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Israel-Hamas War; U.S. Opposes Ceasefire, Calls for Humanitarian Pauses; Lebanese PM: We Do Not Want a War in Lebanon; New Delhi Tops Most Polluted Cities List; New Polling Has Trump Leading Biden in 4 Key Swing States; Donald Trump Set to Testify in New York Civil Fraud Trial; Stanford Students on Edge after Suspected Hate Crimes. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired November 06, 2021 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:23]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining us for another hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

We do begin in Gaza as the war between Israel and Hamas is about to enter its second month. The Israeli military says it is carrying out what it calls a significant strike right now on the territory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES (voice-over): An IDF spokesperson says the strike was "very extensive" and targeted Hamas infrastructure both above and below ground. The IDF also says its soldiers have now reached Gaza's coast in an effort to cut off the northern part of the enclave.

In the meantime, communications are down again in the besieged territory. A local operator says there was a complete interruption, Sunday, of its telecom and network services. Aid agencies say they lost contact with their workers as Gaza faces what has been a third communications blackout.

All of this as an intense diplomatic push is underway to prevent a wider conflict in the region, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landing in Turkey a short time ago. And the director of the CIA is also traveling to several countries in the Middle East to meet with "multiple intelligence counterparts and country leaders."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: For more, let's go over to journalist Elliott Gotkine standing by in London for us. So, bring us up to date on these latest strikes. I mean, the IDF really is trying to severe Gaza, and that was probably always the plan.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: That's right, Michael. In fact, Israel says that it succeeded in doing so, and that essentially there is now a northern Gaza Strip and a southern Gaza Strip. That's from -- that's what Israel is saying. So it says it's reached the coast and it's fully encircled Gaza City and may even be planning to enter the city in the coming days because it feels that is one of the main centers of Hamas operations. Of course it's trying to kill commanders. It's trying to take out Hamas infrastructure and trying to free some of those 240 or so hostages that were kidnapped on October the 7th. So that's what's happening militarily.

And by some accounts, the bombardment that the Gaza Strip was on the receiving end of overnight was the heaviest since October the 7th, since Israel began striking the Gaza Strip in the wake of those Hamas terrorist attacks of October the 7th. And that's really saying something. And so far, the IDF saying that it's hit more than 2,500 targets since the fighting began. And that some 347 Israeli soldiers have fallen.

Now, as far as this communications blackout is concerned, it's now been going for more than 12 hours as far as we can tell. This is, as you say, the third communications blackout that the Gaza Strip has suffered. Not only does that impact civilians in terms of their ability to contact loved ones and friends, and family to say if they're safe, or even show that they're alive, both within and outside the Strip, but obviously has an impact on the humanitarian situation as well, especially for those requiring medical attention.

And so, we've seen the head of the World Health Organization weigh in and saying that without connectivity, people who need immediate medical attention cannot contact hospitals and ambulances. All channels of communication must be restored immediately.

Now, I reached out to the IDF to get some more information on this. They said that they had no comment at this time in those previous blackouts. Service has been restored pretty soon-ish, and one would expect it to be restored soon as well.

But as I say, for now, Michael, I'm afraid we don't have any more on that. But, of course, we'll update you as soon as I get more information.

HOLMES: All right, Elliot, thanks so much. Elliott Gotkine there for us now.

Dozens of people were killed in a blast at the Al-Maqazi refugee camp in Gaza late on Saturday night, according to an official at a nearby hospital. He says it was the result of an Israeli airstrike. The IDF says it's looking into the circumstances around the explosion but hasn't yet confirmed anything. Nada Bashir following this developing story. A warning, her report includes graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): At this hospital in Central Gaza, another day of seemingly unending horror. Bodies, some tiny, arriving in there dozens. No one is spared the devastation of this war.

[01:05:00]

Journalist Muhammed Alabul seen here at Gaza's al-Aqsa Hospital, not to report on this latest attack but to identify his children amongst the dead.

