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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Trump: Israel & Hamas Agree To First Phase Of Peace Deal; Comey Pleads Not Guilty; Tension Builds On Capitol Hill As Shutdown Drags On. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired October 08, 2025 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: -- just a microcosm of the difficulty the firefighters are facing in these conditions. The difference between 15 minutes ago here, and right now, the only thing that changed was the direction of the wind. The wind shifted and, all of a sudden, this entire sort of valley area just erupted.
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COOPER: And that was the fire, as we covered it one day.
That's the news for tonight for us. Thanks for watching.
The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: Breaking news tonight, as President Trump announces that Israel and Hamas have reached a deal.
I'm Kaitlan Collins, live from the White House. And this is a special edition of THE SOURCE.
Good evening from the White House where, behind me, President Trump has spent the evening, on the phone, after announcing that Israel and Hamas have agreed to phase one of his peace deal, with the hopes that this is the culmination of this breakthrough means an end to the two- year war in Gaza.
This development potentially means that in the coming days, the fighting will stop, and Hamas is promising to release the remaining hostages, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel is set to withdraw from the majority of Gaza to an agreed-upon line. We're still waiting for details, this evening, on where that line will be, and what exactly this means for the other difficult questions that were included as part of this peace proposal, including whether Hamas will disarm, as demanded by the deal.
But make no mistake tonight. This is a historic moment in what could be the beginning of the end of a war, that started two years ago with that violent slaughter by Hamas. Here's how the extraordinary scene played out here, at the White House today, as the President was holding a round table, as you can see here, as Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, gets up and walks over to the side.
That's when the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, enters the room and takes her seat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And, by the way, we have Marco Rubio.
Marco, come on up here. Please.
He's going to bring a little stability to this group.
Come on up.
Does everybody know Marco Rubio? Is there anybody that doesn't? Some of the reporters don't. That's why they shouldn't be reporters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which job is he here for today, sir?
TRUMP: Come on up here, Marco. Anything we should know about the Middle East?
MARCO RUBIO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: That's what we're hoping to talk to you about here, Mr. President.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: As Secretary Rubio sat down, you can see, he writes a note on a piece of paper, he tears it off, and then he hands it over to the President.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM BONDI, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: Not smart enough. They -- oh, my microphone is broken.
They're smart, but they're not smart enough. They have been covered by these liberal cities for so many years. And that's why we're all working with Treasury, with all these different departments, to find the criminal conspiracy.
RUBIO: (inaudible).
TRUMP: OK.
I'm just given--
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Yes, I was just given a note by the Secretary of State, saying that we're very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they're going to need me pretty quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: What was written on that note was captured in these images, by the AP photographer, Evan Vucci, showing the note that read, We are very close to a deal, and that the President would need to quote, Approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce the deal first.
Two hours later, the President did just that. That post coming in at 06:51 p.m. Eastern, here in Washington, stating, quote, "I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace."
In Israel, we quickly heard from the Prime Minister there, thanking the President, and saying that the hostages would soon be home, quote, With God's help.
We've learned tonight here at CNN that the two leaders spoke by phone, shortly after that, as the President himself is preparing for a possible trip to the Middle East, which we are told could be imminent.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond starts us off from Tel Aviv.
We've also got CNN Political and Global Affairs Analyst, Barak Ravid of Axios here.
And Barak, let me start with you, actually, because you did just get off the phone with President Trump, a short time ago. What did he have to say?
BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL & GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST, GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: Yes, Kaitlan, good evening.
President Trump, when we spoke, was very happy, was very satisfied, with this diplomatic achievement, which was, one of his key campaign promises during -- before the election. And it's definitely his biggest foreign policy achievement since going back to Office, going back to the Oval Office, last January.
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And President Trump told me during our call, that he will likely go to Israel in the coming days, and that he will also be willing to speak in front of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. He said, They asked me to speak, and I'll be willing to speak if they want to.
President Trump told me that he thinks that this deal is a great achievement for Israel, great achievement for the world. He told me about his phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu just an hour ago. He said that -- he said, Bibi was very happy, and he should be very happy, because this is a big achievement.
And President Trump ended our call by saying, The whole world came together to reach this deal, including countries that were enemies.
