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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
Trump Handed Note Appearing To Say Gaza Deal "Very Close"; Texas National Guard Troops Positioned Outside Chicago; Investors Pile Into Stocks Amid Ai Enthusiasm; Former FBI Chief Comey Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Charges; Suspect Charged In Connection With Deadly L.A. Fire; Three CNN Reporters Test Their Chemical Exposure. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired October 08, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. And you're watching The
Brief.
Just at this hour, President Donald Trump says a Gaza ceasefire is, "very close." And that he may travel to the Middle East himself this weekend.
National Guard troops are gathering near Chicago with the President calling for the city's mayor and the governor of Illinois to be jailed.
And former FBI Director James Comey pleads not guilty to federal charges as his team argues the case is politically motivated and should be dismissed.
We begin with look -- what looks very much like a potential breakthrough in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks. U.S. President Donald Trump received a
note from Secretary of State Marco Rubio in front of cameras saying a Gaza deal was very close.
We know because were able to see that note. Here's a close up of the piece of paper. The note added that the President needed to approve a post on
Truth Social so that he could, "announced the deal first."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To find the criminal conspiracy.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: OK, I'm just given, 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)
SCIUTTO: Sounds like movement. Kristen Holmes joins me now from the White House. Listen, you know, through this process, months, weeks, there have
been other false starts. But at this point, given that note, the President's comments, his possible travel plans, it looks quite real.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It certainly does, Jim. And that was a really striking moment. Remember, the Secretary of
State Marco Rubio wasn't even in that meeting. It wasn't even in that panel, essentially, is what President Trump was doing. And he saw him, the
President saw him and summoned him over. And that's when he gave him the note telling him that they were very close and that he needed to approve a
Truth Social post, that he could be the first one to announce it.
Of course, as we know, President Trump likes to be the first one to announce these sort of things. In years past, it has gone out as a formal
statement from the White House. Now it goes out his Truth Social from the President.
One thing to note here, you know, we -- as you said, it's been weeks, months, days of this negotiating of this back and forth, but it certainly
feels different this time. And we know that Steve Witkoff, the Middle Eastern envoy, Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, and his Middle
Eastern envoy, the first time, who has a lot of ties in the region, are both there in Egypt doing some of this negotiating.
They have told each other privately. They've said privately to others that they aren't going to leave the region until a deal is done. And hearing
from President Trump, hearing from those around the White House, it certainly feels like that deal is imminent. Now, of course, we're waiting
to see if the President does in fact post a Truth Social. It sounds as though it might not be completely done just yet, but they certainly feel as though they are closer than they have ever been before.
President Trump saying that he would travel to Egypt likely if this does happen, talking about going as early as Sunday, perhaps even earlier. We
just got a statement from the press secretary saying that he's considering going to the Middle East after a doctor appointment, a routine checkup on
Friday.
But again, all signs are pointing to the fact that they really feel like this is going to happen at any moment.
SCIUTTO: Kristen Holmes, certainly a long time coming and potential relief in sight. Thanks so much.
Joining me now from Israel, retired Israeli Major General Amos Yadlin. Good to have you back, sir. You have been watching these talks very closely for
some time and certainly the war, the progress of the war in Gaza for some time. I wouldn't be surprised if your counsel had been sought along the way
from some of those involved in these negotiations. But -- but do you believe that we are on the brink of a deal here?
MAJ. GEN. AMOS YADLIN (RET.), FMR. CHIEF OF ISRAELI MILITARY INTELLIGENCE: I do hope this war is long overdue. And I think the President put forward a
very effective and justified plan. The plan has three phases and we have to understand it. The first phase is immediate, short run, end of the war for
returning of all the hostages and then humanitarian help to Gaza. This is the first package deal.
And then there is the middle range, the middle time when Gaza will be cleared from Hamas and there will be the post the day after that the
government of Israel refused to speak about for a long time and the President put forward a formula to have Palestinian technocrats, Arab
forces, international forces, and even he himself will be at the top of this new day after in Gaza.
[18:05:24]
This is not negotiated tonight. And then there is the last, the long range plan of peace in the Middle East. And this is of course far away. What is
important that the war is over. Hamas came to Egypt with trying to get what to -- to basically disrupt what the President put on the -- on the table.
They wanted a full Israeli withdrawal. They wanted active terrorists to be released from Israeli prisons. And they wanted to discuss some arrangements
that will enable them to stay armed in Gaza in the day after. I hope that Qatar and Turkey and Kushner and Steve Witkoff have done it in a way that Hamas understood that this is unacceptable.
SCIUTTO: In -- in -- nothing is easy in this, but -- but relatively the first phase is the easiest of those phases. And in previous deals we've
seen an initial phase, but then the more difficult phases were harder to come to be. Do you see the ingredients here towards this being a lasting
peace in Gaza? Or are you concerned it might be something more temporary?
YADLIN: The term is ceasefire, not peace.
