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Israel, Hamas And U.S. Delegations Head To Egypt For Gaza Talks; Trump Deploying National Guard Personnel To Democratic-Led Cities; Trump To CNN: Republicans "Are Winning" Shutdown Fight; Interview With Former CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden; Former NFL QB Mark Sanchez Arrested, Charged After Apparent Stabbing; WNBA Commissioner Responds To Criticism Of League Leadership; CNN Goes Inside America's No-Fly Zone Simulation; DNA, Ballistics Reveal Likely Killer In "Yogurt Shop Murders". Aired 2-3p ET

Aired October 05, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:37]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And this breaking news. Delegations from Israel, Hamas and the U.S. are headed to Egypt for key negotiations set to begin tomorrow. That's just a day before the second-year anniversary of the start of the war in Gaza.

The focus in Egypt is getting President Trump's 20-point ceasefire proposal over the finish line.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says securing the release of Israeli hostages is "priority number one", his words, for the administration. And Hamas has already agreed to that part of the plan ahead of this week's talks.

President Trump issuing a warning to Hamas in an exclusive interview with CNN, saying if the group refuses to give up power and control in the enclave, it faces total obliteration.

We've got team coverage. Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv, Israel. And let's also get the latest from CNN's senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak. He's in Norfolk, Virginia where the President will deliver remarks next hour for the Navy's 250th anniversary celebration.

So Kevin, you first. The president spoke, you know, from the south lawn earlier about the latest on the Gaza talks. And what did he have to say?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And I think you're hearing a varying degree of optimism from the president and from other top administration officials as they hear these positive signals from Israel and Hamas. But they also acknowledge that there is work to be done and there are

details of all of this that will still need to be resolved.

So for example, Marco Rubio saying today that the war is not over yet, that work remains to be done to determine if Israel and Hamas are in agreement on this package.

And he's also suggesting that the coming days will be absolutely critical, saying that we want to see this happen very fast. And if it doesn't, I think the entire deal becomes imperiled.

And so I think the urgency here is very clear. And that's part of the reason that you're seeing the president dispatch two top officials to Cairo, where these talks are going to take place. He's sending his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and his son in law Jared Kushner to essentially ensure that this deal gets across the finish line.

Now, as the president was coming here to Norfolk, he was optimistic about where this all stood. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a great deal for Israel, and it's a great deal for everybody. And you want to get your hostages back, right? You want them back or do you not want them back?

And it's a great deal for Israel. It's a great deal for the entire Arab world, Muslim world and world. So we're very happy about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When do you think the hostages will start being freed?

TRUMP: I think very soon. They're in negotiations right now as we speak. They've started the negotiation. It will last a couple of days.

We'll see how it turns out. But I'm hearing its going very well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So you hear the president there saying that he's hearing that it's going pretty well.

He was also asked if there would need to be some flexibility in the negotiating stance of each of these parties. Initially, he said that there would be no need, saying that each side had basically agreed to this deal.

But eventually he did allow that there would have to be some changes, saying there will always be some changes.

Of course, what those changes are could be absolutely critical here. The president talking about some of the things that have been sort of outstanding in this process for quite some time, whether its future governance of Gaza, whether its disarmament of the terror groups, things that haven't been able to be resolved up until this point.

Now, here in Norfolk today, the president will see at close hand a reminder of this conflict.

You know, this is the USS Harry Truman. It has just returned from a lengthy deployment in the Red Sea, where it was battling the Houthi rebels. That conflict itself, sort of a fall-on effect of the war in Gaza. So clearly the president very much wanting to get this conflict resolved and very much eager to know whether this will be the deal that does it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kevin Liptak, keep us posted. Thank you so much.

[14:04:46]

WHITFIELD: Let's go to Tel Aviv now, where Jeremy Diamond is. So, Jeremy, are President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the same page here?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's difficult to see at this point. I mean, the Israeli prime minister is certainly going along with President Trump for the moment.

He has signaled a willingness to move forward with this 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza and is kind of putting the political willpower behind that notion for now, even as he has started to face criticism from some of his right-wing governing allies who keep him in power as prime minister.

But we will see how far the prime minister is willing to go and what happens once Hamas starts to demand changes, as they likely will to this 20-point plan.

