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Soon: Judge Decides If National Guard Can Deploy To Oregon; Witkoff, Kushner Travel To Egypt For Gaza Hostage Talks This Weekend; Israel And Hamas Move Forward On Trump's Gaza Peace Plan; Congress Leaves D.C. With No Funding Deal In Sight; WH Argues Dems To Blame For Potential Federal Layoffs; Treasury Considers Plans To Make $1 Trump Coin; Pro-Palestinian Protests Take Place Across Italy; CNN Joins NATO Surveillance Flight Over Eastern Europe; Sean "Diddy" Combs Sentenced To Four Plus Years In Prison. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired October 04, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: That's all we have time for, though, this weekend. Don't forget, you can find all of our shows online as podcasts at CNN.com/audio, and on all other major platforms.

I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you again next week.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Happening right now, we're standing by for a judge's decision on whether to block President Trump from deploying National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon. At any moment now, the federal judge, who was nominated by Trump, is expected to decide whether to grant a temporary restraining order, stopping the President from sending the National Guard to protect what he describes as a war-ravaged Portland.

The administration is citing weeks-long demonstrations outside the Portland ICE facility as justification for the deployment, but the state says the order is illegal and has called the President's portrayal of the city, I'm quoting now, "wildly hyperbolic."

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is joining us right now. Julia, bring us up to speed on where things stand.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we are waiting for a decision any minute now. What -- the judge will decide, Judge Karin Immergut, as you mentioned, a Trump appointee from 2019, is whether this was an unlawful overreach of federalizing the National Guard.

Like, all of this, I have to say, comes after the governor of Oregon said that communications broke down with the administration. She said that Trump broke his promise to keep talking to her before taking action. Now, President Trump on Wednesday said that the National Guard was now in place and evoked Antifa and radical left anarchists.

He said, we're viciously attacking the federal building. Those are the images from our affiliate on the ground there. Now, things escalated, Fred, on Thursday with the arrest of a conservative influencer. His name is Nick Sortor, 27-year-old. He was arrested.

And that has prompted a reaction from the White House, as well as from Secretary Kristi Noem. This is what the press secretary of the White House, the press secretary, said about this on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I just spoke with the President about this and he has directed his team here at the White House to begin reviewing aid that can potentially be cut in Portland. We will not fund states that allow anarchy. There will also be an additional surge of federal resources to Portland immediately, including enhanced CBP and ICE resources. Law and order will prevail and President Trump will make sure of it.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

VARGAS JONES: And then, Fred, that message was echoed by Secretary Kristi Noem, as she was touring another federal building, an ICE facility in Chicago. And then she stopped and talked to another conservative journalist, influencer, Benny Johnson, explaining how she felt about that very arrest in Portland.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: You've got a presence in Portland that is Antifa-affiliated. And so that is a situation where you have known professionals, targeted violence that want to tear down America and will apparently attack anyone, even journalists that are just trying to report the truth of what's happening on the streets.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

VARGAS JONES: And, Fred, important to keep the bigger context here. We've seen this kind of lawsuit play out here in Los Angeles. The federal judge here sided with the Trump administration on the deployment of those National Guard troops.

But another point to keep in mind is sources telling CNN that this is part of President Trump's option to advance his agenda on cracking down on crime, telling CNN that this is a way of the President to kill two birds with one stone, protecting those federal buildings as well as cracking down on crime in a city that has for years been his target.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Vargas Jones, keep us posted. Thanks so much.

All right, President Trump is sending Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law and presidential adviser Jared Kushner to Egypt this weekend to help push for Trump's proposed ceasefire plan between Hamas and Israel. After almost two years of war, Israel's government and military say they are ready to begin phase 1 of the 20-point plan following Hamas's agreement to enter talks for the release of all hostages. There's no word yet on when the formal discussions will begin. CNN's Jeremy Diamond explains.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: With both Israel and Hamas signaling a willingness to move forward with President Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza, officials from multiple parties now seem to be converging on Egypt in order to negotiate the details of that 20-point plan.

