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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Fetterman: Shutdown Risks "Plunging Our Nation Into Chaos"; Trump Says He's "Very Close" To Deal To End War In Gaza; Trump Amplifies Medical Conspiracy Theory That Claims Magical Beds Can Cure Any Disease And Reverse Aging. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired September 29, 2025 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: But here's the thing to also keep in mind, is that YouTube is the big shark that's sort of out there, in terms of the important social media clients.
Because when you look at the popularity of the different platforms, the vast, vast majority of Americans have been on YouTube. What we see is north of 80 percent of Americans use YouTube, compared to 70 percent for Facebook, and just 21 percent for Twitter/X. So, this was really the last sort of shark that Donald Trump was able to reel in.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: YouTube, the kids love it, so do the grown-ups. Popular with everyone.
ENTEN: It's popular with me too.
BERMAN: Harry Enten, great to see you. Bet I'll see you tomorrow morning.
ENTEN: I bet you as well.
BERMAN: All right.
Thank you all so much. The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: We're one day away from a government shutdown. What Vice President Vance had to say to me after they met with Democrats at the White House today.
And also, a new response just in tonight from President Trump.
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
Here in Washington tonight, the clock is ticking, and the nation appears to be headed for a shutdown of the federal government that could be unlike any in recent memory. That's because hundreds of thousands of federal workers are facing the threat of mass layoffs, by the Trump administration, if the government does shut down. That's not something we've seen during any recent ones.
And also, of course, the ramifications will be felt far beyond just federal workers and their jobs. In the words of the FDA, the safety of the food that your family eats would, quote, be significantly impacted. The U.S. Travel Association is already warning about flight delays, longer airport security lines, and even canceled trips because of potential staffing shortages.
Now, we don't know exactly what is going to happen over the next 24 hours. But if you were holding out hope, for a last-minute agreement, from leaders here in Washington? We got to say, it's not looking promising tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JD VANCE (R), U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: As I think we're headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won't do the right thing. I hope they change their mind, but we're going to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That was Vice President, JD Vance, at the White House, shortly after they wrapped up a meeting with Democrats and other congressional leaders.
And just a few moments before we came on the air tonight -- we had not yet heard from President Trump what he thought of this meeting. We had heard from Senator Schumer, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the Vice President there, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader John Thune over in the Senate, but not yet from President Trump himself. It was notable silence, given he typically weighs in.
And just a few moments before we came on the air tonight, the President posted -- reposted this fabricated artificial intelligence video of Democrats, that he had just invited over to the White House to discuss keeping the federal government open.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Look, guys, there's no way to sugarcoat it. Nobody likes Democrats anymore. We have no voters left because of all of our woke trans bullshit. Not even black people want to vote for us anymore. Even Latinos hate us. So we need new voters.
And if we give all these illegal aliens, free health care, we might be able to get them on our side so they can vote for us. They can't even speak English, so they won't realize we're just a bunch of woke pieces of shit, you know, at least for a while, until they learn English, and they realize they hate us too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: What you just watched is a video posted by the President of the United States, as he's been in key meetings with Democrats, the leaders that you just saw there, over how to keep the federal government open for all the reasons I just laid out that could impact many Americans, not just federal workers, and could have far-ranging -- far-reaching implications.
I want to get straight to CNN's Manu Raju, who is up on Capitol Hill tonight. Manu, I mean, we have been asking all these people coming out of this meeting, what they thought about it. I kind of thought people had been pretty measured, in terms of maybe there was some common ground of where they could find agreement on the subsidies and whatnot.
I'm not really sure what that video the President just posted though, does for these negotiations.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Democrats actually have thought, in coming out of that meeting, that Trump was actually receptive to some of their ideas, including to extend those expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, those that expire at the end of the year. That's been part of the Democratic demand. Chuck Schumer said that he thought there was, quote, Real division between Trump and the Republican leaders who have rejected those demands.
But that video there shows very clear where Donald Trump's head is. He is very much in line with the Republican position, which is to reject these Democratic demands, not just on the expiring subsidies, but also to reverse those Medicaid cuts that are included as part of Donald Trump's signature domestic policy achievement, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and for provisions to constrain Donald Trump's ability to cut federal spending without the consent of Congress.
Democrats want that added as well. Republicans say, No way. They want a straight extension of government funding up until November 21st. They say, at that point, we can negotiate these issues later.
[21:05:00]
Now, Democrats are mostly united behind this strategy, other than perhaps this one Senator, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has been very critical of Chuck Schumer's and Hakeem Jeffries' strategy in all of this.
I asked him about his position, his view, as we head into this likely government shutdown by tomorrow night. He said that Democrats, if they were to enact their changes, they should win more elections rather than demand these changes now.
I asked him further about that comment, just moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: Senator you said -- you said in there that Democrats need to win elections to get their policy changes. Why -- what is your problem with their approach that the leadership is taking right now?
SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): Right now, it's like you're running the risk of plunging our nation into chaos. Millions and millions of lives will be upended, and now that's the kinds of message -- what kind of message does that send to our country and to our allies and to our enemies.
The President has a lot of levers he could pull. This is one we could pull. But why would, you know, like, why would we pull that lever? Because that allows him to pull a lot more levers, and make a lot of changes about the government that we can't -- that he can't do now.
I mean, I think that would be -- that would be the ideal outcome for Project 2025.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: And that last comment referring to the concern that many Democrats have, that if the government were to shut down, that Trump could even go further to try to expand his power, even further than he has gone in his first nine months in office.
I put that question to Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, also, just moments ago. I said, Are you concerned about that? He dismissed that, Kaitlan. He said that Trump has already been doing that. He said that they believe they're on firm ground on the issue of health care.
But the questions for Chuck Schumer is if more Democrats start to sound like John Fetterman. Expect Senate Republican leaders to put that straight extension of government funding on the floor, time and time again, hoping that public pressure amount, and more Democrats will ultimately capitulate, and ultimately they get the seven Democrats they need to advance legislation in the Senate. But that could take some time. How long, Kaitlan? We'll see.
But this could be a prolonged shutdown. We'll see if it gets to 35 days, which is the longest shutdown in government history, the last one that happened from 2018 into 2019, the last time Donald Trump was president.
Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Yes, and that clock starts ticking tomorrow. The White House is all too familiar with how shutdowns go.
Manu Raju, obviously, we'll check back in with you if we hear any reaction to this video from President Trump tonight on Capitol Hill.
I'm also joined here by my political sources.
Democratic Congressman, Ro Khanna of California.
And Chris Sununu, who was the former Republican governor of New Hampshire.
I want to talk about extending health care subsidies and Medicaid cuts, and if they're going to change that. But when the President posts a video like that, I mean, how do you think the people who are negotiating with the President respond to that tonight, sir?
CHRIS SUNUNU, (R) FORMER GOVERNOR OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: Look, obviously, I think they're -- on the Republican side, the President's saying, Well, I guess these negotiations are done, you know? So the clock will strike midnight, on Tuesday, that's a bad thing for everybody. I mean, that's the big takeaway message.
There's very few Americans watching this at home, going, Gee, I hope the Republicans win, or hope the Democrats win. Everyone's saying, We hope the government stays open. Because, as Senator Fetterman just pointed out, so many lives are at stake.
My job is to represent the airlines. That's my new job. And the main message is things are going to happen. The air -- the planes will take off, it's going to happen safe. It's going to be a massive strain on the system. And that's just one of the many systems across this country, hundreds of thousands of workers, across many industries, having to go to work, no pay, day after day, no pay because they're essential, but they effectively don't get paid. If that goes on for weeks, you're straining systems all across this country.
So, you can go with the partisan back and forth, what happens inside the beltway. At the end of the day, the main message for Americans is -- back to Washington is, Guys, figure it out, right? Just buy yourself some more time. Pass a clean CR. Buy yourself some more time, so you can have those debates on health care subsidies and all of that. All that's welcomed by everybody.
COLLINS: Yes.
SUNUNU: But you got to keep the government open. That's this is -- this shouldn't be just a lever. This should only be a pull, you know -- break glass only in the case of emergency, and I don't think America understands that we're there.
COLLINS: And on that idea of temporarily keeping the government funded while they debate that, I mean, Hakeem Jeffries basically said no to that, to John Berman, in the last hour.
If you're in the middle of these negotiations, and the Democrats came out sounding not completely aghast at what had happened, inside their meeting, like there could be negotiations. I mean, but what do you -- what was your response to the video the President posted today?
REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Kaitlan, we have to understand how abnormal this is.
Look, Governor Sununu has negotiated a lot of budgets, and people are saying, You're very tough. But you don't mock someone and put a video out about how they look. You don't ever mock people's ethnicity. How do you negotiate with that? And how have we made this normal?
[21:10:00]
He's not talking about, I disagree with the health care cuts. He's mocking Hakeem Jeffries. And he's got a hat? Is it implying that he's somehow an immigrant? I mean, it is awful, and it should be condemned, universally. Just the tactics.
And then you look at the substance. How do you sit there and negotiate with someone when he's saying it doesn't really matter what you pass, because I get to decide whether I want to spend the money or not.
The first thing the Democrats are saying is, When Congress passes something -- Senator Fetterman is talking about elections. Elections matter. OK, so Congress passes something they were elected to pass it, and Trump's saying, No, I don't have to listen to Article I of the Constitution, I'm going to spend what I want. What's the point of negotiation?
