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Images Show Israeli Forces Detaining Men Stripped To Underwear; 26-Year-Old Woman Arrested For Trying To Set Fire To MLK Birth Home; CNN Poll: Majority Of Americans Think They Have Responsibility To Fight Climate Change. Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired December 08, 2023 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Has responded to questions about images of large groups of detainees stripped down and blindfolded in Gaza. Israel says they are members of Hamas or suspected members of Hamas.
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BERMAN: All right. This morning, Israeli officials are saying the number of hostages believed to be held in Gaza right now is 137. And now, the IDF is responding to new images of Israeli soldiers detaining dozens of men stripped down to their underwear. The men are seen wearing blindfolds, kneeling on the ground or in the back of military trucks.
CNN's Alex Marquardt is in Tel Aviv this morning. Alex, what is the IDF saying about these pictures?
[11:35:19]
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, they're saying that these men either have ties or are suspected of having ties to Hamas. There were questions when these images arose yesterday about who exactly was in the group. We've been given some indications from relatives and employers that there are at least several men who have been pictured in these images and videos, who are -- have no ties to militant organizations.
But an IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus told our colleague Jake Tapper, that the dozens of Palestinian men who you see in these images who have been stripped, who are on their knees, or sitting in the road, blindfolded and carried in a truck at one point, that they are either Hamas militants or suspected of being Hamas militants, and that they have been stripped down in order to make sure that they weren't carrying any explosives. We also heard from another IDF spokesman yesterday who wasn't speaking specifically to these images, but essentially said that when they clear areas, they ask that that men come out, they take the men into custody, and they've admitted to arresting hundreds of people to essentially figure out who is Hamas and who is not or who has militant ties and who doesn't. But, John, we heard from an employee -- the editor-in-chief of a news organization called the New Arab who said that he identified the head of their Gaza office in one of the images. CNN has also spoken with someone in the U.S., a relative of two of the people in the images, a brother and a cousin, this person -- the person we spoke with saying that they are a shopkeeper and someone who works in construction who have no ties to anything violent. So, this is clearly you know, the Israelis detaining rounding people up in their efforts to figure out who is Hamas and to dismantle a new sort --the militant organization, excuse me. But there are criticisms not just from human rights groups who have -- who have criticized this practice. But we also heard from a member of Hamas in Beirut today, who said that these were displaced Palestinians. And call this a reprehensible crime, John.
BERMAN: Alex Marquardt in Tel Aviv, Alex, thank you for sharing your reporting. Appreciate it. Fred?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A woman who attempted to set fire to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s childhood home is charged with attempted arson. The tourists stopped the incident by tackling her to the ground. And the new jobs report, beating expectations, what it could mean for the Fed, and whether there will be another rate hike.
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[11:42:17]
BERMAN: A 26-year-old woman is under arrest, charged with trying to set fire to the birth home of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Witnesses -- it was witnesses who stopped and held her until police got there. Investigators say these witnesses watched her pour gasoline on the national landmark in Atlanta. This woman now faces multiple charges now.
CNN's Isabel Rosales is outside the house. Isabel, so what happened here exactly?
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, John. Certainly, a shocking and strange scene for a bunch of witnesses who saw this woman just up on the porch of this historical home, the birthplace of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr, where he spent the first 12 years of his life. This woman just pacing on this porch and pouring gasoline continuously upon that in the front door as well.
Now, we do have new information this morning from the National Park Service because this is a federal site, from a historical architect saying that there's good news here that there is no permanent damage to the home. The priority right now is to let that strong stench of the gasoline -- to let that air out and also keep away anything that could spark a flame here. We are also told by the Atlanta Police Department via an e-mail this morning that the woman -- this 26-year- old woman was originally taken to a local hospital for a mental health crisis evaluation. And then she was transported over to the Fulton County Jail.
Now, we do have a video from one of the witnesses where you can see one good Samaritan pinning her down to the ground waiting for police who arrive. We're told by A.P.D. that it's a bunch of strangers. People not from Atlanta who put a stop to this woman.
Two tourists from Utah originally saw her dousing the house with the gasoline and interrupted her. And then two off-duty NYPD officers, they're the ones who chased her and pinned her there and waited for officers to arrive. The fire chief here in Atlanta saying that this was a mighty close call. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY DEBERRY, ATLANTA FIRE DEPARTMENT BATTALION CHIEF: It could have been a matter of seconds before the house was engulfed in flames. It was really about the timing. And the witness has been in the right place at the right time.
ZACH KEMPF, WITNESS: It didn't seem right to me. So, I looked around the side of the porch and heard a splash, splash, and saw her dumping the candle over the porch. And I said what are you doing -- what are you doing, you know. And then she came around the front and was dumping gas all over the porch too. So, at this point, I was like this is important. Pull out my phone and started recording.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROSALES: And the King Center put out a statement saying in part, "Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful thanks to the brave intervention of good Samaritans and the quick response of law enforcement. Our prayers are with the individual who allegedly committed this criminal act."
[11:45:06]
Now, this woman, 26 years old, has been charged with attempted arson and interference with government property. I mentioned that this is a federal property, so that opens the doors to potential federal charges. But I do also want to say, John, that it's been interesting here in the past couple of hours since the sun rose. We're seeing tours still happening here. So, despite this very, very close call that happened yesterday, folks are still coming here to learn about the life and legacy of the civil rights icon.
BERMAN: Which is a wonderful -- a wonderful thing. And it's good that people get to be part of this precious part of U.S. history. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much. Fred?
