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Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) On Ceasefire In Effect As Troops Pull Back In Gaza; Government Shutdown Starts To Hit Federal Workers' Paychecks; Candidates Trade Attacks In Fiery Virginia Governor Debate. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired October 10, 2025 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:30:30]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight Israeli forces pulling back from parts of Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire deal with Hamas. The agreement came into effect this morning after Israeli warplanes launched strikes in parts of southern Gaza.

But you are seeing some of the pictures of people streaming back to what is left, potentially, of their homes. Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians you see there taking that journey, traveling from south Gaza towards Gaza City.

Joining us now is New York Congressman and Democrat Gregory Meeks. He is a ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Thank you so much for coming in this morning for us.

How much credit do you think Donald Trump deserves for this Gaza peace deal, and do you support the details?

REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D-NY): I do support the details, and I think the White House should be complimented for successfully getting to the first phase, or so it seems. I want to make sure that we dot every i and cross every t. I want to see those hostages home and safe. I want to see aid flowing into Gaza -- humanitarian aid. I think that's important.

And I also think it's important that we make sure that we don't just do it with phase one. We've got to go to phase two, phase three. So we've got a lot of work to do but this is a very big and important first step.

SIDNER: In a matter of weeks, two people that Donald Trump named and publicly pressured the attorney general to prosecute have now been indicted.

Former FBI director James Comey, as you know, charged and had his first court appearance where he pleaded not guilty. And now New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom were mentioned in -- let's show the social media post -- in this social media post that The Wall Street Journal is now reporting sources telling them that this was supposed to be private message to Pam Bondi but instead ended up on Donald Trump's Truth Social.

TEXT: Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that essentially, same old story as last time. All talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, Letitia? They're all guilty as hell but nothing is going to be done."

SIDNER: What message do you think is being sent by Donald Trump to the American people with these indictments?

MEEKS: Well, I think it's just clear that Donald Trump is going after his political opposition. That Donald Trump is trying to weaponize the Justice Department, which will put distrust in all of the actions of the Justice Department.

I think Donald Trump truly wants to be like Vladimir Putin, in my estimation, where Vladimir puts his people in jail or, you know, controls the justice system, which is not a justice system in Russia. And we've been -- we've seen with reference to what they have done in regard to people -- Americans that they've prosecuted.

So Donald Trump thinks he is a dictator or, you know -- and does not acknowledge the Congress and goes around and does like -- does not acknowledge the law. So he thinks it is him and his oligarch friends that runs America. We are not Russia. And I think that the American people can clearly see what he's doing weaponizing the Justice Department.

SIDNER: Let me ask you about what's happening with the shutdown. Political posturing at an all-time high. But the reality is hundreds of thousands of government workers will now go without paychecks and members of the military will face the same in just a few days.

The latest Republican deal offered by your fellow New York Congressman Mike Lawler, basically allows the government to reopen and will extend health care subsidies for one year.

What's stopping you from taking that deal?

MEEKS: Look, it's not a real deal, number one. You know, we know that the de facto Speaker of the House is President Trump. He tells Speaker Johnson what to do and what not to do. So we know that's not even acceptable by most of the House. The House is not even in session. They are away on vacation or doing whatever.

And, you know, it's the stunt that I think that Mr. Lawler is putting forward is clearly a stunt, and it's been a stunt by Republicans.

Look, there's only one thing that the Republicans have made permanent and that's the tax cuts for their extremely rich individuals. But if you look at everything else, they just want to have a temporary move forward.

You know, if we don't open the government -- if the Republicans do not open the government now, millions of people's premiums will go up. A number of people -- in New York alone, for example, 120,000 will lose health care altogether. [07:35:00]

This -- the Republicans -- Johnson should call back everyone into Washington, D.C. The president should have further dialogue and conversation with all four leaders. Let's open the government. Let's make sure that people's health care is protected, and let's make sure that the government then is open. And the Republicans must open and must negotiate with a bipartisan deal.

We had, Sara, from March to now and they did nothing and did not talk to Democrats at all. And all of a sudden, they're going to talk to us, and we've got to trust that? No. Let's open it up now. We can't wait until December 31 because by that time it is too late.