How much flexibility will the prime minister actually have in these negotiations in order for them to actually be successful? And we will start to find that out tomorrow, as indirect talks between Israel and Hamas are set to begin in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.

According to an Egyptian official and three Israeli sources, a U.S. delegation also set to head to Egypt. Interestingly, though, Ron Dermer, Prime Minister Netanyahu's closest advisor and the head of this negotiating team is not going to be traveling to Egypt tomorrow, at least not yet, according to Israeli officials.

And that is, you know, an interesting wrinkle in all of this, given it suggests that a less senior delegation will be in Egypt for the beginning of these talks tomorrow, but nonetheless, they are set to begin.

In Gaza meanwhile, residents there have been reporting that there has been a decrease it seems in Israeli airstrikes, but nonetheless, the Israeli military, even as it says that it has shifted to a kind of defensive posture in Gaza, is continuing to carry out strikes there.

Dozens of people have been killed in Gaza today alone, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

And so what is clear is that this ceasefire is not yet in place. A lot will need to happen in order for this to become a reality. And we will see whether President Trump's efforts here to really kind

of force his reality, this notion that Hamas and Israel have both agreed to everything, which simply hasn't happened yet, whether President Trump's efforts to force that reality on both of these parties can actually come to fruition and bring a long-needed peace in this region after nearly two years of war.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv, thanks so much.

All right. We're also following new developments in President Trump's immigration crackdown in this country in Democratic-led cities, as his administration faces a legal setback in one city at the same time that he is escalating plans in another.

In Oregon, a Trump-appointed federal judge has temporarily blocked his plan to deploy 200 National Guard troops to Portland. In her Saturday ruling, the judge said Trump's claims about chaos in that city were, quote, "untethered to the facts".

And just moments ago, California Governor Gavin Newsom posted on X saying that President Trump is deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Oregon, adding, quote, "we are taking this fight back to court", end quote.

And earlier today, the president blasted the judges Oregon -- the Oregon judge's decision and continued to claim Portland is under threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Portland is burning to the ground. It's insurrectionists all over the place. It's Antifa. And yet the politicians who are petrified -- look, the politicians are afraid for their lives. That's the only reason that they say like there's nothing happening.

And you've seen it. The place is burning down, and they pretend like there's nothing happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That Oregon ruling coming as President Trump announced that he is authorizing 300 members of the Illinois National Guard to be sent to Chicago over the objections of that state's governor.

CNN's Rafael Romo is joining us right now. A lot to keep up with in a lot of states, a lot of movement, a lot of plans from the administration, a lot of pushback from various judges. Where do we stand?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. The news never stops. And that's certainly been the case this weekend with not only Oregon but also Illinois, Fred.

And President Donald Trump once again spoke about Chicago this morning, saying that he's going to quote, "straighten the Windy City" during remarks made while departing the White House. The Trump administration announced Saturday the president had authorized hundreds of National Guard troops to be sent to Chicago the day after at least 18 people were arrested at a protest at an ICE facility just outside the city. And the very same day, a federal agent shot and injured a woman within city limits.

Trump and his administration have framed demonstrations there and in Portland, Oregon as violent protests carried out by domestic terrorists, arguing that military deployments are necessary to protect federal immigration personnel and property.

[14:09:50]

ROMO: But leaders in both states, not only in Illinois but also in Portland, insist that the ones creating the mayhem are federal agents by using tactics that terrorize not only undocumented immigrants and their families, but also U.S. citizens.

The two sides don't agree, even on the facts of serious incidents like the shooting that occurred yesterday in Chicago that involve federal agents in the city's southwest side.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X that federal agents, quote, "were attacked, rammed and boxed in by ten vehicles, including an attacker with a semi-automatic weapon." And a DHS spokesperson wrote on X that agents responded by firing defensive shots, injuring a woman who was one of those allegedly attacking them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Very dangerous situation. And then in that situation as well, you know, this individual had threatened them previously and had told them that they all needed to go down and shouted expletives at them.

So our intelligence indicates that these people are organized. They're getting more and more people on their team as far as attacking officers, and they're making plans to ambush them and to kill them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: So that's Noems position. But Illinois Governor JB Pritzker says state officials have been unable to verify Noem's version of the incident, suggesting the federal government is obscuring the facts in order to match Trump's narrative about crime in Democratic-led states and cities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JB PRITZKER (D-IL): And what happens in these sorts of incidents is typically ICE puts out a press release before anybody else can speak with the press. And then it gets reported on social media and elsewhere.

