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Protests Across Middle East After Gaza Hospital Blast; Interview With Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL): Jim Jordan To Keep Going Despite Second Loss For Speaker; Hundreds Attend Vigil For 6-Year-Old Boy Killed In Alleged Anti-Muslem Attack. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired October 18, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: We've been seeing demonstrations against Israel in a number of capitals in the region. I want to go to CNN reporter Nada Bashir, who joins me from Amman, Jordan, where protesters have been holding a rally to support Palestinian people. Nada, what's the central message you are hearing?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Look, Anderson, we've been in the crowds all evening and the message that we are hearing from protesters here is real outrage at the situation in Gaza, the humanitarian situation, at the rising civilian death toll and the ongoing Israeli air strikes and the besieged of Gaza Strip. Many of the people here that we have spoken to said they felt they had a duty to come out tonight.

And of course, it is important to know that here in Jordan this is a cause. This isn't and issue, which is really central to the Jordanian identity. Almost half of the Jordanian population are either Palestinian or descendants of Palestinians. So this is a cause that is deeply personal to many here as it is across the Arab world.

[15:35:00]

And we have been speaking to people in the crowd. We've just moved a little further up to speak to you now. But take a listen to what one protester had to say to us a little earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HADI BAYDIS, PRO-PALESTINIAN DEMONSTRATOR: The best thing we could all do is just to stand here and be the voice of the people.

It's pretty emotional. I mean, the whole thing has been running for, like, nearly like a lot of years, nearly 100 years has been going on. And I think it's about time that, you know, people know the truth and what's exactly going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now, Anderson, it's important to know that these protests have been going on an almost daily basis here. And as they have done across the Middle East, but they have really been ignited and we've seen these protests intensify and grow in size, particularly after that attack on the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza yesterday.

As we know, both sides are placing the blame on each other, but as far as the Jordanian government is concerned, they have placed the blame for that attack squarely on Israel.

COOPER: Nada Bashir, thank you very much. Again, as you point out, Israel says it was not an attack. It was a blast caused by a rocket from Islamic Jihad, which misfired. That was the evidence that they presented today, which, as we've been discussing National Security Council in the United States, have said that they too have concluded that Israel was not at fault in this. Obviously, in Jordan and elsewhere in the region, that message is not being believed, and we're seeing continued demonstrations. We'll have continuing coverage from the region in a moment.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: For now, the House remains speaker-less. Congressman Jim Jordan's second bid to become speaker was defeated on the House floor. In fact, he lost support in the second round of voting. 22 Republicans opting to vote against the Ohio Republican, while his team has vowed, they will keep going.

We're joined now by someone who voted against Jordan twice, Florida Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez. He voted twice for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Congressman, great to be with you. Is it time for Jim Jordan to give up on becoming speaker?

REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): Well, look, I'm never going to give Jim Jordan advice as to what he should do, but obviously he now had another day to try to convince people to come over his side and it obviously didn't work. He actually lost a net, two votes. I suspect that if we go to a third round, I think we'll probably end up with more people voting for somebody else. And so, you know, he's got to take that -- he's got to do the calculations himself and see what he wants to do. But I'm not going to give him any advice.

SANCHEZ: I wanted to ask you about some of CNN's reporting regarding blowback that Jordan has gotten on his outreach to certain members. It's reported that he sort of put on a pressure campaign, including some form of intimidation. I read that you got some of that outside pressure. Are you concerned at all that not supporting Jim Jordan now could harm you politically down the road?

GIMENEZ: I'm going to do what I think is right. I'll always do what I think is right. I've been a politician for close to 20 years. I've actually held positions which represent many more people than I represent right now. Was the mayor of Miami-Dade County represented 2.8 million people, got elected three times, twice as Commissioner. And so, no, I don't succumb to pressure. I do what I think is right. And you know what? That usually works out in the end. And so I'm very comfortable where I'm at right now.

If somebody tries to pressure me, then I go into the wind. I don't go against it. Because what will happen is if you succumb to pressure, then all you're going to do is for the rest of your career, you're going to be pressured and that I don't want to be -- that's I don't want that to be part of my career.

SANCHEZ: Have you had any conversations with him since that second vote?

GIMENEZ: No, I have not. I had conversations between the first and the second. I told them exactly where I was. I've been in the same spot since, for two weeks. I thought that what happened to Kevin McCarthy was a travesty. Eight Republicans joined all the Democrats to stop our agenda and we need to get our agenda going again. And so we need to elect to speaker or at least open this House. We need to get this House open so that we can advance our agenda.

SANCHEZ: On the question of getting the House open. You've spoken in favor of giving Patrick McHenry the temporary speaker, expanded powers to move legislation, things like aid to Israel. Now, Jordan initially said that he wanted that voted on today. Is it fair to say that he's now daring holdouts to either elect him as speaker or to work with Democrats?

GIMENEZ: No, I think what should happen is our designate, you know, our speaker designate should show some leadership and actually put that measure and back the measure so that we can get all Republicans to vote on a Republican measure. That's what we need.

I mean, you know, you really should put the interests of America before self-interest. And, you know in my -- when I was mayor and in Miami-Dade, I had a cup in front of me, it was, you know, service before self -- service before self. That's the hallmark of public service. And so, you know, I would hope that everybody in here would put the interests of America before themselves.

SANCHEZ: So you mentioned that McHenry is still backing Jim Jordan. It doesn't appear that just based on the votes that a majority of Republicans are right now in favor of expanding McHenry's powers. You could potentially get there by courting Democrats. Is that something you're willing to do?

[15:45:00]

Make some sort of deal with Democrats to go that route and get the House open again?

