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One World with Zain Asher

Israel Releases Prisoners, Detainees Under Ceasefire Deal; Key Issues Remain Unresolved in Gaza Ceasefire Plan; NY AG James Rallies for Mamdani in 1st Appearance Since Indictment; Israelis' Joy Clouded by Incomplete Release of Hostage Remains; Pentagon Takes Steps to Pay Troops This Week; Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued For Los Angeles. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired October 14, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Key points in the Gaza ceasefire plan remain unresolved. "One World" starts right now. The road ahead for Gaza is

still very much in question, even as President Trump says that phase two of his ceasefire plan has begun.

Plus, New York Attorney General Letitia James making her first public appearance since being indicted. I'll have the latest from New York. And it

is day 14 of the government shutdown here in the U.S., and people are certainly feeling the impact. I'll speak with the founder and CEO of a food

pantry, who says that she's seen a 300 percent increase in military members and their families seeking help.

Right, coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. This is "One World". The U.N. spokesperson says the ceasefire has brought hope and a ray

of light to the people of Gaza. Vital aid is now flowing into the battered enclave for the first time in months, as the region absorbs the reality of

the first phase of the U.S. broker deal.

There was joy in Gaza and the West Bank as Israel released nearly 2000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. On Monday, most of the detainees had

been held without charge, and there were certainly powerful scenes as well, of emotional reunions in Israel after Hamas released all 20 living hostages

after two years in captivity.

But under the deal, Hamas is also supposed to release the bodies, the remains of the 28 deceased hostages as well. But so far, only four coffins

have been returned. Israel says it has identified all of the returned bodies, but has only publicly named two of them. The Red Cross says that

finding the remaining bodies amid Gaza's rubble presents a massive challenge, and of course, could take some time.

On Monday, President Trump declared an end to the war and a new beginning for the Middle East, but the big question now is, can the peace hold and

what exactly comes next. The Sharm El-Sheikh document signed by Trump and other world leaders has few specifics about the next phase of the truce.

CNN's Alayna Treene joins us live now from the White House. So, there are a few key sticking points just in terms of this moving to phase two. And I

think the big one is this idea of Hamas actually laying down its arms. Where does this go from here, if they don't lay down their weapons?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I mean, they don't lay down their weapons, we could see this very fragile ceasefire agreement completely fall

apart. And I think you're right, Zain. I mean, yesterday was, of course, a remarkable success for the Trump Administration and the president himself.

The president putting just the right amount of pressure on Netanyahu and Hamas, while also allowing his top diplomats to negotiate to get everyone

to this place. And I think one of the differences why yesterday was such a big, momentous day, because we have seen temporary ceasefires between

Israel and Hamas in the past is the idea that the international community and particularly Middle East leaders have bought in to this.

And that's what really is giving I know the Trump Administration and others who have been negotiating parties in all of these discussions, more

confidence that this can be a much longer lasting type of deal. However, that does not mean, of course, that there is still not work to do or that

this is going to be easy.

I think there's a lot of opportunities and obstacles where we could see this kind of fall apart. Yesterday was the start of really trying to make

sure that, that doesn't happen. Now, a key question is going to be, as you mentioned, the disarmament of Hamas. Those are negotiations we're told that

are ongoing.

We know that the president's son in law, Jared Kushner, as well as his Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff, they're going to continue to be part of

those talks as they look to what is that actually going to look like? And also, I think another big question is not just the rebuilding of Gaza as a

city, but who is going to govern it if it isn't Hamas?

Those are questions that still do not have answers. And then another big overarching issue that is still being decided is whether or not to

recognize Palestine as a state -- Palestinian statehood. This is the president yesterday, kind of not answering what he believes on that front.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'm talking about something very much different. We're talking about rebuilding Gaza. I'm not

talking about single state or double state or two state. We're talking about the rebuilding of Gaza.

[11:05:00]

A lot of people like the one state solution. Some people like the two state solutions. We'll have to see. I haven't commented on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Says, you heard him say that I haven't commented on that. That was similar, Zain, to what we heard the president say last week, essentially

arguing that he doesn't have an opinion on a two-state solution. He wants it to really be in the hands of the parties who are involved in these

negotiations.

