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CNN International: At Least 22 Killed in Maine Shootings; Suspect at Large; Israeli Military Conducts Raid in Gaza; Al Jazeera: Gaza Bureau Chief Lost Four Family Members; Trump Testified and Fined for Violating Gag Order. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired October 26, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Yesterday you and I were discussing how it was claimed that Israel does have a right to defend itself and that a humanitarian pause or a ceasefire would only benefit Hamas, which is patently untrue. When we hear testimony like we just did.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Blinken talking about a lull. So they're trying to find a way around the language.

NOBILO: Yes, exactly.

Well, if you would like more information on how to help with humanitarian relief efforts for Gaza and Israel, please do go to cnn.com/impact and you'll find a list of vetted organizations providing assistance. Once again, that is cnn.com/impact.

FOSTER: Coming up, smaller hospitals in southern Maine are dealing with something they're simply not built for. A mass influx of gunshot victims and trauma patients.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo.

FOSTER: And I'm Max Foster. If you just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.

Police in Lewiston, Maine are searching for 40-year-old Robert Card, a person of interest in two mass shootings on Wednesday night. He's described as a certified firearms instructor and a member of the US Army Reserves. Police say at least 22 people were killed in a bowling alley, at a restaurant and another 50 to 60 people are injured. Authorities are urging residents to stay inside with doors locked and report any suspicious activity.

[04:35:00]

John Lorinc has more details on the shootings.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN LORINC, CNN ANCHOR AND EDITOR FOR CNN RADIO (voice-over): Gunfire shatters what started out as an ordinary evening in Lewiston, Maine.

DON DOSTIE, LEWISTON, MAINE RESIDENT: My first reaction was a lot of anger that it was happening in the community because Mainers were much better than this.

LORINC (voice-over): Lewiston police are looking for this man, Robert Card, whose state officials say is a certified firearms instructor and a member of the US Army Reserves.

COMM. MIKE SAUSCHUCK, MAINE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Card is considered armed and dangerous. He is a person of interest, however, and that's what we'll label him at moving forward until that changes.

LORINC (voice-over): Authorities in Maine tell CNN that the 40-year- old Card recently reported mental health issues and allegedly made threats to shoot up a National Guard base in the state.

ROBERT MCCARTHY, LEWISTON, MAINE CITY COUNCILOR: You see it on the news and you say that's never going to happen here. And then it happens here and it's -- it just blows your mind.

LORINC (voice-over): According to a statement from Maine Senator Angus King, President Joe Biden has offered federal assistance to the state.

CYNTHIA HUNTER, AUBURN, MAINE RESIDENT: I've been stomping these grounds since I was 19 years old. And I'm just overwhelmed.

LORINC (voice-over): The FBI's Boston Division says it is, quote, ready to assist with any available resources.

SAUSCHUCK: We'll continue to gather information so that we can bring the suspect to justice and ultimately seek prosecution down the road.

LORINC (voice-over): John Lorinc, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Dozens of people reported wounded. City officials say hospitals are bringing in all the help they can get.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT MCCARTHY, LEWISTON, MAINE CITY COUNCILOR: The two hospitals have called in every off-duty staff member that they could to deal with this. We are a town of about 39,000. Our hospitals are not geared to handle this kind of shooting event and they're doing the best we can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: But a CNN medical analyst says no matter how many doctors and nurses are there, it's likely that the flood of patients will be more than the small hospitals can handle. Dr. Jonathan Rayner explains why that is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Maine only has, I think, three level one trauma centers. So if there are indeed over 50 people with penetrating gunshot wounds, then that will quickly overwhelm the ability of the hospitals in Maine to take these patients and they'll have to start to look at transporting patients who can be transported to nearby states.

The images that we've seen captured by video suggest that the gunman had a long weapon and the caliber of that ammunition creates a havoc inside the body and it destroys tissue and creates an enormous amount of bleeding. In order to stabilize a patient like, you know who comes in with, let's say, a gunshot wound to the chest, a patient can require dozens of units of blood. And that's another thing that the hospitals in Maine who receive these patients are going to have to assess. What is the status of their blood bank? How much blood do they have on hand to resuscitate these patients?

So the hospitals are going to have to gear up operating room staff. Bring in as many teams as they can, as many anesthesiologists as they can. Lab technicians, you know, to man labs at night. It's a, you know, full on effort to bring as much of the capabilities to bear to take care of these critically injured patients. And it's a massive undertaking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: We'll have much more on the manhunt in Maine, plus the details of the targeted raid Israel conducted in northern Gaza overnight when we return.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Updating our breaking news out of southern Maine in the U.S. At least 22 people are dead in multiple mass shootings in the city of Lewiston.