SCIUTTO: Right.
YADLIN: However, what the President promised this time, that the war will be ended and he gave guarantees to Qatar, to Turkey, to Egypt and sue them
to Hamas, that the war will not renew. This is the new element that the President put forward in a very effective diplomatic way, first with the
Arabs and the Muslim groups, then with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Dermer.
And he created package deals that give answer to the main concern of the two sides. So the chances that this will work are higher than in the past.
SCIUTTO: Has it -- is it clear to you that Hamas will go from Gaza or is that still an open question?
YADLIN: This is an open question. This is the second stage. And Hamas will do everything to stay in Gaza, if not as the government which they gave up
a year ago as a military force very much like Hezbollah, the Hezbollah model in Lebanon, under a legitimate government which the world recognized
to be a terror organization, which has the -- the strongest military power.
This is exactly what Israel will not accept. And this is what we have to agree with the President. And I hope Prime Minister Netanyahu and President
Trump agreed in a side letter or side understanding that if Hamas will not obey and disarm, then Israel can do exactly what we are doing in the north,
attacking Hezbollah. Don't let it violate the agreement with the government of Lebanon.
SCIUTTO: There's a political element to this as well. And that in Israel, can Netanyahu's government coalition survive this peace agreement because
of course, as you know, his hard right partners in government have -- have opposed any such -- such a deal -- such a deal or agreement.
YADLIN: OK. So speaking on the first stage, they haven't. The right wingers, the extreme right wingers haven't threatened topple the
government. So Bibi promised them, Netanyahu promised them that Israel will stay in Gaza at least until we see that Hamas is disarmed. This is in the
future. Today the government of Netanyahu is stable and he also has a political safety network from Yesh Atid, from Yair Lapid, from Benny Gantz.
So he don't have to worry in the short run about his government.
SCIUTTO: Right.
YADLIN: And everybody in Israel will be so happy to see the hostages coming back. This is a precondition for healing Israel from the disaster of the
7th of October.
[18:10:03]
SCIUTTO: Yes, two years ago and a day the timing is notable. Major General Amos Yadlin, thanks so much as always for joining.
YADLIN: Always with you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well, back here in the U.S., President Trump claims that the governor of Illinois and the mayor of Chicago, the elected leaders there
should be jailed. He is accusing them of failing to protect officers of ICE in the state of Illinois. Both oppose the President's effort to deploy
National Guard troops now to the city. About 200 National Guard members from the state of Texas are positioned just outside Chicago. The President
has also activated 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says Trump has lost his mind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDON JOHNSON (D), CHICAGO MAYOR: This President is unstable, unhinged, a double minded individual that quite frankly is a threat to our democracy.
And it's certainly not the first time that Donald Trump has called for the arresting of a black man unjustly. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to
stay firm as the mayor of this amazing city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Illinois has filed a lawsuit accusing the President of using the military to punish his political enemies. A federal court hearing on that
case, and there are many cases, is scheduled for Thursday. Omar Jimenez is there. And -- and Omar, the President's basic contention, not just with
Chicago, but he was talking about other cities such as Portland, is that these are hellholes, that the cities are war zones, that they're out of
control and therefore he must deploy the military. You're there on the ground. Is the President's characterization true?
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I have not seen that to be the case. I mean, I've lived in Chicago for a long time. Back here now. There are
issues, of course, that -- that the city has, but some of the issues, including for things like gun violence, those are some issues that
leadership here actually have made significant strides on. You know, murders down almost 30 percent, shootings down almost or more than 30
percent, excuse me, compared to last year.
So while not perfect, there are -- the playbook that seems to be in place, seems to be headed in the right direction on that front. And what we're
talking about now, sort of, you're looking at two different things here. One is the issues over increased immigration enforcement, where you see
videos of, I mean, literally people in masks stepping out of vehicles, grabbing people off the streets, affecting arrests in that manner.
And then also the potential deployment of National Guard troops, which is, we already know that the Texas National Guard is at this Army Reserve
center even further outside of Chicago than where we are now. The question now, though, is where exactly would they be deployed? One of the places
that is seen as a major possibility is where we are here in Broadview, Illinois, just outside Chicago.
And just behind me, you can actually see this fencing that was put up in front of this Immigration Customs and Enforcement Detention Center. And
this has really been the focal point of a lot of the protests over -- over again, increased immigration enforcement, since this is where a lot of
those taken into custody are actually brought.
And while there aren't that many numbers right now, the numbers have tended to swell and increase in the evening or even the weekend hours, which has
prompted officers here to react with tear gas, sometimes rubber bullets. As neighbors have pointed out to us, it's spilled over into the neighboring
communities.