SIDNER: Representative Gregory Meeks, thank you for getting up early for us this morning and talking us through this. The shutdown having a lot -- bringing a lot of pain to a lot of people. Appreciate your time this morning -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah. On that very subject, new this morning, today, many furloughed federal workers will receive partial paychecks, paying them only for the days they worked before the government shutdown began. And on October 15, members of the U.S. military will miss their first paycheck. That is if the shutdown continues.

With us now is Kathy Roth-Douquet. She's the co-founder and CEO of Blue Star Families. Thank you so much for being with us.

As we just said, October 15 is the date that active-duty servicemembers will miss their first paycheck.

What are you hearing from military families about their concerns over that?

KATHY ROTH-DOUQUET, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, BLUE STAR FAMILIES (via Webex by Cisco): John, I'm hearing that this is a disaster for many families, and it's a disaster both financially. But it also has a psychological impact to put your life on the line, to accept government orders no matter what, and to be at risk of not being paid for the essential work that you're doing.

BERMAN: Because this is a life that these families sign up for. It's about more than just a paycheck. And, of course, it affects them, but you say it can actually also impact national security. How?

DOUQUET: It can affect national security. Military families are mostly living paycheck-to-paycheck. Thirty percent have minimal, if any, savings at all. Military spouses often can't work. I experienced this myself. We moved nine times in 16 years. And with the deployments and the training you're living on that single paycheck a lot of the time.

So we did a pulse poll of Blue Star Families. We heard back that nearly 60 percent are less likely to recommend military service to others because of this government shutdown and the risk of losing their paycheck. BERMAN: So House Speaker Mike Johnson was being interviewed on this subject. One of the things that has been floated is put a measure on the House floor that even if the shutdown goes on military members would get paid.

I want you to listen to this exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have two medically fragile children, and I have a husband who actively serves this country. He suffers from PTSD from his two tours in Afghanistan. If we see a lapse in pay come the 15th, my children do not get the medication that's needed for them to live their life.

I am 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 the military is 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)

BERMAN: So what do you think when you hear that, Kathy?

DOUQUET: You know, it makes me want to cry. It makes me want to cry.

You know, we give up our rights to make choices. We follow orders. We give truth, faith, and allegiance. And we just want to know that our leaders have our backs -- and that means at the very minimum, paying us what's promised. Because we already have bills on our credit card because when you move not everything gets reimbursed. Because you need two incomes and it's very hard to get that second income.

And the burdens that this spouse is talking about are real. We cannot allow it to happen.

There's a Pay Our Troops Act that's on the books. We need the House to come back. We need that to be passed at the very minimum.

BERMAN: So it is happening or at least appears to be right now.

What resources are available to the families that are affected by this?

DOUQUET: Blue Star Families has coordinated all the resources that are out there on our website. It's free to access to Blue Star families.

We have -- a lot of the credit unions are extending no-interest loans. That's USAA, PenFed, Navy Federal, and more. The Relief Societies are standing by to provide emergency services. We and others are doing food security support for people.

[07:40:07] And there's psychological support because as I said, 72 percent are afraid of their paycheck. Sixty percent said the stress is getting to them. So we have partners such as the Cohen Veterans Network and others who can direct you to who will provide no-cost counseling as well.

BERMAN: I hope people are hearing that.

And I know partisan politics is probably the last thing you want to get involved in. So what's your message to both parties this morning?

DOUQUET: My message to both parties is your military is there for you. Your job is to take care of them. You have to come back into session, and you have to pass the Pay Our Troops Act.

And for everyday Americans, please contact your Congresspeople or contact a support organization and see how you can help.

BERMAN: Kathy Roth-Douquet -- listen, thank you for all the work that you do day in and day out for these families and for the country. We appreciate it -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: I really hope a lot of people see that and share that. That was really important, John.

Let's turn to this now. This morning YouTube is giving some banned users a second chance. The platform says creators who were kicked off for breaking certain rules, like posting misinformation about COVID or the 2020 election -- they may now be able to jump back on.

CNN's Clare Duffy taking a look at this and she's joining us now. What is going on here, Clare?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Well, YouTube has gotten rid of those rules that you mentioned.

BOLDUAN: Um-hum.

DUFFY: These rules that previously could ban users for repeatedly posting misinformation about COVID-19 or the outcome of the 2020 election. And so now users who were previously permanently banned from the platform for repeatedly violating those rules will have the chance to apply for new accounts to get essentially a fresh start on the platform.

