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The Situation Room

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro Speaks Out on Arson Attack; Ukraine to Receive Long-Range Missiles?; Next Steps in Gaza?. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 14, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

RUBY CHEN, FATHER OF ITAY CHEN: And, like, how could you say that it's done? There are still 24 hostages, and my son is no less of a hostage than those that came out yesterday.

Yes, we're very happy for those families that are being able to hug their loved ones, but my son is entitled just as much to come out and for my family to have the closure that it expects to receive.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And in the "USA" article that you wrote, you also write -- and once again I'm quoting -- that you have been living in -- quote -- "a state of suspended mourning, unable to grieve, unable to heal, unable to bury our children in the land they loved and defended."

Tell us why it's so critical for you and other families to get the remains of your loved ones and have a proper Jewish burial here in Israel.

CHEN: Yes, so from the Jewish tradition, the Jewish soul lives on fraternity. And the body is a vessel that holds the soul until it moves on to the next form in this eternity.

And by not -- we say rest in peace. But the body should be at rest. Without that, his soul is stuck. And that's also how we feel, where, when you start the mourning period, you are in a place where you are less active. You are mourning. And you think of what's happening next.

But we have been active. We have been fighting. We're not able to get to that point that we could actually start that healing process that we should be entitled to.

BLITZER: When did you actually learn that your son Itay had been killed?

CHEN: That happened in March in '24? Initially, when the IDF got to the tank that my son fought in, there was nothing forensic about Itay, meaning there was no blood or anything that gave any indication about his physical status.

And what we were told was, look, if there's no bad news, think good news. And that was the way that we operated. And even when the IDF did notify us in March '24, it was based on intelligence. And there's always that doubt that exists, because, without it becoming physical, without seeing it with your own eyes, you will always have that doubt.

When we met other families that got their loved one back to burial, that was what they said to us. It doesn't make the pain easier, but it just allows that doubt to go away and allow them to start that healing process.

BLITZER: As you know, President Trump keeps saying that the war in Gaza is over. What do you say to him?

CHEN: I say to him, Mr. President, with all due respect -- and that's what I told him yesterday -- the job's not done. And there are those 24, including two, two U.S. citizens that he and his administration has an obligation to, to allow us to be whole.

And we expect -- we know that Mr. Witkoff, Mr. Kushner, they are working and they are on the phones, and they're doing what they're supposed to do. We understand there's some friction going on now between the mediators, the U.S.

But, Wolf, after such a long time, I don't care about the process. I want to get to the bottom line. The bottom line, my kid, the youngest U.S. citizen, should come out after two years in captivity.

BLITZER: Nineteen years old, right?

CHEN: Nineteen years old.

BLITZER: Who's the other U.S. citizen?

CHEN: His name is Omer Neutra. He's from Long Island. I'm from the city, New York City. And they have been taken two years ago, more than two years ago, and still being held.

At the beginning, there were 12 U.S. citizens that were taken hostage. And a fact that most people do not know, 46, 46 U.S. citizens were killed by Hamas on that day. And I think the question to the administration is, where's justice for those 46 families?

BLITZER: So, are you hopeful that your son's remains will be returned in the coming days?

CHEN: I talked to Mr. Witkoff and the other U.S. officials. They claim that they are on it.

But, again, it's been two years. And I think this is the wind of opportunity. And I don't -- and I pray to God that we do not lose that wind of opportunity, because we know there are other families from the previous violent cycle that was with Hamas 10 years ago. There's the Goldin family that their son Hadar Goldin has been in captivity for 11 years.

I don't want to wait 11 years, Wolf. This is now the time to put the pressure on Hamas to bring Itay, as well as the other remaining hostages in Gaza.

BLITZER: Let's hope Itay comes home, comes home in the next few days.

Ruby Chen, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate everything you're doing. And our heart goes out to you.

CHEN: God bless. Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: God bless you as well.

And, Jessica, I know you have got some more breaking news that you're following. What else is going on?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: Wolf, thank you.

We are standing by for Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's news conference after a man pleaded guilty to the arson attack on his home.

I want to go to CNN's Danny Freeman, who is live for us in Philadelphia.

Danny, you have covered this the day it happened. And now we have this guilty plea from this -- from Balmer. Tell us more about how we got here.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure thing, Jessica.

Well, remember, Cody Balmer actually turned himself in. He surrendered in the day after the actual attack happened at the governor's residence. He walked from, we understand, his home to State Police headquarters to surrender himself.

