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Trump Confirms He Authorized CIA Action In Venezuela; Hamas Reasserts Control And Settles Scores In Gaza Strip; NATO Ramping Up Measures To Counter Russia; Uruguay Senate Vote To Make Euthanasia Legal; Egypt's PM: Phase One of Gaza Ceasefire Deal Moving Well; ChatGPT to Allow Erotica for Verified Adult Users; Watch Crypto ATM Scam As It Happens, CNN Confronts Scammer; Temporarily Funding Bill Fails Vote, Standoff Continues. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired October 16, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:28]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Ahead here on CNN Newsroom, Israel marks its official remembrance of October 7th as Donald Trump warns Hamas the fighting could start again if it doesn't honor the ceasefire deal.
President Trump says he's authorized the CIA to operate insiders of Venezuela to fight with. He calls the illegal flow of drugs and migrants.
And this ghostly image of a hyena in Namibia took the top prize in an international wildlife photo competition.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: In the coming hours, the Israeli government is set to hold state memorial ceremonies for the victims of the Hamas October 7th attack amid increasing anger in that more bodies of hostages have not returned.
The remains of two more hostages have been handed over by Hamas and now identified, but so far only nine of the 28 deceased hostages have returned to Israel since the ceasefire deal took effect. Hamas says it has handed over all the bodies it can access and we need, quote, significant efforts and special equipment to recover more remains.
The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt remains close to the delivery of humanitarian aid as the dispute over deceased hostages continues. One Israeli official said aid trucks have entered Gaza through other crossings, but with Rafah closed, only 308 trucks have entered the enclave and not the 600 trucks agreed to in the cease fire deal.
Hamas is calling on Gaza residents to hand over collaborators working with Israel or face the, quote, strict hand of justice. It comes as clashes have erupted between Hamas and rival groups as militants look to reassert their dominance in the enclave. CNN's Oren Liebermann has more from Jerusalem and a warning. Some of the images you're about to see are disturbing.
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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: In the immediate aftermath of the ceasefire in Gaza, Hamas has quickly reemerged and is reasserting its power in Gaza over parts of the decimated territory not occupied by Israel.
Videos shared widely on social media and confirmed by CNN show Hamas members carrying out execution style killings on the streets of Gaza City. We have to warn you these images are graphic and CNN is not showing the videos in full.
This is the moment the Hamas gunmen open fire with eight Palestinians on their knees. They appear to be blindfolded. Seconds later, they are dead, their bodies lying on the ground, the so called Palestinian resistance factions, which include Hamas, praised the killings, calling them a, quote, security campaign against mercenaries, bandits and anyone they see as cooperating with the Zionist enemy.
They called on Palestinians to report what they called wanted individuals and anyone helping them.
This is Hamas attempting to show its back in control in Gaza and eliminating any opposition. After the videos came to light, a prominent family in Gaza, the Doghmush family, said Hamas had killed nearly 30 of their family members after they were told they'd be treated fairly if they surrendered. They say the fate of many other family members is unknown. The Doghmush family denied working with Israel and said Israeli forces had killed hundreds of relatives over the last two years.
During the war, we saw several unprecedented protests against Hamas in Gaza. Now it appears they're working to quash any more acts of defiance. The Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank condemned the killings as heinous crimes which claimed the lives of dozens of citizens outside the framework of the law and without fair trials.
A Palestinian rights group, the Independent Commission for Human Rights, said the wave of summary executions without trial in cannot be justified under any circumstances. Such acts constitute grave legal and moral crimes that require urgent condemnation and accountability. Oren Liebermann, CNN in Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Family and friends gathered to pay their final respects to Captain Daniel Shimon Peretz, one of the nine deceased hostages released by Hamas. Israeli soldiers carried Perez's coffin, draped with the flag during his funeral on Wednesday. A recently released hostage also attended the service for his former commander. Pertez's sister spoke of the relief she now feels to know that after two years, her brother is finally home.
But of course, there are so many other families waiting for the return of their loved ones.
[01:05:00]
Ela Haimi joins me now from Israel. Her husband's body is still being held in Gaza. Ela, thanks so much for speaking with this. I'm deeply sorry for your loss, the loss of your husband Tal who was killed during the October 7 attacks. His body, his remains are still in Gaza.
