Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Israel Launches Airstrikes in Beirut; Biden to Arrive at U.N.; Israel Launches Airstrikes in Lebanon; Kurt Volker is Interviewed about Zelenskyy Addressing World Leaders; Court Case on Mail-In Voting in Mississippi; Trump Questions Early Voting. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired September 24, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: That actually has a launch facility just a few miles away from where this vacant lot is.

Now, the lawsuit accuses SpaceX of a lot of things, including egregious appropriation of property, dumping enormous amounts (ph) of gravel, bringing in generators to run equipment and lights. The lawsuit even tries to throw some shade at Elon Musk. There's a key line here where they say that "Musk, by allowing his company to wrongfully operate on Cards Against Humanity's property, cast the shadow of possible association between him and Cards Against Humanity. And nothing could be more offensive to Cards Against Humanity, nor more harmful to his reputation with supporters."

Now, we've reached out to SpaceX. We have not heard back.

But, Sara, I do think there's a moral to this story. Anytime you're pulling off an elaborate stunt involved with buying a vacant piece of land to stop a border wall, make sure you keep an eye on that piece of land and make sure that the richest person on the planet is not allegedly trying to take over that land.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: I suspect we may hear from Elon on this one.

EGAN: We might.

SIDNER: Perhaps on his X platform.

EGEN: Yes. Exactly.

SIDNER: All right, Matt Egan, thank you so much.

EGAN: Thank you, Sara.

SIDNER: Appreciate it.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are standing by for President Biden to deliver what could be his final speech before the United Nations General Assembly. And we are just getting word of Israeli airstrikes on the Lebanese

capital Beirut. Who and what were they targeting?

And new charges - new changes, I should say, coming to Instagram. Added protections for teenagers.

I'm John Berman, with Kate Bolduan and Sara Sidner. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, any moment now, President Biden will be arriving at the United Nations to give his final speech before world leaders at the General Assembly - U.N. General Assembly. A speech now coming as the Middle East is lighting up on so many fronts.

We've just learned of a new Israeli airstrike in the southern part of Beirut, Lebanon. The IDF describing this as - this attack as a targeted strike against Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah. Airstrikes yesterday marked the deadliest day in Lebanon in nearly two decades.

CNN's Alex Marquardt is tracking this one for us from the United Nations and he's here with us now.

Alex, with all of this happening in real time, what are you hearing about President Biden's focus when he speaks this morning?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, no doubt this is going to be a difficult balancing act for President Biden when he comes here to the U.N. He's due to speak in just about an hour. He's coming to speak on what is arguably the biggest international stage with a number of priorities, including cementing his legacy on this global stage, talking about his priorities, talking about his accomplishments and what still needs to get done.

This was going to be a U.N. General Assembly that was already dominated by the war in Gaza, concerns about a widening war in the Middle East, and that is going to be even more the case now with this expanding Israeli operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon. And the crises in both Gaza and Lebanon really serve to underscore what many see as a failure by President Biden and administration officials to get to a ceasefire deal in Gaza, to figure out a deal between Israel and Hezbollah that would allow tens of thousands of residents on both sides of that border to return home.

So, senior administration officials acknowledge that that is going to be a major focus for this week. It is, obviously, going to be talked about during President Biden's speech. But he does have a number of other priorities to get to as well. He wants to talk about the conflicts in Haiti, in Sudan. He wants to talk about climate change, the rise of AI. He wants to talk about the competition with China. He wants to emphasize, certainly in stark contrast to his predecessor and this election that we're now seeing with former President Donald Trump, about global engagement.

But, Kate, so much of this is going to come back to the Middle East and what is going on there, the concerns about an expanding war there. There's a lot of anger among other countries about Israeli aggression against Palestinians and now in Lebanon. Following President Biden, we're going to be hearing from the leaders of Jordan, of Qatar and Turkey. You will certainly hear some of that anger there.

So, while this is a moment and a place for international unity, for international cooperation, there are also deep divisions among the countries here.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, it will all be on display right in that building behind you.

Alex, thank you so much.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, speaking of which, more on the breaking news now out of Beirut this hour. The IDF carrying out an airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is in Tel Aviv for us.

