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One World with Zain Asher
Netanyahu And Trump In Meeting To Discuss Gaza Ceasefire; Trump "Very Confident" About Gaza Peace Deal As Meeting With Netanyahu Gets Underway; Trump To Address Gathering Of U.S. Generals And Admirals; Hearing Ends For Man Accused OF Shooting Activist; Moldova Voters Stay On Pro- European Path; Historic Citadel Reopens In Aleppo After Restoration; Officials Give Update On Michigan Church Shooting; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 29, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[12:00:20]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching the second hour of
"One World."
For the fourth time this year, the Israeli prime minister is back at the White House for a meeting with his most important international ally.
Discussions are currently underway between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. president claims could end the war in Gaza.
And in all caps post on social media ahead of the meeting, Trump promised, quote, something special on Gaza. And here's how the U.S. Vice President
characterized it over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JD VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The president's been very clear. He actually wants Gaza to be controlled by the people who live
there. He wants the West Bank to be controlled by the people who live there. And he wants the terrorist networks that are around the Israelis to
be dismantled so they can no longer pose a threat to Israel, especially the innocent civilians who live in Israel.
It's never easy as we've learned in the Middle East over many years. This stuff comes and fits and starts. And it can take very weird turns. But I
think the president has gotten us to a point where we're at the one yard line. And all of us are very hopeful. We can sort of punch through the end
zone and accomplish a major, major thing for peace in the region.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: But a key member of the Israeli government earlier laid out a red line that his party won't compromise on, some of which appears to be in
the White House ceasefire plan. It all comes as the IDF moves forward with its takeover plan and pushes deeper into Gaza City.
Israeli officials meanwhile, say Netanyahu may still have some reservations. In a Sunday interview on Fox, the prime minister, when asked
about the deal, said that he hoped Israel could, quote, make it a go and said, while we're working on it, it's not been finalized yet.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem for us. Alayna Treene is live at the White House. Alayna, let's start with you. Again, the fourth time these two
were meeting since President Trump returned to office. The president seems quite optimistic about this 21 plan, 21-part plan finally, closing the deal
here and ending the war in Gaza.
Talk to us about why he is so confident.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. It's clear he's far more optimistic, Bianna, that we're hearing from the Israelis at this point,
including from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But part of that is because, you know, yesterday, we know that Netanyahu was in New York. He met with the president's Middle East advisor, or envoy,
I should say, Steve Witkoff, as well as the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who's really been advising on a number of issues that relate to
the Middle East, of course, Israel and Gaza included. And they do feel like they are very close to an agreement.
Now, I think one of the most interesting things we're going to be watching today is going to be that joint press conference this afternoon. Of course,
right now, we know that Netanyahu and Trump are meeting behind closed doors. They're going to have a lunch, but then they're going to have this
press conference.
[12:05:05]
And to me, the fact that the White House put that on the schedule at all is the clear signal yet, that the president believes perhaps maybe they could
strike a deal, but at least get Netanyahu closer to that 21-point proposal, that the president has laid out.
I should note he also proposed it last week to a number of Arab leaders when he was in New York for the U.N. General Assembly.
Now, I did pose this question, Bianna, to the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. And I said, does this mean is the expectation that there
will be a deal announced during that afternoon press conference? Listen to what she told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: Karoline, I know that there is a press conference today with the Israeli Prime Minister. It signals, I think, that he's expecting there to
be a deal announced or at least that Netanyahu is going to accept the proposed plan. Is that the hope that the president has today?
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president knows and believes that this is as good of a plan as these sides are going to see.
And that's why it's 21 points. It's very detailed. It's comprehensive.
TREENE: Is the expectation though that the Israeli Prime Minister is going to sign it today or -- or agree to it?
LEAVITT: The president believes strongly in this plan and he wants this to be the plan and he wants this war to come to an end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEAVITT: So she was very clear that, I mean, she did stop just short of saying that, yes, that is his expectation. But what she did say is this is
the best plan that she thinks both Israel and Hamas are going to see on a ceasefire and that this is the plan he wants to be finalized.
Now, I also think important context around all of this is we know the president also spoke just moments before Netanyahu arrived at the White
House to the Emir of Qatar. They have been very heavily in the middle of all of this, particularly as they've been mediating a lot of the talks with
Hamas and the other parties.
And, of course, we also know that there's still a lot of frustration over the Israeli strike in Doha on Hamas leadership earlier this month, actually
20 days ago, to be exact, something that really has frustrated the president and many people here in the White House as well. So all of that
also playing out in some of these discussions.
But we're going to have to see what is exactly hammered out behind closed doors and whether or not the president gets what he wants for that press
conference, which is, of course, to announce some long held good news as it relates to the ceasefire.
