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Trump Official on ICE at Super Bowl: "Enforcement Everywhere"; WH: "Thousands" of Federal Workers Will Likely be Fired; FBI Agents Group: Shutdown May Put National Security at Risk; Rep. Adam Smith (D- WA) Discusses About Government Shutdown; Healthcare Funding at Center of Government Shutdown Battle; 2 Killed in Attack on U.K. Synagogue on Yom Kippur. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired October 02, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

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Sabrina Rodriguez, national politics reporter, Washington Post:

ADRIAN CARRASQUILLO, NATIONAL IMMIGRATION NEWSLETTER, THE BULWARK: ... of this is that the politics might work for both sides, right? I could see Trump speaking up as we get closer to the Super Bowl or afterwards saying that it was some despicable performance. But, of course, I think this is going to be one of the most high-profile protests of Trump's administration so far.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Just to point out we do -- our reporting indicates that ICE has attended previous Super Bowls. It -- it -- there's no indication right now that there's going to be an increased presence. We pose that question to DHS. They've not given us specifics.

Adrian, the last question to you, is he going to play "Estamos Bien" it's been like three years since he's played that song. It's my favorite song. Do you think he's going to play it?

CARRASQUILLO: That's your favorite song. I mean, you know what ...

SANCHEZ: Wow.

CARRASQUILLO: ... I'm going to -- I'm going too (INAUDIBLE) ...

SANCHEZ: Well, a tacit criticism. It's a great song.

CARRASQUILLO: ... I think -- I -- I love that song. That song -- that song is very special to me. I think he's going to do a lot of salsa stuff too, like it's going to be very Puerto Rico, very traditional things. Like he did in his residency -- he did one of his best songs, Callaita, which is regularly -- normally a reggaeton song. He did it as a salsa. So, I also see him bringing up the cultural part of Puerto Rico for an international audience. It's going to beautiful.

SANCHEZ: Look forward to that.

Adrian Carrasquillo, Sabrina Rodriguez, estamos bien. Thanks so much for joining us.

The next hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Thousands of federal workers are at risk of losing their jobs as the government shutdown drags into a second day, and now the FBI Agents Association warns the shutdown could endanger the safety of Americans.

Plus, the British Prime Minister promising a more visible police presence to protect the Jewish community after a stabbing attack at a synagogue, why investigators are calling this a terrorism incident.

Also, she's young, ambitious and causing an uproar in Hollywood. Why? Because this actress is not a real human. We'll speak with the Screen Actors Guild president, Sean Astin, about the A.I. controversy that is causing a tizzy in Tinseltown.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

With the government shutdown now in its second day, we are learning more about President Trump's threat to fire federal workers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Look, it's likely going to be in the thousands. It's a very good question, and that's something that the Office of Management and Budget and the entire team at the White House here, again, is unfortunately having to work on today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Earlier, the President said he'd be meeting with his budget chief to discuss cuts to, quote, "Democrat agencies." He then suggested those cuts could be permanent. And with the shutdown now expected to linger into at least next week, an FBI group is raising new alarm about the national security risks that it may pose. CNN's Josh Campbell is with us now to give us more on this.

Josh, we've heard before concerns in the FBI during the shutdowns -- very real concerns. What is this group saying?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And you know, when people see these shutdowns, it can seem like a political food fight as both sides are lobbing accusations at each other. But for national security professionals in government, the stakes right now could not be higher because of the myriad threats that they are trying to track on a daily basis.

I'm learning that the FBI Agents Association -- this is a group that represents thousands of agents -- is notifying their members that they've called upon Congress to immediately end this shutdown. I'll read you part of what they told Congress. They said, quote, "A shutdown can undermine the FBI's ability to perform its duties at a time when the country faces an unprecedented range of national security and criminal threats -- from fentanyl trafficking and terrorism to violent crimes against children and cyberattacks."

The group then went on to say that curtailed operational resources can disrupt investigations, surveillance, forensic analysis, and partnerships with state, local, and international law enforcement partners. So, they are sounding the alarm over what could potentially occur.

Of course, we don't know how long this shutdown will go on for, but if there is a reduction in resources, they say that could hinder things. It's also important to note that we've seen in past incidents that the Agents Association has raised concerns about the ability of the FBI to pay informants that actually provide critical information. You know, some sources come to the FBI out of patriotism or just to do the right thing. A lot of sources come for cold, hard cash -- providing tips to get money -- and if that money isn't available, they're saying that could be a major concern as well.

KEILAR: Yes. I remember in 2019 they were talking about how they lost some informants because of that. They also didn't have translators to do some important work. And in addition to warning about possible threats, the group is also talking about just the hardship for these agents of going without pay.

CAMPBELL: That's right. And they're saying it's not only destabilizing for these federal agents to have to continue to work without getting paid, they are exempt.

[15:05:06]

They can't just take time off while the government shuts down. But they're saying this could actually impact their security clearances, for example, if they go into debt because they can't pay their bills. So, they're looking out on the horizon at these potential threats. Again, as both sides lob accusations at each other, they're worried about the security of the nation and they're speaking up about it.