I talked to one man who lives a block over, and he sees the ICE agents and the federal agents as the aggressors in this situation, too. So bottom
line, this particular area has seen itself to be a bit of a powder keg at and -- and if the directive to National Guard troops is to protect federal
personnel and property, as was laid out by the White House, then this seems to be a logical place where they may start. But we will see, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well, keep yourself safe in the midst of it. Omar Jimenez, thanks so much.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has just ruled that the Oregon National Guard can remain federalized but cannot be deployed during
the ongoing appeals process. The ruling addresses only Saturday's restraining order, not Sunday's order, where a federal judge temporarily
blocked the deployment -- appointment of National Guard units from California and other states to Oregon.
Joining me now is California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Good to have you here. You've been very busy in recent days and weeks. First, let me ask
your reaction to this Ninth Circuit ruling here saying, in effect for now, the President can federalize National Guard but cannot deploy it. What does
that mean to you?
ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, we see the overall situation in Oregon as positive. There were two orders, as you know, one on Saturday,
October 4th, from the judge and then one on Sunday, October 5th. And the one on Sunday, October 5th, was broader. It -- it prohibited any National
Guard from any state or the District of Columbia from being deployed to Oregon.
[18:15:12]
So the -- the most important thing is that there be no National Guard deployed on the ground. And today's order reaffirms that will be the status
quo. So we see that as positive overall.
SCIUTTO: And just so I'm clear, because the judges, the Ninth Circuit was ruling on the October 4th order, not October 5th, which was expansive about
using really any state's National -- National Guard. Are we then still waiting for them to be clear about the October 5th order? Does this -- does
this ruling cover that order as well?
BONTA: The ruling today by the Ninth Circuit only covers the --
SCIUTTO: Right.
BONTA: -- Saturday, October 4th order. So the October 5th order is in full effect. It's -- it's robust and muscular in -- in -- in what it applies to
any National Guard from any state. And it is in full effect. It hasn't challenge the federal government hasn't even appealed it. So good situation
on the ground for now with no National Guard being on the ground in Oregon.
SCIUTTO: You have warned for some time that deploying California's National Guard sets a danger, would have set a dangerous precedent. And listen, you
-- you've been proven right, in effect, right, because the President's now attempting to do this from other states. And of course, you have those
Texas National Guardsmen sitting right outside Chicago ready to go in. I'm just curious how you see this playing out going -- going forward, because
the President is pushing on a lot of doors here, right, and -- and trying to get through one of them. Will -- will -- will he ultimately be able to
get through one of them and be able to deploy these National Guard forces into American cities?
BONTA: I don't think so. But it has been a dangerous escalation where we have seen the National Guard and the Marines, by the way, deployed in L.A.
We were the first state in L.A., the first city where there was militarizing of an American city under Trump 2.0. And we said then, and
were -- we continue to say now that it was a dangerous precedent and there was no basis for the federalization of the National Guard, and that the
National Guard, once on the ground, were violating the Posse Comitatus Act, engaging unlawfully in civilian law enforcement. And we have seen that
proven true.
We saw the National Guard deployed to D.C. deployed to -- to Portland, now to Chicago. And that -- to -- to really put the lie to Trump's arguments,
they said that they needed National Guard on the ground in L.A. to protect their federal property and their federal personnel, or else they would
suffer irreparable harm. They were referring to 300 National Guard people in California that remained there.
But then they voluntarily sent nearly all of them out of state, away from California, to Portland and some to Chicago, showing that they were
absolutely not necessary, essential, critical to be in California, there would be no suffering of irreparable harm. So we've asked the Ninth Circuit
in our cases to remove the stays on our two orders that we have that state that the federalization was unlawful to begin with and that there was a
violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.
SCIUTTO: You now have members of the Trump administration, Stephen Miller chief among them, suggesting quite publicly that this administration might
ignore federal court orders. The -- the term that Stephen Miller used was that judge's ruling in such a way against the President were, in effect, a
legal insurrection. Do you see that as a genuine possibility that -- that this administration might ignore the courts?
BONTA: Perhaps down the road, but I haven't seen it yet, and of course, I can't be naive about that possibility. But in all of our cases, and there's
42 of them that California has brought, and we've secured multiple orders, winning in 80 percent of them, the Trump administration is following the --
the law and following the orders, excuse me, they're following the orders after they broke the law.
Stephen Miller, he is the complainer-in-chief, he complains about the court orders that are against them all the time. And my unsolicited advice is, if
you don't want court orders against you, stop breaking the law. If you don't break the law, then you won't have court orders issued against you.
SCIUTTO: Finally, before we go, the other threat that the President is making publicly is to invoke the Insurrection Act. And I don't have to tell
you, as a student of the law and practitioner of the law, how rare that would be in this country over centuries, right? Do you think that is a
serious threat? And -- and what would that mean if the President were to attempt to do so?
BONTA: There is no basis, factually based on any set of factual circumstances on the ground anywhere in the United States of America that
justifies the invocation of the Insurrection Act lawfully. Does that mean that the Trump administration won't invoke it? No, because they do unlawful
things all the time. That is their brand, to be blatant and brazen, consistent and frequent in their unlawfulness.
