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Antony Blinken Makes Unannounced Visit to Iraq Amid Rising Mideast Tensions; Latest Poll Shows Trump Holds Edge Over Biden in Four Swing States; Donald Trump Set to Testify in $250 Million Civil Fraud Trial in New York. Blast In Central Gaza, Vienna Jewish Cemetery Hall, 2024 Political Choices Aired 4-5p ET

Aired November 05, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:04]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour with dramatic new developments in Israel's war with Hamas. Israel Defense Forces say they have launched a significant strike on Gaza today. Explosions lighting up the sky there just a short time ago at night. The IDF says troops have now reached positions along the coast of Gaza as part of the expansion of its ground operations.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made two unannounced stops in the Middle East. He met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and then traveled to Bagdad for high-stakes talk with Iraq's prime minister. Blinken has held a series of top- level talks with Arab leaders as Israel intensifies its attacks against Hamas.

CNN's Jim Sciutto is in northern Israel.

Jim, you have new reporting that Secretary Blinken is not the only U.S. official visiting that region?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The CIA director Bill Burns is traveling to the Mideast as well. A U.S. officials tells me the following, that Burns is traveling to several countries in the Middle East where he's meeting with multiple intelligence counterparts and country leaders. The U.S. official went on to say they will discuss issues of mutual concern including the situation in Gaza, support for hostage negotiations, and the U.S. commitment to continuing to deter state and non-state actors from widening the conflict.

That particular message has been a consistent one from when President Biden first commented after the October 7th attacks, but also repeated again today by Secretary of State Blinken as he traveled for that surprise visit you mentioned to Iraq. Why there? Because U.S. forces in Iraq have come under fire from Iran-backed militias. U.S. forces in Syria as well.

Here is what Secretary Blinken had to say while he was on the ground there about any state or non-state actor in the region that might try to expand this conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, 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, whether it's elsewhere in the region, this is the very vital and urgent work with American diplomacy. And that's what we've been engaged in as well throughout this trip.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Secretary Blinken also took pains to say that the U.S. was not seeking war with Iran. Of course, the U.S. says that it is Iran that is behind not just Gaza, not just Hamas in Gaza, training, arming them, but Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, those militias in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen who have also fired long-range missiles at Israel as well since the start of this war following those October 7th attacks -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Jim, the IDF says it's conducting a significant strike in Gaza? Tell us about that.

SCIUTTO: That's right. And our teams close to Gaza are seeing evidence of these. Air strikes, flares going up over that northern portion of Gaza where Israeli forces have focused their efforts since the start of ground operations a little more than a week ago. The IDF spokesperson saying this is a significant operation, the goal of this operation frankly a familiar one, Hamas infrastructure, Hamas leaders, targets there.

And that has been what they've said is their mission, not just to the ground operations but ongoing air strikes. They've made some progress inside. They now effectively have Gaza City surrounded and they've created corridors into the city for those -- into Gaza Strip, rather, for those ground forces from the north, from the east and also from the beach, from the sea as well surrounding that area.

Of course, the fighting remains intense there on the ground, and Israeli forces have been taking losses in addition to the many civilian casualties we've seen inside Gaza as well.

WHITFIELD: And then what about the fighting that's taking place along the Lebanese border?

SCIUTTO: Yes. Definitely busier tonight. I'll tell you from where we are here in Safed in northern Israel. We've heard the booms of artillery fire that's outgoing, Israeli artillery fire. But the fire clearly going in both directions. There have been numerous rocket strikes and artillery strikes into communities in northern Israel, several hitting in Kiryat Shmona, which is north of here. Reports of one death in another Israeli town just on the border with Lebanon.

On the other side, reports that an Israeli strike struck a vehicle that contained -- that was carrying four civilians including three children. We heard comments from the Lebanese foreign minister about that strike a short time ago. And as you've had that exchange of fire, we've also seen more evidence of Israel's air defenses being activated here, intercepting some of those rockets but not all of them.

[16:05:04]

And the concern, of course, is that this is one of those fronts of this war that could expand, and we heard from the Israeli military chief, the IDF chief, a short time ago saying that Israel remains ready to go on an offensive stance, as he said, if necessary in the north if that fire -- if those hostilities expand further.

I think you'd take that, Fred, as a warning from Israel that they're poised to act if they see more of that incoming fire in coming days.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jim Sciutto, thanks so much. We'll check back with you.

