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Mediators Head To Egypt For Tomorrow's Gaza Talks; Interview With Rep. French Hill (R-AR) About Government Shutdown; Most Americans Say Trump Policies Making Them Worse Financially; OMB Director Holds Billions In Funding For Chicago And New York City; Inside America's No Fly Zone Simulation. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 05, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:42]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.

We are hours away from the start of ceasefire negotiations aimed at ending the war in Gaza. The delegation from Hamas arrived in Egypt a short time ago. Teams from Israel and the U.S. are headed that way for those talks that begin again tomorrow. Ahead of the talks, President Trump told CNN Hamas faces, quote, "complete obliteration" if it refuses to give up power in Gaza. His comment was part of a text conversation with our Jake Tapper, who asked what would happen if Hamas insists on staying in power.

Let's bring in Julia Benbrook, who is joining us now from the White House.

And Julia, President Trump says he thinks negotiations will last a couple of days. The White House, of course, moving quickly on this, they want to get this over the finish line very much. Obviously, the delegation is in route to Egypt right now.

What else is the White House saying tonight?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, President Donald Trump is keeping pressure on both Israel and Hamas to move forward with his 20-point plan for a ceasefire in Gaza. That plan calls for the release of all hostages held by Hamas within 72 hours of an agreement. It also lays out a roadmap for Gaza when the war ends.

Now, after receiving pressure and a deadline from Trump, Hamas did say that it would immediately enter negotiations to release all hostages, but stopped short of fully endorsing the 20-point plan. As Trump spoke with reporters on the South Lawn this afternoon, he was pressed on if there was flexibility in this proposal, if there was room for changes. He said in his remarks that he believes that this is a great deal for Israel and, quote, "a great deal for everyone."

On the topic of potential changes, though, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We don't need flexibility because everybody is pretty much agreed to it, but there'll always be some changes. But the Hamas plan, I tell you, it's amazing. You're going to have peace. If you think about it. Peace in the Middle East. For the first time in, they say, really 3,000 years, so I'm very honored to be a big part of that.

Look, they've been fighting for a plan for years. We get the hostages back almost immediately. Negotiations are going on right now. Will probably take a couple of days. And people are very happy about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: When it comes to how the United States will be involved in negotiations going forward, indirect talks are expected to take place between Israel and Hamas in Egypt tomorrow. And we do know that Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, as well as Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has been involved in conversations, are in the region.

In an interview with ABC that aired earlier today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that it is the administration's goal that 90 percent of these negotiations are taking place before White House officials arrive -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Julia Benbrook, from the White House, thank you so much for that.

And just before leaving for Egypt, Israel's coordinator for hostage affairs sent a message to the hostage family saying his country will negotiate with what he said is a full commitment and determination to secure the release of all of those being held by Hamas. His comments come amid growing hope that the beginning of the resolution to the war could be on the horizon.

And our Jeremy Diamond has more now from Tel Aviv -- Jeremy.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a lot of optimism in the air about the prospects of President Trump's 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza actually becoming a reality. But the rubber is going to meet the road on Monday, as Israel and Hamas are set to begin in direct negotiations to actually turn that plan into something concrete that can be implemented on the ground.

And this is where we're going to find out how big the gaps really are between these two sides and the willingness of the two parties to actually bridge those gaps. These indirect negotiations are set to take place in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, and the Israeli prime minister has authorized that Israeli negotiating team to travel on Monday to participate in those talks. In fact, on Sunday night, the prime minister held what is being described to us as a lengthy discussion with that negotiating team ahead of those talks.

We know that there are still several major issues that need to be resolved before this plan can become a reality.

[18:05:05] One of those is going to have to do with the Israeli withdrawal lines, the lines to which Israel will withdraw within the Gaza Strip in order for that hostage release of 48 hostages to actually go through. Then there's the big question of disarmament. Hamas has so far not indicated publicly whether they are willing to disarm, which is a requirement for the U.S. and Israel in order for this war to end.

