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Quest Means Business
Israeli Government Meets to Vote on Ceasefire Plan; Hostage Families Hope for Imminent Release of Loved Ones; New York Attorney General Indicted; Denmark Plans to Ban Social Media for Users Under 15. Israeli Government to Vote on Gaza Ceasefire; Humanitarian Groups Say Barely Any Aid Reaches Gaza Now; NATO Members Slam Russia Over Incursions into their Airspace. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired October 09, 2025 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:17]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Well, despite the cheers there, all good things must come to an end. An eight-day winning streak for the S&P 500 broken as
stocks fall a bit from their record highs.
Those are the markets and these are the main events: The Israeli government is preparing for a critical late night vote to push forward the ceasefire
agreement with Hamas.
President Trump says he is stepping up the pressure to end the Ukraine war as he meets with Finland's president this hour.
And Denmark wants to ban social media for all children under 15. I am going to speak to the country's digital affairs minister about that plan.
Live from Washington. It is Thursday, October 9th. I am Jim Sciutto, in for Richard Quest. And this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
Good evening to you.
This hour, the Israeli government is discussing a resolution to end the war in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first talked it over with his
Security Cabinet. He is now presenting it to all his Cabinet ministers. Israeli sources say U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's
son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are also present there.
If the government approves the resolution, Israeli troops will begin to withdraw partially from Gaza and the last remaining hostages held by Hamas
and its allies should be freed in a matter of days.
People in both Israel and Gaza celebrated the agreement reached by negotiators, though many are skeptical it will lead to a lasting,
comprehensive peace.
President Donald Trump says he believes the talks have enough momentum to address some significant, outstanding and more lasting issues. He said
during a Cabinet meeting that he will try to visit the region for an official signing, though the exact timing of such an event is not clear.
As for the hostages, Trump said they should soon be home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We secured the release of all of the remaining hostages and they should be released on
Monday or Tuesday. Getting them is a complicated process. I'd rather not tell you what they have to do to get them. There are places you don't want
to be, but we are getting the hostages back on Tuesday -- Monday or Tuesday and that will be a day of joy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Certainly a day of joy, a day of relief.
Kevin Liptak is at The White House.
Listen, Kevin, I mean, this was a long time coming. Two administrations tried to accomplish such a deal, and now we are on the brink at least of it
coming to be.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: On the brink, but I think the fact that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are attending this Israeli
government meeting just gives you the sense that even the administration and The White House don't necessarily view this as finalized until it is
actually finalized. They are not going to take any chances here, and certainly Witkoff and Kushner are well aware of the political pressures
that Netanyahu will face from the far-right ministers in his own government when it comes to agreeing to this deal.
And they are not sort of leaving that just to Netanyahu to try and broker this approval from the Cabinet. Certainly, they expect it will happen.
President trump, in a celebratory mood today, suggesting that this will be sort of the starting point to a much broader peace agreement for the entire
region. And I think the President also acknowledging that there are still some outstanding issues for the second phase of these talks and the third
phase of these talks.
But at least for now, a very much, a valedictory moment, he will be joining his delegation there in the region soon. He doesn't have specific timing,
but he did say that he was, for example, expected to address the Israeli Knesset and then go to Egypt for an official signing ceremony to really get
this all down on paper.
You know, this has been a frustrating path for the President in a lot of ways. It was certainly a frustrating path for Joe Biden, his predecessor.
There were a lot of starts and stops and dead ends and sort of dark holes that everyone went down to try and reach this agreement, and it does seem
as if it gained momentum really starting early last month when Israel targeted those Hamas leaders in Qatar, the President viewed that as a
massive overreach by Netanyahu, really thought that that was sort of the peak of his leverage with the Israelis and really tried to move forward
from that point to try and get this 20-point plan that he had put together with Witkoff and Kushner across the finish line.
Now, the President did say today that, "There will be disarming. There will be pullbacks," essentially suggesting that the other questions that remain
outstanding will also be successful.
[16:05:10]
That is getting Hamas to give up their weapons and getting Israel to pull back further from its positions inside Gaza. But I thought it was
interesting in a moment in the Oval Office last hour with the Finnish leader, Alexander Stubb, when the President was asked about a Palestinian
State and he didn't answer one way or the other, he said that they would, "come up with something very different when it comes to that question,"
which I think is a recognition on the part of the President that that too, is one of the big outstanding questions in his peace agreement. Does this
eventually result in the Palestinians having their own state? Certainly, that's a requirement for the Palestinians, but it is something that
Netanyahu has said will pose a security risk to Israel. They haven't necessarily said how they'll bridge that gap.