[12:05:05]

We've just learned that President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, as well as his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has been intimately involved with these negotiations in recent weeks, that both of them will travel to Egypt this weekend to engage in those negotiations.

We've also learned that a Hamas delegation set to arrive in Cairo on Saturday evening in order to move forward with those negotiations. Israel also preparing its negotiating team. And so, now is going to be really the hard work that is going to begin.

I mean, we have seen Hamas say yes, but, effectively, to Trump's 20- point plan. Israel has also signaled its agreement to the 20-point plan. But now the real negotiations actually need to take place. And that's because even though President Trump has basically framed Hamas's response as agreement to his proposal, it's clear that there are still gaps that remain.

Hamas, in its response on Friday evening, said that it was agreeing to release all of the hostages, living and dead, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, based on this Trump framework, and that it was ready to immediately enter into negotiations to agree to the details on how that would move forward.

Hamas also agreed to hand over power in Gaza to a technocratic Palestinian government. But the rest of the statement left a number of questions. They did not, for example, talk explicitly about agreeing to disarm. And that, of course, is a major Israeli requirement in order to end this war in Gaza.

Instead, Hamas talked about the, quote, "inherent rights" of the Palestinian people, which could be interpreted as talking about its weaponry. They said that that would be discussed as part of a comprehensive national Palestinian framework, very different from what this Trump proposal says.

And, in fact, a source involved with the U.S. plan has told me that the United States is willing to negotiate with Hamas over how the militant group will disarm, but not whether it will disarm. And so, it's clear that even though there is an enormous amount of momentum right now, this moment does feel very different. There are clearly some major sticking points here that will need to be negotiated.

And so, no one expects an immediate agreement here between the parties. But, instead, there will need to be days of difficult negotiations that will, indeed, lie ahead. And here in Israel on Saturday night, thousands, tens of thousands, perhaps, of protesters expected to take to the streets to raise their voices and to make clear that even as the parties appear to be getting closer to a potential agreement, they are not letting up the pressure, nor are the other countries, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, who have been putting pressure on Hamas to reach a deal.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jeremy, thank you so much.

All right, coming up, designing a coin with a living president's image is against the law, but the U.S. treasurer just revealed a draft of one with President Trump's face on it and says it is very real.

Plus, hard time. Sean "Diddy" Combs, sentenced on prostitution charges. What he had to say when the decision came down.

And growing uncertainty for military families as the shutdown, the government shutdown, enters day four with no end in sight. I'll speak to California congresswoman about how it's affecting her military constituents and what may happen next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:13:26]

WHITFIELD: All right, happening right now, we're standing by for a judge's decision on whether to block President Trump from deploying National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon. In the lawsuit aimed at blocking the National Guard deployment to Portland, local officials say protests in the city were small until the President's troops announcement brought new attention to them. It's a sentiment shared by some protesters.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

BENNETT HASELTON, PROTESTER: No shade to the couple dozen people that are out here, but it's a couple dozen people. The idea that this is even national news is already kind of silly. The idea that it's treated as a national threat is absolutely bonkers.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WHITFIELD: I'm joined now by Saadi Nikoo, he's a business owner who has been in business in downtown Portland for more than 40 years now, owning and operating two stores. Mr. Nikoo, great to see you. So the President is describing --

SAADI NIKOO, BUSINESS OWNER IN PORTLAND, OREGON: Great to see you.

WHITFIELD: -- wonderful. You know, the President is describing Portland as, I'm quoting now, war ravaged. Do you share that view?

NIKOO: Absolutely not. We don't have -- we're not in war, actually. And doing business in downtown Portland for over 40 years, I've never seen downtown so calm, so nice, you know, like what I've seen now. I mean, it's always been like that, except the 2023, we had the riots.

But now we're absolutely -- there's absolutely no need for the army to be here. We have less than half a block, people protesting in front of ICE building in the state of Oregon. So I don't see why we have to have an army here.