And then more broadly, there is still this question of whether Hamas will actually agree to release all 48 hostages upfront, as they have signaled they are, but without the entire plan having been agreed to, will Hamas require that all 20 points of this plan have final agreement before moving forward with the implementation of the first phase, which is indeed that hostage release.

There's no question, though, that the United States and Israel want this deal to be done quickly. President Trump has been talking about how he hopes this can be achieved in a matter of days, and threatening that Hamas will face complete obliteration if it doesn't agree to this deal.

Now, Israel, the Israeli military has said it's shifted to a defensive posture inside the Gaza Strip. But that doesn't mean that bombardments have stopped altogether. Some residents in Gaza have reported to us that they've seen a decrease in Israeli strikes, but the killing is very much still continuing, with at least 20 people who have been killed on Sunday alone, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Between that and the 48 hostages still being held in Gaza, it's clear that the stakes of these negotiations are very, very high.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

DEAN: Jeremy, thank you for that.

It is also day five of the government shutdown. And right now there is no signs that it's going to end any time soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): 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.

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): The Democrats just need to open up the government. Right now, we're at a stalemate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Democrats and Republicans divided over what to do about the subsidies for healthcare, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Democrats are trying to pressure Republicans to extend those enhanced tax credits that help bring down the cost of health insurance for people who are covered under the Affordable Care Act. Failing to do that could hike premiums for millions of Americans.

Now, Republicans argue that debate can happen, but it should take place after the government reopens.

Let's bring in Arkansas Republican Congressman French Hill, who is joining us now.

Congressman, thank you so much for your time on this Sunday evening. We really appreciate it. It's really nice to see you. I know that you are in conversation with leadership. You're talking with your colleagues. Update people. where do things stand tonight?

REP. FRENCH HILL (R-AR): You bet, Jessica. It's so good to be with you coming from your home in Arkansas today. So greetings from your home state.

DEAN: Thank you.

HILL: Look, where this stands is quite simple, which is that a bipartisan set of members have supported the government continuing to be open while we finish the appropriations process. That's what the House voted for. That's what Leader Thune, as you just saw in the film, has put on the Senate floor. But not all the Democrats have been released to vote for that in the Senate.

You had one independent and Mr. Fetterman and two Democrats vote with the Republicans to open government because no one wins in the government shutdown. Obviously, the federal workers are hurt. Our citizens are hurt by discontinuation of policies. It gets worse each day as it goes along, which is why Republicans took the simple, straightforward approach of in the House, passing a clean CR through November 21st so that we could continue these normal appropriations discussions.

I think Mr. Schumer made a mistake. I think he marched his troops up into a box canyon on this topic, and I've never seen in my short time in Congress anyone win who takes that approach. It's better to keep that normal appropriations negotiations going. That's what's been happening between the House and Senate. And we've got three bills passed in the Senate. We have four bills passed in the House.

And what we're blocking by a government shutdown is we can't have a conference committee. We can't have any committee action. There's no formal activity happening in Congress while the government is shut down. So that's why I do agree. Let's have Democrat senators join the Republicans, reopen the government on Monday, and let's continue those talks between now and November 21st.

DEAN: And, Congressman, the Democrats have said in their words, they don't -- they don't believe the Republicans that if they sign on to this, that they are never going -- that the Republicans will not allow them to actually have this conversation about these health care subsidies and that they will lose the ability to have any leverage. What do you say to that?

[18:10:02]

HILL: Yes, just -- yes, I don't -- I don't share that view. Don't forget, these are subsidies that were created by the Biden administration during COVID. They were expanded tax credits that go to the insurance companies. They actually don't go to citizens. They go to the insurance companies under the ACA premium tax credit program.

DEAN: But they keep the premiums down. Right.

HILL: Yes. Well, they were they were expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic and then those are expiring under the Biden reconciliation plan. So that's part of spending that's under negotiation in the committee. So I don't really take their point. If they'd let the appropriations process continued, I'm sure their members that will come to a conclusion about how to handle those premiums going forward after January 1st.