[18:20:10]
But the Insurrection Act requires a violent rebellion trying to take over the government, that does not exist. Doesn't exist in Portland, D.C.
Chicago, L.A., anywhere. But they like the power that these emergency laws provide to them. If there is an insurrection, if there is a rebellion, if
there is an invasion, if there is an inability to enforce the laws with regular forces, then they get more power and they want the power.
And so they lie about the factual circumstances to try to justify the power. But they're inventing facts, they're manufacturing facts, but they
are untethered from the facts, as the judge in Oregon said very explicitly in -- in her order. So might they invoke the Insurrection Act? They're
talking about it. But there is no basis to invoke the Insurrection Act. If you have a judge that issues an order based on the facts and law that
doesn't agree with you, or a mayor or a governor that hold their ground and express their sovereignty through their own official conduct, that doesn't
break the law either. So no basis for the Insurrection act, but yet they might still invoke it.
SCIUTTO: We'll be watching. Rob Bonta, California attorney general, appreciate you joining.
BONTA: My great honor.
SCIUTTO: A Chicago pastor who was pepper sprayed in the head during demonstrations outside an ICE facility has now joined a lawsuit in which
multiple people are accusing the Trump administration of violating their First Amendment rights. You can see here Pastor David Black of the First
Presbyterian Church of Chicago getting shoved and sprayed in Broadview. That's a Chicago suburb. Omar Jimenez reporting from there just a short
time ago during a protest last month. We'll continue to follow that story.
Still ahead, bubble trouble, new warning that global stocks have risen too far too fast. We're going to discuss exactly how concerned investors like
you should be, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's business breakout, U.S. stocks bounced back from Tuesday's losses, with the S&P and Nasdaq closing at fresh new
record highs. The Dow finished the Senate -- session unchanged. Stocks rose despite ongoing market valuation concerns and fears that the U.S.
government shutdown is now weakening the economy. Silver and gold see to safe investments during uncertain economic times hit their own fresh
records and Bitcoin neared all-time highs.
[18:25:05]
Checking some of today's other business headlines. Newly released minutes show that the U.S. Federal Reserve members are still extremely concerned
about rising prices. At the Fed's policy meeting last month, some officials were in favor of keeping rates unchanged because of those ongoing
inflationary pressures. However, most ended up voting in favor of cutting rates for the first time this year. A majority see more cuts in the months
ahead.
A new study says the ongoing U.S. government shutdown is costing the U.S. travel economy $1 billion each week in lost spending. The U.S. Travel
Association said in its report that the shutdown is doing, quote, real irreversible damage. It says the longer the shutdown drags on, the worse
the long term effects will be on the industry.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says he is seeing no sign of a slowdown in the A.I. economy. Huang said in an interview Wednesday that demand for A.I. chips is
growing substantially as A.I. models get even more complex. He says the last six months have seen especially high demand. Huang also says the U.S.
remains ahead of China in the air race, but that Beijing is, quote, way ahead when it comes to building infrastructure to power A.I.
The head of the International Monetary Fund, says the global economy is holding up well despite tariff pressures, stubborn inflation and rising
government debt. That said, she says that global stock valuations are at historic levels and she fears what will happen when and if sentiment turns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, IMF MANAGING DIRECTOR: History tells us this sentiment can turn on the dime. Today's valuations are heading towards
levels we saw during the bullishness about the Internet 25 years ago. If a sharp correction were to occur, tighter financial conditions could drag
down world growth, expose vulnerabilities, and make life especially tough for developing countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: The IMF is not the only group raising fears of a stock bubble. The Bank of England said today that the risk of a, quote, sharp market
correction has increased. Joining me now is Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Financial. Art, good to have you. You've seen your
share of bubbles and bubbles bursting in your time. Do you see the ingredients now and the warning signs that this market is simply
overvalued?
ART HOGAN, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, B. RILEY FINANCIAL: Yes, Jim, that's a great question. And there was certainly a lot of commentary around bubbles.
We did almost -- feels like we're in a bubble of people calling bubbles right now in the here and now. And there's some logic to that. But I would
say take a step back and say the comparison to 1999 and 2000 falls apart when you look at the multiples that equities are trading at.
So at the peak March of 2000, the S&P 500 is trading at about 45 times on a P.E. basis. It's trading at about 23 times now. The big names and the
Internet, we're trading north of, you know, 75 to 150 times on a P.E. basis. The average A.I. darling right now the top 10 names have an average
P.E. of about 35 times.
We also get scary about the fact that, you know, the -- the last five years the markets traded between 20 and 24 times. But almost half of the S&P 500
has gross margins that are north of 40 percent. None of that was true back in 2000. So there are reasons that multiples so start to climb a bit
higher. And the fact that we have far fewer publicly traded companies so there's less things to invest in than we're back in 2000 certainly makes a
big difference there.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
HOGAN: So all of that tied together, I would say we're less concerned about valuations in the here and now than necessarily the -- what we heard about.