And the President kind of glossing over it today, sort of suggesting that this is all a matter to go forward, a matter to talk about in the future.
But at least for now, getting the hostages out, of course, of historic agreement, certainly the biggest diplomatic achievement of the President's
second term in office.
SCIUTTO: And a reminder that while this is a significant step, that some of those most difficult, thorniest issues remain outstanding, Kevin Liptak at
The White House.
For many Palestinians, the ceasefire deal offers something that has been missing in Gaza for months, even years and that's hope.
CNN's Paula Hancocks has more on what is now some cautious optimism.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking in foreign language.)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): One woman's prayers of thanks that the war is ending as phase one of the Gaza ceasefire
plan is agreed.
What sounds like celebratory gunfire is heard in the distance.
As the sun rises, Gazan residents assess their new reality.
(KHALED ABU ZAHIR speaking in foreign language.)
HANCOCKS (voice over): "I feel joy," this man says. "Two years of torment and repression, displacement, lack of food and water. I am happy the war
will end. The bleeding we see every day will end, the nightmares we see."
(FATHIYA ABU LIBDA speaking in foreign language.)
HANCOCKS (voice over): This 70-year-old woman says, "It is true. I am happy in the moment, but now we feel the pain of our memories. I lost my
daughters, my brother's daughters and their children. Most of our family died and our homes were destroyed."
(HUMAM AL-HATTAB speaking in foreign language.)
HANCOCKS (voice over): This man voices concern. He says, "We have seen ceasefires before that lasted two months and then the war returned. It is
true, I am extremely happy, but my joy is tinged with caution and fear."
Despite the hope of the promised surge in humanitarian aid, the harsh reality of Gaza has not changed. Two years ago, 12-year-old, Mohammed Abu
Ammara (ph) was in school. He is now 14 and this is his life in Gaza, sifting through rotting waste to find anything that he can sell to help his
family survive.
(MOHAMMED ABU AMMARA speaking in foreign language.)
HANCOCKS (voice over): "We collect wood and plastic for fires," he says. "There is nothing else to light a fire with. Two years ago, before the war,
I didn't even know what a garbage dump was."
There are 11 people to feed in his family. He says, two of his brothers were killed by a drone strike after being displaced from Gaza City.
This is Al-Mawasi in Khan Younis, an area the Israeli military has forced hundreds of thousands of Gazans to move to over the course of this war.
This is the area Israel calls a "humanitarian zone."
Hopes that peace will last this time are palpable across Gaza, but also tainted by previous disappointments, a peace that some in Gaza have never
even known.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: The ceasefire plan calls for an immediate resumption of aid into Gaza. That's crucial.
The United Nations estimates that half a million people there remain at risk for starvation. The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees
says it has enough food to feed Gaza for the next three months ready to go,
One of the last aid groups still operating inside Gaza is the Gaza Soup Kitchen. Joining me now is Hani Almadhoun. He started the Gaza Soup Kitchen
with his brother, Mahmoud. Sadly, his brother was killed late last year.
Hani, nice to speak to you again.
HANI ALMADHOUN, GAZA SOUP KITCHEN: Hi, Jim. Nice to be talking with you again.
SCIUTTO: You've experienced the grief of this war like so many in Gaza on a personal level. You've experienced personal loss. Tell me what you and your
family are feeling right now?
ALMADHOUN: You know, for a very long time, my family in Gaza actually wanted to wake up today and looked up to a better day. They are filled with
hope and optimism. We are, as Palestinians, we are molded realists.
[16:10:09]
We know that there is a lot of issues with this deal, but we ask people to let us have this moment to breathe for a second and reassess, lick our
wounds and see what is going to happen next.
Immediately after this ceasefire was announced, prices of goods decreased, allowing people to afford more food because there is a promise of more aid
being allowed.
Jim, I wish for the American President, who is my President at this point, to really recognize the humanity of the Palestinians. He spent most of his
time talking about the Israeli hostages, rightfully so, but not one time where he said the Palestinians in Gaza are suffering.