How are you coping with the ongoing uncertainty, especially as some hostages, living and deceased, have been released?
ELA HAIMI, HUSBAND'S BODY STILL IN GAZA: Yes, it's very hard days. We're waiting. We are hardly waiting. It's very tense day for me, for the kids. And every morning we are wondering maybe it's today, maybe Tal, his body returned last night, but we are waking up disappointed again and waiting for the next day.
KINKADE: And of course you were pregnant when Tal was killed. You've been raising four children alone. How do you find the strength to cope with such a heavy burden? And what do your children understand about what happened to their dad?
HAIMI: The children knows everything because they are big enough. And not the baby. The baby is a baby. And I told them everything, as you know, in a way that fit for kids. And they told them yesterday that two bodies are returning. And yesterday morning they woke up and they asked me who are they? And I told them it's not today, maybe tomorrow.
It's hard for them. They are very tense also. And we're very waiting. Honestly, I thought it would be faster. I thought with the 20 hostages that returned alive, I thought the bodies will return with them. And I don't know why. I don't know what happened on the way and why not all of them are here. I know that they have the locations. Why are they not here?
KINKADE: It's so heartbreaking. Do you fear that the IDF strikes over the past two years of the war might mean that, you know, your husband will be lost or left behind in Gaza for years, potentially forever.
HAIMI: I know it's possibility. I know all the options on the table, like we said, and I hope not. I hope that -- I know that the Israeli, the IDF gives them the locations and they can go and look for it. But we don't feel the passion like they had with the 20 they take in the time. I don't think they are doing some kind of provocacy, but they take in time and it takes too long.
We have to remember Hamas is terror organization and we don't -- we are dealing with terror organization and it takes time. Maybe they doing it purpose, I don't know. But they can do it faster. And I trust the Israeli government. I demand for the Israeli government that they can push them to do it faster. They have the tools to do it. I know they have. And I hope it will end as soon as possible. KINKADE: We have heard from some in Israel and the U.S. that said, you
know, recovering their remains, you know, could take some time. What's your response to that? Do you feel enough has been done?
HAIMI: No, absolutely not. As I said, both sides have to do more to bring this situation to an end. We are now in ceasefire and we need to keep it like that but we have to bring them, and both sides can do more to bring all the rest of the 19 that left there.
KINKADE: And you did get Tal's helmet, which the IDF recovered, and you buried Tal's helmet. What was that moment like for your family?
HAIMI: Actually, it was a funeral. I wanted to give -- I wanted to do a ceremony to give my kids closure. I thought I gave them. But after some little period of time, I've been asked by them many questions about how can the army say that Tal is dead if the body is not here? Then one of the kids told me that he believed that his father is alive.
And I'm telling him it's not true, that he's dead. It's hard for him to understand because it depends the age. He was just six. Was six years old when it all happened. And this is why it's so important to bring all of them back as soon as possible.
KINKADE: Just finally, what do you tell your children about their dad? How do you remember him?
[01:10:05]
HAIMI: They remember him. They were big enough to remember. Not the baby, of course, but they remember everything. We have photos, videos. He was very involved father. He was reading books before sleeping, doing homework with them, making dinner, sandwiches in the morning. They had a lot of time with him and they miss him very much.
And I miss him also because I have two hands missing and with the baby, it's very, very matter because we need to hold him most of the time.
KINKADE: Yes.
HAIMI: And I miss him so much.
KINKADE: We are sorry for your loss. Ela Haimi, thanks so much for joining us and we hope you get that closure soon.
HAIMI: Thank you.
KINKADE: President Trump is turning up the heat on Venezuela, announcing covert CIA operations and a potential military campaign by land to fight drug cartels. CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes reports.
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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump on Wednesday acknowledging that he had authorized the CIA to operate on the ground in Venezuela for what he said was clamping down on illegal flows of drugs and migrants. This is an escalation when it comes to Venezuela and this fight against alleged drug dealers.
One of the things President Trump also said was that in addition to these strikes, which we have seen a number up off the coast of Venezuela, President Trump had authorized that some time ago that they might take these strikes from sea to land.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I authorized for two reasons, really. Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America. They came in through the, well, they came in through the border. And the other thing are drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the seat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does the CIA have authority to take out Maduro?