So, look, there's a lot of work to still be done. I know that you know, we saw the leaders of Egypt and Jordan, for example, argue that a Palestinian

statehood is really the only way to guarantee lasting peace. Israel, of course, disagrees with that. So, a lot to still be decided as well as we

look ahead, and those discussions are going to continue over the next weeks, if not months.

ASHER: All right. Alayna Treene, live for us there. Thank you so much. For more what's ahead, let's bring in Tahani Mustafa, she's a Visiting Fellow

in the Middle East and North Africa Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Tahani, thank you so much for being with us.

So, Hamas has, of course, now surrendered one element of its most important leverage, that is, of course, the living hostages. The 20 living hostages,

have now been returned to Israel. The only real leverage that they have left at this point is, of course, their weapons, and just this idea that in

order phase two, for phase two to be implemented, they would have to completely disarm.

A lot of people are saying that it's unlikely, at best, so what happens in terms of a possible resumption of this war then?

TAHANI MUSTAFA, VISITING FELLOW OF EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Well, look, Hamas haven't completely ruled out the concept of disarmament,

if anything, they actually made numerous statements back in May 2024, statements that had been reported by CNN itself around the issue of

disarmament and the fact that the group were willing to disarm if Israel could prove that it was a good faith actor in when it came to peace

negotiations.

And that it was willing to seriously engage in a peace process that would lead to Palestinian sovereignty. And in terms of disarmament now, with

regards to this recent ceasefire, that's something that still needs to be smoothed out. So that's part of the two more substantive, longer-term

issues that still haven't really been properly ironed out and are still up for very much for negotiations.

ASHER: And in terms of a political solution. And obviously, a lot of the European countries who, of course, chose just a couple of weeks ago to

recognize Palestinian sovereignty and recognize the Palestinian statehood, have said that the next priority in all of this is, of course, a political

solution.

A lot of countries looking towards the possibility, the remote possibility, of some kind of two state solution. So, this doesn't keep on happening

again, that we don't see these cycles of war and extreme violence, because obviously the Palestinians have been through so much.

So, what does that even look like at this point in time, especially given just the sort of level of animosity and, of course, mistrust on both sides

after two years of war?

MUSTAFA: Well, that has been a really difficult premise, and I think that's what makes these sorts of agreements really complex, especially agreement

like this, where you have no trust between the two sides. What's worse is that really, on what's been offered now with this 20-point plan, really

doesn't offer any prospect for that sort of discourse, right around the peace agreements, around a peace process, around a two-state solution,

around any potential for Palestinian sovereignty.

What's been offered, as it stands now is effective capitulation, where the contours at least it's a bit difficult to describe the 20-point plan as a

plan, per se, it's more of a contour of a plan, because there are really no substantive details about how any of this is going to actually be

implemented.

What's been offered is effectively a dictation of who can and can't represent Palestinians and where you would have a board of peace,

effectively a board of international advisers that would really be making the more substantive decisions on behalf of Palestinians, while you have a

group of Palestinian technocrats that will be selected by Israel's Western allies that will be acceptable and vetted by Israel to effectively

implement a lot of those decisions.

But there's really absolutely no agency or serious representation afforded to Palestinians, and there's certainly no indication that this is going to

lead to any serious peace process, never mind a two-state solution, which Trump and his administration have been very clear that they so far have not

really taken a position on.

They refuse to recognize when the majority of states did back in September, the UNGA and worse yet, if we go by any of the statements made by the U.S.

in the last two days, where they have declared total victory on behalf of Israel, and where it's been made substantively clear again that there isn't

really going to be any prospect here for a peace process, and where, if anything, I think they've deliberately deployed a lot of the language

around capitulation rather than peace.

[11:10:00]

And that's not peace if you've got one side dictating the terms of an agreement to another.

ASHER: And just in terms of the Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu. I mean, he has long been accused of dragging this war out, keeping it going

unnecessarily, for his own sort of political reasons, especially when you consider what happened in Doha just a month or so ago with Israel

essentially launching an airstrike in Doha.

Especially when you consider just how much the Qataris had played such an important role in terms of mediating peace between Hamas and or at least a

ceasefire agreement, potentially between Hamas and the Israelis at the time, we know that the elections are going to be held in Israel around this

time next year.