COLLINS: Well, in every comment from Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, John Thune, Mike Johnson, even the Vice President, JD Vance, was kind of about very highly disagreeing over how to move forward here, and the positions that each side is holding, but also saying, There is common ground. We believe we could come to an agreement. We want the other side to see how we see it.
But the President is the ultimate decider and negotiator in this situation, and he made clear his views tonight.
SUNUNU: Well, so a couple things on that. First, the message we heard from even Democrats that were in that meeting were that he was listening, he was engaged, he was asking thoughtful questions. He thought that there was some room for landing--
COLLINS: And then he posted that video.
SUNUNU: Well, again, I think he's saying, in terms of the opportunity to pass a clean CR -- I passed it -- we had to pass a continuing resolution, in the State of New Hampshire once. But it's just say -- it just says, very simply, We're going to continue running the government the way it's been running for the next 90 days to buy us time.
You don't try to throw in big new programs or big new spending initiatives or things like that. That's where things really break down. And I think that's the message that the President and the Republicans heard. We're not here to debate, in the last minute, all these massive programs. Let's just keep the darn thing open to have a real debate on the Senate floor, while the government's operating and the American people don't suffer.
So, yes, look, he has his own style and his own messaging. But what he's effectively saying is--
COLLINS: I mean--
SUNUNU: --We should do it like we normally do it, a clean continuing resolution, so the American people aren't left out in the cold.
KHANNA: Because we don't have a normal government. How can you say, Let's do it the way we're doing it, when he's basically saying, Well, I'm not going to spend the money that Congress has appropriated. I'm going to just have -- foreign aid, I don't want? I'll just cut it. If there's health care money that I don't like? I'm just going to cut it. We, at the very least, need a commitment that he is going to spend what Congress has authorized.
And the second issue is on health care. I mean, there have been devastating cuts on Medicaid, which is going to affect rural hospital and working families. And everyone who is on the exchanges, premiums are going to go up 80 percent, the Trump tax, if we don't get the Affordable Care subsidies extended.
If I were Donald Trump, I would be thanking Chuck Schumer and Jeffries for saying, Thank you for saving this so we don't have higher inflation on health care, thank you for helping me get this deal.
COLLINS: Well, and on that front, there was a moment today, where Senator Schumer seemed to say that the President wasn't fully aware of the implications and ramifications of the subsidies ending, or of the cuts to what's going to happen to rural hospitals.
I don't know if we have the answer, I think we do, of what the Vice President, JD Vance, said when I asked him about that. I want to listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHUMER: We laid out to the President some of the consequences of what's happening in health care. And by his face and by the way he looked, I think he heard about them for the first time.
COLLINS: Can you respond to what Senator Schumer said, that there were aspects about health care ending for certain people, that the President was learning about for the first time in that meeting? And was the President open to a deal on the ACA subsidies?
VANCE: Well, I'm highly skeptical that the President was learning about it for the first time, thanks to Chuck Schumer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And he went on to basically make the argument there about where the subsidies stand, whether or not they should extend them. Do you think the President is open to room there, or should be?
SUNUNU: Well, it sounds like -- well, it sounds like he is. Even the Democrats said he was listening, he's open to room. But again, that isn't going to be all debated in the last 24 hours before the government shuts down. This is not the time to start -- to start that debate and start that discussion.
You need a clean, continuing resolution. Buy yourself the seven weeks. Have a more in-depth discussion, both with the White House, with both sides of the aisle, find areas of consensus, understand you're not going to -- neither side is going to get everything they want.
But the idea that we're just going to shut it down unless we revamp all these massive programs in the last 24 hours? Again, I'm the airline guy. I want planes in the air. I want people to be able to travel. I want it to happen safely. I want traffic control workers to get paid. I want our security workers at airports to get paid, and not have to put that strain on their families. Everybody wants that
COLLINS: The Democratic base might want to fight, though, actually, because they weren't happy with how Senator Schumer handled this, back in March. You criticized him as well. Do you have confidence in his handling of it now? [21:15:00]
KHANNA: I do. I think he understands that this is a moment we have to stand up for the Constitution. It's a moment we have to stand up for working families. And here's the reality. They have the votes. They won the presidency. They have the votes in the Senate. They have the votes in the House. They can get rid of the filibuster. They've done it on a number of presidential appointments. And they can keep the government open.
But what they can't expect is for Democrats to give our votes to something that we are going to be complicit in, which is massive health care cuts, and a president who isn't respecting Congress.
COLLINS: Congressman Ro Khanna. Former Governor Sununu. Great to have you both here. We'll see what happens, including with those airlines.
Up next. We're going to be joined by a Republican senator on Capitol Hill. He also happens to be a physician. What does he think of the money that's at the battle of this showdown, the shutdown showdown that's underway? We'll speak to him right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:20:00]
COLLINS: As I noted, President Trump is not a stranger to government shutdowns. The most recent one, that happened during his first term, starting in late December 2018, lasted 35 days. It still remains the longest, actually, on record.
