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Israel-Hamas Peace Talks to Begin; Supreme Court Won't Hear Maxwell Case; Adelita Grijalva is Interviewed about Her Swearing-in; Andrea Bocelli is Interviewed about his Music. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired October 06, 2025 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[09:31:56]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, just into CNN, Hamas officials have confirmed the first ceasefire negotiation sessions are set to begin this evening in Egypt. Negotiators representing Hamas, Israel and the U.S. are set to begin working toward finalizing a deal based on President Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan. This morning, hospital authorities say more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the president told Israel to immediately stop the bombing on Friday. Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of the October 7th attacks on Israel that began this war.
CNN's Nic Robertson in Cairo for us tonight with the latest -- this morning, I should say.
Good morning, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, good morning, John.
The latest from here, we know that the Israeli delegation has just arrived for the proximity talks with Hamas. Hamas has already been having, as you said, meetings with Egyptian and Qatari officials. What we understand from the Qatari delegation, being led by Khalil al- Hayya, who was the figure that Israel tried to assassinate at his residence in Doha about a month ago in Qatar, is that on his mind, on Hamas' mind, a key issue in that 20-point plan that they need to disarm, get out of politics, and even for some of the leadership guaranteed safe passage out of Gaza as well. So, that's part of the narrowing of gaps of understanding that we understand at the moment from the -- from the Hamas side.
I think importantly, it's worth noting here, that the Israeli delegation doesn't have physically with them Ron Dermer, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top confidante, minister of strategic affairs. He was going to come just less than 24 hours ago. Now, he's sort of leading the delegation remotely. May come if talks go well.
So, I think this sort of hints at what President Trump hinted at yesterday, talks are ongoing, optimism still there, but talks may take longer than expected. And I think, obviously, the back of everyone's mind is, we've been here before. This could all fail. But it's about to get underway in the coming hours this afternoon.
BERMAN: All right, we'll have to see what we begin to hear from these talks once they do begin.
Nic Robertson, great to have you there. Thank you very much.
So, she won election to Congress but is waiting to be sworn in and waiting and waiting and waiting. So, what's going on here?
Bad Bunny hits the "Saturday Night Live" stage and fires back at critics of his Super Bowl halftime show.
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[09:37:57]
BERMAN: And we do have breaking news. We just learned the Supreme Court has declined to take up Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal. The convicted sex trafficker has asked the high court to throw out her conviction for sex trafficking a minor to financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Let's get to CNN chief Supreme Court analyst Joan Biskupic, outside the Supreme Court.
Joan, we were just talking to you about everything the court has on its plate this term. Big things. Didn't even talk about this, but a pretty significant development in the Epstein saga.
JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN CHIEF SUPREME COURT ANALYST: It is, John. And I didn't want to get your hopes up that we would have news. But just before the justices were scheduled to take the bench at 10:00 a.m., they released an orders list of hundreds of orders in cases that had been filed over the summer. And one of those on those many sheets of paper was that of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was appealing her conviction for sex trafficking in a 20 year sentence that she had gotten in New York in 2021. She was appealing to the justices based on a 2007 agreement that Jeffrey Epstein had signed with a U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Florida. It was a non-prosecution deal for some of his associates. And the question for the justices, and the question that she was appealing on, was whether that non-prosecution deal should extend to New York, or if it was just really in effect in the Southern District of Florida, where it was signed.
It's the kind of question that criminal defense lawyers had actually wanted the justices to take up, not just for Maxwell's case, but for many others. And the justices declined it, John, without a recorded vote and with no comment at all. And that was not unexpected, I have to tell you, John, because the justices get literally hundreds and hundreds of these petitions over the summer, and most of them they reject out of hand. And this means, for Ghislaine Maxwell, at least in terms of a Supreme Court appeal, out of the question. But as you know, she's still trying to work -- her lawyers are still trying to work with the Trump administration on some sort of pardon. And this is separate from that, John.
BERMAN: Yes, this would be separate from that. But this means if she is going to get out, it would take something like a pardon or a commutation.
[09:40:03]
Joan Biskupic at the court this morning, thank you very much.
Sara.
SIDNER: All right, thank you, John.
Two weeks after winning a special election decisively in Arizona's seventh congressional district, Democratic Congresswoman-Elect Adelita Grijalva still hasn't been sworn into office. House Speaker Mike Johnson's office tells CNN she will be sworn in when the House returns a session.
Joining me now is congresswoman-elect from Arizona, Adelita Grijalva.
Thank you so much for being here.
