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Renewed Hope in Gaza as Rebuilding Begins Despite Uncertainty; Red Cross Says Returning Remains of Hostages Could Take Weeks; Federal Layoffs Gut Special Education Programs; Hegseth Touts National Guard Replaced for Not Meeting Standards; North Carolina to Vote on New Redistricting Map. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired October 14, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:32:47]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": The Arab celebration now hangs with uncertainty as Gaza faces the daunting task of what comes next, rebuilding. Aid trucks are making their way into the rubble stone streets for the first time in months. A U.N. humanitarian office is describing the renewed hope as a ray of light in the face of staggering destruction. It estimates that 92 percent of residential buildings in the enclave are either damaged or destroyed.

Let's get some perspective now from Arwa Damon. She's a Founder and President of the International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance. Also, a former CNN International Correspondent. Arwa, great to see you as always. Talk to us about the process of getting aid in, what the challenges are that still remain.

ARWA DAMON, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR AID, RELIEF AND ASSISTANCE: Well, obviously the biggest challenge is the number of trucks that are being let in. Yes, there has been an uptick. We have seen items that have been absent in Gaza for months and months, like cooking gas canisters that are being permitted entry at this point. But we're still well below the threshold that this first phase of the ceasefire deal was meant to be seeing, which is roughly 600 trucks. We're at right now, around 150.

And then if we take into consideration just the sheer magnitude of the task that is in front of us. Now, we talk about rebuilding, but really right now, we're still at the very basics. We're still at the point of how do we get enough food and how do we get enough nutrients and medicines needed to begin to reverse the impact of the famine, of the deliberate starvation campaign that was imposed on the people of Gaza. That still remains a very big challenge.

How do we get in enough hygiene kits, repair water pipes, desalination plants, sewage lines, so that we can bring under control the spread of communicable diseases that we are still seeing taking place? How do we get in items like baby incubators, so that babies aren't just sharing a single incubator anymore? I mean, if you look at it, it quite literally is all about building up an entire -- I mean, an entire city that housed or an entire Strip that housed two million people, building it up from scratch.

[13:35:00]

And so we need to look at and address those bare basics. Look, our program coordinator, Yousra, went down to Eastern Khan Younis a few days ago, and I was looking at the videos that she sent over. I mean, it is dust. It is quite literally dust. And then of course, we need to talk about the children. And so in that sort of context, she came across a group of boys, probably not even teenagers yet, and they were sifting around sort of dirt and dust and tiny pieces of rubble. And she wasn't exactly sure what they were doing. And so she was imagining what it was that they could possibly be doing.

And then she walks up to them and she says that she's shocked by what she saw because what they were doing was playing with bullet casings and sort of smashing them with a rock and, creating ammo belts. They were making toys for themselves. But what she found so shocking was beyond that, what she found so shocking was that this was all they had to play with and how critical it was to begin to rebuild some sort of structure for these children, so that they don't lose more than they have already lost in terms of not just education, family, sense of security and safety, but also their humanity.

We need to remember right now that it's not just the adults of Gaza, but the children of Gaza that feel so extraordinarily abandoned by the international community and by humanity.

SANCHEZ: I also wonder what the process is going to be like to look for and identify the remains of some 10,000 people that are believed to be buried under all the rubble in Gaza.

DAMON: Yeah, I mean, it's horrible. And that's also why there is requests to be allowed to bring in diggers, to bring in heavy machinery, to be able to begin to clean the roads, clean out the rubble. These items historically have not been permitted to enter Gaza. And the -- it is not just about the recovery of, of tens of thousands of bodies that are missing, presumed dead right now, but it's also about clearing enough rubble to be able to pitch a tent and then ensuring that the tents, the shelter items are also permitted to enter Gaza.

And so we really need to, in a certain way, look at this in incremental manageable steps. But, first and foremost, key is food, medicine, access to clean water, being able to clear out that rubble. And obviously, everyone in Gaza is extraordinarily concerned and terrified that Israel might break the ceasefire the way that it was broken back in March once the first phase of it was over. And so you do get, when you hear people talking about it, yes, of course, they are so relieved that the bombing has ended.

They do have hope, but there is also a lot of anger right now that is really beginning to surface and a lot of sort of shock as they're beginning to return back home and actually having to confront the depth and breadth and scope of this level of destruction.

SANCHEZ: Arwa Damon, thank you so much for bringing us that update. Appreciate it.

Still plenty more we're following this afternoon, including a dramatic Coast Guard rescue off the coast of Massachusetts, the risky save right after this.

