Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Netanyahu Calls For Unity On Eve Of Hostage Return; Trump Heads To Middle East As Israel Awaits Hostage Release; U.S. Citizen Detained By ICE Despite Carrying Passport; Pope Leo: Ceasefire Gives "A Spark Of Hope In the Holy Land"; Smithsonian Museums, National Zoo Close As Funding Dries Up. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired October 12, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Listen now to Janie Brown who was also deeply in pain. She said she worked with some of these victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANIE BROWN, VICTIMS' FRIEND: It's going to be a sad, sad day in our community for a while. They were people. They were loved by their families and by their communities. They -- they've been all around the communities. Everybody knew them. And it's just a sad, sad day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: What you're hearing here in the background is a helicopter taking off with Governor Bill Lee, who said he toured the facility here five years ago celebrating an expansion. Today he went up on his helicopter touring over the explosion site, and he said to tour today and see nothing, Erica, he said, this is heartbreaking.

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Yes, understandably, those images are so difficult to process.

Isabel, appreciate it. Thank you.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

HILL: Good afternoon. I'm Erica Hill in for Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks so much for joining us.

We do begin the hour with breaking news. These are live pictures for you from Joint Base Andrews, where any moment President Trump is set to depart as he heads to the Middle East, where he will address the Israeli parliament before traveling to Egypt for a summit with world leaders. In the coming hours, we are expecting the release of 20 living Israeli hostages. Thousands of Israelis gathering in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv in anticipation of that moment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu actually a short time ago speaking, also made a call for unity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I know there are many disagreements among us, but on this day, and I hope also in the period ahead, we have every reason to put them aside because through joint efforts, we achieved enormous victories, victories that astonished the entire world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So meantime in Gaza, that ceasefire does continue to hold at this hour. Hundreds of aid trucks also rolling in across the southern border crossings, creating scenes like this one.

So many Palestinians desperate for that essential aid. About 400 trucks are expected to enter Southern Gaza with aid today.

We do have full coverage of today's historic developments. CNN anchor and chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins is in Tel Aviv, along with CNN Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond.

It's good to see both of you.

So, Jeremy, first of all, walk us through what we can expect in the coming hours.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the families of the Israeli hostages have been told to anticipate that their loved ones will be released by Hamas tomorrow morning. They have now been told to arrive to prepare for their release at 8:00 a.m. local time. That is the latest information that the hostage families have been given, according to a source familiar with the matter.

We still don't know the exact timing that this release will take place and things are indeed quite fluid. They could change, of course, in the coming hours. But we do know that 20 living hostages are expected to be released. We've been told by the Israeli military that this could happen from several different locations, potentially inside of the Gaza Strip, but they will all go to this Reim military base just on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip, where the families of those hostages will be waiting for them, and where we will see those first embraces that have taken more than two years to become a reality.

From there, they will go to hospitals here in the Tel Aviv area, several hospitals that are prepared for their arrival to prepare to surround these hostages with physical care as well as mental health care, and they will likely remain in those hospitals for at least several days, potentially even several weeks.

This is a process that Israel has gone through before, but they have never seen on the same day, at the same time, 20 living hostages released. And so this will be something altogether quite different. And we also do not yet know what the condition of those hostages will be after two years of captivity.

The bodies of some of those 28 deceased hostages also expected to be released later in the day on Monday. The timing of that still very much uncertain as well. And as all of this is happening, we will also later see the release -- we expect to see the release of Palestinian prisoners, 250 of whom are serving life sentences in Israeli prisons, and then 1700 Palestinians who were detained inside the Gaza Strip. Most of those detained without charge or trial who will be returned to their families in Gaza. And you can expect to see reunions there as well.

Meanwhile, the ceasefire seems to be holding so far inside of the Gaza Strip. We're beginning to see this surge of humanitarian aid that is happening there. And also Palestinians beginning to sift through the rubble of Israeli airstrikes, finding the bodies of those who have been stuck under the rubble, an indication, of course, that this will take weeks, months, perhaps even years in order to get the full death toll inside of Gaza, in order for families there to have the closure that they are looking for as well.