DEAN: There are multiple military bases there in Arkansas with men and women who are -- have signed on to protect our country and are continuing to serve potentially now without a paycheck. Are you concerned about that piece of all of this?

HILL: I sure am, which is why I voted to keep the government open, which is why I voted to support the National Defense Authorization Committee, which is in conference right now between the House and Senate and can't proceed because the house and Senate are not in session during this government shutdown.

And as you heard in earlier report, you had WIC is in jeopardy because of what the Democrats in the Senate have done and WIC is unfortunately also used by many of our lower paid troops. And so a large pay increase is being blocked in addition to that next paycheck for our military. And that's why I think, again, the Democrats and the Senate should vote with the Republicans. Open up the process. That means everybody gets a paycheck.

That means all of our programs are supported like WIC that's in jeopardy, like our other issues that our citizens depend on, and both state and federal employees are inconvenienced by and really, their pay is in jeopardy as long as this goes on.

DEAN: Yes. And during this shutdown, the president and members of his administration have kind of excitedly talked about making cuts to the federal workforce instead of simply furloughing, which is what's typical during a shutdown. But cutting people, firing people during this time and using this as an opportunity to do that.

Do you think that's the right approach during this time?

HILL: Well, I think the right approach is for the House and Senate to complete the fiscal 26 spending program. And in that regard, Congress and the executive branch put their stamp on what jobs are continuing, what jobs are, how they're funded, what programs are continuing.

This kind of dragging out the continuing resolution, and then stopping the continuing resolution and appropriations negotiation is not helping the situation. So if we want our government to function appropriately, let's use regular order with Susan Collins chairing the Appropriations Committee in the Senate, Tom Cole chairing the Appropriations Committee here in the House, and get their work done. That's how we help focus the government on the right programs at the right spending levels.

DEAN: But do you support the cutting of the federal workforce during this time?

HILL: I think that is a -- to go from a furlough to a riff is something that the Office of Management and Budget is studying department by department with those cabinet agencies. They're trying to keep Congress briefed in committee by committee as if that might happen, and if so, what the impact would be. So I'd say we're still looking at it.

I think if Chuck Schumer would release his Democratic senators on Monday, it wouldn't even come up because we could move forward with a logical regular order appropriations process.

DEAN: All right, Congressman French Hill, we really appreciate it. Thanks for your time.

HILL: You bet, Jessica, great to be with you.

DEAN: Nice to see you.

Americans are still divided over who is to blame for this government shutdown, but they do appear to be on the same page about whether the shutdown is worth it for their particular party. Plus, from New York to California, the Trump administration is using the shutdown as a chance to freeze billions for various projects, and the impacted cities and states all have one thing in common.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:19:00]

DEAN: As the government shutdown stretches into a new week, both sides digging in their heels. No signs right now of negotiations on a deal. And the back and forth has a lot of Americans wondering if a shutdown is worth it.

This is where we bring in CNN's chief data analyst, Harry Enten, who runs the numbers.

Hi, Harry. On these sorts of things for us.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hi.

DEAN: You'll tell us how people, how Americans feel that Trump's policies are affecting them financially.

ENTEN: Yes, this is one of the biggest switcheroos that I have seen since the beginning of the Trump presidency. You know, when Trump started there was so many high hopes from Americans, so many high hopes. Trump's policies are making you fiscally, you know, back in January, 42 percent expected to make him better off compared to just 28 percent who said worse off. That worse off number has gone up like a rocket. That better off number has crashed to earth like the Cleveland Guardians did in the playoffs. Look at this now, 51 percent say Trump's policies are fiscally making

them worse off compared to just 17 percent who said better off. So better off had a 14-point margin back in January, and now it is down by more than 30 percentage points.

[18:20:07]

My goodness gracious. Very bad news for the president of the United States -- Jessica.

DEAN: Yes. Those are some interesting numbers. And why do people feel things are getting worse?

