Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

FBI Says Dallas Ice Shooting Had High Degree of Pre-attack Planning; Zelenskyy Asks Trump for a New Long-range Weapons System, Warns Russia They Will Use It; Hegseth Summons Hundreds of Senior Military Officers to Mystery Meeting; FDA is Reviewing Safety of Abortion Drug Mifepristone; Students Help Pass Florida Law to Support Military Families. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired September 25, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- to the person who carried this out. So they're just trying to piece together what he has said or searched on the internet, as well as, again, those shell casings that they showcased yesterday.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Yeah. No doubt security concerns at other facilities. ALVAREZ: Yeah.

KEILAR: Priscilla, thank you so much for that. Ukraine's president has a message for the Kremlin. Know where your bomb shelters are, details on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is sharpening his threats against Russia as President Trump shifts his position on the war. Zelenskyy told Axios' Barak Ravid that if Ukraine gets the new long-range weapon system they've asked for, they will use it in Russian territory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: First of all, they have to know where their bomb shelters are. If they will not stop the war, they will need it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:35:00]

SANCHEZ: According to Axios, Zelenskyy also says that Trump supports retaliatory attacks on energy and infrastructure sites. Remember, earlier this week, Trump posted approval for Ukraine to fight to retake all of its territory. CNN Military Analyst Colonel Cedric Leighton is here joining us live. And Colonel, I do want to get to the questions about Ukraine, but first, I wanted to get your thoughts on this all-hands-on-deck meeting being called by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in person for next Tuesday. Why have it in person? What do you think the significance of this meeting is? COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It's usually significant, but we really don't know, Boris, exactly what Secretary of Defense Hegseth is putting together here. There's several possibilities. The most extreme would be mass firings of people. That would be a terrible blow to the U.S. military if that were to happen. Other possibilities are that it could be something as benign as a physical fitness test or something like that.

But that's still taking people out from their duties in very critical areas, all around the world, is really unprecedented, especially in this day and age where we've got video teleconferencing capabilities that have been in place for decades now, that are secure, that can handle the types of communications that the secretary would need. It really seems strange to me to do this kind of thing.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. Could it theoretically be some lack of confidence in the security of those communications?

LEIGHTON: Theoretically, it could be. And so, if there's word, for example, that the communication system has been compromised, then yes, then it would make sense to do something like that. It would actually be a necessary choice. But, it's unlikely. The systems have been tested for many years. And unless there is something like that, where there's a bug in the system, literally in this case -- SANCHEZ: Yeah.

LEIGHTON: -- it really begs the question as to why he needs to do it and why he needs to do it at a place like Quantico.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, of course, we're going to keep an eye on that meeting and hopefully get your perspective once it happens. On the point of Ukraine, when Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks about targeting territory inside Russia and he sort of throws out this idea that they might target the Kremlin, how realistic are his options?

LEIGHTON: So this is -- this is really quite something, Boris, because he's -- of course, there are certain capabilities that Ukraine actually has right now that they can use where they've already targeted a large portion of Russia's economy. But yes, the Kremlin leadership compounds, Putin's palaces, all of that are significant areas. Also have things like the drone factories, those could be used, missile sites as well. The problem with these areas though is that they're usually heavily defended. So it's a little bit harder to get it. It's possible if you have the right mix. But then the other thing that they could look at would be things like intelligence facilities, command and control nodes, all of that. And they are already doing some of that. But if they hit things like, let's say the headquarters of the Russian Intelligence Services like the SVR or the FSB, that would also be quite an escalation in this, plus communications infrastructure, and of Russia's 38 oil refineries.

They've already hit 16, some of them multiple times. So there are certain things that they're actually doing. And when you look at Moscow being the target, this is where the Kremlin is, just north of the river. And that would definitely be the seat of government for the Russians would send a heck of a message. But it's also potentially a response to the Russian attack on the Ukrainian government facility that they hit, where the minister -- where the prime minister was actually there -- her office was actually hit by Russian strike. So this might be telegraphing that they might try revenge on that particular -- at that particular site.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. Well, when you talk about having the right mix of equipment, I remember there was a point where a drone, a Ukrainian drone was flown fairly close to the Kremlin, didn't quite get there or make any impact. But if they have different equipment, perhaps.