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ERICA HILL, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": We are learning more about the departments being targeted as part of the Trump administration's mass federal firings, firings that the president had said would impact those deemed to be aligned with the Democratic Party. So far, more than 3,500 federal employees across seven departments were alerting have been let go. The majority of those are at the IRS. Among the 1,300 fired, they include a 40-year-old disabled veteran who tells CNN he was already reinstated once earlier this year after initially losing his job during the DOGE cuts.

Nearly 500 employees have been let go at the Department of Education. Sources say the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which serves millions of children and adults with disabilities, has been decimated, telling CNN at nearly all staff members who handle special education have been cut.

Chad Rummel is Executive Director of the Council for Exceptional Children and joins me now. So Chad, just gives us a sense, so this office that we're talking about that we're told has been decimated, this oversees guidance. So it offers guidance for families, but it also oversees support and implementation to make sure states are doing what they're supposed to be doing and complying with the Individual with Disabilities Education Act. So, what is the impact of this office being decimated?

CHAD RUMMEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN: That's what we don't know at this point. The Office of Special Education Programs ensures that the law is being implemented. The law that Congress passed 49, almost 50 years ago is being implemented. But in addition to that, they provide support and resources to teachers and they provide a safety net for parents when things don't go right in special education. All that has been taken away. What was 170 employees a year ago is down to a handful. We think maybe less than 10 at this point, but no one can even tell us that. So the work that 170 people were doing to support the 8 million kids with disabilities is all gone at this point.

HILL: And so, just to be clear, you don't know exactly what the impact is because it's possible that some of those employees don't know?

RUMMEL: Those employees don't know who's there. The leaders in the department can't tell us who's working for them. They don't know at this point.

[13:45:00] Part of that is the shutdown, part of that is the lack of transparency. Part of that is the lack of just caring for what's happening to these kids at the end of the day.

HILL: So it's important to note the federal laws here, which surround students with disabilities and the adults, who also benefit from this law, that hasn't changed. So if those laws are still in effect, right, how could they be enforced if there are issues, is there a recourse here?

RUMMEL: There's nothing. The law sits over here. It's Congress' Law and it's the Department of Education's responsibility to implement it and support those implementing it. That's all gone. So if you are a parent right now, having a struggle with special education or you're not getting the services you need, there's no one to call. If you are a teacher struggling, needing resources, those resources might be there today. They might be gone tomorrow. And in a field that's already been decimated because of educator shortage, we're now making the jobs of those implementing special ed, those teachers even harder by pulling resources and support out of their hands.

HILL: There has also been some discussion, even a push, I guess we could say, at the Department of Education to move this department, these services out of the Education Department and put them under the umbrella of the Health and Human Services Department. What would that change?

RUMMEL: It would change a lot. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is an education law. There are medical laws and medical support for those with disabilities already existing under HHS, but this is an education law. What's really important to note is the special education law says that we should be putting kids in schools and making sure they're integrated as much as possible. That means we need to have those special education experts integrated across the entire Department of Education, not sent over here to another area.

Plus, HHS has also been decimated. There are no experts there and we've not seen experts at the top of HHS that truly understand disabilities, based on the news we've seen.

HILL: And important to note, it would be not just understanding disabilities, but also understanding the education component, correct?

RUMMEL: 100 percent, understanding what it really means to serve a kid in a school to make sure they're getting the support they need. How would that HHS Department be able to work with teachers? There's no way they can provide support and resources to teachers.

HILL: And just before I let you go, for people who may not have needed this law, who may not have someone in their family they're familiar with, what has it changed over the last 49 years to have this law in place? What has that meant for kids and families?

RUMMEL: 49 years ago when IDA was passed, there were kids in this country that were sent home. They were not allowed to go to school. They were locked in institutions. And when it was passed in November of 1975, teachers drove around their cities and their counties telling parents, your kids can come to school for the first time. You can pull your kids out of institutions. We can integrate them into schools.

That's been a blessing for what is now 8 million children or 15 percent of the school population. If we take away the support that implements this law, that begins to erode. And we're going to step back a generation. And that's not what I believe Americans in this country want to do.

HILL: 15 percent?

RUMMEL: 15 percent of students are guaranteed a right to services under the special education law.

HILL: Yeah. They are important numbers, but beyond numbers, they're people and they are individuals and they are families. Thank you for all that you're doing. We'll continue to follow it.

RUMMEL: Thank you.

HILL: So thank you. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour, Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth doubling down on his past remarks about military fitness. On Monday, he shared a screenshot of an article on X that says some Texas National Guard troops were replaced in Illinois for failing to meet requirements including height, weight, and physical fitness standards. Hegseth captioned it, "Standards are back." This comes after comments he made last month describing obese generals as, "A bad look for the military."

