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Former NFL Quarterback Mark Sanchez Hospitalized In Indianapolis; Governor Pritzker Says Trump Wants To Federalize Illinois National Guard; Rise Of ICE Impersonations Causing Fear; Netanyahu Expresses Optimism For Hostage Release; Interview With Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) About Government Shutdown; Veteran Says Government Stalling On Camp Lejeune Payments; Remembering The Life And Legacy Of Jane Goodall. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired October 04, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, and this news just in to CNN. Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez has been injured in Indianapolis, where he was scheduled to work as an analyst on FOX Sports broadcast of the Indianapolis Colts Game against the Las Vegas Raiders tomorrow.

CNN Sports anchor Don Riddell is here with what happened.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're trying to figure that out, Fred, but we've got a couple of statements that we can break down for you. So the first is the confirmation from FOX Sports about the condition that Mark Sanchez is currently in. They were saying and confirming that Mark Sanchez was injured in Indianapolis on Saturday, currently recovering in the hospital in a stable condition. They say, "We're deeply grateful to the medical team for their exceptional care and support. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark."

We also have a police report from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, where they don't name Mark Sanchez, but they are referring to the incident in which they describe a disturbance at 12:30 a.m., so early hours of Saturday morning, between two adult males, both from out of town. They are not describing this as a random act of violence. They say that one man suffered lacerations and another man injuries consistent with stab wounds.

They say that they are reviewing video evidence, and they say that the case will be presented to the prosecutor's office to make a charging decisions. So that is all that we have to go on at the moment. But the good news is that Mark Sanchez is in a stable condition in hospital, but clearly there's going to be a lot of questions asked about what actually happened in the early hours of Saturday morning.

WHITFIELD: And of course everyone is hoping that his condition improves.

All right, Don Riddell, tell us when you learn more. Thanks so much.

Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and we're following breaking news out of Illinois. Just moments ago, the governor of that state announced that the Trump

administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. That announcement comes as the administration continues to carry out its immigration crackdown in the Chicago area.

CNN's Rafael Romo is joining me now with much more on this.

So what do we know about this apparent plan to federalize hundreds of National Guard people?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, there's been a lot of back and forth between the White House and the state of Illinois on this issue. And apparently a decision has been made according to the governor. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is calling it, quote, "absolutely outrageous and un-American," to demand the governor send military troops within our own borders, he said, and against our will.

Pritzker made the comment in a statement he published earlier today, announcing that the Trump administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. The statement goes on to say the following. "They will pull hard working Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families, all to participate in a manufactured performance, not a serious effort to protect public safety." "For Donald Trump," he says, "this has never been about safety. This is about control."

And as you may remember, Fred, tensions boiled over in Chicago on Friday when protesters clashed with federal agents during a protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center for migrants in Broadview, just outside the Windy City while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino were seen on the ICE facility's roof.

At least 18 people were arrested at the site where protesters have gathered for several weeks in a row to protest the Trump administration crackdown on immigration. At a Democratic Party fundraiser here in Atlanta last night, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker denounced ICE action in his state over the last few weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JB PRITZKER (D), ILLINOIS: In the past few weeks in Chicago, ICE has detained multiple U.S. citizens because they were black or brown. They shot gas pellets into the car of a journalist who had done nothing except drive past an ICE facility to observe what was going on. They raided an apartment complex in the middle of the night, and perp walked a group of young children out of the building with their hands zip-tied behind them, separating them from their parents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has confirmed there was a shooting this morning outside the same ICE facility where 18 people were arrested Friday. In a statement, a top DHS officials said that law enforcement officers were rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars, unable to move their vehicles. Agents exited the car and they saw that one of the drivers had a semiautomatic weapon, which prompted the agents to fire what officials are calling defensive shots at the armed U.S. citizen.

That U.S. citizen, the DHS statement said, drove herself to the hospital to get care for her wounds, and no one else was injured.

[15:05:08]

But again, all of this tells you how tense this moment Chicago, Metro Chicago, I should say, is leaving right now.

WHITFIELD: And now potentially taken to a whole another level with this announcement coming from the governor.

ROMO: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Rafael Romo. Let us know if you learn more.

ROMO: Of course.