[12:15:09]

WHITFIELD: What does that protest look like to you? I mean, how would you characterize the protest that has been taking place outside ICE building?

NIKOO: It could be very peaceful if they don't get intimidated by the force that are there. I saw footage of it, actually, the other day. And the reporter, the Fox reporter, they made such a big deal out of it, which it really wasn't. I mean, I like to ask them why not just turn the camera to the protester and ask them why they're there. Let hear their ideas, let hear their views.

WHITFIELD: So right after the pandemic, I understand your businesses, you know, downtown Portland did experience, you know, I guess some unrest, if you want to call it that. So how do you compare what's happening right now, as you just described, you know, a handful of -- a few protesters outside ICE buildings, how do you compare those two events or occurrences?

NIKOO: There's absolutely no comparison. We don't have any problems, especially in downtown Portland. It's very calm, very peaceful. And in fact, right now, there's a marathon going in downtown Portland, starting in downtown. And there are people from all over the country here. Just for -- just a marathon, not for the war.

WHITFIELD: And then you have a daughter, right, who is a police officer. So what are your thoughts about --

NIKOO: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- her role as a police officer and that of the city's police force in handling things that are happening, whether it be the marathon you mentioned or, you know, the protests or if the President has it his way, National Guard also working with local authorities?

NIKOO: You know, Portland police, they're doing a great job controlling the city and monitoring every, you know, the -- all the streets. And we also have Portland safe and clean officers, very peaceful people walking up and down on the streets, answering tourist questions and keep us safe. So there's absolutely no comparison.

During that time when we had the riots, the news went all over the world and everybody was wondering what's going on in downtown Portland. So we lost a lot of business because of that. But now, in fact, I had phone calls, people asking what's going on. Is there a war going on in Portland?

So that's going to also affect our business because I do Airbnb in downtown Portland. And in the last couple of years, I've seen an increase, actually, and people are traveling back to Portland, which is very good news. Now, this is going to affect that, too.

WHITFIELD: And so you see it will adversely affect your business if, indeed, the President has it his way. National Guard troops, you know, come to Portland. Not only are you losing business potentially, but what do you envision the way of life to be like for people in that city?

NIKOO: Exactly. We are going to lose business. I mean, no doubt, especially with Airbnb, because we rely on people from outside, from other states or other countries. But that's going to go down, too, because people are hesitating. They don't know what's going on here.

But I just want to let people know there's absolutely nothing going on. There is no war. There is no conflicts. We're perfectly fine.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mr. Saadi Nikoo, thank you so much for your time, your perspective, and all the best to you --

NIKOO: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- and your business and to you and your neighbors.

NIKOO: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Meantime, it is day four of the U.S. government shutdown and hope for a quick end has faded. Lawmakers have left Washington, D.C. for the weekend, appearing no closer to striking a deal to reopen the government. Meanwhile, President Trump could be using the shutdown as an opportunity to reshape the federal workforce, so with the White House saying thousands of government employees could soon be laid off.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

LEAVITT: We are $37 trillion in debt, and the federal government is currently shut down. There is no more money coming into the federal government's coffers. Democrats have given this administration an unenviable choice to have to take a look at the balance sheet and identify where these cuts and layoffs can be made.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's discuss now with Democratic Congresswoman Sara Jacobs of California. Thank you so much for being here, Congresswoman.

REP. SARA JACOBS (D), CALIFORNIA: Thanks for having me.

[12:20:00]

WHITFIELD: So we just heard the White House, you know, claiming Democrats are responsible for these layoffs if they do indeed happen. What's your reaction?

JACOBS: That's completely bonkers. Like, they control the House, the Senate and the White House. They are in charge of government. They are responsible for this government shutdown.

We have been very clear about what it will take for us to get Democratic votes, right? We want to cancel the health care cuts. We want to make sure we're protecting people's health care and not having the cost of their premiums go up. And we want some real concrete assurances that whatever deal we reach in a bipartisan basis will actually be implemented by this administration.