So here it's really hard to know exactly what the facts are, and they won't let us access the facts. They are just putting out their propaganda. And then we've got to later determine what actually happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Fred, we need to mention that we checked the court filing about Saturday's shooting in Chicago, and there's no mention of an attacker with a semi-automatic weapon, as Secretary Noem and the DHS statement claimed.

The Department of Justice announced that two people have been charged in federal court with using their vehicles to assault, impede and interfere with the work of federal agents in Chicago.

So sometimes you see press releases that state a certain fact or facts, and then you go to the court documents and you find discrepancies there. And that's certainly the case with this story.

WHITFIELD: Ok. Keep us posted. Rafael Romo, thanks so much.

All right. Straight ahead as President Trump, Congressional Republicans and Democrats all point fingers at each other for the government shutdown, we have new poll numbers on who voters are blaming.

And the shocking new details about the apparent stabbing that sent former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez to the hospital and charges that he is now facing.

[14:12:43]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. It's day five of the government -- the U.S. government shutdown and President Trump thinks his party has the upper hand. In a text message to CNN's Jake Tapper, Trump says Republicans are, quote, "winning" when asked how he thinks the shutdown will end. But new poll numbers today show otherwise.

New polling from CBS News and YouGov shows nearly 4 in 10 Americans say they blame Trump and Congressional Republicans most for the shutdown; 30 percent blame Democrats; and roughly the same amount say both sides are to blame.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us live now from the White House. Julia, where do things stand?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you pointed out, this is day five of this government shutdown, and there are no real signs of progress. The talking points remain the same.

Republicans are asking for essentially an extension of current funding levels for the next seven weeks and Democrats are focusing in on health care. They are looking for concessions when it comes to extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year.

Now, on Monday, President Donald Trump did host top congressional leaders here at the White House from both parties, both chambers with the stated goal of trying to keep the government open.

But it became clear in the hours and days following that that there were still big challenges ahead.

And in an interview that aired on NBC's "Meet the Press" earlier today, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was asked directly about the last time he spoke with Republican leadership. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Well, the last time there was a conversation with Republican leadership was in the White House meeting last Monday.

And unfortunately, since that point in time, Republicans, including Donald Trump, have gone radio silent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So no proof of any real negotiations taking place. And again, this is day five of the government shutdown.

When it comes to how this shutdown differs from those in the past, the threat of mass firings looms large. It is typical to see some government workers furloughed during this time. But the Trump administration has looked at making that impact more permanent.

This aligns with Trump's long-stated goal of shrinking the size of the federal workforce, but it could also be seen as a tactic to get Democrats to agree to the Republican plan without concessions.

And the blame game here continues as both sides are determined not to get credit if this shutdown drags on.

[14:19:46]

BENBROOK: Trump, as he left the White House today, once again referred to this as the Democrat shutdown and said that if layoffs take place, it will be the fault of Democrats in his eyes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I call them Democrat layoffs. They're Democrat layoffs. They're causing it.

We're doing better than the country has ever done and the Democrats hate seeing that.

It's up to them. Anybody laid off, that's because of the Democrats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: When Trump was asked about the possibility of extending those ACA subsidies that Democrats are calling for, he said, we want to fix it so it works. It's not working -- criticizing that current plan. Now, Republican leadership has said they are open to discussing those subsidies, but they do not want to see that as part of this discussion when it comes to a stopgap funding deal, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Benbrook at the White House, keep us posted. Thanks so much.

So, as Julia just reported, the biggest obstacle in ending this shutdown is the issue of extending enhanced Affordable Health Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of this year.

I want to bring in now Dr. Tom Frieden. He was the former director of the CDC under President Obama, and he's now the author of this new book, "The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives, Including Your Own".

Dr. Frieden, good to see you.

DR. THOMAS FRIEDEN, FORMER DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: Nice to speak with you.

WHITFIELD: So we'll talk about your book in a moment. But first, you know, let's talk about the impact of these Obamacare subsidies in your view, and what might happen if they do indeed go away.

