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Blinken Makes Unannounced Visit To Iraq Amid Rising Mideast Tensions; Tanks Seen Moving Around Inside Gaza From Border Areas, As Smoke Rises From Explosions; Netanyahu Tells Air Force Members No Ceasefire Without Return Of Hostages; New Poll Shows Trump Leading Biden In 4 Key Battleground States; Dems Encounter Voter Frustration In Battleground Wisconsin. Tomorrow: Trump Testifies as Defendant in NY Civil Fraud Trial; House Passes $14.3B Israel-Only Aid Bill, Sets Up Clash with Senate; Clashes Grow in West Bank Between Israeli Settlers and Palestinians. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired November 05, 2023 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:00:26]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
And we begin with this breaking news. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking just moments ago during an unannounced trip to Iraq as he continues his high stakes trip through the Middle East as the Israel-Hamas war intensifies. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: We just finished meetings here in Baghdad. We started with a briefing from Ambassador Romanowski and our entire team at the embassy about the security situation. As you know, there have been a series of attacks conducted by militia directed at our personnel, both in Iraq as well as in Syria.
Job number one for me is to ensure the security of our people. And so I got an update on everything we're doing to make sure that our personnel are safe and secure. In addition, I had a good productive, candid meeting with Prime Minister Al Sudani. And there were really two areas of focus for me in that meeting.
The first was to reaffirm our commitment to our partnership with Iraq. We've made tremendous progress with Iraq in recent years, particularly working with the Iraqi government on everything from economic reform to energy independence, to helping to strengthen its institutions, building respect for human rights.
And not only the security aspect of the relationship, all of these different aspects. We call it 360 degrees and we're committed to it. So we did a -- we had a discussion about that and the progress we've made. At the same time, it was very important to send a very clear message to anyone who might seek to take advantage of the conflict in Gaza to threaten our personnel here or anywhere else in the region. Don't do it.
I made very clear that the attacks, the threats coming from militia that are aligned with Iran are totally unacceptable and we will take every necessary step to protect our people. We're not looking for conflict with Iran, we've made that very clear, but we'll do what's necessary to protect our personnel, be they military or civilian.
Prime Minister Al Sudani has made very clear his condemnation of attacks against directed at our people, threats at our people, and his determination to do what's necessary to make sure that that doesn't happen. So, we had a good, as I said, candid important conversation.
More broadly, 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, 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)
WHITFIELD: Blinken's comments come after he also made an unannounced visit to the West Bank earlier today where he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The two discussed the Israeli-Hamas war and escalating settler violence in the West Bank. Israel is defending its continuous airstrikes against Hamas in Gaza despite the mounting Palestinian casualties.
Today, a spokesperson laid out evidence Israel says proves Hamas is using civilian infrastructure to launch attacks. Meantime, new video shows the aftermath from a heavy explosion near Al-Quds Hospital today. The Palestine Red Crescent Society operating inside the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip says the blast left several dead and wounded.
CNN's Jim Sciutto is on the ground in northern Israel. Jim, you know, we've seen Secretary Blinken make numerous stops across the Middle East in recent days. What do his meetings suggest about, you know, how delicate the situation is from spiraling and growing from Hamas -- Gaza conflict to a regional conflict?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, the U.S. Secretary of State has multiple goals, it appears. Let's begin in Iraq with his most recent stop. U.S. forces have become -- have come under attack multiple times by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. Similar has happened in Syria.
And you heard the Secretary of State there say that the security of those personnel is primary, and he connected with the Iraqi Prime Minister about the security of U.S. forces there, but also very publicly said again what U.S. officials have been saying since the beginning, going back to October 7th. And that is, if regional players, especially Iran intend to expand the conflict don't in effect.
[14:05:20] So a warning there to the backers of those militias in Tehran. While at the same time trying to strike a balance because the U.S. is making it clear it does not want a broader war in the region and he said that in as many words that the U.S. does not want direct conflict with Iran, even as he delivered those warnings about the safety of U.S. personnel.