But tonight, even as top Democrats came out of that White House meeting, believing the President might actually cut a deal, on one of their biggest demands that they're making right now, this is actually what the Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, told me about how he believes all of this could unfold.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Leader Thune, where is the common ground on the ACA subsidies, do you think? Is there any?
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): We can have that conversation after the government stays open.
COLLINS: Did you say that to Senator Schumer?
THUNE: I did.
COLLINS: And what did he say back?
THUNE: Many times.
COLLINS: What did he say back?
(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: My next source will be a key voice in what happens next in the Senate. Republican senator from Kansas, Roger Marshall is here.
And it's great to have you, sir.
It is 09:00 p.m. -- 09:20 p.m. The government's set to shut down at midnight, tomorrow. Do you think we're going to have a government shutdown?
SEN. ROGER MARSHALL (R-KS): Well, Vegas is now saying 70 to 30 odds. I'm eternally hopeful. I--
COLLINS: What are you saying?
MARSHALL: Well, I think I would bet against it. I'm going to bet that it will probably shut down. But I'm going to hopefully work, if there's an opportunity.
Look, the Republicans want to keep the government open, but they also want to work towards a responsible budget. We think it's just, it's -- it doesn't make any sense to us, when we're asking them to extend, asking Democrats to extend the budget they all voted for, just last December. But instead, they want an additional $1.5 trillion, and that doesn't seem fair, it doesn't seem like the right thing to do.
COLLINS: Well, if a Democrat was sitting here, they would say, Well, yes, but that was before Republicans passed the one big, beautiful bill, and before the rescissions packages passed, clawing back funding that Congress had already approved.
MARSHALL: OK.
COLLINS: So, they would say that's maybe why they feel differently and they want to make their demands now. What would you say to that?
MARSHALL: Well, I think that we should negotiate this thing out. And I think if the issue is, like they're saying it's the advanced extra subsidies from the -- from the COVID era that they're worried about? We should talk about this. This isn't all the subsidies. This is just a small fraction of them that came about in 2021. Look, this is meant to be for people less than 400 percent poverty level. And instead, most of those extended subsidies are people making over 400 percent poverty level.
COLLINS: Yes, where do you stand on, on extending those subsidies? Are you -- would you be open to that, if that was the -- what the sticking point came down to?
MARSHALL: Look, I'm willing to negotiate about it. Might prefer--
COLLINS: So that sounds like you're open?
MARSHALL: I would prefer to -- to end them as they are. But certainly, if we're going to continue, let's go back to the way the ACA was written, which was for people that were making less than 400 percent of poverty level. I think that we need to make sure that we prioritize the help for the people who need it less -- need it the most. Look, Republicans want to help everybody. We want to make sure everybody has health care. Let's make sure the ones that need it the most get the help.
COLLINS: Well, and that was a question because of the people who could lose coverage. I understand you're saying, Well, it was a COVID policy. As you know, it's hard to take something away once people have had lower premiums, and this would make people's premiums go up, if these expire, with no changes from y'all.
The other thing that seemed to come up in that White House meeting today was rural hospitals' funding.
MARSHALL: Yes.
COLLINS: It's something we talked to the Vice President about after, because Senator Schumer was saying the President seemed unaware of the full ramifications of that.
You used to run a rural hospital.
MARSHALL: Yes.
COLLINS: You've got a lot in your state that are actually at risk, according to some analysis. Where do you stand on how that funding looks, and where it should be?
MARSHALL: Look, 97 percent of rural counties voted for President Trump. Every time I see him, he asks me, How is rural America doing? So he knows full well, what's going on there.
I think what's ironic is, why do Democrats want to take away the $50 billion Rural Transformation fund? If they want to help rural hospitals, why do they want to take that away at this late hour?
And if rural hospitals are having any problems now or next year, that's on the back of Democrat ACA policy. The ACA has been the law now, for 15 years. All these things that we did in the one big, beautiful bill won't take effect for a year or two down the line. So, it just seems very disingenuous for the Democrats to be blaming President Trump for these rural hospital struggles. The reason rural hospitals are struggling is because of the bad economy, because they've lost 30 or 50 percent in their populations.
COLLINS: But aren't Democrats arguing that it's only going to get worse once what you did pass goes into effect, the cuts to Medicaid funding? And they're saying the $50 billion that was put in because people were worried that they were going to be really affected by the Medicaid cuts, they're saying, We want way more than that.
MARSHALL: Yes, I think it's because they don't understand rural hospitals. Only 5 percent of Medicaid funding go to rural hospitals. We lose money on every Medicaid patient. So why would you want more of them? Instead, the goal would be to get people off Medicaid. Let's help them find a job, where they get insurance, where it helps contribute to the bottom line. But Medicaid is a loser for every hospital. And again, such a small amount of it goes to rural hospitals, and that's why we're working so hard to make sure this Transformation Fund helps us get to that next level.