Also, next week, North Carolina legislators will vote on a new redistricting map, likely aiming to secure another Republican seat in the House of Representatives. The swing state has 14 congressional districts, 10 of which are currently held by Republicans. North Carolina, of course, the latest state to redraw its congressional map following President Trump's urging ahead of next year's midterm elections.

And a harrowing rescue con on camera, Falmouth Fire Rescue capturing the moment a Coast Guard helicopter spots a person in the water off of Massachusetts yesterday. Fortunately, they were able to hoist them to safety. Unclear at this point, how this person got trapped in the water. Officials say though that their condition was not life- threatening.

Up next, R&B fans have lost a beloved musician. Grammy Award-winning artist D'Angelo passing away at the age of 51. We have details after a quick break.

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[13:54:23]

HILL: We are following a developing story at this hour out of Chicago where witnesses tell our affiliate, WLS, federal agents were involved in a crash. So here's what we know at this hour. A large number of federal agents are on that scene along with a very large crowd. CNN has reached out to ICE for comment. We're waiting to hear back from them. But we are going to continue to follow that story and we'll bring you more information as we have it. But again, a crash, more to come on that story out of Chicago.

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"Untitled, How Does It Feel" playing.

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SANCHEZ: That was the Grammy-winning hit "Untitled, How Does It Feel" by D'Angelo. We've just learned the R&B singer has passed away after a long battle with cancer, according to his family. D'Angelo dying at just 51 years old. CNN Entertainment Reporter Lisa Respers France is here with a look back at someone who's considered a musical genius. Lisa?

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Absolutely, Boris. And he was a genius from the time he was three years old. He grew up in the church and he was recognized for his musical ability fairly early on. He was 16 when he won Showtime at the Apollo's Amateur Competition. And he took that money and he parlayed into buying music equipment, and moved to New York City when he was 18 to try to break into the business.

He was also an incredible songwriter. He actually had his first hit co-writing a song, "You Will Know," which was on the "Jason's Lyric" soundtrack. And he co-wrote and co-produced that hit. And -- but it was the following year where his "Brown Sugar" album debuted and made him a star in the neo soul genre. But it was five years later in 2000, when we got that tremendous video that you just showed, which was so hot. And but also something that caused us to not get music from him for years because, Boris, he was not comfortable being a sex symbol.

And so, he was a deeply private person. And his loss to cancer is made all the more tragic, Boris, because he shared an adult son Michael, named for him, with the singer, Angie Stone, who we tragically lost in a crash back in March. So now, unfortunately, his adult son has now lost both of his parents, Boris.

SANCHEZ: It's sad to hear that. D'Angelo remembered for unforgettable music, passing away at 51. Lisa Respers France, thank you so much for bringing that to us. Erica?

HILL: The FDA has just cleared a new blood test, which is designed to help doctors rule out Alzheimer's in people who are showing symptoms of the disease. And this is coming as the number of people living with Alzheimer's is rising, more than 7 million nationwide today. And that number is projected to nearly double to 13 million by 2050. CNN Health Reporter Jacqueline Howard has more.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: This new test was developed by the companies Roche and Eli Lilly. It's for adults ages 55 and older who are showing signs and symptoms of cognitive decline. The way the test works, it measures a protein in the blood called p-tau181. This is a protein that we know is associated with Alzheimer's disease. So by measuring this protein, the test can either rule out Alzheimer's or in cases where Alzheimer's cannot be ruled out, then those patients would benefit from further evaluations and further testing.

The companies say that in a clinical study, this test correctly ruled out Alzheimer's disease in about 97.9 percent of cases. So, they say that this test could be used alongside other evaluations, like in a panel of testing to really give a comprehensive look at someone's cognitive health. We do know that more than two in five adults will develop dementia at some point later in life. So having easily accessible test to, again, provide that comprehensive look at someone's cognitive health, that can be really beneficial in the future as we see more adults possibly developing cognitive symptoms.

HILL: And our thanks to Jacqueline Howard for that report. A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

SANCHEZ: Hope and heartbreak, as some remains of deceased hostages are returned to Israel, families are asking about where the rest could be saying "What we feared now is happening before our eyes." Plus, saying no to Kristi Noem, airports refusing to show a video released by the Secretary of Homeland Security blaming Democrats for the government shutdown as a second week passes with no resolution to the standoff. And the planet hitting a potentially dangerous tipping point, coral reefs could be a sign that we are at a perilous moment for climate change. We'll explain a new report as we follow these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

We begin this hour with a state of uncertainty in Gaza as tough questions hang over Phase Two of the U.S. brokered ceasefire deal. Hamas was supposed to release every hostage in this Phase One portion. And while all 20 living hostages are now with their loved ones for their first full day, the families of more than two dozen deceased hostages are still in an agonizing waiting game. So far, Hamas has only returned four of 28 hostage remains and now the fate --