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Netanyahu Says No Ceasefire Until Hostages In Gaza Freed; House Passes $14.3B Israel-Only Aid Bill, Sets Up Clash With Senate; FBI Raids Home Of NYC Mayor Eric Adams' Chief Fundraiser; Interview With Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) on Israel-Gaza War; Hamas Attacks Spur Global Surge In Anti-Semitism. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired November 03, 2023 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
JOSH ROGIN, COLUMNIST, "THE WASHINGTON POST": I mean, I don't think there's any scenario where you can bomb 24 hours a day, seven days a week forever.
At some point, this humanitarian option will have to come in play. We're seeing it play out a little bit in Rafah. Somehow all the sides decided that they can let aid in and some people out. That's the basis of it.
The Israeli position is, logical from their perspective but untenable. In the end, they will have to come to some sort of way to get the aid in and get people out who need to get out.
If the United States can play a role in brokering that, great, but we are not there yet.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Josh, I want to ask about your most recent column in "The Post" talking about Capitol Hill and the bill that was pushed forward by new House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Essentially, offering $14 billion in aid to Israel but it comes with a caveat that a lot of folks on Capitol Hill would not support, cuts to IRS funding that would grow the U.S. deficit.
You say that this is politically dangerous.
ROGIN: I think it's actually materially dangerous.
SANCHEZ: Sure.
ROGIN: We have people fighting in Israel and also in Ukraine, by the way, who are running out of ammunition, the Ukrainians are running out of money, the funding is not assured.
And it's bad enough that for three and a half weeks, we didn't have a speaker of the House and the war is going on in Israel and the Congress has done exactly nothing.
Now what the new speaker has done is he passed a bill that as a policy writer would partially defund the IRS, which is a nonstarter. It's not going to become law.
Politically, it makes sense for him to placate his right wing but, practically, it's very dangerous for the Israelis and for the Ukrainians, who are waiting in line behind the Israelis for another bill we haven't even seen yet.
This is going to take weeks to go back and forth between the House and Senate before they come up with some scheme that makes everybody equally unhappy. And it's Israelis and Ukrainians who are paying that deadly price.
This is when our dysfunction results in our enemies benefitting and our allies twisting in the wind. And in many cases, it can be either party but, in this case, it's the House Republicans.
SANCHEZ: Josh Rogin, always a pressure. Have to leave the conversation there.
ROGIN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Of course.
Stay with CNN. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:36:27]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: We're learning more about Thursday's FBI raid at the home of a top fundraiser for New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Officials telling CNN investigators searched the Brooklyn home of Adams' campaign adviser, Brianna Suggs, looking for evidence that foreign nationals may have made improper donations to the Adams campaign.
CNN's Gloria Pazmino is here with more.
Gloria, this alleged scheme may have involved Turkish citizens, who, by law, are barred from making political contributions here in the United States. What more can you tell us?
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jessica. So far, what we are learning is that federal officials are looking for possible evidence, a way to connect the dots here.
Because they believe the Adams 2021 campaign might have conspired with members of the Turkish American community here in New York to make donations to the mayor's campaign.
Now, as you mention, foreign nationals are not allowed to donate to political campaigns in the United States. So by using U.S. citizens that are members of the Turkish American community here in New York, the campaign would have been able to funnel that money into the campaign coffers.
Now, we should make it clear the mayor has not been directly implicated in any of these investigations, nor has he been targeted.
But the woman whose home was raided yesterday by the FBI is the mayor's chief fundraiser. And that is really significant. That's Brianna Suggs.
This is a person who was in charge of raising money for the mayor, not just for his first mayoral campaign in 2021, but also his reelection campaign, which is coming up in 2025.
She is responsible for having raised millions of dollars. This is someone who is very close to the mayor's inter circle, so it is certainly raising red flags.
The mayor had scheduled a very important meeting with White House officials yesterday. He rushed back to New York City after learning about this raid, canceled his meeting with White House officials.