We believe possibly sooner October 2026. What are Netanyahu's choices right now? I mean, obviously, as I've mentioned, even Israelis, especially family

members of hostages, had long accused him of trying to keep this war going and not having Israel's best interests at heart, especially when it comes

to -- when it came to the reach of the hostages.

The war has ended temporarily, at least with the ceasefire agreement because of pressure from President Trump, but it still puts Netanyahu in a

bit of a fork in the road at this point. Where do you think he goes from here in terms of managing his own sort of political decisions?

MUSTAFA: It could well be that Netanyahu will end up resorting back to open warfare to delay or offset any potential for election which he and

according to opinion polls, is indicative that he may not secure a victory over. So, it could well be that he will try and find a pretext under which

he can claim that Hamas has violated the terms of the agreement and return back to open warfare.

And that's something that Israeli politicians have been threatening of the last few days around, sorry, since the signing of this agreement, that

Israel will resort back to open warfare. It's not really a question of if, but a question of when.

ASHER: Right Tahani Mustafa, thank you. Thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. All right, after being targeted by the Trump

Administration, New York's Attorney General strikes a defiant tone. You'll hear what she says about retribution and the road ahead.

And she is not the only one with harsh words for Donald Trump. Coming up, some straight talk and a warning from Barack Obama about his successor.

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ASHER: Right, the U.S. government shutdown is nearly two weeks old, and the two sides are barely speaking to each other. The Senate will vote again

today on the Republican plan to reopen the government, but is expected to fail. Federal employees are starting to really feel the impact of the

shutdown.

Air traffic controllers, who are regarded as essential employees, will get a partial paycheck today, covering their work before the shutdown happened,

but they likely won't get paid again until a new spending bill is signed. Our Arlette Saenz is on Capitol Hill. So, House Speaker Mike Johnson

essentially saying this could actually be the longest shutdown ever.

It could be the longest shut down in history. Those were his words. They're not going to be negotiating with the Democrats until certain demands are

met. Just walk us through how the stalemate, Arlette, is lucky to end at this point?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Zain, we are entering week three of the government shutdown, and right now there still is no clear end in

sight. In fact, signs are pointing to this standoff really continuing for quite some time.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has warned that the country is barreling towards the longest shutdown in U.S. history, and just this morning, the White

House Budget Office posted on social media that they are ready to ride this out, trying to push back on the Democratic demands to try to reopen the

government.

They had posted that they are going to try to keep the troops funded also try to pay law enforcement going forward while continuing their layoffs

across the federal government during the shutdown. But House Speaker Mike Johnson this morning was quite insistent in a fiery exchange with our

colleague, Manu Raju, that Republicans are not willing to negotiate with Democrats on health care at this moment. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): We did not load up the temporary funding bill with any Republican priorities or partisan priorities at all. I don't have

anything that I can take off of that document to make it more palatable for them. We're not playing games. They're playing a game.

We're not. The strategy is to do the right and obvious thing and keep the government moving for the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: The speaker's tone there really speaks to the rising frustration within both parties as this shutdown has continued into day 14. Now,

Democrats are still holding firm in their insistence that Republicans come to the table to negotiate on health care. Their specific concern is around

those expiring Obamacare subsidies, which are set to run out at the end of the year.

They have warned that Americans this very month will start to receive notice of what their health insurance will look like for the coming year if

those subsidies are not extended. But Republicans, while some, have acknowledged that there does need to be a push to address those expiring

subsidies, they say that negotiations cannot begin until the government reopens.

So that really speaks to the standoff between the two parties right now, each side is basically waiting for the other to blink first, while

countless federal workers have been in packed either furloughed or working without pay. And then there is the question of how many more firings the

Trump Administration will pursue as this shutdown continues.

ASHER: All right, Arlette Saenz live for us there on Capitol Hill. Thank you so much. We're going to have much more the impact the shutdown later on

in "One World" with a special look how it is impacting military families. All right, New York's Attorney General got thunderous applause at a rally

for Zohran Mamdani.

It was Letitia James's first public appearance since the Justice Department indicted her for mortgage fraud. She's been a key supporter of Mamdani, New

York City's democratic mayoral nominee. At Monday's rally, she delivered a fiery and defiant speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: -- know what it feels like to be attacked for just doing your job, but I also know what it feels like to

overcome adversity.

