weigh in and they would reach the right decision, ideally by consensus. That's the old model. The new model, the one that we are seeing now, is the president, at least in these politically charged cases, is basically saying, these are the people I want to indict. And if we don't have a team of prosecutors that's willing to do it, I'm going to put in a team of prosecutors that's willing to do it.

I was surprised, frankly, that they dismissed the woman who was currently serving as the number two in the office because she is a fairly long-time career prosecutor, very conservative, generally supportive of the president from all outward appearances. But still, it wasn't enough. And so, Lindsey Halligan, the new U.S. attorney, looks like she's basically going to bring her own team into play. And one that agrees with her charging decisions and is ready to carry out and execute these prosecutions.

SIDNER: And Donald Trump, for all his time that he was being looked at by the DOJ, called it a witch hunt. Does it seem to you that that is exactly what is starting to happen now where -- where there is a churn in the DOJ with Donald Trump pushing for prosecutions of who he sees as his enemies?

DUPREE: Well, it certainly is a dramatic change, a break from the way that the Justice Department has historically conducted itself. Normally, certainly when I served at the Justice Department, there's always been a firewall between the White House and prosecutors. And that the White House was always very careful not to let its fingerprints get on any sort of charging decisions and basically try not to talk with prosecutors. Let them make their own independent decisions. That's kind of the quaint old model that no longer is the world we're living in.

What we're seeing now is very unusual, if not unique, in that you see the president specifically directing prosecutions against his political enemies by name. And if the prosecutors who have the jobs don't want to bring those charges, he'll fire them and replace them with someone who will.

SIDNER: Tom Dupree, it is appreciate -- it is a pleasure to have you on this morning. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: All right, new this morning, a blood test that could help doctors detect Alzheimer's disease. And the FDA has now cleared it for use.

And this just in. Instagram going PG-13. The platform attempts to limit what teenagers can see. How will they do this? And will it work?

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