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Trump Administration Shake-up at ICE; Key Elections Next Week; CNN Confronts Austin Tice's Captor. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired October 28, 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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[09:30:53]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, sources to CNN saying that the Trump administration is planning a major shakeup at ICE, as the White House is frustrated over lagging immigration arrests.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joining me now with her reporting on this.

What are you -- what are you learning about this, Priscilla?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, the White House set out lofty goals earlier this year for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They wanted to see 3,000 daily arrests. Well, that's a high bar for an agency that historically has been strained with personnel and resources. And over recent months, they have fallen short of that goal.

Now, the administration has put out U.S. Border Patrol agents around the country to bolster that effort. In fact, 1.500 of them have fanned out across the country. But even so, they are lagging in the numbers the White House wants to see.

So, there have been internal discussions about changing things up at ICE. What does that mean? Well, I'm told at least a dozen field directors for ICE could be reassigned. There are 25 field offices across the country. They are reviewing those field offices, and those that they view are underperforming could see their leadership change.

Another part of the discussion, according to my sources, is perhaps installing Border Patrol officials. Now, Border Patrol falls under the Department of Homeland Security, but it is an entirely different agency. So, it's unclear who that would include and how it would happen. And that has been prompting some concerns because, while there's movement between agencies, installing Border Patrol officials into these leadership roles would be an interesting move if the administration were to do it.

Now, that still remains unclear and plans have not been finalized, according to sources. But the Department of Homeland Security did provide a statement. In it they said, "while we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent, criminal illegal aliens from the country."

Now, tensions have been running high between the White House and ICE over recent months. And leadership at the Department of Homeland Security and the White House have boasted, privately and publicly, about what U.S. Border Patrol is doing, including one of those agents, Gregory Bovino, who has been at the center of the federal crackdown in Los Angeles and now in Chicago.

So, all of these conversations have been ongoing, and there have been some inroads. The department announcing just yesterday that there have been 500,000, just above that, deportations or returns. But again, Sara, the goal is high. They want one million deportations a year. So, certainly, planning for a more aggressive crackdown to come with these potential changes.

SIDNER: Yes. And certainly there will be court cases, most likely, as we're seeing in Chicago as well about the actions of ICE.

Priscilla Alvarez, great reporting for us. Thank you so much.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We are on the precipice of perhaps the biggest electoral test of the second Trump administration. One week away. A spate of off year elections. Virginia and New Jersey will elect governors. California set to vote on this ballot measure to redraw its congressional maps. And New York City, in case you haven't heard, is picking a new mayor.

With us now, CNN political commentators Kate Bedingfield and David Urban.

What I want to do one week before the election is give the post-game analysis right now.

So, Kate, I do want to ask you, what's a successful night for Democrats next week? Is it just winning those races or what will you be looking at?

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATORS: Yes, look, baseline, it's winning those races. I mean in politics, if you're winning, you're succeeding. So, yes, of course. I think Democrats winning in Virginia and New Jersey and then, you know, the outcome of the mayoral race will be -- will be interesting as we -- there's been a lot of discussion about whether the left wing of the party is ascendant.

I, you know, look, I would caution a little bit in overreading too much the results of the New York mayoral race. Obviously, it is a very liberal -- a very liberal city. I'm somebody who thinks that a lot of what Mamdani is doing to energize a cohort of people who haven't been that excited about the Democratic Party, young people in particular, is -- is generally a good thing for the Democratic Party.

[09:35:06]

I don't necessarily think that whoever is elected mayor of New York is going to resonate one way or the other in some of these purple districts across the country. So I, you know, I know everybody's eager to take the results of that race and sort of read into what does this mean about the future of the national party? I would not go that far. But, you know, I think victory in Virginia, victory in New Jersey, critical for the Democrats. And -- and let's see what happens in New York.

BERMAN: So, David, how will you be overreading the results from -- from the elections next Tuesday?

DAVID URBAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, listen, I'm hoping for a Mamdani victory here in New York, right? We hope so, right?

BERMAN: But you're saying this with a smile.

URBAN: Yes, no, truthfully.

BERMAN: But you -- I think you're being honest.

URBAN: No, we're being truthful, I mean, because the fallacy, right, of the left, the far left's agenda in terms of free everything for everybody, right, is going to be shown to be, you know, the emperor has no clothes. It's different. Campaigning is different than governing, right? It's Bernie Sanders, AOC. They can say these great things. They got these great slogans (ph) and be very jingoistic. But when you have to -- when you have the keys to Gracie Mansion and you have to govern the city of New York, which is in and of itself is like a country, right? It's its own country, here, right? And Mamdani's going to put all these things into place. How's he going to do it? How's he going to pay for it? He's going to tax the rich, tax corporations. People will leave, right? Free busses, free schools, free health care, free this, free that. Somebody's got to pay for it. This is not free.