And so, I stand on solid rock, and I will not bow. I will not break. I will not bend. I will not capitulate. I will not give in. I will not give up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Let's bring in Gloria Pazmino with the details. I mean, she was defiant there. She talked about fearing no man. It was a set aside to the

Letitia James that we haven't quite seen before, obviously the first time she was appearing in public since her indictment. Walk us through what we

saw.

[11:20:00]

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Zain. I would say that the Letitia James that we saw there last night is the core political candidate

that she has been many times here in New York City, and that was her -- making her first public statement since the indictment, after she first

issued that video in response.

This was the first time we were seeing her out in public, engaging with the public, and while Zohran Mamdani was very much the headliner of last

night's rally, Letitia James got thunderous applause. She had a standing ovation that lasted several minutes, and you could just tell how energized

this crowd was to see her.

Now, the Attorney General has been supporting Zohran Mamdani in New York City's election for the past few months. And she's been appearing with him

at press conferences and rallies in recent months. So, it was not a big surprise that she was there to introduce him last night.

She tried to cast the election as a choice between politics of the past and this new Generation of politics that Zohran Mamdani is trying to usher in.

And this was Mamdani sort of closing argument as we get into the final stretch of the election, which is just three weeks away.

And while Letitia James did not mention the president by name, she certainly made reference to her indictment. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES: We see powerful voices trying to silence truth and punish dissent and yes, weaponize justice for political gain. We are witnessing the

fraying of our democracy, the erosion of our system of government. Let us stand together to defend our rights, to protect every safeguard, every

institution, every immigrant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now without question, her comments are going to be closely looked at. The attorney general is expected to be arraigned on charges of allying

to a financial institution and bank fraud in just a matter of days. And like I said, while she did not specifically mention Donald Trump by name,

it was very clear that she was referencing her indictment from just a few days ago.

Now, this race here in New York City, the race for New York City Mayor. While it is a local race, it has certainly gotten the attention of the

national media, the international media, something that many Democrats and really everyone in politics here in the United States is watching to see

whether Zohran Mamdani can win the election.

And what it will mean in terms of politics at the national level, certainly here in the United States, he will be appearing with Governor Kathy Hochul,

the Governor of New York. This afternoon, they will be making an appearance together for the first time since she endorsed him in September.

So, we are just starting to see these high-profile national Democrats coming out in his support, Zain.

ASHER: Gloria Pazmino, live for us. Thank you so much. All right, Former U.S. President Barack Obama is issuing a clear warning to the American

people. In a wide-ranging interview with Podcast Host Marc Maron, Obama said President Trump is deliberately weakening the guardrails in place to

protect democracy.

Specifically, he cites Trump's deployment of the National Guard into the U.S. cities. He adds many of his administration's tactics just serve to

divide Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: And what you're seeing right now is a reassertion of this idea of like, nope, if you don't look a certain way,

you don't think a certain way, you don't practice a certain faith. You know, you're not a real American. And I started to see this during my --

that's what birtherism was.

MARC MARON, PODCAST HOST: Yeah, yeah.

OBAMA: That's what, when Sarah Palin was talking about real Americans versus --

MARON: Right.

OBAMA: I guess the unreal American, you have to put up with folks.

MARON: That's right.

OBAMA: If they as long as they're not actively hurting you.

MARON: Right.

OBAMA: You've got to put up with them, and then you can battle them. And ultimately, it gets sorted out in politics, and the winners get to move

their agenda forward, and the losers lick their wounds and come back later.

MARON: Yeah.

OBAMA: But there's always that sense of yeah, but, but we're not going to call each other vermin and we're not going to try to crush you if you lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Obama also ripped into the law firms, universities and businesses who have bowed down to Trump's Administration, saying they all have a

capacity to take a stand. Right several U.S. airports are refusing to play a video made by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

In the video, Kristi Noem blames Democrats for the government shutdown. It's intended to be played to passengers waiting at airport security lines.

In it, Noem says it's a TSA top priority to ensure passengers have a pleasant and efficient airport experience and to keep people safe.

