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Indirect Israel-Hamas Talks To Begin In Egypt On Monday; Deadly Attacks Ongoing In Gaza Ahead Of Talks In Egypt; Displaced Palestinians Cautiously Hopeful For Ceasefire Deal; At Least Five Killed In Russian Bombardment Of Lviv; Putin Warns U.S. Not To Let Ukraine Get Tomahawk Missiles; Judge Stops Trump Plan To Send National Guard To Oregon; Trump Deploys National Guard To Illinois Amid Protests; Heavy Rain, Landslides & Flooding Kill At Least 44 In Nepal; Officials To Release Election Results In Coming Hours; Some Syrians Skeptical Election Will Bring Change; CNN Boards The LA Dolce Vita Orient Express. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired October 06, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BEN HUNTE, CNN HOST: Hello, wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you here.
Coming up on the show, leaders from Hamas, Israel, and the U.S. are set to begin indirect talks in Egypt, in hopes of moving forward with President Trump's ceasefire plan, as Israel's military campaign inside Gaza results in more Palestinian deaths. Vladimir Putin, with a warning to the U.S., what the Russian president says could destroy relations with Washington, as Moscow continues to rain terror on its sovereign neighbor.
And President Trump hits a new legal roadblock in his repeated attempts to send National Guard troops to a city that doesn't want them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte.
HUNTE: Welcome. Delegations from Israel, Hamas, and the U.S. are set to begin key negotiations in Egypt in the coming hours. They hope to finalize a ceasefire deal based on U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza plan. Ahead of those talks, President Trump says there have been positive discussions with Hamas and other nations, and he says technical teams in Egypt will work through and clarify final details.
The U.S. President is urging everyone to move fast, saying, quote, "Time is of the essence, or massive bloodshed will follow. Something that nobody wants to see." But amid all those signs of progress, Israeli attacks inside Gaza are still ongoing. Hospital officials say Palestinians in Khan Yunis buried loved ones on Sunday that were killed in weekend strikes. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is following all of the developments from Tel Aviv.
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 indirect 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. 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 up front, 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've 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.
HUNTE: There is cautious optimism in Israel, where crowds gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to pray for the return of those still being held by Hamas.
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In Jerusalem, the families of some of the Israeli hostages set up a tent for hope outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence. They're expressing hope that a deal will be reached and that they'll soon see the return of their loved ones.
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EINAV ZANGAUKER, MOTHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE MATAN ZANGAUKER (through translation): After two years of struggle, two years in which 48 hostages and one female hostage are held captive by Hamas, we are a step away from a comprehensive deal and the end of the war. This opportunity must not be missed. We will not let it be missed.
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HUNTE: Palestinians are also expressing hope for a ceasefire deal that will finally see an end to the war in Gaza. Those displaced by the ongoing fighting have witnessed other efforts fail, but say they're cautiously hopeful that this time might be different.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): We are worried, really, that the deal they are talking about will fail, because every time they reach a solution, they say a truce will be declared. We wake up on a terrible nightmare at the end.
No, we hope to go beyond this stage. The truce comes into effect and we go back to Gaza City despite the debris, despite its destruction, despite everything. But nothing is more valuable than the homeland soil.
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HUNTE: We're joined now by Khaled Elgindy, he's an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. He's also the author of the book, "Blindspot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump."
Thank you so much for being with me, Khaled. How are you doing?
KHALED ELGINDY, VISITING SCHOLAR, CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ARAB STUDIES, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: I'm good. Thanks for having me.
HUNTE: So good to have you with me.
Let's get into this. A few days on and there's still so much hope around this possible ceasefire deal. From your understanding, what will the negotiation process actually look like now and who's really driving it?
ELGINDY: Well, apparently, Washington is driving this. As most people probably know, President Trump announced his plan to end the war in Gaza on Monday. And Hamas issued its response, which was a sort of qualified acceptance, which many people were surprised by.
And -- but the important thing to remember is that nothing has changed on the ground. The parties are meeting in Egypt to talk about the details, and particularly the prisoner and hostage exchange that is supposed to happen. But in the meantime, the Israeli bombing is continuing.
The limitations on humanitarian aid are still in place. And the situation is as bad today as it was before Trump's announcement. So things are still in a holding pattern, essentially.
HUNTE: I want to talk about the Hamas yes, but response. Do you think that that hesitation can hold while the U.S. and Israel are being so firm in their positions? And what is Hamas really hoping to achieve with that?
ELGINDY: Well, I mean, it was very difficult for Hamas to have accepted the plan as it was, particularly since it's clear that Prime Minister Netanyahu had considerable input into the plan. And I think it's pretty clear that Netanyahu was expecting Hamas to reject it, and I think maybe even hoping for Hamas to reject it.