And so he will become, whether Kate likes it or not, Mamdani will become the poster person, poster boy, for the Democratic Party moving forward, because, again, "The New York Times," the media, everything's settled here in New York. And it just -- it's just how it goes. I mean, like it or not, Democrats are going to be saddled with him for the next two, three, four years as their poster boy.

BERMAN: Why would it be Zohran Mamdani rather than Abigail Spanberger if she wins in Virginia --

URBAN: Yes.

BERMAN: Kate, or Mikie Sherrill, if she wins in New Jersey?

BEDINGFIELD: It will be. I mean that's a -- you know, David, is articulating the New York centric view of the world --

URBAN: That's Kate's hope.

BEDINGFIELD: Which is, you know, I'm not saying David's a New Yorker, but, you know, it's a New Yorker's prerogative to believe that New York is the center of the universe. But, you know, for Democrats to be successful and to retake a sense of

momentum, they have to win in places like Virginia. They have to win in purple districts, as I was saying, across the country, where a chunk of persuadable voters live.

And so, yes, I think if Abigail Spanberger wins handily in Virginia, I think the kind of, like, common sense, moderate policies that she's advancing I think are very appealing across the country. And I do think she is a poster child for the kind of candidate who will be successful for Democrats in moving forward.

So, I dispute the idea that if Mamdani wins he instantly becomes the poster child. I know that's what the Republicans will try to do. And look, I -- there's, I think, as I was saying, I think that he is bringing a lot of energy into the party. And I actually think that's a good thing. But the idea that he would -- will instantly become the poster child for somebody who doesn't live in New York, is not concerned about what's going on in municipal policy in New York, I think is -- is what the Republicans are hoping for, but not what I think will happen.

BERMAN: And it is worth noting, I'll just say this, David, before I let you jump in, that the Virginia race is the one place where a, well, if the Democrats win there, that would flip a seat.

URBAN: Yes.

BERMAN: That would flip something that's being held by a Republican, Glenn Youngkin, right now. Obviously, if Mikie Sherrill loses in New Jersey, that would be Democrats losing a governor's race there. Right now she's a little bit ahead in the polls.

URBAN: Spanberger's an incredibly impressive, you know, political athlete for, you know, great background, kind of a blue dog Democrat like used to exist, right? That used to be tons of those. And now they're gone the way of the dodo, right? They're -- they just don't exist anymore, right?

BERMAN: Sort of like moderate Republicans.

URBAN: Yes, moderate Republican, northeast Republicans, right, don't exist anymore either. And so what Kate is hoping to channel there, right, is that Spanberger -- but I guarantee you, if you took a poll across America and asked how many people knew Mamdani versus Spanberger, it would be, you know, nobody knows Spanberger, right? And Democrats are going to do very -- they're going to do everything they can to push that narrative out, that that's who they are. But at the bottom, you know, the wolf, you know, can't hide in the sheep's clothing.

BERMAN: I want to very quickly put up on the screen here and get your reaction, Kate, to this, about how Americans view Republicans in Congress now versus before the shutdown. We're 28 days into the shutdown right now. And actually, Harry Enten showed us these numbers, where Republican approval has gone up by two points, and Republicans in Congress have gone up by five points since the shutdown began. How surprised are you to see those numbers and how concerning should that be for, say, Chuck Schumer this morning?

BEDINGFIELD: Well, I think there is zero question that the task ahead of the Democrats here, from a messaging perspective, is to win, if you will. I hate to use the term win when we're talking about peoples paychecks and benefits that they depend on. But in a political context, they have to win the next phase of the shutdown, which is not allowing Republicans to own the idea that they are willing to come to the table on a health care subsidy compromise, which I think you've seen Trump kind of signal his willingness.

[09:40:09]

I mean he's looking at the polls, too. He sees that subsidies have a 70, 71, 72 percent popularity, bipartisan support for, you know, for keeping health care costs down. And so, he signaled some willingness to compromise on this issue. And so, I think Democrats really have to work hard here to ensure that they're -- that they're not tagged with a sense of obstinance here and that -- that they're -- they're presenting it as, you know, Republicans being unwilling -- unwilling to do this because I think there's a real risk. The Republicans come to the table on some kind of negotiation here, and then they turn around and run on it in 2026 that they help bring health care costs down. So, I think Democrats have to be aggressive about that.

BERMAN: Kate Bedingfield, David Urban, great to speak with you both this morning, a week before the election. We'll talk after too. We'll do the actual post game when it --

URBAN: Good job by -- good job spinning by Kate.

BERMAN: And as -- same with you.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, we are tracking the breaking news all throughout the morning. Hurricane Melissa is getting stronger, set to strike Jamaica now with sustained winds of 180 miles per hour. The latest update to come on what's to be the most powerful storm to ever hit that island.

And if you stayed up late enough, you might have seen history on the baseball diamond last night. The Los Angeles Dodgers besting the Toronto Blue Jays in the 18th inning of that World Series matchup.

