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Monkey Sanctuary Provides Healing for Vets Dealing with PTSD; Hamas' Top Negotiator: U.S., Mediators Promise the War is Over; Trump: Hostages Should be Released Monday or Tuesday; Oregon Says Trump Has Non-Military Options to Deal with Protests; National Guard Troops Now Deployed in Chicago Area; GOP Rep. Greene Blames Republican Leaders for Shutdown. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired October 09, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: ... amazing. It's amazing, April, and what you're doing and taking something that worked for you and helping other people replicating that, it's -- it's really beautiful to watch what people are getting out of this. And we thank you so much for talking with us about it and sharing it with us. April Stewart, thank you so much.

APRIL STEWART, FOUNDER, GULF COAST PRIMATE SANCTUARY: Thanks for having me. And if anybody has a monkey that needs rehomed, put our information up. I'll answer questions. They can give us the call and just know that they'll be helping veterans as well.

KEILAR: That is great to know. April Stewart, thank you again.

And a new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

Closing the deal, Israel's government votes on a ceasefire deal for Gaza this hour. It's a critical moment to finalize the first phase of this agreement, which could lead to the end of the bloodshed.

And legal battles in the courts as the National Guard hits the streets. Those troops are on the ground in Chicago, and the White House is arguing in two key cases that it has the right to send the Guard where it wants.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: And tempers are rising on Capitol Hill. One prominent Republican breaking with her party over the shutdown as voters vent their frustration over the stalemate.

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

KEILAR: We're standing by to see President Trump again today as news continues to break about his Gaza peace plan. Moments ago, a chief negotiator for Hamas said the group has received guarantees from the United States that, quote, "the war has ended permanently."

President Trump is expected to welcome Finland's president for separate talks soon, and we will be watching that. But all eyes are on Israel right now, where a full cabinet meeting is going to soon be held. And if they approve the phase one of a deal with Hamas, as expected, Israeli officials say a ceasefire would begin immediately. Here's President Trump earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We secured the release of all of the remaining hostages, and they should be released on Monday or Tuesday. I mean, a lot of things are happening. You know, I gave you a whole list of 22 different things that will happen -- that will take place. And I think it'll take place, and I think you can end up with peace in the Middle East.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's Kristen Holmes is live at the White House for us.

Kristen, what more officials there are saying?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and Brianna, I do want to go a little bit over the timeline here. If they do approve this, if the Israeli cabinet does approve this, they will also set in motion Israeli troops withdrawing to that agreed-upon line.

They believe, they being the White House officials that I spoke to, believe that process will take roughly 24 hours. Once that is in place, that will begin the 72-hour clock for Hamas to return all of those hostages, which is why you're hearing President Trump say they believe all the hostages will be returned by Monday or Tuesday.

The White House, they are certainly celebrating. This is something that they have been working on since President Trump was reelected, since he was sworn into office in January. And we heard Secretary of State Rubio praising Trump during today's cabinet meeting. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: One day, perhaps, the entire story will be told about the events of yesterday, but suffice it to say, it's not an exaggeration that none of it would have been possible without the President of the United States being involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And, look, this is something, again, as they've been working on for quite some time, and it's a huge relief across the region. We've heard from a number of people who have been interviewed, of course, on our network, but there are still a lot of sticking points, and there are still a lot of negotiations to be had. This is just phase one, and there's questions about how those negotiations are going to go.

Two of the biggest sticking points that we've heard are red lines for both Hamas or the prime minister of Israel, that is, Palestinian statehood, as well as disarmament. How that actually gets worked out, that is still a huge question, what this troop withdrawal actually looks like. That's a huge question. You can see there on your screen, the Finnish prime minister has just

arrived. He's greeting President Trump. They're about to go in for their meeting, and we believe President Trump will likely talk again. He might talk about the ceasefire. We heard a lot about that earlier, and expected to take more questions if he does, in fact, talk.

KEILAR: All right, we'll be looking for that. Kristen Holmes, live for us there on the North Lawn of the White House. Thank you. Boris.

SANCHEZ: Let's get some more perspective with former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, retired Admiral James Stavridis. He's now a CNN Senior Military Analyst and partner of the Carlyle Group, an international investment firm.

Admiral, thanks so much for being with us.

So, a Hamas spokesperson says the agreement marks the beginning of a complete end of the brutal war against the Gaza Strip. How do you see it? Do you share that view?

[15:05:05]

JAMES STAVRIDIS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I think there are winners and losers here, Boris. The winners, most obviously, are the hostages and their families. I think Israel is a winner in this scenario because Hamas has been so thoroughly degraded militarily. They really don't have much left in the tank to threaten Israel. Obviously, the people of Palestine generally, but particularly the Gazans, this is a very good day. And I would argue it's a very good day for the rest of the Arab world to include the Gulf Arab states who are putting real money and probably peacekeeping forces behind this. Who are the losers, Boris? It's the people we don't like. It's Hamas, Hezbollah, another creature of Iran, and Iran itself. So, all in all, pretty good day.