KEILAR: All right, Josh Campbell, thank you for that report. Boris.

CAMPBELL: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Let's discuss the shutdown now with Democratic Congressman Adam Smith of Washington State.

Congressman, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

I want to start with the claim from Republicans that Democrats are trying to provide free health care for undocumented immigrants. That is inaccurate, and we've fact-checked that over several days.

What Democrats have actually proposed is to reestablish benefits to people who are lawfully present in the country -- and that includes asylum seekers, refugees, DACA recipients, et cetera. I do wonder, Congressman, what you make of the broader argument that the previous administration expanded parole and asylum programs, they argue to the point of abuse, and that granting federal benefits to those folks is not only inappropriate but also not a reason to shut down the federal government. Your response?

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): Well, that's not the reason we're having this budget fight. It is a distraction from the larger issue of the millions of people who are going to lose their health care under the Medicaid cuts and the cuts to the Affordable Care Act. They're focusing on one little niche issue, and there's different pieces to it to be sure, but the broader issue is the cuts to Medicaid, the cuts to the Affordable Care Act, and the whole Republican budget, which did massive tax cuts to the wealthy, added a hundred and seventy billion dollars to DHS so that ICE agents can violate people's rights all across the country. That's the budget they expect Democrats to simply vote for.

Their argument about the undocumented population is a tiny little portion of a larger argument. And by the way, I will point out the Trump administration is busily pulling back that asylum status from thousands -- hundreds of thousands -- of people and deporting them. So, that number is going to be a lot smaller. But it is a tiny percentage of the people who are facing health care cuts because of the Republican budget.

SANCHEZ: Republicans have also argued that these ACA subsidies that Democrats are trying to extend through this shutdown -- they were put in place as a response to the COVID pandemic, and extending them would cost some $350 billion over the next decade. I wonder how you justify that price tag if the pandemic is over?

SMITH: Well, it's -- first of all, the impact of that, it was pandemic driven in part, but it was also because so many people can't afford health care. Look, we need a comprehensive health care plan. Republicans passed a budget that cuts health care, as I said, for millions of people. They're going to lose health care as a result. The Republican budget that is in place, and that they want us to continue, that's what the continuing resolution is. It's a set of priorities that Democrats don't support.

Now, Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, all the Republicans have said they're not going to negotiate with us, they're not going to talk to us, they're not going to work with us. This is the budget, take it or leave it.

Well, that's just not the way this process works. Republicans can push through what they want to push through, but they can't demand that we vote for it when it puts in place a set of priorities that we completely oppose. It's not just about the ACA.

And keep in mind, as I was listening to the reports about the impacts of a shutdown, what about the impacts of the hundreds of thousands of federal workers in -- that the President fired under the DOGE program -- many of them illegally? The hundreds of billions of dollars in programs that the Congress had approved that the President even illegally froze? How can we make a deal with the President who says he doesn't have to follow the law, who goes on and says he's going to cut Democratic priorities? That's what he's going to do, and we've seen him do that. We have to stand up and say no. We are not going to rubber-stamp Donald Trump's federal government that is a partisan government focused on his power at the expense of his political enemies. So, how can we just salute and say, "Sure, that's fine"? It's not.

SANCHEZ: I believe that you voted against extending government funding in March. Senator Schumer and many members of your party voted to extend it. I wonder what you think changed for them? Is it because, as Republicans have argued, Chuck Schumer is trying to avoid getting primaried?

SMITH: Well, no. What's changed is eight months of the Trump administration. I mean, we've seen devastating things done by this administration. The health care cuts have been put in place, for one thing, which weren't in place last month -- last March, sorry. But we -- we've also seen the way he's used the Justice Department.

You -- you talk about FBI agents not being able to meet national security. Donald Trump is ordering them to investigate his political enemies: John Bolton, James Comey, people who have committed no crimes are being investigated to get even for Donald Trump.

[15:10:07]

Meanwhile, he's firing everybody who had anything to do with the prosecution of the January 6th insurrectionists. He's using the Justice Department as his own personal vengeance tool. And we're supposed to continue that budget and vote for that? A lot has changed since March.

SANCHEZ: I wonder how confident you are that at some point Republicans are going to buckle and undo the cuts that they just passed through Congress a few months ago. I mean, where do you see this shutdown ending?

SMITH: Yes. No, I think that's a big, big problem. The Republicans have just fallen in line with everything Trump has done. I mean, I guess, except for firing Jimmy Kimmel. Apparently that got at least Ted Cruz's attention. But that's the tip of the iceberg, the one tiny little part of it. I'm hoping that we will have more instances where they see the President using the federal government for personal vengeance is wrong.

And one of the things that I think they could do, that we are asking for, in addition to the health care issue, is pass new laws that restrict the President's ability to violate the appropriations process. Because the other thing they're asking us to do is to reach an agreement on a continuing resolution, and the President has made it very clear if he decides he doesn't want to follow that, he just won't.

