Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

U.S. Deploying Disaster Response Teams to Caribbean; Sources Say Trump's Homeland Security Department Ordered New Probe Into FEMA That Fit His Narrative; Cruise Ship Passenger Left Behind on Lizard Island; Trump Says U.S. Trade Deal With South Korea Pretty Much Finalized; Trump & Xi Set to Meet Amid Bitter U.S.-China Trade War. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired October 29, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:00:00]

CRAIG FUGATE, FORMER FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: -- And we are not going to be the only players here. You also remember that Jamaica is a Commonwealth Nation, the U.K., the British have long-term relationships in disaster assistance and supporting the Commonwealth of Nations in the Caribbean. So this won't be just the U.S. assisting Jamaica, but I think the most important thing to remember, this is Jamaica's disaster. They are in charge of it and they will request assistance as they deem they're going to need it.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": We are getting pictures from Montego Bay. I mean, we should note, I think people are familiar with Montego Bay. It's obviously one of the bigger cities there on the island. But reporters and officials are right now trying to get into parts of St. Elizabeth's Parish. They're trying to get into the more remote areas that have been harder hit. And we think back, for instance, to Hurricane Maria hitting Puerto Rico, and it took a really long time to get to some of the harder hit areas. How long do you expect it's going to take to really get a full understanding of the damage across the island?

FUGATE: Well, the overall damage I think is going to take days. And as you pointed out, getting up into some of the parishes in the Blue Mountain area where some of this flash flooding is going -- has taken place will be harder if roads are washed out, bridges are washed out, and some of these areas, the only way really to get in is going to be by helicopters. That will be another part of this response, is as the Jamaican military is supporting the first responders getting to some of these hard hit areas.

KEILAR: Yeah, that really puts it into perspective. Craig Fugate, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.

FUGATE: Thanks for having me.

KEILAR: Now to a CNN Exclusive, sources telling the Department of Homeland Security -- telling us that the Department of Homeland Security ordered a new investigation into FEMA after an earlier probe did not fit the narrative of President Trump.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": I remember in the final months of his 2024 presidential campaign, then candidate Trump took aim at FEMA's response to hurricanes Helene and Milton, which devastated parts of North Carolina and Florida, and he claimed the agency ignored certain requests for assistance based on political bias. CNN's Gabe Cohen is here with us reporting. You'll see only on CNN. Gabe, walk us through what you're learning.

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, so if you remember, when Trump was making those claims last fall, FEMA teams that were out in those disaster zones, they started to face threats and harassment. And that is when we saw this field supervisor, a FEMA field supervisor who was in Florida, direct her team of about 11 staffers to just flat out avoid homes with Trump signs. It became a huge scandal at the time. There were a lot of GOP lawmakers who pointed at that and said, there's the evidence right there that Trump is right about FEMA.

Now, she said it was about safety issues. And right away, Biden's FEMA came in and fired that supervisor, and they launched this bigger investigation into what had happened and whether or not there was this bigger problem at the agency, whether there really was an issue of bias. That investigation then carried over into Trump's term. It ultimately wrapped up in the early spring, and what it found was that there was no systematic bias against Republicans or anyone else at FEMA when it came to disaster aid.

In fact, it found the exact opposite, that this was a very isolated incident. The quote you're seeing up on your screen right there was delivered to me this week by the then acting FEMA administrator who was appointed by Trump and Noem, who is a Republican, proud supporter of Trump, who said that tens of thousands of records were screened and reviewed during that initial investigation. And they found there was no reasonable evidence that denial of aid or assistance occurred based upon political bias from FEMA leadership.

They -- leaders at the time really thought this was a case closed situation, and that maybe the rhetoric around FEMA would change, would start to be tamped down. But this did not exactly line up with the narrative that we know was being pushed by the president and by Kristi Noem, whose department overseas FEMA at the time, that the agency is inept, that it's biased against Republicans, and that it needs to be drastically reformed, if not eliminated altogether.

And so, what DHS decided to do is they decided we're going to do our own review. We're going to do our own separate follow-up investigation. We're going to take that data, but we're going to look at all four years of the Biden presidency. And what we want to know is those FEMA canvassers, who were going door to door, talking to survivors, trying to make sure people get connected with aid, they take notes. Where any of them writing anything down, any keywords that could be construed as writing down a survivor's political beliefs, essentially information that is protected by privacy laws that they shouldn't have been writing down.