MUHAMMED ALABUL, JOURNALIST (through translation): I saw my son, Kanaan (ph), my daughter, Rahaf (ph), and my sons Ahmed (ph) and Kayas (ph). I saw my three siblings killed. I saw friends, who were at my house, all killed.

BASIR (voice-over): Hospital officials tell CNN this latest disaster was caused by yet another Israeli airstrike. Among numerous bodies, countless women and children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 52 killed and more than 70 injured. Most of those killed and injured are children, women and elderly, and still a large number buried under the rubble.

BASIR (voice-over): In the now shattered Al-Maghazi refugee camp, once home to tens of thousands of Palestinians, residents search desperately for any sign of survivors, many digging frantically with their bare hands.

This residential community is located in one of the zones deemed safe to evacuate to by the Israeli military, but Israel's airstrikes have proven unrelenting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of a sudden, I saw the entire house upside down. I can't see. I don't even know where I am.

BASIR (voice-over): Homes which are crowded on Saturday with entire families have now been reduced to blackened rubble. This crater, a reminder of the force with which Israel continues to bombard the besieged Gaza Strip.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw all my sisters screaming. Then I saw my father. When I found myself alive, I looked to see who is still alive. We turned on the torch and my siblings were alive, but I did not find my father. I finally found him next to me. I moved him. I moved his hands. I moved his face. He did not respond.

BASIR (voice-over): Gaza's hospitals are overwhelmed, and shortages mean it is virtually impossible to adequately treat those wounded. But hospitals like Al-Aqsa are also struggling to keep up with the mounting death toll. The bodies of those killed lay outside awaiting identification, a gut wrenching image now an all too familiar reality here in Gaza. Nada Basir, CNN in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, Queen Rania of Jordan supports the idea of a ceasefire in this war. She spoke with our Becky Anderson, Sunday, about that and what she believes are the root causes of the conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) QUEEN RANIA AL ABDULLAH, QUEEN CONSORT OF JORDAN: There has to be a collective call for a ceasefire. And I know that some who are against a ceasefire argue that it will help Hamas. However, I feel that in that argument, they are inherently dismissing the death, in fact, even endorsing and justifying the death of thousands of civilians. And that is just morally irreprehensible.

It is also short-sighted and not entirely rational because, as I've said before, if you manage to eliminate all of Hamas, what next? The root cause of this conflict is an illegal occupation. It is routine human rights abuses, illegal settlements, disregard to UN resolutions and international law. If we do not address these root causes, then you can kill the combatant but you cannot kill the cause.

So on the rubble of these destroyed buildings will emerge another group, more determined and more motivated to do what Hamas did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, her country, Jordan, has provided medical aid to the Palestinians by airdropping supplies to a field hospital in Gaza. That's according to King Abdullah II. He has also been critical of Israel's assault on Gaza and has repeatedly called for a ceasefire. UN officials have warned that truckloads of humanitarian aid now getting through are not nearly enough to meet the critical needs.

Still to come here on the program, with tensions flaring along Israel's border with Lebanon, the Lebanese foreign minister tells CNN it is up to Israel not to provoke war with Hezbollah. We'll hear from him after the break.

[01:09:37]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is expected to meet with Turkish officials this morning to discuss the war. Turkey's president has been highly critical of Israel's offensive in Gaza, calling its actions crimes against humanity. Now, before heading to Turkey, Blinken made an unannounced visit to Iraq, where he met with the country's prime minister

Mohammed Shia al-Sudani emphasized the need to contain the crisis between Israel and Hamas, an effort Blinken says is a US priority.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, US SECRETARY OF STATE: We're working very hard to make sure that the conflict in Gaza does not escalate, does not spread to other places, whether it's here or whether it's elsewhere in the region. This is the very vital and urgent work of American diplomacy. And that's what we've been engaged in as well throughout this trip.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: CNN State Department Reporter Jennifer Hansler is traveling with Antony Blinken. She joins me now from Ankara. Good to see you, Jennifer.