And I think that President Trump now, his biggest challenge will be how to move from this first phase of this deal to the second phase, that will be at least, at least, as difficult and complicated, because it speaks not only about a ceasefire and a release of hostages. It speaks about what Gaza will look like in the future. It speaks about reconstruction in Gaza. It speaks about an international security force. All of those things are very complicated, but -- and Trump will have to deal with it once he's back from his trip to the Middle East.
COLLINS: Yes, that's a key question tonight, because obviously this is a huge announcement alone. I mean, we had a hostage family on the show, last night, talking about how much they want their son's body back from Gaza. And just that alone is a watershed moment as this has played out.
But in terms of those difficult phases that are going to come next, did the President say anything about that tonight?
RAVID: No, I think he's -- again, he's not there yet. He's now focused on, as far as I understood, he's focused on getting the hostages out, and getting the next few days with each side has to do certain things. The Israelis have to pull out. Hamas needs to release the hostages. Israel needs to release prisoners.
And by the way, there are 48 hostages. 20 of them are alive. Those hostages, Hamas knows where they are. They will be released very quickly. The problem is that not all of the 28 hostages that died, not all of them Hamas knows where they are immediately. They have to start looking for them. This could take quite some time.
And you know, Kaitlan, you covered this extensively over the last two years. You covered the hostage families. You met many of them. You interviewed them. You interacted with them. I did this too. Many other reporters did this too. And I think today is such a meaningful day, both, for them, the families of the hostages, the hostages that are being released, and obviously, the people of Gaza that went through immense suffering over the last two years.
And this suffering, the suffering of the hostages and their families, and the suffering of the people of Gaza, hopefully ended today. And I think that's -- that's a great day.
And you know what? I'm wearing this pin for two years now, and I can't wait for taking it off my jacket, because this will mean that the hostages are back home.
COLLINS: I think that's such a good point, Barak. I mean, I saw you here at the White House, yesterday. You were wearing that pin.
And just as someone who has covered this, and as someone who used to live in Israel, now that this has gone on for two years and one day, what it is like, even for you as a reporter tonight, to be covering this?
RAVID: In many ways, I can't even remember myself before the war. As a reporter, as a journalist, as a person, it consumed everything.
And I'm sure, I'm not special. I mean, there are millions of people in Israel, and in Gaza, and in the region, that their lives were completely, completely changed because of this war. Many of them lost family members, lost loved ones, were badly wounded, were traumatized. It's a time now for this whole region to start healing.
COLLINS: Yes, that's what everyone is hoping for.
Barak Ravid, thank you for that excellent reporting. Keep us updated if you learn more during this hour.
And also, I want to go to CNN's Jeremy Diamond, who has been on the ground, covering this war extensively as well.
And Jeremy, one key question on the hostages, that they do know where they are, the ones who are alive, is how soon this could happen, and when that 72-hour clock that is in this agreement gets triggered here.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I am told that those hostages could be released as soon as Saturday or Sunday, but it will depend, the exact timing of that, will depend on when the Israeli cabinet actually finally approves this deal, approves this deal that will secure the release of the hostages, but will also result in an exchange of Palestinian prisoners, and that's why you need to have that cabinet process.
The Israeli Prime Minister is convening that cabinet tomorrow. But it could be quite a lengthy process. Not because we expect any bumps in the road in particular, or because we don't expect this to go through. The Prime Minister does have a majority in that cabinet. But there could be lengthy speeches, from various ministers, including those with reservations or opposition, including some of those far-right members of his government. But once all of that is done, the clock will go off, and we could see those hostages released as early as this weekend.
And of course, there are several other elements of this first phase of this deal. There is the release of the hostages, but of course, also an immediate ceasefire that would take effect. Israeli troops would begin withdrawing to agreed-upon lines.
And also, a surge of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, who have endured unspeakable horrors, over the course of these last two years, and who are continuing to face just an absolutely horrendous humanitarian situation. A lot of reprieve for them in here as well.
COLLINS: Yes, do we know how soon that aid could be going into Gaza? Because I saw that mentioned in the Qatari statement. I didn't see it mentioned in some of the others.
But that obviously is a key question, as well, as Barak was just talking about, what Palestinians have endured, during this war, the people there who, as we've reported extensively on the hunger and the disease and everything that's been playing out inside of Gaza.
DIAMOND: Yes, we still just don't have so many of these details of the exact sequencing of events.