FOSTER: Police have identified a person of interest, 40-year-old Robert Card, a certified firearms instructor and a member of the U.S. Army Reserve. The shootings took place on Wednesday night at a bowling alley and a restaurant. The gunman was armed with a high-powered assault style rifle.

NOBILO: Earlier on, our colleague Lynda Kincaid spoke with Jason Levesque, the mayor of Auburn. Maine, just a short distance from Lewiston. He discussed how the community is dealing with these horrifying events.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON LEVESQUE, AUBURN, MAINE MAYOR: This is about as organized as one could ever hope, I suppose. And right now our thoughts and really our feelings and prayers, who are those who have suffered through this. We are all going to know someone who is a victim of tonight. Yes. LYNDA KINKADE CNN ANCHOR: We're just looking at pictures outside a medical center. Can you explain the trauma response to this, given just the vast number of people that were shot?

LEVESQUE: No, I don't think I can. Other than we have trained professionals here, grief counselors, trauma specialists from the Maine State Police, local law enforcement, as well as counselors and members of local clergy, or local clergy, rather. And we also have each other. And I think that's a big thing, too.

You known, this Maine really turns inward, if you would, and really we support our own during difficult times. It's kind of what we do. We're going to do it now. We're going to keep doing it. And we're going to get through this.

KINKADE: And Mayor, this mass shooting happened at a bowling alley and a restaurant around dinner time. What do you know about how this unfolded? What have witnesses been telling you?

LEVESQUE: Talked to several first-hand witnesses so far. And obviously, as you can imagine, everything is kind of piecemeal, right? Everybody has a different view, different perspective. The investigation is going to be long. It's going to be thorough. I will say that, you know, it was more of a shock and disbelief when it first started happening. And then obviously followed by panic. And that's kind of the universal thing I heard from most people tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: We'll have much more on this breaking news throughout the hour, but now we want to turn our focus again to Israel at War with Hamas.

FOSTER: We're learning that Israel conducted what it's calling a targeted raid in northern Gaza on Thursday.

NOBILO: The IDF released this footage of the operation, showing tanks and armored vehicles on the move, before then pulling back into Israel. The IDF says the strike is part of preparations for the next stages of combat.

FOSTER: For more we're joined by Scott McLean. So presumably this was some sort of scouting mission ahead of an incursion.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's what they've said. This is the second time from what I can tell that they have done this. They say that they're trying to sort of clear the area to make conditions more favorable for them when and if they actually do go in with any kind of ground operation.

Obviously, Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday said in plain language what had already been heavily, heavily suggested that a ground invasion is coming.

[04:45:00] Obviously, they won't say when or where or how or anything like that. But on Sunday we actually saw one of these sorts of smaller incursion on the ground where troops went in and then came back out. In this case, though, Hamas actually said that they fired at Israeli troops, they destroyed two bulldozers, and then the IDF later -- later confirmed that one of them was actually killed. The first Israeli soldier killed in Gaza since the outset of this war.

It's hard to tell from the from the video that they released of this more recent raid, what precisely is going on there? Obviously, it's heavily edited, but at least they're saying that they went in and came out and it was somewhat of as it was discussed.

NOBILO: We've been hearing over the last -- well less than 24 hours about this tragic story of the Al Jazeera journalist. Wael Al- Dahdough's loved ones, his children and wife being killed in an Israeli airstrike. He found this out while working. Tell us more about what his colleagues have said and also how Israel. Has responded to this.

MCLEAN: Yes, so I'll just run you through it. So this is the Gaza Bureau chief for Al Jazeera. And his family had -- is actually from Gaza City. They had moved more towards central Gaza. They were sheltering in a house.

NOBILO: Which is what the Israeli forces had asked people to do.

MCLEAN: Had told people to do, which is why they've gotten so much criticism and they were killed. His wife, his son, who's 15 years old, his daughter, who is 7 years old, were all killed, and the media was actually there in this video that you can see when he went to the hospital to see his dead wife, son and daughter while they were in the morgue. And it is pretty tough video to watch. And it's actually even worse than this because a statement from the family said that there were twelve members of the Al-Dahdough family who were killed. Nine of them were children.

And we've just gotten new video in, this morning. I'm not sure if we have it quite yet, but it shows, you know, the burial taking place in what looks to be a shallow grave. Sort of bodies put next to cinder blocks with some sheet metal put on top and then -- and then buried. There's a lack of proper graves in Gaza, and so that's what they're having to do with people.