[11:35:05]

So this guilty plea in particular, perhaps, was not particularly surprising. What is surprising, though, Jessica is this trove of new surveillance video that was introduced by the Dauphin County DA this morning in open court to affirm and get to that ultimate guilty plea.

And what we had always heard from Pennsylvania State Police, who are in charge of the security for the governor and his residents and his family, they had used the term back then, Jessica, as methodical.

But now, when we see this video, it really paints a fuller picture of what exactly that meant. You see Cody Balmer, the suspect here who's now put a guilty to this crime, walking up, frankly, seemingly very casual up to the governor's residence, breaking a window with a mallet, a tiny sledgehammer, it looks like, and throwing the first makeshift Molotov cocktail.

He then climbs through the window. And this video is just so dramatic. You see him reach his hand over with a second Molotov cocktail and throw it into the dining area. And then I think, Jessica, the video that really stopped me in my tracks was, you see him then enter a different room and approach two doors and try to kick open doors. And, as we understand, at least one of those doors led to the

residence where Governor Shapiro, his wife, his children and multiple other guests who were residing at the residence that night were all sleeping after celebrating the Passover holiday, the Jewish holiday of Passover earlier in the evening.

And that video of, again, Balmer kicking the door, trying to get through is chilling. Thankfully, that door was locked. And the fire, of course, continued to rage before he ultimately got out and leapt over the fences, presumably the same way that he came back in.

Jessica, we saw Balmer today. I will remind you this is really his first court appearance since the initial time that he was -- that he turned himself in. He was wearing a maroon jumpsuit. He was shackled. He didn't answer any reporters' questions when they were yelling at him from the outside as he entered into the Dauphin County courthouse.

So this moment really is the conclusion of a long, long series of questions as to how this possibly could have happened in such a scary night, of course, that weekend in April. But again, that video just casts a whole new light on how intense, how ferocious, and how methodical, as, again police said earlier, this attack was against Governor Shapiro and his family that night, Jessica.

DEAN: It was tremendously scary to watch that video and how he walks around the governor's mansion.

Danny Freeman for us there in Philadelphia, I know you will be standing by.

And you see there on your screen as well we have an eye on Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the capital of Pennsylvania, where that press conference is set to begin very shortly. We will bring it to you once it begins.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:42:20]

BLITZER: Now to a SITUATION ROOM special report.

President Trump is threatening, threatening right now to send long- range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. These are missiles capable of striking deep into Russia, including Moscow.

CNN's chief global affairs correspondent, Matthew Chance, is joining us from Moscow right now.

Matthew, how could this potentially impact the conflict that's been ongoing for years now in Ukraine?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, Wolf, it would, as you just said, dramatically increase the ability of the Ukrainian armed forces to strike beyond the front lines deep inside Russian territory bringing Moscow and St. Petersburg, major Russian cities where millions of Russians live, potentially within range.

It would also make it easier for the Ukrainians to step up their attacks on energy infrastructure, targets like oil refineries and things like that. And the Kremlin is, of course, acutely aware of their potential impact.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE (voice-over): Tomahawk cruise missiles, even the threat of sending these U.S. weapons to Ukraine with a range of over 1,500 miles may be enough to bring Russia to the negotiating table. At least, that's what President Trump seems to think...

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We had a very good conversation.

CHANCE: ... telling en route to the Middle East he may tell the Kremlin to end the Ukraine war or face these formidable weapons easily capable of reaching Moscow.

TRUMP: I might say, look, if this war is not going to get settled, I'm going to send them Tomahawks. I may send them -- the Tomahawk is an incredible weapon, very offensive weapon.

And, honestly, Russia does not need that. They don't need that. Yes, I might tell them that, if the war is not settled, that we may very well do it. We may not, but we may do it.

CHANCE: That uncertain threat hasn't come out of nowhere. For months now, Russia has been stepping up its own missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, stretching air defenses, fueling Ukrainian calls for a powerful long-range weapon to strike back potentially deep inside Russia.

"We see and hear that Russia is afraid that the Americans may give us Tomahawks," the Ukrainian president declared at the weekend. "It's a signal that exactly such pressure may work for peace," he added.

But, in public, the Kremlin has been defiant, insisting the deployment of Tomahawks would have little impact on the battlefield, but seriously ratchet up tensions between Moscow and Washington.

[11:45:03]

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Using Tomahawks without the direct participation of American military personnel is impossible. This would mark a completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the United States.

CHANCE: And the missiles can potentially deliver a nuclear payload, leading to warnings yet again of a catastrophic scenario.

