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Hamas Must Disarm Or "We Will Disarm Them"; Family Of Freed Hostage Omri Miran Speaks With CNN; IDF: Red Cross To Receive More Remains Of Hostages In Gaza Soon; Fox News Joins News Outlets Rejecting New Pentagon Press Rules; Trump Endorses Pentagon's New Press Restrictions; Man Pleads Guilty In Arson Attack On P.A. Gov's Mansion. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired October 14, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:00:13]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We begin this hour of CNN News Central following breaking news from the White House. President Trump issuing a blunt warning to Hamas just hours after touting the ceasefire deal for Gaza. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And if they don't disarm, we will disarm them. And it'll happen quickly and perhaps violently. But they will disarm. Do you understand me?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. You say quickly ...

TRUMP: Because you always -- everyone says, oh, well, they won't disarm. They will disarm. And I spoke to Hamas. And I said, you're going to disarm, right? Yes, sir, we're going to disarm. That's what they told me. They will disarm or we will disarm them. Got it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: President Trump later clarified that he meant that when he spoke to Hamas, he means through his top mediators. CNN's Kristen Holmes is live for us at the White House.

And Kristen, I wonder if the administration has provided any details about what that disarmament may look like, given that the President is describing it as potentially a violent one.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they have not given us any details yet. We, of course, reached out. We, as you noted, there was follow-up questions about what disarmament looked like and who actually talked to Hamas. We do know that among President Trump's top negotiators, including Middle Eastern envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, there had been people that were in touch with Hamas. And President Trump essentially said that that message was communicated to them and that they know that he's not joking around. I mean, one thing to keep in mind here is the fact that this

disarmament has been something that has really been a sticking point. Even when we're talking about the phase two sticking points, it's one of the big ones. It's one of the things where Hamas has said, that's a red line for us. We're not going to disarm.

So, the fact that he's saying this in such strong terms clearly indicates that he understands that this is going to be tough, that this is something that he's going to have to push to do. It's not something that they're going to willingly do. And that's what he made clear there.

And the other thing I want to note here, Boris, because this is the first time we heard this, was essentially it seemed as though he was saying that not all of the hostages were returned. And by that, I mean the dead hostages. They were supposed to return both the living and dead hostages. And it seemed as though he was saying that the number had changed. Hamas had changed the number. And there was a little bit of variation on that.

So, we're following up on that as well, what exactly he meant by that, and whether or not that's going to impact phase one of this peace deal.

SANCHEZ: Yes, an important point. Kristen Holmes from the White House. Thank you so much. Erica?

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Omri Miran was one of the 20 living hostages who was freed yesterday by Hamas after 738 days in captivity. Now, during our show, you saw some of these heartwarming and just really incredible pictures of him playing with his two young daughters. They were together, of course, for the first time in over two years. The family in these photos wearing matching T- shirts, matching smiles.

Joining us now is Omri Miran's brother-in-law, Moshe Lavi, who spoke to us just last week.

Moshe, it's good to have you back with us today. How is are Omri doing? How is Omri doing?

MOSHE LAVI, BROTHER-IN-LAW FREED IN HOSTAGE RELEASE: Thank you. Thank you for having me again. This is the matching shirt. It's Roni's drawing to her father. We have been processing Omri's return ever since he came back yesterday morning. It's been such a beautiful time for our family. In a way, we rose from a state of despair to a state of joy. And now, everyone is united again. Roni and Alma can play with Omri. Lishay can embrace him. And we're trying to support Omri as much as possible as his healing process has begun.

HILL: It is -- it so remarkable. And it's -- it's wonderful to see that you have the T-shirt as well. This has been such a journey for you and your family. I know your sister, Lishay, spoke a short time ago in Tel Aviv. Part of what she said was that yesterday started, as you noted, a recovery journey for us, noting that it's not over. And she went on to say it cannot be over until the last hostage will return.