We do not exist. We are -- it feels like we are a prop in a story that is being told. And you're not an actor, and it is just heartbreaking. And I
want to tell you, today was a good day in Gaza, except about an hour ago, Israel just destroyed a building four stories, killing an entire family,
just moments ago.
SCIUTTO: So sad to hear that that danger still persists. One of the other dangers, of course, is just the difficulty finding enough food to eat.
We've spoken about the dangers your soup kitchen has faced, the dangers and the obstacles. Getting in enough aid, delivering that aid.
How quickly do you think that will change now? And how long will it take just to get the most basic supplies to the people of Gaza?
ALMADHOUN: Jim, as you know, we've spoken at length lot about this. Obviously, the Israelis are slowing aid. They are going after any NGO that
can deliver aid in scale. A lot of humanitarians, more than 400 of them were killed, including people who are not counted in those statistics. My
brother, Chef Mahmoud, as you recognized in the program.
Right now, the most dangerous operation for the Gaza Soup Kitchen is in Gaza City. That's where we are being low key. We are not showing pictures,
but we are trying to get food to people. Supplies are dwindling inside Gaza City because there is a complete siege, and from last month, Israel, I
think denied entry of food into Gaza City.
Outside of Gaza, there is more food. But remember, aid is not allowed, but commercial trucks are. So you could go if you have money. And remember,
this is a genocide, what experts recognized to be one. They do not have money and organizations like ours just by the food truck from the business,
the wholesaler and just pack it and give it to people.
I am hoping that un agencies led by UNRWA, the largest humanitarian actor inside Gaza will be part of the solution. I just read before I came into
your program, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is taking down one of their eight sites. And you remember, hundreds of Palestinians were killed at
these Gaza horror foundation sites.
So I am hopeful. I know things will be better. It is not going to be easy. The sky is not going to be open, and choir is not going to sing. But I know
my mother had a better sleep tonight, and me and her had a conversation. I just -- I was inspired by the conversation.
SCIUTTO: That is good to hear. A lot of the biggest questions, as we mentioned, leading into the program remain unanswered. And President Trump
himself did not answer quite basic one. Will there be a Palestinian State?
Do you have hope that some of those more lasting issues will be solved in the coming months?
ALMADHOUN: You know, every day I wake up to a dozen of e-mails from American citizens who want to go to Gaza and help rebuild -- teachers,
engineers and humanitarians. I want to see more Americans help rebuild Gaza.
The U.S. co-owns the mess in Gaza. We know that they built what happened there. I do have hope as a Palestinian, but we also know that it is not
going to be easy knowing that the President had to pressure basically the Israeli government to just agree to a deal like that and there is a lot of
vagueness.
But as Palestinians, we feel invisible right now. We are happy to be recognized that, hey, killing Palestinians is wrong. This is what the deal
does for us. But I think, you know, when you talk about state, that's our aspiration. And we hope sometime soon that we will be able to rebuild Gaza.
Remember, the deal does not talk about rebuilding Gaza. Gaza is 80 percent gone. People in Gaza lost everything, and they need everything. And I hope
soon enough, maybe in days we will be bringing more food into Gaza. We will be closing soup kitchens instead of opening them. But at this time, the
need is still hard to deny as people are displaced over and over again.
SCIUTTO: Hani Almadhoun, we appreciate the work you've done in Gaza through some extremely difficult and dangerous times. Thanks so much for joining us
today.
ALMADHOUN: Thank you to the Americans.
[16:15:10]
SCIUTTO: Well, Trump is meeting now with a key NATO ally amid rising tensions and dangers in Europe. We are going to have all of the details
coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: President Trump has been meeting at The White House with his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb. The two were set to approve the sale
of Finnish icebreakers to the U.S. Coast Guard. They also discussed the Middle East and Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We are really working more closely together, having to do with Russia and Ukraine.
ALEXANDER STUBB, FINNISH PRESIDENT: Yes.
TRUMP: And I would have thought that would have been easier because that would be number eight for me. Number eight. And I would have thought the
Russia deal maybe would have been one of the easier ones. And unfortunately, last week they had over 7,000 soldiers die unnecessarily. So
it is a terrible thing, but I think we will be getting there hopefully soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: The visit comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and Europe. NATO fighter jets shot down Russian drones last month in Poland's
airspace. Since then, mysterious drone sightings have disrupted flights and forced airports to close in Denmark, Norway and Germany.
NATO also intercepted Russian jets over Estonia last month.
