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Former Israeli PM Shimon Peres Dies at 93; Iraqi Housewife Fights ISIS, Race for the White House. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired September 28, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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ANNOUNCER (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. We'd like to welcome all of our viewers around the world. I'm John Vause.

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Isha Sesay. You're watching breaking news from CNN Los Angeles.

VAUSE: Former Israeli president and prime minister Shimon Peres has died at the age of 93. Plans are now being made for his state funeral.

SESAY: Peres suffered a stroke two weeks ago and had been hospitalized ever since. Doctors say he had been making progress before taking a turn for the worse on Tuesday.

VAUSE: Peres held virtually every Israeli cabinet post during decades in political office. His son-in-law said earlier all of Israel shares the pain of his loss.

Let's bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann live this hour just outside Tel Aviv at the hospital where Peres was being treated.

Oren, what is the procedure now for the coming days as Israelis prepare to pay their respects to Mr. Peres?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this all leads up to the funeral and the expectation now is that that funeral, the funeral for Shimon Peres, will happen on Friday, although that isn't definitive yet.

There is a cabinet meeting in an hour with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Then shortly after that there will be a ministers' meeting and that's when they'll make the official decisions on when he will lie in state and when his funeral will be. The official decisions will be announced shortly after that.

But we do know from the Speaker of the Knesset, Yuri Edelstein, that he's expected to lie in state in the Knesset tomorrow. And the speaker has prepared the Knesset and told Knesset staff, that is Israeli parliament staff, to prepare for his body to lie in state tomorrow in Jerusalem.

So we expect world leaders to come to pay their respects. Now the speaker did say that's subject to the decisions of the ministers' meeting. But that is the expectation moving forward.

And if he lies in state tomorrow, the expectation from there, the most likely date for a funeral could be Friday morning. That gets into complications of the Sabbath, on which there can be no burial, and the Jewish New Year, a holiday again on which there can be no burial.

So we expect the funeral for the ninth president of Israel, former prime minister, former defense minister, former foreign minister and many other positions he has held, will be Friday after he lies in state tomorrow.

We're already seeing condolences come in, not only from Israeli leaders but from leaders all over the world. President Barack Obama, former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, Tony Blair, the Australian prime minister.

So there's a world of respect for what this man has accomplished in 70-plus years in public service. He was there from the very beginning, helping to found the state of Israel. And he was there all along, becoming a man who carried on Yitzchak Rabin's legacy of peace. He believed in peace. He believed in building trust. And he believed that up until the very end -- John and Isha.

VAUSE: Oren, what are doctors saying about what ultimately was the cause of death?

LIEBERMANN: Well, we understand now he passed away shortly after 2:00 in the morning early this morning. We know he had the stroke two weeks ago. From the two weeks until now, we'd gotten daily updates, saying his condition was stable. There had even been some slight improvements in his breathing and they reduced the level of sedation, just to check on his progress.

By the accounts of the hospital and his spokespeople, earlier in the two weeks he was making a slight recovery. That, as we now know, took a turn for the worst last night, when his condition deteriorated. We don't know an exact cause of death. We don't know an exact time of death to the minute. We just know he passed shortly after 2:00 in the morning from complications coming from that stroke.

We know his family was with him at the end. We know the doctors at the hospital were there. The doctors and the family spoke, all speaking on a slightly different issue, that doctors said they did everything they could for him, using the most advanced medical technology they have here at Sheba Medical Center to try to keep him alive, to try to help him recover in any way possible.

But at the end, at 93 years old, he celebrated his 93rd birthday just last month, the stroke was simply too much for him.

Meanwhile, his son-in-law, also his personal physician, spoke about his undying energy until the very end. On the morning of the day he had the stroke, he gave an hour-long speech. He posted a Facebook video.

He very much dreamed and believed in the vision of peace, the vision of building trust between Israelis and Palestinians, until he passed away, until the very end there.

VAUSE: And very quickly, Oren, you mentioned that there will be a state funeral for Mr. Peres and that those plans are now -- will be decided in the coming hours, will be laid out in the coming hours by the Israeli government.

Is there an element of politics in all of this in terms of who gets invited, who turns up, who doesn't turn up?

LIEBERMANN: There is to an extent. There are rumors circulating here -- and I want to say that those are nothing more than rumors -- that President Barack Obama will be here. There's been all sorts of speculation about what other world leaders may come.