WHITFIELD: All right. Activists, Democratic lawmakers and some in the immigrant community have criticized ICE tactics, including wearing masks to obscure their identities and wearing plain clothes. When agents are not clearly identifiable, how are people supposed to know if they really are ICE agents?

As Kyung Lah reports in this exclusive investigation, that question may be tough to answer with a rise of people impersonating ICE agents across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He asked me for I.D. He definitely -- he's like, I need to see some I.D., I'm ICE.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All across the country, victims confused and terrorized by people posing as ICE officers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are you from, Mexico? You're from Mexico?

LAH (voice-over): CNN found a jump in cases this year.

Philadelphia, police say an auto shop worker was zip-tied and robbed by a man in tactical gear, pretending to be ICE.

Houston, Texas, police arrested a man for impersonating an ICE officer accused of stealing $1800 from a Guatemalan man during a fake traffic stop.

New York, police say this man claimed to be ICE and accused him of assaulting, robbing and attempting to rape a woman.

CNN found two dozen reports of people posing as ICE officers in Trump's second term. That's more than the last 16 years combined. While CNN found some of the reported cases are violent, others are meant to torment.

OLENA RAY, MANAGER, EMISH MARKET: The ICE letters, three ICE letters were huge.

LAH (voice-over): Outside Seattle, Washington, this SUV pulled up to Emish Market, a store that caters to the Ukrainian community.

RAY: He was going back and forth on the car, back and forth.

LAH (voice-over): Olena Ray is the store manager.

RAY: This is our main area where people -- this is our cafe. Majority of times employees speaking Ukrainian. It's a place where they can feel like home. The people were scared because they did not know if it's a real ICE or not, and what to expect if it's a real ICE.

LAH (voice-over): The store security guard seen here called police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They barricaded the front so nobody could get in or out of the lot. Then I went over and I'm like, yo, what the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) are you guys doing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You find it?

LAH (voice-over): Law enforcement found the driver of the ICE-labeled SUV. He wasn't ICE at all. His name is Ilya Kukhar. Police say they got numerous tips about his social media. Like this video of a fake ICE arrest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, what are you doing?

LAH (voice-over): Kukhar explained to police his motivation.

ILYA KUKHAR, ICE IMPERSONATOR: It was really a prank. Literally a prank video.

LAH (voice-over): A video to generate likes on his social media account.

KUKHAR: What's up, guys? Today we're going to be going around today and delivering ice to everyone and seeing their reactions.

LAH: When you found out that this was a joke, what was your reaction?

RAY: Mine was like, who would do that? Who would play with, you know, people's problems like that and try to scare people like that.

LAH (voice-over): These are real ICE officers captured on video, masked, often in plain clothes, many in unmarked cars, detaining people they suspect of being undocumented immigrants across the country in Trump's second term.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't do that. You can't do that. Why -- what are you looking for?

LAH (voice-over): Without showing their faces, it's not hard to understand why that may inspire ICE impersonators and why that's terrifying residents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, are you ICE or a cop? Yes. Please call 911.

MIGUEL ARIAS, FRESNO CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: When ICE officers began to mask themselves, they gave the green light for these impersonators to do the same thing.

LAH (voice-over): Fresno, California, saw the impact. Councilman Miguel Arias says two men wearing these vests pulled people over in fake traffic stops. Police say they then went into 11 businesses saying they were ICE. Police say, again, this stunt was for social media fame.

Were they masked?

ARIAS: They were masked. For the general public, they believe that they're being pulled over by law enforcement and ICE officials, given their bulletproof vest with ICE lettering and police lettering on it.

LAH (voice-over): Making it all worse now, Councilman Arias says the real ICE doesn't tell the city who they're targeting and when.

ARIAS: So we have no way of knowing whether these are folks impersonating ICE or actual ICE engaging in legitimate enforcement activities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going back to Mexico.

[15:10:01]

LAH (voice-over): It's impostors and moments like these blurring the lines between who has real authority, who is an official agent, and who is looking to take advantage of people's genuine fears.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (on-camera): We reached out to ICE, and a spokesperson tells us, "ICE officers and agents always have credentials visible and clearly announce who they are. ICE strongly condemns the impersonation of its law enforcement officers or agents. This action is not only dangerous, but illegal. Assaults on ICE officers are up more than 1,000 percent since this time last year. The brave men and women of ICE choose to wear masks for safety, not secrecy."