Blinken's diplomatic task really does get tougher in a region where most governments have populations very supportive of Palestinians and his latest stop is one of those countries. What's he hoping to achieve?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, that's right, Michael. He's really trying to consult with his partners here in the region on the next steps for this war in Gaza and how to prevent it from spreading. As you mentioned, these have been difficult conversations thus far on this whirlwind trip through the region.

He started out in Israel where he met with Prime Minister Netanyahu, members of the war cabinet there. And he pressed them on the need to prevent civilian harm and push them on these humanitarian pauses. This is something Netanyahu rejected outright, almost immediately after that meeting with Blinken there on Friday.

[01:15:10]

From there, he went to Amman, Jordan where he attended this summit that was convened by the Jordanian Foreign Minister. He met with his counterparts from Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the head of the PLO. And of course, we saw those huge gaps in the US position and those of their counterparts there.

Of course, we have seen calls for a ceasefire from those ministers. Very strong words against Israel's offensive there in Gaza. And again, Blinken doubled down on this idea of humanitarian pauses instead of a ceasefire, saying that right now is not the time to have a ceasefire. He argued that it would give Hamas time to regroup and potentially re- attack Israel. And he said these humanitarian causes would serve similar aims of getting more humanitarian assistance into Gaza and getting civilians out.

Yesterday, he went to Ramallah to meet with the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. We're told those conversations also focused on the here and now of the war. There was not a lot of discussion of the future governance of Gaza. This is something Blinken has floated that the PA could have a role in, but we're told that was very minor part of their discussion yesterday.

And we saw him make that unannounced trip to Iraq at the end of the day to meet with the Prime Minister there. In the midst of these increased attacks by Iranian-backed militias on US interests in Iraq and Syria, he pressed the Prime Minister on the need to protect US interests and stop these attacks from occurring.

But of course to wrap this all up, these have been very hard conversations, and we have not seen a lot of concrete steps, a lot of concrete progress out of these hours and hours of meetings thus far.

So we will see if he can get any common ground today in his meetings with Turkish officials. We expect him to meet with his Turkish counterpart, not necessarily with President Erdogan, who has been very vocal, very strong opponent of this war. Of course, Turkey is a key ally and they also do play host to some Hamas leadership. It is unclear if Blinken will press them to force these leaders to leave the country, but he has said that there cannot be a return to the status quo with Hamas after that October 7 attack. Michael?

HOLMES: He's going to find a tough audience. Jennifer, thank you. Jennifer Hansler there for us in Ankara.

Joining me now is Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric, intensive care and humanitarian doctor with Medecins Sans Frontieres or Doctors Without Borders. Doctor, good to see you.

I know these are tough days for you and your people. There have been more disruptions to communications Sunday. Are you in touch with your people? What are they telling you about the situation?

TANYA HAJ-HASSAN, PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE AND HUMANITARIAN DOCTOR: Yes. I was last in touch with a couple of my colleagues yesterday, but since then the contact has been completely cut off again. They're desperate. They're screaming for international protection. At least 182 health care workers have been killed to date.

And they say that they have screamed, they have tried to expose the atrocities that are happening both to the civilian population where they live, but also to them and the facilities where they work to care for this population. And that has been met with silence. I mean, I can quote a pediatric intensive care doctor two days ago who sent this text message saying, unfortunately, we are on our way to collapsing from the horror of the scenes that we see. Despite our strength, it's beginning to fade and the world is watching as if were in a horror movie and the viewers are all silent.

And I think that's exactly -- that's the impression that I have as well as a humanitarian worker who's been screaming on TV and in every avenue I can possibly consider, as has every humanitarian worker and organization that I know.

HOLMES: And I can imagine that you're feeling helpless that you are saying these things and so little is happening. I mean, I've been seeing reports that medical staff, they're running out of things like gores to even bandage wounds, pins and rods for orthopedic surgery. I heard somebody -- it may have been you I read said that people are being treated without anesthesia or painkillers, which is unimaginable. What are the most desperate challenges for the medical staff?

