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FBI Investigating Michigan Church Attack; Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist (D-MI) is Interviewed about the Michigan Church Attack; Trump and Netanyahu Meet; Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is Interviewed about a Gaza Ceasefire. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired September 29, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

STEVE UBL, PRESIDENT AND CEO, PHRMA: Couple of companies have launched direct purchase programs recently, AstraZeneca and BMS (ph), where the savings are 70 to 80 percent off the list price. So, this website will connect consumers directly to those programs.

And again, why are we doing this? Because today, even though PBMs are getting massive discounts, they're charging the patient full list price. So, they'll be able to use this website again to connect directly to companies. There will be a transparent price. They'll -- it's more convenient, lower cost for consumers and address those situations.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: One of the other things that the administration is going after is the fact that the U.S. is one of only two countries in the world to allow direct advertising to pharmaceuticals to consumers. The president and the HHS secretary, they're taking that on. RFK has said this, accusing the industry of pushing misleading ads. He said, in announcing that they're moving on this, that pharmaceutical ads "hooked this country and prescription drugs. We will shut down that pipeline of deception." The FDA commissioner saying, "drug companies spend up to 25 percent of their budget on advertising. Those billions of dollars would be better spent on lowering drug prices for everyday Americans."

What do you say to the moves they're trying to make on that?

UBL: Well, the industry is committed to responsible advertising. All of these ads have to go through a very rigorous FDA review process before they're put on -- on the air. And we think these ads can be a valuable source of information for consumers who may not know about treatment options that are available to them. And it can stimulate a conversation with their health professional who will make the ultimate decision in concert with the patient about whether they should access a particular treatment or not.

BOLDUAN: Yes, it will be interesting to see what moves the administration does try to make on that, if they do. There's a lot of conversation going on around it and a very important topic all over the place.

Steve Ubl, thank you for coming in. A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, the White House press secretary saying the man responsible for killing at least four people in an attack on a Michigan church appeared to hate people of the Mormon faith. We have yet to hear from investigators on a motive. But right now, crews are scouring the area for people still missing in that attack. The shooter first ramming his car into the church, then firing rounds and then setting the church on fire.

Also this morning, President Trump will sit down for a high stakes meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The president has promised, quote, "something special" is coming on Gaza, but Israeli officials say the prime minister has reservations about a 21- point ceasefire plan.

Also, Americans have more money in stocks than ever before. But economists warning that is actually a big red flag.

I'm Sara Sidner, with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And there is breaking news. The White House is now weighing in on the deadly shooting and arson attack at a church in Grand Blanc, Michigan. There is an urgent search for more victims inside the building. A source tells CNN, as many as seven people remain unaccounted for. At least four people are dead, eight wounded from the attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The FBI is now leading the investigation as authorities try to determine a motive.

Just a short time ago, this is what the White House press secretary said about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, from what I understand, based on my conversations with the FBI director, all they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith. And they are trying to understand more about this, how premeditated it was, how much planning went into it, whether he left a note. All of those questions have yet to be answered but certainly will be answered by the FBI.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: We've got new images this morning of the suspect's truck. Authorities say that the attacker rammed that pickup through the front of the church, then began shooting, and also set fire to the building. And that fire grew. He has been identified as a 40-year-old Marine veteran. He was killed at the scene after exchanging gunfire with police.

CNN's Leigh Waldman is at the scene for us this morning.

I understand at some point we do expect to hear from authorities there.

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, that's exactly right. The last we heard from law enforcement last night is there would be a press conference with updated information at some point early this morning. We're hoping to get a time locked in at some point soon, so we can keep updating people on the investigation that's happening.

We know that law enforcement was at the gunman's suspected place of residence. We know that they were obtaining search warrants to dive deeper into his digital footprint.

[09:05:02]

They said that they're looking to determine the motive, anything that led up to this shooting that happened here. The FBI is calling this an act of targeted violence.