Fast forward to last week, this report comes out and all of a sudden, Secretary Noem says they essentially have a smoking gun, that she says this report shows that for years, FEMA employees under the Biden administration intentionally delayed much needed aid to Americans suffering from natural disasters on purely political grounds. She called it textbook political discrimination against Trump supporters. And as you can tell, it is the exact opposite finding, essentially from what was found six months earlier in an investigation.

[13:35:00]

KEILAR: So, that was not in the first investigation?

COHEN: Correct. That finding was seemingly out of nowhere, her analysis at least was found in March-April, when that initial investigation came out.

SANCHEZ: We should note, I looked through the reporting and some of the stuff that these folks working for FEMA were writing down were specifically about any indication that the home might have weapons and political signs for either party.

COHEN: Correct. A lot of these notes --

SANCHEZ: Right?

COHEN: Yes. A lot of these notes that are written down, first of all, are done so that they can give other teams or folks at the agency a sense of what's going on in an area. Safety issues, for example, that you bring up --

SANCHEZ: So that somebody approaching the home would know that there might be someone inside the home that is weary of strangers coming up to the home, that they possess weapons as well. But was there any evidence that aid in any way, shape, or form was withheld based on the information that was written down?

COHEN: No. None whatsoever. In fact, the only one that they can really identify clearly is that incident from last October where the supervisor was fired and FEMA, by the way, went back out to make sure that every home that was possibly skipped was hit. I'll also mention that door-to-door canvassing, they got rid of it earlier this year because the vast majority of survivors get their assistance by calling hotlines are going online. But you mentioned the data that's actually in this report. They went through presumably tens of thousands of these homes and these notes that were taken out across four years.

What they found were 107 instances in total of anyone mentioning something, a word that could be considered capturing somebody's political beliefs. There were 15 -- 15 total mentions of Trump. And Boris, as I mentioned, there was no evidence that anyone actually lost benefits as a result of this. And yet, Kristi Noem is coming out about her own agency and essentially saying they have a massive issue of bias against Republicans. And the timing and the context is really important here, because in a few weeks, we're going to get recommendations from the new FEMA review council on what reforms this agency needs, and where it should go in the future. And there are a lot of people who are concerned that Noem is essentially building a case to tear FEMA down and to say where it should go, is away for good.

KEILAR: Yeah. Because Trump has said he wants to phase it out too. Thank you so much, Gabe, for the reporting.

Ahead on "CNN News Central," an investigation in Australia after an elderly woman is found dead after she was left behind by her cruise ship on a remote island. We'll have that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:42:10]

SANCHEZ: President Trump is wrapping up the final leg of his three nation tour of Asia. And today, he is in South Korea trying to shore up trade ties with a key U.S. ally. The most high-stakes meeting of Trump's trip though is still to come. Tonight, the president sits face to face with Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, for the first time since Trump began his second term. The heads of the world's two largest economies have been locked in a bitter trade war. Negotiators announced a breakthrough over the weekend that Trump is hoping to build on during his talks with Xi.

Beyond trade, there are other pressing issues that could come up in their meeting. With us now for some perspective, former Defense Secretary and former CIA Director, Leon Panetta. Former Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, thanks so much for being with us. A lot on the table for discussion. Rare earths, soybeans, TikTok, possibly Taiwan. who do you think has more leverage going into this meeting, Trump or Xi?

LEON PANETTA, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY AND FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: Well, you know, what you have are two individuals who are strong men in their own rights trying to figure out if they can arrive at some kind of resolution of some of the differences between China and the United States, particularly involving trade. Look, I think it's a good thing that they're meeting. I think it's important for the leaders of China and the United States to be able to sit down and discuss their differences.

I think the issue is going to be whether or not something really emerges from this meeting that has some kind of consequence on the long-term stability of trade and the long-term relationship between China and the United States. And I'm afraid that frankly, because both men have been using what leverage they have, particularly when it comes to trade, to try to get back at one another, that ultimately whatever resolution they have will be temporary rather than permanent in trying to solve the problems that exist between the United States and China.