So these new accounts won't come with their old followers.

BOLDUAN: Um-hum.

DUFFY: But what I think is really notable about this is they will be able to reupload old content as long as it now complies with YouTube's current guidelines. And what that means is that you could have users reposting content that previously got them banned about COVID-19 or about the election and now they'll be able to reupload that and have that live on YouTube going forward.

BOLDUAN: What is YouTube saying about why they're doing this and why people are getting a second shot now?

DUFFY: Yeah. So essentially, the company is talking about the fact that these rules have changed and now it wants to give users a second chance. But I also think it's worth noting that this comes after an investigation by Republican lawmakers --

BOLDUAN: Right.

DUFFY: -- into whether the Biden administration was forcing big tech platforms to crack down on certain kinds of content.

And YouTube, in its letter to House Republican Jim Jordan announcing this change, did point the finger at the Biden administration, saying they pressured us, essentially, to take down too much content.

And this comes as we're seeing a bunch of big tech platforms sort of pull back on their content --

BOLDUAN: Right.

DUFFY: -- regulation efforts in line with calls from Republicans who have called this censorship. Although it's important to note that these are all independent platforms that made independent choices --

BOLDUAN: Sure.

DUFFY: -- under the former administration.

BOLDUAN: Yeah, it's great. It's important all over the place.

It's great to see you, Clare. Thank you so much.

DUFFY: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Sara.

SIDNER: All right.

Ahead, amazing video out of Texas showing the moment a young girl's quick thinking saved her brother's life.

And the return of fall ball comes with flying fists as well. A look at violence in sports and whether it's getting worse now. Our Ed Lavandera going deep on this one.

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[07:47:53]

BOLDUAN: So this morning two schools in South Carolina are facing a measles outbreak. Health officials say more than 150 unvaccinated students were exposed and they are all now under a mandatory 21-day quarantine.

What led to this? Over the last few weeks 11 measles cases had been reported statewide, seven of them tied to this outbreak. One of the counties impacted, Spartanburg County, has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state.

And there's also this. Guys, you've got to see this video. Quick- thinking actions of a little girl in Texas saved her brother's life. Leah, who is just 10 years old -- you see her right there with her little brother. They were playing on a trampoline when he began to choke. He had a piece of candy in his throat -- in his mouth. She immediately went in to help him, patting him on his back first. And then she performs the Heimlich maneuver and saves his -- saves his life.

They were playing a game where you put sour candy in your mouth. Obviously, they shouldn't have been jumping on the trampoline. Regardless, it went very wrong for her poor little 7-year-old brother. He is fine now.

And get this. I saw the local reporting that Leah actually learned the skills -- learned the Heimlich here because her mom works for the local police department, which teaches courses on first aid. And Leah had been there, even though she wasn't old enough to take the course and picked it up. Amazing. Lessons for all of us.

Now to a very different story. There is also this. You can call it a baller on the runway or as Ryan, my producer deemed it, which was great, not your average angel. WNBA star Angel Reese will be the first pro athlete to ever walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show next week.

This week the brand and Reese dropped a video on the socials about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AD VIDEO: Angel, Angel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: It's Friday, so I guess I should first say you're welcome, America. And then I can say Reese actually attended the events and returned in 2024 after its six-year hiatus. This year she's going to make her debut as a real Victoria's Secret angel kicking off her global partnership with the brand.

She told People magazine this. "I hope I can inspire women and girls everywhere and remind them that we can dominate in our field but also chase our dreams (sic) outside of it."

[07:50:00]

For Reese and for some of us, like John Berman, it is now walking on one of the most iconic runways of all time.

SIDNER: He is ready to walk the walk.

BOLDUAN: I --

SIDNER: He told me.

BOLDUAN: You have no idea how much --

SIDNER: Uh-huh.

BOLDUAN: -- money I would spend to see that. John Berman?

BERMAN: I am a big sports fan.

SIDNER: What would you wear?

BERMAN: My only reaction to any Victoria's Secret story I love sports.

BOLDUAN: Oh, we love you, John.

BERMAN: Thank you very much.

BOLDUAN: So does the H.R. department.

SIDNER: He'd wear just the chain with the Boston sign.

BERMAN: And nothing else.