And when we sent over that proposal, that very, in my view, like reasonable proposal, start to the negotiation, the White House's response was literally to tell us to go F ourselves. That is their response, along with these like weird AI meme videos that they're doing instead of actually having a conversation with us about what this means for the American people.

In my district, if we don't address these ACA premium tax credits, a 60-year-old couple who makes $82,000 a year, their premiums are going to go up by $15,000. My constituents don't have an extra $15,000 laying around. The cost of living is already too high. That's what we're fighting for. That's what we want our Republican colleagues to come to the table and talk to us about.

WHITFIELD: Are you concerned that, especially from the point of view of your constituents, those who you just described, that they will be more persuaded by the Republicans and their narrative about why government is shut down, why the consequences are what they are versus the narrative that you and other Democrats are trying to convey?

JACOBS: You know, I'm here in my district right now. I've been talking to folks all weekend since I've come home. And I think everyone understands that Republicans are in control of the government, right? Democrats don't have a lot of power right now.

And so the idea that we could single-handedly be responsible for this, it's not really landing with my constituents. They understand that we're fighting for their health care, and they appreciate that we're standing up for that.

WHITFIELD: Tell me more about your constituents. You described, you know, in the mix are 80-year-olds who are, you know, concerned, or even 60-year-olds who are concerned about their health care and what's on the horizon. But also, San Diego, your district, is a big military town. Marines, Camp Pendleton, Navy, as well as Coast Guard, what are they, if anything, you know, saying to you about their concerns about a government shutdown, their paychecks, their way of life, et cetera?

JACOBS: Yes, San Diego is the largest military community in the country, and I'm so proud to represent them on the House Armed Services Committee. And look, we already have a problem with the cost of living here in San Diego, and that includes for our service members and their families, right?

Even sans a shutdown, without a shutdown, we have about 44,000 members of military families visit our food bank every single month. That is unacceptable. We should be paying our military service members a living wage so that they don't need to visit the food bank. They don't need to worry about putting food on the table while they're serving our country.

And so I am concerned about what a shutdown will mean for them and their families. So far, they haven't missed a paycheck. If we can resolve this by the middle of the month, they won't miss a paycheck. And that's why I'm pushing so hard for my Republican colleagues to come to the table and talk to us and get to a deal where we're protecting Americans' health care and reopening the government.

WHITFIELD: OK. I do want to shift gears with you as well now and talk about this possible peace deal between Israel and Hamas. Today, you know, Israel said it's preparing to implement the first steps of Trump's plan, you know, to end the war hours after Hamas said that, you know, it is ready to release the remaining hostages.

There remain, you know, sticking points. You're on the Foreign Affairs Committee. How optimistic are you that there will be an agreement here that the war, the conflict is coming to an end, that hostages will be -- all hostages, dead or alive, will be released?

JACOBS: It's well past time for this war to end and for hostages to be brought home and for there to be unfettered humanitarian access into Gaza, where we know the needs are incredibly high and the situation is incredibly dire. And so, you know, I am grateful for the leadership that the administration and others played in getting to this place. And I'm hopeful that we will finally get to a place where we can address the very real humanitarian needs on the ground in Gaza and have the hostages come home.

WHITFIELD: Is it your concern, if this is indeed a successful deal, who gets credit for this?

JACOBS: I mean, to me, the issue is not really about credit. The issue is how do we stem the suffering on the ground? How do we make sure the Palestinian people are getting the humanitarian assistance that they need are being governed in a way that has dignity and autonomy and self-determination, and how do we make sure Israelis have safety and security. And I don't really care who gets credit as long as we're getting closer to that outcome.

[12:25:17]

WHITFIELD: All right. And then finally, you know, Monday, ballots are being mailed out to every California voter for Proposition 50, and that would carve out more Democratic districts in the state in response to what some red states are doing. You support this, saying it would be, I'm quoting now, you know, temporary, one-time thing before redistricting in 2030.