And, John, now that the sun is up here, we can get a better view down the road. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is down the road from where we are. We believe we can see the suspected gunman's truck from where we are standing here. We saw several -- about a half dozen DNR officers vehicles making their way to that scene here. It's a flurry of activity. Drones flying overhead as they're continuing to make their way through the burnt down chapel as they're trying to recover victim's bodies. We know as many as seven people are possibly unaccounted for. Four people have died. Other people are still dealing with their injuries at local hospitals here.

We know how heroic the first responders were in this situation. Responding within 30 seconds. Taking down the gunman in less than ten minutes.

But the police chief also spoke about the heroics of the people inside of that church. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF WILLIAM RENYE, GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP POLICE: And I'd also like to acknowledge the heroism of, not only the first responders, but the people who were inside that church at the time. They were shielding the children who were also present within the church, moving them to safety. Just hundreds of people just practicing their faith.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALDMAN: And, John, last night we saw a group of people who were at that church waiting to be taken back to their vehicles. We spoke with a man named Ryan. He had his young two-year-old daughter with him. She was in her Sunday best dressed still, and he said he's traumatized from what he saw. He was a part of helping people try and stay protected when this tragedy broke out yesterday.

BERMAN: You know, the gunman struck at a moment when families gather there. It must have just been terrifying.

Leigh Waldman for us in Grand Blanc. Thank you very much. Kate.

BOLDUAN: And joining us right now is the Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, Garlin Gilchrist, for more on this.

Lieutenant Governor, thank you for being here.

The White House press secretary, we just played, she was just speaking out this morning. And the way she put it is in -- it seems to be suggesting something of a motive is that she said that this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith. What are you hearing about this?

LT. GOV. GARLIN GILCHRIST (D-MI): Well, law enforcement has not confirmed any understanding of motive at this point, and I think we all need to be very careful not to not only rush to judgment as to what happened here and why, but we cannot speculate. It is that speculation that, frankly, creates a more dangerous environment for all of us. Instead, we need to let law enforcement do their job, and we need to focus on mourning. I am heartbroken for these families in Grand Blanc, Michigan, these members of this church who are coming together to do the thing that's supposed to be safe, and that is be in community and commune with one another. And so, my heart certainly goes out to them. And my trust is in these professionals here at the local level who responded so quickly and so violently, who are taking care of the people who are still nursing their wounds right now, to make sure we can move forward with understanding, not with speculation.

BOLDUAN: Yes, I will say, and what we've heard and how quickly in seconds did first responders arrive on the scene. Still also just another illustration, an example of how fast tragedy can strike, because still you have people killed, you have people wounded. And the latest number we have heard is that as many as -- a source telling CNN, as many as seven people still unaccounted for as they continue to try to work through that horrible, horrible scene.

What kind of resources is the state providing to this community? I mean, authorities do say that that building is a total loss.

GILCHRIST: Every resource is being provided in terms -- to support this community and these families and their neighbors who have been impacted by this. The state police have been on the scene. The state department of natural resources conservation officers were part of that immediate within 30 second response to the first call for service and were a part of the team that was able to bring down the shooter. And so we will make everything available to this community, just -- like, that's what we do in Michigan. We step up for one another. And that's, frankly, why people have so much respect for first responders. They run toward danger, and they take care of people. And that's what happened here.

BOLDUAN: And as you mentioned, there is no official word on motive. There's so much to learn. There are still victims that are potentially still trying to be found right now. With all of that said, this comes at a moment, Lieutenant Governor,

when that it's just been one tragedy after another. And this comes at a moment when people do turn to their local and state leaders looking for comfort, looking for security, looking for a way forward. You have the Republican governor of Utah, who has really been leading the charge and talking about trying to bring the temperature down in conversation, in politics, all around, in order to find more community and commonality rather than more division.

[09:10:08]

How do you do that with your very big bully pulpit?

GILCHRIST: What I think about in this moment is the fact that because we are -- as human beings we are curious for answers, especially in the moments of tragedy. And it's why I worry so much about the misinformation and disinformation that can quickly spread in our social media feeds, where we often see, in real time, raw images and raw footage of the worst possible things that can happen to a human being. And that always triggers us. And I think, frankly, these social media companies that seek to capitalize and weaponize upon that, when that is then fueled by politicians and people who are seeking to spread rumors, and who are not looking to bring the temperature down, who are looking to speculate and get more people to hate more people, rather than getting people to take a step back and think about the humanity of those involved and search for truth, not search for -- not speculate, I think that's a high risk.