And earlier this week, Ilya Kukhar, the defendant you saw on the Ukrainian market case, was in court. He and prosecutors agreed that the charge against him will be dismissed in two years if he doesn't violate any criminal laws and apologizes to Emish Market. His attorney also tells us this began as a joke. He's a good kid who did something very politically-charged and regrets how it got interpreted.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kyung Lah, thank you so much.

All right. Just moments ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is hopeful all Israeli hostages will be released within days. In a five-minute televised address, he said all of this to his nation. Earlier, we learned Israel has formed a delegation to lead ceasefire talks under President Trump's 20-point peace plan as key negotiators from the U.S. are heading to the region.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond and Julia Benbrook are following all these fast- moving developments. Let's get started with Jeremy in Israel.

What are you learning?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we heard the Israeli prime minister tonight sounding quite optimistic about the prospects for a deal that would secure the release of all of the hostages and ultimately lead to an end of the war in Gaza. The Israeli prime minister tonight saying that he is hopeful that the hostages could potentially be released during the weeklong Sukkot holiday, which begins on Monday evening.

He said that his efforts are going to be to try and limit the negotiations to just a few days, saying that he doesn't want to allow Hamas the opportunity to drag out those negotiations. Tonight, we saw in Tel Aviv, as well as here in Kiryat Gat, many Israelis who were coming out to ensure that the pressure continues on the Israeli government. In Tel Aviv tonight, we saw tens of thousands of Israelis who flocked to Hostage Square to raise their voices and to ensure that this government follows through with making this deal a reality.

We should be very clear, though, that there are a lot of details and more than just details, but really major sticking points that still need to be resolved between these two sides. Those negotiations are set to take place in Egypt beginning on Monday, where we know that a Hamas delegation is on its way there. Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, as well as Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are headed there.

And an Israeli delegation led by Netanyahu's closest adviser, Ron Dermer, will also travel to Cairo in order to try and complete this negotiation. But we know, of course, that Hamas has positive response to this 20-point plan to end the war. It was positive, but it did include some caveats, and it did not address one of the key issues at the core of this deal. And that is Hamas needing to disarm Gaza Strip being demilitarized as part of any agreement to end the war in Gaza.

And it remains unclear how that gap is going to be bridged by these two sides. But I can tell you from speaking with some of the families of hostages tonight, right here, where they held another rally, that there is finally a sense of hope, cautious hope, without a doubt. But this moment does feel different for many of the families of the hostages who have been waiting nearly two years now for their loved ones to be released.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you, Jeremy Diamond.

All right, Julia in Washington, what are you hearing from the White House?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in a social media post, just a couple of hours ago, President Donald Trump said that Israel had temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the hostage release and the peace plan a chance. In that same post, he warned Hamas that it needed to move quickly toward an agreement or, quote, "all bets will be off."

Now, as Jeremy pointed out, there are still a lot of questions as to how or when a lasting peace deal could come together, but we have seen some momentum. President Donald Trump has been clear that this is a goal of his to help bring this conflict to an end. And on Monday, he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu here at the White House. The two leaders sat down for a bilateral meeting. And then, during a joint press conference, Netanyahu expressed support for Trump's 20-point plan.

[15:15:00]

That plan calls for the release of all hostages held by Hamas within 72 hours of an agreement, and it lays out a roadmap for Gaza if the war comes to an end. After being given an ultimatum and a deadline, Hamas said that it would immediately enter negotiations to release those hostages, but stopped short of fully endorsing all 20 points that the Trump administration has laid out.

In remarks from the Oval Office, following that announcement from Hamas, Trump called this a big day, but he did caution that this is not a done deal, a done peace agreement yet. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a big day. We'll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete. Very importantly, I look forward to having the hostages come home to their parents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And then I want to pull up that social media post that I referenced earlier to read that you in full. Trump said, quote, "I appreciate that Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the hostage release and peace deal a chance to be completed. Hamas must move quickly or else all bets will be off. I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again. Let's get this done fast. Everyone will be treated fairly."

Those are the most recent remarks from Trump himself -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Benbrook, thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead, thousands of federal employees furloughed as the government shutdown drags into day four with no end in sight. And now the Trump administration is threatening to fire thousands more.