Stephen Collinson joins me now.
And Stephen, you've written a piece in which you describe how Europe believes, in effect, it is already at war with Russia, granted, not a
shooting war, but a hybrid war or a shadow war. And that, crucially, in Europe's view, America hasn't quite noticed yet.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, I think it was very instructive. When that invasion or that incursion of drones over Poland was
taking place, President Trump was out to dinner in Washington with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, the Defense Secretary, and
they didn't really seem prepared for what was in many ways one of the most serious threats to NATO's airspace, at least since the cold war, when those
drones came over into Poland.
And I think there is some confusion in Europe, just speaking to people throughout the continent about exactly where the U.S. stands on this.
At one point, the President suggested that it was a mistake, and often he is looked more like a commentator to events in Europe rather than the most
important leader in NATO.
[16:20:11]
Granted, there has been a lot of distractions in the United States, the killing of Charlie Kirk, for example, the government shutdown, Trump's mass
deportation plans and attempts to send troops into American cities, but there was a real sense in Europe that this is a pressing matter and that
people are questioning what exactly President Putin is doing, and this is one of those occasions when the breadth of the Atlantic really does make a
difference in terms of how people see things.
SCIUTTO: You also make the point in your piece that some European leaders and officials are noticing really, their lack of preparation for this,
right? I mean, as the drones come over, they don't really have an effective way to defend against them. I mean, you have these high priced fighter jets
going up against drones that might cost a tiny fraction of what the fighter jets cost and that's just one example of the lack of preparation for this
kind of hybrid war.
COLLINSON: Yes. One of the people I spoke to, an analyst in Europe, basically described this scenario that you were pointing to whereby they
are sending up F-35s to shoot down polystyrene Russian drones. Obviously, that's not sustainable from an economic point of view or a strategic one,
really. There are a number of plans, some European leaders are talking about a drone war, new defenses to keep drones out.
There are also interesting things going on because the Ukrainians, in an inversion of what has been happening with Europe, supporting Ukraine in the
war, Ukraine with all of its experience against murderous Russian drone strikes, has sent some officers to Scandinavia to explain to them how best
to combat Russian drones.
So, it is not just a sign of how the strategic threats in Europe are evolving, it is also about how warfare itself has evolved over the last few
years during the war in Ukraine and how NATO is now going to have to think about new ways to meet this Russian pressure.
SCIUTTO: No question. Stephen Collinson, thanks so much.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
SCIUTTO: Well, joining me now is Oleksiy Goncharenko, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament.
Oleksiy, nice to have you back. Thanks so much for joining.
OLEKSIY GONCHARENKO, MEMBER OF THE UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: I wonder if I could begin just with these drone incursions over Europe, given, of course, Ukraine has been experiencing devastating drone
warfare by Russia for years now.
Do you see, in effect, Russia expanding its war to include Europe now?
GONCHARENKO: I think that Russia is testing the reaction of the West. That's how bullies acts and Russia is a geopolitical bully, which just,
tries and tests what will be the reaction?
They are watching the reaction from the point of view to understand, the military procedures that NATO has and also, they want to see from a moral
point of view how ready is Europe, how ready is NATO to defend its member states?
That's what exactly Putin was doing all his career, and this is a very KGB style of operating. So that's exactly what Russia is doing. And
unfortunately, I should be frank with you for the moment, the reaction is weak.
So when Russia was attacking the territory, the same words with attacks of drones, when they were attacking Ukrainian territories close to borders
with Poland and Romania, and there was no reaction from NATO.
Then they attacked exactly the border, no reaction. Then they started to come inside airspace of Poland and Romania, no reaction, and so they are
escalating and escalating and escalating.
SCIUTTO: It is a frequent -- I mean, listen, in recent history, we've seen Vladimir Putin follow the same M.O. repeatedly.
On to Ukraine now, we have heard President Trump say recently for the first time that he believes Ukraine can win back all the territory taken by
Russia. He also is now considering supplying longer range tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, something he has resisted prior. Do you see a significant and
lasting change in this President's view of this war, and its willingness to support Ukraine?
GONCHARENKO: I hope so. We will see in the nearest future what will be the exact steps of President Trump. We appreciate very much the words which he
said recently, but now we are looking for the steps, for real steps, what will happen.