ENTEN: Yes, I think one of the things we just need to keep in mind is to not take our eyes off of the balls. Yes, the shutdown is important. It's especially important to those workers who are being affected by it. But the bottom line is it is the economy that will end up determining everything. And it is going to be prices and jobs.

Look at this. Trump's policies are making the U.S. lose jobs. Look at this, 53 percent. The majority of Americans now say that Trump's policies are making the U.S. lose jobs, but more worrisome for the president of the United States is this number, 64 percent. About two in three Americans say that Trump's policies are making the cost of food you buy rise.

I am not really sure how the Republican Party can hold on to the U.S. House of Representatives next year. If these numbers hold, and especially this number two and three Americans saying the cost of food you buy rise, that is a recipe for absolute disaster for the incumbent party -- Jessica.

DEAN: Yes. 64 percent. That's not -- yes, you don't get 64 percent of people to agree on a lot of things.

ENTEN: No, you don't get -- no. No.

DEAN: Do they have any hope on the near term when it comes to prices, though?

ENTEN: Yes, I think this is the other thing. You know, we mentioned that 64 percent, you know, that two-thirds, look at this. How about over the next year, the cost of living will rise. Again it's that two- thirds you talk about. It's very difficult to get two-thirds of Americans to agree on anything, but they agree that over the next year, the cost of living will rise. You got that 20 percent who say hold and just 12 percent who say that the cost of living will drop.

When you get two-thirds saying rise, and only a third saying hold or drop on the cost of living, and that of course, being the reason that Donald Trump was reelected to the United States presidency, again, this is a recipe for absolute disaster, at least when we're talking politically. And it's also a disaster when, of course, we're talking about wallets as well.

DEAN: Yes, not a lot of hope in those numbers. How important is the economy to voters right now? Because to your point, huge part of why the president was elected. How important is it to them now?

ENTEN: Yes, I mean, look at this. We're putting forward a whole segment on this. And I wouldn't do so if it weren't the key issue of the day. I mean, look here, just look here. The top issue for you right now, 40 percent, two in five Americans say inflation the top issue for them. And you know what? Second, the economy, which is basically very much along those lines. But the other parts of the economy like jobs, we're talking about 19 percent there.

We're talking about three in five Americans either saying inflation or the economy is the top issue for them right now. And when you have these numbers looking like this, we're always saying Trump's policies are making you worse off, 51 percent, that is very, very, very bad or as I might say, or my father might say, oy vey.

DEAN: Oy vey, indeed. It is Sunday. We are in football season. I do need to ask you how you're feeling about the Bills.

ENTEN: Yes, OK, so I have props for this as I always have. So the 2025 --

DEAN: You always do.

ENTEN: Of course. Of course. And I got my helmet right here as well. Here we go. I look like, you know, I could be out at the -- be out at the stadium later tonight out in Buffalo.

DEAN: Just like a natural.

ENTEN: Look, we're 4-0. A natural, right? A natural. I feel like I fit in right in Orchard Park. We're 4-0, we're the last team unbeaten. I don't expect us to stay unbeaten throughout the entire season, though if we did, we'd match the '72 Dolphins. I'm just looking to win a Super Bowl and I really do feel like this could be the year. I know, you'll say I always say that, but this year I really do feel like it could be the year.

DEAN: It really, really, really could be. All right. Harry Enten, good to see you. Thank you.

ENTEN: Nice to see you.

DEAN: And props and all.

President Trump is freezing billions of dollars in federal funding for Democratic cities and states, with Chicago and New York City topping the list of targets.

As the partisan standoff over the government shutdown continues, CNN's Tom Foreman takes a look at the projects on the chopping block and the ongoing pressure campaign from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the Windy City of Chicago, $2.1 billion in federal funding for transit has been blown away by the White House, according to the Illinois governor, hurting our economy and the hard-working people.

In New York, $18 billion federal dollars have been frozen for transportation projects. Amid all that, President Trump posted this video, portraying his budget boss, Russell Vought, as the Grim Reaper, who, like Trump, wants to pressure Democratic lawmakers from blue strongholds to end the budget stalemate that triggered the government shutdown.