GOLODRYGA: That's right. And it's one thing if the president can get Prime Minister Netanyahu to sign off on this deal. Obviously, you need to hear
the same from Hamas as well.
And for that, let's go to Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem. And, Jeremy, you spoke with a Hamas official who happened to be a target of that failed
strike in Qatar last week. You talked to him about this proposal and about Hamas having to lay down its arms and also release all of the remaining
hostages. What did he tell you?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the one hand, he made clear that Hamas is prepared to release all of the hostages in exchange for
an end of the war. But, of course, how that war ends is exactly the -- the most difficult thing to actually negotiate between these two parties.
And that's because both sides have conflicting red lines over this. I pressed Ghazi Hamad, the senior Hamas official who I sat down with late
last week in Doha about Israel's red lines, meaning that Hamas must leave power in Gaza and that Hamas must also disarm.
On the first point, he said Hamas is prepared to no longer be -- be part of the future government of Gaza after the war. But he made clear that Hamas
has no intention of disarming, certainly not without some kind of guarantees about it being within the context of the creation of a
Palestinian state.
And overall, as we were conducting this interview, there was very little indication of any softening of those red lines and of Hamas' positions
throughout this interview. He had said at the time that Hamas had not yet been fully briefed on this 21-point plan. And in fact, just yesterday, we
heard from another senior Hamas official, who spoke to Al Jazeera, saying the exact same thing.
And so I think, you know, what you just said there in speaking to Alayna is really critical, even if the Israeli Prime Minister gets on board with this
plan today, which is a big if, we will still have to wait to see whether Hamas can get on board with it as well. And it will likely involve a
lengthy process of negotiations to get Hamas there as well.
And we have seen before when the United States kind of gets on the same page as Israel, and then they, alongside the mediators, try and then
pressure Hamas into accepting a -- a position that's already out there, making them understand that this is the best deal that they're going to
get. And so far, at least, it has not resulted in the deal, at least not since January of this past year.
And so, you know, the United States tries to create this kind of sense of inevitability about these deals in order to give the momentum that could
propel things across the finish line.
[12:10:06]
But it's important to keep in mind that, again, things may be different this time. We are hearing a lot of optimism from White House officials, for
example. But once again, we have seen this happen before, and it doesn't always result in a deal.
So just important to keep our heads on a swivel here and be really level- headed about the fact that even as President Trump is saying that he is very confident in the chances of this getting across the finish line, there
are a lot of things that need to happen beyond just this meeting, this very critical meeting that's happening right now between the Israeli prime
minister and the American president.
GOLODRYGA: Right. And it's why this administration and the prime minister seem to be in lockstep with the recent recognition by a number of Western
allies of a Palestinian state. They say that Hamas will feel emboldened by this, even though a number of these countries say that Hamas can have no
leadership in a future Palestinian state.
Jeremy Diamond, Alayna Treene, thanks so much.
For more, let's bring in Israeli journalists. I'm Amit Segal, he is the chief political commentator for Israel's Channel 12. He's also the author
of the newsletter, "It's Noon in Israel." Something I read every morning. Amit, it's good to see you.
So, in your reporting, you say that Netanyahu publicly signaled surprise at this Trump 21-point plan, but in reality, there is little daylight between
these two leaders. We've seen the same argument in the past over issues involving the strikes on Iran, for example.
Why do you believe, from what you're hearing from sources, that they may be more in lockstep than they're at least publicly leading on?
AMIT SEGAL, ISRAELI JOURNALIST: Well, we are more than six months old, so we still remember all the talks about disputes between Trump and Netanyahu.
And we saw what happened in Fordow on June 25th. And we saw the back -- the -- the backing from the United States to the Israeli attack on Iran. And we
saw a consistent support for Israel when it comes to the war on Gaza. So, I don't think something is a crucial difference here.
I do think, however, that the reason we approached to the moment in which President Trump says that we are on the verge of getting a deal. By the
way, he doesn't call it a ceasefire, he calls it a peace deal, is -- is a result of the most successful, unsuccessful assassination in the history of
the world.
When Israel tried to actually eliminate the leadership of Hamas in the Doha, Qatar at the beginning of the month, it failed to do it, it failed to
kill them.
However, it signaled Qatar that it can no longer get away with it, get away with supporting Hamas and playing the double game. And that's why Qatar is
pushing Hamas to accept the deal, and from my perspective, I don't know if Hamas would actually accept it, but I know that the -- the Qataris told
President Trump that they can't deliver when it comes to Hamas.
And the only reason is because they don't want to be the sixth Muslim capital city in the Middle East to be attacked by the IDF as a result of
supporting Hamas.
GOLODRYGA: And we heard from Alayna Treene that prior -- just moments prior to this meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, that
President Trump did speak with leadership and Qatar about this plan.