[11:25:00]

Then she slams Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government. And because of this, many

of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Some airports say they won't play the video because it's political in nature, that could mean it's in violation of the Hatch Act, which bars

political activity by federal employees. All right, still to come here on "One World" out of the rubble hope up next to humanitarian challenges

facing the shattered enclave of Gaza.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching for you today. There's

uncertainty about what lies ahead for Gaza. President Trump says the ceasefire agreement has now moved into phase two.

But one day after Hamas released the last living remaining hostages and Israel freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, big questions remain about

the next steps. And French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is asking parliament not to vote down his budget again.

Lecornu says that he's open to debate and compromise, and has promised to hold off on pension reforms until after the 2027 presidential election.

He's trying to stave off a no confidence vote that could bring down his government again.

[11:30:00]

In Madagascar Army Colonel says the military is now in charge of the country, following a low. House of Parliament vote to impeach president

after he fled the country. The vote was overwhelming, 130 yes votes to one blank ballot. Hours earlier, the 51-year-old leader had sought to dissolve

the National Assembly by decree deepening the Indian Ocean islands political crisis.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. The Ukrainian President told reporters in Kyiv he

plans to discuss air defenses and long-range missiles. This meeting comes as Trump considers telling Moscow that if the war in Ukraine doesn't end,

he might allow shipments of Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv, which are capable of hitting deep into Russian territory.

All right, let's get more now on our developing story, the U.N. says vital aid is now entering Gaza in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

There was jubilation Monday over the release of all the living Israeli hostages and nearly 2000 Palestinian prisoners, bereaved families, though,

are looking for a measure of closure.

One woman whose grandmother was taken hostage and released and whose grandfather was killed in the October 7th attack, is now talking about the

importance of all the deceased hostages being returned as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANAT MOSHE SHOSHANY, GRANDFATHER KILLED AND GRANDMOTHER TAKEN HOSTAGE: Of course, we're fearful. I think every family deserves to get her closure.

What happened on October 7th and ever since is just horrifying. I think what we what my family been through for 49 days that my grandfather, my

grandmother was in Hamas captivity.

There are families that going through this nightmare for over two years, and these people deserve a respect for berry here in their homeland, in

Israel, where their families can go to a grave and grief for their loved ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: We're hearing the Red Cross says it's working to facilitate the transfer, transfer, rather of human remains between Israel and Gaza. The

United Nations, meantime, says the ceasefire has brought hope to people in Gaza, as aid deliveries begin to arrive. The U.N. says that supply trucks

have been crossing into Gaza for hours at a time, for the first time in over seven months.

CNN's Nada Bashir is live for us from Jerusalem. I mean, you can only imagine the sigh of relief that people in Gaza are feeling right now,

hoping that this ceasefire is essentially here to stay, that it's not just a temporary window, especially when you consider how much they have

suffered over the past two years.

Just walk us through what happens next. The aid delivery is entering the enclave. How is it going to be distributed on the ground when you think

about the level of suffering and the level of essentially, famine that a lot of people in the enclave have endured?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. There is a huge task ahead for humanitarian organizations, for U.N. agencies, which are finally being

given the opportunity to facilitate the distribution of aid within the Gaza Strip. We know that the controversial Israel and U.S. backed Gaza

Humanitarian Foundation, which had been tasked with setting up aid distribution sites, has now been essentially dismantled and those sites

closed down.

And it is now up to those humanitarian organizations and U.N. agencies, crucially, to begin distributing aid, as has been something that U.N.

agencies have been pushing for, for months and now to operate more freely within the Gaza Strip. And as you mentioned, Zain, we have already begun to

see those aid trucks arriving into the Gaza Strip.

We've been hearing from U.N. officials telling us that there are tens of thousands of tons of humanitarian aid readily available to be distributed

within Gaza. We're talking about tents. We're talking about food supplies, including foods that many in the Gaza Strip would not have had for months,

including fresh meat and fruit and vegetables.

And we're talking about medical supplies as well, which will be so crucial, given the destruction of Gaza's health care system. But there is a

significant logistical challenge ahead, given the sheer scale of the destruction that has been brought on Gaza by Israel's military offensive

over the last two years.

And U.N. officials say they are now focusing on prioritizing that distribution process for those most in need. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLGA CHEREVKO, U.N. OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: While everybody's in need in Gaza, some people are more vulnerable than

others. So, we will target these specific groups to make sure that they receive the assistance that they need.