[21:25:00]
COLLINS: Yes, and that's not what we're hearing from people like Senator Josh Hawley, though, who say that they're worried about this and, one, about the subsidies potentially being expanded, but also in terms of funding, and saying they actually need to keep that, because you need to keep those rural hospitals open.
MARSHALL: Yes, with all due respect, this is a very small amount of funding. Only 5 percent of Medicaid funding goes to rural hospitals. The problem with rural hospitals is the local economies. If agriculture is struggling, rural America is going to struggle.
This Medicaid is such a small amount, it's not helping. And again, you lose money on every Medicaid patient. You want to convert people from Medicaid to jobs with health insurance that helps cover the real bills.
COLLINS: Yes, it's hospitals and clinics as well that rely on that Medicaid funding disproportionately, as you know.
We heard from the President, late tonight, on his view, I guess is how I would put it, on how the negotiations at the White House went today.
I want to get your reaction to what the President posted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHUMER: Look, guys, there's no way to sugarcoat it. Nobody likes Democrats anymore. We have no voters left because of all of our woke trans bullshit. Not even black people want to vote for us anymore. Even Latinos hate us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Is that appropriate, in your view?
MARSHALL: Look, I think sometimes the President plays with the press like a little boy and a flashlight and a dog, and he's shining the flashlight here and he's shining it there.
What he's saying is, This offer from the Democrats is ridiculous. $1.5 trillion on top of funding that they already agreed to, that they're -- what they're asking for, is completely ridiculous, it's disingenuous.
And then for the Democrats to sit there and blame Republicans for the plight of rural hospitals is just so wrong. The problems with rural hospitals would be their policy, not ours. COLLINS: But couldn't the President just say, These demands are ridiculous, and not post a video with Hakeem Jeffries wearing a sombrero, and putting that voice over Senator Schumer, talking about people of color and immigrants?
MARSHALL: I think he said that several times already, and then for them to come and not to make any really serious offer.
Why didn't they just say, Look, let's just talk about these extra COVID-era subsidies, these extra subsidies that are costing some $35 billion a year. Let's make those just for the people who really need them. Let's go back to the original ACA, and make this for people under 400 percent. They didn't bring us a serious offer there.
Look, in my estimation, Chuck Schumer wants the government to shut down to settle a political score.
COLLINS: Yes. Well, Vice President Vance sounded open to the subsidies.
But just to be clear, you don't have any objections to that video the President posted?
MARSHALL: I think it's said in jest. I think it's the President making fun of a couple people that didn't bring a serious request to the White House.
COLLINS: Senator, we'll see if there's a shutdown tomorrow night. Thank you for joining us tonight.
MARSHALL: Thanks.
COLLINS: Up next -- and we'll be also noting tomorrow night's programming here on THE SOURCE. We're going to be broadcasting live, from Capitol Hill, ahead of that potential shutdown. And we're also going to be joined by the House Speaker Mike Johnson as my source, just hours before that is set to happen, on the latest for those negotiations. Don't miss that here, tomorrow night.
Up next for us, though. The President today said a ceasefire in Gaza, he believes, is closer than ever. He told Israel they'd have the full backing of the United States if Hamas rejects the ultimatum they made to them today. What Hamas has said tonight, is next.
[21:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: All eyes are on the Middle East tonight, where a source tells CNN that Hamas is currently reviewing that 20-point peace plan that was released by President Trump today. The President says that Israel has agreed to it. We heard Netanyahu say he supports it. And they're also demanding that Hamas do so as well.
This plan, among many things, calls for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, both dead and alive, increasing aid to Gaza immediately upon agreement, and also disarming Hamas, as well as what it looks like going forward in Gaza.
As the President says he believes a deal is imminent, and that Israel has his full backing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: So this is a big, big day, a beautiful day, potentially one of the great days ever in civilization.
At least, we're, at a minimum, very, very close. And I think we're beyond very close.
If not, as you know Bibi, you'd have our full backing to do what you would have to do. Everyone understands that the ultimate result must be the elimination of any danger posed in the region.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: But in a striking moment after that, as you can see here, neither President Trump nor Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu took any of our questions today. Instead, saying they believed it would be better to wait until the plan was finalized and agreed to by all parties.
Joining me tonight is Danny Danon, the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations.
And thank you, Ambassador, for being here.
I think the main question is, there's a lot of provisions in this plan that Hamas has already rejected. Do you think they're going to agree to this?
AMB. DANNY DANON, ISRAEL'S AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Kaitlan, we are still waiting for the answer of Hamas. We will be patient. You know, we are skeptical when it comes to Hamas. But I think today, Hamas is isolated. Because it's not only the President of the United States. We heard the leaders of the Arab world, the European, and even the people of Gaza who decided to leave Gaza City and to move to the south. More than 80 percent already did it.