That appeared to be the primary goal of his visit to Iraq, but his visits here to Israel then to Amman, and then to the West Bank today, the U.S. is trying here in the U.S. top -- America's top diplomat to be a balanced player as much as it can be expressing support for Israel in the wake of the October 7th attacks, endorsing its right to defend itself to root out Hamas in Gaza.
While encouraging restraint to reduce civilian casualties, but the sad fact is when he meets with leaders in the region, when he met, for instance, with the Jordanian foreign minister and others in Amman, when he met with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader in the West Bank, what he hears from them is, in effect, this shall not stand.
That Israeli military operations are showing no respect for or concern for civilian casualties there. And that has reached a degree of outrage in this region that is -- it strikes me that the U.S. is finding real difficulty addressing. It's not clear that his visit here helped to bridge those gaps, but we do know negotiations are continuing.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And then next Blinken will be going to Turkey. Turkey's president has condemned --
SCIUTTO: Yes.
WHITFIELD: -- Israel's actions in Gaza as, you know, crimes against humanity. So what might be the goal for Blinken's visit there?
SCIUTTO: Listen, the Turkish leader has been very forward in his support for the Palestinian people in the wake of these attacks. He's led massive rallies attended by many thousands of people waving the Palestinian flag here. Turkey is, of course, it's a U.S. ally, it's a member of NATO, but it's often been a fraught relationship within the alliance, and as it relates to the Palestinian people here going back long before the October 7th attacks.
So this will not be his easiest meeting, Secretary Blinken's meeting during this trip. It's not clear whether he can make more progress with the Turkish leader than he made, for instance, with U.S. allies in Amman, Jordanian leaders, Egyptians, et cetera.
But it is a tall order for trying to act as an honest mediator here between its ally Israel, its other allies in the Arab world, and that appears to be the message that you heard directly from the Palestinian leader, that Palestinians, they want an honest mediator. They'd like the U.S. to be that, but to date, they don't see that.
WHITFIELD: And then we've seen more IDF tanks, you know, on the move inside Gaza today, and we've also seen more action on Israel's border with Lebanon. What's happening?
SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, let's start up here on the border. We've been here for the last couple of weeks and there's been a regular back and forth rockets and artillery fire from southern Lebanon, much of it fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel and Israeli strikes back both from airstrikes, artillery.
And today we saw more strikes on the southern Lebanese side, allegations that an Israeli strike struck civilians there, and then reports this evening that a rocket strike from southern Lebanon killed an Israeli civilian. So it is still a deadly exchange of fire on the northern border, not open warfare, but a very dangerous one, and that continues.
Of course, concern is that expands into something bigger. That said, the bulk of Israel's military action very much remains in Gaza, and we're learning today that forces that came in from, in effect, the western -- the eastern side rather of Gaza have made it all the way to the sea, to the Mediterranean Sea.
They're coming from the north as well, and they largely now have Gaza City surrounded. So the ground offensive continues there, as do the airstrikes. As you showed, Fred, they're leading into me. Oftentimes those airstrikes claim civilian casualties as well.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jim Sciutto in northern Israel, thank you so much. We'll check back with you.
All right, I'm joined now by Retired U.S. Army Major General James Spider Marks for his military analysis. General Marks, good to see you. So first, your reaction to what the Secretary of State said in his surprise visit to Baghdad to anyone threatening U.S. personnel in the region, don't do it. I'm quoting him, don't do it.
He says the U.S. will take necessary steps to protect U.S. personnel, military, or civilian. How impressive is that to speak like that in the region?
[14:10:06]
MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, you have to mix diplomatic efforts with a legitimate threat of force, the application of force, and that's what the United States Has done quite clearly. You've got the presence of the carrier strike group in the eastern Mediterranean and the United States has been very, very forceful in terms of its support for what the IDF is trying to achieve.
It has also understanding that the secretary of state has an immensely tough mission here. He has to quell the incredible emotions, the outrage on the Arab street in terms of their reality. Their reality is that Gaza is being destroyed and that the Israelis don't care about the humanitarian condition in Gaza.