[16:05:11]

HILL: Yes, absolutely. Jeremy, thank you.

And, Kaitlan, I know you have been speaking with a number of different hostage families. You've been there in Hostages Square. These hours I can only imagine for them how difficult they are as they tick down to now this 8:00 a.m. local time release.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And these are families, Erica, that have obviously been waiting two years for this moment. And it's an incredibly bittersweet day because some of these are families here in Israel who have already welcomed back their loved ones who were held hostage. Others are those who know that they are not getting their loved ones back alive.

And so just to see this moment and the community that has formed between these hostage families over the two years, and obviously they'll be very familiar to our viewers who have watched them come on and plead for their loved ones' return. And so to see them in this moment, there was a different atmosphere there in Hostages Square than when I've been there previously when we were here in Tel Aviv, where, of course, these families gather every Saturday night to call for the release of their loved ones.

One person that I spoke with is someone who is getting good news. Moshe Lavi's brother-in-law, Omri, has been held in Gaza this entire time. He was kidnaped from his kibbutz on that day. His wife and two daughters were abused but were not kidnaped on that day. And so his daughter at the time was six months old, the youngest one. And so he has not seen her in two years. She has not heard her father's voice in two years.

And I spoke with Moshe about a month after his brother-in-law had been kidnaped, and I actually saw him today again in Hostages Square. And we talked about what this moment would mean for their family, the kind of relief that they hope to feel as soon as he is back here in Israel and safe. But also, you know, what he had to say about a trip that he just took to Washington last week with his sister, whose husband is Omri, and a call that they had also with President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOSHE LAVI, BROTHER-IN-LAW OF HOSTAGE OMRI MIRAN: And I felt it from President Trump and his administration because they kept telling us in the past few months, keep doing what you're doing, keep marching on the streets, keep sharing your stories to policymakers, keep telling us what do you think needs to happen and give us ideas on how we can break the deadlock. And we kept doing that. They kept open the White House for us. And President Trump has done it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And you hear those words. I mean, a lot of these are families that they don't agree with the president on every issue. But this obviously has been first and foremost for them. And so the president is coming to Israel, where he is in very high regards, especially by these hostage families. And a lot of the families that you see there gather in Hostages Square in terms of pushing for this deal to happen that is going to lead to the release of their loved ones, whether they are alive or deceased, that has been held because obviously those who have loved ones whose bodies are still being held in Gaza, it's just as important to them to get those bodies back.

And they have made that clear to President Trump. You've often heard him talk about that time and time again. And so he's coming here. He's scheduled to leave the White House any moment yet. He has not left yet, Erica. And then he'll be boarding Air Force One here at Joint Base Andrews. We'll see if he speaks to reporters about his expectations for this trip because once he's here on the ground, he is set to meet with hostages.

It's not clear if that will be hostages who have just been released, as we are expecting that to happen in the coming hours, or if that's hostages who have been released on previous occasions, some of whom he's hosted inside the Oval Office. And so we'll be waiting to see what that moment looks like, and also what the president is going to say to the Israeli parliament when he delivers a speech to them while he's here on the ground in Israel.

Two of his top aides, I should note, are already here that helped negotiate this deal. And that is Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, his special envoy, who has been, you know, they were in Egypt hammering out the details of this right before it got announced on Thursday, often calling in the president, putting him on speakerphone as they were trying to work through those incredibly difficult and thorny issues.

Obviously, there are very many of those that lie ahead in terms of obstacles of how this 20-point peace plan that the president has envisioned and laid out actually gets implemented. But just to have this moment where these families of these hostages and of course, as Jeremy was talking about, the release of the Palestinian prisoners and detainees who will also be returned home to Gaza, that is the moment that is going to really take over here over the next few hours, as we wait for the president's arrival.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. Kaitlan, Jeremy, thank you both. I also want to bring in now CNN's Kevin Liptak, who's joining us from

the White House.