One of the big questions we've asked over the last two weeks is what Palestinian leaders would come. So far, from what we're hearing from a few of the leaders we spoke with, we haven't gotten a statement from Palestinian leaders. It may stay that way, that Palestinian leaders won't come, won't pay their respects.

I would say that's more a statement about --

[02:05:00]

LIEBERMANN: -- the current state of affairs, the current distrust and mistrust between the Israeli and Palestinian leadership, than about Shimon Peres himself, who was part of the Oslo generation and who very much believed in peace.

But from that perspective, what Palestinian leaders will attend, will they attend, is very much an aspect of politics there.

VAUSE: OK. Oren, thank you, Oren Liebermann there, start of a long day for you at Ramat Gan, just outside Tel Aviv. Thank you, Oren.

SESAY: Well, as Oren mentioned earlier, Peres' son thanked doctors at the Sheba Medical Center for their tireless work caring for his father.

VAUSE: He recalled his father's legacy and lasting words of wisdom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SON OF SHIMON PERES: He was one of the founding fathers of the state of Israel and served our people before we even had a country of our own. He worked tirelessly for Israel from the very first day of the state to the last day of his life.

Throughout his 70 years of public service he was committed and devoted to Israel, serving as president, prime minister, minister of defense and many other key positions which shaped our history, my father used to say -- and I'm quoting -- "You're only as great as the cause you serve."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: And he certainly had many great, great lines, Shimon Peres.

VAUSE: Well, Michael Oren (ph), who was last hour sharing some of them with us, the Peresisms, some were funny, some were insightful.

SESAY: Yes, indeed.

World leaders are expressing their condolences. Here's a statement from Israel's prime minister, "Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sarah, express deep personal sorrow for the passing of a man cherished by the nation ,the former president of Israel, Shimon Peres."

Prime Minister Netanyahu will deliver this morning a special statement and will convene the cabinet for a special session of mourning.

VAUSE: U.S. President Barack Obama says, "A light has gone out. But the hope he gave us will burn forever. Shimon Peres was a soldier for Israel, for the Jewish people, for justice, for peace and for the belief that we can be true to our best selves to the very end of our time on Earth and in the legacy that we leave to others."

SESAY: Well, Professor Reuven Hazan joins me now from Jerusalem with more on the crucial role Shimon Peres played in Israeli politics. He teaches political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Thank you so much for joining us, Professor.

What has Israel lost with the passing of Shimon Peres?

PROF. REUVEN HAZAN, HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF ISRAEL: Well, Israel has lost a politician, a leader, a founding father but, most important of all, even though he was the longest serving member of the Israeli parliament, he never really won an election.

He was the visionary. He was the man next to the leader. He was the man behind the scenes. He was the man who made so many things possible, from building the state of Israel, to building its nuclear capability, to building its bridges to the Arab world.

But he was never the man who truly led. He was prime minister twice but both times, the second after the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin -- and the first time was in a rotation agreement when he didn't really win the election.

So we have to not remember him as a politician, where we don't see his greatest successes; we have to remember him as the founding father of the country and the visionary who led politicians to do the right thing.

SESAY: As you talk about the fact that he never won an election, let me ask you this: why was it in your view that he never received the mass outpouring of love from the public, if you will, from ordinary Israelis until the latter stages of his public service? Why do you think that was?

HAZAN: Well, even when he received mass public support in the latter stages, those latter stages, especially from 2007 up until two years ago, when he became president, were because he assumed a position that was above politics.

The Israeli president, unlike the president in the United States, is not elected by the people. He is appointed by the Israeli parliament for a single seven-year term and immediately disconnects himself from the entire political system.

So when Shimon Peres moved away from politics, the public moved toward Shimon Peres.

But when he was in politics, even though he did amazing, historical, global things, he never was able to win the hearts and minds of the Israeli people. He did this when he decided it was time to work for the country as a whole and not for a specific political --

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HAZAN: -- agenda, although he always kept the peace process as the issue that motivated him the most.

SESAY: What will he be remembered most for by Israelis?

HAZAN: Well, it depends on where you sit on the Israeli political map. I'm sure those on the right wing, the more hawkish Israelis, will remember him for building the Israeli army, for helping build the Israeli nuclear deterrent.

Those on the left wing, the more dovish people in Israel, will remember him for the Oslo agreements, for building a bridge to the Arab world. In other words, he might be remembered as different things to different people.