DR. FRIEDEN: The independent budget office has estimated that the legislation, unless changed, will result in something like 15 to 20 million people losing health insurance, having to pay so much that they go off coverage.

And that's not just a question of having to pay more. That's about people who don't get cancer screenings, don't get treated to prevent heart attacks and strokes, don't get the preventive care and curative care they need to be safe, productive, healthy. And that's really a life and death issue.

I'm not a politician, so I don't want to comment on what's happening in the shutdown, but I will say I lived through the 2013 shutdown and it was terrifying.

Thousands of CDC staff were furloughed. The CDC couldn't track outbreaks. It couldn't support state and local governments that were dealing with emergencies.

It was really an example of essentially unilateral disarmament against microbes and other health threats.

WHITFIELD: And so as it pertains to right now, we are in day five of this U.S. government shutdown. So do you have similar concerns of what was experienced in 2013. You talked about the furloughs, people losing, you know, their payments, paychecks as well as the inability to track outbreaks.

Do you believe that there might be a repeat of that same kind of experience? DR. FRIEDEN: According to reports, about two-thirds of CDC staff have

been furloughed. This means that folks who were protecting you yesterday or six days ago can't protect you today and tomorrow and until the shutdown ends.

So yes, we're less safe. It's dangerous. And it's really unfortunate because the cracks in the system aren't new. What we've seen over the last nine months is a systematic dismantling of our health defenses.

So we have lower vaccination rates. We have a more open door to flu. We have rollbacks of some of the protections against toxins.

These are dangerous times, and they're made more dangerous when government can't do its fundamental work of tracking what's happening and keeping Americans safe.

WHITFIELD: And, you know, from Trump's firing of the CDC director in August, other leading officers, you know, leaving in solidarity, the shooting outside the CDC headquarters in Atlanta. You know, how have all of these hits in recent months and these, you know, deficiencies threatened the real viability of the CDC, in your view?

DR. FRIEDEN: Public health is under assault, there's no question. And that means it's not about an organization in Atlanta. It's about what happens every day to track food-borne outbreaks, to respond to this year's flu season, which is soon going to come, to deal with the next unexpected challenge whether it's a toxin or something else.

Our health defenses are being weakened, and the result of that is that we're less safe.

WHITFIELD: Let's now talk about your new book because you are talking about public health safety. You know, you structured it around a three-part formula -- see, believe, and create.

It sounds simple. Is it and is it perhaps more timely than ever now as you, you know, advocate for Americans to be more conscientious of prevention?

[14:24:49]

DR. FRIEDEN: Here's the bottom line. There is an approach that's been proven to have saved millions of lives. It can save millions more, including yours.

That approach is see, believe, create. See things that are not apparent. That might include, for example, the deaths that will occur if, in fact, 15 to 20 million people lose health insurance.

Believe we can make progress by showing that we have made progress in the past by building confidence through phase-wise progress.

And then the hardest part is to create a healthier future. And we do that by organizing, simplifying, prioritizing, communicating well, and overcoming barriers because there are always barriers to health. But when we look rigorously at the pathway to progress, we see what's

needed. We can make steady steps as individuals, as communities, as a country, and as a world to a much healthier place despite the enormous challenges that we face today.

WHITFIELD: All right. Everyone needs to maintain that same level of optimism.

Dr. Tom Frieden, thank you so much.

DR. FRIEDEN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, as WNBA players prepare to battle it out in game two of the league finals, there's a much different kind of drama playing out off-court. We'll break it all down.

[14:26:06]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:27]

WHITFIELD: All right. New details now surrounding the apparent stabbing of former NFL quarterback Mark Ssanchez. The Fox Sports analyst is now under arrest, facing three charges related to an argument with a 69-year-old man in Indianapolis.

CNN's Leigh Waldman is watching all of this for us.

Leigh, this is a really sordid and confusing kind of sequence of events. Break down what investigators say happened.

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, you're exactly right. It's a very bizarre story. In 24 hours, Mark Sanchez went from being a victim of a stabbing in a hospital now under arrest after surveillance video appears to show him as the aggressor in all of this. It happened just after midnight on Saturday.