[16:25:05]
So we hope and I think it is clear to everybody that Putin was playing games with Trump, that Putin was just using Trump's wish to communicate, to
speak, to try to find solution just to win the time to, re-legitimize himself. And in some way to humiliate the West and the United States.
So I think that President Trump knows this himself, and I think he is really angry about Putin, and I hope this feeling will proceed to some real
actions.
SCIUTTO: Ukraine has been stepping up its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure with a real impact on Russia's ability to make money, and
even we've seen shortages now of things like gasoline in Russia. Is that a deliberate escalation by Ukraine? I suppose the question is, does Ukraine
sense weakness right now on Russia's part?
GONCHARENKO: Definitely. And it is really ridiculous that the world gasoline station, which is Russia which produce nothing else than gasoline,
that is it -- fuel. And now they have internal deficit of gasoline in fuel in their own country. It shows that Russia is really vulnerable, and it
shows also to Russian people that they will feel consequences.
And today Putin met with President of Azerbaijan, Aliyev and he looked very weak. He was excusing himself for Russia shot down Azerbaijan aircraft in
the end of last year, something which you couldn't imagine five years ago.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
GONCHARENKO: So Russia is not so strong like they try to show and these vulnerabilities should be exploited.
SCIUTTO: Yes, it is a good point. I mean, given to this date, Russia, for instance, has not taken responsibility for shooting down MH-17 over
Ukraine, but it did feel the pressure to do so with this Azerbaijani jet.
Oleksiy Goncharenko, thanks so much for joining.
GONCHARENKO: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Coming up, hostage families are reacting to the news of a ceasefire agreement over Gaza. For many, however, the anxiety is not quite
over yet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:30:37]
SCIUTTO: Right now the Israeli government is meeting to vote on the U.S. brokered ceasefire and hostage plan. Once it formally approves it, we are
expecting to see an immediate pause in fighting. Israeli forces are then set to deploy along an initial withdrawal line within 24 hours. Hostage
families are now eagerly awaiting the return of their loved ones or any news. Some were celebrating when the deal emerged.
Of the 47 hostages taken on October 7th, 2023, still held, at least 20 are believed to be alive. That includes Omri Miran, who's kidnaped from the
Kibbutz Nahal Oz. His brother-in-law spoke to CNN earlier. He said their family remains anxious about what's to come.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOSHE LAVI, BROTHER-IN-LAW OF HOSTAGE OMRI MIRAN: And to be honest, until we see Omri ourselves, we will not believe it. Only once we receive a
confirmation that this is happening, that Omri is returning home, we will share it with the girls as we prepare them to meet him. It's going to be a
difficult meeting for them, I'm sure, but also a happy one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Our Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv awaiting news from the Cabinet meeting vote? What's the latest?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's right. Well, the latest from the prime minister's office is photos actually, Jim, of Jared
Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy, joining the Israeli prime minister in that Cabinet meeting,
something that you don't see happening every day.
But it is obviously an indication of two things. First of all, the political headwinds that the prime minister is facing from his right-wing
coalition allies for going along with this U.S. proposal, one that pretty much every party except for Israel so far, is saying will lead to an end of
the war in Gaza.
And of course, it's also an indication of how much diplomatic muscle the United States has put behind this and the fact that even as the deal has
been reached, they still feel the need to show their support to the Israeli prime minister in this Cabinet meeting to ensure that there are no issues
going forward with agreeing to and implementing the next phases of this agreement.
Now, we don't expect any speed bumps or left turns in this Cabinet meeting today. We expect that the Israeli prime minister has the majority that he
needs in order to get it through. The question is, once it becomes clear that this is not just about phase one, not just about securing the release
of all the hostages, but actually ending the war in Gaza, and going to the next phases where Hamas would presumably be disarmed in some fashion,
Israel would be withdrawing from the rest of the Gaza Strip and handing over power to a transitional authority of Palestinian technocrats, overseen
by an international board, you know what happens then for the Israeli prime minister's political situation?
And does he face the prospect of his government collapsing, or does he himself decide to call for new elections? A lot of uncertainty ahead in
terms of Israel's domestic politics and how it's impacted by all this. But for now, as you can hear behind me, Jim, it's a moment of celebration in
Israel as people are now awaiting the return of Israeli hostages in the coming days.
SCIUTTO: A long time coming, as you well know.
Jeremy Diamond, thanks so much.