LEIGHTON: Right. So for example, this -- there's a piece of equipment called the AGM-158B, it's this system right here. And what it does is, it can actually travel a fairly long distance and it can, it can be launched from, this is an F-15 right here, but it can also be launched from an F-16, which the Ukrainians have. They got them originally from the U.S. but through Europe. And these weapons systems, of course, have high speed. They can provide the means for standoff weapons. It uses all of these things, radiation detection systems to target air defense systems. It has its own 20-millimeter gun, has missiles and bombs including that one potentially, and of course it has both air- to-air -- an air-to-air roll, as well as an air-to-ground attack system.

So, this could be used in multiple areas that Ukraine would be interested in. And if it did that, that would, of course, be another thing. Now, the other potential that we know about would be something like the Tomahawk Cruise Missile. These are normally launched from the sea, but they can also be launched from land. And if they are, this would give the Ukrainians an extra capability that would get them into an area that would be quite denied for them right now.

[13:40:00]

The other thing would be the ATACMS, the Ukrainians have this system, but it's been -- they've been denied use of this system for longer ranges. And this is something that could also potentially be used throughout the battlefield here as well as when you look at areas in all of Russia right here.

SANCHEZ: Colonel Cedric Leighton, appreciate the expertise. Thanks so much for joining us.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Boris. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still to come this afternoon, the FDA launching a review of a commonly used abortion drug, one that has a long track record of being both safe and effective. What this could mean for access to that drug, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:45:00]

KEILAR: New today, an FDA review of the abortion drug Mifepristone is driving some new concerns about possible further limits on abortion access. Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner, Dr. Martin Makary notifying 22 Republican Attorneys General of the review in a new letter. The FDA first approved Mifepristone back in 2000. And in 2016, it was cleared to end pregnancy through 10 weeks of gestation. In that time, it has been shown to be safe and effective.

We're joined now by OB-GYN and Fertility Specialist, Dr. Natalie Crawford. Doctor, first off, is this study in your opinion necessary?

DR. NATALIE CRAWFORD, OB-GYN AND FERTILITY SPECIALIST: No, Brianna. Honestly, this is not, and it's coming from a report that has come out where somebody who has an ulterior motive has just looked at data and published it on a website, showing that there might be a higher risk of complications than what really exists because we have well studies done looking at the risk of complications with Mifepristone, showing less than a one percent risk of a serious side effect. And this makes the safety profile similar or better than over-the-counter medications that you can go and get right now, like Ibuprofen.

KEILAR: Is this trickling down to patients yet? Have you heard anything about their concerns?

CRAWFORD: I have received some messages this morning since we've seen this picked up by the news. And it's important for people to know that this medication is a hormone blocker. It works by blocking progesterone, which is important in early pregnancy. It is used for medical abortion management, but also for management of early miscarriage and pregnancy loss that is incomplete and needs medical treatment as well.

And of course, what we're most concerned about is that when we use research that's not done by the scientific process, meaning this study that the administration is quoting is not done in a medical journal. It's not a real paper. It hasn't been peer reviewed where somebody has looked at the data and made sure that it's supporting the conclusions that exist. And instead what we're seeing is this false high complication rate, which is including things that are not related to Mifepristone use, like an ectopic pregnancy. And really, this is limiting access which appears to be the goal, but under the guise of safety precautions.

And of course we want people to have safe medications. We always want patients to know the safety profile or any risks they may encounter. But studies have been done on this, looking over the past 20 years extensively to make sure that this is a safe medication. And we currently don't have evidence to support that it is an unsafe option.

KEILAR: You mentioned Ibuprofen, if this is really about medication safety, we should also note Mifepristone is safer than penicillin. It's safer than Viagra. We aren't expecting say, the FDA to do a Viagra study that would raise questions about access to that erectile dysfunction drug. Do you broadly have faith in the review process at the FDA under Secretary Kennedy's leadership?

CRAWFORD: No, I don't. I think we're seeing a misinterpretation of data to fuel another agenda. And this is extremely scary for all of us who practice medicine, anybody especially on the spectrum of women's health where we're seeing the hardest hit when it comes to using data in a way to serve a narrative and an ulterior motive. This is very scary to me.

KEILAR: Dr. Natalie Crawford, great to speak with you about this. I know a lot of people will be watching this story. Thank you so much.

CRAWFORD: Thank you, Brianna.

KEILAR: And next hour, it's a big update in the deadly shooting on an ICE facility in Dallas. We will be there live as officials give an update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:53:40]

KEILAR: Today on CNN Home Front, Blue Star Welcome Week gets underway this weekend as civilian communities welcome military families who are new to their towns and cities. Most military families don't live on military installations. They live in your neighborhoods, often moving every few years as service members get new orders. This year as Blue Star Families, the nation's largest nonprofit serving military and veteran families, kicks off events across the nation to foster community and belonging, we're highlighting a student-led effort in Florida that does just that.