[21:35:00]
I think everyone is telling Hamas, Take the deal. Because otherwise, we're going to move into Gaza City, and we all know what will be the outcome. So I think today, the pressure is on the shoulders of Hamas, and we will have to wait and see if they are smart enough to accept this proposal or not.
COLLINS: Can you clarify? In this plan, point four says, Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages alive and deceased will be returned. Does that mean that clock has started now, since Israel seemed to agree to this today?
DANON: Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly accepted the plan. You know, it's not a perfect one. We have to pay a heavy price. Actually acknowledging that we are releasing terrorists, we're actually granting amnesty to the people who committed October 7th, they can leave Gaza, or they can stay in Gaza? It's not an easy agreement for the Prime Minister or for anyone in Israel, but we are willing to do that in order to see the hostages come back home.
So, we are going to wait and see whether Hamas will accept the deal. And I know that the mediators and many, many leaders who supported the Hamas, in the last two years, are putting pressure on them now.
COLLINS: So, it's not clear if the 72-hour window has started yet. Is that right?
DANON: No, I think when you read the plan, it speaks about, it starts the minute Israel publicly accepts the plan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu already publicly accepted the plan.
COLLINS: OK, so the 72-hour window has started, in Israel's view?
DANON: Absolutely.
COLLINS: OK. I mean, we'll see if that happens. Obviously, that's 20 hostages who are still alive, I believe 28 who are killed, whose families very much still want them back. We'll see if that happens.
You mentioned part of this plan that Israel doesn't agree with or doesn't like. Does the Prime Minister want any changes to this plan that mentions a reformed Palestinian Authority having a role in Gaza, the creation, potentially, eventually, of a Palestinian statehood, something that we've heard Netanyahu reject. So, are those things that he is accepting by accepting this deal?
DANON: Well, a compromise means that both sides are not happy, and there are parts of the agreement that we are not happy with, but the Prime Minister agreed to the plan, on the whole, you know, and I think even the bad parts or the hard ones, we are willing to move forward to see if it's moving forward. And it's up to Hamas now to decide if they want to join. It's not going to be easy for us. It's not going to be easy for the other side. But that is the compromise.
And I think, Kaitlan, I met you at the U.N., last week. We heard so many leaders coming and speaking about ideas for the Middle East. But we have to give credit for President Trump, and his team, for actually sitting down, dealing with these complex issues, and putting together a plan to move forward, a feasible one, and we hope it will happen.
COLLINS: How much time does Hamas have to respond, in Israel's view?
DANON: Well, we're not going to count the minutes. But we're talking about 72 hours, you know? And I think Hamas now, they have the plan, they have to look at it and take a decision.
COLLINS: Ambassador Danny Danon, thank you for your time tonight.
DANON: Thank you very much, Kaitlan. COLLINS: Also here is CNN's Global Affairs Analyst, Brett McGurk, who was the lead negotiator on the Gaza ceasefire deal, earlier this year, and the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa under President Biden.
What do you make of what we heard from the Ambassador there, in terms of Israel doesn't like parts of this, but is agreeing to the rest?
BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COORDINATOR FOR MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA: Well, there are certainly parts here that are controversial, in Israel. It says no annexation of Gaza. It's a 250 life-sentence Palestinian prisoners. These are known as heavy prisoners in this negotiation. These are prisoners that killed a number of Israelis. That's a high number, Kaitlan.
Just to give you some comparison. In the deal that was closed in January, I think we closed at about 115 life-sentence prisoners for 30 hostages. Here you have 250 life-sentences Palestinian prisoners be released. Those are the people Hamas really wants.
So, there's a number of provisions in here that I think are very favorable to particularly Palestinians. This says, Israel cannot occupy Gaza. Israel cannot annex Gaza. It's very important.
There's also a lot here, very good for Israel. This makes very clear, Hamas' days in Gaza are over. They cannot have a governing role. They cannot have a security role, and they have to disarm. Now, that has been a controversial position, because Hamas has always said, We will never accept that.
But now you have, and I think that's why today is very important, the entire Arab world, basically, has endorsed this plan, including Muslim-majority states, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan. So, Hamas now is very isolated. They have nowhere to go. They don't have Iran. They don't have Hezbollah. And now you have all these countries, in the Arab world, saying, basically, Take the deal.
Now, I think they will take their time. I know these guys. They'll demand changes. But all pressure now should go down on Hamas, Take the deal, let's end the war.
COLLINS: Do you think they will take the deal?
[21:40:00]
MCGURK: Look, no, and then they'll take their time.
I'm mindful, Kaitlan, May 27th, President Biden rolled out a three- phase ceasefire plan. Israel accepted it, unanimously endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. Hamas did not answer for six weeks, OK? So, that's what they do. And then the war goes on.