There is also pressure domestically. I don't have to tell you from this government and some far right members of Prime Minister Netanyahu's
coalition, specifically the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, really laying down red lines here saying that there should be no PA or a
Palestinian Authority role in governance either in Gaza or in the West Bank that that somewhat laid out in this plan.
How does Prime Minister Netanyahu navigate this divide?
SEGAL: So, first of all, the devil is in the details. Prime Minister Netanyahu himself opposes any involvement of the Palestinian Authority from
the -- our past experience of those two gentlemen, Trump and Netanyahu.
We know, for instance, in the deal of the century in 2020, Netanyahu didn't want the Palestinian state. So the compromise was that a Palestinian state
would be declared and recognized only after fulfilling something like two dozens of conditions that are almost impossible for the Palestinians to
actually fulfill.
So, I think this is the same case now. From a right-wing perspective in Israel, it looks like Smotrich is quite minimalizing his demands to Prime
Minister Netanyahu.
From what I understand, the only restaurants to the Palestinian Authority would be of a member in the Joint Committee to manage Gaza, the
international community, and only after a -- a -- the Palestinian Authority would be reformed and go through a de-radicalization process, which is not
going to happen as far as I know or suspect.
[12:15:07]
As we've heard from the vice president warning this weekend that we're close to a deal, but of course a deal could be derailed at the very last
moment.
Based on what you're hearing and from your reporting, what is the single biggest obstacle here? Is it the Prime Minister feeling pressure from
members of his coalition? Is it Trump's willingness to ultimately exert more pressure that he has threatened to do? Or is it Hamas and Hamas
agreeing to the details here as well, specifically laying down its arms and releasing all of the hostages?
SEGAL: So, I think Israel is already on board. I think Israel actually depicted at least 19 out of the 21 paragraphs of this Trump program. So,
Israel is on board and Netanyahu is on board. The problem is Hamas.
And in my opinion, Bianna, the main question is what happens if Hamas refuses? If at the end of the day Hamas does not release the 48 hostages at
the first 48 hours of the ceasefire, what's next?
And from what I hear, and I -- I -- I cannot guarantee that, but 24 hours ago, the idea was that if Hamas refuses, this international community to
run Gaza would begin nonetheless in the 75 percent created or conquered by Israel over the last two years of war.
That is to say that this would be the threat to -- to -- to Hamas. The carrot and the stick. The stick would be if you refuse to release all the
hostages, we will begin an alternative administration in Gaza over 75 percent of the Gaza Strip.
And if you're Gaza and exhausted from two years of war, what would you prefer to stay in Gaza City to be bombed by the IDF or to move to an
Emirati controlled area with free education, food, and humanitarian aid? I think the answer is quite clear for everyone.
GOLODRYGA: Well, so you're saying that they could actually threaten to have international forces come into the parts that the IDF has already cleared
and gained control over while still taking its operation into Gaza City and moving forward with that.
But, Amit Segal, before we close out, just to -- to reconfirm, you think Prime Minister Netanyahu is ready to agree to this deal with the president
when we see this joint press conference shortly?
SEGAL: I think he's already on board. Yes.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Amit Segal, thank you so much. Good to see you.
SEGAL: Thanks, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: We're looking at live pictures of Capitol Hill where a government shutdown is looming. Congress has until midnight Tuesday to
agree on a deal before federal funding runs out.
Today, top leaders from both parties will head to the White House to meet with President Trump. Democrats say they will not agree to a new funding
bill unless it includes provisions to help millions of Americans pay for health insurance.
And both sides are blaming each other for what is coming ahead. Here's what the Speaker of the House told our Jake Tapper on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): He wants to bring in the leaders to come in and act like leaders and do the right thing for the American people. It's fine
to have partisan debates and squabbles, but you don't hold the people hostage for their services to allow yourself political cover. And that's
what Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are doing right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Donald Trump, meantime, is planning to speak this week at what is being called a pep rally for America's top generals and admirals. The
meeting at a base outside Washington is considered highly unusual because so many military leaders will be coming to attend.
Pentagon sources say the gathering is about stressing the importance of the warrior ethos in America's military.
President Trump told NBC News, "You know the expression "esprit de corps?" Well, that's all it's about. We're talking about what we're doing. We're --
what we're doing, and how we're doing."
Let's bring in CNN's national security reporter Zachary Cohen.
Zach, so we hear publicly from the defense secretary and the president himself that this is sort of a rally initiative here and bringing everyone
on board. Behind closed doors aside from this being highly unusual, what are you hearing from sources about how people are responding to this?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Bianna, I think there's a general sense of anxiety amongst the rank and file within the Pentagon
and across the world within the U.S. military about what this message and what the optics of this meeting are really all about.