TRUMP: Oh, I don't want to answer a question like that. That's a ridiculous question for me to be given. Not really a ridiculous question, but wouldn't it be a ridiculous question for me to answer.
HOLMES: Now, Trump had updated and expanded the CIA's authorities at the same time that he had signed a secret directive that allowed for these lethal strikes on these boats against these alleged narcoterrorists.
One of the things that we have heard repeatedly from the Trump administration when talking about these strikes is they know that these are domestic terrorist organizations, organizations they have deemed as terrorist organizations.
But we're still unclear of who is actually involved in these strikes, other than these allegations that they were drug dealers on these various boats. We still have almost no details about the strikes themselves other than the fact that they happen. And of course, this has, for many members of Congress, made them slightly uneasy.
We know that President Trump had transmitted a notice to Congress saying that the U.S. was in an armed conflict with drug cartels that they designated as these domestic terrorist organizations, which gave him more leeway.
But of course, there are still members of Congress, mainly Democrats, but also some Republicans, who have expressed hesitancy about this plan. Now, one of the things to note here is President Trump has continued to avoid this idea of regime change, not really talk about it.
But today he almost got there saying that he believes that the leaders of Venezuela, Maduro feel the heat, that they could feel the ramped up pressure. So where this goes from here, that is the big question. But of course, it's going to be a huge escalation if the U.S. begins targeting these alleged drug dealers on Venezuelan soil. Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Still to come, NATO's plans for ramping up its response to Russian incursions both inside Ukraine and in the skies over Europe.
Plus, lawmakers in Uruguay vote to make euthanasia legal. We'll bring you the story of a woman who closely followed the proceedings. Now given the choice to decide how and when her life ends.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. Syrian's president paid a visit to Moscow months after ousting a key Russian ally in the region. President Ahmed Al-Sharaa met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Wednesday.
Last December, he toppled his predecessor, Bashar al-Assad, who then fled to Russia. But Putin praised his ouster during the meeting, saying it'll help consolidate Syria. He also applauded Syria's recent indirect parliamentary elections. Al-Sharaa said Syria and Russia still have common interests, so they should maintain diplomatic ties.
The U.S. President says Ukraine wants to, quote, go offensive on Russia. Donald Trump says he'll make a determination on that when he meets with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House Friday. The Ukrainian president has been pressing European nations to buy powerful long range Tomahawk missiles from the U.S. for Ukraine to use in the war.
Well, NATO says it will implement new measures to counter Russian drones. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Both NATO's Secretary General Mark Rutte and the U.S. Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth have praised NATO's member states for increasing their defense spending and pledging to do that. They say that this is important in two major ways.
On the one hand, it obviously increases NATO member states capabilities and then allows them to contribute more to common defense.
[01:20:06]
But Pete Hegseth said it's also important in terms of helping Ukraine and trying to end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. One of the things that he's talking about is an initiative called Pearl, which essentially has European and other NATO member states buying U.S. weapons and then giving those weapons to Ukraine. Now, Pete Hegseth said that spending also counts against defense spending NATO member states, and he's calling for more of it. Here's what he had to say.
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: All countries need to translate goals into guns, commitments into capabilities and pledges into power. That's all that matters. Hard power. It's the only thing belligerents actually respect.
Your continued investment and leadership are vital to helping Ukraine defend itself and to bring an end to this conflict. Peace through strength.
PLEITGEN: Now, the NATO secretary general also said that while initially six NATO member states had signed on to the Pearl program, as of the summit on Wednesday, it was half of NATO member states who had made commitments.
Now, another topic that was not officially on the agenda but still loomed large was Ukraine possibly receiving U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Trump administration. There is, of course, set to be a meeting between President Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House on Friday where that could be a topic.
And asked about this, the NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte said that he couldn't really comment directly because this was a bilateral issue between the United States and Ukraine.
Also the NATO member states, of course, right now dealing with flaring tensions between NATO and Russia after several incursions by Russian aircraft and drones onto NATO territory. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Uruguay's Senate has approved a bill legalizing euthanasia, or doctor assisted suicide. A local woman diagnosed with ALS has been paying close attention to those proceedings, telling CNN's Dario Klein, she is grateful that she now has the power to control her fate and not surrender to the disease.