[09:05:01]

What are you learning about this strike that we can see now some of the results of a couple of the floors of a five-story building destroyed.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Typically when the IDF has said that it's had a targeted strike in the suburbs of Beirut, and particularly these southern suburbs of Beirut, it has been senior Hezbollah figures that they've tried to target in the past. So, likely, that's what it is this time. There's certainly plenty of speculation that that's the case. But who it might be, and has the intended target escaped, that's not clear. Certainly when the IDF tried to target a very senior Hezbollah commander in the suburbs of Beirut last night, the commander of the southern forces of Hezbollah, close to the border with Israel, he, according to Hezbollah, was not injured and is in full health. So, we're waiting to get details.

But this is a part of a huge package of airstrikes that have been going on today. Three phases so far at least. Over the past day, the IDF says that they've dropped 2,000 munitions on more than 1,500 Hezbollah targets. There have been more than 100 missiles incoming to Israel today. Only one casualty, an IDF reservist, that we're aware of. But I think we get a sense of what is planned and what's to be expected from the IDF's chief of staff, General Herzi Halevi. He said that Hezbollah must not be given a reprieve, that they must continue with full force - the IDF must continue with full force. And he said, operations will be sped up and that they must have continued action with full vigor across all areas.

It feels as if the IDF sense they have momentum in the fight right now, and that they have no intention of letting up. In fact, they intend to increase as well. Sara.

SIDNER: All right, meantime, you've got the U.S. trying to calm things down.

Thank you so much, Nic Robertson, live from Tel Aviv for us there.

John.

BERMAN: Obviously, that will be one focus of President Biden's speech before the General Assembly today. He will also no doubt talk about Russia's war on Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addresses the General Assembly tomorrow.

With me now is the former U.S. ambassador to NATO, former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations, Kurt Volker.

Ambassador, thank you so much for being with us.

KURT VOLKER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: Great to see you, John. Thank you.

BERMAN: President Zelenskyy is in the United States right now. And you get the sense that he is here with increasing urgency, trying to shore up what support he can in the United States, and with leaders at this crucial time, six weeks before the U.S. election. How much is at stake for him?

VOLKER: Well, this war has been going on a long time. People are very tired. They've had some recent progress, but they really need more support. And they particularly need authorization to fire at long range to hit the Russian logistics and to try to force the Russians to pull back. They've got to do this before the winter sets in again, because the Russians keep hitting the energy and the electricity supplies in Ukraine. And they've got to try to take the pressure off the population.

So, these are all urgent right now. And, of course, there is the uncertainty of the U.S. presidential election, which they know Vladimir Putin is watching. And how Putin plays the war is going to be determined in some ways by how he reads what's going to happen after the election.

BERMAN: Look, you talk about the need, in your mind, for Zelenskyy to have the approval to hit long range targets inside Russia. Donald Trump Jr. and RFK Jr., who are senior officials in the Trump campaign, put an op-ed out last week saying, don't do this.

VOLKER: Yes.

BERMAN: Don't give approval for this. This could lead to World War III. So, Zelenskyy must say that and see - I mean see that and say to himself, you know, if Trump wins I'm not going to get this.

VOLKER: Well, this is why he needs to make the case because, you know, everybody wants peace. Zelenskyy wants peace. We want peace. Donald Trump Jr. wants peace. But the reality is that the reason there isn't peace is because Vladimir Putin is attacking Ukraine every single day and they have to defend themselves. And the only way this war ends is for Vladimir Putin to decide to stop attacking. And that's why they need the weapons. That's why we have to give them the ability to defend themselves so that we can convince Putin there's no gain in this for him.

BERMAN: You said everyone wants peace. The question is, on what terms.

VOLKER: Exactly.

BERMAN: And you've got more and more leaders coming forward. You know, the Czech Republic came out, their leader there, said, look, I mean Ukraine may have to accept some kind of a deal, at least for now, where they give up Ukrainian territory, or accept the fact that the Russians stay there. What do you think about that reality?

VOLKER: Well, it's not for us to be telling the Ukrainians whether or what they should give up to the Russians. It is a reality that some parts of eastern Ukraine have just been completely leveled and there's nothing left there. And those territories may be less important to the Ukrainians.

[09:10:02]

Other places, such as Crimea, which Russia has occupied since 2014, vitally important for Ukraine, for its economy, for its shipping. And that's something I don't think the Ukrainians are going to easily give up on.

BERMAN: What was your view of the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk and what it accomplished or is accomplishing now?

VOLKER: I think it was a very important strategic move for Ukraine to do that. Up until that time, remember, the only talk that you heard about any negotiations was what Ukraine gives up. Now it's more of a trade. They have some Russian territory. Russia has Ukrainian territory. They're going to have to shift it.