Now, obviously, President Donald Trump endorsing in -- endorsing this unprecedented gathering of senior military leaders by attending this
meeting which was organized by his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Now, we don't expect at this moment that Hegseth or Trump will make some sort of major national security announcement, which makes the order for all
of these military officers to attend in person even more surprising, because it's effectively requiring their attendance for what amounts to a
major speech of sorts.
[12:20:06]
Now, we do know that Hegseth is expected to describe the reinvention of the Department of Defense as the Department of War. We also expect him to walk
through these -- the reforms that he's trying to implement within the U.S. military. That includes changes and, you know, requirements for readiness,
fitness, grooming, things that he expects military personnel to adhere to and really emphasizing that these military officers need to enforce those
new requirements.
We also expect Hegseth to address, you know, the -- sort of these standards, these new standards that he has made a priority throughout his
tenure as Secretary of Defense.
But again, as you mentioned, this is effectively amounting to a PEP rally, our sources describe, where Hegseth will stand in front of these thousands
of uniformed officers and effectively tell them that they need to get on board with these new reforms or their careers could be shortened. That's
what one defense official told us about sort of the feeling amongst the uniformed officers ahead of this meeting.
Now, Hegseth has really been on thin ice a little bit here over the last several months. As far as his standing with the president, we know that
going back to his role in that Signalgate controversy related to the messages he sent on an encrypted messaging platform, related to a military
operation against the Houthis in Yemen.
We know that Hegseth has essentially been dealt or moved to the back bench, so to speak, of the major players within Trump's cabinet. But again, Trump
really put it back in Hegseth in by showing up to this meeting and this unprecedented meeting with these senior military officers.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Zach Cohen for us. Thank you so much.
Well, hearing has just wrapped up for Tyler Robinson. He is the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month. Robinson
is attending via video link. He faces seven charges, including aggravated murder over the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Police say Robinson shot Kirk from a rooftop during an event in Utah on September 10th.
CNN's Nick Watt joins us live with the very latest.
And, Nick, we -- we know that the death sentence is also on the table here for -- for Tyler. Tell us more about what we're expected to hear.
NICK WATT, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, this was a very short hearing, but a short hearing at the beginning of what is clearly going to
be a very long process.
Now, Tyler Robinson initially was supposed to appear in court. Then on the orders of his defense, on the request of his defense, I should say, he did
not appear in court. And we did not see him on the video link. He was linked in so he could hear what was happening in court, but he did not
appear.
Now, another hearing has been set for October 30th. And the judge and Tyler Robinson's new legal team made it clear that they hope that Tyler Robinson
will appear at that hearing.
Now, the judge clearly understands that this is a huge national and international story. And he has asked for dignity, civility, and integrity
in the process. He also asked the public gallery not to wear or display any pins, buttons, t-shirts, photographs that might support one person or
another.
And as I say, made it clear that he knows the eyes of the world are upon them and he wants everybody to behave properly.
Now, in terms of why I say this is going to be a long process, well, the judge -- sorry, the -- the prosecution said, listen, there are potentially,
you know, 2,000 or 3,000 witnesses here. That's how many people saw, allegedly, Tyler Robinson shoot Charlie Kirk dead with that one bullet.
So, discovery is going to take a long time. So, we don't really have a schedule yet of what's going to happen moving out because the lawyers need
to just find out how much evidence is there. You know, a lot of those people had phones on them. So many people saw this happen. So discovery is
going to take a long time.
So that is where we are. The next hearing we expect to be end of October. And at that time, we might get a bit more of an idea of how this is going
to play out. But it is going to play out in public. Cameras in the court. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: And the nation will be watching.
Nick Watt, thank you so much.
Well, this hour we expect to hear from Michigan officials after another deadly attack on a church. The flames are coming from The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township.
Police say a gunman rammed his truck into the building, opening fire, and then setting the building on fire. The suspect, Thomas Jacob Sanford, was
shot dead in a gunfight with officers as he ran away. At least four people were killed and several are still missing.
The FBI has taken over the investigation now. And the White House as the shooter was motivated by hate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[12:25:00]
LEAVITT: All they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith. And they are trying to understand more about this, how
premeditated it was, how much planning went into it, whether he left a note. All of those questions have yet to be answered but certainly will be
answered by the FBI.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The police say the building is a total loss, but the search for missing people continues. Such a tragedy.
And still to come, a yearlong study focusing on anti-Semitism concludes that X is a major platform for posts. More details just ahead.
And voters in Moldova deliver a solid win for the pro-European party. What the pro-Russian opposition is planning to do next. We'll bring you those
details.