Police talked to the 69-year-old victim, who said Sanchez approached his truck and said, the man said he didn't recognize who Sanchez was, but instead smelled alcohol on his breath, noticed some slurred speech. He says Sanchez tried to get inside of the truck that he was working in. Now, that surveillance video appears to show Sanchez grabbing this man and throwing him up against the wall.

In an affidavit, the man told police that he thought this guy was going to kill him. Now, further investigation, police say that the man said he pulled out pepper spray to try and keep Sanchez away from him. When that didn't work, he ended up pulling a knife on him to try and defend himself.

A short while later, at a bar nearby, police were called and that's where they found Sanchez with those stab wounds. Take a listen to the police scanner audio here.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) DISPATCH: One of the officers on scene inside the bar. Make sure we lock that bar down, treat it as a crime scene. Don't let anybody in or out for now.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

WALDMAN: Now, Sanchez is still in the hospital being treated for his injuries. But, Fred, like you mentioned, he's under arrest. Facing three misdemeanor charges, including battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication.

We're hearing from the Marion County prosecutor's office. They say what began as a disagreement between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a 69-year-old man should not have escalated into violence or left anyone with serious injury. As with any case, we will follow the facts and law wherever they lead.

Now, Sanchez was supposed to be on Fox Sports as a sports analyst today. He has been replaced today, and he still is waiting to be booked into the county jail there.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. All right. Leigh Waldman, thank you so much.

All right. In other sports related news, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert is responding after Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier didn't hold back, calling the league's leadership, quoting now, "the worst in the world," end quote. Engelbert addressed the criticism ahead of yesterday's game one of the WNBA finals in Las Vegas, and now, ESPN is reporting that Collier canceled an upcoming meeting with the commissioner to discuss her criticism of the WNBA.

CNN's Don Riddell is joining me right now with a whole lot going on.

Kind of on court and off court, right?

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Well, look, where do you want to start?

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

RIDDELL: The league should be celebrating the WNBA finals. It's the first ever best of seven series. The league is on the up and up after the arrival of Caitlin Clark last year. And game two is just minutes away.

And somehow, all of the focus and all of the attention is now off the court, which is an absolute tragedy for the league and for the players and the fans. And it just seems to be getting worse and worse. This dispute, and it was Napheesa Collier, as you say, who lit the fire last Tuesday I think it was by coming out and making these comments. A lot of the players supported her.

Then, Engelbert came out and said, I didn't say anything of the sort. I did not say that the likes of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese should be on their knees, grateful and thankful for everything that we've done for them. And now, Colliers reportedly said, well, that meeting with Cathy

Engelbert is now off.

And this is all coming at the time when the players and their -- and their union and the league is supposed to be negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. The deadline is the end of this month. If that slides or if they can't somehow meet in the middle and come to an agreement, then so many things are in jeopardy, including next season, including the draft. Two new teams are coming into the league next season.

So -- I mean, it's just an absolute mess at a time when the league really should be going places --

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

RIDDELL : -- and instead they're just tearing each other apart.

[14:35:00]

WHITFIELD: Would this kind of -- can we call it a kerfuffle? Could this kind of kerfuffle? I mean, just the war of words really stand in the way of the progress of, you know, any kind of new bargaining for the WNBA? I mean, it's not all contingent on this war of words, is it?

RIDDELL: Well, they do need to come to an agreement, and there doesn't seem to be much respect or trust between the various parties at the moment. And the players have been frustrated for some time. The players are bringing it.

There are now more eyeballs on the game. There are now people, more people watching and more people in the arenas. And you know the likes of Caitlin Clark are a huge reason for that. And Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers this season and the players in the league can see that, but they don't feel as though they're getting their due.

WHITFIED: They're not getting the support they're saying.

RIDDELL: And it's not just that. It's -- I mean, a lot of the players have been complaining about the complete inconsistency in the officiating this season, and they find that really upsetting because they're like, were serious players and we don't feel as though were part of a serious, you know, product and organization.

So I mean, it is -- it is an absolute mess.

WHITFIELD: It is.

RIDDELL: And the Las Vegas Aces are about to tip off against the Phoenix Mercury, game two. Yeah, Vegas are going for three titles in four years.

WHITFIELD: It's kind of upstaging that for now.

RIDDELL: They won game one and no ones talking about that.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, maybe we'll talk about it next hour. We'll see if some progress is made.