The Israelis have actually come out with a statement. They've confirmed that this was in fact their strike. But they said this, quote:

Strikes on military targets are subject to relevant provisions of international law, including the taking of feasible precautions to mitigate civilian casualties. Regarding this specific case, the IDF targeted Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the area.

As you can imagine, journalism, advocacy group -- advocacy groups, they've condemned this. And you know, journalists themselves have also, many of them died since this conflict began, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 24, 20 of them Palestinian, 3 Israelis and one in Lebanon.

FOSTER: But away from the journalism, it's just people moving to an area they thought was safe and not being safe.

MCLEAN: Precisely. And this is why there's so much criticism, even from the United Nations Secretary-General, saying that look, not only is it not realistic to ask million people to move from northern Gaza to central and southern Gaza, but you're asking them to move to a place with no food, water, fuel, shelter or anything like that. And then you're continuing to bomb those places, even though these are the so-called safe zones.

FOSTER: Scott, thank you. Up next, the very latest on the mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, as police continue their search for the gunman at this hour.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Well, back to the breaking news out of the state of Maine. Police have identified a person of interest in the two mass shootings on Wednesday night in the city of Lewiston. They're searching for 40- year-old Robert Card. He's considered armed and dangerous. Law enforcement officials say he's a certified firearms instructor and a member of the U.S. Army Reserves.

NOBILO: At least 22 people were reported killed at a restaurant and a bowling alley. Another 50 to 60 people were injured and residents have been asked to shelter in place amid a manhunt for the suspected shooter. Many schools in the area have already cancelled their classes for today.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has been fined $10,000 for violating a gag order during his fraud trial in New York.

FOSTER: The judge paused the trial and called Trump to the witness stand on Wednesday to testify about comments he made earlier in the day outside the courtroom. CNN's Paula Reid has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Trump made a brief appearance on the witness stand Wednesday, not to testify about the substance of the $250 million fraud trial, but instead to answer questions from the judge about whether he had violated a gag order that the judge has put in place.

The judge overseeing this case previously barred Trump from making comments about court staff members after Trump had posted suggesting the judge's clerk was partisan. And on Wednesday, Trump complained about the judge, saying he was partisan but also suggested that there was a, quote, very partisan person sitting alongside him. Inferring that he was likely talking about a clerk. But Trump's lawyers denied that's who he was referring to. And when Trump took the stand under questioning from the judge, he said, yes, I was talking about the judge. But then I was also talking about the star witness Wednesday, Michael Cohen.

But the judge didn't buy it. He said he found Trump not credible. And said these statements were intentional and slapped him with a $10,000 fine.

Going forward, this is going to be a challenge for judges. How to enforce gag orders? Cause of course, a 5- or $10,000 fine, even if it escalates over time. I mean, that's not a lot to former president. So going to have to find ways to enforce these gag orders with the state and likely the federal level as well. That could have an impact as Trump tries to paint all of these proceedings against him as partisan pursuits.

Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Ford and the United Auto Workers Union have reached a tentative deal to end the longest U.S. auto workers in decades.

NOBILO: UAW members would get an 11 percent pay increase right away, plus at least 25 percent more over the next 4 1/2 years. This was the first time the Union staged a simultaneous strike at all three major U.S. car manufacturers.

[04:55:00]

The strike against GM and Stellantis is still underway. But Ford employees say they're happy to be headed back to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINA WALKER, UAW MEMBER: It's emotional time for me, you know, I'm emotional, but just super excited that this is over with and just can't wait to get back to work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they made a mistake on From what I'm hearing, it sounds like great news for us all, so hopefully we'll be back to work Monday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: The U.S. House of Representatives is up and running after Republicans finally settled on Mike Johnson as House Speaker. CNN's Manu Raju reports that many Republicans decided to back Johnson simply because they'd grown weary of the infighting that has paralyzed their caucus for three weeks. That's sort of democratically concerning. Here's Johnson addressing the full House for the first time after his election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA) U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: The job of the Speaker of the House is to serve the whole body and I will. We've learned a lot of lessons, but you know what? Through adversity it makes you stronger. Let the enemies of freedom around the world hear us loud and clear. The People's House is back in business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: As Speaker Johnson now faces a looming government shutdown in just a few weeks. Johnson was first elected to Congress in 2016 and is an outspoken supporter of former President Trump. He also played a key role in efforts to overturn Trump's election loss in 2020. I mean they finally got there. I mean, there is a speaker. I mean, that is an extraordinary story.

NOBILO: As a result of fatigue it sounds like in a large part.

FOSTER: Thanks for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster.

NOBILO: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. CNN's coverage of the breaking news out of Maine continues next with "EARLY START."

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