HAJ-HASSAN: I mean, I can paint a picture for you. We have reached a new low in an endless stream of unconscionable violence. I can sit here and tell you that they need gods, but the reality is the Israeli forces targeted at least four hospitals just this past weekend with direct strikes, a convoy of ambulances that was evacuating patients.

[01:20:09]

I saw my colleague, my previous medical student, on TV over a body covered with blood. This is the reality outside of his workplace. My other colleague, who I spoke to last night, said that he was on his way out to buy something from the vendor, just outside the hospital door, when he was called back in to the operating room for a child with severe burns. He turned around, walked back in, and in the operating room heard this massive explosion. That would have been him standing outside.

This is a colleague of mine, a graduate of Oxford University, who I have known for over 15 years.

HOLMES: Wow.

HAJ-HASSAN: They targeted four densely populated UNRWA schools, UN schools where internally displaced people were sheltering. They massacred people that were trying to flee on the only access road in and out of Gaza. Flee as they were told to evacuate. Over half the population in the Gaza Strip is displaced.

And, you know, they're not only killing people by directly targeting them, they're also killing them by targeting the hospitals where they seek medical care, by targeting the doctors and the journalists who expose these atrocities. And I want to get back by targeting the water wells, the food supply, the medicine, the sewage system, every single thing that's indispensable to human life. And so people are dying.

HOLMES: Coming up here on the program with airstrikes raining on Gaza causing widespread destruction, it's hard to see what the territory's future will look like. Why our next guest says it's something both Hamas and Israel should have thought about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:25:18]

HOLMES: You are looking at live image there of northern Gaza. You can just see some of the damage that has been done to Gaza in this war with Hamas. And the head of Amnesty International is saying Israel's war is a "campaign of violations of international law."

Agnes Kalamar telling CNN that the horrific Hamas attack on Israel was itself a massive violation, but she says Israel has responded with "relentless bombing, forcible displacement and collective punishment of Palestinians in the Strip. Kalamar said that the rules of war have been obliterated. She's calling for a truce, a ceasefire, a humanitarian pause, whatever it takes to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza. Stark image there.

Well, the fact that the US has been unable to persuade Israel to order even a humanitarian pause in airstrikes is one of the Arab world's greatest gripes with the US right now, and one of the biggest hang-ups during Secretary of State Antony Blinken's meeting with Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

Earlier, I spoke with James Zogby, the President and Founder of the Arab American Institute, about that. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAMES ZOGBY, PRESIDENT/FOUNDER, ARAB AMERICAN INSTITUTE: I have to say it's comical that the United States is giving 3.8 billion a year. We've requested an additional 14.3 billion from Congress, and we insist on giving it to Israel without conditions. And yet Israel places conditions on us, and we take it. And I was asked by a reporter a couple days ago, what did I think of US policy? And I said, I'm not sure we have a policy in the region right now.

I think what we do is, Israel has a policy and we're simply following it and enabling it. And Israel's policy seems to be, I hate to use the word, but it's pathological. They simply want to destroy Gaza. And the idea that they're going to destroy Hamas and do away with it makes as much sense as 1982 when they tried to do away with the PLO and they ended up with Hezbollah, or when they tried to do away with the PLO with Hezbollah in 2006 and they got a stronger Hezbollah, or we tried to get rid of Saddam and we got Iran.

I mean, there are political issues here that we're not addressing thinking that somehow military might is going to solve the underlying questions that confront Israel and the Palestinians.

HOLMES: And to that very point, I mean, wars are full of unintended consequences. The US knows that well. Do you fear that while Israel is trying to destroy Hamas after what was an unspeakable terror attack in Israel, that while trying to do that, it will create more radicalization, not less?

ZOGBY: I think we're already going to see signs of that. And you're right. I mean, Hamas is a dastardly group with a nasty ideology and tactics that for decades have been deplorable. But the solution is to pull the rug out from under them, by giving hope to young Palestinians who live in despair, by giving promise and a future to Palestinians who see none.

And that's what Israel, they want to have their cake and eat it too. They want to destroy opposition, but they want to keep feeding the opposition to their very existence by continuing to deny humanity and rights to a people that they oppress.