The president, as Kaitlan was just noting, preparing to leave a few minutes from now. There have also been questions about this nor'easter we've been watching so closely. The skies look fairly clear there at Joint Base Andrews, but questions about whether that could impact his trip. What can we also expect when the president is on the ground?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's about an 11-hour flight from Joint Base Andrews to the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

[16:10:01]

And the president will be on the ground for a relatively short amount of time. But he does have sort of a stacked schedule. His first stop will be at the Knesset building in Jerusalem. That's where he's expected to meet with families of the hostages. He'll also address the parliament there. He'll be the first president to do that since George W. Bush in 2008. From there, he's heading to Sharm El-Sheikh. That's the Red Sea resort in Egypt where this deal was finalized last week.

And he'll essentially preside over a signing ceremony for it. He'll be joined by a number of his foreign counterparts. You know, the leaders from France, Britain, Germany, Italy, all on hand to watch the president sort of ink this deal. It's a short trip. He's only scheduled to be in the region for about eight hours or so, but certainly a very significant one for the president. And I think if you could describe the mood inside the administration right now, it's one of anticipation. It's one of expectancy.

But I think it's probably best summed up by something Jared Kushner said last night in Hostages Square, which is that no one is going to celebrate until they see those hostages come out, until they're sure that this first phase of this ceasefire deal is actually in place. There is a recognition that this is a fragile moment. This is a delicate deal, and I don't think anyone is going to breathe easy until they see all the I's dotted and the T's crossed.

You know, the president is really hoping to use this trip to kind of seize on the moment, really kind of reshape the entire Middle East. He sees a narrow window now that this deal is in place to really pursue some of the objectives, whether it's to expand the Abraham Accords, normalizing Israel's relations with some of its Arab neighbors. But, you know, American officials are very quick to acknowledge that this is the start of the process.

There's a lot of road to go. You know, some of the thorniest details in this conflict have not yet been resolved. They've left them for the second phase, whether it's getting Hamas to disarm, whether it's the future governance of the strip or, you know, the biggest question of all is whether all of this results in a Palestinian state. Those questions have been left for later. And so a lot for the president to still work through. There's no question this is going to be a valedictory trip for the

president. He has accomplished something quite significant, but in a lot of ways, we're still at the start of the process, not quite at the end. Erica.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. Kevin appreciate it. Thank you.

Our coverage of the ceasefire in Gaza and the planned release of hostages continues right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We are also, though, closely following this massive nor'easter, which is already causing chaos along the East Coast. The first strong winds, heavy rain, now joining as well severe flooding already underway in some areas. And then as this government shutdown now drags on with no deal in sight, it is day 12, just what is keeping lawmakers deadlocked here? And how much longer could it last as we approach the two-week mark?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:17:39]

HILL: We are just getting word that these are, of course, live pictures of Joint Base Andrews. We're just getting word that the president has now left the White House and is making his way there to Joint Base Andrews, where, of course, he will leave for his trip to the Middle East. We will see if he does speak to reporters before he gets on the plane there. But again, making his way to Israel and then Egypt, of course.

And he is set to speak with some of the hostages. Unclear, as my colleague Kaitlan Collins just noted, if that will be some of the hostages that are -- the 20 hostages set to be released in the coming hours, or some who have been released prior to that. Again, before he makes his way as well to Egypt, before then returning to the United States. We'll keep following this and let you know as soon as the president does leave.

We're also keeping a very close watch on this brutal nor'easter that is unleashing with heavy rain, coastal flooding all along the Eastern Seaboard, some really wild winds as well.

This is some live EarthCam footage out of North Carolina's outer banks. Further north some new video coming to us from Delaware. You can see just how swiftly that water is moving. The wind gusts really bringing the waves onto the shores there in Rehoboth Beach.

And we also have a closer look at some of the beaches in New Jersey. The coastal storm really expected to inundate roads there. Major downpours hitting the mid-Atlantic especially hard. And this is going to continue through Monday.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking the latest forecast for the storm as it strengthens, and she has more on that now -- Allison.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We have not one but two low pressure systems sitting off the Eastern Seaboard. And this is what is going to lead to that potential for flooding, but also the very gusty winds over the next few days.