And so, I think these social media companies need to be very mindful. They need to be intentional. These algorithms are designed to capitalize on our emotions. And right now, rather than capitalizing on the fear, they need to capitalize on our seek for information and truth and then not focus on people who are just saying things that have no confirmation, that have political bias and political motivations, rather than focusing on finding the truth.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Well, a community absolutely shattered and definitely searching for answers and needing to lean on, if nothing else, leaning on faith this morning.

Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, thank you very much for coming in.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you. Kate.

Still ahead, we are standing by for that high-stakes White House meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump says they're very close to a deal and said, quote, "something special" is coming on Gaza. We will see what happens.

Plus, a government shutdown looming on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers have less than 48 hours now to agree to a funding deal. Health care subsidies are one of the major sticking points for Democrats. And 58 million pounds of corn dogs and sausages on sticks. Don't eat them because they're being recalled. We will tell you where, what you need to do and throw those things out if you have that in your freezer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:16:31]

SIDNER: In just over an hour, President Trump will sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The president yesterday promised, quote, "something special." This coming with regards to his push for a plan for Gaza.

But as Israel's military campaign in Gaza continues, Israeli officials say Netanyahu, for his part, has some reservations about the White House's ceasefire plan.

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House.

What can we expect this morning in this meeting? Really high stakes, really important, as you see this 21-point plan that the president is trying to push through.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, very high stakes. And I can tell you, Sara, we know from, you know, our reporting, my conversations with White House officials, it comes as the president has been increasingly frustrated with the Israeli prime minister and his approach to this war. And Trump, more than ever, really does want to see this ended. And this new plan, crafted by his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, it's a 21-point plan. It also includes post-war governance plans. All of that is really what this administration is trying to get Netanyahu on board with.

As you mentioned, Israeli officials have told us that the Israeli prime minister has some reservations, that he's going to be pushing for changes today in that meeting with Trump to the ceasefire proposal. But the president, for his part, is very optimistic about it. And I think one of the things to me that is the clearest signal yet that he is expecting Netanyahu to accept this plan is that they're going to have a joint press conference today following his arrival and his closed door meeting and lunch with Netanyahu.

I posed that question to the press secretary, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Listen to her response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: The fact that there is a press conference today with the Israeli prime minister, it signals, I think, that he's expecting there to be a deal announced, or at least that Netanyahu is going to accept the proposed plan. Is that the hope that the president has today?

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Look, the president knows and believes that this is as good of a plan as these sides are going to see. And that's why it's 21 points. It's very detailed. It's comprehensive. The president has been working tirelessly on this. He speaks to, you know, Prime Minister Netanyahu all of the time, of course. He's in constant correspondence. But he's also taken a lot of time to speak with our Arab partners and allies in the Middle East.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, as you heard there, you know, she's essentially kind of stopped just shy of saying that that is the expectation. And she said, you know, he's expecting that this is the best plan that they are going to get. And he wants to see this finalized. And so that really, I think, is kind of the big question today is whether or not, when they approach the press this afternoon after their meetings that they're going to announce that they have a deal in place.

All to say, so much to still be worked out behind the scenes. We'll have to see whether or not they can actually get there. But a big moment and hopefully, you know, we will have more details when we see the pair of them together this afternoon.

SIDNER: All right, Alayna Treene, thank you for your reporting there this morning.

John.

BERMAN: All right, with us now is the senior senator from the state of New Hampshire, Jeanne Shaheen. She is the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Senator, thanks so much for being with us.

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): Good morning.

BERMAN: Now, we've heard that President Trump is frustrated with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. How important is it to get him to agree to a deal today? And how much faith do you have that this deal could stick?

SHAHEEN: Well, I'm hopeful. But what we know, after four meetings since President Trump took office the second time, is that the prime minister has not paid much attention to what the United States has wanted.