Also, people were saying that this war was a stalemate and it was just going to drag on as a war of attrition. Ukraine is showing that that is not entirely true. They are able to take some strategic steps, such as bringing the war to Russia. They're also firing longer range with their own weapons, not what we're providing, but with their own weapons, drones and missiles, getting longer range into Russia, taking out ammunition depots, hitting airfields, taking out oil refineries, things that are strategically important for Russia's conduct of the war.

BERMAN: You know there's a lot of interest around the world about the U.S. election. And there is concern. And that's not speaking out of school. There is. I mean European leaders are concerned about what might happen if Donald Trump wins, particularly in NATO and others. But you've been giving sort of public advice to them saying, look, figure out a way to work with a potential President Trump. Why are you saying this, and what do you mean? VOLKER: Because it's a reality. It's going to be one or the other.

It's either going to be President Harris or President Trump. Either way, they need to get on with dealing with the issues in the world, just as we do.

So, as you say, my advice to leaders who I meet with around the world, it's, don't make any assumptions. You don't know what the policy is going to be in advance. Do your own homework. Know what the issues are. Know what you're prepared to do about it and then be proactive. Make proposals. We can do this.

BERMAN: When you say don't make any assumptions about Donald Trump. On the issue of Ukraine -

VOLKER: Right.

BERMAN: He won't say he wants Ukraine to win. And that's not an assumption, that's just a fact.

VOLKER: Well, it is a fact that he doesn't say that. We saw that in the debate, for example. But also remember that it was Donald Trump who provided the first lethal weapons to Ukraine back in 2017, lifting the arms embargo and giving them anti-tank systems.

I think what Trump likes to do is avoid making it personal between him and Putin, or him and Kim Jong-un or him and Xi. And meanwhile, Putin plays stronger policies. That's what he did in the past. That's what we have to hope that he would do this time.

BERMAN: Just yesterday he said, if he wins, even before he's inaugurated, as president-elect, he would get on the phone and try to reach some kind of a deal with Zelenskyy and Putin. How does that incentivize Putin?

VOLKER: Yes. The problem here is exactly as you say, Putin wants to take all of Ukraine. He doesn't want a deal. He wants it to be given to him. And if you don't want to see a Europe that is no longer at peace, not just Ukraine but threats to lots of other countries in Europe, a NATO that is now staring right at Russian troops right on its border again in Poland, then you need to help Ukraine defend itself, and you need to send a message to Putin, no more war. That's got to be the message.

BERMAN: Master (ph) Kurt Volker, great to see you in person.

VOLKER: Thank you.

BERMAN: Thanks so much for being here.

VOLKER: Thanks.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, this morning, a legal battle over mail-in ballots heads to a Mississippi courtroom, and the result there could have a real impact on how votes are counted elsewhere this election. And high school students in Georgia are heading back to class this

morning for the first time since that deadly school shooting there. We'll have more on the plans for them.

And Instagram accounts for teenagers everywhere are going private. Meta now rolling out new settings it says well keep your children more safe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:18:15]

SIDNER: Happening today in Mississippi, a major hearing on whether the state can count postmarked ballots that arrive after Election Day. The RNC alleges that Mississippi is violating a federal statute by counting mail-in ballots that arrive within five days after Election Day, as long as they're purportedly postmarked. The ruling could have major implications on mail-in ballot voting moving forward.

CNN's Paula Reid has the very latest on this.

What - what are you expecting to see today? And this is a - this is an important fight.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: This is a huge fight with potentially enormous implications for the upcoming election. Sara, this will be a hearing before a very conservative court of appeals. Three Trump appointed judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear these arguments where Republicans are challenging Mississippi's policies related to ballots. As you just said, they're challenging this policy where you can count ballots up to five days after the election as long as they have the proper postmark, arguing that this is a violation of federal law.

And I think the first question a lot of people will likely have is, well, why are Republicans so focused on Mississippi? That's a state that's clearly going to go red in the upcoming election. But it's important to remember that even though Republicans lost at the trial court level, they're now before this very conservative court of appeals. And that court of appeals covers states beyond Mississippi. And, in fact, 20 states in the U.S. have similar policies that could potentially be impacted depending how this case turns out.

SIDNER: Sometimes where you bring the case says as much about the case as what is being brought.