But you would expect that from a man who spent his entire life in politics and in the public eye. And Shimon Peres also reminds us that this is a very young country. It is only 68 years old. So we can say goodbye today to someone who's 93 but who lived through every historical point, from the creation of the state to what it's become today.

SESAY: He is remarkable for his transition from a military man to the face of the peace movement.

As we take in all that he achieved in the course of his life, is there anyone to carry forward his legacy as you look at the landscape of Israeli politics today?

HAZAN: The era of giants in Israel, whether it was David Ben Gurion, Menachem Begin, Golda Meir, Ariel Sharon, Yitzchak Rabin, they're gone. We now have good politicians. Benjamin Netanyahu is already the longest-serving Israeli prime minister in history. So from domestic politics, we have someone who easily has outdistanced

Shimon Peres. But from a global, from a visionary perspective, Benjamin Netanyahu has done very little, compared to Shimon Peres.

So right now we're in the era of very good domestic political leaders and not global visionary thinkers. And there is nobody right now who can replace the vacuum that Shimon Peres has left.

But please remember, it's been a decade since he stepped out of politics and did what he thought was good for the country as a whole. And, in that, we already have a replacement in the last two years, a president who is in a similar position.

SESAY: Professor Reuven Hazan, we appreciate the perspective. It is very much appreciated at this difficult time for the state of Israel. Thank you so much.

HAZAN: Thank you.

VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back, both U.S. presidential candidates are claiming victory after Monday's debate. But they can't both really be winners.

SESAY: Plus, we'll meet an Iraqi housewife taking on ISIS and Al Qaeda.

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody.

World leaders are paying tribute to former Israeli prime minister and president, Shimon Peres. He died early Wednesday aged 93.

SESAY: Peres suffered a massive stroke two weeks ago and had been hospitalized ever since. He was the face of Israeli politics, spending more than half a century in public office. He retired in 2014 after serving as president for seven years.

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SESAY: Well, it's been a presidential race like no other. And the interest in Monday's debate is also unprecedented. It was the most watched debate in American history; 84 million U.S. viewers tuned in.

VAUSE: I thought it would have been higher. I thought they would crack the 100 million. Didn't quite get there. Oh, well. Sources say Hillary Clinton's team paid close attention to Donald

Trump's attacks from the campaign trail and then turned them against him during the debate.

For example, when he criticized her for taking a few days off, she said she was out preparing for the debate just like she's prepared for the presidency.

Zing.

Some critics say it appeared as though Donald Trump had not prepared at all.

SESAY: Even so, Sara Murray reports he's claiming victory, while complaining the debate was unfair.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But it was -- it was an interesting evening, certainly and big league, definitely big league.

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A day after the first presidential debate, Donald Trump is playing the blame game.

TRUMP: Well, he didn't ask her about the e-mails at all. He didn't ask her about her scandals. He didn't ask her about the Benghazi deal that she destroyed.

MURRAY (voice-over): After complimenting the debate moderator last night...

TRUMP: I thought Lester did a great job.

OK.

I thought -- honestly, I thought he did a great job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You thought the questions were fair?

TRUMP: Yes, I thought it was good.

MURRAY (voice-over): -- today he's taking issue with NBC's Lester Holt.

TRUMP: I had some hostile questions but that was OK.

MURRAY (voice-over): And even quality of his microphone on the debate stage.

TRUMP: You have a bum mike, it's not exactly good.

MURRAY (voice-over): Now Trump's trying to reset the narrative, taking to Twitter to cast Clinton as a career politician in a year when voters are looking for change, saying, "Crooked Hillary says she is going to do so many things. Why hasn't she done them in her last 30 years?"

That's after some of Trump's sharpest lines early in the debate...

TRUMP: Your husband signed NAFTA, which was one of the worst things that ever happened --

CLINTON: Well, that's your opinion.

(CROSSTALK)

MURRAY (voice-over): -- were at least partially overshadowed by feisty exchanges later on that put Trump on defense.

CLINTON: So you've got to ask yourself, why won't he release his tax returns?

Maybe he's not as rich as he says he is. Or maybe he doesn't want the American people, all of you watching tonight, to know that he's paid nothing in federal taxes.

TRUMP: That makes me smart.

MURRAY (voice-over): Clinton pressing the billionaire businessman on his refusal to release his taxes yet again today.

CLINTON: It got to that point where I said, well, maybe he's paid zero.