So yes, there will be consequences. It'll at best be Hamas 2.0. It may be even more virulent.

HOLMES: So when it does come time to -- when is a time to look at what comes after this latest conflict start to make plans? I mean, not just who rebuilds what's left of Gaza and there might not be much, but what political track needs to be created both in Gaza but also in the West Bank? And can a viable track even be created under this Netanyahu government?

ZOGBY: Of course not. And you asked the question what should come after. That question should have been asked before it started. And Hamas should have asked the question, what do you think is going to happen on day two? Israel should be asked the question, what are you going to do when it's over?

The US should ask itself the question, what are we going to do? And we should have asked that question of ourselves and the Israelis before we ended up turning on the spigot and giving them the go ahead to do this. Frankly, it's going to be very difficult to figure out what kind of track we can be on.

[01:29:48]

Look, there are today about half the population of Gaza no housing at all because that much has been destroyed in the north.

They've been pushed to the south where there isn't an infrastructure to absorb them, at least 10,000 dead. Those families are not going to be ready to make peace. And there are going to be hundreds of thousands of people living both in despair but also at the same time in desperate conditions.

And we have not thought of that. And at least -- look, if Israel can't think straight, if Hamas can't think straight, we're going to be the adult in the room but the U.S. has not behaved that way.

Instead, we've been a coat holder and a cheerleader and we've given a crazy government -- the Netanyahu government is a crazy government without a doubt given what they are doing in the West Bank as well as what they are doing in Gaza -- we should have been the one to provide restraint and we have not done it. Instead we have enabled a very difficult situation that we're going to be living with for an entire generation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANHCOR: James Zogby there speaking with me earlier.

Now the U.S. military says a ballistic missile submarine has arrived in the Middle East. Sharing this picture which appears to show the sub in the Suez Canal passing under the Al-Salam Bridge. Since announcements like this are so rare, it does seem to be sending a clear message that the U.S. does not want the Israel-Hamas war to expand and does not want anyone else getting involved.

Usually these nuclear-bound (ph) submarines operate in secret. This one joins two U.S. carrier strike groups that are already in the Mediterranean.

The Israel Defense Forces chief says that the military is ready to shift into quote "an offensive mode" in the north of the Strip at any moment. Since October 8th, there has been a near daily exchange of fire between IDF forces and Hezbollah militants along Israel's northern border with Lebanon.

On Sunday, Lebanese state run news says an Israeli strike on a vehicle killed four civilians, three of whom were children. The IDF says troops engaged what they call a suspicious vehicle and say they are looking into Lebanon's claims that there were civilians in it.

Meanwhile, Israel says one of its citizens was killed by a Hezbollah strike in northern Israel. Earlier, CNN's Becky Anderson spoke with the Lebanese foreign minister Abdal Abdul Habib who says that his government is working with Hezbollah to de-escalate the conflict and avert war with Israel.

Here's part of their conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDALLAH BOU HABIB, LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER: From the beginning we've had -- the government had a lot of negotiations with Hezbollah and that are in the front in southern Lebanon. We are under the impression and they didn't tell us, but we are under the impression that there wouldn't be any big war coming unless Israel attacks Lebanon or the situation gets very, very, very bad in Gaza.

Now what (INAUDIBLE) Hassan Nasrallah said yesterday did not change from the beginning but he explained it very well yesterday to all concerned.

So we are not -- I don't know what's going to happen now. You know, you can never tell in such circumstances what will happen, because one small incident can start a war, you know.

Hopefully not. Lebanese do not want war. I don't think Hezbollah wants a war. But as they said, they didn't know about the attack that Hamas did. It doesn't mean that they have no relation with Hamas. But they didn't know what they started.

We don't want the war in Lebanon and hopefully the Israelis will not start with us all.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Hassan Nasrallah described this as a 100 percent Palestinian war. I have to ask you what is the atmosphere like in Lebanon at present? This is a country that is so fragile economically. It doesn't -- nobody ever needs a war. Nobody needs a conflict. But Lebanon needs it, you know, less than -- less than most. What's the atmosphere like? And what was the prime minister's message to the U.S. Secretary of State?