I'll speak to a Republican congressman from Florida about the stalemate on Capitol Hill.

And later, we take a look back at the life and legacy of a scientist who inspired generations of young women. We remember Jane Goodall later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:40]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Today marks day four of the U.S. government shutdown and hope for a quick end is fading with no votes scheduled this weekend. Lawmakers left Washington yesterday appearing no closer to striking a deal to reopen the government. Meanwhile, President Trump could use the shutdown as an opportunity to further reduce the federal workforce, with the White House saying thousands of government employees could soon be laid off.

Let's discuss now with Republican Congressman Mike Haridopolos of Florida.

Congressman, great to see you. So on the campaign trail last year, the president, the now president, you know, made the economy and employing Americans some of his top priorities. Are you concerned about the impact that laying off even more federal workers -- what kind of impact it could have on an already fragile economy?

REP. MIKE HARIDOPOLOS (R-FL): Well, first, I think we're all concerned about what's happening. It's the reason why we as Republicans voted yes to keep the government open.

The good news on the economy, as you know, Fredricka, is that it's growing at 3.8 percent now. Interest rates are finally ticking down. Inflation is pretty flat. And of course, the stock markets at record numbers. But to your point, I think that the government should reopen. It's why Republicans said let's do that. We voted to do that just in the House. We saw three Democrats have also said yes to keeping the government open.

Let's hope that on Monday morning, we can all wake up and see the government open once again, because after all taxpayers are paying for this. Let's hope they get the services that they deserve.

WHITFIELD: Except you're hearing from Democrats who say that Republicans were refusing to come to the table to negotiate with Democrats so as to help keep the government operating.

HARIDOPOLOS: Well, Fredricka, I'm glad you asked that question because you might want to look at a recent comment by the Appropriations chairman in the House, Tom Cole. He sat down with the Democrats a few weeks ago and he asked, what do you all want with the potential CR? A CR is where you keep the government open with the old funding numbers we put in place back in March.

And the Democrats said they wanted two things. They wanted a short CR, meaning don't go all the way to January but end in November. And also wanted a clean CR, meaning no funny business, no additional policies, whether it be from the left or the right. The Democrats in the House, the appropriators thought that that was a good idea. So we have been negotiating, and that's why we passed a clean CR a couple of weeks ago.

We think the government should stay open. And then some of these policies that people are concerned about, which is -- which are legitimate on health care, we want to work on those before the new rates hit on January 1.

WHITFIELD: OK. Your district, you know, is home to the Kennedy Space Center, which employs well over 10,000 people. And many of those workers are right now furloughed. And while many of them are hearing, you say, we want to keep the federal government open, it's not. So what do you say to them about what -- how they should expect to pay their bills, how they expect to, you know, get groceries, how long it may be before they ever see back pay?

I mean, they're not going to be happy with hearing that you don't want the federal government to be closed. They hear and experience that it is closed.

HARIDOPOLOS: Well, look, I feel for them. They're going to work hard every day. They're doing a great job. Artemis Two takes off for the first time. Of course, this spring, we go around the moon for the first time since 1972.

[15:25:03]

Some of these folks have been furloughed, but the ones working on the vital project called Artemis Two are on the job. And the good news is, is when the government does get back open, they do get back pay. So they're not working for free.

WHITFIELD: When is that? What do you tell them when many are working and living paycheck to paycheck? So they're not getting a paycheck perhaps this week or next week, you know, it could go into another month. I mean, are they going to be satisfied with just hearing that eventually they'll get a paycheck? It's the right now that hurts.

HARIDOPOLOS: Well, again, Fredricka, I couldn't agree with you more. That's why I voted yes and every single Democrat unfortunately went the other way, with the exception of one in the House. I think we can open up this government right away. Let's get moving. They should not have to be the pawns in this political game.

And as I mentioned, Fredricka, Thomas Cole worked with the Democrats, and they wanted two things. They wanted to end this CR in late November, and they also wanted to have a clean CR. We provided both, no funny business, no games. Let's hope that the Democrats will vote to keep the government open. And finally, Chuck Schumer, this is what he based his career on, keeping the government open. He said it was idiocy to shut down the government. So I don't know why he's doing what he's doing now.