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DARIO KLEIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Beatrice Hilos sits in a park with a close friend, drinking your guaya mate, trying to enjoy what's left of her life. But her mind and her hope had long been elsewhere, fixed on the Uruguayan parliament, where the Senate finally passed a law that could change her fate.
KLEIN: She's saying she's having a lot of peace in her and that she's very thankful for the lawmakers that are voting this law.
KLEIN (vice-over): Beatrice has ALS, a degenerative disease that has gradually weakened and paralyzed her body.
KLEIN: Two decades ago, the doctors told her she wouldn't make it past 2010. But she's still here.
KLEIN (voice-over): She says her grandchildren are the most important thing to her and that the worst thing about her illness is that she could never hold them.
KLEIN: She doesn't want to talk about her family or her two grandchildren she has because she would cry.
KLEIN (voice-over): Also, her family and friends are important.
KLEIN: She said that the friends -- all the very important friends she has, like Eduardo, is what ties her up to life. But sometimes that's not enough.
KLEIN (voice-over): And that sometimes her pain is unbearable. That's why she has been present throughout the entire process of debate and legislative voting on the so called Dignified Death Law.
And now she says that her and her alone with her conscience will make the decision. A decision that Eduardo's mother could never make.
No, she didn't have that choice. And that's why I'm so in favor of the law because she suffered so much. Because she would have wanted it, I'm sure. Because there came a point when her life was truly unbearable, Eduardo says. Beatrice listens and nods. And that's all she's asking for that her country and its law give her the right to choose her farewell.
[01:25:08]
She's not afraid of what comes after life, she says, because she's more afraid of life before death, Dario Klein, CNN, Montevideo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, still ahead, adult users of ChatGPT will soon be able to engage in some steamy conversations with the chat bot. We'll discuss the new challenges and changes, next.
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[01:30:51]
KINKADE: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
I want to return now to our top story -- the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and unanswered questions about its future. U.S. President Trump is threatening Hamas with more Israeli military action if it doesn't return the remains of all deceased hostages. Despite that, Egypt's foreign minister believes the first phase of the peace agreement is on track.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BADR ABDELATTY, EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: For phase one, I mean, things is moving well, especially with regard to the release of all hostages, as you know. And we told the American side that as for the remains of the bodies, I mean, it -- that collecting the remains will take some time because they are under rubble and you have a lot of explosive materials, devices under the rubble. So reaching them will be a bit difficult.
But we are doing our utmost efforts on the ground in order to collect the deceased bodies and to hand them over to the Israeli side in implementation of the agreement of Sharm El-Sheikh, phase one.
But we are expecting, of course, the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, opening of the crossings as soon as possible. As we always saying its open from the Egyptian side, 24/7.
And we are working with the Israelis to open their crossings also with Gaza and to allow the flow of materials, humanitarian aid, medical aid, because the situation on the ground is catastrophic and we need literally, literally to flood Gaza with food and with relief materials and medical equipment and materials, of course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Earlier I spoke with Sam Rose, the acting director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians in Gaza. And I asked him what daily life looks like now in the enclave.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM ROSE, ACTING DIRECTOR, UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINIANS: People are dealing with a fragile situation and a precarious one that's growing a bit more precarious with every day, as we see that these, not really landmarks, but the elements of the deal are not going ahead quite as we would like, both in terms of the volumes of supplies coming in, the continued armed incidents, the delays with the handover of the remains of the hostages, and also what we're seeing in terms of civil unrest -- a bit of civil unrest on the street.
But look the situation is far, far better than it was up until about a week ago. So my staff, their families, their children are not going to bed at night worrying if they're not going to wake up in the morning. So they're not faced with the constant fear of bombardment and displacement.
They're faced with another kind of fear, which is not quite so visceral, but is -- but is more complex, if you understand what I mean.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, apparent hackers took over the public address systems at four north American airports on Wednesday, broadcasting pro- Palestinian political messages praising Hamas and attacking U.S. and Israeli leaders using the pa systems in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as well as three Canadian airports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Netanyahu and Trump. Turkish hackers, cyber (INAUDIBLE) was here. Telegram channel cyber (INAUDIBLE).