We've just learned that the IDF says the Red Cross is on its way to a meeting point in southern Gaza, where there will be several coffins, we're told, of deceased hostages who are set to be transferred into their custody. Does this give you hope that all of the hostages will, in fact, be brought back?

LAVI: As my sister said in the statement she gave to the press in Ichilov Hospital, from where I'm speaking right now, we are, as a family, and I think all families of hostages will continue to support other families whose loved ones are still held captive.

[15:05:08]

Right now, there are still 24 hostages. Hopefully, as you mentioned, the number will go down in a couple of hours, with Hamas releasing the coffins of several deceased hostages. I think we all share this sentiment. We have to continue supporting them.

I'm hopeful that the international community will continue to pressure Hamas until they release all the deceased hostages, or at least provide proof that they do not have the ability to locate all of them. And even when they do so, we should have the ability to continue excavate and dig throughout the Gaza Strip in order to find them.

HILL: What do you believe that pressure should look like, whether it's from U.S. negotiators, from the -- from Prime Minister Netanyahu, or even the Israeli government, when it comes to dealing with Hamas?

LAVI: I think the pressure should come from the Arab world and the Muslim world. Countries that backed and funded Hamas, like Qatar and Turkey, should insist the terms of the agreement that they are supporting, that they put forth to Israel last week, that the deal -- that the agreement will be fulfilled and honored by Hamas to the fullest extent.

And I think that was what President Trump, who came up with this brilliant framework, spoke about in his -- in his press conference a couple of minutes ago. I don't know if military pressure will be needed. I hope not. I think with diplomatic pressure, we can achieve the results needed and we can continue with the ceasefire and the prospects of a larger peace arrangement in the region further.

HILL: This is -- you know, these first few hours, these first few days, for your brother-in-law, for your entire family, for the hostages who were released, I -- just in speaking with them, I know this is a roller coaster of emotions for everyone, and there are likely so many questions that you all have for Omri about what his time was like. Has he been able to speak much about that? How comfortable is he in this moment sharing some of those details with you?

LAVI: Yesterday, we met Omri. First, of course, my sister, his father, and my nieces, and then the wider family met him. He shared some of the stories from his captivity, not in full details, but got a sense of how it was like for him. I'm -- I'm not going to go into detail because I think it's a story for him to share when he feels comfortable and if he feels comfortable.

What I can say is that I'm so glad and relieved that he's no longer held captive in a tunnel. Isolated, at times starved, tortured by captives who had complete disregard to his humanity and did not recognize his humanity.

HILL: Lastly, before I let you go, those -- those pictures that we saw yesterday, your brother-in-law, your nieces wearing the shirt which you're wearing now as well, seeing them together, seeing them playing, so many people around the world have really latched on to those images and to what it meant to see this family reunited. What has it been like for you to see your nieces with their father after two years? I mean, one, I believe, was only six months old when he was taken.

LAVI: Yes, Alma was only six months old. She's now two and a half, a completely different person compared to when he met her -- when -- when last saw her on October the 7th. You know, my sister had this -- this idea of preparing the girls for the meeting ahead of time, gradually, ever since we came back from Washington, D.C. on Friday. And she gradually told them that daddy might return because we had successful meetings in D.C. the night before they prepared a suitcase for him and their suitcases. They understood it's imminent.

Then, when they met Omri, it was the happiest moment of my life. I saw, in my eyes, I witnessed a moment I wasn't sure will ever happen again. Seeing my nieces playing with him and feeling comfortable immediately with their father, who was absent for two years, really was an astonishing moment. And Omri as well, how we had to prepare him, we -- we edited a video for him showing how Alma and Roni developed and grew over the past two years, important moments like birthdays.

[15:10:01]

And I think it helped him prepare mentally ahead of the meetings with the girls. And I hope we'll continue seeing them together. It was forever. That -- that image of them playing together would be forever inscribed in my mind.

HILL: Yes, it is -- it beautiful. And thank you for sharing it with us, Moshe. Thank you again for your time and the best to your entire family.