Clearly, what the IDF is trying to do is conduct very precise strikes to get after Hamas and to destroy, not defeat, but to destroy Hamas' ability to ever exist. The challenge obviously is Hamas is holding Palestinians hostage. They launch attacks from civilian areas. They wrap themselves in the population.
So this task that the secretary has taken on is immense. He has to be able to speak not only to the Israelis. It says we are with you. 100 percent, we are with you. We are going to support you. And just look over your shoulder here, we got this carrier strike group. That really is a message to Iran as well.
But the broader message is to the Arab street. We are trying to exercise and to convince the Israelis that humanitarian support is essential. And frankly, Fred, you can do both. You can provide humanitarian assistance, and you can conduct very aggressive operations against Hamas at the same time.
WHITFIELD: We also heard from the Secretary of State that they do want some sort of humanitarian pause to take place, not necessarily calling it a ceasefire, but instead advocating for a pause to get fuel into Gaza, to get civilians out, to get more aid in. Aid, he says, that has been delivered, that's good but it's not sufficient. How influential is the secretary of state by, you know, imploring that there needs to be some sort of pause while he's in the region?
MARKS: I think it's a legitimate request, but it's not a practical request. The Israelis cannot now, with forces in Gaza, expose conducting tactical operations, completely surrounding Gaza City, all the way, as Jim just reported, from the east to the west, to the sea, coming in from the north as well as coming in from the flanks.
They can't stop what they're doing right now unless they were to evacuate and were to withdraw. And frankly, that is not going to happen. I mean, that's the only way you take a tactical pause. You can squad in place, but you are a target and Hamas will go nuts over those Israeli forces that are only there at that point.
If they were to take a pause, they would be in exclusively defensive positions. They haven't been there long enough to dig in and to conduct a defensive operation. They're conducting offensive operations. They are on the move. They're conducting strong points. They are moving operations in toward Gaza City to go after Hamas.
And we've talked about this a thousand times and it will come up again. Is this network of tunnels that must be addressed? They must be neutralized. They've got to get into them. You're going to try to collapse them. There are ways you can do that. The Israelis have tremendous forces. But you can't pause a tactical operation when you're exposed like that.
WHITFIELD: At the same time, if you have hostages that are in the tunnels, because we heard that from some of those who were released, their recollection of being in the tunnels therein lies another big risk if you want to win their release and their safety.
MARKS: Absolutely. Look, there are, really, there are three elements that the IDF is really dealing with and Israel writ large is dealing with. Number one is, how do you eradicate Hamas? Incredibly tall task, very difficult to do, but they're going about the business to make that happen. How do you address the humanitarian concern?
Legitimately, practically, how do you work that? How do you create a humanitarian corridor? How do you get supplies in while you're conducting operations against Hamas? And then the hostages? I got to tell you, Hamas is not going to release any more hostages because that's their leverage.
They might drips and drabs some of them, but over 200 folks they are holding on to. That's the only reason Israel is not being more brutal in their operations right now. They truly are conscious about trying to rescue, relieve the pressure that exists right there -- right now.
WHITFIELD: All right, we'll leave it there for now. General James Spider Marks, always great to see you. Thank you so much.
MARKS: Fred, thank you very much.
WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, fresh polling numbers out of four key battleground states showing former President Donald Trump holding a lead in a hypothetical matchup with President Joe Biden. A closer look at the numbers right after the break.
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[14:19:17]
WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back, on the eve of former President Donald Trump taking the stand in his civil fraud trial and as President Biden grapples with numerous pressing issues, including the U.S. response to the Israel-Hamas conflict, Russia's war in Ukraine, and numerous economic issues here at home.
New polling numbers are giving us a snapshot into a hypothetical Trump-Biden matchup exactly one year before the 2024 presidential election. A New York Times/Siena College poll shows former President Trump holding an edge over President Biden in four swing states among registered voters.