I'm trying to figure it out myself, but all I can do is what I can control. And my vote was an affirmative yes to keep the government open and to keep communication lines so that these folks who work hard deserve to get paid and more importantly, taxpayers who pay for these services through high taxes get the services they've paid for. It should be a win win-win. Let's hope that Monday is a new day.

WHITFIELD: Healthcare and preserving access to healthcare was also at the core of things here. And, you know, new polling from the nonpartisan health policy research group KFF shows that most of the president's supporters back these Obamacare subsidies, much of which will, you know, expire December 31. 59 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of Make America Great Again supporters favor keeping them. So do you support extending them?

HARIDOPOLOS: Well, this is the debate we need to have, and the only way we can have this debate is we reopen the government. I'll tell you --

WHITFIELD: Well, wasn't that a debate or the core of a discussion that many lawmakers wanted to have but of course it didn't happen and that's why we have a government shutdown?

HARIDOPOLOS: No, that's not the case. Well, we're having a basic thing about the budget. The budget and policy are two different items, but we want to have that debate on healthcare because it's important. But remember, these subsidies that are in place were COVID-era numbers. We want to look at those closely and make sure the people who are truly in need get that.

And let's not forget, remember, Obamacare was supposed to save money and have more positive healthcare. Unfortunately, we need these subsidies because the Obamacare dollars or fees are so darn high. So let's have that debate and I'm willing to have it. But you need to open the government up. And that's why I'm here today to talk, to ask people who watch CNN. Call your local congressman, call your senator especially, and say, keep the government open and let's have this vigorous debate of ideas. Instead of playing politics when people are being furloughed, who are working hard every single day.

WHITFIELD: Have your constituents been calling you? And if so, what are they saying?

HARIDOPOLOS: Yes, they're frustrated like I am. This is why I voted yes to keep the government open and why we're working closely with --

WHITFIELD: What are they expressing in their frustration?

HARIDOPOLOS: They are expressing that I can't believe that Chuck Schumer, who's been in this job for all these years, is -- and 13 different times during the Biden years, they voted to have a CR or keep the government open. And now he's suddenly changed his tune. They're a little disappointed, as am I. And this is why I'm optimistic that people will put pressure on the Democrats in the Senate so they get those 60 votes needed and we get moving again, as opposed to playing politics. This is not benefiting anyone, in my opinion.

WHITFIELD: Congressman Mike Haridopolos, thank you so much for being with us.

HARIDOPOLOS: Thanks, Fredricka. Have a great day.

WHITFIELD: You too.

All right. Straight ahead, frustration at Camp Lejeune after a decades long fight from families exposed to toxic water. Why they say they may never get answers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:33]

WHITFIELD: An investigation is underway after a massive fire broke out at the Chevron refinery near Los Angeles on Thursday night. Video from the fire shows a huge fireball visible from miles away, turning the night sky orange. Fire officials say there were no injuries reported or immediate hazards to surrounding areas.

A Chevron spokesperson told CNN that authorities responded to an isolated fire inside the facility. CNN affiliate KCAL reports the blaze has been contained as crews were working to fully extinguish the flames.

For 30 years, as many as one million Marines, civilians and their families were potentially exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

CNN's Nick Watt spoke with one veteran who was stationed at Camp Lejeune and has suffered unimaginable losses.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NORMAN STITES, VIETNAM VETERAN: I'm proud to have been a Marine, so it's nothing about the Marine Corps. You messed with my family. My son was born in Lejeune, and he was hurting. I wish I had let him die when were in the delivery room and the doctors were telling me we have to give him another blood transfusion.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): David lived, suffered until he was eight.

STITES: I figured it was an act of God. I figured it was for something in my life that I'd done bad and I'm getting paid back.

WATT: And how does it make you feel when you know that it was probably the water at the camp?

[15:35:01]

STITES: You know, that, that drives me crazy.

WATT (voice-over): Congress finally passed a bill in 2022 allowing Marines like Norman Stites and their kin to file civil claims over birth defects, cancer and more that they say were caused by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Remember all those injury lawyer commercials.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You may be eligible for significant financial compensation. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please give us a call.

WATT (voice-over): Just over 400,000 claims have been filed, says the Navy. Just over 1,000 settled.

