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Six Killed, Several Injured In Shooting Attack On Jerusalem Bus Stop; Trump Signals He's Ready To Hit Russia With More Sanctions; Homeless In D.C. Living In Fear Amid Trump's Crackdown. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired September 08, 2025 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR; All right, there is breaking news out of Jerusalem this morning. At least six people were killed and several others injured when two gunmen opened fire toward a bus stop. This happened along a busy highway just after the morning rush hour.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has rushed to the scene and he is live there. Jeremy, what are you seeing?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well John, I'm on the scene of what Israeli authorities are calling a deadly terrorist attack. At least six people were killed and more than a dozen people were wounded after two Palestinian gunmen arrived on the scene and began opening fire on the crowd.

You can see this is the bus station right behind me that was attacked. You know, remarkably, hours later it is already back in action with people coming here to take the bus to get to where they need to be going. Life very much quickly returning back to normal.

But make no mistake, this is nonetheless a very deadly attack -- the deadliest attack in Jerusalem that we have seen in years. In terms of Israel, it is the deadliest attack since that terrorist attack back in October of 2024 that took place in Jaffa in the Tel Aviv area.

I spoke with a paramedic who arrived on the scene minutes after that attack took place. He described the gruesome scene. Bodies that were laying on the floor with various bullet wounds -- some to the head, some to the torso -- and other types of injuries as well. And that is why we are also keeping a close eye on that death toll, which has been rising since this morning as some of those who have been in serious and critical condition have since died from their wounds.

When we arrived on the scene, John, there were still shards of glass all over the floor and blood spattered across the pavement here. But as you can see behind me clean-up crews made very quick work of this scene.

But, of course, the question now is what happens next and what we are already beginning to witness in terms of an Israeli response. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- he was on the scene.

He offered his condolences to the families of the victims, but he also vowed a fierce retaliation from the Israeli government and its security services. He said Israeli forces would begin encircling the villages in the West Bank from where they say these Palestinian gunmen came from. And we are already beginning to see some of those Israeli security forces carrying out raids in some of those Palestinian villages in the West Bank.

But for here in Jerusalem, John, life very much returning back to normal -- but with a doubt, certainly a sense of shock still lingering in the air -- John.

BERMAN: The scenes behind you, Jeremy, just extraordinary there as people going right about their business as if nothing ever happened.

Jeremy Diamond at the scene of that shooting this morning. Thank you very much -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: At the very same time, President Trump is now saying that he plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin very soon. That's after that massive airstrike on Ukraine. President Trump seems to be signaling that he is maybe finally now possibly out of patience and ready to move forward with implementing further economic sanctions targeting Russia.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am not thrilled with what's happening there, I will tell you. I believe we're going to get it settled but I am not happy with them. I'm not happy with anything having to do with that war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So Russia launched its largest aerial assault of the entire Ukraine war just this last week -- just this weekend. The Kremlin deployed more than 800 drones hitting a government building in Kyiv for the first time as part of it. An infant was killed in this assault.

And joining us right to talk about this is CNN global affairs analyst Brett McGurk. It's good to have you back, Brett.

This massive aerial assault launched by Russia on Ukraine overnight -- I mean, that happening now you think should tell or inform President Trump of what?

BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, Kate, the largest attack of the war -- the third-largest attack of the war. The first two were this summer.

So, you know, President Trump likes to say this war never would have started if he was president in 2022. Impossible to prove that. What is clearly a fact, this war has escalated on his watch. We now have the third largest air attacks of the entire war from Russia, and it comes basically in the face of the president's attempts to get a diplomatic track moving. I think Putin is making a mockery of that process.

I am hopeful, Kate -- you and I have been talking about this for about six months. For diplomacy to work you have to build up leverage against the Russians. That's economic leverage. That means more sanctions. Unfortunately, if this has any chance of getting to the peace table, you're going to have to make that move. I think the president is reluctant to do it, but you really have to do it.

He has one option, Kate. Again, there is a bipartisan bill in the Senate pending -- massive bipartisan support. That can pass and then the president more out of sorrow than anger can go to Putin and say hey look, you know, this is -- this is coming. We've got to get to the table or your economic situation --

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

MCGURK: -- is going to get much worse. You've got to do it.

BOLDUAN: Yeah. I mean, Brett, it's like you brought this on yourself is what it is. I mean, you could -- you've got seven deadlines that President Trump has set and Putin has blown through. I mean, that is how many -- how long this has been going on, and then some.

[07:35:00]

I want to play for everyone just how Trump put it in saying that he seems to be ready now to move to, as it was asked of him, a second phase of sanctions. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Are you ready to move to the second phase of sanctions against Russia and punishing Putin?