And we should note, with a margin of error factored in, there is no clear winner in a Pennsylvania or Wisconsin matchup.
[14:20:02]
So in Nevada, a state Biden narrowly won in 2020, former President Trump is beating Biden by 11 points. In Georgia, where Trump faces criminal charges for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, Biden is trailing by six points. And in Arizona, which President Trump carried in 2016 and then lost in 2020, Biden is losing by five points. And finally, in Michigan, Trump is leading Biden by five points.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is traveling with the president and joins us now live from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. So Priscilla, what is likely behind these numbers?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, the voters seem to be dissatisfied with the economy and questions remain over the age of President Biden and his agility and ability to sear the country in the next four years. Now, what is notable about these poll numbers is that these are four key swing states that President Biden won in 2020, and now he is trailing behind former President Donald Trump in this hypothetical scenario.
Now, in a statement, the Biden campaign downplayed this poll, saying the following, 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 winning popular agenda and MAGA Republicans on popular extremism. We'll win in 2024 by putting our heads down and doing the work, not by fretting about a poll".
Another point that's made by the Biden campaign is the 2022 midterm elections, where before those elections came up, there was also polling that showed the Democrats weren't going to fare as well as they ultimately did.
But look, President Biden has been fanning out across the country and trying to tout the economy, and they have dubbed it Bidenomics, and he has made multiple stops across the country doing just that. So they're still banking on that moving forward into 2024.
WHITFIELD: All right. Priscilla Alvarez in Delaware, thanks so much.
All right, CNN's John King has been talking to voters in those battleground states about the issues that matter to them. And recently he traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where high turnout is key for Democrats in the state's largest city. But as John found out, voter frustration could be a problem for the Biden camp.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): Devonta Johnson is a foot soldier for democracy in one of its most crucial battlegrounds.
DEVONTA JOHNSON, CANVASSER, BLACK LEADERS ORGANIZING FOR COMMUNITIES: Hello. I'm Devonta from Black Leaders Organizing for Communities.
KING (voice-over): This stop is encouraging.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so happy that it's a black man out here that's going from door to door.
DEZ WOODS, CANVASSER, BLACK LEADERS ORGANIZING FOR COMMUNITIES: She's a tough one.
KING (voice-over): Fellow organizer, Dez Woods, though, gets the response for more common these days.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't talk about the elections.
KING (voice-over): Woods is trained to keep trying.
WOODS: So, are you not a voter?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I want to and right now, I don't want to.
KING (voice-over): The predominantly black neighborhoods on Milwaukee's north side can look and feel forgotten.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the main things we care about --
KING (voice-over): The canvassers meeting often and share what they are hearing. Good-paying jobs are scarce. Rent is up. The streets used to be cleaner and safer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you all hear people say ain't nothing happening. It won't affect us. Raise you all hand. Raise you all hand.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's all they be saying. It's like ain't no change.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.
ANGELA LANG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BLACK LEADERS ORGANIZING FOR COMMUNITIES: So we see all these other areas --
KING (voice-over): BLOC founder, Angela Lang, outlines this week's agenda and next November's stakes.
LANG: There is no way to win a statewide election that doesn't run through the black community. What happens in Milwaukee can impact the rest of the state, which ultimately can impact the rest of the country. No pressure.
KING (voice-over): The president was last here in August for a green energy event and this old industrial site is being cleaned up with Biden infrastructure money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Putting in the work for black America.
KING (voice-over): But early spending on radio and TV ads targeting black voters is proof the campaign sees the problem. Those ads don't mention one issue critical here.
LANG: People are wondering, what is he doing in terms of police accountability and criminal justice reform?
KING (voice-over): Lang also says the president better show up more.
LANG: People always want to see people actually paying attention, and sometimes that means being able to physically be here and engage.
KING (voice-over): Black turnout soared here in the Obama years but it dropped in 2016 and was flat in 2020.
(on camera): On a scale of one to 10, how would you grade the Joe Biden presidency in terms of its impact on your life and your community?