SCIUTTO: Listen, I think -- I think your dog's concerned about the market numbers as well. So we should, we should take his input as well. Just the -
- listen, the -- you mentioned, so -- so the P.E. ratios key. You're saying that broadly across the market the earnings numbers are good and -- and
that -- that's an important point because the impression is that it's really just a handful of companies. Right, in one industry, largely A.I.
industry, that is responsible for the bulk of the market gains. Are you saying that actually the market is supported by broader earnings growth and
that impression?
HOGAN: Yes. Well, I'll tell you this. So right now we have five sectors of the 11 sectors in the S&P 500 that are outperforming the index. So
obviously technology in there and you have communication services. That's where the Mag 7 lives. But away from that you've got things like utilities
outperforming, you've got industrials outperforming, financials outperforming.
[18:30:06]
And while some of that is A.I. adjacent with all the power that we need, financials are starting to outperform the S&P 500 because interest rates
are coming down. So think about the broadening out that we're seeing. Interest rate sensitive sectors since the July jobs report have
outperformed things like small caps. The Russell 2000 outperformed the S&P 500 since that July jobs report. It makes sense, interest rates are coming
down, housing related stocks, cyclicals, and obviously all the things around that lower interest rate, that's important.
So if you were to take out the top 10 mega cap stocks in the S&P 500, the multiple goes from 23 times down to 19 times. Or if you were just to take
that index and an equal weighted, it trades at 18.5 times. So far less scary than the warnings that we're seeing. Now that's not to say there
isn't excess speculation around the edges of artificial intelligence. And I think that falls into companies that are promising nuclear, small nuclear
reactors or uranium mining or lithium mining or quantum computing, you know, that just haven't produced any revenues or earnings yet. And that's
where most of the speculation lives.
And I think that's what's reminiscent of the dot com bubble. So be careful around the speculative edges. We know we need a great deal of power, but
don't jump headfirst into some of these companies that are promising the answer to that and yet haven't delivered a product.
SCIUTTO: Smart point. And like you said, there will be winners and losers in the A.I. revolution. Art Hogan, always good to have you on. Thanks so
much for joining.
HOGAN: Thanks so much. And sorry for the interruption.
SCIUTTO: No problem. We all have dogs.
Coming up after the break, former FBI Director James Comey arraigned in court. He argues he's being unfairly targeted for political reasons by
President Trump. We're going to go over exactly what he's accused of and what are the next steps?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:34:57]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to The Brief. I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today. President Trump says he may
travel soon to the Middle East as the Gaza cease fire talks move forward. Sources say a deal could be reached within the next 48 hours. Secretary of
State Marco Rubio says there's been a lot of progress today, quote, towards a deal in the Gaza conflict and that he's optimistic, though he warned
there is still some work to be done.
The outgoing prime minister of France as President Macron could nominate his replacement within the next 48 hours. This as the country's political
parties are still battling to pass a budget for 2026. Sebastien Lecornu's comments come just days after his resignation, less than a month into his
role.
At least 20 people have been killed in Myanmar after a motorized paraglider dropped explosives on a gathering at a Buddhist festival where a
demonstration against the ruling Junta was underway. Protests have been commonplace in the country since 2021 after the military ousted the elected
civilian government.
Well, from FBI director to criminal defendant, James Comey appeared today in a federal court to plead not guilty to two charges. He's accused of
lying to Congress in obstruction of a congressional proceeding. His trial is now set for January 5th. Comey says the charges are nothing more than
political retribution from President Trump.
We should note the President quite publicly pressured the Department of Justice to indict Comey, going so far as to replace a U.S. attorney
appointed by Trump who refused to do so. Democrats say using the Justice Department for personal political revenge is dangerous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): It is what Donald Trump has said it is. I've never seen anything like this where he is literally going on Twitter to try to
command his attorney general to do his bidding and go after his political enemies. Donald Trump is saying these things. We should believe him, that
this is what he's doing right now. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Joining me now, former Florida judge and law professor, Jeff Swartz. Jeff, always good to have you on.
JEFF SWARTZ, FORMER FLORIDA JUDGE: Always good to see you too, Jim. Thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: So Comey's lawyer in court, Patrick Fitzgerald, who he should own, has his own, and I'm sure you're well aware of him, his own long history of
prosecutions, came out of retirement to defend Comey. He made clear today that they're going to move to dismiss before that trial date based on their
accusation that this is selective prosecution here. Do you think they've got a good case to do so to dismiss?
SWARTZ: They really do. There's a lot of grounds here that they can move to dismiss on. One of them is the prejudice that has been created by the
President. The fact that he has made it clear that he has this animosity towards Mr. Comey and that he actually had to order his attorney general to
move quickly because he knew that the statute of limitations was running and he wanted Comey prosecuted.