TRUMP: Yeah, I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Anything short of moving ahead with the sanctions at this point is going --

MCGURK: Well, it's -- no, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yeah. Is there anything --

MCGURK: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: Is there anything left?

MCGURK: I've said with you before diplomacy without leverage is like music without instruments. It doesn't work. So there's economic sanctions. And look, some good came out of the summits a few weeks ago. It really

kind of reduced the core issues. Number one, you're going to have to have land swaps around the line of contact in the east and -- but that can only work with security guarantees for Ukraine. There has been an effort since those summits to kind of define what those guarantees will be.

So it's a holistic approach. Define the security guarantees that will keep the peace. Think about those land swaps but put that economic pressure on Russia. It has to happen or this is going to continue to escalate.

You know, the Russians are firing these Shahed drones. They're Iranian drones. The Iranians have transferred the technology to Russia. Russia is now building them themselves in these factories. They're producing them massively.

Just a number, Kate. In the last six months of last year there were about 8,000 drones were fired from Russia into Ukraine. The first six months of this year, nearly 30,000.

BOLDUAN: Wow.

MCGURK: So this is going to --

BOLDUAN: Wow.

MCGURK: -- keep coming. Putin is all in. You have to increase the leverage for the diplomacy to work, and we all want it to work. We should hope the president's efforts here succeed.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely.

I do want to ask you -- Jeremy Diamond was just talking about this breaking news out of Jerusalem with this attack at a bus stop.

But at the same time you also have the Israeli defense minister this morning issued a very serious warning to Hamas, saying, "Today a massive hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City -- of Gaza -- of Gaza City. Towers will tremble." And issuing what he's saying is a final warning to Hamas to lay down arms and hand over hostages.

You helped negotiate the only two ceasefires of the Gaza war, including the deal earlier this year, Brett. What --

MCGURK: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: -- needs to or can happen? What is feasible now?

MCGURK: What's very tragic about this awful news today in Jerusalem -- attacks in Jerusalem, as Jeremy just said, relatively rare.

Just yesterday a new initiative was put down by the United States. The Israelis accepted it. It's a far-reaching initiative.

Hamas has to release all living hostages, and all remains on day one of a process to get to a permanent end to the war. That will be very difficult for Hamas to do. I think it's unlikely. But President Trump basically put a statement out yesterday saying, kind of, take it or leave it.

Again, you've got to put all international pressure on Hamas. Just take the deal. We have to end this war.

But again, I think the ingredients here are for this to unfortunately, Kate, continue. You've got to get that diplomacy started on the hostages. Right now there have been no talks going on. I'm hopeful this new initiative can get that moving again because it's the only way to end this.

You need the hostages out and they need conditions set for a permanent end to the war, which means Hamas basically has to give up its security control of Gaza. That's been an irreducible demand of Israel from day one. Hamas, from day one, has said we will not do that. That remains the crux of the issue.

It's just a horrific situation. Give diplomacy a chance. I'm hopeful it can get started. This attack today sets it back. Hamas already has a statement out calling it a heroic operation that just happened at that bus stop in Jerusalem. It's just -- it's horrific.

BOLDUAN: Brett, thank you so much for being here, as always -- John.

MCGURK: Thanks, Kate.

BERMAN: All right. This morning, President Trump's attempt to influence the race for New York City mayor could be backfiring. Incumbent Eric Adams denying he plans to drop out of the race amid reports that Trump aides were talking to him about a possible job in the administration. That was allegedly to clear a path for former Governor Andrew Cuomo.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino here again with the very latest. So what are you hearing now?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a chaotic sort of Friday for all of us last week because for a moment there it wasn't really clear whether or not Mayor Eric Adams was going to stay in the race because we'd spent the week reporting about these alleged offers and plans that were being made up in Trump world to offer him a job in the Trump administration as a way to get him out of the race and help clear the path for Andrew Cuomo who is running as an Independent.

Now, all of this is to help Zohran Mamdani lose the election, right? Trump has called him a communist. Has said that he would be dangerous for New York. By the way, Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Eric Adams also say that about him.

But all of this seeming interference in the election is really rallying people for Zohran Mamdani. In fact, he was here in town with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders at a Brooklyn town hall over the weekend. The two of them marched in the Labor Day parade along with other leaders.

[07:40:05]

And now there's a lot of conversation from that side of the party -- the Democratic Party -- about the fact so many prominent leaders here in New York still have not endorsed Mamdani -- namely, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Governor Kathy Hochul.