What is the possibility, hearing this, and it's such a - it's such a big deal for voters, that this will finally end up at the Supreme Court ultimately?

REID: That's a great question, Sara. That's really what the goal is here.

[09:20:01]

This is by design. An attempt to try to get to the Supreme Court to get a national precedent restricting the ability to count ballots that come in after Election Day.

But, first of all, we have to see how long it takes the circuit court of appeals here to make their decision. And then whoever loses, it's expected that they could likely try to ask the Supreme Court to weigh in.

But historically the Supreme Court has had a policy that discourages judges from changing election rules to close to election day. That is something that has been sort of inconsistently applied. Back in 2020, we saw Justice Alito, just a few days after the election, changing some rules specifically in Pennsylvania. So, that's going to be the first hurdle that whichever side loses this case, if they want to go to the Supreme Court, that they will have to get over.

But this is absolutely one of the biggest cases I think we should be watching because there are a lot of questions about potential litigation or challenges following whatever happens in November. And this is the - these are the seeds of any potential challenges because no matter what happens here, Republicans or Democrats are likely to reference this in any potential litigation.

SIDNER: And if you look at the states that could be affected, that's where the majority of voters are actually.

REID: Yes.

SIDNER: So, this is a huge case to be - and I know you'll be all over it.

Thank you so much. Appreciate your time, Paula Reid.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, mail-in ballots have started rolling out, and early voting has now begun in several states across the country. And Donald Trump just - just yesterday tried a double backflip of logical thoughts. Said another way, tried to have it both ways. And said yet another way, intentionally or not, confusing the heck out of some voters with his commentary on this.

At a campaign event, he first urged supporters to cast their ballots early, and then immediately called it stupid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have to win Pennsylvania. Go out and make a plan to vote early, vote absentee.

Now we have this stupid stuff where you can vote 45 days early. I wonder what the hell happens during that 45 - let's move the - see these votes? We've got about a million votes in there. Let's move them.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BOLDUAN: Joining me right now, former Obama White House aide, Michael Blake, and former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania, Charlie Dent.

It's all about Pennsylvania, and it always is, Charlie, especially when you're coming on. He's talking about Pennsylvania. He's been bashing early voting and mail-in voting for two presidential cycles now. And we know very well, in covering the 2020 election, what happened with the unfounded fraud accusations that surrounded the votes - the vote in Pennsylvania.

Could - this is now a third election cycle where he's doing the same. But do you think it has an impact?

CHARLIE DENT (R), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: I do think it has an impact, Kate. I mean Donald Trump is the only presidential candidate in my memory who has tried to suppress his own vote. (INAUDIBLE) in 2016 and 2020, or particularly in 2020, not to vote by mail, he did great damage to his campaign. And Pennsylvania, you know, he was - he lost the absentee ballots by over - the mail-in votes by about a three to one ratio.

And I don't know if it will be much better this time, but, you know, he should be more worried about getting his voters to the polls and be less concerned about how they vote. So, I think he's doing great damage to his campaign. I have to think the Democrats are thrilled every time Donald Trump says, you know, not to vote by mail, it's crooked, it's bad.

So, I think it's a big mistake. It's political malpractice.

BOLDUAN: And, Mike, I just had the Democratic governor of Colorado on. I - Colorado has a long history of very successful mail-in - mail-in - vote by mail and early voting. And I asked him his reaction to this exact thing that Donald Trump said.

Let me play this for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): Well, I think you're bringing too much attention to these - this - this, you know, these words coming out of his mouth. This nonsensical stuff that he says. We really have to move past Donald Trump. We really need to move past Donald Trump.

Look, mail voting is what Coloradans have been doing for almost two decades. It's perfectly safe. It's secure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And I heard the governor saying it's kind of like this is NBD, like, you've got to look - when he said, like, it's no big deal (INAUDIBLE). Do you think it is?

MICHAEL BLAKE, FORMER OBAMA WHITE HOUSE AIDE: It is. No question about it. And let's be clear, Donald Trump is laying the groundwork like any losing candidate would be before they lose a game. And so -

BOLDUAN: But then why is it no big deal then?

BLAKE: But it is a big deal. And that's why (INAUDIBLE) important.

I was in Pennsylvania four years ago. Many people sometimes forget, it wasn't until the Saturday when the election was finally called because ballots came on in.