SANCHEZ: Is it your view that, as Secretary of State Rubio said, this would not be happening without President Trump? Can you talk to us about his influence on all of this?

STAVRIDIS: I think it's undeniable that President Trump leaned in in a way that other U.S. presidents have done in the past. Think Jimmy Carter bringing the initial set of accords, bringing them together. But it's been decades since there's been an American president as invested in the region. I think I'll give a fair amount of credit to his son-in-law, too, Jared Cohen, who's developed strong personal relationships. I think Steve Witkoff is simply the energizer athlete diplomat. And I think Marco Rubio has done a good job. So, there's plenty of credit to go around here.

At the end of the day, as Kristen was just saying, there are some things hanging out there, including de-arming what's left of Hamas, putting governance in there, some kind of peacekeeping force. That's going to be a phase two negotiation.

But for the moment, yes, I give President Trump a great deal of personal credit here. SANCHEZ: Just a minor clarification, and I know you meant to say Jared

Kushner as you were discussing the President's son-in-law, Admiral.

STAVRIDIS: Oh, yes, excuse me.

SANCHEZ: No worries, no worries. I'm curious about this second phase because it appears to be very ambitious and simultaneously extremely challenging. How do you think these two sides get there, especially when it comes to Hamas relinquishing not only arms, but political control of Gaza?

STAVRIDIS: Yes, as -- as odd as this will sound, I think we've done the easy part. The hard part is coming, and it's kind of lawyers, guns and money. So, lawyers, governance, who's going to actually take control of Gaza, look for an Arab peacekeeping force, probably under the auspices of the Arab League, led by the Saudis, but also Jordanians, Egyptians and others. That's governance. I think that's quite doable.

Guns, that's the hardest part. How are you going to guarantee that Hamas has given up its weapons because there are still hundreds of miles of tunnels underneath Gaza, Boris? A lot of places to hide weapons. No easy answer there.

Frankly, I think it's going to ultimately need some kind of amnesty for Hamas, and they leave the region, actual card-carrying Hamas members. And money, that I think will come largely from the Arab world. But it's the governance and the guns are the two big challenges that'll be negotiated in phase two.

SANCHEZ: How about the politics of this for Benjamin Netanyahu? Notably, the President was asked about his future potential upcoming elections. He seems bullish that Netanyahu is not going to lose power, but obviously, for some of these phase two components, that goes against parts of his hardline coalition.

STAVRIDIS: Yes, I think there's good news and bad news here for Prime Minister Netanyahu. The good news, pretty obvious. The hostages, the popularity of President Trump, who thus far is keeping his arm around Benjamin Netanyahu. The ceasing of hostilities. You know, Israel is largely a reserve army. They've called up tens of thousands of troops. They can now be released back to the civilian front.

So, Netanyahu has a lot of good news on the table. The bad news, you put your finger on it, the hard right, which has propped up his party, is going to be skittish at best. And then, a second thing you didn't mention is that with the end of hostilities, there will be pressure put on the Netanyahu government for full accountability as to what happened on October.

[15:10:10]

Is that with the end of hostilities, there will be pressure put on the Netanyahu government for full accountability as to what happened on October 7th, two years ago. Who is responsible for those failures? That's been sort of pushed out because of the war. I think that set of questions will resurface. And Benjamin Netanyahu was the Prime Minister. He will have to oversee serious accountability and investigations to find out what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again.

SANCHEZ: Yes, no small point of emphasis there for the Israeli Prime Minister.

Admiral James Stavridis, appreciate the expertise.

STAVRIDIS: Thank you, sir.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead, mixed emotions for the loved ones of the Israeli hostages. We speak with a woman whose family has gone through the emotional rollercoaster of hope and heartbreak, waiting for two of her loved ones to return home.

Plus, the Texas National Guard now in the streets of Chicago, a legal battle playing out in court as we speak, a judge determining the fate of President Trump's troops in American cities. That and much more, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:15:31]

KEILAR: Closing arguments just concluded in Illinois as a federal judge has been hearing arguments over President Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Chicago. Lawyers for the state argued that Trump exceeded his authority in federalizing about 300 guard members from Illinois and 200 from Texas tasked with protecting ICE and other personnel. In the meantime, there's a hearing in California that has ended. It had to do with Trump's effort to deploy troops to Portland, Oregon.

Oregon state attorneys argued in front of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that Trump should first consider more law enforcement options to deal with protests in Portland. One of the justices, a Trump appointee, pushed back on that. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE RYAN D. NELSON, U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT: The problem that I have with this argument that I -- I'm just trying to struggle with is, you know, the President gets to direct his resources as he deems fit. And it just seems a little counterintuitive to me that the city of Portland can come in and say, no, you need to do it differently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's Omar Jimenez is outside an ICE facility near Chicago.