SCIUTTO: OK.

WHITFIELD: All right. Back in this country, 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 and Russia's war on Ukraine, new polling numbers are giving us a snapshot into their hypothetical match-up exactly one year before the 2024 presidential election.

"The New York Times"-Siena College poll shows former President Trump holding an edge over President Biden in four of these key states among registered voters.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is traveling with the president and joins us live from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Priscilla, lay out some of these numbers for us. What kind of picture does this paint for Biden's re-election campaign and strategy?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a glimpse into the long road ahead that the Biden campaign has as it tries to send a message that the economy is trending in the right direction and there's still doubt about the president's ability and his age in steering the country forward.

Now these are the four key swing states that came up in this poll, all of which President Biden won, but is now trailing behind former President Donald Trump in this hypothetical. That includes Nevada where Trump is at 52 percent to Biden's 41 percent. Georgia, where Trump is up 49 percent to Biden's 43 percent. Arizona with Trump at 49 percent to Biden's 44 percent. And Michigan with Trump at 48 percent to Biden's 43 percent.

Now there is a margin of error here of about plus or minus 4.4 or 4.5 points, but it's still striking when you take into consideration, too, that the former president since leaving office faces a series of criminal charges and also, as President Biden works again to send the Bidenomics message across the country, he's been fanning out across multiple states in the last several months and pointing to economic indicators to show that the economy, which a lot of voters are thinking about is trending in the right direction.

Now in a statement a campaign spokesperson said the following. He said, "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' unpopular extremism. We'll win in 2024 by putting our heads down and doing the work, not by fretting about a poll."

Now the campaign spokesperson also noted the 2022 midterms when there was a grim outlook for Democrats going into those midterms and they ended up faring better than expected. So the campaign putting their head down here. But it is clear that they are going to face headwinds with the economy and making sure that their message resonates with voters and that they feel that in their day to day but as these conflicts unfold around the globe, including the Israel-Hamas war which has created some rifts in the Democratic Party.

So all of this is what the campaign is wrestling with, but their message today is that they're keeping their heads down and they still think it's still a year ahead, which means it's still a long road ahead before November.

WHITFIELD: OK. Priscilla Alvarez, thanks so much.

All right, joining me right now is CNN senior reporter Isaac Dovere.

Isaac, great to see you. So, you know, there are a number of important demographics where, you know, Biden is slipping including among voters under 30, African-American voters, Hispanic voters, urban voters. How concerned should the re-election campaign be?

ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, these are obviously not great poll numbers for the president. What a campaign source tells me is that the way they look at this is that at this point in the campaign we're pretty far off, there are not a lot of people paying attention. But they feel like all of the negative feelings about Biden are sort of baked into these numbers, and the positive feelings about him that they're going to try to spark over the course of the year ahead haven't started to be there in the same way because the campaign hasn't been there, because the advertising, all the efforts aren't there.

They also say that people haven't really focused on the idea of Trump coming back as president and what that would mean and thinking about this is still kind of fiction for them. But when you talk to Democrats outside the campaign, what they say is they know that they're going to have a problem getting people super excited about Joe Biden, having him electrify the electorate.

[16:10:05]

What they look at and saying, how do we make this a case about what it would mean for Biden to be re-elected versus what it would mean for Trump to come in. And that means talking about not only all the things on Biden's agenda but abortion rights, democracy, all of these things that are very much going to be part of what is clearly going to be a pretty existential election for this country.

WHITFIELD: And as it pertains to those numbers, you know, the real deficits for the president, is it all about the economy?

DOVERE: Well, that clearly is part of what's going on here. And some of what you hear out of the White House and the Biden campaign is a feeling like the economy is starting to show the kind of strength that they were hoping it would show and that there's sort of a lagging response to that among voters. We'll see if that's true and we'll see if, for example, voters give credit to the Biden campaign and the president over the course of the next year for things like infrastructure projects really moving forward.

But the other thing that's important to note is, as Priscilla was saying in the last segment, in 2022 it was seen as an election that would be largely about the economy. And in the end, those questions about democracy and rights ended up moving voters more and moving elections more across the country than pretty much anybody was anticipating.