So I want you to take a listen to Bernie Sanders speaking to supporters at this town hall, talking about that lack of support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): I find it hard to understand how the major Democratic leaders in New York State are not supporting the Democratic candidate. One might think that if a candidate starting at two percent in the polls gets 50,000 volunteers, creates enormous excitement, gets young people involved in the political process, gets nontraditional voters to vote, Democratic leaders would be jumping up and down. This is our guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now John, the question is this conversation about endorsements, does it really matter for the voters?

But one thing that's very interesting and that we know for sure here in New York is that Trump remains deeply unpopular. So any association of Trump to the race and of Trump to these other candidates -- specifically, Andrew Cuomo who is running as an Independent but is a Democrat -- is likely to perhaps hurt him in this election coming up in November.

BERMAN: Yeah. He didn't seem to fare so well at the U.S. Open caucus --

PAZMINO: Yes.

BERMAN: -- yesterday.

PAZMINO: Exactly.

BERMAN: President Trump, when he was at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

PAZMINO: Exactly.

BERMAN: Glora Pazmino, thank you so much for being here.

We should note that Andrew Cuomo will be on CNN a little later this morning, so stayed tuned for that.

This morning a snapshot of a struggling market after an extremely disappointing jobs report. Revised data shows the economy lost 13,000 jobs in June. That's the first net loss for any month since pandemic lows.

The Wall Street Journal pointed out that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. has added just about 598,000 jobs so far this year. Outside of 2020 that's the weakest start to a year since the economy buckled in the financial crisis of 2009.

With us now, Democratic strategist Christy Setzer, and Republican strategist Melik Abdul.

So Christy, I mean, outside of the pandemic, the weakest jobs market since 2009? That seems like a pretty long time.

How does that -- how does this reality --

CHRISTY SETZER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I -- it's --

BERMAN: How does this reality set the stage for politics going forward -- the races we have this fall and then the midterms?

SETZER: That's right. Well, it says that Donald Trump now fully owns this economy and it's not a good one.

I mean, think about last month alone. In August, there were 22,000 jobs created. We are a country of 380 million people. That is effectively saying there were no jobs created last month.

And then you look back to June, which was actually negative jobs. More people lost jobs than gained them.

If you look at the beginning of the year there's a slight difference, right? We're still having some effects from the Biden economy. So when you look at January through April, you're actually seeing slightly anemic but still pretty solid job growth.

Then Trump comes in and he starts talking about tariffs. He creates massive confusion for every small business owner, including myself, in America. And then that's when you start to see people contracting and people saying I don't think we can hire right now because we have no idea what prices are going to be.

And that is Donald Trump's economy. It is mass confusion. It is no jobs being created. And it is people being, frankly, scared.

BERMAN: Yeah, Melik. If you're a Republican in a swing district, how do you feel about these jobs numbers, and what's the consideration about whether and how strongly you might break with the administration on some of its economic policies?

MELIK ABDUL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well obviously, any time that there is a drop in any type of job numbers it's not good for the administration. But it really seems like what we talked about earlier in the year -- some of the concerns that people had about tariffs and how it would impact the economy. It seems as if we're seeing that now.

Remember, earlier in the year the Trump administration -- they were really talking about this idea of short-term pain for long-term gain. And I'm wondering is that what we're seeing now?

Keep in mind that at the end of this month that we're going to be into the new -- well, the beginning of next month --

BERMAN: Yeah.

ABDUL: -- we're going to be into the new fiscal year, so we'll probably still see some more of that shakeup.

But I imagine that some of that uncertainty that people have about the market and what we're seeing now with some of the government losses during DOGE, a lot of those numbers are going to go back on the books October 1. So we'll still see some kind of bit of uncertainty there, but we don't know what's going to happen on the other end of it.

BERMAN: I hear you. I hear you. But we're talking, you know, if you take out the pandemic, generational weakness in the jobs market here. You're talking about 2009, which is now 16 years, I think -- 16 years ago. I'm not good at math which is why I don't do the numbers.

[07:45:00]

But Melik -- so, I mean, you have that much weakness here. And it's no longer a discussion about short-term pain for long-term gain. It's a discussion about whether or not you have an atmosphere that could be toxic for some Republicans running.

ABDUL: Oh, absolutely, and that's something that I wouldn't deny. I've been critical of some of the steps that the administration has taken. But there is still a lot -- I think what we're dealing with is a lot of that uncertainty.

We don't know what's going to happen on the other side of the whole tariff debate. We don't know what's going to happen when it comes to those books and those numbers that are coming off of the books as far as the government rolls. So there is still a lot of uncertainty there.