"It's impossible to tell whether a Tomahawk carries a nuclear or conventional warhead while it's in flight," the hawkish former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev posted. "How is Russia supposed to respond?" he asked.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: Well, Wolf, fresh from his diplomatic success in the Middle East, President Trump still obviously wanting to bring an end to the Russian war in Ukraine.

But one more powerful U.S. weapon, if only that was supplied, as if that's going to unlock the conflict and be the key to ending it, actually may be an unrealistic hope. It may escalate it, rather than bring it to an early end -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We will see what happens in the coming days.

Matthew Chance in Moscow for us.

Matthew, thank you very, very much.

I want to go back to Jessica right now. She's got some breaking news back home -- Jessica.

DEAN: Wolf, thank you.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is speaking now. I want to listen in.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): Good morning, everyone. Lori and I want to thank you for joining us today.

Earlier today, the defendant in the April attack at the governor's residence pled guilty to attempted murder, arson, terrorism, and several other counts. It's hard for me to stand before you today and utter the words attempted murder when it's your own life, to know that someone tried to kill me.

It's especially hard to know that he tried to burn our family to death while we slept. To be honest, Lori and I have struggled over the last six months to try and make sense of all of this. And the hardest part has been trying to explain it to our four children and to our nieces and nephews.

I have carried with me this enormous sense of guilt, guilt that doing this job that I love so much has put our children's lives at risk. It's been really hard. And, candidly, I don't know that I have been able to give them the right answers.

I don't know that I have been able to ease our children's worries. But I can tell you we have tried and it's been an ongoing effort, to even just a few moments ago. Why would someone want to do us harm, our kids will ask? How were they able to get so far into the governor's residence, the place that was supposed to be the safest place we could possibly be?

As you saw from the videos that the district attorney played, he was able to penetrate the residence right up to a door that led to the hallway where we were in our private living quarters. I know those videos are chilling. They have been haunting me for months. I have been trying to unsee them for the last six months.

Now, when we walk through the residence, we often think about the steps he took and where he roamed, those double doors that lead to my office and Lori's office and where we sleep, those doors that he tried to break through, that metal hammer that he wielded that apparently he wanted to use to kill me with, the spot in the state dining room where the fire first began, the smashed glass of the windows that he used to enter into the home.

I'm struck when I'm outside walking in the gardens, usually on the phone tending to business, by the charred bush that remains outside that window where he threw the first Molotov cocktail.

[11:50:08]

We also see the effects of his crimes in the extraordinary scope of damage at the governor's residence. The burden of the cleanup and the rebuild has been enormous. And, as you know, it is ongoing. What you probably don't see is the subsequent security changes in all aspects of our lives and our children's lives. And this construction all around us is a constant reminder of what happened and that our personal safety is not assured and that we are vulnerable.

His crimes also caused massive disruption in our lives and the lives of the people who are privileged to know and who work at the governor's residence. I want you to know we will forever be grateful to the firefighters who rushed toward danger and put out that fire just in time.

We are also incredibly grateful to the troopers who rushed our family out to safety in those early morning hours. We are so appreciative of the dedicated staff at the governor's residence who continue to come to work with purpose and with joy every day.

Lori and I are mindful that serving in public office today brings with it risks. It's a sad state of the world that we are in. But I have to tell you that, before this attack, those risks just felt very theoretical to me, something that might happen elsewhere to someone else, but couldn't happen here.

Sadly, this made it all real. And it brings with it a real sense of vulnerability that our family feels every single day. I want you to know we are working through this. And you have heard me talk about the emotional toll this attack took. I need you to know this is an ongoing thing that we are dealing with and we are working through.

And I think we're confident it'll get better, but we also know it's going to always be with us. Sadly, as you know, our family is not the only ones to experience political violence, violence that is used to try and silence people or intimidate people.

I think it's important that, in this time of rising political violence, that none of us grow numb to it or accept this as the normal course of doing business for elected officials. So many leaders from here in Pennsylvania and across the country, actually across the globe, have reached out to offer comfort over the last number of months.

And, inevitably, those conversations turn to their own sense of vulnerability, their own worry about political violence. I have talked to people who are thinking about running for office who have said they don't want to because they don't want to put their families at risk. These are good people who just want to serve, want to do right by their communities, who are being impacted by this unacceptable level of political violence that we're seeing in our country.

I think we need real accountability for acts of political violence, and today is real accountability for the violence that came here to Pennsylvania.