What remain your -- what are among some of your concerns, however, about what kind of precedents that this might set?

JACOBS: We're in an unprecedented moment, and we need to respond, therefore, in an unprecedented way and fight fire with fire. To me, this is about having an equal playing field and making sure we're at least all playing by the same rules. So is this what I want to do? No, I want independent redistricting. When we were in the majority, House Democrats passed a bill that would have made independent redistricting the law of the land for the whole country. Not a single Republican voted for it. But that's not the situation that we're in right now. And I think it's incredibly important that California voices and California values are represented in Washington, D.C., in this unprecedented moment that President Trump has instigated.

WHITFIELD: All right, Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much.

All right, today, a brewing controversy over a new coin bearing the image of President Trump. The Treasury Department says it's developing a $1 commemorative coin to celebrate the United States' 250th birthday. Draft images of the coin posted to social media by the U.S. Treasurer show the head's side with a profile of Trump, while the tail's side shows an image of Trump standing in front of an American flag, pumping his fist under the words, fight, fight, fight.

It's unclear whether the coin would actually go into circulation. U.S. law does not allow an image of a living former or current president on coins.

All right, coming up, CNN gets a firsthand look at a mission to deter Russian incursions into NATO airspace.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:31:55]

WHITFIELD: All right, thousands have taken to the streets across Italy to protest the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Protesters are demanding, after Israel intercepted flotilla vessels carrying aid to Gaza, despite signs that both Hamas and Israel are willing to move forward with Trump's proposed ceasefire plan. In the past 24 hours, Gaza hospitals report 20 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in the enclave. CNN's Ben Wedeman is live from Rome. Ben, tell me more about the protests, people in the streets there.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, here in Rome, we're seeing hundreds of thousands of people, probably the biggest demonstration Rome has seen in many years. The organizers say around a million people. We haven't heard the estimate from the police yet. But this is really just the latest, Fredricka, in a series of massive demonstrations and general strikes that have rocked Italy in recent weeks, and particularly recent days.

What we saw is that, in the immediate aftermath of Israel's interception of that flotilla on Wednesday evening, there were spontaneous protests here in Rome, Milan, Turin, and other Italian cities, and, really, this has really been intensifying over recent days, keeping in mind, of course, that there were many Italians on that flotilla, as well as Italian lawmakers, some of whom who have been repatriated.

But still, what we're seeing is, this is probably the biggest protest movement in Italy in decades, and it really reflects a shift in public opinion. Last month, there was an opinion poll conducted that found that, of 1,000 respondents, more almost 73 percent of those who responded said that they believe that Israel is conducting a genocide in Gaza, and 88 percent said that Italy should join most of the rest of the world in recognizing a Palestinian state.

Now, what we're seeing is this outpouring on the streets of Italy. The government of far-right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is resistant to the pressure that calls coming from the street. She still wants to maintain close relations with Israel, but many people want actually a suspension of commercial and diplomatic ties. And what we have seen also in recent days is that Italian dock workers are refusing to service ships that are carrying war material to Israel as well.

So, this is a growing movement that is putting pressure on the government here to change its position on the war in Gaza, on -- and particularly in relations with the state of Israel. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Ben Wedeman, keep us posted there from Rome. Thank you.

All right. Also new today, Munich, Germany's airport has now reopened after a spate of drone sightings brought all air traffic to a stop for several hours on Friday. The latest shutdown led to dozens of flights being canceled or delayed after initially closing in the early hours of Friday. Europe has been on edge in recent weeks due to several unexplained drone sightings. This led to tens of thousands of passengers being affected at civilian and military airports across Denmark and Norway as well. These latest sightings come as millions of visitors are in Munich for Oktoberfest, which wraps up on Sunday.