So, some of the examples we are, of course, focusing on food to feed 2.1 million people in Gaza. We are going to target 500,000 people with

nutrition treatment and assistance. We are going to target 1.4 million people for water and sanitation programs to reduce the dependency on water

trucking --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:35:00]

BASHIR: And Zain, as you mentioned, the Gaza Strip, of course, has already previously been declared to be experiencing a famine. According to U.N.

backed report, there is a significant amount of desperation in the Gaza Strip when it comes to providing food supplies. Those figures in terms of

people suffering from malnutrition, from starvation, are staggering.

So, the task ahead for these U.N. agencies is significant, but there is certainly a huge amount of international focus and pressure on trying to

get as much aid in as possible, so long as the ceasefire continues to hold. And this has been a key focus for mediators as part of the negotiations for

Hamas officials, as part of the negotiations in securing those guarantees that aid will be allowed in.

And as we understand it, the aid is to allow at least 400 trucks of aid in a day. Whether we see that scaling up as quickly as possible, remains to be

seen. Of course, we would have typically seen some 600 trucks getting into the Gaza Strip on a daily basis in prewar times.

And of course, Gaza has always been heavily dependent on humanitarian aid, even before the war. So, this is a significant development for those in

Gaza, and it is a much longed for moment of hope for many there.

ASHER: Yeah, one of the key aspects of this agreement is, of course, not just Hamas laying down its weapons and disarming, but also this idea of

Hamas returning all of the remains of the hostages as well, and there's already been a bit of a hiccup in that. Obviously, it is going to be very

difficult for Hamas to locate the whereabouts of some of these bodies, especially when you think about what's happened to this enclave over the

past two years.

But we understand that negotiations on the next stage of this agreement are still taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt right now. What exactly is

being hammered out to ensure that this does reach phase two of this deal, Nada?

BASHIR: Well, Zain, we've been hearing from the U.S. President. He seems to have said that we are already in phase two, that there has been a success

on the phase one front, that they've already begun to look at the processes of phase two. He's actually described all the phases as being somewhat

mixed in together.

But there is still a real lack of clarity on the finer points of how we will progress to phase two in and how those goals, as outlined in the 20-

point peace planners put forward by the U.S. president, will be carried through? And of course, there's real questions around the demilitarization

of Gaza.

That is something that the Israeli government has been very clear about in its goals around the ceasefire agreement. It wants to see the complete

demilitarization of Gaza, destruction of Hamas. Whether that can be achieved remains to be seen, and how that will be achieved remains to be

seen.

No real clarity on that just yet. And we have had indications from the Israeli Prime Minister in the last few days that if that is not achieved,

there could potentially be some sort of breakdown we might see in that ceasefire agreement. And there are questions around the post war governance

of Gaza, again, a crucial point in these coming phases of the ceasefire agreement.

We've been hearing calls from the Egyptian authorities and government calling for U.S. troops to be on the ground to help in the peacekeeping

effort in the Gaza Strip. France's President Emmanuel Macron has said that France will play a special role in the post war governance of the Gaza

Strip, to ensure that there are clear reforms in the strip.

But we are still waiting to hear how exactly this will take place and what sort of commitments have been laid down. Of course, yesterday in Sharm El-

Sheikh at the summit, we did hear a lot of big talk from the U.S. President, a lot of very clear commitments also, of course, with regards to

the rebuild effort in the Gaza Strip.

There are a significant number of challenges ahead when it comes to what comes next for Gaza. And of course, in maintaining this fragile ceasefire.

At this stage, there seems to be more questions and there is clarity on how this will be achieved. But as we know, officials are still very much

involved in those discussions and negotiations, trying to hammer out those final details and also to ensure that those commitments are upheld.

ASHER: Right. Nada Bashir live for us. Thank you so much. Up next on "One World", America's soldiers and their families, how the U.S. government

shutdown has some military members wondering whether they can feed their children.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:00]

ASHER: Right, returning now to one of our top stories, the U.S. government shutdown, with Democrats and Republican both refusing to back down. There

are real concerns about how missed paychecks are actually impacting federal workers as well as military families.

President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to find a way to pay service members this week. The Pentagon says it will use $8 billion of

research funds that hadn't been spent last year to send out paychecks. But it's unclear how much longer the government can keep paying active-duty

troops if the shutdown drags on.