Free, free Palestine. Free, free Palestine. Free, free Palestine.
(END VIDEO CLIP) [01:34:52]
KINKADE: Well, the air travel industry has been fending off an onslaught of cyberattacks in recent months, causing disruption for travelers.
From A.I.-generated actresses (ph) to rising anxiety about job loss and identity theft, the world is wrestling with the rapidly evolving impact of artificial intelligence on both creative industries and everyday life.
Well, now OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is preparing to roll out a major update. In the coming weeks, the chatbot will introduce a new, very human like response mode with further changes planned for December that will allow verified adult users to generate erotic content.
CEO Sam Altman says this move is part of an effort to treat adults like adults, but it comes amid growing concerns about A.I.'s expanding reach, its safety and the role in our daily lives.
Well, for more, I want to welcome Lori Schwartz, principal and technology catalyst at StorageTek. She joins us now from San Jose, California. Great to have you with us.
LORI SCHWARTZ, PRINCIPAL AND TECHNOLOGY CATALYST, STORAGETEK: Great to be here.
KINKADE: So let's start with those changes at OpenAI. Allowing verified adult users to partake in some extra steamy conversations with their chatbot, creating erotic content.
What are the benefits and what are the risks with age verification systems potentially being circumnavigated by minors?
SCHWARTZ: Well, the risks are from a business perspective, I think, that parents like myself will not be allowing our children to leverage that platform.
There are other large language model platforms that we could use instead. So I think it's dangerous to keep it so open.
The challenges are, though, that regulations can also strangle business use and innovation. So you're always in that fine line between a dangerous place and a, you know, holding back innovation.
So it's going to cause a lot of interesting challenges for the company, I think.
KINKADE: Yes. And it's interesting when you take that all into consideration with the latest Pew Research, which shows that across 25 countries, more people are concerned than excited about A.I.
Here in the U.S., 53 percent of respondents say A.I. will make people worse at thinking creatively. 50 percent believe it's going to harm people's ability to form meaningful relationships. What do these attitudes tell you about the public perception around
artificial intelligence?
SCHWARTZ: Well, I think Honestly, a lot of this can kind of be blamed on science fiction. And I know that sounds really strange but -- because I'm a huge science fiction fan, but science fiction has created a lot of these tropes around artificial intelligence.
So we're all, you know, ultimately worried about Arnold Schwarzenegger showing up at our door as the terminator.
You know, there's so much storytelling in the world that has portrayed all of this technology as terrifying. So that's at the top. One of the biggest issues is that there's so much fear because of stories we've all watched on TV and films.
And number two, there is a lot of concern about A.I. taking away jobs or A.I. -- like we just talked about putting content in front of children that shouldn't be.
But A.I. is a tool just like anything else, and it has a lot of, opportunity to help us get to even better heights with our art, with our work, and with everything else.
If it's used as a tool and there's an expression called "human in the loop" where the idea is that humans partnered with A.I. will actually achieve a lot of greatness because A.I. can actually help with a lot of mundane tasks.
It can actually improve efficiency. It can reduce bias. There's a lot of things that A.I. can bring to the table that will help us improve ourselves and our work.
So it's just a matter of putting it in the right place, having some regulation, but not too much.
KINKADE: Of course, a prominent example of A.I. replacing human roles involves Tilly Norwood -- that synthetic A.I. actress --
SCHWARTZ: Yes.
KINKADE: -- alleged by some real actors to be based on their likeness without consent. Of course, this is an A.I. actress condemned by SAG, the actors' union.
Well, now Tilly Norwood, the real actor, appeared alongside actor Ryan Reynolds in a mint ad. I just want to play some of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN REYNOLDS, ACTOR: You're real?
TILLY NORWOOD, ACTRESS: Yes.
REYNOLDS: Not an A.I.-generated combination of actors?
NORWOOD: I'm a combination of my parents.
REYNOLDS: And the Internet is real too, right?
NORWOOD: Yes.
REYNOLDS: Ok.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: I mean, this seemed to be a clever way to use a real actor while capitalizing on the attention of that controversial A.I. bot, right?
[01:39:47]
SCHWARTZ: Yes. Yes.
I mean, the thing is, there are definitely issues right now with artificial actors or simulated actors, and that's actually a union issue that needs to be worked out.