LAVI: Thank you.

HILL: Still ahead here, Speaker Mike Johnson digging in, saying he has nothing to negotiate with Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, as the government shutdown stretches into now a third week. That and much more ahead on CNN News Central.

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[15:15:06] SANCHEZ: We're seeing a major show of solidarity today from news

organizations who usually are competitors. Fox News just joined multiple major news outlets, including CNN, rejecting the Pentagon's new restrictions on the press. They include not reporting on any, quote, "unauthorized information, even if the information obtained by reporters isn't actually classified.

In a joint statement, CNN, Fox, and others say the new rules would, quote, "restrict journalists' ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues. This policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections."

The deadline to agree to these rules is less than two hours away, and the Pentagon says that any reporters who refuse to sign on will lose their press credentials. Moments ago, President Trump backed the decision by Secretary Hegseth.

Let's discuss this with Barbara Starr. She's a former board member of the Pentagon Press Association, who was CNN's Pentagon correspondent for some 21 years.

Barbara, it is great to see you, as always.

Secretary Hegseth argues that these new policies mean that reporters will no longer be permitted to, in his words, solicit criminal acts. What's your reaction to that characterization of what reporters at the Pentagon actually do?

BARBARA STARR, FORMER CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a flagrant mischaracterization and a very deliberate one by the Secretary of Defense. Reporters operate under the First Amendment, which is constitutionally protected, includes freedom of the press. Everyone knows that, as does Mr. Hegseth. So, what he's doing is setting -- he set the stage here for trying to restrict press activities.

What he's talking about is solicitation. If you go up to an official in the Pentagon and ask a question, and it's clearly unclassified information, you could potentially be prosecuted for soliciting unauthorized information. This simply is not something any reputable news organization is ever going to be able to agree to.

And, you know, it's really a shame, because reporters will continue their work outside the building. Some of it may suffer. It'll take them a little longer, maybe, to get some information. But there's no way in this country where freedom of the press is protected, as I say, any reputable news organization is going to sign up to something like this.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it kind of limits what reporters at the Pentagon do to something akin to P.R., right? They -- they're unable to actually fact-check what the Pentagon is doing. I -- I wonder what you make of the direction that the Secretary wants the coverage of the Pentagon to go in.

STARR: Well, it's worrisome. If I was a little more blunt, I would call his actions sad and pathetic, but I'll call them worrisome, because it's to no one's benefit. Let's look at it this way, the American public has a right to know. That is also protected. They have a right to know what the government is doing. They have a right to know how a trillion dollars in defense spending is -- is being allocated.

They -- military families want to know what their troops are doing. Troops want to know. Everybody wants to know. And if it's not classified, there's actually no credible reason to restrict it. If Mr. Hegseth is concerned about leaks of classified information, he fundamentally, as everyone knows, would do better to go after suspected leakers rather than the news media, which is engaged in trying to do their job.

I think the question that's being whispered about, frankly, is why is Hegseth so fearful of press contact? When he does come out and talk, he has only done two briefings in the Pentagon. You can look at the -- everyone can look at the video themselves. He's quite the yeller and waves his hands around and engages in personal insults. That's a lot of what President Trump does. But President Trump has never declined to talk to the news media. He's somebody who, you know, talks to the press every day. It's kind of hard to figure out why Hegseth is so nervous about doing that.

SANCHEZ: That's an interesting point you raise, given that Hegseth himself is a former member of the press. I -- I want to ask you about something you alluded to a moment ago, and that is the question of access for reporters inside the Pentagon and -- and how much that matters. There's a veteran Pentagon reporter, Tom Bowman, who announced that he is handing in his Pentagon press pass.

[15:19:57]

He notably cited examples of how access to the hallways at the Pentagon helped him ascertain whether officials were telling him the truth or whether they were withholding of information from him. I wonder if Barbara Starr, Pentagon correspondent for two decades at CNN, could say the same if you had similar experiences.