I want to thank district attorney Fran Chardo, a friend for nearly 20 years, and his team in the Dauphin County district attorney's office. They have demonstrated great care, concern, and professionalism. This is a just outcome, and I want you to know that our family fully supported the plea that he negotiated.

From the morning after the attack, when the district attorney and I and other law enforcement met at the governor's residence to this morning, district attorney Chardo has demonstrated strong, compassionate leadership, and I am grateful to him.

[11:55:13]

Today is a holiday in our faith, a moment to renew our spirituality and our connection to God. I want you to know we have leaned a lot on our faith these past six months to try and work through this. We have also leaned on the faith of so many others in the process.

We have been so strengthened by the faith and the prayers that others have shared with us, and we have seen so much light in the midst of this darkness. I want you to know we are not deterred in our desire to serve others, in part because of our faith and how strongly we lean on it, and in part because of the examples that others have set for us.

We remain focused and committed to doing our work on behalf of the good people of Pennsylvania, and nothing and no one will stop us from doing that important work. We will forever...

DEAN: You're listening there to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro talking really about the human toll that this whole thing has taken on him and his family.

I do want to go back out to Danny Freeman for a moment.

And, Danny, I'm really struck by the fact that we get this guilty plea from Cody Balmer today, and the governor really talking in very, like I said, personal and human terms about how this is an ongoing issue for his family, and you can really sense the violation of safety and security that the first family of Pennsylvania still has.

FREEMAN: You're absolutely right, Jessica.

A couple of lines that stood out, he noted right at the top that it's hard for him to stand here today and utter the words attempted murder when referring to himself. The governor also said that he's trying to process that this man, Cody Balmer, tried to burn his family while they slept.

And he spoke candidly about how he is processing being a public servant and putting his family at risk by virtue of that. But, Jessica, I think the other thing that was very, very interesting is, he said, in this time of political violence, we cannot become numb to this. We have seen this in Minnesota. We saw this recently in Utah, of course, this attack with Governor Shapiro, in Butler, Pennsylvania with President Trump a few years ago as well.

He said that we cannot become numb to this political violence. And he also said that we are not deterred from this mission at this point to continue to serve the people of Pennsylvania and that he has seen light in the midst of this darkness through many prayers and people reaching out supporting him and his family after this attack.

Again, like you said, the headline, of course, is that Cody Balmer pleaded guilty to these crimes officially today, but, definitely, Jessica, the human toll this has taken on Governor Shapiro on display in that press conference just there -- Jessica.

DEAN: Certainly, and the physical toll as well, as that governor's mention, he mentions, remains under construction, a daily reminder of what happened there.

And again, just as we underscore, this is the place where that family lives, where four children are growing up and how terrifying that must have been and to see the video underscores that.

Danny Freeman for us in Philadelphia, thank you so much. Really appreciate your reporting.

I do want to go back to Wolf Blitzer, who is in Tel Aviv -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Jessica, thank you very much.

Before we go today, I want to share some final personal thoughts. This is my fourth trip to Israel since the October 7 terror attack, when Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 people hostage. I reported from Israel just a few weeks after that attack amid shock, anger and grief.

For more than two years, world leaders have tried to negotiate to bring the hostages home, as family members and friends counted the agonizing days their loved ones remained in captivity, speaking out and fighting to bring them back.

And then, yesterday, Hamas released the rest of the living hostages in Gaza as part of a cease-fire plan proposed by President Trump. We saw reunion after reunion, hugs, kisses, tears, as their painful separation was finally, finally over.

For others, though, they still wait for the bodies of their loved ones to be returned so they can finally begin the healing journey. Ruby Chen told me just a few minutes ago that the fight is not over to bring the body of his son Itay Chen home.

Also, as part of the cease-fire deal, nearly 2,000 Palestinians were released, were released from Israeli prisons. Emotional scenes played out in Gaza and over in the West Bank. They wave, they cry, they hug, back together with their loved ones. Very emotional.

[12:00:00]

I spent this morning, by the way, walking around Tel Aviv, and there were a lot of people on the streets, a lot. And for the first time in a long time, people were smiling. They were happy, even though many of them are very, very nervous about what comes next.

I walked through the old neighborhood where I lived. When I worked for the Reuters news agency out of its Tel Aviv bureau. That was my first job in journalism, many years ago. And even though Israel has dramatically grown over these years, as its economy has expanded, so much remains the same.

This current crisis may have been resolved, but everyone worries that there will be more down the road. And we all remain hopeful, hopeful that lasting peace some day will come, and we hope that happens soon.

To our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning. Inside Politics with Dana Bash starts right now.