He said that makes him smart.

Now if not paying taxes makes him smart, what does that make all the rest of us?

MURRAY (voice-over): And leaving Trump's campaign manager to explain the GOP nominee doesn't believe climate change --

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MURRAY (voice-over): -- is manmade...

KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: He believes that climate change is naturally occurring.

MURRAY (voice-over): -- after Clinton scoffed at Trump's beliefs last night.

CLINTON: Donald thinks that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese. I think it's real.

TRUMP: I did not --

CLINTON: Scientists --

TRUMP: I do not say that.

CLINTON: And I think -- TRUMP: I do not say that.

MURRAY (voice-over): Back on the campaign trail today, Clinton couldn't resist one last chance to needle her opponent.

CLINTON: Anybody who complains about the microphone is not having a good night.

MURRAY: Now Donald Trump didn't miss opportunities to go after Hillary Clinton on the debate stage. He certainly didn't give up any as he was campaigning in Florida. On the stump, he went after Hillary Clinton over her e-mails, over foreign policy and over trade, a preview of a lot of what we'll hear between now and November -- Sara Murray, CNN, Melbourne, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: For more post-debate analysis we're joined now by CNN senior media correspondent, Brian Stelter.

Brian, good to have you with us.

BRIAN STELTER, CNNMONEY SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Thank you.

SESAY: So as pundits chew over the two candidates' performances in the Monday night debate, Donald Trump appears to be trying to reset the narrative by saying he was the winner of the first debate. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Last night was very exciting and almost every single poll had us winning the debate against crooked Hillary Clinton, big league, big league.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: So, Brian, tell us what you know about these polls he's referring to.

How credible are they?

STELTER: These are actually web surveys. Anybody can fill out -- anybody can vote multiple times. So it's not credible.

And I would argue Trump is misleading people by saying that he won in these polls. Normally we talk about polls, what we mean are scientifically researched polls, where 1,000 people are surveyed, making sure it's representative of age and gender and diversity and demographics.

Well, in this case, this is really just a self-selecting survey, a bunch of them. And Trump did win. But that shows enthusiasm among his supporters. It doesn't actually show that Americans all across the country thought he won the debate.

The few polls that were done right afterwards, including by CNN, showed Clinton actually having an advantage.

SESAY: Brian, in the immediate aftermath of the debate, Trump and his manager, Kellyanne Conway, had nothing but praise for moderator Lester Holt. But by Tuesday morning, it was a very different story. On "Fox & Friends," Donald Trump said Holt was very unfair to him. We know that members of right-wing media had similarly poor reviews of Holt's performance.

Now the thing is, Brian, as you well know, even before Trump stepped on that stage on Monday night, he'd been warning that he'd be treated unfairly.

So my question is this, with these statements he's making is this just an attempt to validate those previous comments?

STELTER: It does feel to me like a blame the media, blame the moderator strategy because he laid the groundwork for this ahead of time, falsely saying Holt was a Democrat when in fact Holt is a registered Republican. He was able to follow up with this today.

It's a short-term strategy for Trump to say, hey, if I didn't do well it's because of the moderator. The reality is Holt had to step in several times because Trump was so far from the truth on issues like birtherism. I think most viewers appreciated Holt standing up for them, trying to clarify the facts.

SESAY: When he wasn't complaining about Lester Holt, he was complaining about the microphone. Take a listen to what he had to say on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don't want to believe in conspiracy theories, of course, but it was much lower than hers. And it was crackling. And she didn't have that problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: All right. So, Brian, months back he blamed a faulty earpiece on his refusal to disavow David Duke of the Ku Klux Klan. Now with this debate he's blaming a faulty microphone.

Is there a theme here?

STELTER: I think there is a theme here and it's very clear to the audience what that theme is. When I write a story that doesn't work well, if I write a column that doesn't make sense, I don't blame my keyboard. I don't blame my computer. I blame myself. I blame my own brain.

And I think most people probably agree with that sentiment. It's understandable, however, because, when Trump stepped off that stage, when he heard the media consensus and the real polls that were conducted, it was pretty clear Clinton prevailed in this debate.

Let's keep in mind, though, Romney prevailed in the first debate in 2012 and that didn't quite work out for him.

So even though Trump has been taking a beating in the last 24 hours, a lot of criticism as to his debate performance, maybe he's making excuses like his microphone and things like that, it may not matter at the voting booth six weeks from now.