Let's take a deeper dive into how the government shutdown is impacting military families in the U.S. Joining me live now is Monica Bassett. She is

the wife of an active-duty soldier and the Founder and CEO of Stronghold Food Pantry, an organization that helps military families who don't know

where their next meal is coming from.

Monica, this is absolutely heartbreaking. I just want to start with the numbers. Walk us through, because you had an interview with "Time" magazine

where you said that there had been a 300 percent increase in the number of military families who had been seeking this kind of assistance, especially

as it pertains to food.

Now we're in day 14 of the government shutdown. Are those numbers going up? Even more than that? Just walk us through what you're seeing.

MONICA BASSETT, FOUNDER AND CEO OF STRONGHOLD FOOD PANTRY: Yes. First and foremost, thank you for having me on here. The numbers have drastically

increased. There has been a huge spike, and all of that is just very telling of that small, thin margin that military families have in influx in

their paychecks, being able to get them from one paycheck to another.

And yes, we had a 300 percent increase at our brick-and-mortar location in Kansas, but we also have a nationwide ambassador network where we have

ambassadors across 20 plus states. I say plus because we've activated a few more since the shutdown to be able to help military families at their

localized military installations across the nation, and that has seen almost nine-fold increase.

ASHER: And given that you are the wife of an active-duty member and also, you're the daughter of a veteran. I mean, this must hit you hard. I mean,

what is it like for you emotionally to see people who serve our country end up having to rely on this kind of assistance, on a food pantry to survive,

essentially?

BASSETT: It's heartbreaking, it's humbling. It's exactly why I started this work out of my garage. I never intended to have a nonprofit, but it was a

call to conviction. Right when COVID happened and a lot of our military spouses had to stop working because kids were home from school and the

service member can't stop working.

They were many of them were deployed overseas. And so military spouses had to stop working to take care of their families on the home front. And that

went from a dual income to one income, significantly impacting the family. Sort of what we're doing right now.

[11:45:00]

Some military families are furlough because the spouse works for the federal government, and others are dual military, so they're looking and

facing forward thinking we might not get both of our incomes in our households. So, the work that I started was really started out of that

conviction that you talked about seeing our brothers and sisters in the military community suffering, needing to get to a food pantry to get them

over one week before payday.

And my daughters and I started feeding families from our garage, and that has now turned into stronghold, and that heartbreak, that humbling

heartbreak, is still there. It is something that definitely propels me into action, and is a conviction that keeps moving our whole programming

forward.

ASHER: I think what is going to surprise a lot of people, especially our international audience, is that military families in the United States have

very little margin for error. There's such a thin cushion, essentially, because their paychecks are clearly not that much, and when you end up

missing a paycheck or two or three, then that could really send everything into a tailspin in terms of them literally being able to feed their

families.

And so, we know from House Speaker Mike Johnson that this could be, I mean, obviously fingers crossed that it's not. But House Speaker Mike Johnson

said that this could actually be the longest government shutdown in American history, that this could really drag on for a while, and that's

because both sides have zero interest at this point in time in negotiating.

What is your biggest fear, right, if this shutdown drags on, not just for a couple of weeks, but for months, several months, what is your biggest fear?

BASSETT: My biggest fear is that we're setting up our military families for failure. And right now, I always say with Stronghold Food Pantry, it's that

immediate, tangible need. We have no barriers, no restrictions, no stigma, on our military families. We want to help them at that immediate moment to

hopefully put that plug on what could spiral, right?

The second- and third-line effects of what food insecurity can cause for them. However, if this continues, they're not going to be able to shuffle

enough funding around to continue these paychecks through other sources. So, a resolution needs to be made, a something has to be able to be signed

to protect our military pay, because this is just going to continue.

And that undue burden, that mental burden on a military family, is not something that they should be carrying when their service members are still

going to work every single day.

ASHER: Yeah. I mean, as you point out, even if President Trump has set aside some, you know, few billion dollars, $8 billion or so to sort of pay

military members. The fact remains, as you touched on earlier, that you have a lot of families where maybe the husband works for the military, but

then the wife works for the government in a different capacity, and she's not getting her paycheck.