HABIB: That we don't want a war. That we are working with Hezbollah and other Palestinian Organizations here to prevent a war and we'd like that you ask pressure also Israel not to start a war because you know, Hezbollah yesterday or the day before the Secretary General of Hezbollah made the first speech. Usually he does more speeches in such circumstances.

[01:34:48]

HABIB: But the Israelis are daily threatening Lebanon; daily, you know, saying a lot of bad things, like we'll return Lebanon to the Stone Age. That's inciting feelings here.

We ask the Americans not to say -- that they should -- they should ask the Israelis not to say such things if they don't want to war.

But you know, it was reported in American press, in the "New York Times" that the Israelis were thinking of a preemptive attack on Hezbollah or on Lebanon. So the pressure should be on the Israelis more than on Hezbollah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The former leaders of Britain and Australia paid a visit to the Israeli kibbutz devastated by the Hamas assault back on October 7. Ex-prime ministers Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison along with Israeli soldiers and officials walked around some of the houses burned that day.

Johnson says he believes the attacks might suggest that the memory of the Holocaust is starting to fade, but also stressed that anti- Semitism simply cannot be tolerated. Morrison sharing a similar sentiment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MORRISON, FORMER AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Look around. This is -- this is the end of anti-Semitism. This is where it ends. Those expressions of hate against Jewish people.

This is what it becomes, what we are seeing around us here today. That's why it can't be tolerated and its most smallest form, because it starts as a mustard seed and it grows into this horror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Pope Francis again voicing his concerns over the war urging both sides to halt the fighting so that aid can get to those who need it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS, PONTIFF, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): I continue to think of the grave situation in Palestine and Israel where many people have lost their lives. I beg you in God's name to stop, to have a ceasefire.

I pray that every avenue will be explored to ensure that the conflict does not escalate further. That the wounded can be rescued and that aid can reach the people of Gaza where the humanitarian situation is at its worst.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Pope Francis sharing that message Sunday from Vatican City.

Since the Hamas attack on Israel almost a month ago now, Pope Francis has called for the release of all hostages taken by Hamas and has said that Israel has the right to defend itself.

Still to come here on the program, despite a mountain of legal troubles, including criminal charges and civil lawsuits, new polling has Donald Trump leading Joe Biden in some key swing states ahead of next year's presidential election. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

[01:37:45]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Parts of India are yet again dealing with hazardous smog. Schools in New Delhi will remain closed this week as the capital continues to grapple with toxic air quality.

Residents, tourists and one of the country's favorite pastimes are all suffering from this persistent pollution which government officials warned could stick around for a while yet.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: India's iconic monument almost lost in the smog in the city of Agra. It's not the site tourists nor the businesses which depend on them want to see.

NIRANJAN SINGH, PHOTOGRAPHER: We are facing difficulty in taking pictures of the Taj Mahal due to pollution. The Taj Mahal is noy clearly visible. Tourists are also facing issues.

H2: Every year when the temperatures drop and farmers burned their fields, the air turns toxic in many Indian cities. Delhi is notoriously ranked among the world's most polluted cities and the current air quality there has once again reached hazardous conditions forcing primary schools to temporarily close and many people to work from home, or just stay indoors altogether.

PRAKASH TOKAS, DELHI RESIDENT (through translator): The situation is very bad here. There is a lot of coughing, colds and a burning sensation in the eyes.

The kids are also sick. We cannot take the kids out and we also step out far less than we used to because of this pollution.

HOLMES: The problem is so serious a recent air quality life index report says poor air quality could shorten an average Indian's life expectancy by more than five years if World Health Organization guidelines on curbing pollution aren't met.

And it's even affecting one of the country's favorite pastimes. India is currently hosting the Cricket World Cup with Bangladesh set to play Sri Lanka in a match in Delhi.

But the air quality is so poor some players are wearing masks and both teams have canceled training sessions. The coach of Bangladesh's team says the conditions have not been ideal.

CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA, HEAD COACH, BANGLADESH CRICKET TEAM: Our doctor keep a close eye on players. Even for practice, we have to be very conscious. We train what we have to train and they go back into the dressing room. HOLMES: Unfortunately for cricket fans and Delhi residents alike,

officials say pollution levels are expected to be high for the next two to three weeks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now with a year to go before the next U.S. election Donald Trump seems to hold an edge over President Biden in several key swing states. New polling has Trump leading in states where Biden won the vote in 2020.

White House reporter Priscilla Alvarez has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: A newly released poll is painting a grim outlook for the Biden campaign a year before the election. In the New York Times and Siena College poll, the president is trailing former president Donald Trump in a hypothetical match in four key swing states. That includes Nevada, Georgia, Arizona and Michigan.

(INAUDIBLE) because President Biden won those states in 2020 and striking because former president Donald Trump faces a series of criminal charges. Now the Biden campaign is downplaying this poll, saying in a statement quote, "President Biden's campaign is hard at work reaching and mobilizing our diverse winning coalition of voters one year out on the choice between our popular agenda and MAGA Republicans' unpopular extremism."

The campaign goes on to say, "We'll win in 2024 by putting our heads down and doing the work, not by fretting about a pull."

Now the campaign also cited 2022 midterm elections where Democrats had a grim outlook there and did better than was expected. But there is still a long road ahead and the president fanning out over the country to sell his economic message to voters who are still dissatisfied with the economy and who still have doubts about the president's age and his ability to stir the country. Now the president too is facing risks within his own party about the handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

[01:44:49]

ALVAREZ: So several headwinds ahead on the domestic and international front as the president goes into the front next year going into November of 2024.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN -- traveling with the president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now those new polls come just as Trump is set to take the stand in the coming hours in the $250 million civil fraud trial that could decide the fate of his business empire in New York.

His son Eric testified Friday, telling reporters afterwards that his father is quote "fired up" for his appearance. The trial is put a spotlight on the Trump family's business dealings including the role played by Trump's children.

CNN correspondent Brian Todd with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S SON: Guys, it was a great day.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Trump family business and its legacy now facing what could be an existential test.

Eric Trump, Donald Jr. and Ivanka Trump has spent most of their entire adult lives working for their father's company. Ivanka no longer works for the company. Eric Trump oversaw the family's golf businesses, before broadening his role in recent years to become the practical leader of the Trump Organization.

Both brothers saw their portfolios in the Trump Organization grow when their father was elected president and handed over the business to them.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Don and Eric are going to be running the company.

MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, AUTHOR, "THE TRUTH ABOUT TRUMP": He trusts them more than he trusts anyone else, and he respects them. And as Donald said to me, he doesn't respect very many people but he sure as heck respects his children.

TODD: Biographer Michael D'Antonio told us all three of Trump's eldest children have been effective managers of the Trump brand, but haven't really been tested outside the family business. And he says they honed their marketing skills, even before their father's wildly popular reality show "The Apprentice".

IVANKA TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF DONALD TURMP: James, do you think it shows fundamental lack of judgment?

D'ANTONIO: I think that all three Trump kids saw what their dad was doing even before "The Apprentice", his ability to manipulate the media is really unrivalled.

TODD: This week Donald Trump's two eldest sons struck defiant tones on the courthouse steps, after testifying in the civil fraud case brought against the Trump Organization by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

DONALD TRUMP, JR., SON OF DONALD TRUMP: Unfortunately the attorney general has brought forth the case that is purely a political persecution.

E. TRUMP: We haven't done a damn thing wrong and they dragged Don and I into it as collateral damage.

TODD: Trump's sons and their father are accused of inflating Donald Trump, Sr.'s personal wealth and the values of his properties to get favorable loans and insurance policies.

They all deny wrongdoing. The brothers saying they were not closely involved in the financial statements.

TRUMP, JR.: Before even having a day in court, I am apparently guilty of fraud for relying on my accountant to do -- wait for it -- accounting.