DAVETTE BAKER, MILWAUKEE VOTER: A four.
KING (on-camera): A four?
BAKER: Yes, and I love Joe.
KING (voice-over): Davette Baker, though, sees a reason for optimism.
BAKER: The alternative is the man whose name I try not to say.
KING (on camera): Well, I'll say it. When we sit -- as we sit here today, the likely alternative is Donald Trump.
BAKER: Right.
KING (on-camera): Would that be enough to motivate people even if maybe they're a little eh on Biden?
BAKER: I think so.
KING (voice-over): Joanna Brooks is one such voter. She owns a yoga studio just across the Milwaukee line in Glendale.
JOANNA BROOKS, MILWAUKEE VOTER: All right.
KING (voice-over): Like many we met in the city, Brooks says black voters get taken for granted.
BROOKS: Black people, in general, I think, tend to be pretty loyal to the Democratic Party. And sometimes I wonder, just based on how that party has performed thus far for people of color, if we should continue to be.
[14:25:09]
KING (voice-over): But Brooks says that accountability exercise must wait until after 2024 because of constant Republican attacks on abortion rights and voting rights.
BROOKS: I grew up almost certain that my rights were guaranteed, right? I took it for granted. And now as I sit and watch the work of so many black folks during the civil rights movement, so many women who fought for women's rights, when I see all of their work slowly being undone, that was a wake-up call for me for sure. You have to fight.
KING (voice-over): Eric Jones is no Trump fan but he thinks it's foolish to be on Trump motivating black turnout.
ERIC JONES, MILWAUKEE VOTER: I get people saying they're not going to vote. That's my fear that if they see those two, then they're going to say, screw it, we're damned anyway.
KING (voice-over): We met Jones at the fifth anniversary of the Bronzeville Collective. Several local artists sell their goods here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. KING (voice-over): It is a source of smiles and hope in a community often defined by poverty and a high incarceration rate.
JONES: When the factories and the manufacturing left, the jobs left. When jobs leave and opportunities leave, then you have certain things that are domino effects, right?
KING (voice-over): Jones says the president should stop by and learn a lesson.
JONES: You bring opportunities, you bring jobs, you get votes, plain and simple.
KING (voice-over): For the president, it is the mood, a year from now, that matters most, but the mood today is bleak.
(on camera): If you're Joe Biden and you want to be reelected, he'd have a problem today, right?
JOHNSON: Yes, he would. He would have a big problem.
KING (voice-over): Johnson's work could well help the president. But listen.
(on camera): If it were just Biden and Trump, who would you vote for?
JOHNSON: That's a -- that's just a tough one.
KING (voice-over): A young man who says the country needs big change determined to boost Milwaukee's turnout, yet not sure who gets his vote.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: John King, thank you so much for that.
All right, straight ahead, Former President Donald Trump set to take the stand for a high stakes testimony that could help decide the fate of his business empire in New York. What to expect from his testimony next.
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[14:31:22]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Tomorrow, former President Donald Trump takes the stand in his own defense in the civil fraud trial against him and his family business. His testimony could help decide the fate of his business empire in New York, and for Trump, this is personal. He's already been attending the trial in person, calling it a political witch hunt. The New York attorney general is seeking $250 million in damages and wants to bar Trump from ever doing business in that state again, alleging Trump and his co-defendants repeatedly committed fraud in inflating assets on financial statements.
Let's discuss this with Jeffrey Jacobovitz, white color criminal attorney and adjunct professor at American University.
So good to see you, Jeffrey. So, what does Trump stand to gain or lose by testifying in this case?
JEFFREY JACOBOVITZ, WHITE COLLAR CRIMINAL ATTORNEY, ARNALL GOLDEN GREGORY LLP: Well, he has a lot to lose, actually. He could have his businesses barred and his companies dissolved. There's a lot to lose. He's already lost on the repeated fraud part of it. Now we're doing damages. What he has to gain is to convince the judge, and it is a judge trial, he would have to convince the judge that, in fact, he was not responsible or his organization was not responsible and the judge shouldn't slam down hard on the company.