Last year, a teacher at Sumner High School in Riverview, Florida attended a training session for educators put on by Blue Star Families at MacDill Air Force Base. And it culminated in students at the high school zeroing in on a nationwide compact that was already in place to help military kids transition to their schools in a new state. The thing was the students discovered that teachers across Florida weren't even aware of the program. So, they set out to change that by getting a law passed to train educators.

I'm joined now by Kaitlyn Chin and Grace Siderio, recent graduates of Sumner High School in Hillsborough County, Florida. Thank you to both of you for being with us. And Kaitlyn, to you first, what kind of complications was this causing for military children that school officials really, by no fault of their own, didn't have the training on this important compact that's supposed to make moving schools between states much easier?

[13:55:00]

KAITLYN CHIN, ADVOCATE FOR FL LAW SUPPORTING MILITARY FAMILIES: Hi. So my three (ph) not being instated to its fullest extent by no fault of school officials was leading to military students being forgotten in their education. Some students couldn't enroll in time for the school year. Some students that had to move and switch schools halfway through the school year were learning that their credits were not transferring right because every state has different educational requirements, and that was leading to students falling behind, having their GPAs lowered and some of them weren't -- not even able to graduate on time. KEILAR: That sounds like a total pain. And Grace, ultimately these efforts on the part of you and two other students got a training for Florida teachers passed into law. What is that going to mean for military connected students?

GRACE SIDERIO, ADVOCATE FOR FL LAW SUPPORTING MILITARY FAMILIES: So ultimately, for the military-connected students, it's going to ensure that when they are being transferred to different schools, the people who are transferring them are going to be more prepared and better trained for how to facilitate their transfers. And it's going to make the whole process run a lot smoother, which it already should have been.

KEILAR: Kaitlyn, your dad is a veteran. But the other three students that you've worked with, including Grace, you don't have a military connection. I wonder, Grace, why did you think though that it was so important as high school seniors, as you were at the end of last year, to take this on?

SIDERIO: I mean, for me, when I heard about how many issues these other students were having, it just sort of struck me in a way that made me feel bad for these other students because, here I am, enjoying my senior year getting to go to all my events and do senior sunrise and senior skip day, and other students who have families who are serving in the military protecting our country, they can't do some of these events because they're being held back and they can't join the clubs that they want to join. They can't do the sports they want to do because we are not transferring them correctly. And it just sort of hurt me to know that I'm able to do all these things and the people who are fighting for our country and serving our country are not able to receive the same benefits I was.

KEILAR: Yeah. Kaitlyn, how surprising was that to you to learn that this was happening?

CHIN: I think it was honestly very surprising, not entirely because I feel like a lot of military families are underappreciated in certain aspects. And I think that they are so humble and loyal to this country that they will struggle on their own. I think that being aware of these issues was kind of mind blowing to me. It's like, why are we not taking the same initiative to be selfless and to put forward our best efforts to make sure that their transitions are smoother when they're already doing so much for us?

KEILAR: And Kaitlyn, you guys have talked to military families. What are they telling you? I know you made sort of like a special visit to talk about what this is going to mean. What kind of feedback did you get?

CHIN: So, we actually visited MacDill Air Force Base over the summer after the bill had been passed into law and we got to meet with military families who have children who are both at the base, off the base who are going to school in Hillsborough County and some of them have had their credits not be transferred correctly. Some of them are having to repeat classes. Some of them are, like Grace said, not able to join the clubs that they want. And this takes a very emotional toll and mental toll on these students as well as their families because their parents are trying to fight for them as well as fighting for our country at the same time.

KEILAR: Kaitlyn Chin and Grace Siderio, thank you so much for being with us to talk about it.

SIDERIO: Thank you.

CHIN: Thank you.

KEILAR: This hour, we're expecting to hear from officials in the investigation into the shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas as more White House officials, including the president, point the finger at left wing extremists.

SANCHEZ: Plus, indictment indecision, former FBI Director James Comey could be indicted as soon as today. But inside the White House, not all of the president's aides agree this is a good idea. And China stepping up while the U.S. steps aside, how Beijing is acting on climate change while the U.S. doubles down on fossil fuels. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

KEILAR: We are standing by for an update in the next half hour on that deadly sniper attack in an ICE facility in Dallas. This shooting left one detainee dead, seriously wounded two others yesterday. FBI Director Kash Patel revealing today, the shooter left a handwritten --