TODD: What is at stake for the Trump family business if they lose this case?

NORM EISEN, SENIOR FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: They are facing a quasi-corporate death penalty -- the Trumps and the Trump businesses, if they lose this case. That's because the judge has already said, I'm going to pull your certificates to do business in New York.

TODD: Analyst Norm Eisen says that is not all the Trumps stand to lose if the civil case doesn't go their way. The business could face fines in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and Eisen says the judge could rule that the Trumps themselves aren't allowed to take out loans, or engage in certain real estate transactions possibly for many years.

Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Still to come on the program. Law enforcement opens a hate crime investigation after an Arab-Muslim student was struck in a hit and run at Stanford University.

Stay with us. We'll be right back.

[01:48:38]

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HOLMES: Police in Turkey had to intervene after pro-Palestinian demonstrators tried to storm a U.S. airbase.

According to Turkish state news, protesters carrying Turkish and Palestinian flags chanting anti-Israel and anti-U.S. slogans went to the Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey.

Meanwhile in Paris, as you see there, thousands of demonstrators called for an end to the violence in Gaza as they marched through the streets on Saturday.

And in the U.S., protesters in Washington, D.C. marched to the White House, some pushing up against the gates and covering the walls as you see there with red handprints. Rally speakers condemning the Biden administration for failing to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Law enforcement investigators meanwhile say they are looking into a hit and run incident targeting an Arab Muslim student at Stanford University and they're treating it as a hate crime.

The school also is investigating four other potential hate crimes that have happened on campus since the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel.

CNN's Camila Bernal has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FARIS BDAIR, MEMBER, ARAB STUDENT ASSOCIATION, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: I've been feeling sad, I've been feeling anxious, I've been feeling worried.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is how Faris Bdair says he and others are feeling as Palestinian-Americans, as Muslims, and as students at Stanford University.

BDAIR: It is scary that this kind of hate can happen in a place where I am supposed to feel at home.

BERNAL: Fear, as a result of what he believes are hate crimes. The university's Department of Public Safety, now investigating five incidents since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war.

Four appear to have targeted Arab students, while one was reported as anti-Semitic vandalism. The most recent potential hate crime incident happening Friday. The university says it was an apparent hit-and-run crash, involving an Arab-Muslim student on campus.

BDAIR: It is hard to fathom that that could even take place. And the problem is not only could it take place, it is now a reality that we all have to live with.

[01:54:49]

BERNAL: In a statement, the university is saying that Stanford considers anti-Arab and Islamophobic acts to be abhorrent. The university also said the driver is reported to have made eye contact with the victim, accelerated and struck the victim and then driven away while shouting "F you and your people " out the lowered window of the vehicle.

BDAIR: The fact that it so quickly already turned into something of this magnitude, is again scary.

BERNAL: Other incidents included a group of students being shoved, a student being spat on, and someone running over a tote bag, which contained a computer and other valuables.

BDAIR: What is going on abroad shouldn't have an impact on the health and the lives of students on a campus, in a country thousands of miles away.

BERNAL: In the anti-Semitic incident reported, a mezuzah adorning the door of a Jewish student was removed from their residence. In a statement, the school said "This removal of a sacred religious symbol is deemed a form of intimidation, targeting the Jewish community."

Overall, groups representing students on both sides say they are concerned about these incidences. And students like Bdair say they worry about their future.

BDAIR: We have to be constantly alert, we have to be constantly on edge. And it is exhausting having to watch over your shoulder 24/7.

BERNAL: And authorities are still searching for the suspect in the hit and run. He's believed to have been driving a Toyota 4Runner.

Now in terms of the victim, he is still at the hospital, told me he's not ready for an on-camera interview but said he wants to advocate for love, for understanding and inclusivity.

The other students I talked to told me that they agree and support that message but are also extremely concerned.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Camila Bernal there reporting for us.

And that will wrap this hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Michael Holmes.

We'll have more coverage of the Israel-Hamas war after a brief break when you'll have Rosemary Church bringing you all the latest.

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