Don Riddell, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

All right. Straight ahead, CNN gets a firsthand look at how no fly zones are enforced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is unbelievable how close these F-15s are to our king air and the captain just informed us that that those are live weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Up next, see how military jets scrambled to intercept aircraft that stray into restricted airspace.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:41:35]

WHITFIELD: All right. Today marks the final day of the Pacific Air Show in southern California, a major showcase of U.S. military aircraft and defense capabilities. While more than a half million people are expected to attend the annual event, the same fighter jets also play a critical role in real world missions. One of these missions took place just last week when the U.S. intercepted Russian bombers and fighter jets that flew into Alaska's air defense space.

CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones is joining me right now from Huntington Beach with more.

And, Julia, you found out firsthand how U.S. air defenses are keeping Americans safe.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. We did.

You know, a lot of people here today are getting to get a very close look at some of these planes. I will say, because of the government shutdown, a lot of the military pilots that we got to see and got to be with and talk to, and you see in the piece, they're not here today. The Canadian and the British air force instead showing up in full force here, Fred.

We are going to see in just a few minutes some of those pilots jumping out of one of these planes just right here next to us. But take a take a look at what we saw from the air.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PILOT: Aircraft, this is the mark air defense fighter on the guard. You have been intercepted.

JONES (voice-over): From the cockpit of a small twin engine plane over California, this is what it sounds like when the U.S. military intercepts an aircraft that has violated restricted airspace. PILOT: If you do not cooperate, you will be fired upon.

LT. COL. JAMES "BUCA" KETTLES, NORTH AMERICAN AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMMAND: We're in the King Air. We're the main target. So now look on your left side. The F-15s are on their way up.

JONES (voice-over): Then one fighter jet emerges from the clouds.

KETTLES: The second one is right behind them, doing the same thing.

JONES (voice-over): It is a simulation, but real intercepts by the North American Aerospace Defense Command happen almost daily. Often when civilian pilots stray into temporary flight restrictions around the president, major sporting events or global summits. Less common but not unusual, military planes.

Last week, NORAD intercepted four Russian fighter jets in Alaska's air defense identification zone. This was not seen as a threat, according to NORAD.

Fighter pilots now approach as they try to assess why our pilots would not be responding to their warnings.

KETTLES: Does it look like a hijack? Are the pilots unconscious? They can see if there's any damage to the airplane. Somethings going on there.

JONES: It is unbelievable how close these F-15s are to our King Air. I can see inside the cockpit there in the captain just informed us that, that those are live weapons.

(voice-over): But firing those weapons is the last thing the pilots want. Their job is to make sure a warning is enough.

Oh, what was that?

KETTLES: That's the jetwash. They can get the pilot's attention.

JONES (voice-over): It's an escalation maneuver sometimes used with flares designed to force a response and establish control.

This is as far as the simulation will go.

LT. COL. JEFF "VADER" BRANDON, U.S. AIR FORCE CALIFORNIA AIR NATIONAL GUARD: Oh, I don't know. I haven't seen it.

JONES (voice-over): Back on the ground, we meet one of the pilots.

I mean, it felt to me like you were about to hit us, right?

BRANDON: Well, and that's -- and what our goal is to move to a safe distance.

[14:45:00]

So thinking closer to that 1,000 feet and then slowly but surely, as safety dictates, well kind of move in closer and closer. Okay.

JONES (voice-over): Lieutenant Colonel Brandon says the protocols are the same, whether it's a lost and weakened pilot or foreign jet probing U.S. defenses.

What are you looking for as you -- as your -- as you're trying to assess the situation?

BRANDON: What I'm trying to do is try to build that 3D picture, that god's eye view of where I am and where they are, and how I can maneuver in relationship to now get my aircraft, just like you saw, right tucked in tight in what we would call close formation. So that's what I'm trying to do, is use their words to build a picture in my mind and then use my sensors to now mesh those two, and then execute whatever, whatever the best game plan would be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (on camera): And, Fred, I'm hearing some of those pilots coming above us right now. Those F-15 pilots will be part of the teams that will be monitoring the skies here in California in a series of major events that are upcoming to back to back Super Bowls. We have the Olympics coming up, the world cup.