And so, the family is still suffering. And so, this can't go on for much longer, as you point out. Monica Bassett, I really hope that this comes to

a resolution very, very quickly. Thank you so much, and we appreciate your perspective, especially given that it's so personal to you.

Thank you, Monica. We right back with more after the break.

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[11:50:00]

ASHER: Right, in Mexico, at least 64 people are dead and dozens more missing after days of torrential rain triggered flooding and landslides.

Thousands of troops have been deployed as rescuers struggle to reach towns that remain inaccessible. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says at least

100,000 homes have been affected. CNN's Valeria Leon reports.

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Days of heavy rain have caused widespread destruction across Central and South Eastern Mexico, where landslide and

mudslide floodings have put houses like this one under the ground, as you can see here, these two crosses are because two babies were died here, and

it was during the flooding two days ago when this tragedy happened.

And there are no authorities in this town in Hidalgo, Mexico, but they were the neighbors, the ones who come and help this family. This is Enrique

Hernandez (ph). He wants the one that helped these babies. Enrique (ph) -- He said that most of the neighbors came here to try to rescue these two

children, but they couldn't save them.

So, this family had moved to a remote community a few kilometers away from here, but we can see part of the belongings. And this is the fridge that

used to be inside of this house. And here we have still this food left. And all the roads in this community have shown like this destruction in part of

this trail.

Most of the neighbors now are looking for help, asking the government to distribute aid to part of this community and others that have been cut off

for more than three days. The federal government has announced a census starting this week to help and distribute aid to most of the people.

There are hundreds of people that need this help and that they have been in communicated for the last days. This is the situation on the ground. I'm

Valeria Leon in Hidalgo, Mexico.

ASHER: Meantime, the U.S. West Coast is getting a rare October storm. The L.A. area has issued its first severe thunderstorm watch in more than 17

years. Our Meteorologist Allison Chinchar joins us live now from the CNN Weather center. What is L.A. expecting?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. So, you can see behind me, this is a look at the Santa Monica Pier in Southern California. Get it's kind of

hard to see, and that's because it's very gloomy, very cloudy out. And you can see, from time to time, the palm trees, this tree here in the

foreground, kind of blowing around.

So, it's not just the rain, but it's also the wind component with this particular system. You can see it's a very large system, not just impacting

Southern California, but also Central and Northern California as well, with rain, but even some snow in those higher elevations.

Now we focus in a little bit closer to the L.A. area. And yes, you can see that severe thunderstorm watch. Again, as you mentioned, very rare, the

first one they've had in this area in over 17 years. This is still valid 11:00 a.m. local time there, and you've got quite a few heavy bands of rain

coming through.

Got a severe thunderstorm warning in effect again, just for those intense rain bands that are expected to slide through. Here too this red outlined

area, this is a flash flood warning, indicating that incredibly heavy rain is coming down throughout this area. Now one thing I would like to point

out is where this flash flood warning is located is also where we have some of the burn scars from previous wildfires.

That makes it especially a large concern, not just for this area, but where you also see this other burn scar area up here, because when you have that

very heavy rain that comes in, there's no real ground to absorb it. So, all of that water just runs off, and it takes the dirt and the mud and

everything with it, and that triggers mudslides and landslides, which are a concern for today.

[11:55:00]

You also have, again, the risk of those, but also rock slides, and then, not to mention just your urban flooding, you know, a lot of water coming

in. They can pile up on some roadways. There's also a lot of dry creek beds in this area, and those can swell up very quickly, turning into very large

rivers in a very short period of time.

Now, we also talked about the snow component of this. So here then the Sierra mountains, again, you can see we've got quite a bit of that pinkish

purple color indicating the snow that is already starting to come down. You are talking large amounts of snow, just not a few inches.

Look at this pink area here. They are expecting one to three feet of snow, not inches, but feet of snow in these areas. The purple area, it's going to

be a smaller amount, several inches there. But even still, this is on the early side for them to see such significant amounts of snow across many of

these areas.

Here's a look at the timeline, still expected to impact much of Tuesday before shifting off to the east by the time we get towards Wednesday.

ASHER: Right, Allison Chinchar live for us. Thank you. Right, stay with CNN. There is much more "One World" with my colleague and friend Bianna

Golodryga, after the show break.

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