WHITFIELD: Right. But that judge already made a decision, right, that this -- that Trump, his company persistently and repeatedly defrauded, you know, their assets, lied about their assets, inflated their assets. So, now, singularly this judge gets to decide by how much they will have to pay.
How will he make that calculation as to how much the institution or the business should pay?
JACOBOVITZ: Sure, he -- excuse me, Trump has been trying to say all along that the insurance companies and the banks weren't defrauded, that they didn't lose any money and the loans have been repaid timely. That's not accurate. There's been testimony already in the case by experts that the banks and insurance companies were out $168 million which is really not a negligible amount.
And so, Trump will have to be up there and probably will follow what his kids testify to, and they were not very successful apparently, because Donald Trump Jr. said, well, it was the accounts that did it, I didn't know anything about it, although he went to Wharton. His son, Eric, said I'm any construction and didn't have anything to do with the appraisals.
But there were emails that really were inconsistent with what he said. If I was Eric Trump, I would be a little concerned about whether there would be an accusation of perjury here. So Donald Trump is taking the stand, which is very unusual.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, because he doesn't have to do that.
JACOBOVITZ: He doesn't have to do that, although the government -- excuse me, the district attorney is calling him as a witness. He can take the Fifth. There will be an argument about whether he had the Fifth.
But this is a civil proceeding, not a criminal proceeding. So he has to take the stand and battle it out on the Fifth Amendment privilege. Donald Trump doesn't like to take the Fifth, although he's done that.
What we'll have probably in court, the four prosecutors in the criminal cases watching everything he says and getting the transcripts to see if anything he says can be used against him in the criminal case. [14:35:01]
WHITFIELD: Now, what about for Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka, she used to run the business before she, you know, said I'm going to go into public office or have a public service job in the White House with her dad. Because she has the history of having to help run the Trump Organization, she might have a lot of information, right? She doesn't want to testify, but it looks like she is come peopled to testify after all on Wednesday, not as a co-defendant, but as a witness.
JACOBOVITZ: Right. Ivanka has tried every which way to get out of testifying, including saying, well, it's during the week, I have to watch my kids, they're in school, putting aside whether she has a nanny or a husband or baby-sitters. She actually took that to the court of appeals and then dropped it because she was mocked all over the place.
But the court of appeals denied that opportunity or avenue for her to try to not testify. She has to testify. She's not a defendant here. The statute of limitations has run on her. But she could have a lot of information, and there's a reason she's fighting not to testify, because it's not clear if her testimony under oath, if accurate, would be adverse to her father and adverse to the company and adverse to her brothers.
So it's not clear what Ivanka will do. She will not have a Fifth Amendment privilege -- at least it doesn't appear so. So she'll have to testify and she'll be on the stand for quite some time.
WHITFIELD: Why would she not have a Fifth Amendment privilege? Doesn't everyone have that?
JACOBOVITZ: Well, everyone has that, but if the statute of limitations has run on the civil case, it's possible the statute of limitations has also run on the criminal case. And that would get into whether there's a continuing conspiracy. If the conspiracy continued, the statute for the criminal case may not have one for her. At this point they're only sued civilly in this case.
WHITFIELD: Wow, what a week this is going to be.
All right. Jeffrey Jacobovitz, thanks so much. Good to see you.
JACOBOVITZ: Thanks, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Welcome back.
Just days after the House passed a GOP bill providing more than $14 billion in aid for Israel offset by an equal cut in funding from the IRS, the bill appears dead on arrival in the U.S. Senate. Leaders of both parties want a larger funding for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the U.S.-Mexico border.
I'm joined by Congressman Jake Auchincloss. He's a Democrat from Massachusetts.
Congressman, good to see you.
So perhaps you heard U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about an hour or two ago he made a surprise stop in Baghdad. And he said overall, he still supports a humanitarian pause, but not a cease-fire in this Israel-Hamas conflict. What are your thoughts on this?