But the way that it was written in that original 20-point plan that the President released, last week, was that that surge of humanitarian aid would begin as soon as that ceasefire would take hold inside of Gaza. So, we do expect that that could also begin to happen as soon as this weekend, if not sooner, depending on, again, the timing of that Israeli cabinet vote.
I do think it's important to note here that neither President Trump nor the Israeli Prime Minister, in their statements, talked about this phase one agreement actually leading to an end of the war in Gaza.
But it was explicitly mentioned in the statement from Hamas, which said that this agreement stipulates an end of the war, as well as the statement from the Qatari Foreign Ministry, which said that this agreement will lead to an end of the war in Gaza.
And just think about what that means for the people of Gaza, and all that they have endured, over the course of these last two years. Just over two years to the date, I mean, we're talking about, more than 67,000 people who have been killed in Gaza. That death toll likely higher, because so many bodies are still buried under the rubble. We know, of course, that tens of thousands of children have been orphaned by this war. More than 90 percent of residential buildings destroyed in Gaza. And all of this could mark the end of that war, if the Qataris and Hamas are to be believed here.
But there are a lot of steps that are going to need to happen, as Barak was saying, the negotiations on Hamas' disarmament, on that transitional government that is supposed to take hold, the transfer of territory from Israeli forces to this international security force. So much that needs to be worked out, over the coming days and weeks.
But for now, at least, Kaitlan, a moment of respite and a moment of hope for a region that has been sorely lacking in all of that for the last two years.
COLLINS: Yes, a moment that so many people around the world have been -- have been waiting for.
Jeremy Diamond, on the ground in Israel, thank you for that.
Also here with me here, at the White House, as this historic announcement was made tonight, I'm joined by The New York Times White House and National Security Correspondent, David Sanger.
And obviously, David, you've been covering this extensively as well. There was this kind of moment building here today, at the White House, as we were waiting for President Trump's Truth -- this post to come out, after that meeting with Marco Rubio. What are you hearing from your sources tonight?
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE & NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Well, first, a remarkable day. A huge relief, if it works. We're on the brink of something big. We have to acknowledge that it's the Mideast, and things can fall apart, and this isn't done yet.
The second is, for President Trump, this would be a huge vindication of his approach. And in the end, what made it work was he really squeezed Prime Minister Netanyahu. He -- they did good preparation work for the 20 points in that plan. They forced Netanyahu to basically sign it. He would just not -- that was not his plan, when he was here at the White House. They forced him to apologize to the leaders of Qatar, for bombing the negotiators there or -- and attempting to kill them along the way.
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So, it's a big moment. It's a moment for Israel to try to repair not only the damage done to its own country by this horrific terror attack, but to its reputation by the kind of war it conducted in Gaza, which, as you heard from Jeremy, destroyed 90 percent of the housing, killed over 60,000 people. Some of them, no doubt, were Hamas sympathizers. Many were not.
And the question now is, can you turn a ceasefire and a prisoner release into a peace plan? And they're very different.
COLLINS: And the reason that is such an important distinction here, and will be the key thing that we watch in the coming days, in addition to just this being a watershed moment, is this calls for Hamas to disarm, and that is something that they have made it explicitly clear, the Israelis, must happen. Hamas has rejected that in previous stances. And so, that's a key question in terms of what this looks like going forward.
Before we get to that, though, the President's probably going to go to the Middle East.
SANGER: Yes.
COLLINS: And they're still locking everything down. Obviously, you can't plan a presidential trip in a heartbeat, but, I mean--
SANGER: Well, they're going to try. Yes.
COLLINS: They're going to try. A heartbeat is basically three days for them.
If he goes to Egypt, we're hearing he's preparing to go to Israel as well--
SANGER: Right.
COLLINS: --to maybe speak to the Parliament there, and watching that moment as well.
SANGER: So, Egypt would be basically to put him at the center of the signing or blessing of this agreement, although it's only an agreement for part one.
And part two of this, which would include who is running Gaza? And can you put together this international force? What role would the United States play in it? Would Israel pull back and allow a Palestinian technocratic ruling group to take over? Those are all going to be really hard-fought questions.
Then he wants to go to Israel, and do the victory lap of saying, I told you I would get all the hostages out, and I did.