Now, the reason that this, Kate, Act 77 in Pennsylvania, they have voting that will begin - and about 43 percent happen across the country itself, but they can't start counting ballots until Election Day there. So, it will take time.

And why is he doing this? Because he wants to sow doubt. Typically, Republicans win on Election Day. But we, as Democrats, very focused on early voting and absentee voting.

But its' not just in Pennsylvania and other places. Look at a Michigan. In Michigan, when you vote straight ticket, you have to know to turn over the ballot so you can vote for the state supreme court. That voting starts on Thursday for absentee voting, but their early voting is nine days before.

So, it is a big deal. And Trump is only communicating this because he understands, he is not going to win absentee voting. He's not going to win early voting.

[09:25:01]

So, let me sew doubt is what he's trying to do. It is like the 16th seed playing a one seed in college basketball. They know they're about to take the "l," so let me communicate every possible way that you should be skeptical of the result before it happens.

BOLDUAN: And then, just continuing with - with the metaphor. Then it's like the RNC and all other party officials are the coaches trying to convince them that, like, no, this is the strategy that will actually help us.

BLAKE: Yes, this strategy. Yes, absolutely. I mean we've had a good - you had a good practice, but I know you're going to take the "l" because you're really not that good. That's what's happening right here with Trump and the Republican Party.

BOLDUAN: The RNC, they're like, no, no, no, we do need you to early vote. We do need you to think they're trying.

BLAKE: Absolutely.

BOLDUAN: But - so, Charlie, you have Kamala Harris. She could be heading to visit the southern border while she is in Arizona. She's traveling to Arizona on Friday. This would be - if she does, it would be her first visit to the southern border since becoming the Democratic nominee. Does this move - does it help her make up ground with Trump? We know polls show - the recent polls show that he continues to lead on the issue. The reason polls showing he's leading by, you know, ten points on the issue.

DENT: Well, it's - it's - I think it's smart for her to get down to the border. Frankly, the Democrats are very vulnerable on this issue because for far too long they really didn't take this issue as seriously as they needed to. They were late to the game in terms of dealing with asylum reform. I think Republicans and Donald Trump gave the Democrats a gift on the border by tanking the bill that James Lankford negotiated with Chris Murphy and others that would have added more border patrol agents, made asylum changes.

So - so, the issue is a little bit more muddled. But make no mistake, Democrats are vulnerable because this - this big surge at the border has happened on their watch and they were just too slow to get there.

Just one thing on Pennsylvania. By the way, before Trump, Pennsylvania was much better at absentee voting. Republicans are much better at absentee voting than Democrats. I just have to get - we were much better at it for years and then Trump came in and blew it all up.

BOLDUAN: Noted, former congressman from Pennsylvania. Noted.

OK. And that - immigration, border security, an issue that Kamala Harris has been vulnerable on. An issue that Donald Trump has been vulnerable on - you know the word - consistently is on abortion and reproductive rights. Yesterday he was making a statement to women at his - at a campaign rally because he said he'd seen reports that women don't like me, and then said, I am your protector. And then went on to say, we're going to end up in World War III, and all they can talk about is abortion. I think he's talking about Democrats. Thats all they talk about, and it really no longer pertains.

BLAKE: Well, first, the vice president is not vulnerable on immigration. And I would rather have a president who actually has humanity to people of color than Donald Trump.

But on the question on women. Well, why do not women support Donald Trump? Well, maybe because he's sexually assaulted them repeatedly. Maybe because he's tried to make sure he's going to block abortion from Project 2025. If he would actually focus on policies and having humanity, then we'd have a different conversation.

And so, on the other side, Vice President Harris leading on maternal health crisis and what's happening within the administration, and actually communicating saine policies. And as a man, I can say very clear, you can be a man and a feminist at the same time. Donald Trump clearly is not that. Their policies are against that. His rhetoric is against that. And if he's wondering why women are not supporting him, it's because he has not supported women his entire life.

BOLDUAN: Yes, the commentary about, we're heading into World War III, and all you - all you can care about is abortion. It seems a disjointed message to send to women who are not single issue voters. Lots of issues to vote on.

It's good to see you, Michael. Thank you so much.

BLAKE: Always good (ph).

BOLDUAN: Charlie, as always, thank you so much.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, we continue following breaking news in the middle east this morning as the IDF carried out an airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.

And this morning, students going back to class after the Georgia school shooting at Apalachee High School. The sheriff calling today, quote, "a huge step for healing."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]