And we don't know who will be playing in the Super Bowl, but we do know who will be playing at the big game. You see him right there. Coming up,
details of Bad Bunny's super gig.
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GOLODRYGA: Namibia has deployed hundreds of soldiers to help contain wildfires, which have torn through one of the largest game reserves in
Africa.
Around one third of the Etosha National Park has been burned according to officials. The president's office has the likelihood of communities in the
area is at risk. The livelihood of communities, rather, in the area is at risk as well as wildlife and biodiversity. The fires began a week ago and
have been spread by strong winds and dry conditions.
And in Moldova, the ruling party, which is pushing to integrate the country into the E.U., won a decisive election victory Sunday in the fresh majority
in parliament.
The election campaign and the former Soviet Republic was fraught with allegations of Russian interference. President Maia Sandu said Russia had
spent hundreds of millions of euros to try to influence the result.
And international observers say Moscow tried to fix the outcome by vote buying and disinformation.
The pro-Russian opposition leader Igor Dodon, who was Miss Sandu's predecessor as president, is calling for protest today. Antena3 reporter
Ana-Maria Roman has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANA-MARIA ROMAN, REPORTER, ANTENA 3: It's now official, the Republic of Moldova stays on its pro-European path. President Maia Sandu's party has
scored a decisive win, more than 50 percent of the vote, according to the final result.
The pro-Russian patriotic bloc led by Igor Dodon, who is also the former president of the Republic of Moldova, came second with 25 percent. And the
new political movement founded by the mayor of Chisinau, ranked third with around eight percent.
[12:30:13]
Now, early projections show Action and Solidarity Party securing over 55 seats in a parliament that here in Moldova has only 101 members.
So enough for a comfortable and very clear majority for the next four years. The opposition is calling people to the streets. First protest will
take place on Monday in Chisinau at 12 o'clock.
The pro-Russian political leaders said they won't accept the results and they are already calling for the (inaudible) of the election.
But for now, the message from Chisinau is clear. Moldova has chosen Europe once again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: No doubt. No doubt a decisive win for Chisinau.
All right. Well, Syria is marking the reopening of Aleppo's historic Citadel, UNESCO World Heritage Site, has suffered severe damage over the
years. But its restoration is a symbol of recovery in this war-ravaged country.
CNN's Polo Sandoval explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An ancient fortress on a hill, the Citadel in Aleppo. It's one of the most famous sites in Syria and
one of the most enduring. The centuries old stronghold once again opened its gates to visitors over the weekend after months of restoration work to
repair damage from the Syrian civil war and the 2023 earthquake.
MOUNIR AL-QASSQASS, HEAD OF ALEPPO'S ANTIQUITIES: We reopened the Aleppo Citadel after a long period of closure and neglect. The Citadel, like the
people of Aleppo, has suffered extensive damage during the war and the revolution. Yet, it remained steadfast, standing tall like the citizens of
Aleppo.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): And to keep the UNESCO heritage site in good standing, workers repaired broken electricity and water lines and
stabilized damaged columns and walls. Syria is trying to rebuild its economy and infrastructure after a nearly 14-year civil war. It ended last
December after opposition forces launched a major offensive that toppled the regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
The country recently signed investment contracts worth $1.5 billion to develop its tourism sector and rehabilitate historic areas with at least
some visitors impressed with the work already done at the Citadel.
ANDY LEI, U.S. TOURIST: I came to the citadel in particular today because it's a very special place in Aleppo. I've never been here before.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): After years of war and hardship, there are still many major challenges ahead in Syria. But like the restored citadel, it's a
light in the darkness of what was and could be again.
Polo Sandoval, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[12:35:59]
GOLODRYGA: All right. I want to take you live to Grand Blanc, Michigan where Governor Whitmer is speaking with more information there surrounded
by law officials following that deadly shooting and fire at a Latter-day Saint Church there over the weekend. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Quick response. I think we can see the best of public service in all of these individuals.
As I said, I'm here as the governor, but I'm also here as a fellow Michigander, whose heart is breaking by another mass shooting in a place
that is supposed to be defined by togetherness and a close-knit community here in Grand Blanc.
As a state, we know the pain of this too well. We've seen gun violence in our schools, stores, parades, festivals, and our houses of worship.
These are places that we go to feel connected, to feel safe, to be together. But today, this place has been shattered by a bullets and broken
glass. And this might be a familiar pain, but it hurts all the same.
Every time, we cannot keep living our lives like this. I know that this community is reeling right now. And I want you to know that the state of
Michigan has your back. Your grief is our grief. I ordered flags lowered statewide. And I spoke with President Trump yesterday who wanted to share
his condolences.
We will be here every step of the way and coordinate a full response with our local and federal partners. Folks here at the township at every level
were working closely together.