Now that low pressure off to the north fades away, the southern one becomes the more stronger of the two and really becomes very impactful across portions of the mid-Atlantic and the northeast through the evening hours tonight and especially into Monday. We've already had some very powerful wind gusts reported in the 50 and 60-mile-per-hour range along the Carolina coastline, but these numbers are what we expect to see, especially in the northeast, going through the day on Monday.

As for flooding potential, two separate areas here to finish out the rest of Sunday. Likely going to still see much of the same coloring for Monday, as well as more of that heavy rain is expected to inundate the northeast over the next 24 to 36 hours. Through the overnight hours tonight, we still anticipate some heavy rain across the Carolinas, but the bulk of the rain is now expected to shift into portions of the northeast.

[16:20:06]

This means if you have some travel plans Monday morning, whether it is by car or by plane, please anticipate some delays, not just for the heavy downpours, but also the very gusty winds that are expected.

Here you can see New York, Philadelphia, Boston, all looking at some very heavy rain bands to slide through, not just Monday morning, but even through the afternoon and the evening hours. So this is not going to be a very quick storm. You're going to see lingering effects well into the day on Tuesday. And that's the same for even the winds.

Here you can see Monday. Lots of those yellows and the orange color indicating 40, 50, even 60-mile-per-hour wind gusts. And also note, too, it's not just for Monday. A lot of those linger into Tuesday and even into early Wednesday before we finally start to see them subside.

HILL: All right, Allison, thank you for that.

Just ahead here, mistaken for an undocumented immigrant. An American citizen is detained by ICE. He now says he's fortunate just to be free.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What did they say that you did?

JAVIER RAMIREZ, U.S. CITIZEN DETAINED BY ICE: They said I bit and spit on a federal agent. And that's totally false.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Plus, we do have pictures for you, live pictures of Joint Base Andrews. We are waiting for President Trump to arrive there, and then he will be, of course, leaving for his trip to Israel, making his way to the Middle East. It looks like there the president has arrived. Getting ready to board Air Force One. Again as he makes his way to Israel and then ultimately to Egypt as well. A very quick trip for him, an important one understandably. He will be

in the region for a short time before making his way back to the U.S. so we're just waiting there for the president to board the plane there at Joint Base Andrews. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:26:09]

HILL: Since the Trump administration began its crackdown on immigration, U.S. citizens have been among those stopped by law enforcement officers. People stopped because they suspected they were in the country illegally. In fact, many of those detained are Latino men who say they are growing increasingly fearful of running into ICE agents.

CNN's Veronica Miracle spoke with one man who is actually carrying his U.S. passport when he was detained.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIRACLE: So where exactly were you arrested?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of them pretty much points me out like, hey, get him. He's Mexican. So that's when they throw me down to the ground on this side.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Javier Ramirez says he was carrying his U.S. passport the moment federal agents entered his family tow yard in a suburb of Los Angeles. Even then Ramirez says agents violently arrested him.

RAMIREZ: If it wasn't for the cameras, something else would have happened pretty much.

MIRACLE: What did they say that you did?

RAMIREZ: They said I bit and spit on a federal agent. And that's totally false because you can see clearly in the cameras that I'm not doing anything.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Ramirez is a U.S. citizen born in San Bernardino, California, and he was the only person from the tow yard taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's an American citizen. Bro, come on.

MIRACLE: So they accuse you of doing something you didn't do. You're a U.S. citizen. How does it feel to have to go through this whole process?

RAMIREZ: It's scary. It's scary because you don't even know what's going on.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Ramirez spent four days behind bars, accused of assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer. He was released and the charge was dropped.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The whole experience in general was very traumatic.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Ramirez's attorneys say he's one of five U.S. citizens in Los Angeles who filed tort claims against the federal government. All of them claim in separate incidents they were racially profiled by ICE agents.