[12:35:34]

All right. NATO is beefing up its military presence in Eastern Europe after several reported airspace incursions blamed on Russia. Operation Eastern Sentry includes surveillance flights looking out for Russian drones and warplanes near the alliance's borders. CNN's Fred Pleitgen flew on a military plane that keeps an eye on possible Russian intrusions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A quick takeoff from an airbase in Western Germany. We're on a NATO E-3 Sentry surveillance plane on a mission deterring Russian incursions into NATO airspace.

PLEITGEN: And the reason why these flights are so important is that this plane has a massive radar on top, and it can see really far in all directions, about 650 kilometers for higher flying objects, a little less for lower flying objects. But that means that it can see planes and other aircraft coming towards NATO airspace long before they get there.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): While Moscow is praising what they say are improved relations between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, it's also been testing NATO's readiness. NATO jets recently scrambling to shoot down several Russian combat drones that crossed into member state Poland's airspace.

And in late September, NATO says Russian MiG-31 fighters flew over Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes, while alliance interceptors were rushed to escort them back out, even though Russia denies its planes ever crossed into NATO territory.

This is part of the U.S. and its allies' answer. More surveillance flights, the operation named Eastern Sentry. Captain Jacob Anderson says if Russian jets come close, they'll see them.

CAPT. JACOB ANDERSON, U.S. AIR FORCE: At that point, we've probably been watching them for a while. So we're pushing them over to the military tactical data links. So it's not just us that are aware of it. It's the whole theater is aware that this track is approaching the airspace.

PLEITGEN: If we go back and look at the map, we can see that we're cruising around Eastern Europe right now. This is Kaliningrad, that part of Russia. You have Belarus down here. So the plane is situated here but can still look very far into territory, even beyond the borders of NATO.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): And the E-3 needs to stay in this area for hours, only possible thanks to U.S. Air Force tankers providing gas to extend the mission. Air-to-air refueling a plane the size of a commercial jetliner is extremely challenging, the pilots tell me.

MAJ. JASON SANCHEZ, U.S. AIR FORCE: Essentially the power management, the lateral management, ensuring that you feel nice and comfortable in your closure to and from a certain position.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Crew members come from various NATO member states, all of them with the same stake in the mission success, Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Wahnon tells me.

LT. COL. STEPHEN WAHNON, U.S. AIR FORCE: It's not one nation. It's all of NATO that's represented on this -- on this aircraft right now. So when we are patrolling these -- these borders, they're our borders, right? So it means a lot for us to be here to defend our borders.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): And NATO says surveillance, seeing possible threats before they get close, is key to keeping those borders safe.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Geilenkirchen, Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[12:38:51]

WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, Sean "Diddy" Combs is set to spend years in prison for prostitution charges, what the judge said when he announced the sentence next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Sean "Diddy" Combs finally knows his fate for the next few years. The music mogul was sentenced to four years and two months in prison following his federal trial. Combs was also ordered to pay a $500,000 fine for his conviction on prostitution related charges. His lawyers say they plan to appeal his prison sentence and slam the judge's decision as un-American.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLE WESTMORELAND, ATTORNEY FOR SEAN COMBS: That's absolutely wrong. The jury verdict was disregarded and it's not supposed to happen. You shouldn't do that. Going to trial is already hard enough. When the jury speaks, you need to listen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister was in the court for the sentencing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hip-hop icon, Sean "Diddy" Combs, sentenced to more than four years in prison after his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The judge telling Combs he would serve hard time away from his family.

In a pivotal day for the 55-year-old rap mogul, he spoke in court for the first time at length, apologizing to Cassie Ventura for any physical and emotional harm he caused, adding, "I lost my self- respect. I've been humbled and broken to my core. I hate myself right now. I got stripped down to nothing."

He then begged the judge for mercy, saying, "I don't have nobody to blame but myself. I know I'll never put hands on another person again. I know that I've learned my lesson. I'm willing to comply with any conditions the court puts upon me."

[12:45:12]

His children also spoke on behalf of their dad. Adopted son Quincy Brown, surrounded by his siblings, told the judge his father has learned a lesson. And "week after week, we've seen him evolve, something we haven't seen in 15 years. He's completely transformed."