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[09:45:54]

BOLDUAN: With Hurricane Melissa, forecasters are predicting rains measured in feet, not inches, and warning of life-threatening storm surge levels along the southern coast of Jamaica throughout the day today. The way the National Hurricane Center put it last night is, "failure to take immediate action may result in injury or significant loss of life." What they're talking about is in some low-lying areas, between nine to 13 feet of storm surge. And what that could look like for so many people in Jamaica right now is this. At about two feet of storm surge, low lying coastal roads begin to flood and become impassable. At five to eight feet, cars become submerged. You cannot drive through that. And Hurricane Melissa, as I said, is expected to bring up to 13 feet in some areas. Ten feet of storm surge is taller than a city bus. The average first floor of a building is typically around 14 feet high. And now you can see why experts are so worried. And when the forecast could look like what we have here, it's clear why officials are saying do not venture out of safe shelter.

SIDNER: All right, so we have -- continuing with the breaking news. Hurricane Melissa is gaining strength as we speak. The strongest storm on the planet this year is getting stronger. Jamaica is about to experience a direct hit. The result, forecasters say, will be catastrophic. Sustained wind speeds now at 180 miles per hour. You are looking at a live picture there of Montego Bay. That is the western part of Jamaica, which is expected to be the part of Jamaica that gets hit with the eye first. The National Hurricane Center has warned those destructive winds could cause total structural failure.

Now let me send it over to John.

BERMAN: All right, a high-speed chase ending in a crash. We have video of said chase. The driver on the run after allegedly killing a deputy. What authorities are saying about this this morning.

And a new investigation into the disappearance of American journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in Syria more than a decade ago.

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[09:51:34]

BOLDUAN: In California, a wild crash after a high-speed chase. You're going to see it here. The driver of the motorcycle is accused of killing a sheriff's deputy and then leading authorities on a high- speed chase. The suspect was airlifted to the hospital after and is said to be in stable condition, likely to face murder charges. Deputy Andrew Nunez was fatally shot as he responded to a domestic violence call. He was a six-year veteran of the force and now leaves behind his wife, who is pregnant, and a two-year-old daughter.

Let's turn to sports now for a wild update. What has become a World Series classic, 18 innings, essentially two games packed into one with a thrilling finish. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays six to five in game three overnight at Dodger's Stadium. The game went so long, it now ties the record for the longest World Series game ever, and gives the Dodgers a two games to one lead. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani had a historic night. He raked in three RBIs, hit two homers and two doubles, and he reached the base safely nine times, which is apparently astonishing. In the end, his -- this 18th inning walk off home run by Dodgers 2024 World Series MVP Freddie Freeman sealed the win in the nearly seven hour game.

Jonathan.

BERMAN: It ended just moments ago.

BOLDUAN: Exactly.

BERMAN: All right.

All right, this morning, a new CNN investigation. Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria more than a decade ago. The former U.S. Marine was reporting from Syria in 2012 when he disappeared. Now, after the fall of Syria's Assad regime, new witnesses are emerging. And CNN has tracked down one of the men who says he held Tice captive,

CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward was friends with Tice and joins us now with these just remarkable new details.

Clarissa, what happened here?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, John, this is a story that I've been following closely. Austin and I were friends. We were emailing sometimes ten, 20 times a day throughout the summer before his disappearance. And then one day I simply never heard from him again. And I have been working closely with a group of journalists and friends of the Tice family and, of course, the Tice family themselves for well over a decade trying to find Austin. But it's only now, after the collapse of the brutal dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad, that we're really getting key witnesses coming forward and saying what they knew about Austin and what happened to him.

Now, the central character in all of this, John, is a man called Bassam al-Hassan. He is a shadowy figure who stayed out of the spotlight, was very close to President Assad, and has been sanctioned by the U.S. and the E.U. He's implicated in a number of war crimes, chemical weapons. Really a bad guy.

He is the person, we have learned, who was holding Austin Tice. And we had gathered that he had spoken to the FBI in Beirut, where he fled to after the collapse of the regime. And so we actually traveled to Beirut and we found him for ourselves. And we confronted him wearing a hidden camera. And you could see all of this in our report, which is on CNN All Access, and it will be parts of it on "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" and "AC360" later.

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But the core sort of revelation here is that this man looked me in the eyes and he said, "Austin is dead. Of course Austin is dead." And he went on to explain that Bashar al-Assad had ordered the execution of Austin and that he had passed that on to a subordinate.

I should say, John, that we know this guy failed an FBI polygraph. But nonetheless, these are really important details that are helping build out a much clearer picture of the horrific reality that my friend, Austin, lived through.

John.

BERMAN: It must have been something for you to hear those words. And I know you're going to explain in much greater detail, or you have explained in much greater detail in the full report about what that was like, how it felt, what else you learned.

Clarissa Ward, thank you so much for sharing this bit of reporting. And, everyone, you can watch the full, exclusive story on the CNN app using the QR code right below.

SIDNER: All right, thank you for joining us. This CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM" is up next.

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