This is what they were trying to drill home, is that it is really important for those teams to be fully trained. Look, it costs up to $30,000 more or less to keep those planes in the skies for just one hour. So, you can see how important those training hours are for those pilots and how important that safety of our skies it is for the United States.

WHITFIELD: Right, and given all that in just a very short amount of time, it will indeed potentially be a very busy airspace. Great point of view.

Julia Vargas Jones, thanks for bringing it to us. Appreciate it.

All right. Straight ahead, the story of a police detective who solved the yogurt shop murders cold case, and how he tied the four teenage girls' deaths to a suspected serial killer.

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[14:51:29]

WHITFIELD: The shocking deaths of four teenage girls has haunted the city of Austin, Texas, for more than three decades, and now advancements in DNA and ballistics technology have identified the likely killer behind the so-called Yogurt Shop Murders.

CNN correspondent Jean Casarez spoke with the detective who helped crack the case.

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MAYOR KIRK WATSON, AUSTIN, TEXAS: Austin lost its innocence the night those young souls became victims. Today, we have some closure.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After more than three decades, solved, the case of four murdered girls in a yogurt shop in Austin, Texas.

DAN JACKSON, DETECTIVE, AUSTIN POLICE: Still been surreal. It's finally like sinking in.

CASAREZ (voice-over): Detective Dan Jackson grew up in Texas hearing about the killings. In 1991, Eliza Thomas and Jennifer Harbison both 17, were finishing up work at the I Can't Believe It's Yogurt store.

Jennifer's 15-year-old sister Sarah, and her 13-year-old friend Amy Ayers were there, too. An unknown man entered the store, tied the girls up with their own clothing, and shot all four in the head, execution style.

REPORTER: The murders have been called Austin's most notorious.

CASAREZ (voice-over): Through the years, leads were followed, but the case remained unsolved.

In 2022, Jackson was asked to take over the investigation.

JACKSON: I knew at that point, though, that knowing the gravity of the case, how big it was at that point, it would be with me the rest -- of the rest of my life. This is my career from now on.

CASAREZ (voice-over): One bullet casing from a gun used in the yogurt shop, as well as DNA from the victim's sexual assault kits were sent nationwide to see if they matched any cases.

Jackson had success.

JACKSON: He goes, we got a hit, and I just couldn't believe it.

CASAREZ (voice-over): The casing was consistent with a Kentucky case and the DNA matched a South Carolina murder that had been committed by a Robert Eugene Brashers, who died by suicide in 1999.

Shawn Ayers, the older brother of Amy, was 19 when he lost his only sister.

SHAWN AYERS, BROTHER OF ONE OF THE VICTIMS: It's been something that I really didn't want to experience or that people really shouldn't have to experience.

CASAREZ (voice-over): Last year, Jackson knew there was unknown male DNA from under Amy's fingernails that could hold the answer. Law enforcement believed Amy fought off her killer. Jackson ordered a comparison with Brashers' DNA profile.

JACKSON: I think it took so long because technology had to catch up and, you know, DNA has come a long way since '91.

CASAREZ (voice-over): Statistics revealed 2.5 million to one, it was Brashers' DNA.

I wanted to ask you about Amy. If you could talk to her, you could tell her something right now. What would it be?

JACKSON: I'm sorry I took 34 years to find this out for you and your parents. But good for you, girl, scratching the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of him. That's awesome that you did that because that's what got us to where we are today.

CASAREZ (voice-over): Jackson believes this killer has committed many more crimes.

ANGIE AYERS, SHAWN'S WIFE: We are here for the long haul, and we will do whatever we can for all the families out there needing answers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CASAREZ (on camera): What the science has also done in this case is point to the innocence of four teenage boys at the time who were arrested for the murders. Two of them confessed. They recanted, but both were convicted of capital murder.

In 2006 and 2007, their cases were overturned because of constitutional errors.

[14:55:01]

In 2009, DNA evidence excluded all of them.

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza says that his office is reviewing the findings of the Austin police department, and if the conclusions are confirmed, they will take the responsibility for prosecuting these four individuals. They will apologize. He also says we will take any necessary steps to ensure that they can move forward with their lives.

Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, as negotiators gather to work out a Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, President Trump has strong words about what will happen if a deal is not signed.

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