SESAY: A major source of that criticism had been the comments Hillary Clinton brought up, the comments he made to and about Alicia Machado, a former Miss Universe, disparaging comments that really elicited a huge amount of criticism for Trump.

This has got to be a nightmare for the Trump campaign, to have this woman herself out there --

[02:25:00]

SESAY: -- doing media rounds, working as a Clinton surrogate and effectively working to chip away his support amongst women.

STELTER: Yes, I think that's right. Trump supporters appreciate his blunt talk. They don't mind his comments that other people think are offensive and misogynistic.

But Clinton, toward the end of the debate, was trying to appeal to people in the middle, people who might be thinking about voting for Trump or thinking about voting for her, trying to show that Trump is too outlandish; he doesn't have the right temperament, doesn't have the right sort of emotional skills to be president.

So by bringing up this woman from many years ago, actually decades ago, and Trump's treatment of this woman, Clinton was trying to move people who were in the middle.

And I have to wonder, if this is what she had in the back of her pocket for the first debate, what is she going to pull out in the second and the third debates?

She has other, I'm sure. She and her campaign have other examples of people who were mistreated by Trump in the past that they've lined up. This is how campaigns work. They go out and find people in your past that you don't want to be reminded of.

So I have to wonder who else the Clinton campaign might introduce us to in October.

SESAY: As you wonder about that, I'm sure the Trump campaign is doing the very same thing, which begs the question, will he turn up for the next debate?

STELTER: That's the question that came up right after this first debate. Rudy Giuliani, for example, one of Trump's top surrogates, said, if I were Trump, I would not show up again unless I can be assured the moderators will be fair and not fact-check me the whole time.

Now I do believe he'll show up for debates two and three and here's why. He needs the audience, he needs the viewers to see him on that stage. He can't dare the possibility -- you see on the screen right now, one empty podium. That would be really embarrassing for his campaign.

So I do think he'll show up. But I do think he'll continue to work the refs in the meantime. And we'll see if it gets even uglier on stage next time. He said last night he was proud of himself for not bringing up Bill Clinton's infidelities. Seems to me like, by the end of October, he'll be talking all about that.

SESAY: I have to say, I absolutely agree with you. Brian Stelter, always a pleasure. Thanks for joining us.

STELTER: Thanks.

VAUSE: Right. OK. A short break.

When we come back, we'll have more on our breaking news coverage of the death of former Israeli president and prime minister Shimon Peres. Just ahead, how two former U.S. presidents are remembering their friend.

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ANNOUNCER (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

SESAY: Hello and welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: And I'm John Vause. You're watching our breaking news coverage of the death of former Israeli president and prime minister, Shimon Peres. He was 93.

SESAY: Peres suffered a massive stroke two weeks ago. He was a force in Israeli politics for more than half a century. His son says his father had no other purpose than serving Israel, even after retirement.

VAUSE: Peres' son-in-law, who was also his personal physician, said Peres was fully fit until the stroke and everyone thought he had more time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERES' SON-IN-LAW: We all believed that so much more still awaited him, that Israel and the world would continue to benefit from his contributions. His life ended abruptly while he was still working on his great passion, strengthening the country and striving for peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: World leaders past and present are mourning Peres' death, including U.S. President Barack Obama. Plans are now being made for his state funeral.

VAUSE: Peres was close to Barack Obama, also to former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who released a statement paying his respects.

It says, "The Middle East has lost a fervent advocate for peace and reconciliation and for a future where all the children of Abraham build a better tomorrow together. And Hillary and I have lost a true and treasured friend."

SESAY: George W. Bush said this, "Laura and I join the people of Israel and those around the world in mourning the death of Shimon Peres. The Bush family will miss Shimon Peres and his grace, dignity and optimism."

SESAY: Earlier we spoke with former Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, about Peres and we asked him who he was as a man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL OREN, FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: He had a rather heavy Polish accent but people never heard it because they were so used to Shimon Peres. And what he said was always news. I kept a little notepad, being around him, and I wrote down what I called Peresisms.

Now what's a typical Peresism?

I'll quote just several of them.

"Egypt is not a country with a river. It is a river with a country."

For example, "There are two types of countries in the Middle East. There are holy lands and oily lands."

Like that one?

SESAY: Yes.

OREN: And my favorite was one that only Shimon Peres could get away with.