There's one thing I know about Michiganders is that we get through hard things together, and that's who we are. That's how the good people here at
the Grand Blanc Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints live their lives. They worship together, they sing together, and they serve together.
And that's why I was so proud to see powerful statements from interfaith leaders across Michigan denouncing this attack on a House of Worship. They
grieved for this congregation as though it was their own. They spoke with one voice for the basic principle that we all believe in, that you should
be able to pray in peace in our state no matter who you are.
I know that in the hours and days ahead we will see the best of Michigan. We will see neighbors being neighborly, checking in with a call, bringing
over some food, or offering a hug. We'll see medical providers work hard to save lives and treat those in need with scars both seen and unseen.
We will see this congregation unite and rally together like never before and continue worshiping together, singing together, and serving together.
Because that's what -- whom Michiganders are. We will stay in close contact and continue to work together.
Now, like everyone I know, we have lots of questions, how could this happen? What created this moment, why? And that's motivated by a genuine
motivation, understand to learn to prevent in the future.
But I want to caution everyone. While we are working hard, while the good men and women who are working hard are doing so with due diligence at this
juncture, speculation is unhelpful and it can be downright dangerous.
So just ask that people lower the temperature of rhetoric. Keep your loved ones close and keep this community close to your hearts. Let's keep doing
the work together. Let's be kind and let's love our neighbors. Thank you.
And now I'd like to introduce the head of the Michigan State Police Colonel James Grady.
COL. JAMES GRADY, DIRECTOR, MICHIGAN STATE POLICE: Thank you, Governor, and good afternoon. This community has been greatly impacted by yesterday's
events. We are offering our deepest condolences to those affected by this tragedy. This horrific event is something that this community has never
experienced.
It is important that this time that we come together to support one another, in this time of grief. We stand ready and willing to assist both
our local and federal partners with any additional needs as this investigation continues.
The Michigan State Police immediately responded alongside our public safety partners to secure the scene, provide support to our neighbors, with our
emergency support team serving search warrants, the bomb squad, at K-9 teams sweeping numerous locations for evidence and explosives.
Additionally, our forensic science laboratories and our special investigation sections continue to investigate the officer involved
shooting and work alongside our federal and local partners.
[12:40:07]
I'd like to take a moment for everybody to remember the last year we put together initiative called "Stop a Plot." While we are committed to keeping
our community safe, we also need your help. Again, it takes everybody.
Fifty-three percent of mass attacks leave a trail of clues leading up to them. And two-thirds of mass attackers elicited behavior that caused
concerns. So, we are asking our communities to stay vigilant. And if you see something suspicious, please contact local law enforcement or 911
immediately. We will keep the family in our prayers here at MSP as they continue to cover and we work together. Thank you for your time.
Next up, we will have from the A.T. Thank you. We will have ATS special agent in charge for Michigan, James Deir.
JAMES DEIR, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE FOR MICHIGAN: Good afternoon. My name is Jim Deir with ATF. I'm the special agent in charge for ATF Michigan.
On behalf of the men and women of ATF, I offer my deepest sympathy and condolences to this community and to the families affected by this tragedy,
this horrific act of violence.
There is no place in our society for those. There's absolutely no place. But it's become all -- all too common. And as we know, we have become more
and more desensitized. This community is hurting and we are here to help them heal.
Part of that -- as part of that healing process, ATF has brought in their national response team. This is a cadre of world-renowned investigators for
arson and explosive incidents. They have been used all over the world and they come from places as far as California, Hawaii, and they're here in
Michigan now.
They have -- they arrived last night. They've briefed. They're examining the scene. And that is -- that -- that is what they're doing at this point.
From ATF's perspective, I would encourage the community not to travel by the church. Those roads have been blocked off and access is controlled.
While that might be a little disheveling for folks that we need -- we need that scene security for our investigators as they dig out this scene.
So with that in mind, that -- that's our ask for -- for the community. We are also looking at the explosive -- improvised explosive devices that were
recovered during this investigation. And -- and looking towards that end as well.
It's my -- I need to introduce the acting special agent in charge for the FBI of Detroit, Michigan, Reuben Coleman.
REUBEN COLEMAN, FBI DETROIT ACTING SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: My name is Reuben Coleman. I'm acting special agent in charge of FBI Detroit field
office, which represents the entire state.
At this time, we wanted to provide an update on investigative efforts regarding yesterday's tragic shooting at the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
First, I want to express my gratitude for all the cross agency collaboration between our federal, state and local partners. Their support
has been outstanding and critical to this investigation.
We are in lockstep with our partners as we continue to work through this. As I mentioned yesterday, the FBI is investigating this as an act of
targeted violence. And we are continuing to work to determine a motive.