[09:20:09]

There has been consistent effort to encourage a ceasefire, to bring the hostages home, to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinians who are desperately starving, many of them. And so far the prime minister has not really paid much attention to the pleas from the president or the United States.

BERMAN: I read an interesting article which was focused on you and your work in foreign policy over the last several months, and how you are trying to bring bipartisanship back to foreign policy. Why is that so important? And what does that actually look like?

SHAHEEN: One of the things I've noticed when we meet with foreign leaders is if there is a bipartisan delegation that can say people on both sides of the aisle in Washington support this policy, that we have more credibility. I think it's important because administrations, presidents change from one term to another. And if there are relationships that have developed in Congress to continue consistent policies, then that's really important for the United States and for -- as we think about the security of Americans, as we think about what's in America's interest.

BERMAN: One area where there might be less bipartisanship is on funding the government by midnight tomorrow night. You were one of the first Democrats, really first senators, to come out and warn about what could happen if the Obamacare extended subsidies are not fully funded. How important do you think it is to keep this money, to get this money for the extended Obamacare subsidies?

SHAHEEN: I think it's critical. We know that there are about 24 million people who are going to see their costs go up if we don't extend the premium tax credits. We know that about 4 million people are going to lose their health insurance because of those increased costs. In New Hampshire we've got thousands of people who are going to be affected. And that, on top of the other changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act that were in the bill passed this summer, means that it's going to be much harder for people to access health insurance at a cost they can afford.

So, I think there's some agreement on both sides of the aisle about extending those tax credits. We've seen a Republican bill introduced in the Senate. We've seen a bipartisan bill introduced in the House.

So, this -- we ought to be able to do this. We ought to be able to keep the government open and ensure that people can stay on their health insurance. This is the greatest country in the world. There's no -- the only thing that's keeping us from accomplishing these things is partisanship. And it's time to end that. And the president has a responsibility. I'm glad he finally brought in the congressional leadership this afternoon. They're going to be meeting. I think we ought to be able to solve this. And the president needs to take responsibility to do that.

BERMAN: If they can't solve it today, is this issue with the Obamacare subsidies important enough to draw the line? Will you draw the line on that and perhaps, you know, cast a vote that could lead to a shutdown?

SHAHEEN: Well, I'm not going to decide what I'm going to do until we see how this meeting goes this afternoon. But there are a lot of issues, and there are a lot of ways to solve this issue. We ought to be able to keep (INAUDIBLE) has been very bipartisan to (INAUDIBLE) in the Senate. Not so much in the House, where it's been partisan. But in the Senate it's been bipartisan. The Senate has been bipartisan. We need to pass a budget. That's one of the most basic responsibilities of those of us who are elected to office, and we need to get that done in a timely manner.

The only thing that's keeping that from happening is partizan posturing. And that needs to end. And the president, as I said, has a responsibility to (INAUDIBLE) the Republicans control all three branches of government. So, they have a responsibility to work with Democrats to get this done.

BERMAN: Well, they will meet this afternoon. We'll see if that gets them any closer. They don't have much time left.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, from New Hampshire, thanks for being with us this morning. Appreciate it.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, we are standing by for an update on that deadly shooting and fire at a Michigan church. One source telling CNN as many as seven people are still unaccounted for. We have the latest for you.

And (INAUDIBLE) Dolly Parton (INAUDIBLE) delays her Vegas residency as she makes in her announcement, she says she needs to have a few procedures due to health challenges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:29:08]

SIDNER: Right now we are standing by for a news conference from authorities on that deadly shooting and arson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan. While law enforcement has not yet revealed what they think the motive is yet, White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt is saying that the shooter, quote, "hated people of the Mormon faith."

We have new images this morning of the truck investigators say the suspect drove into that church yesterday where he fired on worshipers before setting the chapel on fire. At least four people have been killed, eight others are injured, and as many as seven people are still missing this morning. Right now, recovery crews are searching for those who are missing.

Joining me now is former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis.

Commissioner Davis, thank you so much for being with us.

[09:29:59]

You know, this scene has been there for, you know, about 24 hours. I mean how long would you expect for it to take to try and find missing people in a scene