"There are two things you must never do in front of a camera -- make love and make Middle East peace."

(LAUGHTER)

OREN: Can you imagine any other leader in the world saying that and getting away with it?

But he could because he was so beloved and respected.

VAUSE: When you look at his life, he was never elected prime minister. He served twice. For very long periods throughout his career he never -- I always felt, when I spoke with him, he never got the respect or the love, the adoration of the Israeli people that, you know, in so many ways he thought should be his.

But he got it toward the end, when he transformed the office of the presidency.

When you talked to him about that part of his life, what did he say to you?

Was there an element of satisfaction that finally he was on the stage, that he was being viewed by the Israeli public as a statesman and as the politician and the leader that he was?

OREN: I think there was a great redemptive sense with him that this was the goal to which he had driven all of his life. He had been denied it at the polls. And yet he was given it and given that type of respect, not just in Israel but on an international stage.

And I think it was deeply rewarding to him. He was -- how should I say this -- indefatigable. Trying to keep one Shimon Peres at 90 years old was almost physically impossible. He would come home from 16-hour days, negotiations at the White House and Congress, and Shimon wants to go out and have a dinner.

He wants to go out -- there would be a rock concert. He'd want to go out at a rock concert at 90 years old. Everybody around him would be flat-out dead. But not Shimon Peres.

He's amazing. He was a man of extraordinary energy. I was with him several weeks ago and I must tell you he was in very, very good health, incredibly robust and mentally acute. And, in a way, he was -- his passing in that way was a blessing. He was never ill and remained Shimon Peres --

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: Right to the end.

OREN: -- right to the end.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Well, if you needed any evidence of Shimon Peres' vitality, take a look at this. In 2013, when Peres was still the Israeli president, CNN's Sara Sidner spent a full day with him on the eve of his 90th birthday.

[02:35:00]

SESAY: She found a man with no shortage of work to do and no shortage of stamina.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We head to a harvest festival on a kibbutz, a self-sufficient farm where everyone shares the profit and lives on the land.

SIDNER: How many times have you done that in your life?

SHIMON PERES, PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL: I was working with cows in my kibbutz and I was famous as a good milkman.

SIDNER (voice-over): After a short tour and a speech of encouragement for people in an area on the Gaza border that takes the brunt of rocket attacks, he has lunch, all the while the military imparting real-time intelligence. Then it's back to base.

SIDNER: You never stop.

PERES: No. I don't know what people are doing on holiday. It's a waste of time.

SIDNER: Complete waste of time. You just say forget it.

PERES: Complete waste of time. Better to work.

SIDNER (voice-over): He's always had more work ahead. This time, a public service announcement; one take and done. Then more briefings. A 14-hour day. And he's still going.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Incredible.

VAUSE: Yes, he did have a great work ethic. And you know, for people like this, obviously, the work is what keeps them going, which is why his family said right up until the morning of the stroke he was delivering a speech --

(CROSSTALK)

SESAY: And he was delivering a speech. Without notes they made the point.

VAUSE: --went for two hours or something, so an hour and a half. That's what drove him. That's what got him out of bed every day. Clearly he had a mission, he had a drive.

SESAY: It kept him going for a long, long time.

VAUSE: 93 years.

Short break. When we come back, the Syrian government has started an all-out military offensive to retake Eastern Aleppo. We'll see how humanitarian workers are responding. That's next on NEWSROOM L.A.

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(MUSIC PLAYING) SESAY: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM L.A. and an update on our breaking news, the death of one of Israel's founding fathers, Shimon Peres, at the age of 93.

VAUSE: He died a few hours ago at Sheba Medical Center, suffering a major stroke two weeks ago. The Israeli government plans to convene a special session to mourn the former leader. Funeral plans are still being arranged. Knesset staff are being told to prepare for his coffin to lie in state there at the parliament starting on Thursday.

SESAY: To some other news now. Final lab tests have found that ISIS did not use a chemical agent.

VAUSE: In last week's attack on the U.S.-Iraqi base, shown in these pictures, that's according to the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS.

SESAY: Initial field tests on the weapon described as a rocket or artillery shell, rather, did test positive for what U.S. troops suspected was a mustard agent. The coalition official says even though the test was negative, he expects chemical attacks in the future.

VAUSE: Now to a housewife in Iraq, who has been fighting ISIS and, before that, Al Qaeda for years. Wahida Muhammad (ph) says they've tried to kill her many times because she keeps fighting back.