But for Hamas, it would have been very hard to accept without looking like a surrender. I mean, the terms were so lopsided in Israel's favor that it simply would have looked like a Hamas surrender. But at the same time, they couldn't openly reject it because the situation on the ground is so dire, and people in Gaza are desperate for an end to the death and destruction.
HUNTE: You have said blame and responsibility are multilayered right now. How are Palestinians viewing Hamas versus how they view Israel and its leadership?
ELGINDY: Yes, I mean, it's very hard to gauge public opinion at the moment when people are first and foremost concerned with survival. It's hard to conduct polls. I mean, from what I hear anecdotally, people are frustrated.
They -- you know, when word first broke about the Trump plan, most Palestinians that I know in Gaza were eagerly calling on Hamas to accept it, regardless of the terms, and not to hesitate in doing so because that's how desperate they are, even though the terms are quite bad for Palestinians as a whole. And so there is a lot of pressure from below on Hamas to, you know, to at least appear like they are working with this plan.
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But, you know, feelings are mixed. I think Palestinians in Gaza are quite exhausted and traumatized by everything that's happened over the last two years. Exactly how they're going to hold Hamas or future leaders accountable, that remains to be seen. But I'm sure that that will be a priority after the dust has settled and after the violence has stopped.
HUNTE: Just quickly, you've studied negotiations like these for decades. When you look at this moment we're at right now, do you see a genuine potential for peace?
ELGINDY: There's a genuine potential to end the current violence and destruction, whether it's going to lead -- I mean, I certainly don't believe that the peace as described in the terms by President Trump, that's not on the table. We're not talking here about ending an 80- year conflict between two national movements that have claims to the same piece of land. That's not what's being discussed here.
And I think it's a mistake to think in terms of about some kind of final peace between Israelis and Palestinians. What this is about is ending the horror show that we've been watching in Gaza for the last two years, and bringing some stability and maybe creating a pathway toward resolve the much deeper issues between Israel and Palestine.
HUNTE: OK, obviously so much to discuss, but we'll leave it there for now.
Khaled Elgindy, thank you so much for your insight. We appreciate it.
ELGINDY: Thank you.
HUNTE: Ukrainians in the western city of Lviv are surveying the destruction after a massive Russian air attack. Lviv's governor says Russia launched its largest ever assault on the region overnight into Sunday, involving 140 drones and 23 missiles. At least five people were killed. Four of the victims were members of a single family who died in a strike on their residential building.
Russia also targeted the city of Zaporizhzhia on the opposite side of the country. At least one person was killed in that air attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian forces fired more than 50 missiles and nearly 500 drones over the weekend, proving once again that Putin craves the destruction of Ukraine.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): Sadly, there's no strong adequate response from the international community to what's happening. Constant escalation and brazenness of these strikes. Putin is doing it and seems to mock the West and its silence and lack of strong actions in response. Russia has rejected every proposal to end the war or even to halt the strikes.
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HUNTE: Meanwhile, Russia's president is warning the U.S. against supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. Vladimir Putin saying that move would lead to the destruction of U.S.-Russian relations. Ukraine's president has asked the U.S. government to sell the long- range missile systems to European nations, which would donate them to Ukraine.
If so, Kyiv would have the ability to strike deep inside Russia. White House officials have recently said that Donald Trump is considering allowing that deal to go through. A surprising turn of events in the standoff between Democratic-led cities and Donald Trump. A judge said the U.S. president couldn't deploy the Oregon National Guard to Portland, so he's trying to send different troops. And the judge just issued a ruling on that. The story's coming up next.
And why President Trump is calling deadly U.S. strikes on boats in the Caribbean, quote, "acts of kindness." See you in a bit.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. Just minutes ago, a federal judge said Donald Trump cannot send any National Guard troops to Oregon. On Saturday, that same judge told President Trump he could not deploy the Oregon National Guard to the city of Portland.
The White House then said it would send National Guard soldiers from California or Texas, but this new ruling shut down all of those plans. The White House says it needs the troops to protect federal agents and facilities during protests.
Meanwhile, troops are being deployed to Illinois amid demonstrations outside an immigration and customs enforcement facility near Chicago. CNN's Rafael Romo has the latest for us.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The President and his administration are framing anti-ICE demonstrations in Democratic-led cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland as violent protests carried out by, quote, "domestic terrorists." In an interview with Fox News on Sunday morning, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated without providing evidence that protests and confrontations with federal agents are part of an organized movement funded by gangs, terrorists, and drug cartel members.
She cited drivers in Chicago who allegedly rammed their cars into a vehicle carrying federal agents, prompting one agent to shoot and injure a woman. 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.