BOLDUAN: Oh my God, Sara. That is the best idea ever. I know what we're doing for Halloween.

BERMAN: Ah, the FCC doesn't have jurisdiction (INAUDIBLE).

BOLDUAN: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. H.R. is calling. H.R. is calling.

BERMAN: This morning a fun fact. We're at the beginning of a 55-day stretch where there is a pro or college football game every night -- every single night until Tuesday, November 26. How crazy is that? Of course, there are high school and youth sports too, which can be crazy as well -- sometimes too crazy, especially on the sidelines.

And that's the subject of this whole new "WHOLE STORY." CNN's Ed Lavandera has been spending time on what I find to be one of the most dangerous, intense places on Earth, and that's watching any kind of youth sport or college sport there.

Ed, what did you find?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, I kind of started noticing this several years ago. It felt like, you know, you wake up some days after game days, and you'd see on YouTube just like a string of fans fighting at sporting events all across the country.

And it's fitting that we're doing this hour here on Texas OU weekend. So it's my chance to plug my fandom for the University of Texas playing Oklahoma this weekend. So a lot of passions running intense and sometimes that spills into very dangerous and life-altering moments for fans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAN: You're so much better when we hit the (INAUDIBLE). FANS: Whoo!

LAVANDERA: One of the things that I wanted to explore with this -- I grew up a huge sports fan as a kid. I loved the Dallas Cowboys. Over the years as I've gotten older something's happened. These sporting events didn't feel the same to me. There's just something that was off. And then I started kind of noticing what seemed to me to be like an uptick in the amount of fights.

(Fans fighting)

LAVANDERA: It's really intense. Some have been deadly. Some have left people's lives completely shattered and changed. I wanted to explore whether or not these sporting events are any less or more dangerous. Like, what's going on?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And John, you know, one of the voices you'll hear in this hour is a man named Bill Buford. He's a writer. He's written a lot of books about food -- Italian and French cooking.

But one of his first books was a book called "Among the Thugs." He immersed himself in the world of British hooliganism -- of charting the way these really violent fans acted at British soccer games way back in the day.

So it's going to be like this voice that kind of gets into the psychologically of what happens to us when we get into these sports events.

You know, one of my favorite moments -- I was in Detroit talking to fans. I basically asked them - I was, like, why is that we turn into neanderthals sometimes when we get to these sporting events. So we're going to explore all of that in this hour, John.

BERMAN: I've got to say, Ed, Sara and I were watching the clips from that. We were screaming at some of the violence there. But the most shocking image of all was little Eddie Lavandera as a Little League Baseball player.

SIDNER: The cutest.

BERMAN: that was adorable.

LAVANDERA: Wasn't that amazing?

BERMAN: It was really adorable.

This sounds fantastic.

Ed Lavandera --

LAVANDERA: Those are really -- that was a very short career.

SIDNER: But you were the cutest of all of the players. I am definitely -- my vote is for you, Ed.

BERMAN: All right. This series looks awesome.

LAVANDERA: (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: An all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER -- BAD SPORTS: WHEN FANS TURN VIOLENT" -- it airs tomorrow ALAYNA at 8:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

Our thanks to Ed for that.

SIDNER: All right, now back to politics. A fiery debate as the race for Virginia governor nears its end -- the only scheduled debate between former Congresswoman Abilgail Spanberger and current Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. The candidates trading attacks on everything from their stance on reproductive rights to properly denouncing political violence -- listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABIGAL SPANBERGER, (D) VIRGINIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: I think in her response to the question that you asked, my opponent proved my point, which is when violent rhetoric comes from her side of the aisle she refuses to denounce it. The statement that you read from President Donald Trump was violent rhetoric that she refuses to denounce. And this is why I say you are not my enemy.

WINSOME EARLE-SEARS, (R) VIRGINIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: He did not advocate murder.

MODERATOR: Ms. Earle-Sears. She has her --

[07:55:00]

SPANBERGER: And I wish you would stop --

EARLE-SEARS: Murder.

SPANBERGER: -- using language like that. But I am also glad that she began speaking about issues affordability.

EARLE-SEARS: Not to forgive is one thing, but murder is something else.