Across California and the country, some U.S. citizens say they're living in fear, scared of being targeted by ICE because of the color of their skin. One top border official, Gregory Bovino, openly spoke about these tactics to a radio reporter in Chicago, saying, intelligence informs where they look for undocumented individuals and went on to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREGORY BOVINO, CBP CHIEF PATROL AGENT, EL CENTO SECTOR: Then obviously the particular characteristics of an individual, how they look, how do they look compared to, say, you. What's your name again?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chip.

BOVINO: Chip?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.

BOVINO: Are you or other folks, how do they appear in relation to what you or other people look like?

MIRACLE (voice-over): In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court says this practice can continue while the legal process unfolds in another case. ICE agents can stop people at least partially based on their apparent race or whether they can speak English, as it contributes to reasonable suspicion when considered with other important factors. That's according to an opinion by conservative Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh. Governor J.B. Pritzker says these types of detentions are happening in Illinois.

GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D), ILLINOIS: Bovino even admitted on the record that they are making arrests based on how you look. That's the baseline. They're not targeting violent criminals or gang members. They're arresting tamale vendors.

MIRACLE (voice-over): In a new interview with CNN, Bovino denies the use of racial profiling and says it's a combination of factors that can lead to an arrest.

BOVINO: Perhaps you look scared. Perhaps your demeanor changes. Perhaps you're gripping the steering wheel so tightly that I can see the whites of your knuckles. There's a myriad of factors.

MIRACLE (voice-over): In Los Angeles where immigration officials have been targeting scores of businesses since June, many U.S. citizens who aren't white tell me they're terrified, like activist Francisco Moreno.

FRANCISCO MORENO, ACTIVIST: I carry my passport card. I am U.S. citizen. I am Mexican citizen. But now I don't feel, you know, comfortable without this on my -- on my wallet. We don't feel safe. America at this point is not the dream for the immigrants.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[16:30:06]

MIRACLE (on-camera): We reached out to the DHS about Javier Ramirez, and they said in a statement that they detained him for interference and released him when they determined he was a U.S. citizen with no outstanding warrants.

Well, Ramirez says he still hasn't gotten his passport back from ICE and that he now carries around two copies of his birth certificate in case he's ever questioned again.

Veronica Miracle, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Still to come here in the CNN NEWSROOM, threats of the National Guard being deployed as protests around Chicago, immigration facilities increase. We'll be joined by Chicago cardinal with a look at the impact on his city.

And hundreds of thousands of Palestinians now returning home. And they are finding it looks nothing like the home that they left the tall task ahead for these communities as they work to rebuild.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Total destruction no home left, three or four houses piled on top of each other, and we don't know where our house is. We don't know. All our neighbors' homes are on top of ours and ours on our neighbors.

My house is underneath. It is not visible at all. Our home. We don't know where the house is. It is sand, just rubble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So this is going to be a very special time. And I guess if you --

HILL: Let's listen in.

TRUMP: -- read your own papers and your own networks everybody's very excited about this moment in time. So, I'll see you on the plane. I think you're traveling with us, but this is a very special event. There are 500,000 people yesterday and today in Israel. And also, the Muslim and Arab countries are all cheering. Everybody's

cheering at one time. That's never happened before. Usually if you have one cheering, the other isn't. The other is the opposite.

This is the first time everybody is amazed and they're thrilled. And it's an honor to be involved. And we're going to have an amazing time. And it's going to be something that's never, never happened before.

So, I'll see you on the plane and we're going to have a good time.

[16:35:00]

Okay, Peter? Nice to see you. Thank you everybody. See you in a little while.

REPORTER: Thank you, sir.

HILL: President Trump there addressing the cameras briefly as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews. And he is now, of course, boarding Air Force One there.

The president noting what a special event this is as he makes his way to Israel for the release of those hostages. He'll also meet with leaders in Egypt as well, noting everyone is cheering at one time, which doesn't often happen for events in the Middle East, saying he is amazed and thrilled, and it is an honor to be involved.

My colleague Kevin Liptak also joining me from the White House.

This is in fact, Kevin, a momentous moment, of course, as we await the hostage release just hours from now in a deal that President Trump helped to push through and make happen. And it will be a very busy trip for him to the Middle East over a very short time period, Kevin.