And because Donald Trump decided this is what he wanted to do -- he wanted his tax -- his tariff policy to be some sort of economic indicator. We've never seen that before.

I'm hoping, obviously, and any Republicans should be hopeful that we end up on the other side of this in a very good way -- but there is still, I'll admit, a lot of uncertainty.

BERMAN: And Christy, in terms of the political environment in general this month -- by the end of this month there could be a government shutdown. And again, I do wonder if the jobs environment and economy hangs over even this decision. But Democrats have a decision to make whether or not they're going to try to work with Republicans more to get a --

SETZER: Right.

BERMAN: -- some kind of a spending plan through or whether or not they would end up being in a position where there leads to a government shutdown.

Ezra Klein wrote a really interesting piece in The New York Times where he said he sort of understands what Schumer did a few months ago by not shutting the government done. But now Ezra is saying It's time, in his mind.

He said, "The case for a shutdown is this: A shutdown is an attentional event. It's an effort to turn the diffuse crisis of Trump's corrupting of the government into an acute crisis that the media, that the public, will actually pay attention to. Right now, Democrats have no power, so no one cares what they have to say. A shutdown would make people listen."

What do you think about that?

SETZER: Yeah, I absolutely agree.

And he said something else interesting in that piece, too. He said, you know, to go along with Republicans on this and to support them to keep the government open right now is worse than being not an opposition party. It makes you actually complicit, right? It says to Americans that there is no difference, really, between the parties because they're all doing terrible things for America.

Look, there is a reason why Donald Trump is extremely underwater right now in every single issue, including every part of the economy, including if you ask people about how has he done on inflation and how has he done on the economy?

If you look at his signature legislation -- the one big, beautiful bill, right -- that is so toxic that Republicans are actually trying to rebrand it as something else. They don't want people to know that they are associated with it. So what this says is that if you're a Democrat you have to say we are opposed to all of these things. We are not the ones who made this happen for you.

And so it is confusing to me, actually, that it seems as though there's still some division on the Hill among Democratic leadership, in particular, as to what our moves should be. To me, it is clear as day that we should be showing that we are an opposition party and we do not stand for any of this.

BERMAN: We'll see what happens. I mean, the opposition argument is that if the government shuts down it actually gives the executive potentially more power. That's some of the concern. But we'll see. We have a few weeks now to watch this play out.

Christy Setzer, Melik Abdul, great to see you both this morning. Thanks so much -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Still ahead, requests for strippers and a putting green. A man accused of trying to assassinate President Trump represents himself in court today.

And the high price of groceries hitting home across the country and the new social media trend helping -- trying to help families eat on a dollar a day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKE SOUTHERLAND, CREATES VIDEOS ON LOW-COST MEALS FOR FAMILIES: Oh my gosh, that is $43.00.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:53:07]

BOLDUAN: So we have new CNN reporting on President Trump's federal takeover of Washington, D.C. and the impact that it is having not just on the city but on the city's homeless population. The White House says that teams from several agencies have cleared more than 50 homeless encampments in the district since the president's crackdown began there now nearly a month ago. And CNN is now finding some of those people have started taking extreme measures to avoid the sweeps.

CNN's Brian Todd has been following this from the very beginning and joining us now once again from Washington. And Brian, what are you learning?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Kate, we've learned that homeless people in this city, since this crackdown began, have resorted to taking some drastic measures just to evade law enforcement.

As Kate mentioned, the Trump administration says it has cleared at least 50 homeless encampments from the city since the surge began about a month ago, working with police to do that. Now as those tactics have gotten more aggressive some of the homeless people and the homeless advocates we talked to, like the advocates who worked at this homeless center just over my left shoulder -- we talked to them and they've said that some of the homeless people have really resorted to some drastic measures.

They're doing things like hopping on and off buses at night to sleep on the buses just to stay on the move. Going to libraries during the day to blend in and then leaving the libraries. Sleeping in wooded areas.

And what some of them are doing, according to the people we talked to, like a gentleman named Jeff Padgett, 60 years old. He's been homeless on the street for about eight years now. Some of them are hiking across the bridges into Virginia to hide on the wooded areas -- in the wooded areas on the Virginia side of the river.

We talked Jeff as he did that one day recently, hauling his two chihuahuas with him in a black cart, just to hide in the wooded areas across the river in Virginia to avoid law enforcement.

Here is what Jeff had to tell us about why he feels he has to do that.

[07:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF PADGETT, HOMELESS RESIDENT OF WASHINGTON, D.C.: Because I don't want to be harassed or locked up or given -- it's crazy -- given an ultimatum. You either leave town, go to jail, or go into a psych ward. I'm not committing any crimes. I'm not "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: And we do have to emphasize, as Jeff himself mentioned, these homeless people are not breaking any laws by being homeless; they just feel like they have to do these things to avoid being swept up and taken far away from the areas where they live and being placed in situations that are not comfortable.