In the past 24 hours, our investigative squads and specialty teams have been out all night, exhausting leads, some of which have been coming in
from the public via tips. Our special agents, victim specialists, child advocate forensic interviewers, and local partners have interviewed over
100 victims and witnesses to date in our continuing to interview individuals as we speak.
Our Evidence Response Team, or ERT, which is a specialized team of special agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff are trained to
process crime scenes and collect evidence. They were out all night and continue processing the scene as we speak.
Our field office has stood up national equities for support. We are engaging with our Behavioral Analyst Unit, or BAU, and have received
support from our Quantico Labs division to analyze evidence collected to date.
We received assistance from our FBI field offices across the country to support this case and file down leads.
While our focus is on this investigation, we want to continue to keep the victims and their families in our thoughts as they navigate through this
incredibly difficult time.
[12:45:03]
Please continue to reach out to the FBI via 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips at tips.fbi.gov. Thank you.
Sheriff.
SHERIFF CHRIS SWANSON, GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN: You prepare in peace to perform in chaos. I saw it live. I saw what you trained for, what you
planned for, and the reality hit yesterday morning in a bright, sunny day when people went through worship.
But what I also saw is every level of government law enforcement work together for the good of the people. What I witnessed was people putting
their lives at risk that had two months on their job as an EMT or brand-new firefighters, veteran firefighters, and law enforcement just to bring a
sense of stability to a scene that was chaotic and dynamic.
As the sheriff of this county, I see the great people every day. But I want this community to know that those ranks and those agencies that were
mentioned before me, we worked together. We worked in concert and we did the job. And there's more to do.
I will tell you the sheriff's office dedicated every county sheriff medic that we had available, patrol, investigators, we did interviews, emergency
management, whatever the task was needed. The sheriff's office worked with everybody that you heard and many that you don't know to bring justice and
also order to the scene.
But I want to tell you the days are continuing. We have 31 marked cars on as we speak, making sure schools that are in session and churches that are
-- that are planning, Bible studies, regardless of faith based that they will be protected.
Anybody who calls in that we will be there like other law enforcement to settle the community and bring a sense of calmness to people. There is an
uncertainty. But law enforcement, especially this sheriff's office, will bring that to you.
I will tell you that there are noble heroes who do not wear a uniform that went to that church yesterday. You're going to hear their stories as we lay
out this case with law enforcement. But I will tell you this, those heroes from that church did their job. And it was led because of a police
department.
So law enforcement from this township is led by a chief who demonstrated leadership right out of the gate. And my honor is to announce him as the
final speaker, Chief Renye Grand Blanc Township.
WILLIAM RENYE, GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP POLICE CHIEF: Thank you, Sheriff.
Evil. This was an evil act of violence. That's exactly what this was. And this is not Grand Blanc. This is not defined Gran Blanc and who we are. We
are a community. And I am confident that together, we're going to build a stronger community due to this incident.
Now an update, this left five people dead, eight people injured. As I said, this is an evil act and does not define Grand Blanc or who we are. At this
time, what we know is everyone has been accounted for. We still are in the process of clearing out that church.
But at this time, everyone is accounted for. We ask that you stay away from the scene. Let us work to clear this call so then we can get back to
normal. That's what we all want.
Grand Blanc Township police officers, the community of Gran Blanc Township, we're hurting. And we know that you are hurting as well with us.
I want to remind you that we had the family assistance center open. They will be open Monday and Tuesday at the Genesys Athletic Club from 8:00 A.M
to 8:00 P.M. That address is 801 Health Park Boulevard, Grand Blanc, Michigan 48439.
Seek service, let's come back together and be stronger, together and better.
I'll open it up at this time for any questions. Sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One question when it comes to the act of violence, can you define why that is considering active violence and not from the more
serious like terrorism?
RENYE: I will let Agent Coleman speak to that particular question.
COLEMAN: Yes. As of right now, we are calling it an act of violence as this is an investigation that is continuing. We are continuing to receive leads.
We're continuing to run down all information.
And once we're able to ascertain definitively what we have, that's what we'll make those statements. But as of right now, this is an act of
violence. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'll follow up on that, please. You called this an act of targeted violence. Can you tell us who you believe the target was?
Is this a specific person, the LDS Church and other groups?
COLEMAN: Well, as of right now, again, as this is an ongoing investigation, what I would say is when I say targeted violence, I mean targeted within
our state and within our community.
Right now, what we are here for are the families and the victims. And we're going to do diligently in order to make sure we can bring closure for them
as well.
[12:50:03]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you speak also the motive? There was some chatter that the suspect's ex-girlfriend was a Mormon or something of that nature
(inaudible). Is that something that you can speak to or any positive motive?