LIPTAK: Yeah, and it was interesting to hear the president remark about the hundreds of thousands of people that were in Hostages Square last night cheering his name, you know, saying, "Thank you, Trump." And when Steve Witkoff, his foreign envoy, was speaking, saying, "Thank you, Witkoff". And the president clearly aware of the reception that he's likely to receive once he lands in Tel Aviv in about 11 hours from now.

The sentiment among the Israelis certainly running very high for the role that he played in brokering the first phase of this ceasefire deal that will allow those hostages to come out. And you're right, it is a very sort of stacked agenda for the president. He'll head to the Knesset building in Jerusalem, where he'll meet with hostage families. He'll address the body. He's going from there to Sharm el-Sheikh, which is the resort in Egypt where this deal was finalized. He'll preside over a signing ceremony.

A whole host of other foreign leaders will be there as well, essentially watching on as the president sort of basks in this very significant accomplishment. But at the same time, when you listen to administration officials, they are very quick to acknowledge that there is a long road to go before, you know, peace can be declared in the Middle East. They have a lot of thorny issues that are left for the second phase of these talks, whether its disarming Hamas, whether it's deciding who's going to govern Gaza going forward. And the biggest question of all, which is whether this all results in a Palestinian state.

But I think, at least for now, clearly, the president is in quite a valedictory mood as he steps onto Air Force One for this very brief trip. And certainly aware, I think, of the very warm reception that he's likely to receive on the ground when he arrives.

HILL: Yeah, absolutely. Do -- and do we know anything more about what he is preparing to say when he's there, Kevin? Has the White House released any of those details?

LIPTAK: They haven't. But I think, you know, based on what we've heard from the president previously, we have a fairly good sense of how the president is going to address this, which is really to mark it as quite a historic moment. You know, the president has talked about how this deal has the potential to reshape the entire Middle East, and he's made no secret that he hopes to use this as a galvanizing moment to try and return to the Abraham Accords, which were the diplomatic accomplishments of his first term, where a number of Israel's Arab neighbors normalized relations with the country, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, all deepening their ties to Israel, he hopes to return to that state.

And, of course, the biggest prize in all of that would be Saudi Arabia. If it were to agree to do that. And I think we're likely to hear from the president both in Israel and later in Sharm el-Sheikh, is this idea of trying to use this as a galvanizing moment to try and get this region to sort of agree with each other and move on from there? Historic enmity, and use this as a time to really reshape the region that they're living in.

And I think it's evident that the president thinks that that could happen. And when you talk to U.S. officials, they do say that that is where his attention will now turn.

Those other issues that I was mentioning previously are going to have to be resolved before that can happen, though. You know, Saudi Arabia and its powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has made very evident that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is going to need to be resolved before he can join the Abraham Accords, before he can normalize relations with Israel.

But President Trump and his top officials do think that this is the moment to renew those efforts. And to really get that started. And I think that is going to be a big part of the message that we'll hear from him when he's in the Middle East.

HILL: Yeah, absolutely, Kevin. Thank you.

I do also want to bring in Kaitlan Collins, CNN anchor and chief White House correspondent.

Kaitlan, of course, is in Tel Aviv at this hour. And, Kaitlan, you have spent a fair amount of time there since

returning to the region in Hostage Square. As Kevin was just noting, the president talking about the feeling in Hostage Square. Also, the reception that Steve Witkoff. Jared Kushner got when they were addressing people in Israel.

Talk to us a little bit more about what is the feeling on the ground here, both in anticipation of the hostage release, but also in terms of the reception that President Trump can expect when he lands?

[16:40:07]

COLLINS: Yeah, and he seems very familiar with the fact that he is going to get a warm reception when he comes here. That doesn't always happen when the president travels abroad. Obviously, when he was just in the U.K., we saw a big protest in London protesting his visit.

That is not going to be the same thing that plays out here on the ground in Israel, when the president arrives, because we've been speaking with a lot of the hostage families and people down at what is known as Hostage Square, where for two years these families have gathered since their loved ones were kidnapped into Gaza every Saturday to meet.