And I think many Israelis probably are likely to credit President Trump more, for getting the hostages out than Prime Minister Netanyahu.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, the message already out of the White House here tonight has been that he's the President of Peace. The one thing the President has been very clearly angling for is the Nobel Peace Prize that gets announced, I think, at 05:00 a.m. Eastern--
SANGER: Friday.
COLLINS: --on Friday.
SANGER: Yes, I don't think he's going to get it on this round. But look, we have -- if he can make this work, if all the parts of this come together, he would have as good a claim to that as many people who have won it in the past.
And remember, there were three sitting presidents who won. Theodore Roosevelt. Woodrow Wilson won. Jimmy Carter won after he left office.
COLLINS: Left office.
SANGER: And, of course, President Obama won.
COLLINS: Yes, and obviously the President has made clear his desire there as well.
David Sanger, obviously, you'll be doing a lot of reporting over the next few days. Thank you for joining us here on the North Lawn tonight.
SANGER: Thank you.
COLLINS: And up next here for us. We are covering the reaction coming out of Tel Aviv. This is Hostage Square. Of course, a place that has become infamous over the last two years. As everyone has gathered, they're calling for their loved ones to be brought home.
I'm going to speak to the Israeli Ambassador to the United States, right after a quick break.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Breaking news, as moments ago, we heard from President Trump, for the first time, saying that he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, after announcing that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace deal that will allow for the release of all hostages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I spoke to Bibi Netanyahu just a little while ago. He called, he said, I can't believe it. He said, Everybody is liking me now, and they've -- meaning him. He said -- and I said that, more importantly, they're loving Israel again, and they really are. It's -- I said, Israel cannot fight the world, Bibi, they can't fight the world. And he understands that very well. So, it's amazing the way it's all come together, and it's a beautiful picture. I don't know if it could ever happen again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: I'm joined now by the Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter.
And thank you so much, Mr. Ambassador, for being here.
I think the key question everyone has is, do you believe this is the end of this war?
AMB. YECHIEL LEITER, ISRAEL'S AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Well, I pray and hope every moment that it's the end of the war. Certainly, it's the first phase of a very important plan that the President has presented. We hope it leads to a complete cessation of hostilities and a rebuilding of Gaza, for the sake of the Gazans and for the sake of Israel. But it's the first stage, and we got to see the first stage implemented completely in the next few days.
COLLINS: And do you believe -- is your understanding that the 72 hours that they have to release the hostages. Has that started now? What is the time frame, from Israel's understanding?
LEITER: Well, the framework is as follows.
Hamas still has to approve the list of the prisoners they're going to release. That's going to happen tomorrow morning, just a few hours, really, from now Israel time.
And then, the cabinet has to meet, Israel's cabinet, because releasing prisoners, many of them who have murdered Israelis, that has to be approved by our cabinet. The cabinet will meet in the afternoon or evening hours.
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And immediately after the cabinet approves the parameters of the agreement, the 72 hours will kick in. And I think that's why the President is referring to Sunday or Monday, because that would be the end of the 72 hours. COLLINS: On the hostages. We reported earlier that Israel assesses Hamas may not be able to find and return all of the 28 remaining hostages who were killed, whose bodies are still being held in Gaza. 20 of them, of course, are alive.
Is that your understanding that Hamas may not know where all the hostages who have been killed are located?
LEITER: Well, there's two issues here.
Number one, we're dealing with a ghoulish terrorist organization, and they're not exactly poised to protect bodies that they've kidnapped. That's number one.
Number two, they're not the only ones holding the hostages of both the living and the dead. There are four organizations, terror organizations, alongside of Hamas.
So, they have to be identified, they have to be found, and they have to be returned. But we're hoping that's all going to be able to be done in those 72 hours.
COLLINS: OK, so you are hopeful that that can happen in those 72 hours.
The other thing the President mentioned tonight, in his announcement, is about Israel withdrawing its forces in Gaza to an agreed-upon line. What is your understanding of what that agreed-upon line is, sir?
LEITER: Well, the President actually released the line in a tweet of his, earlier in the week. It's a yellow line that we've negotiated. I was involved in negotiating that line, when the Prime Minister was here in Washington.
By the way, I've got to interject, Kaitlan. I heard David Sanger's analysis of the relationship between the President and the Prime Minister.