Daughter Jessie addressed the court as well, breaking down into tears, saying, "He has made many mistakes, and we aren't here to excuse any of those mistakes. But, your honor, he is still our dad, and we still need him present in our lives."

Before the hearing began, Combs' attorneys submitted a campaign-style video, showing his charity work, along with images of him caring for his kids, after the death of his ex-girlfriend, Kim Porter, which was played in court, bringing Combs to tears. But prosecutors began the hearing by telling the court that a former employee of Diddy's who testified in his trial under the pseudonym Mia, would no longer be speaking as originally planned, citing a, "bullying letter" submitted by the defense. The judge also failed to buy the defense's attempt to characterize the so-called freak-offs or drug-fueled sex parties as intimate, consensual experiences.

Prosecutors called Combs' respect for the law lip service, and said, this is a case with real victims who have suffered real harms at the hands of the defendant, and who, because of the defendant, have questioned their own self-worth and desire to live. And before issuing the sentence, the judge scolded Combs, saying, "A history of good works cannot erase the power and control you had over the women you professed to love dearly. You abused them physically, emotionally, and psychologically, and you used that to get your way."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WAGMEISTER: Now, Combs' defense team already pledging to file an appeal, and they said outside of court that they believe that they have a strong basis for that appeal. They said that the jury did not convict Combs on the most serious charges, and part of that was coercion. They said that the judge brought up coercion at least a dozen times during the sentencing hearing.

They even went as far to say that they feel that the judge was playing the role of a juror. Now, remember, the defense had asked for 14 months, which would essentially have been time served. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elizabeth Wagmeister, thanks so much. All right, straight ahead, the first weekend of October, feeling more like the middle of summer for millions, a track on the potential record- breaking heat wave, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:52:29]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. This weekend record-breaking heat will have parts of the Midwest feeling like fall is getting a later start than usual. Meteorologist Chris Warren has the latest forecast. Chris, how hot will it get?

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It really is going to be a hot one in the upper Midwest. Certainly not feeling like October throughout parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. In fact, it is going to be warm enough that records could fall here. Also, not just the heat, but also with some strong gusty winds and dry conditions. Going to see an increase of fire danger throughout parts of the plains and through the Midwest.

Expecting these daytime highs to be close to 90 degrees. Some of the records, the warm records, are -- have been standing for more than 100 years. So this is some heat we're talking about, unusual heat in the upper Midwest. Pretty nice though throughout much of the South if you enjoy these upper 70s and lower 80s with a cool start to the day in many locations.

Sunday, similar story, but we see more green moving in the map. That green is the cooler air. We've got a system working through with some showers and storms. But cooler air will be on the move. The Northeast still looking pretty mild as well. And temperatures for Michigan are going to be in the 80s. Dramatically colder in the Upper Peninsula by Monday.

Look at this difference here, 84 on Saturday. Changes over to 57 for a daytime high on Monday. Holding pretty steady in the 80s for Chicago and Cleveland. Dropping off big time in Green Bay. Dropping off a bit there in Alpena. And then Buffalo staying in the lower 80s right into the first part of next week. New York City, you can see this line right here. This is average. And expecting those temperatures to drop down there by the middle of next week below average. So enjoy these 80s.

If you like this kind of early fall, late summer kind of vibe we've got going on here. Chicago back to reality also by Tuesday. And that's going to come with some showers as well. So temperatures are going to be cooling down. Hopefully you're enjoying this kind of encore version of summer throughout parts of the Midwest.

WHITFIELD: All right, still sizzling. All right, Chris, thank you.

[12:54:39]

All right, still to come. Neighbors and city leaders sharing new outrage over how ICE agents are detaining immigrants suspected of being undocumented around Chicago. We'll show you the new video of federal agents dropping down from helicopters in the middle of the night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

[12:59:51]

All right. The White House is sending special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Egypt this weekend to help finalize a hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.