And now today, such a different meeting for them, a different atmosphere there as they are filled with a lot of relief, filled a lot of anxiety waiting for this to actually happen before they can really, truly believe it was the answer that we got from one hostage family that we spoke with.

And the president there was talking about how big the crowd was there in Hostage Square last night. You could see that from the overhead images. Obviously, and not surprisingly, that there were so many people there. Given the news about the release of these hostages who are still living inside of Gaza, and the president's son in law, Jared Kushner, was there, his daughter Ivanka Trump was there, and also his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and obviously relayed to him just what the atmosphere there was like.

And the one thing the president was saying there is talking about this being cheered on both sides. He was basically distilling it down to typically its only is the Israelis or the Arabs who are cheering a move that has happened here. He says this one is a different one this time.

One big question, of course, is, does the ceasefire hold? What does it look like, and how does this play out? As Kevin was just noting, the incredibly difficult challenges that are still part of this deal that anyone will acknowledge, even senior U.S. officials who are talking to reporters last week, when they were briefing us on how this all played out and actually getting all sides to agree to this. They were talking about how, you know, nothings really official until its actually happened because obviously, history tells you that things can fall apart at the last minute.

And so, they've been very cautiously optimistic about this, as had the president. And so, he's coming here for a visit quite unlike any other that he's ever been on as a world leader. Obviously, this was only put together in a couple of days. Ever since Thursday when he announced that this was happening.

And then he'll be visiting here, meeting with hostages, addressing the Israeli parliament, which will be very closely watched. Comments given, of course, the sensitive moment here for people like Prime Minister Netanyahu, who was booed in Hostage Square last night while President Trump was cheered on the other hand.

And then he'll be going to Egypt to meet with many world leaders as he formally signs this agreement. And everyone will be watching that closely just to see who's at the table and what that looks like. We don't expect the Israeli prime minister, based on what we know right now, to be there. And so, it will be notable just to watch that moment as this plays out, as this obvious diplomacy, something that Trump has sought ever since he retook office back in January, is playing out right here.

One thing I will note is the president did speak at length there. It's bad weather in Washington is what he says. If he speaks to reporters on the plane, something that he often does in terms of taking questions on what the next steps here could look like.

HILL: Yeah. And we'll be looking for those questions and the answers as well.

Kaitlan, appreciate it. Thank you.

Stay with us much more ahead here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're going to fit in a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:48:16]

HILL: Pope Leo is responding to the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Speaking after a mass in Saint Peter's Square, the American pontiff said the agreement has given a spark of hope in the Holy Land. The pope has consistently criticized Israel's war in Gaza since his papacy began in May.

Joining us now with more perspective is Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago.

It's good to have you with us, sir.

The pope, of course, also encouraged those in the region to see the other as not an enemy, in his words, but a brother to look at, forgive, and offer the hope of reconciliation. I wonder, how do you think his message is resonating in this moment?

CARDINAL BLASE J. CUPICH, ARCHBISHOP OF CHICAGO: Well, Erica, thank you for having me. I think that he's right. Today is better than yesterday in the Middle East. And yet we have to look at tomorrow. And so, it is a spark of hope, as he said. But we have to take

advantage of this moment and move forward and eventually make sure that people's rights are -- all people's rights are respected. It's a good day when the hostages are released and a good day when warring stops on innocent people. But we have to make sure that we move in a direction that establishes a two-state solution.

HILL: And there is so much focus on the next steps, right? As you point out, in terms of what is tomorrow and what will this bring, I know that will be the focus of some of the president's, of course, talks when he's meeting with leaders in Egypt. And as we watch that closely, it's impossible to ignore to what we are seeing here in the United States.

And I know there's such a focus in the city of Chicago, of course, because Chicago has really become the center of one of these battles here in the U.S. between the state and the president. When it comes to immigration and the deployment of federal troops. The pope addressed this recently. I know you said at the time that he had, in your words, a handle on the situation in your city.

[16:50:01]

How much influence do you think the pope's comments could have in the United States in this moment, in terms of how they could resonate here?