And Omar, National Guard troops are on the ground there. What is the latest where you are?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, we've seen small groups of protesters sort of come throughout the day and they go up in volume and down, essentially as guard troops step outside of the facility here to my left. We were here in the early morning and that's when we first saw Texas National Guard troops take their first steps that we could observe here in the Chicago area.

When we previously saw them, they first got to the state of Illinois, they were much further outside the city limits. So, this is definitely a significant step. The question though, is what will happen next? And is their presence here even legal?

That's what's been -- been argued over the course of a federal court hearing today. And one of the reasons we were paying so close attention to that is obviously the legality of -- of the deployment, but also to see what the Trump administration actually was going to argue in court. There's a lot of rhetoric on social media and in front of the cameras, but when you're in that courtroom, there's a very specific argument you have to put in front of the judge.

And one of the clues we got was the judge was asking where exactly would we see these guard troops? Could they be out in communities? Could they be around schools? And the DOJ responded saying, if it's in support of federal assets.

And the -- the judge painted this bottom line as the hearing wrapped up, saying that if the federal administration had simply said that they needed the National Guard to help with issues on federal property, then we'd be in a very different situation, but that is not where we are today.

We're on a break in court, but we expect the parties to be back in court in about two hours or so. And we will see if the judge is ready to make her ruling or if we'll have to wait for some time further. When that ruling comes, the question is how will the parties receive it? And that's something Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker commented on a little bit a while ago. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JB PRITZKER (D) ILLINOIS: We expect the President to follow the law. Do I also expect that -- that they will push the law to its absolute limit, maybe even stepping over the line? Yes, and we will push back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And that has been the mentality from local and state officials pushing back against the Trump administration. And if this doesn't go the federal government's way, I think it is safe to say they will likely explore ways to appeal as we've been seeing out on the West Coast. But of course, a lot in the air now.

One thing we do know is National Guard is here in the Chicago area. The question is what comes next?

KEILAR: All right. Omar, thank you for that report. Still to come, one of President Trump's staunchest allies breaking

with her own party. Why Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is blaming the GOP for the government shutdown.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:24:00]

SANCHEZ: More than one week into the government shutdown, Republican lawmakers are beginning to face mounting pressure from within the party to end the stalemate. House Speaker Mike Johnson got an earful from a military spouse who dialed in to C-SPAN today. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMANTHA, REPUBLICAN VOTER IN FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA: And as a Republican, I'm very disappointed in my party. And I'm very disappointed in you, because you do have the power to call the House back. You did that, or you refused to do that just for a show. I'm begging you to pass this legislation. My kids could die. We don't have the credit because of the medical bills that I have to pay regularly. You could stop this, and you could be the one that could say military's getting paid. And I think that it is awful. And the audacity of someone who makes six figures a year to do this to military families is insane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: That tense exchange follows Speaker Johnson saying that he would not support a standalone bill to pay troops during the shutdown. Let's go live to Capitol Hill with CNN's Arlette Saenz. She has the latest there.

[15:25:04]

Arlette, Speaker Johnson saying that emotions are high right now. What are you hearing from lawmakers and sources?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, that was a pretty remarkable moment to hear from a voter expressing frustration with House Speaker Mike Johnson over his approach to this shutdown. And I can tell you, talking to senators up here all day, is that there is a real palpable tension among lawmakers over this shutdown, as there is no clear end in sight. The Senate, again, failed to advance two short- term funding bills to reopen the government, as both sides are basically waiting for the other party to cave in their position. But so far, there is no signs that either side will do that.

But there are also some signs right now of some fractures occurring within the Republican Party, the most prominent being a criticism that has come from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, often a Trump loyalist. But we have really heard her in the past 48 hours express some frustration with the Republican approach to health care. She's argued that these Obamacare subsidies that Democrats are demanding be extended. She agrees that there's something needs to be done to address that issue. And a bit earlier today, as she spoke with our colleagues, there was

this remarkable moment where she placed blame for this shutdown strategy directly on House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I'm actually putting -- putting the blame on the Speaker and Leader Thune in the Senate. This -- this should not be happening. And I don't think -- look, as a member of Congress, we already have a low enough job approval rating. This shutdown is just going to drive everybody's approval rating that much lower.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Yes.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: But -- so, you're putting the blame on the leadership of your party?

GREENE: Absolutely. We control the House. We control the Senate. We have the White House. I -- I've been vocal saying, you know, you can use the nuclear option in the Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, Democrats have been quite eager to highlight this divide between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Republican leaders. Here's one social media post from Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who said, "Millions of moms, just like Marjorie Taylor Greene, are worried about how their families are going to afford health care if the ACA enhanced premium tax credits expire."

Now, all of this comes as Democrats continue to say that they will hold firm on their position relating to these subsidies. And so far there -- we haven't really seen any signs that either side is willing to move from their positions as the shutdown is now in its ninth day and likely to last much longer.

SANCHEZ: Arlette Saenz, thank you for the update from Capitol Hill.

Coming up, celebrations and renewed hope in Tel Aviv and Gaza as President Trump announces a deal in the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. We'll speak to the family member of a hostage when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)