Well, joining me now is Ruby Chen. He's the father of dual Israeli-U.S. citizen Itai Chen. He says he's nervous about, quote, "if and when Itay and
the other hostages on the deceased list will be found and brought back." Itay, you see him there with his parents, was serving in the IDF in
Southern Israel at the time of the October 7th attacks. And Ruby joins me now.
Ruby --
RUBY CHEN, FATHER OF AMERICAN-ISRAELI HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN: Thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: Of course. These have been tough days and months and years now for you and your family. Tell us how you're feeling now.
CHEN: I think it's a mixed bag of emotions. You know, there's the excitement for the families that will be reunited with their loved ones
soon. Anticipation that indeed this war has been going on for two years will come to an end. I think that is the major component of the people, you
know, being so happy in the Hostage Square.
[16:35:02]
But also there's anxiety because there are those of the 48 hostages that are not accounted for. My son is a U.S. citizen, you know, it's been two
long years that we've been asking the U.S. administration to do what it can to bring my son out. It's unfortunate the previous administration was not
successful in bringing out all of the 12 U.S. citizens that were taken hostage on October 7th. There are still two left.
And we just hope that this administration that has put a focus on releasing U.S. citizens from captivity. Just last week, we had a U.S. citizen come
out of Afghanistan held by the Taliban for a long time, and I hope that Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner, that are here now in Israel, will indeed be able
to prioritize and make sure that my son is on that list and will be coming out.
SCIUTTO: Have you been given any new information or assurances about Itay's status?
CHEN: No, unfortunate, Jim. It's like from day one, you know, even asking the administration to help just the basic facts. Hamas, do you have Itay in
your possession? What is his physical status? And that is a type of -- lowest type of psychological warfare a terrorist organization could inflict
on any human being. And it's been going on for too long, and I hope that this deal that the president orchestrated with the coalition of the
moderate Arab countries will indeed, you know, put the pressure on them to give up on the hostages and find a way to kind of figure out what happens
next in Gaza for the benefit, not just of the people in Israel, but hopefully for the people in Gaza that have been used as human shields for
such a long time by this terrorist organization.
SCIUTTO: Do you have hope for the longer term? Because this is, of course, an important phase, but it's just phase one of a broader framework, which
leaves many of the most difficult issues and questions unanswered at this point. For instance, the future administration of Gaza or questions like a
path to a Palestinian state? Do you believe that this will usher in a more lasting peace, or do you fear that it might be just temporary?
CHEN: Well, you know, Jim, I'm a New York Mets fan, so we have hope, you know, that we need to believe that there is a better alternative for the
people. Like, we can't, even the people in Israel, like, think of it. 2,000 good people were killed fighting to defend this country in this last
vicious cycle of violence. You know, tens of thousands Palestinians. That is not -- it can't be sustainable.
And I'm reminding you on -- before October 7th, we were on the verge of normalization with moderate Arab countries. And that's when Iran stepped in
and made sure that that goes down the tubes. So hopefully the moderate Arab countries also understand that the vision of the president that he issued
at the inauguration of ending conflicts and bringing prosperity, which hopefully will bring calm to the region, is something that can happen.
And this coalition, look, you got people, you have countries that don't like one another as the president said, and are willing to cooperate, which
is magnificent. And we just need to keep that vision going and hopefully, A, we get the hostages out, which is the first thing that needs to happen,
and then we can work out the details of all the other stuff.
SCIUTTO: Well, Itay, thinking of Itay, thinking of you, thinking of your wife, your whole family, I hope you get relief yourselves in the coming
days. And wishing you the best in what's I imagine a difficult moment.
CHEN: It is, Jim. Thanks. God bless.
SCIUTTO: God bless.
Well, we do have this breaking news just into CNN. That is sources telling CNN that New York Attorney General Letitia James has now been indicted in a
federal court today. This as the U.S. Justice Department continues to pursue President Donald Trump's perceived political enemies.
For more on this, Katelyn Polantz joins me now.
We already had James Comey, former FBI director, in a courtroom yesterday, arraigned. Now we have the New York attorney general indicted. Tell us the
details as we know them.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we still are getting details and waiting to see any court papers on this. But our
understanding at this time, Jim, from two sources speaking to our own Kristen Holmes and Kara Scannell, is that the New York attorney general,
Letitia James, has been indicted. And this would be something that is coming out of the fraud investigation related to James.