The way that they went about doing it, as part of the problem, they had a U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia who would not do it and
all of his line prosecutors would not do it. So they fired him and they bring in one of Mr. Trump's personal lawyers from the past who has
absolutely no criminal experience to go in there and be the U.S. attorney. Her appointment is problematical too, because it may have been done in
contradiction to federal statute.
SCIUTTO: Trump's own words help the case, does it not Comey's case here, because he's quite publicly called for the prosecution under the principle,
they indicted me, now I must go after them. Is this a case where the -- the President's words might help undermine this case against Comey?
SWARTZ: It might in the context of a motion to dismiss for selective enforcement, that is that everything he has said about Mr. Comey,
everything he has said about so numerous other people that he wants indicted because they are his enemies, make it selective enforcement, that
is that they're going after these people not because they committed a criminal offense, but because he just wants to punish them.
And -- and that's really going to hurt. All of that tape, all of the things that he wrote on X or wherever he -- he wrote it, is all going to show up
in the motion to dismiss.
SCIUTTO: Trump has a lot of targets for potential prosecution. I mean, just in the last 24 hours, he said that he should jail or -- or the governor of
Illinois and the mayor of Chicago should be jailed. I mean, the thing is, this is a multifront legal battle, right? I -- I mean, do you -- do you.
He's -- he's clearly going to -- going to push and go after a number of -- of his perceived political enemies here. Are you confident that the system
will hold up to this?
SWARTZ: Yes. The reason why I believe that is because so many of the judges who have made decisions have been Trump appointed judges.
[18:40:01]
SCIUTTO: Yes.
SWARTZ: And the truth of the matter is that despite what Mr. Trump says, they still believe in the Constitution. I understand that the President is
very upset with Mr. Pritzker. Well, you know, Mr. Pritzker is a governor of Illinois and the gentleman who is the mayor of -- of Chicago have their
reasons for fighting back. So be it as best they can. There's just too much litigation happening here.
What bothers me is that Stephen Miller, who I think is the architect of most of this, is sitting there saying that the courts don't have the right
to tell the President of the United States what he can and cannot do. Somebody obviously never taught him Marbury versus Madison or anything else
about the Supreme Court and the separation of powers and the different branches of government. All he wants to do is push people around. I'm not
so sure that what comes out of Mr. Trump's mouth didn't come out of Mr. Miller's mouth first.
SCIUTTO: Jeff Swartz, thanks so much for joining.
SWARTZ: Have a great night.
SCIUTTO: Well, nine months after a raging wildfire in Los Angeles claimed the lives of a dozen people and burned down thousands -- thousands of homes
and businesses, officials have now arrested a suspect on suspicion of arson starting that fire. Investigators say that 29-year-old Jonathan
Rinderknecht from Florida ignited the Palisades fire and then filmed firefighters attempts to put it out. He is expected to make his first
appearance in federal court in Orlando on Wednesday.
CNN's Veronica Miracle is in the Palisades area. And listen, you know, you -- you helped cover this fire, right? I mean, just devastating. And -- and
the -- the neighborhoods they're still reeling from, this could take years to rebuild. And now the investigation uncovers that someone was responsible
for this. It's remarkable. Tell -- tell us how they piece this together.
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it took nine months, Jim, and you can see it's still incredible. There are still, as you can see behind me,
buildings that are just demolished, untouched since when those fires were put out. And there's so much rebuilding happening here. And over the last
nine months, investigators say they conducted one hundreds of interviews, including talking to people overseas. They pour through 13,000 pieces of
evidence and they say that all signs point to 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht who is living in Florida now. That's where he was arrested.
But they say at one point he was living here in the Pacific Palisades, about a block away from the trailhead where they say he ignited this fire.
They say that on the -- on the early morning hours of January 1st, he was driving for Uber and had dropped off a couple of passengers near this
trailhead. They say that he ignited that fire, and then firefighters actually put that fire out. It was visibly out. What firefighters, though,
didn't know at the time was that it was smoldering underground. It was burning root systems of trees and dirt.
And about a week later, on January 7th, when huge strong winds came through that kicked up those embers and ignited what became the very deadly and
horrific Palisades fire. Now, after combing through thousands of pieces of evidence, they extracted data from Rinderknecht's phone, including an image
from ChatGPT, which apparently he produced and shows a city burning down with people fleeing from it.
They also say he was constantly repeatedly listening to a French song. He was raised in France. This song in the main -- in the music video shows the
main character lighting things on fire. They also say he was the only person near the trailhead at the time of the fire. And a surveillance image
on the criminal complaint shows his car near the trailhead. So he faces a minimum of five years, up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted. Jim?
SCIUTTO: what has been the reaction of folks out there to -- to learn that this was deliberate given just the devastation that resulted in.