WHITFIELD: The new jobs report beating expectations, what this means for the economy.
[11:50:12]
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BERMAN: All right, new this morning. A New York man who filed to run for the seat once held by ousted Representative George Santos was just found guilty of several charges stemming from the January 6 Capitol riot. Philip Sean Grillo allegedly entered the building through a broken window. He was also seen in a group of people physically confronting law enforcement officers.
The Justice Department noted during the trial that the 49-year-old testified he had "no idea that Congress met inside the Capitol building." Then he went on to run for the MTC. The special election for the seat will be held on February 13.
A new jobs report just this morning shows strong jobs growth and a low unemployment rate. 199,000 new jobs were added in November. That beat expectations. And the unemployment rate itself fell to 3.7 percent, which historically speaking is very low.
And then breaking just a few minutes ago, six members of Congress from Pennsylvania are now calling for the resignation of the President of the University of Pennsylvania. Elizabeth Magill has faced scathing criticism since her congressional testimony where she failed to explicitly say that calling for the genocide of Jews would violate the school's code of conduct on bullying, or harassment. Fred?
WHITFIELD: A brand new CNN poll out this morning, Americans' attitudes toward climate change have improved. More than three-quarters of Americans believe they bear at least some responsibility to reduce climate change. With us now is CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir.
Hey, this is good news, isn't it? I mean that --
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: This is so interesting.
WHITFIELD: People are accepting some responsibility, which means they want to be proactive and help too.
WEIR: Yes. And just for context, you know, just the words climate change have been so politicized --
WHITFIELD: Yes.
WEIR: For most of these generations. Misinformation fed by oil lobbies. That's the result of so many lawsuits around the country right now. And so, to see these numbers is really kind of surprising.
Now, nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults say they're worried as you said, about half want to -- even more want the federal government to do something about it. There's the worry one you talked about. You got 23 percent very 35, percent somewhat, only four percent say it is the most important thing right now.
WHITFIELD: All right.
WEIR: So, those are somewhat lower. But what's really interesting is when you ask what should the federal government do about this. Do you support the president's vow to cut emissions in half by the end of this decade? 73 percent, a broad majority of Americans say that is the right way to go. It breaks down by party. It's 95 percent of Democrats are in agreement with that. only 50 percent of Republicans but 76 percent of independents say we're on the right track to decarbonize the economy. WHITFIELD: All right. That's encouraging. And then you know, according to Rystad Energy, an energy researching consultant company, America is projected to produce the most crude oil in 2024. 58 percent of Americans say the government isn't doing enough to address that.
WEIR: Yes. So, this is an interesting one. If we look at the oil chart here, we don't talk about this a lot. But the biggest Petro state in the world right now is the United States producing way more as a percentage-wise of the global stock than Russia or even Saudi Arabia right now. And that is costing Joe Biden some points from his left, from climate, you know, youth activists who want to see the end of drilling, especially on federal lands.
So, he only gets a 43 percent approval rating for his handling of environmental policy. Losing those from there as well. But there is that partisan divide over exactly what to do about it, and the energy going forward.
WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now.
WEIR: OK.
WHITFIELD: But hey, I'm going to take away that this is hopeful. Right?
WEIR: It definitely is. Look, people don't talk about this enough and just starting the conversation.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
WEIR: Say hey, we should maybe check our -- see if our community is resilient enough.
WHITFIELD: Right.
WEIR: Given these new normals.
WHITFIELD: Yes, can't complain about it, you got to do something too.
WEIR: Knowledge is power, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Bill Weir, thank you so much.
WEIR: All right. You bet.
WHITFIELD: All right, for many, this time of year is about giving back. But "CNN Heroes an All-Star Tribute" salutes 10 extraordinary people who put others first all year long. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sunday on CNN.
ESTEFANIA REBELLON, YES WE CAN WORLD FOUNDATION: We provide bilingual education for migrant and refugee children at the U.S.-Mexico border.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Support the extraordinary people making a difference in our world.
MIKE GOLDBERG, I.CARE: We are rebuilding the coral reefs here in the Florida Keys.
OSEI BOATING, OKB HOPE FOUNDATION: I'm going to ensure that people in Ghana have access to health care.
DR. KWANE STEWART, PROJECT STREET VET: I see a pet need and a person who cares for them dearly.
ADAM PEARCE, LOVEYOURBRAIN: Trauma can be a pathway for growth.
ALVIN IRBY, BARBERSHOP BOOKS: We've installed a child-friendly reading space in the barbershop.
YASMINE ARRINGTON BROOKS, SCHOLARCHIPS: We all are connected because of the shared experience of having an incarcerated parent.
[11:55:02]
STACEY BUCKNER, OFF-ROAD OUTREACH: There should be no homeless vets. Period. None.
TESCHA HAWLEY, DAY EAGLE HOPE PROJECT: I don't want to be defined as a victim of my circumstances.
MAMA SHU, AVALON VILLAGE: I do want to make sure that they get all the attention and love that they deserve.
ANNOUNCER: "CNN Heroes an All-Star Tribute," Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: This is what we all need.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
BERMAN: It is always such a wonderful show. The "CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute" airs this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Again, this is something you will absolutely want to watch.
WHITFIELD: I know. So inspiring and makes us all feel good. But I love that we profiled them all the time --
BERMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: So, you can really get to know them. And then this is the big crescendo, the awards night. It's so fun.
BERMAN: Thank you all so much for joining us. Thank you, Fred, so much for being here. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.
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