That wasn't part of the contracts that just, you know, went on between the studios and the unions.
So, it's obviously -- Tilly is obviously an artificial, you know, synthetic character. So I don't feel, and a lot of my colleagues don't feel like it's replacing an actress.
It's clear it's not a real person. And there were people behind it. It was stated that she's artificial.
So I think, again, writing that fine line between making sure that we're not stealing a likeness, we're not stealing a voice. And also, I can't see watching an entire feature film with an artificial, you know, character.
So right now we just have to all kind of protect our work, protect our unions, protect our associations, be mindful of where this can all go. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater either -- a real baby or an artificial baby. You just have to be careful.
KINKADE: You certainly do.
Lori Schwartz, good to have you on the program. Thanks so much.
SCHWARTZ: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, part two of a CNN investigation into crypto scams centers on what might look like an ordinary atm, but they are crypto atm machines. They turn cash into cryptocurrency and scammers are becoming more convincing and they're convincing Americans to feed their hard-earned income into them. And which then, of course, ends up in swindlers' accounts.
Well, the trouble often starts with an email or a text falsely claiming that you owe money. Our senior investigative correspondent Kyung Lah, confronted one of
the scammers just as he was trying to steal thousands of dollars from her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to withdraw a $9,500.00 from your account.
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: What am I doing with thousands in cash in a car? You are watching a scam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are talking to the Geeks Quad from the Best Buy.
LAH: And this is a scammer trying to steal money from me.
This is a mistake.
You've probably gotten fake bills or spam texts.
We decided to call one.
It appeared to be a U.S. phone number on this official-looking bill that was emailed by the con artist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell me your refund amount once again?
LAH: He promises to help, sending me a form to fill out.
It says Geek Squad cancellation and refund form. Excellent.
Here's how this scam works. In order to get my refund, he says I need to let him remote control my computer, which, for the purposes of this scam, I let him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are connected, so like you need to accept the refund, ok. Once it will ask you for the amount, give a dollar sign, then 100. That's it, ok.
LAH: Oh, no, no, no, no, no. What happened? That says 10,000?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God, I told you. Please don't make any mistake.
LAH: The lie is that this company refunded me too much money and I must send it back to avoid committing a crime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is illegal fund, you need to transfer that money back to our company. You need to go to your bank, ok? And you need to withdraw $9,500.00 from your account.
While you're driving you don't have to talk to me, and you don't have to talk to me inside the bank as well.
LAH: After I pull out the cash, he wants to see proof.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take a picture.
LAH: Take a picture of the money?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, it's good.
LAH: Here's the modern twist in the scam. The scammer tells me where to go to find something called a crypto ATM, where I can deposit the money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There will be a yellow color ATM machine.
LAH: A yellow-colored ATM machine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Open up the camera. You need to deposit that cash.
LAH: A crypto ATM looks like a normal ATM, but it's different. Put in cash and it converts it into cryptocurrency in an instant. These machines become the getaway car for the scammers who prey on victims.
But back to our scammer on the phone with me.
I'm not going to put the money into the machine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
LAH: Because this is a scam. You know it and I know it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do you think like that?
LAH: You are talking to a reporter from CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I'm talking to the reporter.
LAH: From CNN. How much crypto money are you transferring through various electronic wallets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like a couple of million dollars in a month.
LAH: Do you care about these people you're scamming?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I do care.
LAH: You do care?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LAH: Because a lot of people are losing their life savings. Elderly people who fall for this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, ok. I'm sorry for that.
LAH: Why do you keep doing it?
Police reports reviewed show that the scammed cash, the preponderance of it does end up overseas. A lot of that money flows into places like Africa and Southeast Asia. [01:44:54]
LAH: Experts also tell us that the people making the phone calls, like that scammer on the phone, they're often the victims of human trafficking and are victims there of forced labor.
Kyung Lah CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: The Republican-backed bill to temporarily fund the U.S. Government fails to pass once again.
Still to come, the latest on the shutdown and how it's affecting Americans.
[01:45:18]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back.
The Trump administration will continue to pay FBI agents as the shutdown continues. FBI director Kash Patel confirmed the news Wednesday. It comes after the president directed the Pentagon to find funds to pay active duty, military and reserve members currently performing active service. Sources tell CNN frontline law enforcement officers will also be paid by next Wednesday.