Now, the Trump administration has said that it would offer them shelter far away from the city. That would offer them mental health care services. But so far, about a month into the surge, none of that help has come from the Trump administration, according to homeless advocates.

But the D.C. city government has scrambled to provide additional shelter beds. About 80 people have taken advantage of those shelter beds. But those are just a temporary solution, Kate. You know, homeless people still being pretty uncomfortable and taking some drastic measures now to evade law enforcement.

BOLDUAN: A lot of this seemingly temporary solutions, but an important aspect of the story to tell.

Brian, thank you very much for your reporting on this -- John.

BERMAN: All right. The trial begins today for the man accused of attempting to kill President Trump in Florida. Ryan Routh is accused of pointing a rifle at the president who was, at that point, the former president, while he was golfing. Routh is representing himself and has made a number of unusual requests, including a golf showdown with the president. And he also asked for strippers.

This morning, a wedding crasher and his accomplice have been arrested after they allegedly stole about $60,000 in wedding gifts. Video shows one of the suspects snatching a box and then taking off with a getaway driver. It happened at a wedding in California. Police say they found the suspects with the stolen money, along with guns and drugs. They don't know if there's any connection between the suspects and the couple -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Alrighty.

So this week a new inflation report will give us a new view on where prices for pretty much everything are heading right now.

As inflation is ticking up some social media influencers are gaining a huge following online for their tips and trucks to cut costs, including two sisters from Tennessee showing families how to eat on as little as one dollar a day.

CNN's Elle Reeve caught up with them to find out why they are taking off in such a big way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOUTHERLAND: Today's video is more broke meals. Meals to make when you're broke.

ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): These YouTuber sisters are a different kind of momfluencer.

EMILY ANDERSON, CREATES VIDEOS ON LOW-COST MEALS FOR FAMILIES: We're going into the Dollar General Market first.

REEVE (voiceover): -- making super-low-budget food videos for people who are broke --

SOUTHERLAND: They have a clearance event.

ANDERSON: What?

REEVE (voiceover): -- how to eat on a dollar a day. A week of meals for $10.00.

These videos are in demand as a growing number of people are struggling to afford rising food, power, and rent bills.

SOUTHERLAND: It doesn't look like inflation is going anywhere except up.

REEVE (voiceover): Since last year, eggs are up more than 16 percent; coffee, 14 percent; and beef, 11 percent.

SOUTHERLAND: Oh my gosh, that is $43.00.

REEVE (voiceover): There are fears tariffs could raise food prices more in the future. Electricity prices have grown more than twice as fast as the cost of living. And Central Services, a food bank here in Morristown, Tennessee, says it has seen 22 percent more new families this year than last.

Brooke Southerland and Emily Anderson have expertise in how to make something from nothing because they did it as kids.

ANDERSON: Most the time growing up I felt like it was me and Brooke against the world. I'm going to try not to cry. Why is that?

REEVE (voiceover): Southerland says she wanted to start making these videos after their older sister died.

SOUTHERLAND: When my sister passed away me and my mother were going through her purse and I got this little card out, and it was from a food bank. And it said her next available date to pick up a box of food. She had never told anybody that she was struggling like that and that just made me sad that she thought she couldn't talk to family about her food insecurity.

REEVE (voiceover): The sisters say they want viewers to feel less shame about having to make tough choices.

SOUTHERLAND: You all think I'm going to take away the extra pack of franks -- hot dogs -- and get a pepper? There are some -- the worst that think that vegetables are the most

important choice. And to me that just shows that they've never had to really struggle. Fresh vegetables are really a luxury in some instances, and that -- it shouldn't be that way at all.

REEVE: Sometimes you have to go to a whole bunch of Dollar Generals?

SOUTHERLAND: Yes. Everybody in our area wants to save money and they take everything off the shelves before we can get to it.

No!

REEVE: How many hours a week do think you put into this?

SOUTHERLAND: Eight-10 hours.

REEVE (voiceover): We talked to more than a dozen people in downtown Morristown. Everyone was mad about prices.

LINDA BRADLEY, MORRISTOWN, TENNESSEE RESIDENT: Sometimes things is four times what they was a year ago. Roast, I used to get for $12.00- $15.00 -- $35.00. It's awful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything, you know, just keeps going up.

TONY MAYES, MORRISTOWN, TENNESSEE RESIDENT: Well, I used to spend $40.00 a week.