GIMENEZ: No, I want our leader right now, our speaker designee, to make that move. I think he needs to put that forward so that it's a clear signal that that's what he wants to do.

If he wants to continue this fight, I guess to become the speaker and then hold up America's business, that tells me something about Jim Jordan also. And so I would expect for him to say, hey, look, we can -- let's -- we know we have issues here, but we need to get America's business rolling, the Republican agenda moving and so we need to give speaker designee McHenry more powers. I expect that from him. Not this whole thing, do we have to work with Democrats? I don't think we have to. And the only reason we would have to is somehow he's blocking that effort and then what does that say?

SANCHEZ: The numbers for something like that to move forward right now are tenuous to say the least. Congressman, while we have you, I want to get your reaction to something that was unfolding near where you are right now. This is an office, a House office, not far from the actual Capitol building, there are protesters gathered there. Some of them we understand, have been arrested from our Gabe Cohen, who was reporting on the scene previously. This was a Jewish group that was in favor of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. What's your reaction to seeing this demonstration?

GIMENEZ: Look, it's America. That's what's great about America. You know, we allow for demonstrations, we allow for differences of opinion as long as it's peaceful. And so I will -- I will support the right of every group here to demonstrate peacefully for what they believe in. Obviously, I don't agree with this group. I think that Israel has every right to defend itself.

Look, if Israel allows Hamas to exist and they're just going to degrade their capabilities. Hamas will rearm and Israel will have this happen to them again. The only way to defeat Hamas is to destroy Hamas. And so I support Israel, but I support these demonstrators right to whatever point of view that they have as long as it's peaceful.

SANCHEZ: Congressman Carlos Gimenez, please keep us posted on any conversations you might have with Jim Jordan and if that moves to empower Patrick McHenry moves forward. Thanks so much.

GIMENEZ: Thank you much.

SANCHEZ: Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: As the strife in the Middle East reverberates, here in the U.S. hundreds gathered to pay tribute to a little boy. The six-year-old Palestinian American child who was stabbed to death in an alleged hate crime over the weekend. Wadea Al- Fayoume was buried on Monday after a funeral that was attended by thousands.

And joining us with more on this is Rabbi Ari Hart, one of the four Chicago area rabbis who went to that funeral for this little boy. Rabbi, thank you so much for joining us on this. Tell us a little bit about your decision to do this. Why it was so important for you to attend Wadea's funeral and show your support for his family?

SENIOR RABBI ARI HART, SKOKIE VALLEY AGUDATH JACOB: Thanks for having me. You know, my community has been in tremendous pain beginning with the terrorist attack that murdered over 1,200 of our brothers and sisters and raped and kidnapped. And I want to mention the name of Hearst Poland, who's a member of my community who's still captive in Gaza. His aunt and his grandmother live here in Skokie. So we're hurting. And it's been very hard.

And then we heard about this horrific crime. This horrific murder of a boy because of his religion, because of his identity. Just the murder of an innocent. And just as we've stood out and called out terrorism against our people, we needed to call out this horrific terrorism against a young Muslim boy. And so we went. And it wasn't simple. You know our communities are very similar in certain ways, but also very -- view things very differently in a lot of other ways. But it was important to affirm our shared humanity and to affirm that children deserve the right to not be murdered for who they are. It's a very low bar, but that's we have to at least come together and agree on that. And that's why we went and it was powerful.

And, you know, we were -- we were welcomed and we shared our condolences. We shared the fact that thousands of Jewish people from the Chicago area, including local high schools and organizations all have condemned this horrific crime and that none of us, you know, want this. None of us want this at all. And it was -- it was very meaningful to be there.

KEILAR: We have all been appalled, as we have heard about this. This is part of bridge building work that you do through an initiative called SOLU. This isn't the first time that you have crossed a line that I think a lot of people don't. And you have said that this little boy was killed solely because of his religion and his identity. That we need to try to build a world where it doesn't happen to anyone. How do you do that?

HART: That's right.

You know, I think you begin with relationships and you begin with reaching out and sometimes reaching out is not simple. But that's specifically I think when you have to try to do it even more. So we reach out to all kinds of groups and I am blessed to have friends of every religion of every race, of every ethnicity.

[15:55:00]

And by getting to know people on a one-on-one and realizing that 99.9 of us want the same thing. We want our kids to be safe. We want to live in freedom. We want to live in a world where this kind of stuff doesn't happen. That's what 99.9 percent of humanity wants. But we have to sometimes cross those, you know, barriers. And by the way, the terrorists don't want us to make those connections. You know, the people on every side, all the extremists want to keep us apart. They want to make it seem like, you know, we're so different and we can never come together. I reject that. We share so much more as humans than what divides us, and we need to find ways to come together and build bridges of tolerance and of love and of building the world we all want to live in.

KEILAR: The debate is so fraught, right? This is a conversation that that some people don't want to begin because you see where it goes so often. What are some of the keys to finding understanding?

HART: I think one of the keys is to acknowledge complexity. You know, anybody who says any issue is black and white, you know, is either naive or it's being deceptive. Things are complicated and that's OK. And we can -- we can talk about and hold complexity. And we also need to be able to call out evil, right?

So when children are murdered because of terrorism. You know, when children are actively targeted and killed for who they are, that's evil. And we have to call that out. So I think it's like holding both. We have to be able to hold nuance and complexity and there's a lot of complicated things in the world right now and be able to listen and learn and think openly and expansively about them. But also to be able to strongly say, you know what, evil is evil, murder is murder, terrorism is terrorism, and wherever it happens, we call it out.

KEILAR: Rabbi, thank you so much for your time today. We do appreciate you speaking with us.

HART: Thank you and everybody, please do something good today. Please spread some light today. It's what we all need right now.

KEILAR: "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts after this short break.