The White House has also moved to fund the WIC food assistance program for 7 million pregnant women, new moms and young children.
The White House has said it will have to make more cuts in government jobs in order to keep some programs operating and pay federal workers. But a federal judge has halted efforts to lay off thousands more employees, saying that it's unlawful.
The standoff between Republicans and Democrats only continues to escalate as the shutdown drags on.
CNN's Julia Benbrook breaks down what's keeping lawmakers from making a deal.
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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are now weeks into this government shutdown, and not much has changed. It does not seem that any substantial negotiations are taking place. And during each failed vote the arguments remain the same.
Republicans continue to push for essentially an extension of current funding levels on a short-term basis, claiming there is nothing to negotiate.
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We're barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history unless Democrats drop their partisan demands and pass a clean, no-strings-attached budget to reopen the government and pay our federal workers.
BENBROOK: Democrats are focusing in on health care, calling for pandemic era Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year to be extended.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Our view has always been that we have to address the Republican health care crisis and the need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits with the fierce urgency of now, because at this moment in time, notices are going out to people all across the country.
BENBROOK: Now the date, October 15th, has long been an area of focus for negotiations. That's when active-duty military could have missed a paycheck. But over the weekend, President Donald Trump announced that his administration had identified funds to make sure troops are paid.
The impact of this government shutdown continues though, with more than a million federal workers furloughed or working without pay.
And in a break from precedent, the Trump administration has moved forward with thousands of layoffs during this lapse in funding, which could be seen as a tactic to get Democrats to agree to the Republican plan without concessions.
At the White House, I'm Julia Benbrook.
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KINKADE: Well, there's much more to come on CNN, including a closer look at this haunting image that won the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award. That story and more straight ahead.
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KINKADE: One of Eddie Van Halen's trademark red and white striped guitars is headlining an auction at Sotheby's in New York. The late rock and roll legend played the 1982 Kramer electric guitar in live concerts during his band's tours in 1982 and '83.
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KINKADE: Sotheby's experts think the guitar will fetch between $2 and $3 million, with bids already jumping in.
The rock and pop auction will also feature guitars played by Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton. The auction runs until October 24th.
Well, the picture of a rare hyena in front of an abandoned building in Namibia has won the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award. It beat out more than 60,000 other entries.
CNN's Patrick Cornell has more on the competition.
Plus, what happened when a curious canine in North Carolina bit off more than he could chew. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK CORNELL, CNN PRODUCER: Get a gander at this haunting image of a brown hyena standing in front of an abandoned building in a former diamond mining town in Namibia. The prize-winning pic beat out more than 60,000 entries to claim the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award.
The annual contest celebrates the world's best nature photography and wildlife photojournalism. Brown hyenas are so rare, organizers say it took the South African photographer a full decade to capture one on camera.
The eerie photo shows how wildlife is reclaiming a ghost town after being abandoned by people.
This photo, titled "After the Destruction", took home the title for Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year, open to photographers aged 17 and under. It shows a long-horned beetle in central Italy posing in front of abandoned logging machinery.
Award organizers also highlighted this picture of an orphaned giant anteater trailing its caregiver at a rehab center for the Impact Award, which recognizes conservation success stories.
All winning photographs will be on exhibit at the Natural History Museum in London.
Here's a wild video of a domesticated animal in a bit of a pickle. The Chapel Hill Fire Department says the dog, Colton, got a hold of a lithium-ion battery and gnawed on the thing until it burst into flames.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He bit into it and you can see that, you know, he's surprised by it and then he's like, uh-oh, what did I do?
CORNELL: They posted the video online to highlight the dangers of leaving those batteries unsecured.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you're done charging them, like you have to really pay attention and unplug them. You have to make sure you store them. You know, where they can't get broken or cracked or chewed on by a dog.
CORNELL: Other than a bit of a scare, Colton is perfectly ok. The house only suffered some smoke damage and a burned rug.
I'm Patrick Cornell.
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KINKADE: Well, thanks so much for joining us. That was CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Stick around, there's plenty more news with the lovely Rosemary Church in just a moment. [01:57:14]
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