And here is a little bit about what he had to say regarding that investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D-NY): I hold my campaign to the highest ethical standards. Any inquiry that is done, we're going to fully participate and make sure that it's done correctly.
I have not been contacted by anyone from any law enforcement agency. And that's why I came back from D.C., to be here to be on the ground and look at this inquiry as it was made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAZMINO; Now, Jessica, one of the outstanding questions here, as you mention, not only was the fundraiser's home raided, but there were also several business owners and other individuals whose homes were also raided.
The question there is, who are they and how are they connected to the campaign? How much money did they donate? And did they get anything in return?
That is all part going to -- certainly going to be part of an investigation and part of what we are all looking into.
But even though the mayor has not been directly named or connected in any of these investigations so far, we are talking about people who are very close to him, responsible for raising money for his reelection campaign.
So this is certainly getting a lot of attention and raising a lot of questions from those people who are close to the mayor -- Jessica?
[13:40:00]
DEAN: Yes. I was going to say there are still a lot of questions here and we will get more information, I'm sure. Gloria Pazmino, thanks so much for that reporting.
House Republicans passed an Israel-only aid bill that's not certain to go nowhere in the Senate. Why? What happens now? We discuss with a Democratic lawmaker. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:44:56]
SANCHEZ: A group of senior House Democrats are now pushing for a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war but say they are vehemently opposed to a total ceasefire.
It comes as 13 Senate Democrats are also calling for a short-term cessation of hostilities to allow for more aid to get into Gaza and to protect civilian life.
Let's discuss now with Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer from New Jersey.
Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.
On the question of a pause in the war, the White House also supports the idea to get hostages out of Gaza. But you said you do not believe that Hamas would abide by a ceasefire.
I'm wondering if you've spoken to the administration about this or some of your fellow Democrats calling for one?
REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): Well, you can't have a full ceasefire when Gaza and Hamas is still firing rockets into Israel.
And of course, we've got American hostages there and other hostages. We've got to get the hostages out. We've got to crush Hamas and the terrorists who continue to do harm. So we must do that.
I agree with what the White House said yesterday. And I support the fact that we have to make sure we do everything we can to get humanitarian aid in.
That's critically important, especially as we see all of -- we see Hamas using Palestinians, innocent Palestinians, as shields. So we've got to make sure we get the humanitarian aid in.
But we have to get those hostages out. We have to crush the terrorists and stop Hamas from bombing Israel.
SANCHEZ: So, Congressman, I heard you say that you would not obviously support a full ceasefire, but what about the idea of a temporary pause to, as you say, get aid in and potentially get hostages out? That's something that Israel has said it will not tolerable.
GOTTHEIMER: Well, what the president said yesterday, which I think you could support is doing what we can to get the humanitarian aid in and get Americans out. We've got hundreds of Americans who are still there. I think we need to do what we can. But what you can't do, since Hamas is continuing to fire rockets every single day at Israel, right?
And continuing to -- and Israel, of course, has incoming from around the region, as you know, from Iraq, from the Houthis, from Syria, right, constant incoming, including attacks on Americans and American troops. We've got -- American forces I should say.
We need to do everything we can to get the hostages out and make sure that whatever the approach is, as you White House has said, we cover our goals.
Our goals are very clear here, getting hostages out, crushing the terrorists, right, and making sure we get humanitarian aid in. Those are the goals. We have to do what we can to achieve them.
SANCHEZ: To be completely clear, you are not in favor of any kind of pause by the IDF when it comes to attacking Hamas forces?
GOTTHEIMER: I've been pretty clear. I'm saying I support what the White House and the president believes, which he said yesterday, which is we need to make sure we can get the humanitarian aid in and --
SANCHEZ: Sure.
GOTTHEIMER: -- Americans out.
(CROSSTALK)
GOTTHEIMER: But not -- but, as the White House has said, you can't have a ceasefire, which is what I believe.