Representative, you -- you were elected two weeks ago. Why do you think you have not been sworn in by the Republican speaker of the House yet?
ADELITA GRIJALVA (D), ARIZONA CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT: You know, in general, I try not to be a conspiracy theorist. I'm like, OK, there has to be some plausible explanation. But in my case, this speaker, Speaker Johnson, has sworn in three other members of Congress that were elected in a special, and two of them were Republican, April 1st, and they were sworn in April 2nd in a pro forma session. And then we have Representative Walkinshaw, a Democrat, sworn in about three weeks ago, vote -- elected on a Tuesday, sworn in less than 24 hours later, on Wednesday. And there was a pro forma session. I was in D.C., and now I hear, well, the next time that Congress is in session, we were scheduled to be in session September 29th, the 30th. Those were canceled. And then we were scheduled to be in session on the 7th of October. Those were also canceled. And now he has indicated publicly that until the Senate does their, you know, passes something that the House can look at, then they're -- we're not coming back.
So, I don't know, have any idea when I might get sworn in. And the speaker's office has not had any direct communication with me.
SIDNER: Let me ask you why you think there are some Democrats saying, this has to do with the Epstein files? Are you hearing that? And what's your -- what's your sense?
GRIJALVA: Well, I am hearing that. And -- and I am going to be the 218th signer to the discharge petition. So, that is the only thing that most people are pointing to. I mean, I am a woman of color, a Chicana, from Tucson. But none of those factors, I don't think, are reasons why I wouldn't be being sworn in, other than pointing to the Epstein files and the complete lack of transparency from this administration in releasing those files. The other is Speaker Johnson has closed down votes in the recent past to avoid a vote on the Epstein files. So, there does seem to be a connection. SIDNER: You have just mentioned this, but you are the first Latina
woman to represent Arizona in Congress, and your grandfather emigrated -- grandparents emigrated from Mexico. I want to get your thoughts on what is happening with ICE raids and the Trump administration trying to send in National Guard troops to Portland and Chicago and other cities. The Department of Homeland Security had calling American cities war zones that need saving. How do you see it?
GRIJALVA: Yes. So, I live here. My district has three ports of entry with Mexico. Some of the safest communities. Statistically, nationally, this escalation of violence is -- should scare all of us. Trump is turning our National Guard and ICE against its own people. And when you are declaring war on your own cities, this is where we're going to have some huge conflicts that we've seen play out on video. My colleagues from different parts of the nation are sending in appeals to like, let's keep the peace. And nobody is asking for this intervention. I believe that this is just Trump stirring up some drama for the midterms.
SIDNER: You talked about the three ports of entry with Mexico. In your -- in your state, you have seen your undocumented population lowered by as much as half since the height in 2008. Do you support the Trump administration's policy that have lowered the number of undocumented people coming into your state?
GRIJALVA: No, I do not. I think, you know, we have to have a pathway to legalization. And my tata was a bracero, came over on a guest worker program. Many of the communities in here in CD7 are asking for an expedited H-2A visa process in order to be able to have workers. I mean Yuma County is our -- like the lettuce capital of the nation. And we don't have enough people to be able to take off the fruits and vegetables from the vines that are going into our grocery stores. And so, we are creating food deserts. It's becoming incredibly problematic and very expensive.
[09:45:04]
I don't know if many of the people that are making these decisions have gone to the grocery store lately, but I'm a mom of three kids and have not had -- I resigned from my position in April. So, do the math on checks coming into our household. And, you know, I could buy a weeks' worth of groceries before for $100. That is not the case anymore. And it is becoming harder and harder for people to make ends meet.
SIDNER: Representative-Elect Adelita Grijalva. We will check back in with you to see when it is you are finally sworn in. Thank you so much. Really appreciate you coming on this morning.
All right, still ahead, a massive fire destroying the home of a well- known judge who has been criticized by the Trump administration. What we're learning about this fire.
Plus, Andrea Bocelli celebrating 30 years of music and magic. A special surprise for the tenor right here on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All together in peace. It's beautiful.
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SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: He is one of the world's most beloved voices. And this morning, Andrea Bocelli is celebrating three decades of unforgettable hits.
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SIDNER: That is just a small taste of the new concert film, "The celebration 30th Anniversary." It was filmed over three nights in Bocelli's hometown in Tuscany.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And Bocelli is an extremely busy man. Recently, he made global headlines when he co-directed and executive produced an historic concert event "Grace for the World" live from Vatican City, along with Pharrell Williams. The concert features artists including John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, and Jelly Roll. And soon, fans around the world will have a chance to see him. He is gearing up for a fall tour, which kicks off, excuse me, I'm getting choked up here in talking about it.