SANCHEZ: I wonder where you think fentanyl fits into all of that. It's been a sticking point for President Trump. Obviously, many of the chemicals that are required to manufacture it and to lace drugs that come into the United States through Mexico are manufactured in China. The president says that he expects to make a big step with fentanyl. Does that fit into the broader picture of long-term stability? And what steps do you foresee China potentially taking? PANETTA: Well, this is an area that, obviously is extremely important because with all the attention on drug trafficking that's taking place, the real culprit here is fentanyl. That's the one that's a killer.

[13:45:00]

Almost a hundred thousand Americans are dying from fentanyl. So, anything that can be arranged in order to make sure that China is not providing the chemicals that result in fentanyl would be a real step in the right direction here. I think that's probably the one area that I think -- if that becomes the headline in terms of their meeting, then I think there'll be a sense that we really have tried to accomplish something that in the end can benefit both countries, but particularly the United States and our people.

SANCHEZ: What about, Taiwan? I mentioned it in the list of potential topics that might come up because Trump sort of flirted with the idea, even though he seemed to step back from it saying that Taiwan is Taiwan. Xi may want to talk about it, implying that perhaps he wasn't as interested in having a discussion about the future of Taiwan. Do you think something of substance might come of a discussion over the island?

PANETTA: Well, this is the one area that makes me very nervous because the real question is going to be whether Trump takes a really tough position with regards to Taiwan and makes clear that Taiwan's independence should be protected. That's the message that Trump should give. If on the other hand, he kind of sends mixed messages that, in fact, this is not a place where the United States is drawing the line, then I think that could really send the wrong message to Xi that he could take advantage of Taiwan without having to worry about the United States.

So, this is one where the president has to be very clear, send a clear message that China should not cross that red line, and not try to somehow make it part of a deal. This is not part of a deal. This is about security.

SANCHEZ: Lastly, secretary, I wanted to get your thoughts on these gifts from South Korea to President Trump. This, a replica of a golden crown and this gold-themed dessert. what do you make of how this key ally is trying to appeal to the American president?

(LAUGH)

PANETTA: Well, I'm sure that all of those that are coming together and trying to discuss trade relationships are always trying to figure out what appeals to Trump, what's the best way to approach Trump. And obviously, those that are providing crowns or providing symbols that indicate that there are appealing to Trump's kind of autocratic nature, they're hoping that that's the best way to be able to make headway with the United States and make headway with Trump.

I mean, I can understand the rationale for what they're doing, but when you kind of stand back and look at that larger message, it's not one that I think really helps provide a more lasting relationship between the United States and our critical allies like South Korea.

SANCHEZ: Leon Panetta, thank you so much for the expertise. Appreciate you joining us.

PANETTA: Good to be with you.

SANCHEZ: Now as some of the other headlines we're watching this hour, a trial that could decide whether President Trump can deploy the National Guard on the West Coast is set to begin today, Oregon, Portland and California want a permanent injunction to prevent the deployment of the guard. U.S. District Court Judge, Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee will preside over the three-day trial and she previously blocked that deployment. Yesterday, a federal appeals court said it would reconsider its decision to allow the president to deploy National Guard troops in the city of Portland.

KEILAR: Also, another five homes collapsed on North Carolina's outer banks on Tuesday. New video showing one of them, there it is falling into the waves. The town of Buxton lost five other homes to tides made worse by Hurricane Imelda back on September 30th. The collapses are a growing issue on the outer banks, which are vulnerable to rising sea levels and to beach erosion.

And Australian authorities are investigating after a passenger aboard a $50,000 luxury cruise was found dead after being left behind on a remote tropical island. The passenger was in her '80s and has not been named. She was reported missing Saturday night after a check confirmed that she was not on board the ship. Her ship had docked earlier that day at a resort spot named Lizard Island. Police described her death as sudden, but not suspicious.

And if you are on the fence about getting your flu vaccine, listen to this new research out today.