[16:40:04]
We know a couple different things that had been going on in the background here at a moment when Donald Trump, the president, wanted James and other
political adversaries of his to be indicted. In this situation we know that there was an inquiry around the mortgages or the mortgage application of
James saying that she was buying a property in Virginia, and there was a question of whether it was appropriate for her to say that was a primary
residence of hers.
But we also know that less than a month ago, prosecutors in the federal U.S. attorney's office in northern Virginia, the same folks who would be
bringing any sort of possible charge to a grand jury today, they were concerned that there wasn't enough evidence to charge James. But here we
are, Jim, now confirming that the attorney general of New York state, Letitia James, has been indicted.
That is something that would have been presented to a federal grand jury, and approved, looked at by them, and that a judge would also be reviewing
and it would be the beginning of a criminal case that James would face. This is someone as a reminder as well, who has been at odds with Donald
Trump for quite some time. When she was the attorney general of New York, she brought the civil fraud case against Donald Trump and the Trump
Organization, his business, and won it, saying that they had falsified business records and had faulty business practices.
Now, the judgment that she won in that case, that would have fined the Trump Organization a half billion dollars that has been thrown out by the
courts. But the fact still stands that she won a major case that hit quite home with Donald Trump and his business empire, the Trump Organization. And
now with him in the presidency, she is facing a criminal charge herself.
SCIUTTO: Well, we should note, last month CNN reported that the Justice Department prosecutors in Virginia interviewed dozens of witnesses, did not
believe they gathered enough evidence to support criminal charges against Siebert. Siebert resigned. Sorry, against James. Siebert, who had been the
attorney. He resigned, replaced by Trump's former personal attorney and now we have these charges.
Katelyn Polantz, thanks so much for joining.
Well, across the European Union, social media use by teens is doubled since 2010. Many are online, and I'm sure this sounds familiar, for hours every
single day. So now Denmark is considering a dramatic step to try to reverse that trend.
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[16:45:40]
SCIUTTO: Most of the deep sea remains a mystery and hidden within it are what are known as submarine canyons. Vast underwater valleys that support
marine life and help keep our oceans in balance. As part of the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, the One Ocean Foundation is venturing into the
deep sea off the coast of Italy to explore and protect one of those fragile ecosystems.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GINEVRA BOLDROCCHI, SCIENTIFIC PROJECT COORDINATOR, ONE OCEAN FOUNDATION: The Mediterranean Sea and the Canyon of Caprera is my home. The canyon is
sustaining so many different species, including sharks, the fin whale, the sperm whale, striped dolphin, bottlenose dolphins, a lot of dolphins. So
this area needs to be protected.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the canyon of Caprera. Stretching more than a thousand meters deep, it is one of the
Mediterranean's largest and most biodiverse underwater ecosystems.
In the rough blue waters spanning some 20 to 40 kilometers off the coast of Sardinia, researchers are about to explore the canyon's seabed for the
first time with an ROV, a remote-operated vehicle.
FRANCESCO ENRICHETTI, RESEARCHER, UNIVERSITY OF GENOA: The area we are going to explore is located deeper in the range of 800, 1,000 meters depth.
This area is extremely interesting for us because we have very little information at the level. So we hope to find interesting organisms there.
GUIDO GUY, ENGINEER: You see how many fishing lines.
WEIR (voice-over): Sailor-turned-engineer Guido Guy is a pioneer in underwater ROV exploration and will be piloting this mission today.
ENRICHETTI: These organisms grow on the rocks of the sea bottoms, forming these huge forests, which are extremely important for other organisms.
WEIR (voice-over): While the ROV works underwater, marine biologist Ginevra Boldrocchi works on the surface, collecting acoustic data, pollution levels
and animal DNA.
BOLDROCCHI: The overall mission of the project is conservation. The first step of every conservation initiative, and so you need science to prove
that the area is actually important.
So the first thing we are going to do is the DNA sampling. We want to get all the biological traces which are present in our sea water. And then we
do either the acoustics. This is not only detecting the marine mammals but also noise pollution made from maritime traffic.
WEIR (voice-over): Submarine canyons play a fundamental role in ocean health. They cycle nutrients, store carbon, and provide a habitat for
countless marine species from corals to sharks.
BOLDROCCHI: At the moment, the canyon has no kind of effective protection at all. So we are going to lose our refugees for so many endangered species
and we will lose a lot of biodiversity.