ANDREW VAN ARSDALE, ATTORNEY: And justice delayed can be, and in this case, is starting to be justice denied.

WATT: Because people have died.

VAN ARSDALE: Because people have died.

WATT (voice-over): Norman Stites has filed a claim for his son and himself.

STITES: They found cancer in my thyroid. August 13th, I had another cancer removed from my bladder.

WATT (voice-over): Citing pending litigation, the DOJ declined to comment.

STITES: They are stalling, period.

WATT: They don't want to pay the money?

STITES: The only thing that myself and most of the people feel is, yes, it's the money.

WATT (voice-over): Here's the history. From 1953 through 1987, water at Lejeune was contaminated by an off-base dry cleaner, leaky storage tanks and chemical dumping. As many as a million people were potentially exposed.

STITES: Our clothes were washed in the water. We bathed in the water. We drank the water.

WATT (voice-over): Tests in 1980, '81 and '85 found the contamination. But the worst wells weren't closed until 1987. And the first major warning and outreach we can find wasn't until 1999, recruiting participants for a study into potential health problems.

Norman Stites now spends many nights here, drumming in the wee hours.

STITES: If I'm having bad days, this just takes it all away.

I had a daughter that died, too, one-month-old. Finding my daughter dead in that crib in the morning was worse than Vietnam.

WATT (voice-over): Now there's another bill before Congress that would expand the number of judges who can handle these cases from just four to many more, and reduce some of the demands for evidence.

VAN ARSDALE: A lot of the fight that the DOJ has put forward has been based on, give us a sample of that water in the 1970s, show us what was in it. Well, the water samples don't exist.

WATT: One of the other provisions here is to cap your fee.

VAN ARSDALE: If a cap on my fees allows these senators and these representatives to pass this bill, I welcome that.

WATT: Are you now at least optimistic that --

STITES: No.

WATT: Really?

STITES: Really, no. It's just stall, stall, stall, stall until you die.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (on-camera): In an e-mail, the Navy says that some claims don't have supporting documents. Some are for conditions that aren't on the list, and they tell me that the time to settle a claim is, quote, "entirely dependent on timely receipt of relevant supporting documents."

Now, Norm Stites, who we just heard from, he has bladder cancer. That is number one on the list of injuries you can tick. And he filed in December of 2022. So coming up on three years and he is still waiting.

Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

WHITFIELD: And this breaking news into CNN, former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez has been injured in an apparent stabbing in Indianapolis. What we're learning about his condition next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:11]

WHITFIELD: All right. And this news just in to CNN. Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez has been injured in an apparent stabbing in Indianapolis, where he was scheduled to work as an analyst on FOX Sports broadcast of the Indianapolis Colts game against the Las Vegas Raiders tomorrow.

CNN Sports anchor Don Riddell is joining me right now with what we know.

RIDDELL: Well, we don't know much, but what we do know is interesting, Fred. Thank you. As you've been saying, the former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez recovering in hospital after a disturbance in Indianapolis late on Friday night, where he was in town as part of the FOX Sports broadcast team covering the NFL game between the Colts and the Raiders. FOX Sports confirmed via a statement that Sanchez had been injured, saying that his condition was stable.

Meanwhile, a statement from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department sheds a little more light on the incident without naming the individuals involved. They say that there was a disturbance between two adult males at around 12:30 a.m. One of the men suffering lacerations and the other sustaining injuries consistent with stab wounds.

The police say it was an isolated incident between two men who were from out of town, and they don't consider it to have been a random act of violence. They say that they have reviewed video evidence, and the case will be presented to the prosecutor's office for a charging decision.

After playing for the University of Southern California, Sanchez played in the NFL for 10 years, most notably as the New York Jets' quarterback. He retired in 2018 and began working as a TV game analyst in 2021. FOX Sports say that they are grateful to the medical team for their exceptional care and support. They have also asked that everybody respect his and his family's privacy during this time.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Yes, very frightening just to hear the details that we have and of course, as the investigation really gets underway, let us know when you learn more.

[15:45:08]

Don Riddell, thanks so much.