RUSS VOUGHT, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET: We're not going to be held hostage to these kinds of insane, ridiculous demands by the Democrats.

FOREMAN (voice-over): One of the administration's tools for removing all that money is the idea that some of it might be spent to promote race and sex-based contracting, DEI programs that the White House has forbidden.

[18:25:11]

But the administration has also canceled what it calls nearly $8 billion in green new scam funding, hammering 16 states, all of which Trump lost in the last presidential race.

CHRIS WRIGHT, SECRETARY OF ENERGY: We're going to count on energy imports.

FOREMAN (voice-over): The Secretary of Energy suggests red states may be involved as well, and he's just saving money.

WRIGHT: These cancellation decisions, absolutely not tied to the government shutdown.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Yet hundreds of millions in disaster preparedness grants are being withheld, too. The White House is demanding states recount their populations in the wake of aggressive deportations so the distributions can be adjusted. That move came just hours after a federal court put a temporary block on efforts to divert FEMA funds largely away from Democratic-led states.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson says the president just wants the government running again.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): And is he trying to apply pressure to make that happen? He probably is, yes. And I applaud that.

FOREMAN (voice-over): But Democrats say Republicans' strong-arm tactics will not work.

JEFFRIES: They need to come to the table. We can go back to the White House, or they can come up here, and we can have a conversation to end this shutdown. They're hurting the American people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN (on-camera): Democrats are even pointing out a type of irony here. They're saying that while the White House is putting this big squeeze on the blue states and their supporters, the Democrats say the health insurance matters that they are fighting for will help millions of families in red America -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Tom, thank you so much.

Tonight, President Trump dialing up the pressure on Hamas, threatening obliteration if the terror group tries to keep power in Gaza in what could be a major sticking point when negotiations begin tomorrow in Egypt.

More on this. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:31:21]

DEAN: New tonight, people gathered in New York's Central Park to mark two years since the deadly Hamas terror attacks on Israel on October 7th of 2023. More than 1200 people in Israel were killed, more than 250 taken hostage.

The crowd in Central Park tonight included some former hostages who have been released and families of some hostages still being held in Gaza tonight. The crowd calling for the immediate release of everyone still being held, both living and dead.

And just moments ago, President Trump posting on social media saying talks on a Gaza ceasefire are, quote, "proceeding rapidly." And the first phase could be complete as soon as this week. Teams from Hamas, Israel and the U.S. will begin -- will head to Egypt tomorrow to begin negotiations.

And we're joined now by former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, Dana Stroul. She's also now the research director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Dana, thank you for being here with us on the precipice of what's going to be a really big week in all of this. The two-year anniversary, of course, on Tuesday. And then these talks beginning tomorrow. What is your sense of where this all stands?

DANA STROUL, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR MIDDLE EAST: Well, first of all, any talking about getting the hostages out, winding down operations, so that humanitarian aid can get into Gaza to Palestinian civilians in need is good news. And what's different about the ceasefire negotiations this time around, in my view, is that you have such alignment across the Middle East.

Arab governments, Muslim governments, European governments, and, of course, President Trump and White House support. And you have the prime minister of Israel all expressing support for this 20-point plan and these negotiations in Cairo. And it's really right now all eyes on Hamas who is under really intense pressure right now to say yes and release these hostages.

DEAN: And to get to this point, a lot of pressure had to be put on everyone, on the Israelis, on Hamas. What do you think about how that has been, how that pressure has been applied? Who's pushing each side and how that has brought us to this moment?

STROUL: Well, there's no question that after nearly 10 months of President Trump's second administration here, he has, first of all, backed Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel the entire year when it came to Israeli decisions in Gaza. And now he's decided that this war and Israeli military operations need to come to an end.

So I think it's absolutely clear that presidential leverage and -- from President Trump on Prime Minister Netanyahu is making the difference when it comes to Israeli flexibility on the ceasefire. The other difference here, though, is that it usually has been Qatar and Egypt working on Hamas. This time you really have the entire region aligned that this ceasefire agreement must go through including Turkey, which is really significant.