SESAY: Our Ben Wedeman has more. And a warning: some of the images in his report are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WAHIDA MUHAMMAD, HOUSEWIFE: (Speaking foreign language).

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wahida Muhammad (ph) counts all the times her house has been blown up: 2006, 2009, 2010, three cars in 2013 and 2014, she says.

Describing herself as a housewife, Wahida, better known as Um Hanadi (ph), took up arms and leads men into battle against ISIS and Al Qaeda before that.

"Six times they tried to assassinate me," she says.

"I have shrapnel in my head and legs. My ribs were broken. But all that didn't stop me from fighting."

Her first and second husbands were killed in action. And ISIS killed her father and three brothers.

"This justifies," she says, "the following, I fought them," she tells me, referring to ISIS.

"I beheaded them. I cooked their heads. I burned their bodies."

Grisly photos from her Facebook page bear out her words. Her men showed me the machete they say they use. General Jemaah Anned (ph) heads combat operations in Saladin province.

This is his explanation.

"She lost her brothers and husbands as martyrs," he says, "so out of revenge she formed her own force."

Last week Um Hanadi (ph) and her men took part in the battle to drive ISIS out of her native Shirqat (ph). All ISIS left behind was booby traps and a few dead bodies. Many of the residents stayed put or, like Um Hanadi (ph), joined the fighting.

These boys recount the travails of life under ISIS.

"There was no food, no school, nothing," says one.

"They ruined us."

"If we lose Iraq again," says Um Hanadi (ph), we'll lose it forever.

In ways both tangible and intangible, this ravaged land has already lost itself -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Shirqat (ph), Northern Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The Syrian government and its allies have launched their biggest ground assault yet on rebel-held areas of Aleppo. Activists say the regime has been pounding the city with daily airstrikes and barrel bombs since a cease-fire fell apart last week. Drone video shows the scale of the destruction.

Fred Pleitgen reports humanitarian workers have been caught in the crossfire while trying to deliver aid.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A horrifying attack on humanitarian workers, aid trucks and a warehouse of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent destroyed near Aleppo a little over a week ago, killing a dozen, sending shock waves through the organization.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of (INAUDIBLE) said we should stop, we should only for three days, stop only for three days to say that we are sorry. We -- but nobody can stop because you see that people need help. So we cannot stop. We can never stop.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): But shortly after, trucks are being loaded again, aid convoys back on the roads. After the attack on its convoy, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent only halted its activities for about three days.

Since then they say that their convoys are running at full capacity again. The Red Crescent is one of the few organizations in this country trusted by both government and opposition --

[02:45:00] PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- supporters. They cross battle lines to deliver aid all over the country, run water projects and even bakeries. And they risk their lives to provide first aid in this war zone.

CNN was on hand shortly after a bomb went off in Central Damascus in 2013. Most of the rescue workers are volunteers, like first aid squad leader, Iman Hamoudeh (ph).

IMAN HAMOUDEH (PH), RESCUE WORKER: They have to help other people if you can. You need to feel like you are doing something like you are -- you have -- you know, you have a power. You need to do something to help other people who are in most need.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Together, with the U.N., the Red Crescent even coordinates airdrops to besieged areas in Syria.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too many to drop. Proceed to drop.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): We were in their operations room when aid was parachuted into Deir ez-Zor, which is besieged by ISIS. The head of the organization says his plea to the powers involved in the conflict is simple: don't target the aid workers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have been lost more than 57 volunteer in the front line. And all of them are young, between 18 to 26 year. This is really showing what does it mean, the volunteering work in Syria.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): September has been a bittersweet month for the Red Crescent. They won the American Red Cross International Humanitarian Service Award. But only a week later its convoy was hit near Aleppo, a loss no award in the world can make up for -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Damascus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Terrible pictures. Time for a quick break.

Donald Trump's first debate may have been less than stellar but his supporters are standing by their man. Just ahead, what they think about their candidate's performance.

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. This is the latest on our breaking news. Funeral plans are being made for the late Israeli president and prime

minister, Shimon Peres. The 93-year old died early Wednesday after suffering a massive stroke two weeks ago.

SESAY: Peres held virtually every Israeli cabinet position during more than half a century in politics. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for helping to forge the Oslo Accords, a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians.

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SESAY: Now Hillary Clinton won round one of the U.S. presidential debates, according to a CNN/ORC poll.