MIRACLE: Yes, well, just walking around here, it's just so sad because there are pockets of businesses that are open, a business here, a business
there, very minimal hours. You see some people around, but for the most part, this city is still quite abandoned. Nobody is really living here. You
see a lot of construction signs. I was actually in a restaurant, and as I was walking through getting food, I heard everybody talking about it. Did
you hear? Did you hear?
Of course, people are devastated, but, you know, this is a long road to recovery. There's a lot of anger being directed in many different places.
There are signs here as you drive through here that says fire Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles. So a lot of people are angry. And it'll be
interesting to see if state charges eventually come. For now, we have this one federal charge, and it'll be certainly a long road ahead. Jim?
[18:45:03]
SCIUTTO: Veronica Miracle, thanks so much.
Just ahead, three CNN reporters on three continents try out a chemical tracking wristband. We're going to share the results and why scientists are
now sounding the alarm.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Scientists are warning about the harm that plastics and chemicals cause to the climate and to our bodies. A recent report by the medical
journal "The Lancet" says that plastics pose a grave, growing danger, causing disease and death at every stage of life, from infancy to old age.
And it's harder than ever to get away from them. CNN's Bill Weir shows us exactly what kind of exposure we face every day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURA PADDISON, CNN SENIOR CLIMATE REPORTER: Just cycling to the local grocery store.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is our colleague Laura in London.
PADDISON: It's a cold Wednesday morning.
JESSIE YEUNG, CNN SENIOR NEWS DESK REPORTER: It is hot. It's humid.
WEIR (voice-over): This is Jessie in Hong Kong.
YEUNG: It is a very busy Monday morning here in Hong Kong.
WEIR (voice-over): And that's me, Bill, on my New York City commute.
Who knows what kind of fume exposure I'm getting on a daily basis.
WEIR (voice-over): Together --
PADDISON: The response finally arrived.
WEIR (voice-over): We are guinea pigs on three continents.
YEUNG: Here's the wristband.
WEIR (voice-over): And with the help of these special wristbands and an international team of pollution experts --
YEUNG: I'm just heating up some food. I have a gas stove at home, which is quite common in Hong Kong.
WEIR (voice-over): -- we'll spend five days measuring our exposure to the dozens of different chemicals.
PADDISON: I'm just going to put a little bit of makeup on before work.
WEIR (voice-over): They come from living on a planet made of plastic.
BJORN BEELER, EXECUTIVE DIR., INTERNATIONAL POLLUTANTS ELIMINATION NETWORK: Studies have shown there's over 16,000 chemicals in plastics. Of that, 20,
about 25 percent are known to be hazardous chemicals, and the vast majority of other chemicals -- there's been not enough scientific data to show if
it's safe or not.
WEIR: Thanks to my better half, Kelly, we really try to avoid chemicals, all natural cleaning products if we can. We filter our water. Drink out of
glass. We have an air quality monitor here as well.
And for the better part of the last five days, I've either been at home or at the office. I haven't had to get on an airplane. That's rare. So, this
is somewhat of a controlled environment to just see how clean my immediate surroundings are.
PADDISON: Every time I walked into a cafe or a restaurant or down a really busy road, a grocery store, you know, got on the train to go to work. But
perhaps the place that I've most thought about it is when it comes to what I'm actually putting on my body. So, you know, perfume or lotions, also
cleaning products, you know what I'm using to clean the house?
[18:50:08]
YEUNG: I became quite aware when I was going through my daily life and, you know, at dinners or just walking around on the street, I'd wonder like, oh,
I wonder what around me is potentially putting chemical pollutants in the air, whether that's my gas stove or things from a construction site. It
made me realize how many construction sites I pass through on a daily basis.
WEIR: What do we pick up here?
BEELER: You got a lot of chemical exposure unfortunately.
WEIR: Really?
BEELER: Everything that we looked for, we found.
WEIR (voice-over): All of our samples included flame retardants and UV stabilizers, an alphabet soup of BPA, BPF, BPS, and around two dozen
chemicals on each of our bands.
BEELER: And then the most important one I would say that everyone should know is called phthalates.
WEIR: Phthalates?
BEELER: Phthalates, yeah.
WEIR: It's spelled with a P-H.
BEELER: It is the worst way to spell it. It's like an alphabetical mess, but phthalates are super important because when we first looked at them,
they're everywhere.
WEIR (voice-over): Phthalates are what makes plastic moldable and flexible. They're more regulated in Europe than Asia, and Jessie's levels are a bit
higher than Laura's. But it is so common globally, it's long been known as the everywhere chemical.
They are also endocrine disruptors, which hack human hormones and cause problems from cradle to grave, from fertility and child behavior to
depression, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
BEELER: Studies have shown about 100 percent of Americans have phthalates in their body, and it's so ubiquitous its everywhere. If you look around
your room and your house, your clothes are made of plastics, your furniture is made of plastics. Everything's getting turned into plastics. But by
2060, like about 35 years from now, we're going to have four times more plastic on the planet than we have today.
WEIR: Wow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Scary news. Thanks, Bill Weir.