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KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I've encouraged the governor of Oregon and of Illinois and that Attorney General should go down and spend some time with our ICE officers and with our Border Patrol officers and encounter the protesters that they do, because these individuals are shouting hateful things at them, threatening their families, putting their hands on them, and acts of violence are occurring on a regular basis.
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ROMO: And in an interview with CNN also on Sunday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker criticized the Trump administration for last week's raid in the city of Chicago, featured in a DHS video posted on X this weekend. According to the governor, U.S. citizens, children, and elderly people were detained for hours without cause.
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JB PRITZKER, ILLINOIS GOVERNOR: What kind of a country are we living in? And this raid at this building is emblematic of what ICE and CBP and the President of the United States, Kristi Noem and Greg Bovino, are trying to do. They want mayhem on the ground. They want to create the war zone so that they can send in even more troops. Now they're claiming they need 300 of Illinois' National Guard.
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ROMO: A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN that the raid was part of a multi-agency operation that led to the arrest of 37 undocumented immigrants, most of them from Venezuela, but also included people from Mexico, Nigeria, and Colombia.
Rafael Romo, CNN Atlanta.
HUNTE: President Donald Trump is praising U.S. strikes on boats off the coast of Venezuela. He claimed on Sunday that suspected drug traffickers are operating the boats. Here's what he said at an event honoring the Navy's 250th anniversary.
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: -- pretty tough thing we've been doing, but you have to think of it this way. Every one of those boats is responsible for the death of 25,000 American people and the destruction of families. So when you think of it that way, what we're doing is actually an act of kindness.
But we did another one last night. Now we just can't find any.
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HUNTE: On Friday, four people were killed when the U.S. struck what it says was a narcotrafficking boat off the coast of Venezuela. It was the latest in a series of U.S. attacks on boats in the Caribbean since early September. The U.S. says the strikes are part of a campaign against drug cartels.
The Trump administration has designated those group as terrorists, but officials have presented no proof that the boats were trafficking drugs. Venezuela's government has condemned the operations as, quote, "imperialist provocation."
More than 40 people are dead in Nepal from landslides, a lightning strike and flooding. Officials say heavy rain caused landslides that swept away entire villages on Saturday. Police confirmed violent flash flooding and a lightning strike have killed several others.
Swollen rivers are also submerging roadways and leading to the country's capital of Kathmandu, largely cutting the city off from the rest of the country. The heavy rain even temporarily grounded domestic flights in Nepal on Saturday.
Syria reaches a political milestone. Coming up, the latest on the first elections in the country since the fall of the Assad regime. See you in a moment.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are set to begin in Egypt today. Delegations, including from the U.S., hope to finalize a ceasefire deal based on U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza plan. President Trump says he expects discussions to go on for a couple of days.
Ukraine's president says his country's allies aren't doing enough to pressure Russia to stop killing civilians. This all comes after five people were killed in a massive Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Lviv. Officials say it's Russia's largest assault on the western region since the full-scale invasion.
A federal judge says Donald Trump cannot send any National Guard troops to Oregon. On Saturday, that same judge told President Trump he could not deploy the Oregon National Guard to the city of Portland. The White House says it needs the troops to protect federal agents and facilities during protests.
In the coming hours, Syria will release the results of its first election since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. Officials are describing Sunday's indirect vote as a defining step in Syria's political transition. But critics are calling the indirect vote unrepresentative of the people. And some Syrians are still skeptical it will bring about any real change.
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HUNTE (voice-over): A milestone in Syria. The country held its first parliamentary elections on Sunday after decades of dictatorship. Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, says it's a step forward after nearly 14 years of civil war and the demise of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
AHMAD AL-SHARAA, SYRIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): To have moved from a stage of war, chaos and destruction to one of elections and collective participation within only a few months is no small feat. The mission of rebuilding Syria is a shared responsibility, not entrusted to one person or a few individuals, but to all Syrians, each of whom must contribute to rebuilding their country.
HUNTE (voice-over): But the vote wasn't open to the general public. Instead, members of approved electoral colleges cast ballots to pick two-thirds of the new parliament, with the final third to be appointed by the president. The interim government says, after years of war, the temporary electoral framework was needed because there's no accurate voter registry, with one elector explaining the logistical challenges of a popular vote would be too great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): There are cities that are completely destroyed. More than half of the Syrian people are still displaced. Many people do not have documents. There is no infrastructure that allows for direct mass elections for all the people.
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HUNTE (voice-over): But not all of Syria's provinces participated in the elections. Authorities say security and logistical challenges prevented parts of the country outside of the central government's control from holding elections. Those areas are still controlled by Druze and Kurdish factions, which critics say raises questions about how inclusive the new parliament will be.