All right. Still to come, a remembrance of the world renowned and beloved animal rights advocate, Jane Goodall, from someone who knew her and worked with her for years.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:03]

WHITFIELD: Jane Goodall, the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, died earlier this week at the age of 91. Known for crawling through forests to document primates, their personalities, feelings, habits, all of that, Goodall not only broke barriers for women in science, but really she revolutionized the way scientists study animals and really incited an interest, you know, far and wide.

Joining me right now to reflect on her legacy is longtime friend Thomas Gillespie, professor and department chair of environmental sciences at Emory University here in Atlanta.

Professor, great to see you.

THOMAS GILLESPIE, PROFESSOR AND DEPARTMENT CHAIR, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Thank you. I'm happy to be here.

WHITFIELD: What an honor it must have been to know her, but tell us how it is that you got to be in her company and help establish a great, you know, respectful working relationship and friendship.

GILLESPIE: All of us that care about animals, you know, have known about Jane forever. We've grown up with her name. We've been inspired by her. And then as a scientist, I would get to see her from a distance at conferences. And what was really the turning point in terms of our work together was the health of the chimpanzees. I'm a disease ecologist, so I work on the health of people, the health

of animals, and the health of the planet. And there were issues at Gombe that were leading to the chimpanzee population declining that were related to disease. And Jane asked us to come in and help solve those problems.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So this is amazing, right? Because she would be a resource that perhaps most would think you and others would reach out to her, but it ended up being the other way around. A, that had to be the most giant compliment of all time, maybe even at first you thought this is a prank. Really, are you reaching out to me? But tell me what that was like to hear from her, someone you've admired from afar. You'd see her at conferences, et cetera, but that she would reach out to you.

What is it she, you know, inquired about? What did she want to know? How did she rope you in? I'm sure it was like from go, you were like, come on.

GILLESPIE: So it was -- it was friends and colleagues who all had the same vision to work together. Elizabeth Lonsdorf is one of my colleagues who did her PhD at Gombe, studying chimpanzee behavior. She helped to establish the project. And so Dominic Travis, a wildlife epidemiologist, was another. And I was brought in in terms of the disease ecology side of this equation, and we pulled together this interdisciplinary team, learn to speak each other's languages, learn to solve these problems together.

And Jane was this tremendous force in helping to make what we're doing in Gombe a demonstration of what we need to be doing all over the world.

WHITFIELD: So what is it? How would you describe, you know, that kind of the characteristics about Jane Goodall? I mean, any of us who've watched her over the years, you know, read, you know, about her teachings, observed her through video and, you know, film, all, you know, are just fascinated by her. But I wonder, you know, what was her personality like? Because she was able to communicate with primates unlike anything anybody has ever seen before.

But, you know, human to human, you know, when you were interacting with her, how would you describe her personality, the way she would work? How would you characterize it all?

GILLESPIE: I think a lot of people hear her name and they associate it with the word hope. Hope was always central, and some people have the idea that hope is a passive thing, that it's wishful thinking. And with Jane, it was completely the opposite of that. It was all about action. It was all about engagement. It was going into those uncomfortable situations where change could happen and the solutions are not easy. But she was always ready. She had the discipline to push herself even as an introvert, to push herself out there to do the work.

WHITFIELD: And what's so fascinating, I mean, there are many things that are fascinating, but this was dangerous work. GILLESPIE: Oh, yes.

GILLESPIE: I mean, that she was embarking on. Not just the danger of being among primates, you know, people think, oh, you know, cuddly and all that. But no, you know, it can be very vicious and dangerous, but also the dangers from other human beings. And, you know, she managed it, didn't she?

GILLESPIE: I mean, also consider the distance to health care if something were to happen. We're hours away by boat. It's a roadless area. There's still no electric grid reaching that area.

WHITFIELD: Goodness.

GILLESPIE: So we're doing all of this infectious disease research there, off the grid, and using solar generators. And she made amazing things happen despite those challenges and found a way to keep everyone safe in the process.

WHITFIELD: Amazing. Well, you're the next generation. So I would have asked, you know, is there a concern or worry or thought about what's next? But you're the living, you know, person and example of what embodies something that started with her.

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GILLESPIE: And we're seeing the outpouring from the world right now. And so her message and her mission is going to continue like never before.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. Great to see you, Professor Thomas Gillespie, thank you so much for coming in and reflecting on your interaction with her and really the legacy of Jane Goodall.

GILLESPIE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.

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