And, I mean, it's kind of interesting. I was in the room. I was there, the entire time the President and the Prime Minister met. And there was no forcing the Prime Minister's hand. And everybody is giving credit to everyone except for the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister brought this to the table. And there was a wonderful relationship between the President -- wonderful atmosphere between the President and the Prime Minister.
I think if pressure was put on anyone, it was the President productively putting the pressure on Qatar and Turkey, and made it very clear to them, they could not continue to give refuge to the leadership of Hamas, and it was time for the leadership of Hamas, to tell the operatives in Gaza that they've got to sign this deal. So, I think that really is what happened.
COLLINS: OK.
LEITER: That's what I was witness to. Sanger (ph) wasn't in the room. I was.
COLLINS: And have you gotten a readout of that call that happened tonight between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu?
LEITER: I don't have a readout yet. I do have a report on the call, somebody who was together with the Prime Minister. And it was a celebratory call, and there was a lot of thanks expressed by the Prime Minister to the President, for bringing the Arab states to the table, and putting that pressure on Hamas and seeing this through.
And now, we just have to see through the second phase, but let's get through the first phase, and let's see our hostages out. Let's see our withdrawal to that agreed-upon line. And once that happens, I think that'll be an important confidence-building measure, and both sides will be able to proceed.
The Prime Minister laid out, from the very beginning, the objectives of this war, and that included the release of all our hostages, the disarming of Hamas, and the complete demilitarization of Gaza. That has to be implemented. And that's what's in the President's plan. That's the vision of President Trump. And I think that we continue down this path, we're going to see that happen.
COLLINS: Ambassador, we've spoken many times, over the last several months, since your time here in Washington. And just for you, on a personal note, for those who don't know, your son was killed in Gaza, in November, after the attack in October. I wonder what this moment tonight feels like for you.
LEITER: Thank you, Kaitlan, for mentioning my son. Look, for me and my family, and all of my friends who have lost sons and daughters in this -- in this war. Look, this would not have happened without military pressure that we applied on Hamas. It just wouldn't have happened.
And the fact that we're sitting now, outside of Gaza City, ready and poised to complete this project, militarily, is at the end of the day, what brought Hamas to the table. And it's thanks to all of our young people who have given their lives, have sacrificed the ultimate sacrifice, in order for Israel to be safe and secure, that we owe this moment.
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So, I miss my son desperately. He was my best friend, my oldest son, the father of six of my grandchildren, and -- but I know that he was a brave warrior on behalf of the Jewish state. And he and his colleagues have made this moment possible. So, it's something we have to live with. It's a tension in our emotional makeup that we have to live with. But we're both missing him very much, both very proud of what he accomplished.
COLLINS: And may his memory be a blessing, of course.
Mr. Ambassador, thank you so much for joining us tonight.
LEITER: Thank you, Kaitlan. Good evening. COLLINS: And we're going to continue to monitor the breaking news coming out of the Middle East, as we're learning more about when President Trump is expected to travel there, as the White House is still working that out tonight.
Also here, in Washington today, this breaking news, as we're hearing after -- reaction, after the former FBI Director James Comey was in federal court. He pleaded not guilty to those criminal charges.
And we're going to speak to Congressman Jamie Raskin about it all, right after this.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Back to our breaking news, as we are live here on the North Lawn of the White House tonight, for this special edition of THE SOURCE.
President Trump says tonight that the hostages, currently being held in Gaza, are expected to be released by Monday, after Israel and Hamas signed off on the first phase of what the White House hopes will be a lasting peace deal.
Joining me tonight is the Democratic congressman, Jamie Raskin.
And it's great to have you here, sir.
I just wonder your reaction to this news tonight, coming out of the White House.
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): Well, it's some very badly-needed good news. It's welcome, pretty much, to everybody who wants to see peace. Like Ben Franklin said, There's no such thing as a bad peace or a good war, he said. And so, peace is much to be preferred.
And obviously, we're just in the first stages, and a lot of things can happen. But the whole world has been demanding an end to the bloodshed and the violence, and a return of the hostages to their families. So, it seems like this is a very positive break.
COLLINS: And do you believe that the President here, sir, deserves credit for brokering this deal?
RASKIN: Well, obviously we don't know a lot about the details of what happened, or even the details of what exactly has been agreed to.