DEAN: You have talked some about this on Tuesday. Of course, as I mentioned, we're going to mark two years since Hamas's October 7th attack. You've talked about how in the intervening years that the U.S. relationship has evolved, and also what this looks like moving forward across the region. Walk us through your thoughts on all of that.

STROUL: Well, first of all, before October 7th, when we thought about the kinds of threats facing Israel, they were all from Iran-backed actors. So Iran's nuclear program, Iran's ballistic missile program, and then Iran's network of terrorists, Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, and of course, the Houthis in Yemen, militias in Iraq.

[18:35:12]

And today, the region looks entirely different. We have new leadership in Damascus and Beirut who talk about eventual normalization with Israel. We know that Hamas is severely degraded and can no longer pose another October 7th like attack. You have militias in Iraq standing down. You have the Houthis not really able to cause much damage. And of course, Israel did attack Iran over the summer and significantly set back its nuclear program.

So the region has changed, and we can imagine a situation in which all of the constellation of Iranian threats no longer pose an existential threat to Israel. The difference, however, is that while the U.S.- Israel military relationship has really deepened in order to achieve what I just described across the region, politically that bipartisan support for Israel is really on a decline. And so you have this divergence where Israel has achieved significant objectives through the military instrument, but its ability to achieve anything politically is really going down.

DEAN: Yes, it is an interesting confluence of events. And I think the part to underscore, too, is just how significantly that region has been reshaped and will likely continue to be if this deal goes through.

STROUL: Absolutely. What's remarkable about this 20-point plan is it that it only begins with release of the hostages and humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. It's actually a much broader plan for the entire region, including a two-state solution at some point, a role for Arab states in guaranteeing security presence on the ground in Gaza.

It's really remarkable. And I think it's going to take a long time to implement. But the fact that you have such support for it at this point in time builds on the totally changed strategic landscape.

DEAN: Dana, thank you so much. I'm sorry to cut you short. We're going to go to President Trump. He's talking. But thanks for your time. We really appreciate it. Let's listen.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: -- to release the hostages.

TRUMP: Yes. We're going to be very quickly. We had some very good meetings. The countries of the world, a lot of the countries surrounding Israel, frankly Muslim, Arab and many others, have had great meetings with Hamas. And it looks like it's working. So we'll wait for a little while, and see how it all turns out.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Will the administration begin firing federal --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: When's the deadline?

TRUMP: We're going to work very, very quickly. I think it's going to go very quickly. The meeting seemed to be very good. We'll find out. We'll let you know soon.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The rebels, DRC, Democratic Republic of the Congo, they continue to kill a lot --

TRUMP: In Congo?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yes, they continue to --

TRUMP: Well, we're looking into that. We've heard that.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What about the ceasefire?

TRUMP: We're going to look at that. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, you said there (INAUDIBLE) yesterday night in the Caribbean. Could you give more details about that?

TRUMP: My people will give you those details.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: -- administration begin firing federal employees during this government shutdown? TRUMP: That's taking place right now. It's all because of the

Democrats. The Democrats are causing the loss of a lot of jobs with their -- it's a shutdown. It's their shutdown, not our shutdown. It's their shutdown.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What agency --

TRUMP: And I hope everybody likes what's the Presidential Walk of Fame. You know that? Have you seen the -- it's beautiful, isn't it? Presidential Walk of Fame. Thank you very much. Again, congratulations to the Navy. They did a great job today. Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What agencies, Mr. President?

DEAN: That was President Trump arriving back at the White House. He had been in Norfolk, Virginia, earlier today, giving brief, and talking briefly there with the press, but giving his update there on what's going on with a potential peace plan for the Gaza war. He said in his view, it's moving very quickly and he hopes to know very soon how that's going to go, but that he in his mind thinks things are going well and it seemed to be going really well.