Still ahead, the story that has Japanese beer lovers crying in their beer. We're going to look into the cyberattack causing chaos at Asahi Breweries.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Breaking news just into CNN and this as often, the news comes in this country comes from a Truth Social post from President Trump. This one
regarding the Gaza negotiations. He says the following I'm 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. All parties will be treated fairly. This is a great day for the Arab and Muslim world,
Israel, all surrounding nations and the United States of America. And we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey who worked with us to make
this historic and unprecedented event happened. Blessed are the peacemakers signed off as the President said there.
[18:54:56]
This is notable because as were speaking earlier in the program, we spoke to Amos Yadlin, longtime Israeli military leader and intelligence chief
there. He was noting that there are multiple phases to this agreement and it is the first phase that involves a cease fire, not a lasting peace, but
a ceasefire, not a lasting end of the war, and the exchange of hostages, very key because of course, it's taken months to negotiate that. The
question will be whether the succeeding phases as well are -- are agreed to as -- as we move forward.
And those are the phases that involve who's going to administer Gaza going forward. Would there be, for instance, peacekeeping forces there? What
would be the political structure and crucially, what would be the military positioning of Israeli forces there. Our Jeremy Diamond has been covering
this from Tel Aviv. Jeremy, phase one agreed to. Is that what you're hearing on the ground there as well?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This post from President Trump now confirming that Israel and Hamas have signed off on the
first phase of this peace plan, which would include the release of all of the hostages, according to the President, and an initial withdrawal of
Israeli troops from parts of the Gaza Strip.
This is -- the President says that these are steps that will lead towards a quote, strong, durable and everlasting peace. And he says that all parties
will be treated fairly. This is obviously a hugely significant, dare I say, historic moment right now, as clearly with Hamas agreeing to release all of
the hostages left in Gaza, that means that Hamas has likely received very strong assurances that this phase one of this ceasefire agreement will
indeed lead to an end of the war.
That is, however, an interesting note here that the President is not saying that explicitly yet that this war is over. And notably he is saying that
this is the first phase of that 20 point plan, meaning that there are still likely going to need to be negotiations going forward to agree to the rest
of this agreement. But again, every single source that I have been speaking to over the last several days has made clear that in order to release all
of the hostages, Hamas would have wanted to receive significant assurances from the United States, from the other mediating countries as well, that by
releasing all of the hostages and in doing so giving up, you know, almost all of their leverage really in any future negotiation, that they would
have received very strong assurances about these negotiations ultimately leading not just to a temporary ceasefire, but to an end of the war
altogether.
And -- and of course it is notable, Jim, that this is coming, you know, just a day and a half really, after this two year anniversary of October
7th, two years of war in Gaza. This is a moment that so many in the region, of course, people in Gaza and also here in Israel have been waiting for
throughout this entire period of time, a very, very significant moment and perhaps a major turning point in this region at large. Jim?
SCIUTTO: Can you -- can you explain just briefly what the succeeding phases of the framework would involve? This is the first phase, ceasefire, release
of hostages. What briefly is involved in the -- in the following phases?
DIAMOND: Well, just to caveat, whatever I'm going to say here with the fact that we don't know, you know, how much this plan has changed over the
course of the last few days of negotiations. But based on the 20-point plan that President Trump put out to the public last week, what would happen
next is initially you would see the release of 48 hostages. You would see an initial withdrawal of Israeli forces within the Gaza Strip, but pulling
back somewhat from the current lines that they have.
Following that, you would have a gradual process of further Israeli withdrawals combined with Hamas disarming according to that proposal. And
ultimately the handover of territory and of governance authority to an international security force that would be overseeing by a governing board
of Palestinian technocrats, overseen itself by an international board of which President Trump had said that he would be the chairman.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also set to be involved. And ultimately you would see a phase of rebuilding in the Gaza Strip. But of
course, the critical part of this plan was Hamas disarming and the handover of territory from the Israeli military to this international security
force. We have not yet heard whether there has been agreement on those portions as well as the President has only specified that both Israel and
Hamas have signed off on the, quote, first phase of what he calls his peace plan.
[19:00:00]
But of course, we know that for Israel, Hamas disarming has been a red line in order to end this war. And we know that there have been negotiations
already on that point of disarmament, what exactly it entails, the mechanisms through which that would actually happen. The devil will be in
the details there. And ultimately what typically happens in these types of scenarios as you try and have a situation where both sides can claim some
kind of victory, both sides can claim that they were able to get what they wanted.
But at the end of the day, a disarmament of Hamas without a doubt must be in the cards in order for this war to actually end.
SCIUTTO: No question. Just recapping there. Our thanks to Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. President Trump announcing that Hamas and Israel have agreed to
the first phase of a peace framework for an end of the Gaza war, including a ceasefire there and the release of all hostages. Please do stay with CNN.
We will continue to cover this breaking news.
END