WEIR (voice-over): After surveying the depths of the canyon, today's ROV expedition uncovered rare corals and a wide array of marine life.
ENRICHETTI: And we collected these small gorgonians. Identification is impossible through the images. So we have to analyze it at the laboratory.
WEIR (voice-over): They also found the worst kind of human impact with fishing gear and litter scattered across the seafloor.
ENRICHETTI: We all serve a rare population of the soft bottom gorgonian completely destroyed by the impact of these long lines.
WEIR (voice-over): As their research continues, they hope this data will help strengthen their call for a legal framework to protect the canyon and
safeguard its future.
BOLDROCCHI: We want to show that we have important community also in the bottom that deserve to be protected.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Such important work. Let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the hashtag #CalltoEarth.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:52:45]
SCIUTTO: Denmark's government is pushing ahead to ban social media for children under the age of 15. Parents might like the plan. I'm one of them,
but their kids may not. 80 percent of 15-year-olds in the European Union use social media daily. This, according to the E.U.'s Joint Research Center
and among 9 to 15-year-olds social media use has doubled since 2010.
Caroline Stage Olsen is the Danish minister for digital affairs, and she joins me now.
Thanks so much for taking the time.
CAROLINE STAGE OLSEN, DANISH MINISTER FOR DIGITAL AFFAIRS: You're welcome.
SCIUTTO: So I can practically hear parents cheering this. I'm one of them who struggles when my kids bury themselves in their phone doomscrolling. My
first question is, how do you enforce such a ban?
OLSEN: Well, the European Commission gave us the opportunity to make a national regulation on the matter here during the -- during the summer
session. So this will be a national regulation, but it will be enforced through the European Commission, at least for the -- for the biggest social
media companies, as it is through European regulation.
SCIUTTO: So in effect, the social media companies cannot allow those 15 or younger to use it. I suppose my next concern is that teenagers are pretty
resourceful, perhaps they can get around this. Do they have to show some sort of proof for their age?
OLSEN: Of course. Well, when you -- when you talk to the social media platforms today, they would state that they already have some kind of age
verification, right? That nobody under the age of 13 are able to access the social media platforms. But for instance, in Denmark, when we look at the
numbers, 48 percent of children below that hasn't turned 10 yet, they have a social media profile.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
OLSEN: And before they turn 13, the number is almost 100 percent. So we see that they are already slipping through the filters of the social media
platforms. What we intend to do is to demand proper age verification.
[16:55:02]
We have an app solution for it where you need to use your national electronic identification card. So hopefully it will be hard to circumvent.
SCIUTTO: We've seen similar push with the countries such as Australia. They passed the world's first law on this. And I know it's early, but have you
learned anything from their attempts there to limit use as to how much this works and what can work best?
OLSEN: No, we don't have -- we haven't seen any regulation passed through in Australia yet as I am aware. But we intend to have focus on the social
media platforms that causes the most harm. So the ones that are the most addictive are the ones that has the most harmful content. And that is what
we will write the legislation upon.
SCIUTTO: Do you find it all -- and I'm sure that many children will be upset by this law. They like their phones. But do you find that
surprisingly any children might welcome this, right? Might experience some relief from not having access to some of these because they give an
enormous amount of pressure these social media apps.
OLSEN: They do. Well, I think that many will. When we look at the numbers, the Danish numbers, there are -- most children think that they are spending
too much time online. I just visited a high school, local high school today. We're having the E.U. presidency, so I'm in Jutland, here in
Denmark, and I visited a local high school, and all of the 600 students I asked, I had the polling, every single one of them they stated that they
think they use too much time on an online platform and way over half thought it to be reasonable for Denmark to have age verification and an age
limit.
SCIUTTO: That's interesting. And before we go --
OLSEN: People -- young people are smart.
SCIUTTO: Yes, they're smarter than we give them credit for. Have you gotten, just quickly, pushback from the social media companies?
OLSEN: Well, for instance, Meta, they have been using a lot of resources all across Europe, especially in Denmark, making a lot of advertisements
stating that they want regulation on age verification. So here it is. We're just doing as they are asking us to do. So. I hope that they will thank me.
SCIUTTO: Well, I know a lot of parents will.
Caroline Stage Olsen, thank you so much for joining.
OLSEN: You're welcome.
SCIUTTO: That is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for today. I'm Jim Sciutto. "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" starts now. And I'll be back for "THE BRIEF" right after
that.
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END