He also said that, when asked about the firings of -- mass firings of federal workers, he said that's taking place now. Again, we have been waiting to see exactly how that will shake out as we are now in day five of the government shutdown with no end in sight right now.

We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:44:01]

DEAN: Today marks the final day of the Pacific Air Show in Southern California. A major showcase of U.S. Military aircraft and defense capabilities. And while the crowds come for the spectacle, the same fighter jets also play a critical role in real world missions, including last week's interception of Russian bombers and fighter jets that flew into Alaska's Air Defense Identification Zones.

CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones has more on how U.S. air defenses patrol the skies.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica. A lot of the people who are here at the air show today come to see the display of military might and skill of U.S. Military pilots. But today, a lot of these planes are being flown by either civilian pilots or by Canadian or British pilots because of the shutdown. The U.S. Navy and the military pilots that were supposed to be flying these are not here today. But we were able to still get a glimpse from inside one of these planes as they intercept us. Take a look.

[18:45:01]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aircraft, this is our air defense fighter on guard. (INAUDIBLE) 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you do not cooperate, you will be fired upon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in the (INAUDIBLE). We're the main target. 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A second one is right behind him, 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.

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

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

What was that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is a jet wash. That is a jet wash to 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, 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 -- what our goal is to move to a safe distance. So, thinking closer to that 1,000-feet and then slowly but surely, as safety dictates, we'll kind of move in closer and closer. OK.

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

What are you looking for 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 the best game plan would be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (on-camera): And just to put into context, Jessica, for our viewers, to keep one of those F-15s in the air for one hour, it costs about $30,000, give or take. So it is an investment in keeping those teams trained up and ready to react, especially as the U.S. gets ready to host the World Cup and then the Olympics here in Los Angeles and back-to-back Super Bowls coming up here in California -- Jessica.

DEAN: Julia Vargas Jones, thanks so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:52:56]

DEAN: Breaking overnight, Alabama police say a shootout in downtown Montgomery killed two people, including a 17-year-old, and injured a dozen more, many of them young people. They say this began when two people opened fire at each other in a crowded nightlife district late Saturday night. Officials say when that gunfire started, other people started firing their weapons and that just increased the chaos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JAMES GRABOYS, MONTGOMERY POLICE: Breakdown on this bothers me and every victim bothers me. I take it very personally. But this is of note. Seven of the victims are under the age of 20. The youngest of these victims is 16 years old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Investigators say they're searching through evidence and interviewing potential suspects. No one has thus far been charged in the shooting.

More than 800,000 Uber and Lyft drivers in California now have the right to join a union. That's after Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new state law. Rideshare drivers right now are classified as independent contractors, so they're not entitled to overtime pay or paid sick leave. But joining a union can help them get access to those kinds of benefits. The law does not apply to drivers for delivery apps like DoorDash.

Nearly a thousand truckers were stranded as a sudden blizzard hit Mount Everest. Chinese state media says at least 350 climbers have already been guided to safety, and that it's made contact with the remaining 200 people who are being helped down the slopes by rescuers. It did not say if all the climbers had been accounted for. Teams of villagers and rescuers have been working together to clear out some of the snow to make a safe pathway.

This is a peak time of the year for people visiting Everest amid an eight-day national holiday in China to the south of Tibet in Nepal. Flash floods and landslides have killed at least 47 people since Friday.

And tonight, you get a chance to take a trip around the world with Tony Shalhoub to discover how bread connects us all. The brand new CNN Original Series, "TONY SHALHOUB BREAKING BREAD," premieres tonight at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific only here on CNN.

And when we come back, President Trump is blaming Democrats for the mass federal layoffs the White House is planning during this government shutdown.

[18:55:01]

Ahead, we're going to talk with one Republican congressman who says those firings could make sense for what he calls a bloated government.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.

Negotiators from Israel and the U.S. are headed to Egypt in the coming hours for talks with Hamas, aimed at reaching an agreement on President Trump's ceasefire plan for Gaza. The president making it very clear he wants this done quickly.