But I'm perfectly willing to give credit to where credit's due, whether it's Donald Trump, or people in the Israeli government, or people in the various Arab countries, or the peace movements of the world that have been marching. And certainly, I would probably put hostage families very close to the top of the list, as they've been the ones who have been demanding a ceasefire and a return of the hostages.
COLLINS: Yes, they've obviously kept this at the top of the list, in terms of demanding the release of their loved ones, every day.
The Majority Leader, John Thune, over in the Senate, Republican, said earlier that he's hopeful about this, but he is skeptical of Hamas' motivations tonight.
Is that how you feel tonight?
RASKIN: I mean, again, it's so difficult to opine about what's happened, since we don't know what's going on with any of the negotiations. And I think, I just want to register my goodwill for anybody, who is acting with goodwill, to bring the hostages home, and to see an end to the violence and the bloodshed and the famine in Gaza.
COLLINS: And obviously, we're waiting to see what happens next, how phase one is implemented here, and for the hostages and everyone to come home.
I want to ask you about another development that happened here, outside Washington today. It was in that Virginia courtroom, where James Comey, the former FBI Director, was pleading not guilty to the two charges that he was indicted on. We've heard from the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, defending these charges.
I wonder if you believe this is ultimately going to go to trial.
RASKIN: I would say 50-50, on that. For one thing, Mr. Comey has got an extraordinary lawyer in Pat Fitzgerald, who's a former U.S. Attorney himself, and he's got some excellent claims that could derail the entire trial. Right?
They're saying, this was a vindictive and a selective prosecution ordered by the President of the United States, and they've got a lot of evidence for that. They're saying it's the result of outrageous misconduct by the President, and by the Department of Justice. They're saying that it's an abuse of the grand jury process.
And they have so much to back it up with, because you have so many other investigators, and prosecutors, who've refused to bring the exact same charges, including the immediate past, prior U.S. Attorney Mr. Siebert, who--
COLLINS: Yes.
RASKIN: --Donald Trump had appointed to the office, who was forced out of the office because he said there simply was not sufficient probable cause to bring the prosecution.
COLLINS: Yes, and as all that was happening, and the questions of whether or not this was actually going to move forward, that was when the President posted, on Truth Social, calling for James Comey's prosecution.
The Wall Street Journal published tonight, and said that the President actually thought he was sending Pam Bondi a message, directly and privately, just to her, in that. And then, obviously, the post actually turned out to be public on Truth Social. We could all read it. And then he deleted it, and posted again.
I just wonder what you make of the fact that he seemed to think he was sending this just to her, and not making it public.
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RASKIN: Well, it demonstrates what everybody knew, which is that Pam Bondi is taking her orders directly from the President of the United States. We've never seen such a destruction of the boundary that has traditionally existed in American criminal justice enforcement, between the White House and the Attorney General.
But in any event, he had been making similar types of public pronouncements against Comey, as well as other people, including our colleague, Senator Adam Schiff. So, he's pretty much made it clear who is on the wrath and vengeance hitlist. And I think that does create, in so many of these cases, the possibility for a whole set of threshold process objections to the impossibility of getting a fair trial.
COLLINS: What does it tell you, though, about just -- I guess, after hearing from the Attorney General, yesterday, incredibly defensive, attacking a lot of the Democratic senators who were criticizing her, yesterday, or asking her questions, that she didn't feel that she needed to answer to them. What it says to you about how the Justice Department is being run right now, as you're the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee?
RASKIN: Well, it's a disturbing descent into the complete political submission and transformation of the department. They're acting like trained seals for Donald Trump. They're really performing for him, as we saw from the Attorney General yesterday.
And there's not even a pretense of trying to uphold the rule of law and the Constitution independently. So, they're acting like Donald Trump's personal law firm, and they've basically put themselves at the same level as Rudy Giuliani and others, who basically set out to do whatever the President had ordered them to do.
But that's not what lawyers are expected to do, either by the rules of professional responsibility or the description of their job duties.
COLLINS: Congressman Jamie Raskin, thank you for joining us tonight, on the breaking news.
RASKIN: You bet.
COLLINS: And as we're following every development that we're getting out of the Middle East tonight, we are seeing hopes for relief, celebrations from hostage families, the President announcing this deal between Israel and Hamas.
There are also tensions rising here in Washington, as the shutdown is dragging on, including in-person confrontations on Capitol Hill. We'll speak with one of these people who was involved in this, next.