STARR: You know, I'm going to say it right out. Everybody who knows me knows. I walked those hallways every day for those 20 years. That's called news gathering. Did I solicit classified information? Absolutely not. Did I come into possession of classified information? Absolutely not. Did I engage in conversation with sources? You bet.

And let me tell people who probably are not aware of this, ever since I can recall, secretaries of defense, chairman of joint chiefs, they also stop and talk to reporters in the hallway, and many of them would walk through the press area just to say, hi, what's going on today? What are you working on? What are you complaining about?

They found talking to the press useful. It would often give them information that they wanted to know, they wanted to know what the press corps was complaining about. And I think the -- the saddest thing at the moment is Mr. Hegseth is cutting himself off from millions of Americans who read and watch news outlets of every stripe, including Fox News. And that can tell them what they want to know about the U.S. military.

The news media, Boris, I don't have to tell you, we're not stenographers. We don't publish their press releases. We don't wait for the next Hegseth workout video with the troops. We collect facts. We evaluate information. We publish news stories. And if Mr. Hegseth is trying to cut that off, which he apparently is, I think it's a sad day. But I would also say to him, the First Amendment is vibrant. It lives. The Pentagon Press Corps takes a back seat to no one, so buckle up, because the news is going to keep coming.

SANCHEZ: Barbara Starr, it is so great to see you and to get your perspective. Thank you so much for sharing your afternoon with us.

STARR: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Still ahead, some newly released video we're going to share with you showing the moment an arsonist set the Pennsylvania governor's mansion on fire. That man just pleading guilty to attempted murder and other charges. We're going to break down what happened in court when we come back.

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HILL: Turning now to the release of some disturbing evidence in last year's assassination attempt on Pennsylvania's governor. So, pay attention to this video we're going to show you, specifically the upper right corner of your screen. The Dauphin County D.A. showed video of the moments that Cody Balmer firebombed the governor's mansion, the home, of course, of Governor Josh Shapiro. Today, Balmer pleaded guilty to attempted murder, 22 counts of arson, and more charges.

So, this perspective of the video shows him crossing a yard, throwing a Molotov cocktail into a window. Another camera captured the moment Balmer threw another Molotov cocktail onto the floor of a dining area in the historic home. You see the flames there sparking up from the floor. He threw a second device in that same room.

CNN's Danny Freeman has been following the developments in this case.

So, Danny, the governor responded today to the plea, and he was fairly emotional in those statements. What else did we hear from him?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, he was fairly emotional, really processing not just the announcement today, but also that harrowing video that we all saw for the first time in open court. But I'll say in short, Governor Shapiro said that political violence is unacceptable. It requires real accountability. In his view, that is what happened today.

So, again, Cody Balmer, he pleaded guilty to all of the charges against him this morning that included attempted murder of Governor Shapiro, aggravated arson, and also 22 counts of arson to account for the 22 people who were actually in the governor's residence that evening overnight. Remember, Erica, they were in the house celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover earlier in the evening. And then later on, that's when this attack happened.

But remember also, Balmer turned himself in in the hours after the actual attack. So, perhaps the guilty plea was not that surprising. What was surprising, again, were these videos. You see Balmer almost methodically going through parts of the governor's residence, throwing those makeshift Molotov cocktails. And perhaps the scariest video that was, again, released in court today was a moment where Balmer is kicking a door, seemingly to try and access other parts of the resident, Governor Shapiro saying that's where he, his family, and all of his guests were sleeping.

Take a listen to how the governor was processing this moment, again, after the guilty plea earlier this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO, (D) PENNSYLVANIA: It's hard for me to stand before you today and utter the words attempted murder when it's your own life, to know that someone tried to kill me. It's especially hard to know that he tried to burn our family to death while we slept.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, Balmer was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison. He's reporting now to a state correctional facility.

[15:30:02]

Again, a lot of relief that this particular episode is over, but Governor Shapiro said we cannot become numb to political violence. Erica?