But this is a clear plan. And it says in there, Kaitlan, even if Hamas dilly-dallies or doesn't accept the plan? The plan will be implemented in the areas that Israel currently controls. That means that Israel will withdraw over time, and an international security force will come in, to help restore Gaza and the lives of Gazans. That's really important.
And this is now a plan internationally-endorsed. And this is the plan. There will not be another one. And it's up to Hamas.
COLLINS: What did you make of the President making himself -- he said he didn't choose to do this because he's busy enough, but saying he's going to be the chair of the board that is going to--
MCGURK: Yes.
COLLINS: --basically be that peace-keeping, however you would describe it.
MCGURK: Yes, honestly I got to say, I mean, look, I -- credit where its due. This is good diplomacy by the President today, OK? He brought Bibi Netanyahu to the White House. He said, I'm going to get on the phone with the Prime Minister of Qatar, and you're going to apologize for that strike. I doubt Netanyahu wanted to do that.
COLLINS: And can we get that--
MCGURK: But he did it.
COLLINS: Just for everyone who isn't totally aware of that. Israel strikes inside Qatar, in Doha--
MCGURK: Yes.
COLLINS: --trying to kill Hamas negotiators and leaders, they said. We don't even fully know how successful that was. But basically, they were all three on a phone call today, and the President made Prime Minister Netanyahu--
MCGURK: Yes.
COLLINS: --do something I think he probably rarely does, which is apologize to him, and agree to not strike and violate their sovereignty like that again.
MCGURK: 20 years ago -- history doesn't repeat, it rhymes, as Mark Twain said -- Netanyahu was Prime Minister, failed assassination attempt of a Hamas leader in Jordan. Netanyahu apologized to King Hussein back then, so.
But this is extraordinary. I don't think Netanyahu has ever really spoken to the Qatari leadership, and they set up now a trilateral framework, U.S., Qatar and Israel, to kind of work out issues between them. That's a big deal. But the apology to Qatar allows now Qatar, to say to Hamas -- because I know Hamas was saying, Hey, we're out of these talks. They just tried to -- they launched a missile in Downtown Doha, and you, Qataris, now have no role. That's now over, OK? Apology has been made. Qatar is back in this.
My understanding from across the region, there is hope that this can get done. I know Hamas. I think they will delay. I think they will demand other changes. But this is now the deal. Everybody wants this war to end. This war has to end. It is awful. This is now the deal. Hamas needs to take the deal. That's where we are--
COLLINS: Well--
MCGURK: And so, that's a big step.
COLLINS: See if they do.
Brett McGurk, great to have you here on set.
MCGURK: Thank you.
COLLINS: We'll wait for Hamas to respond and see what their response is. We'll bring that to you yourself.
And of course, as we were talking about videos, the President has been posting tonight, we already showed you one, at the top of the hour. There was another one though, that the President posted over the weekend. He's promoting a cure-all bed? Of course, the question is, what he meant there?
I should note, this is a segment, it never actually aired. It's AI. And it is also part of a decades-old conspiracy theory that, luckily, we have CNN's Donie O'Sullivan here to break down, next.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Imagine for a moment that aliens came down to earth and gave the U.S. government a miraculous futuristic technology that could cure any disease, regenerate limbs and even age people in reverse, but that the U.S. government has been keeping it a secret all along.
Now, that is the crazy premise of the decades old MedBed conspiracy theory. And you probably would have never heard about it, certainly not on this show, except for the fact that it was promoted by the President of the United States, over the weekend.
He posted and then deleted an AI video of him touting the non-existent cure-all hospital bed in a fake news segment, this never aired. But in it, an AI-generated version of the President promises to share the technology with all Americans, very soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Every American will soon receive their own MedBed card. With it, you'll have guaranteed access to our new hospitals led by the top doctors in the nation, equipped with the most advanced technology in the world. These facilities are safe, modern and designed to restore every citizen to full health and strength.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: My source tonight is our resident conspiracy expert, CNN's Donie O'Sullivan.
And Donie, you actually tried one of these things out?
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, I didn't--
COLLINS: Why are you -- you're an expert in this, to explain before we get to the trouble there (ph).
O'SULLIVAN: Well, I didn't try out a real MedBed because real MedBeds don't exist.
COLLINS: Because they're not real?
O'SULLIVAN: Yes. So the conspiracy theory does go back decades, really, to early in the post-World War II period where everybody was spotting UFOs, there was the UFO craze, and this conspiracy theory emerged that the U.S. government had retrieved aliens and alien technology, and reverse-engineered that to create these beds that could cure all sorts of diseases. And sort of then played into this idea that those beds are only made available to the elites. And that's really where it sort of left off.
But then, of course, over the past decade or so, with the QAnon conspiracy theory, which is very focused on deep, dark secrets of government and elite cabals and things like this, the MedBed--
[21:50:00]
COLLINS: I mean, deep, dark secrets. Have they watched them try to negotiate government funding, like it's not like they're -- they're prominent (ph) here.