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COLLINS: We're back at the White House tonight, as we're continuing to report out on this historic agreement, between Israel and Hamas, and what it means going forward.
In Egypt tonight, the U.S. Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the Qatari Prime Minister, were seen shaking hands and embracing one another, on Egyptian state media, after news of the agreement broke.
Joining me now is New York Republican congressman, Mike Lawler.
And thank you, sir, for being here.
You described this announcement as a historic opportunity to begin rebuilding a secure and peaceful future for Israel.
One question tonight is what America's role, in rebuilding Gaza looks like, going forward. What do you think that should be?
REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): Look, this is a historic moment in the Middle East, and President Trump deserves a lot of credit for working tirelessly, along with Steve Witkoff, Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, to get this done and get the hostages home. That was step one.
Step two will be eliminating Hamas. They cannot be in governance of Gaza, moving forward. We have all said that repeatedly.
I think our Arab partners who were involved in these negotiations, as well as Saudi Arabia, are going to be critical, moving forward, to ensure a stable government gets put in place, and that ultimately there is a rebuilding effort.
The United States and Israel will have a role to play, in terms of funding and support. But this has to be Arab-led, if you're going to have a stable government there that is demilitarized, and the threat of terrorism from Hamas or the Palestinian Authority is eliminated.
COLLINS: Yes, and obviously we've seen Qatar playing a huge role in this. They were there today in Egypt, as we just noted. We'll see what this looks like, because phase two is going to be -- is going to be really difficult.
And speaking of difficult things happening, here in Washington. This government shutdown is still dragging on tonight. We're kind of moving into this phase, where confrontations are happening on Capitol Hill. Tensions seem to be flaring up.
You were in the middle of both of those moments today on Capitol Hill. I want everyone who didn't get a chance to see that, to see some of what happened today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAWLER: With all due respect, you voted, multiple times, to keep the government shut down. OK? The Republican members from Arizona voted to keep the government open.
SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Tell -- tell me--
(CROSSTALK)
LAWLER: So don't sit here and try to lecture us about whether or not we did our job. We did our job.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): I'm asking you a question. Did you get--
LAWLER: Why don't we sign on right now?
JEFFRIES: Did you get permission from your boss? Did your--
LAWLER: Why don't we sign on right now?
JEFFRIES: Did your boss Donald Trump--
LAWLER: You can easily extend the ACA right now.
JEFFRIES: Did your boss -- did your boss Donald Trump give you permission?
LAWLER: He is not my boss.
JEFFRIES: Yes, he is.
LAWLER: --open.
JEFFRIES: You're making a show of this to make yourself relevant.
LAWLER: No, it's sad. It's sad. You could easily sign onto this.
JEFFRIES: Yes -- you're embarrassing yourself right now.
LAWLER: You could sign onto this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: OK, so just to fill people in, that was two Democratic senators confronting Speaker Johnson, and then you stepped in earlier, and then it was you confronting the House Majority Leader -- House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries there.
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Speaker Johnson said what he believes -- he believes that what Senators Gallego and Kelly did is a publicity stunt.
How would you describe what you did?
LAWLER: I went and asked Hakeem Jeffries, point-blank, If you want to extend these Affordable Care Act subsidies so badly, join on to the legislation that I have already co-sponsored. That would extend it by a year, without any changes, to ensure that Americans don't see an increase in their health care premiums. But we all know that he's not serious about this. The fact is, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries shut down the federal government, because they are petrified of AOC, Zohran Mamdani, and the progressive left. There is no reason for this government shutdown. They have changed their position entirely, when it comes to government funding. They used to believe in clean CRs.
I did my job. I passed a clean CR, nearly three weeks ago, through the House. So, my point to Hakeem Jeffries was, Open up the government, sign on to this bill, and let's get the job done.
But he's not serious about that. And so, I called him out on his hypocrisy. He had a press conference, where he was blaming Republicans for shutting the government down. We voted to keep the government open and funded. And it's about time somebody call him out, because his rhetoric, throughout the past 10 days, has been absurd on its face.
COLLINS: On those subsidies. You want to extend them by a year. Do you have commitments from Speaker Johnson, and Republican leaders, to pass that?
LAWLER: We have a 11 Republicans that have signed on to the bill, and I think there's three more that have since joined. There's four--
COLLINS: But what about Speaker Johnson?