Women were guaranteed 20 percent representation in the electoral colleges, but it's unclear how many will be elected or appointed to the new assembly. Some Syrians say they're pessimistic the elections will bring about real change.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): Frankly, I'm not hopeful for anything, nothing. I hope that something will happen for the better. I wish as a person that something will happen for the better, but I have no hope for anything.
HUNTE (voice-over): Under Bashar al-Assad, all Syrians could vote, but the elections were widely considered shams. One of the tests of this new assembly will be to pave the way for a popular vote. But until then, some Syrians say this vote, even an indirect one, is better than before.
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HUNTE: Still to come, CNN takes you on board the Orient Express. And it's no mystery this time. We'll have a look at one of the most luxurious rides through Italy.
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HUNTE: Hundreds of hot air balloons filled the New Mexico sky on Sunday. The morning launch, known as the Mass Ascension, is part of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. This is the 53rd edition of the event, which started in 1972.
Organizers say it's the largest of its kind in the world. More than 500 balloons will take part in the fiesta, a nine-day event that takes place every year during the first full week of October.
More than 140 years after the original Orient Express launched, a new version of the luxury train is offering guests a ride through the Italian countryside. CNN Producer Antonia Mortensen got a taste of the high life on board the train that's evoking the charms and style of the past.
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ANTONIA MORTENSEN, CNN PRODUCER: We're about to take you on a once-in- a-lifetime experience. 24 hours on La Dolce Vita Orient Express, Italy's newest and most luxurious train. A trip like this will set you back around $3,500. I have my tickets. Let's go.
MORTENSEN (voice-over): But first, to our cabins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mrs. Mortensen.
MORTENSEN: Thank you.
And here it is, B1. Let's have a look.
My goodness, this is quite a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be.
MORTENSEN (voice-over): The train has 30 cabins, deluxe and suite, each with private bathrooms. It also features a dining cart, lounge, bar and relaxation area. And it's hard to imagine that this used to be an old Italian railway train from the 70s that was totally gutted and rebuilt.
MORTENSEN: The train has been tailor-built, and every detail has been meticulously designed. It has a very strong feeling that harks back to the La Dolce Vita 1960s era here in Italy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can help you at any time during your excursions. For example, we can text at any time. I will set your room, for example. I will bring you something to drink, breakfast, OK?
MORTENSEN (voice-over): The train was launched back in April, the dream child of Paolo Barletta, whose company teamed up with the historic Orient Express.
PAOLO BARLETTA, CEO, ARSENATE GROUP: The money that you're spending, they're very much worth it. Because in those two days, you are leaving so much that at the end of the journey, those memories will stay with you for months, for years.
MORTENSEN (voice-over): With over $230 million invested to date, the bet is big. And this is the first of six trains the company aims to have on the Italian railroads by 2027 and then beyond.
The menu has been designed so that each bite tells the story of the regions we pass.
MORTENSEN: Don't fill (ph).
WALTER CANZIO, CHEF, LA DOLCE VITA ORIENT EXPRESS: Food, like everything to give you emotion. If a food can give you emotion, you will make the perfect plate, research to discover, the region with the food. So using the ingredients.
MORTENSEN: We have the almond and saffron sauce. And saffron, very typical of the region.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MORTENSEN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
MORTENSEN: Delicious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. In 10 minutes, we will arrive at Sant'Angelo Cinigiano, the gateway to the town of Montalcino.
MORTENSEN: The company operate eight different routes all over Italy. And it's not only the on-board experiences that are important to them. It's also the off-board experiences that they offer to their clients.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Montalcino.
MORTENSEN (voice-over): We were shown around this town and tried some of its best wine.
MORTENSEN: Brunello di Montalcino. Cheers, everyone. Salute.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Salute.
COLIN ARROWSMITH, GUESTS ON THE LA DOLCE VITA ORIENT EXPRESS: This is fishing (ph).
CHRISTINE ARROWSMITH, GUESTS ON THE LA DOLCE VITA ORIENT EXPRESS: Another level.
COLIN ARROWSMITH: Superior.
CHRISTINE ARROWSMITH: It's marvellous. I mean, we like Italian --
COLIN ARROWSMITH: Yes.
CHRISTINE ARROWSMITH: -- dessert. It's just -- yes.
MORTENSEN (?): There's something about it.
MORTENSEN (voice-over): The train is a prototype for a much bigger expansion that stretches beyond Europe. The company say there is a gap in the market, and plan to take their luxury train concept to Saudi Arabia, where they will be launching as soon as next year. And then Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and beyond.
Antonia Mortensen, CNN, aboard the La Dolce Vita Orient Express, Rome.
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[00:40:16] HUNTE: Bring it to America. Let's go.
I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. Thanks for joining me and the team this hour. That is all I've got for you. I'll be back with you in 15 minutes time.
World Sport is next. See you in a moment.
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(WORLD SPORT)