VAUSE: But that has not swayed many of Donald Trump's supporters. Randi Kaye spoke with a few of them before his rally in Florida on Tuesday night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Among the Trump faithful at this Florida rally, there was little doubt about who won the night.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He held his composure very strong last night. She tried. She gave it her all. But I don't think he bought it. He did not fall into that trap.

KAYE: Do you think that he was prepared?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do think he was prepared. He's prepared for everything.

KAYE: Do you think he made any mistakes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think he made mistakes.

KAYE (voice-over): No mistakes but some interesting admissions.

When Hillary Clinton suggested Donald Trump may not have released his tax returns because he hadn't paid federal taxes, Trump seemed to admit it, calling that "smart." Some supporters jumped to his defense.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's paid his taxes. He just didn't want people --

KAYE: How do you know that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, why wouldn't he?

Why wouldn't he pay his taxes?

People don't know if he hasn't.

KAYE (voice-over): And if he didn't pay?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that's awesome. I try to pay as little as I have to.

Don't you?

KAYE (voice-over): At some point a handful of supporters got tired of our debate questions and insisted we talk to a military mom. That's when things turned ugly, with this woman calling us, the media, "vultures and cowards."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get your butt down there and you interview her. Give her the respect she needs. If you're not here to interview military, leave. Leave. Leave.

You're here about Hillary Clinton. We're here about Trump and our military. Leave.

KAYE: I care about Trump as well --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- leave, leave.

No, you're here about --

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- because you don't have the heart --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give her her personal space.

KAYE (voice-over): Police stepped in after that but tensions remained high. We pushed ahead with the issue of birtherism.

When Trump was asked about it during the debate, he said he had nothing more to say about why he pushed that narrative.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a question and it was answered and I think he answered the question.

KAYE (voice-over): But to some here, the conspiracy theory still lives.

KAYE: Should he have been prepared with an answer?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want an explanation from President Obama and we never got one from him, did we?

KAYE: What does he have to explain?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where he was born, just show his birth certificate. I have mine at home in my safe deposit box --

KAYE: He did show it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

KAYE (voice-over): And what about when Ms. Clinton chided Trump for referring to a former Miss Universe pageant contestant as Miss Piggy and then later, apparently because she was Latina, as Miss Housekeeping?

KAYE: As a woman does that language bother you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. It's silly.

KAYE: Silly?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's silly. It's -- I mean, what's it -- I mean, it has nothing to do with the election. There are so many important issues in our country right now.

KAYE (voice-over): This woman wasn't offended either.

KAYE: Do you think he respects women?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe, yes, he does.

KAYE (voice-over): Clinton also hit Trump for once voicing support for invading Iraq and calling climate change a hoax started by China. He denied doing either, despite the fact that he said both.

This supporter was forgiving, especially on the issue of climate change.

KAYE: And that China was behind it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe Al Gore's behind it, making money. He's gotten rich off of it.

KAYE: Should he have admitted that he had said that?

Or, no it doesn't bother you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It don't bother me a bit because I'd have told them the same thing. I said anything, that's a hoax and a half right there.

KAYE (voice-over): And despite CNN's polls showing Clinton had the stronger night, we couldn't find anyone here now voting for her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hell, no. I'm voting for him. He's my man.

KAYE (voice-over): Randi Kaye, CNN, Melbourne, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Loyal bunch.

SESAY: Support is strong.

VAUSE: Very loyal.

SESAY: Among his base. All right.

SpaceX boss Elon Musk is planning to make the impossible possible once again. He wants to build a city on Mars. VAUSE: Musk unveiled his vision in a video presentation at the International Aeronautical Congress in Mexico on Tuesday. A reusable rocket and a fleet of spaceships will take passengers to the planet. Musk says it would --

[02:55:00]

VAUSE: -- just be loads of fun except for that possibility of dying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELON MUSK, SPACEX: I think the (INAUDIBLE) to Mars is going to be really very dangerous. The risk of fatality will be high. There's just no way around it.

So I would not suggest sending children or -- it would be basically, are you prepared to die?

Then, if that's OK, then, you know, you're a candidate for going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: And the price tag for possible death, you wonder?

VAUSE: Oh, a bargain, $200,000 per person.

There are some people in Florida...

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. Rosemary Church is right ahead with all the latest reaction to the death of Shimon Peres and the rest of the day's top stories. Stay with CNN.

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