LAWLER: --there's four Democrats that are on the bill as well. It's a bipartisan bill. We have talked to the Speaker, and to leadership, and we are working towards actually trying to find a solution here. But you don't do it at the barrel of a gun.
And Democrats have shut down the government, needlessly, creating chaos in the federal government, putting strain on the American people. You have funding running out for critical programs. It has to stop. Chuck Schumer needs to immediately open up the government, vote yes, on a clean CR, and then let's negotiate through these issues, including the Affordable Care Act subsidies.
COLLINS: Yes, can we listen -- I want everyone to listen to what your colleague in the House, another Republican, Marjorie Taylor Greene, said about how this is playing out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): Everyone's just getting destroyed. And so, I'm saying, Look, Democrats, you created this mess. Republicans, you have no solutions. You haven't come up with a new plan in place, and we're not even talking about it. And it is hurting so many people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: You're talking about your plan, Congressman.
But does she have a point that no one in Republican leadership has offered up a plan on what to do with these Obamacare subsidies that are going to expire and make premiums skyrocket if they do?
LAWLER: Well, let's understand the facts here.
Since Obamacare passed in 2010, health care premiums have risen by over 60 percent, nationwide, OK? So, American families are struggling, because Obamacare did not actually produce the results that it promised, in terms of lowering health care premiums.
The COVID-era subsidies that were put in place, under the Biden administration, they -- the Democrats voted to have them expire at the end of this year. So, I am saying, and I -- and Marjorie obviously has said there, we should extend them to make sure that there is not a draconian increase in health care premiums. But this was a result of Democrats' failed policies, when it comes to health care.
There's a lot that we need to do. One of the things that I've talked about extensively, frankly, is that the consolidation, within the health care system, has not actually produced results. I think you've seen a--
COLLINS: Yes, but can I--
LAWLER: --decline in the workforce. You've seen a rapid rise in insurance policies.
COLLINS: Can I say that on that front, though--
LAWLER: Yes.
COLLINS: --that on what your point about that. Well, you're saying a one-year extension. Well, that would get you through the midterms, next year, and then the subsidies would be set to expire, and we'd be back where we are now. But on the -- on the--
LAWLER: No, we have a responsibility--
COLLINS: But hold on one second. On the --
LAWLER: --to deal with this.
COLLINS: On the deadline for the subsidies. Some people may look at that and say, Well, that's exactly the argument Republicans just made, for why they needed to extend the tax cuts. And of course, Republicans had set the deadline for those tax cuts of when they expired.
LAWLER: Well, they were a seven-year tax plan.
And obviously, in my exchange with Leader Jeffries, he came out against it. And as I pointed out, 90 percent of Americans take the standard deduction. If we followed Leader Jeffries, he would have cut the standard deduction in half, and increased taxes on every American across the board.
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So, we had to deliver tax relief. We delivered the largest tax cut in American history. I'm proud of what I was able to do to lift the cap on SALT. 90 percent of my constituents will be able to fully deduct their state and local taxes. So, we delivered real tax relief.
I'm on board with extending the subsidy to make sure that health care premiums don't increase. But there's a larger issue here that has to be dealt with, and it is the result of the failed Obamacare policy--
COLLINS: Yes.
LAWLER: --which has not actually reduced health care costs in America.
Again, reminder, since 2010, health care premiums have increased by over 60 percent. That is a failure of the Democrats' chief policy that they championed under Barack Obama.
COLLINS: Yes, and some people would say, Well, but pre-existing -- pre-existing conditions got covered, and whatnot. Obviously--
LAWLER: And I support -- and I support that. But--
COLLINS: Yes.
LAWLER: But the health care costs have increased--
COLLINS: A conversation going forward, Congressman.
LAWLER: --and I think we can all acknowledge that.
COLLINS: Congressman Mike Lawler, thank you for your time tonight. Thanks for joining us. We'll see how this resolves itself on Capitol Hill. Thank you so much for your time.
LAWLER: Thank you.
COLLINS: And we'll be right back with another update from the White House.
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[22:00:00]
COLLINS: We've been covering the breaking news tonight, here from the White House, where President Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace framework that will allow for the swift release of all hostages being held in Gaza.
CNN will continue to cover all the updates, as we are learning more about this by the minute and the hour.
Thanks so much for joining us tonight.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