REP. JAKE AUCHINCLOSS (D-MA): Good afternoon. Thanks for having me on.
Before we talk about tactics, let's take a step back and talk about mission. As a marine officer, my earliest training was you had to be clear about what you wanted to accomplish before describing tactics to the platoon. Israel has a myriad of considerations.
Number one is rescue hostages. There are children young enough to be afraid of the dark or held in Gazan tunnels right now and they need to come home.
Number two, dismantle Hamas, this is a terrorist organization that has in its charter the destruction of Israel. This is an organization that tortured children in front of their parents on October 7th, and needs to be destroyed. Number three, Israel has to re-establish deterrence in a dangerous neighborhood.
And then, finally, it has to help architect a just post-war governance for Gaza, and it has to do all four of those things while adhering to the law of armed conflict. So, a humanitarian pause, a ceasefire, these are all tactics, these are all considerations, that have to be threaded through those priorities.
And if someone can explain how they advance the return of hostages, how they advance the destruction of Hamas, how they advance postwar governance for Gaza, I'm all ears. I've yet to hear that full explication though.
WHITFIELD: So, the goal of the humanitarian pause, as has been explained by Blinken and others, is really to cut down on the civilian casualties in Gaza, allowing Palestinians to seek refuge or to perhaps try to evacuate areas that are going to be hit by these precision strikes.
For those purposes, are you on board with a humanitarian pause?
AUCHINCLOSS: If as part of a reciprocity, Hamas is going to return the hostages, a pause if Hamas does not respect the pause, is simply handcuffing Israel while allowing a terrorist organization to continue to wreak havoc on this democratic state.
Now, keep in mind that Hamas' own leadership says they will launch multiple further iterations of October 7th. This is not their end game. This is just the start for them. So, Israel always has to obey the law of armed conflict, distinction, proportionality, necessity and it's holding itself to that standard. But any changes in strategy need to further the return of hostages, need to further the dismantling of Hamas, need to help re-establish deterrence or need to help architect just post-war governance for Gaza.
WHITFIELD: So, the Biden administration is warning Israel that, you know, failing to limit civilian casualties and addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza risks eroding global support. You saw yesterday in the nation's capital, the thousands of people, pro- Palestinian, you know, movement, who descended on the nation's capital asking for more humanitarian I guess -- more humanitarian ceasing of firing taking place in Gaza.
[14:45:18]
Do you believe that Israel needs to do more to try to protect civilians?
AUCHINCLOSS: Any combatant, Israel and any other, needs to have due care for limiting civilian harm. That is part of international law and humanitarian law. The most important thing that the world can do for the people of Palestine is the destruction of Hamas.
Hamas has not just terrorized Israel over the last 15 years. Hamas also immiserated and impoverished the Palestinian people. It has used them as human shields, ripped up the pipes and turned them into rockets. It has used hospitals and schools as sanctuaries for its combatants and its rocket pads. This is an organization that has been sadistic in its treatment of the Palestinian people, and until it is destroyed, the Palestinian people themselves will never have the peace, the dignity and the statehood that they deserve.
WHITFIELD: Let's shift gears if we could. You know, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, you know, continues to hold up more than 300 military promotions over his objections to the military's reproductive rights policy. As a marine veteran, you remind us, you know, are you concerned that this blockade is hurting or making a detrimental impact on U.S. national security?
AUCHINCLOSS: Yes, but it's not what I think that matters. It's what Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin think that matters. And I can assure you that this is a massive boon to their wartime and propaganda efforts. Tommy Tuberville is a disgrace to the Senate. But we've known that for all of 2023.
The focus needs to be on Mitch McConnell. He says he supports Ukraine, Taiwan, Israel. He has yet to demonstrate that by bringing into line this rogue senator. By Veterans Day, Mitch McConnell needs to bring this senator into line and get these promotions done, or Senate Democrats need to take radical action to fix it for him.
WHITFIELD: We'll leave it there for now. Congressman Jake Auchincloss, great to see you. Thanks for being with us.