SANCHEZ: Sure. It's just that it sounds like there is a distinction between what you're saying and what Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier today when he talked about a more extensive pause. Not a full ceasefire, but a pause, a cessation in the action.
I do want to move on, Congressman, because you were one of a dozen House Democrats who voted in support of the bill put forward by the new House Speaker, Mike Johnson. It's about $14 billion in aid for Israel.
But it comes with what many in your party have described as a poison pill of sorts, these cuts to IRS funding that would deepen the U.S. deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Why did you support that bill?
GOTTHEIMER: Well, for the simple reason that -- you know, like my colleagues, I disagreed with the speaker's approach. I didn't think doing it in that way was the right way to do it.
And I ultimately believe the Senate's approach will be what becomes law and prevailing to the president's desk, which is more comprehensive, which includes Ukraine aid and makes sure that we do everything we humanly can to end -- to get Israel what it needs, but also get humanitarian aid in. I believe that's ultimately what happened. But I think sending a
signal to the world, which was saying that we do not support Israel in achieving her goals and getting the hostages out and, of course, crushing the terrorists, would have been a mistake, which is ultimately why I voted the way I did.
SANCHEZ: Understood. So what is the next step, then? How do you think the House should proceed in bridging that gap with the Senate?
GOTTHEIMER: I think what's going to happen is the Senate will move forward, in my belief, and pass a piece of legislation and both sides will have to sit at the table, where many of us are ready having conversations with what that ultimate agreement can look like.
SANCHEZ: Congressman, I can hear someone yelling behind you. So --
(CROSSTALK)
GOTTHEIMER: Sorry, someone is screaming behind me. It's really hard to hear.
SANCHEZ: Not the best circumstances to have a conversation.
Congressman, I do want to ask you about the leader of Hezbollah today speaking out, threatening Israel. If it appears that the IDF is on the verge of eliminating Hamas, do you anticipate Hezbollah would launch a full-scale invasion on Israel?
GOTTHEIMER: Well, we've seen our skirmishes already at the northern border with Hezbollah, Lebanese-backed Hezbollah. And we've seen all the Iranian-backed proxies, as I mentioned, continuing to fire at Americans and, of course, into Israel.
[13:50:10]
And so I'm very concerned with the region. And you saw Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, today say U.S. -- blame the U.S., saying the U.S. is fully responsible for the bloodshed, saying that all options are on the table.
So the rhetoric coming out of Hezbollah is very hot. Clearly, blaming America.
Remember, we've still got American hostages, dozens of Americans who were killed on October 7th.
They said that October 7th was justifiable. That's what Hezbollah said this morning. They said acceptable, legitimate, saying it was fully legitimate.
And so the idea that you've got terrorist organizations like Hezbollah working closely with China, Russia, Iran. All working together, of course, with Hamas attacking not only Israel but attacking, going after Americans, shooting at and firing at American forces, tells you how, you know, how it's a powder keg in the region right now.
We need to do everything possible to get those hostages out, to crush the terrorists and to make sure that we can bring peace to the region.
SANCHEZ: Congressman Josh Gottheimer, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon --
(CROSSTALK)
GOTTHEIMER: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: I'm not sure who that is.
GOTTHEIMER: I'm sorry about that.
(CROSSTALK)
GOTTHEIMER: I apologize for the noise.
(CROSSTALK)
GOTTHEIMER: They're very loud. I hope I answered your questions. It's hard to hear all of them. Sorry about all that.
SANCHEZ: You did.
Looking forward to having you back sometime. Thanks so much.
GOTTHEIMER: Thanks so much. Take care.
SANCHEZ: Off course.
Jess?
DEAN: Airstrikes between Israel and Gaza began with the Hamas attacks on October 7th, and those have resulted in the most deadliest assault on Jews since the Holocaust.
They also seem to be fueling a rise in anti-Semitism all around the world.