So, I think there is some reason to believe that maybe Republicans will stand up for Congress -- forget Democrats -- stand up for all of us in Congress, so that the President can't just void whatever he doesn't want to do after we've cut the deal. So, this is going to be tough. But look, these are unprecedented times. I am a person who works to compromise. I'm a ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. I work with my chairman, Mike Rogers, there on bipartisan legislation all the time. That's where I want to be. If there was a chance to be there, I would. But what Trump and the Republicans are doing here is unprecedented, and we have to try to stand up and turn it around.

All right. Congressman Adam Smith, we have to leave the conversation there. Appreciate you sharing your point of view, as always.

SMITH: Thanks, Boris. Appreciate the chance.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

We have much more still to come on the shutdown ahead. We're going to speak with V.A. Secretary Doug Collins about potential impacts to veterans and their families.

Plus, worshippers spending the holiest day on the Jewish calendar in mourning, following a deadly attack on a synagogue in the United Kingdom. We'll take you live to Manchester for new details.

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[15:16:48]

SANCHEZ: Today, for the first time, we're hearing the chilling 911 calls made after a woman was stabbed to death on a North Carolina light rail train in August. CNN's Dianne Gallagher is live for us in Charlotte and joins us now.

Diane, tell us more about what these calls reveal.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Boris, they kind of show the panic that was there on that light rail platform. Police just released these tapes, but, look, this happened back on August 22nd. Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who fled her home country to escape its war with Russia, was coming home after work when police say that she was stabbed in an unprovoked attack three times in the neck by 34-year-old Decarlos Brown.

Now, they released these 911 calls from witnesses. They've altered many of their voices to protect the callers' identities, but you can still hear the incredulous, the panic, the disbelief in their voices as they make these calls:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This man just (expletive) stabbed a woman for no reason.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's on this train.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the train?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's on the train. She's on the ground right now. There's people around her ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... right now. I think they're holding pressure on this wound site.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a woman in the train got stabbed, and she's bleeding right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a woman stabbed, and she's bleeding all the way through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Now, Iryna Zarutska did die on that train. Some of the other calls -- there are witnesses who are describing the suspect, saying they see him walking on the light rail platform, that he had his hand wrapped up. Brown was arrested shortly after. He's been charged with Zarutska's murder. He also faces federal charges.

He's not entered a plea. A judge ordered for him to be observed in a hospital for 60 days. CNN has reached out to his attorney. Brown has a lengthy criminal history, and his -- this -- this case basically became a flashpoint last month when the surveillance video was released.

Boris, tomorrow the city of Charlotte is set to actually discuss changes that it has made in terms of security, it says, on that light rail system and public transportation in general here in the city.

SANCHEZ: Tough to listen to those calls. Dianne Gallagher, thank you so much for the reporting.

Still ahead, police in the U.K. are now investigating a deadly stabbing attack at a synagogue in Manchester as an act of terrorism. We'll take you there live in just a few minutes.

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[15:24:04]

KEILAR: British officials are condemning rising violence against Jews after a deadly stabbing attack at a synagogue on the holiest day of the year in Judaism. The terror attack in Manchester today killed at least two people and left another four seriously injured. Police say the suspect rammed a car into a crowd and then got out and started stabbing those gathering for Yom Kippur.

Today, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing new steps to protect this increasingly vulnerable community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Earlier today, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish community, a vile individual committed a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews, and attacked Britain because of our values.

I promise you that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve, starting with a more visible police presence protecting your community.

[15:25:03]

I promise you that over the coming days you will see the other Britain -- the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's Nic Robertson is in Manchester as police are working through their investigation on this. Nick, what are police saying at this point?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, they're saying that this could have been far worse, that the attacker appeared to want to try to get inside of the synagogue itself, which of course was crowded with people on Yom Kippur. And they say -- the police say -- that the reason that he couldn't get in was because of the selfless acts of bravery of the security staff working around the synagogue.

And it's not clear yet who are the people who were actually killed and injured by the victim, but I think there's a pretty high assumption in this community, at least, that it would have been the safety security staff that perhaps bore the brunt of this. And the police say that he tried to get in the synagogue. It was the presence of mind of the people inside, the security staff, that prevented this being worse.

It is still a very big, big police presence here. We've had police helicopters in the air over the past couple of hours, and the investigation goes on. The police are, so far, not naming the attacker, although they do say they know -- know his identity. They have arrested two more people they say are connected to this terror attack.

We also know that two people were arrested about a quarter of a mile from the synagogue itself. Now, it's not clear to us if those people were connected with the attack or if they were connected to what the police have described about the two people arrested.

But for people here, there's a real concern, a sense that -- what happens now? This is their community. They've been afraid for some time that this sort of thing could happen. There's been a rise in anti-Semitic attacks in the U.K., particularly since October the 7th, and even more so perhaps this year.

So, in this community, people are going to hear what the Prime Minister says, and there may be some relief over that. But, of course, it's their lives, and that's what people worry about -- their lives. Do they decide to move to Israel? Some people we've talked to here today have even said they -- they're considering that.

KEILAR: Wow. Nic, clearly a very shaken community there. Nic Robertson live for us in Manchester.

And next, more than two million service members now working without pay as they are heading towards their next paycheck, October 15th. We're going to talk to the Secretary of the V.A. next about the impact the government shutdown could have on our nation's veterans.

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