CUPICH: Well, I think people do listen to Pope Leo. They see that a pope is speaking like an American, in English, that they recognize. So, I think that that's to his advantage.

And at the same time, I believe that he holds up very important values. Yes, we surely -- and have the need for a state to provide safety for people and also secure its borders. But let's not forget that human dignity also has to be preserved. And I think that's the message that he is bringing to this moment.

HILL: That's the message he is bringing. Do you think that message is being herd -- pardon me? Heard in the United States right now?

CUPICH: I think so. I'm listening to a lot of people, you know, this notion of dignity cuts across so many different venues dignity. Thats respects the fact that many of these people who don't have documents have been working here for a long time and contributing to our society, dignity as family members and parents, so that their children don't have to see them hauled away, especially if those children are citizens, dignity in which they seem to be terrorized by ways in which they're swooped down and all of a sudden taken into incarceration. But also, dignity in terms of language.

We're seeing that so often people are speaking in such a way that discounts the human dignity and value of people. Maybe because of the way they look or the countries that they come from. My grandparents came here in the early 20th century, and they heard all sorts of people, that disparaged them because they came from southern Europe. There was a lot of disparagement that was going on at that time. And

our nation is better because of people like my grandparents, Polish people, Italian people came here. And they built a future and built this country.

HILL: Before I let you go, what are you hearing? Especially as we have seen people who are not in the city of Chicago, right? They are talking a lot about your city, but they are not there on the ground. Can you just walk us through what the last several days have been like and what you're hearing from folks as well?

CUPICH: Well, I think, you know, this this notion that there is total chaos or all sorts of unruly mobs rioting in the streets, that surely is not the reality. We have we are a city, a large city, like all large cities, has its problems and difficulties with crime. And we need to make sure we get our arms around it and work together.

But it is, I think, an exaggeration to say that we're in a state now of total chaos that has to be quelled by federal troops. We're a city that has long dealt with problems here, and we have the means to be able to get the job done. Yes, we could use help all the time. And I know that our first responders are always looking for additional resources to help them. And I think that's something always to be promoted.

HILL: Cardinal Blase Cupich, we appreciate your time tonight. Thank you.

CUPICH: Thank you.

HILL: Just ahead here, the government shutdown now approaching two weeks. No resolution in sight. We have a live report on some of the biggest sticking points between Democrats and Republicans, and where things stand on day 12.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:58:15]

HILL: Of the ongoing government shutdown and the impact is starting to be felt across the U.S., and certainly in the nation's capital. The Smithsonian Museum and the National Zoo, some of the top spots for tourists in the nation's capital did manage to stay open for the first 11 days of the shutdown. Today, though a number of them temporarily closing as all that funding dries up.

CNN's Camila DeChalus is joining us now from Washington.

You've been closely monitoring all these openings, closing the impact over the last several days. What are you hearing from people in D.C.?

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN REPORTER: Well, Erica, I spent several hours out on National Mall today just talking to tourists, some coming from as far as Australia or Bangladesh and others traveling from across the U.S. from places like California and Texas. And many of them were just coming to D.C. hoping to explore the Smithsonian Museums, only to find out today that they're closed because of the government shutdown.

Now, a lot of people told me that they were surprised and even shocked when they first found out because more than anything, they were just concerned of how long this government shutdown was going to last. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBORAH SILVA, TOURIST: It's just disappointing that they couldn't -- everyone can't work together, you know? And they're supposed to be here for the people, you know? And generations --

LUKE SKOPEK, TOURIST: I've been wanting to go here for a long time now, but the government shut down. It's disappointing history and all that stuff. It's really cool. I want to see it, but --

JEFF WALSH, TOURIST: It's disappointing I guess that the government can shut down like this, doesn't happen like this in Canada.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DECHALUS: Now, Erica, as you can see, it's not just disappointment about missing out on some of D.C.'s most famous museums. Many of the visitors that I spoke to were also talking about the bigger picture. Even drawing comparisons between what's happening here and what's going on in their own countries.

And several tourists told me that they didn't really realize the full scope of the government shutdown until they got here and really started talking to locals.