[13:50:00]

A study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found common viral infections like the flu or shingles may increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

SANCHEZ: CNN's Jacqueline Howard has more details.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: This is really fascinating. A new study finds that these common viral infections are associated with a higher risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. And these are different types of viral infections. We're talking about from the flu and COVID to HIV and Hepatitis C. In this new research, scientists analyzed data from 155 separate studies. They found that in some cases, the risk of a heart attack was up to six times greater in the first month after someone had the flu.

Now, there seem to be two general ways this can happen. One is that viral infections can trigger inflammation in the body and blood clotting, and that can strain heart tissue as well as the cardiovascular system as a whole. Second is that infections may involve attacking the heart tissue itself. This is important to know because it gives us even more reason to do our best to prevent viral infections, like wash your hands frequently, getting vaccinated and remember, avoiding people when they are sick.

SANCHEZ: It's time for me to get mine. Yeah.

KEILAR: I got mine.

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

KEILAR: Took the kids --

SANCHEZ: Gave them a candy?

KEILAR: Took the husband.

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

KEILAR: Gave him candy, total bribe. Get it.

SANCHEZ: May have to treat myself to some candy.

KEILAR: I'll give you some candy.

SANCHEZ: Please.

KEILAR: If you get a flu shot.

SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Jacqueline Howard for that report. After the break, for the first time, we're hearing from the heroes who saved a baby that was trapped underneath a car following a scary accident. They speak to CNN about a dramatic rescue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:56:45]

SANCHEZ: So for the first time, we're hearing from the officers who saved a one-year-old baby that was trapped inside an overturned SUV. We want to show the dramatic rescue, but of course, we should warn you that the video may be difficult for some to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. R. NICHOLS, FORTH WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT: It's, hey --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Under the --

NICHOLS: Under here. We need to move the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need to get my wrench (ph).

NICHOLS: There's a -- I think the baby's under the --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God.

NICHOLS: Keep moving, keep moving, keep moving. Oh my God. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Just unbelievable there. And with help from bystanders, those Fort Worth police officers managed to flip that vehicle upright. One officer immediately began CPR and after three minutes, they heard cries from that baby.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, just an incredible rescue. And this morning, those officers joined "CNN News Central" to talk about an obviously intense situation.

NICHOLS: In the moment, you're just trying to figure out a plan of action, something to do. The baby was lifeless and the Lord (ph) was just at work. We're trusting on him to do -- to help us through the situation. And once she started breathing, it was just an unbelievable sigh of relief that, OK, she's going to make it. So let's keep working until we can actually get the medical assistance out here that we need.

SANCHEZ: A really impressive quick thinking and quick work. The officers have since visited the baby and her mother in the hospital, both fortunately expected to make a full recovery.

KEILAR: Yeah, unbelievable. Thank goodness. Federal and local authorities stop a disturbing plot, a man is accused of threatening to attack synagogues in Alabama and nearby states.

SANCHEZ: The local sheriff's office has identified the suspect as 33- year-old Jeremy Wayne Shoemaker. Officials say he had a suitcase packed with ammunition, body armor, and other items allegedly intended for the assault. You're seeing some of them here. CNN Correspondent Brynn Gingras is following the story. Brynn, how did law enforcement intercept this threat?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Boris and Brianna, still not clear exactly what sort of tipped them off to this, but thank goodness they did. And thank goodness, quite frankly, that they acted quickly. First, let me tell you that Shoemaker is behind bars right now. He is being held, we're told, on local charges but the FBI is part of this investigation. So, there is a possibility that federal charges will follow.

But authorities saying it's unclear, at least not giving us information about how specific these threats were or how they came about to law enforcement's knowledge. But we know is that, allegedly Shoemaker was making threats about attacking synagogues in the Alabama area and other states, also attacks against public officials. And in some way, they also discovered that he had a plan to not be arrested, that he wanted to take his own life before being arrested.

But once they carried out a search warrant, that's the picture you're seeing right there. That's what they found inside his house, according to authorities, a suitcase of ammunition, body armor, amongst other things that clearly show that it's very possible he could have carried out such an attack. Of course, this is so alarming on so many levels. The -- one being of course, an anti-Semitic incident, another one, the ADL reporting that it's now seeing in the last year, the most it has ever seen since reporting and keeping track of anti-Semitic incidents.

But again, a good thing is authority reacted --