SIDNER: I know. I understand.
BERMAN: It kicks off -- it kicks off October 9th.
And here with us, the great Andrea Bocelli.
Sir, thank you so much for being here. What an honor to see you in person.
ANDREA BOCELLI: Thank you very much. It's a big pleasure to be here.
SIDNER: My mother is going to be so jealous that she missed coming in today just to see you as well.
BOCELLI: Send to her all my best.
SIDNER: I shall.
BERMAN: Tell us about the Vatican, performing there, and meeting Pope Leo.
BOCELLI: Well, it has been an incredible experience for me because, to meet the pope is always an incredible experience. And to sing for him is always an incredible thing, no. If I think that my mother, my father couldn't think that I had -- I could meet the pope, no, is an incredible thing. And I spend to him one hour speaking like with a friend, you know.
SIDNER: Oh.
BOCELLI: It has been an experience, incredible.
SIDNER: You've performed with so many different people, from John Legend, as -- as we mentioned earlier, Jelly Roll, Jennifer Hudson. And now you've got this, this new series that you're going out on tour. What keeps you inspired? Because you have been singing and have 30 years of hits that you're letting people now kind of reminisce with.
BOCELLI: To speak about the documentary or --
SIDNER: About your -- just what keeps you inspired, what keeps you singing?
BOCELLI: Ah.
SIDNER: What -- what -- what is it that that makes you keep doing this over and over and over again for so many years?
BOCELLI: I know. I think it's the big passion for music in general. My mother told always that when I was a child, very small, when I heard music, immediately I stopped to (ph) cry.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just had an imagination to do things differently.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Andrea Bocelli.
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SIDNER: Do you have a favorite song? "Con Te Partiro" is what everyone sings. I've been -- I've been singing it in my head all morning knowing you were coming. Do you have a favorite? Is that your favorite? Or do you have something that you really prefer?
BOCELLI: No, I don't know what is my favorite, but I know that when I -- when I begin to sing the song, the -- the people, the people also (ph) cry, you know. It's so happy. So very happy. So, and -- and I am happy for them.
BERMAN: And now your family is involved. You're passing on your love of singing to your family.
BOCELLI: Well -- well my children heard music always in the house, you know? And, of course, they -- they -- they have been inspired from the great music that I play. And they love music. Amos, the first one, has the license in piano (INAUDIBLE), you know. And Matteo, you know, is going well. He's -- he's trying to do my -- my career in I (ph) say (ph) the sense. And Virginia loves music a lot also.
SIDNER: So, speaking of your career, we have a little surprise for you this morning. And I told you that there might be a surprise.
[09:55:01] And you said, don't tell me. Don't tell me.
BOCELLI: No.
SIDNER: So, we're going to bring out your lovely wife.
VERONICA BERTI, ANDREA BOCELLI'S WIFE: Hi. (Speaking in foreign language). Got a little surprise here.
BOCELLI: It is.
BERTI: And in front of you it's written, 25 billion global streams. (Speaking in foreign language.)
BOCELLI: Wow. That's incredible.
SIDNER: Twenty-five billion global streams. It is incredible. What do you think? This is now available, people, that you've got your 30th anniversary album. What do you -- what do you make of all that?
BOCELLI: It's incredible for me because, I remember when -- when I was a boy, little boy, in a small village, I couldn't dream these things, no. It's a dream come true. The dream came true.
SIDNER: We didn't even know what streams were then, right?
BERMAN: Yes.
SIDNER: When I was a kid, I didn't know anything about the streaming. That's such a new thing. And look at what you have accomplished.
BERMAN: Well, 25 billion global streams means 25 billion times that people cried listening to your music, right?
SIDNER: It's true.
BERMAN: So, Andre Bocelli, thank you so much. Congratulations on all of your success.
BOCELLI: Thank you very, very much.
BERMAN: And so happy for you and all the people who will get to hear you on this East Coast tour.
BERTI: So, we see you on the 50 billions.
SIDNER: Oh, we'll be there.
BERMAN: Well, let's do 50.
SIDNER: We'll see you on the 50 billion global streams.
BERTI: We'll celebrate with you.
BOCELLI: Ah, sure (ph).
Thank you very much.
SIDNER: And thank you for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM" is up next.
You're just going to leave it all to me.
BERMAN: Well, Wolf has like 50 billion global streams.
SIDNER: He does, actually. It's true.
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