O'SULLIVAN: No. Yes. But I will say it was just, I mean, so surreal to see the President post this, this weekend. I mean, this is, as you mentioned, you have refused to talk about MedBeds on this show despite all the times I--
COLLINS: Yes, we've been keeping it secret. It's why I'm aging in reverse.
O'SULLIVAN: Oh, no. But I am -- but I just got to say, in terms of, like, what he posted, just taking a step back from the conspiracy theory itself. An AI video, a fake video of himself and his daughter- in-law, of a fake news report. I mean, it's just, it's layer upon layer of craziness, really.
I do want to show you what sort of pops up at these events around the country, sort of MAGA events, a sort of take on MedBed technology. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Balances the brain hemispheres.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You allow the cells to detox and come back into harmony with the body.
O'SULLIVAN: I feel like I'm being abducted by aliens or something.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'SULLIVAN: This is the important reporting I do for this network, Kaitlan. So that--
COLLINS: You're just laying on tarp.
O'SULLIVAN: Well, that tarp is a MedBed, so that's a -- as supposedly as electromagnetic pulses and things in that tarp, no proven health benefits. But some people say they find benefits from it.
But I will just say, the sort of serious point of all of this is that there are some people out there who are desperate for cures, desperate for health care. Maybe they can't afford health care. And sometimes, they are turning to very dangerous and frankly, false and fake treatments online.
So, this is sort of part of a broader ecosystem of misinformation, around health misinformation. And look, I mean, this whole MedBed thing is very out there, but there still are people that are sort of relying on these miracle cures.
COLLINS: Because, typically, that'd be something that maybe they'd find on random parts of the internet, or see like when you're checking out at the grocery store. But the President gives it, one, he promotes it and validates it, even though it's not real when he shares something like that.
O'SULLIVAN: Exactly. And look, I mean, just following some of the boards where this -- these things are discussed, I did see people on there today, saying, Well, even though Trump deleted it, maybe there's something to it.
So, it's all well and good to laugh at it. But there are people, at the end of the day, real people, who are looking at this sort of stuff and wondering, Hmm, maybe I -- maybe I should hang on for this miracle cure.
COLLINS: Donie Sullivan -- Donie O'Sullivan, thank you so much, as we will continue to follow that and everything else that the President has been posting tonight.
And up next. There is a new lawsuit win for the President tonight, with YouTube now agreeing to pay a huge sum to the President, after that settlement over January 6. Just how much they're paying him, right ahead.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Before we go, three things you might have missed today.
As the President's revenge tour, even though he's not calling it that, is continuing, as we've now learned that the Justice Department is conducting a national security investigation, around FBI leadership from when Christopher Wray was in charge.
This is the latest investigation that we've learned about, following that indictment of Christopher Wray's predecessor, James Comey, last week. And a reminder, Trump handpicked Chris Wray to be the FBI director, after he fired James Comey.
We're told, this investigation is related to the alleged destruction or mishandling of documents that are connected with the John Durham Special Counsel investigation, that was put in place by Bill Barr. The President on Saturday publicly accused Wray of lying about January 6, numbers that are not even backed up by his own FBI director now.
We reached out to Chris Wray for comment on all of this.
And also, the President's lawsuit tour is still underway. This time, YouTube has just agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a suit that was filed by Trump, after he was suspended by the social media platform, following January 6. Most of that money, we are told, is going to go to the nonprofit, Trust for the National Mall, to support the construction of the new White House ballroom.
And speaking of politics tonight, the SEC Network host, Paul Finebaum is considering leaving ESPN for a potential move to Capitol Hill. In an interview with OutKick, Finebaum says that if he ran, he'd run as a Republican for a potentially open U.S. Senate seat in Alabama. That's because the former Auburn coach, Tommy Tuberville, and current senator, is running for governor.
Here's what Paul Finebaum had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL FINEBAUM, ESPN HOST: I am thinking about it constantly. And that's difficult to do Clay, as you're talking about college football.
CLAY TRAVIS, FOUNDER, OUTKICK: Yes.
[22:00:00]
FINEBAUM: 20 hours a week, debating Stephen A. Smith, as you well know. I mean, it's -- I mean, you're sitting there, talking to Stephen A. Smith, and as you're waiting for your turn, you're thinking, I wonder if I should move forward on this. So, it's a -- it's been -- it's been going on for a couple of days, or, if not, weeks, and it's just hard to chisel it down to make an educated decision. But to say I'm considering it? Of course, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Debating Stephen A. Smith might prepare him perfectly for the halls of Congress. We'll keep an eye on what Paul Finebaum is doing, whether he becomes Senator Finebaum.
Thanks so much for joining us in the meantime.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts right now.