COLEMAN: That is something I cannot speak to at this point in time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've heard that someone was arrested after driving through the barricade near the church. Can you share any information on
that why they were arrested and knew what their intentions were?
COLEMAN: Yes. Chief?
RENYE: Yes, I can speak on that. Yes, there was an incident out there. We are still in the process of investigating that incident, whether or not
it's related or not. We do -- I could tell you that we do have a 21-year old person in custody for that incident right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does the suspect have any prior criminal history or no contact with law enforcement?
RENYE: Are you talking about the suspect from yesterday or today?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The suspect from yesterday.
RENYE: The suspect from yesterday has been arrested by law enforcement in the past.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the fact, that does that include the suspect or the fact?
RENYE: The fact that it includes the suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you have any details on -- on what those prior arrest were?
RENYE: Burglary and OWI.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you sure what (inaudible)?
RENYE: That I can't give you 100 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chief, what do we know --
RENYE: Harry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. So, I just want to clarify, no more victims. You've searched the church and --
RENYE: We have not completed searching the church. But as we know, everyone has been accounted for. That's going to be all the questions that we
answered today.
If you were -- this is our last press conference. If there's other pertinent information that develops, we will let you guys all know and post
that on our social media account, Grand Blanc Township Police Department Facebook page.
Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right. You've been listening to a press conference there from local state officials beginning with Governor Gretchen Whitmer
following the horrific shooting and arson at a Latter-day Saints Church over the weekend yesterday in Grand Blanc, Michigan, killing five
parishioners there and injuring eight.
What we did here was that everyone, thankfully, at this point, was accounted for following the search and recovery over the last 24 hours. It
is still a crime scene. And they asked for locals there to avoid the area.
I want to bring in CNN senior law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey who's been listening to this news conference and joins me now.
The -- the lone suspect here, as we noted, Charles, was killed in a shootout with police yesterday, not much is known about him, except that he
had served in the U.S. Marines, I believe. And those who had been questioned near him said he may have been suffering mentally and also had
extreme anger and hatred towards the Church of Latter-day Saints.
What stood out to you, if anything, from that press conference? We did know that there were heroes involved in this tragedy yesterday. The governor
also noting that she spoke with President Trump.
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, a couple of things stood out. First of all, it's good news, everyone has accounted for.
And so it's a tragedy. We have five deceased, eight injured. But yesterday, there was a great deal of concern that there would be numerous people,
perhaps, found once they began to go through the rubble of the building. So that's something that came out of that particular press conference.
There's still no motive that they're willing to share. But that's not unusual. There's still in the process of sifting through evidence that they
may have recovered, both in a -- maybe in a vehicle, a home, social media, other types of digital evidence that they may have recovered.
They want to be precise. They certainly don't want to speculate as to the motive. This is unusual. I mean, not only do we have a situation where we
have an active shooter, but he not only attacked people, he attacked the building.
And so there is something there that I'm sure investigators are working very hard to uncover exactly why this individual took this action
yesterday.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. He attacked the building, drove his truck through it. Just horrific reports of parishioners there rushing towards him, thinking that -
- that he, in fact, had had an accident and came to his aid only to have him open fire on them. And then obviously, as we see from those gruesome
images, set the church on fire as well.
Charles, we continue to cover these stories and usually, uniquely, horrifically American way, another mass shooting, another tragedy. We have
seen a pattern as of late at places and houses of worship from multiple denominations.
[12:55:00]
You know, sadly, synagogues across this country for years have had to have armed security. That has just become the norm, unfortunately. But whether
it's mosques, whether it's Church of Latter-day Saints, whether it's any Christian denomination church or mosque or synagogue.
I mean, are all of these places going to have to be reinforced with additional security? Is this the world we're living in?
RAMSEY: It is the world we're living in, unfortunately, and not only places of worship, but other locations need to assess their security. This is not
going to stop. I mean, this isn't the last time we'll be talking about something like this. It's just, unfortunately, a question of when and
where.
You know, we live in a society right now where this kind of violence is becoming more and more prevalent. Unfortunately, it's almost being
normalized in the minds of some people where you almost expect it to occur again and incredibly dangerous.
And, you know, this is one where normally many of our elected officials start pointing fingers in terms of, you know, who might be responsible.
There's one person that's responsible for this, and that's the guy who rammed his car into that church --
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
RAMSEY: -- and died as a result. We got to figure this out.
GOLODRYGA: We do.
RAMSEY: It's not about left, right --
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
RAMSEY: -- Republican. We got to figure it out.
GOLODRYGA: No doubt. No doubt, Charles Ramsey. And we'll get more information in the days to come as well. We do have to figure this epidemic
out. It is all too tragic.
Thank you so much for joining us. And that does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks for watching. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right
back with "Amanpour."
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