(CROSSTALK)

SPANBERGER: I am the only candidate on stage who has put forth a plan to actually lower costs for Virginians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: But perhaps the biggest flashpoint of the night is this controversy surrounding Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones who has been criticized by all sides for texts he allegedly sent about the hypothetical killing of a Republican lawmaker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EARLE-SEARS: I don't understand why you just can't come forward and say he needs to go. I mean, we're talking about murder. We're talking about someone's life being taken from them.

SPANBERGER: The comments that Jay Jones made are absolutely abhorrent. I denounced them when I learned of them, and I will denounce them every opportunity I get.

MODERATOR: What you're saying is that as of now, you still endorse Jay Jones as attorney general?

SPANBERGER: I'm saying as of now it's up to every voter to make their own individual decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Joining me now, Virginia House Speaker and Democrat Don Scott. Thank you so much for being here.

This was the only debate in the Virginia governor's race. What did Virginians take away from this as they're watching this back-and- forth?

DON SCOTT, (D) SPEAKER, VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES (via Webex by Cisco): Well, it was a masterclass by Abigail Spanberger and maintaining her composure and decorum.

Winsome Sears was unhinged, unfit. And it seems that the strategy was to interrupt and be rude the entire evening and not talk about the issues. I know she does not want to talk about the issues that are impacting Virginians -- our economy. The shutdown is having a huge impact on Virginian families making it harder to buy groceries.

And Virginians got to see the difference between a person who has the stature to be governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia and one who did not in Winsome Sears, who was unhinged and appeared to be unfit to be governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

SIDNER: One of the questions though that was asked -- and it is an important one to a lot of people -- is the issue of Jay Jones.

Do you think that he should end his candidacy?

SCOTT: Look, Republicans want us to concede. Virginia law would make it -- if he dropped out then we would be conceding the election to Jason Miyares and that's not going to happen. We've got to continue the election. The voters have already begun voting and casting their ballots.

What we need to be -- continue to focus on is that these two ladies last night -- it's not about them. I mean, we have a historic election here in the Commonwealth of Virginia -- the first time ever that a woman will become governor of Virginia. The two women had the spotlight last night and we -- all we want to do is talk about these two men. So we need to continue to focus on those two ladies that are out there -- that are out there working hard trying to earn the vote. And Abigail Spanberger, I believe, has done it.

I think it's hypocritical right now to try to tell folks --

SIDNER: Um-hum.

SCOTT: -- to condemn Jay Jones when, in fact -- when, in fact -- when Donald Trump has made the statements that he has made no one has condemned him.

I have -- I know Todd Gilbert. I know them well. We've all condemned political violence on both sides. And I think we need to be consistent and not hypocritical.

The last thing I will say about this is when Winsome Sears -- when Governor Youngkin asked John Reid, the lieutenant -- the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor to step aside, Winsome Sears says she's not in it. When she was asked should he step down she says I'm running my own race.

And I think right now we have to give Abigail Spanberger the opportunity to run her own race. She's accountable for what -- her words and what she said and not accountable for the words that Jay Jones has said. She has condemned them. She has condemned them many, many times. She continues to. And now we hope that we will continue to run the race that we need Virginians to focus on, which is the issues -- the economic issues and the economic turmoil that coming out of Washington, D.C.

SIDNER: Why should Americans living in other states be paying attention to this race in Virginia? What does it tell the rest of the country?

SCOTT: Well, I think it's always in Virginia and New Jersey, but I think it's always a bellwether for the policies that are coming out of D.C. We feel the first impact of the policies that come out of D.C. first.

And I think Virginia is going to send a message to the rest of the country -- you know, Virginia is for Lovers and we're going to send a love letter to the rest of the country that we have not lost our daggone minds. That we do not stand by while the Trump administration destroys our economy.

We've had seven straight months of job decline -- job growth decline in Virginia since the president took over. We were booming and now he's knocked us back worse. And I think we're going to send a message that it's not acceptable in Virginia.

We're going to continue to focus on trying to grow our economy, protecting our public schools, and making sure that we protect our veterans.

The president came here last Sunday and slapped Virginians with a slap in the face to go to the Norfolk Naval Station. I'm a former naval officer. And we got to see him basically celebrate there while people -- while we have a government shutdown and people are suffering, people are hurting. People are trying to figure out how they're going to put groceries on the table. And he comes in for a celebration and a photo op while people are struggling to get by.