AUCHINCLOSS: You, too.
WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.
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[14:51:44]
WHITFIELD: As Israel intensifies its military operations in Gaza, violence is also growing in the occupied West Bank between Israeli settlers and Palestinians. The Palestinian ministry of health says dozens have been killed and at least 150 injured there in the past few weeks.
CNN's Nada Bashir has more from Jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Armed and threatening, this is the face of Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank, is these acts of aggression, which are chasing Palestinian families out of their homes. Piece by piece, Palestinians in the village of Herbet Danuta (ph) pack their lives away, never to return.
"The settlers come at night while we're sleeping. They beat us and try to kill us. They try to force us out of our homes. I can't sleep anymore. I'm too afraid".
Families in this village once home to some 140 Palestinians tell us they have been left with no choice but to flee their homes.
What's happening now is another Nakba, a catastrophe. I'm 60 years old. I've lived here my entire life.
And despite the fact that settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal in the international community, they continue to grow and expand with the backing of Israeli authorities.
We inherited this land from our forefathers. We've lived here for generations. Now it's only getting worse. The war in Gaza has only encouraged the settlers.
According to an Israeli rights group, B'Tselem, at least 15 Palestinian farming communities have been forcibly displaced since October 7th.
YEHUDA SHAUL, ISRAELI HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST: The real thing that is influencing the life of Palestinians here is the outpost up there.
BASHIR: Yehuda Shaul, an Israeli human rights activist says encroachments of Palestinian land are rapidly advancing, and personalized attacks in the occupied West Bank have only intensified.
SHAUL: The next stage is not only attacking Palestinians when they're out in the field, going into the communities, into the homes, burning houses, beating up people, threatening women and children, and the result is what you see in front of our eyes. BASHIR: People leaving.
SHAUL: Entire communities packing up and leaving. Settlers are taking advantage that all eyes are in Gaza to accelerate their violence.
Because there's no protection from the Israeli army, there's no protection from the Israeli police. In many cases, the Israeli army is accompanying the settlers, and in many cases, the settlers are the army.
BASHIR: In a nearby village of Atuba (ph, a remote Palestinian community, Israel's military keeps a watchful eye. IDF soldiers never too far away.
IDF SOLDIER: You need to go, you need to go.
BASHIR: Why?
IDF SOLDIER: Because you were in the (INAUDIBLE)
BASHIR: Sorry? Why?
IDF SOLDIER: You need to go. You need to go right now.
BASHIR: Why are we not allowed to film?
This village knows the price of settler violence all too well. Palestinians here say their attacks are edging closer each night.
They come and threaten us, saying we have to leave or they will be back to target us. They're all armed.
[14:55:00]
They never come here without weapons.
In the last week alone, residents here say Israeli settlers have slashed this village's water tanks and cut through local power lines, an effort, NGO workers say, to pressure Palestinian families to leave the area.
ELAD ORIAN, CO-FOUNDER, COMET-ME: What we're seeing now is under the cloak of the war that's happening now. The settler activity is -- settler violence has increased tremendously over the last few weeks.
BASHIR: This crisis is not new to the Palestinian people, but it's a crisis that is deepening. Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip said to be emboldening violent settlers.
Across the southern Hebron Hills, there are now fears that smaller, more remote Palestinian villages could be next.
But for Palestinians in Herbet Danuta (ph), it is already too late.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BASHIR (on camera): And, look, Fredricka, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a visit to the occupied West Bank today to meet with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. They discussed the need to bring an end to violent extremism against Palestinians, particularly in the west bank. As you saw there, many of these settlers are now acting with impunity with the support of the Israeli forces. And there is a huge amount of concern here amongst rights groups, amongst Palestinians, that those acts of violence and aggression are only going to intensify -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Wow, that's an incredible point of view. Thank you so much, Nada Bashir, for bringing that to us.
All right. Coming up, fresh poll numbers out today showing Donald Trump leading President Biden in four key swing states. All the details right after this.