Here in the U.S., Cornell University, just one example. The Ivy League school is closed today and a student is under arrest for posting online threats to kill members of the university's Jewish community.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Vienna, where a burned-out building on hallowed ground is one of the latest tragedies in Europe's new wave of anti-Semitism.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We're inside the ceremonial hall that was attacked and set on fire. It's on the central cemetery in Vienna, the Jewish portion of it.
And inside this room, there were a lot of very important religious artifacts for the Jewish community here in Vienna.
This is only the latest in the string of anti-Semitic incidents and attacks here on the European continent that has a lot of Jews very worried.
Valuable torah scrolls and prayer books reduced to ashes after an arson attack on this ceremonial hall in the Jewish part of Vienna's main cemetery.
The last time this very hall was set on fire was almost, to the day, 85 years ago by the Nazis on Kristallnacht, Chief Rabbi Jaron Engelmayer tells me.
(on camera): How big is the damage, not just -- not just in terms of the room itself, but spiritually for you, for the Jewish community?
RABBI JARON ENGELMAYER, CHIEF RABBI OF THE IKG VIENNA: I think it takes us back to times when the books were burned. And it is an attack on the spiritual values of the religion and of humanity, which happened here.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): A swastika on the outer wall leaves few questions about the anti-Semitic nature of the attack.
ENGELMAYER: It should worry us, all of the people in the free world about what's going on in the streets right now. And those attacks are just the top of the -- what's going on.
PLEITGEN: Since Hamas's October 7th attack on Southern Israel, murdering more than 1,400 people and kidnapping hundreds --
(EXPLOSION)
PLEITGEN: -- and Israel's military response in Gaza, which has also caused many casualties, anti-Semitic incidents have skyrocketed by about 300 percent in Austria, the head of Vienna's Jewish community tells me.
OSKAR DEUTSCH, HEAD OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF VIENNA: We were anxious. We are -- people are thinking about their life.
The first thinking is, is Jewish life possible in Austria? The second thinking is, is Jewish life possible in Europe or in the world?
(CHANTING)
PLEITGEN: With pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demos sweeping across the continent --
(SHOUTING)
PLEITGEN: -- Jewish groups say anti-Semitism is not only getting more prevalent, but uglier.
(CHANTING)
PLEITGEN: From plastering Stars of David on Jewish homes in Paris, to a Molotov cocktail attack on one of the main synagogues in Berlin, and near-daily assaults and insults in various European countries. Today, just hours after the cemetery attack, Vienna's Jewish community
hosted Israelis whose relatives were killed or kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th.
[13:55:02]
TAL YESHURUN, RELATIVE OF OCTOBER 7TH VICTIMS: (INAUDIBLE)
PLEITGEN: Tal Yeshurun's family, four murdered, seven kidnapped. Tal lives in Europe, but while he's publicly advocating for the hostages, in everyday life, he feels he has to hide his Jewish identity.
YESHURUN: Not to be associated with anything written in Hebrew, not to speak Hebrew. Not to go to places that are considered Jewish, like a synagogue or things like that.
PLEITGEN: While many European leaders have come out strongly against the rising tide of anti-Semitism, the head of the European Jewish Association says it's not enough.
RABBI MENACHEM MARGOLIN, CHAIRMAN, EUROPEAN JEWISH ASSOCIATION: We know exactly when we are in dangers. And we are now in dangers. European leaders, we need you right now to act. "Never again" is now. Not tomorrow, not next week. It's now.
PLEITGEN: But as much as there is fear, there's also a sense of defiance.
Rabbi Engelmayer himself painting over the Nazi slurs on the cemetery wall, eager to show his Jewish community will not be intimidated by anti-Semitic attacks.
(on camera): So the Jewish community here in Vienna is still standing strong.
And they've certainly got a boost last night when there was a big event that took place in the center of the Austrian capital with thousands of people showing up for what they called a Sea of Light Memorial in support of Israel.
But also, of course, in support of the hostages who are still being held by Hamas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: All right, Fred Pleitgen, thanks so much for that report.
We're going to take you to Israel right after this break. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