WHITFIELD: And then, you know, the president's support among Jewish and Arab Americans has really been shaken, too, since this Israel- Hamas war began. His aides have launched outreach campaigns that they're hoping will, you know, turn all that around. But, I mean, this is going to be a gigantic challenge.

DOVERE: Yes, that's true. And it's an article that I have up on our site right now about how the Biden campaign and the White House are trying to handle the outrage here as the president continues his response to the war in Israel. One of the things that I think is important here to note is that President Biden himself is not factoring in the political liabilities here, even as you have some people, senior people in the West Wing who have said maybe you should think about some of those liabilities.

He sees this as an issue of right and wrong and what needs to be done. He's pursuing it in that way with an eye toward making sure that people are understanding what he's doing, but not really having that as a strategy. That said, the White House is trying to figure out how to make sure that Jewish Americans across the country, people who are supportive of Israel, who they think are part of what they often call the quiet majority that tends to back Biden are connected to what's going on and that they're not losing support in major lasting ways among Arab Americans and Muslim Americans.

And those are things that could be factors in some of the same states that we're talking about. Minnesota, Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, states that have big Jewish populations, but also big Muslim populations, except for Pennsylvania on that list. Places that could actually be moved by a couple thousand votes in either direction. But it's not clear whether this is just about who is unhappy with the president or people maybe who are even happier with the president than they were already.

But overall, I don't think anybody would look at these numbers today in any of these polls and say this is a great day for Joe Biden. WHITFIELD: All right. Isaac Dovere, thank you so much.

DOVERE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, former President Trump will take the stand tomorrow in his quarter of a billion-dollar civil fraud trial. What we can expect from his testimony next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:17:32]

WHITFIELD: Tomorrow in New York, former President Donald Trump is set to testify in the $250 million fraud trial against the Trump Organization and several family members and executives. After testifying Friday Eric Trump told reporters his father is, quote, "fired up to be testifying in New York." The trial has put a spotlight on the Trump family business, their dealings including the role Trump's children have played.

CNN correspondent Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC TRUMP, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Guys, it was a great day.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Trump family business and its legacy now facing what could be an existential test. Eric Trump, Donald Jr., and Ivanka Trump have 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 TRUMP: 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 unrivaled.

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

DONALD TRUMP JR., EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Unfortunately, the attorney general has brought forth a 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 Senior'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 JUNIOR: Before even having a day in court, I'm apparently guilty of fraud for relying on my accountants to do, wait for it, accounting.

[16:20:09]

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

NORM EISEN, SENIOR FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: They're 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 (on-camera): Analyst Norm Eisen says that's not all that Trump's stand to lose if this 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)

WHITFIELD: OK. Let's talk more about all this. Joining me right now is Renato Mariotti. He is a former federal prosecutor and host of the podcast "It's Complicated," as is this case, isn't it? Even though the judge has already rendered a decision but it's still very complicated.

Renato, good to see you. So the New York attorney general called Trump to testify. And his attorneys must be quite nervous about him because he is so unpredictable. How do you think they might be preparing him with less than 24 hours to go? RENATO MARIOTTI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It's not going to be an

easy task, Fred. You know, realistically, a witness like this, I would spend many, many hours going over the types of questions that he would receive. I would actually do a mock cross-examinations of him trying to get him prepared for that and really try to give him tips about, you know, just getting through the questions, listening very carefully to the question, make sure he understands what he's trying to accomplish.

And really what he's trying to accomplish here is just like we heard a moment ago. Like his sons, he wants to blame the accountants, blame all the people that are helping him. And unlike his sons who actually were trying to take some responsibility on themselves versus their father, and saying their father wasn't involved, he's got to try to put this on his sons as well and basically say he had nothing to do with it. That's not going to be easy for him to do.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, you know, both Don Jr. and Eric testified that, you know, while they did sign financial documents, you know, they say those statements were ultimately prepared by someone else. Why do we not believe that Donald Trump will do the same and make the same kind of claim?

MARIOTTI: I think he will. But at the end of the day, they were involved, Eric and Don Jr. were involved in actually running the business. I think it will be interesting to see whether Donald Trump is willing to say that he had nothing to do with it because he doesn't like to not take responsibility for things. He loves to say that he's in charge of everything. So it will be interesting to see whether he has the discipline to do that or really stick to any of these lines, Fred, because he's a little bit all over the place. So I'm not sure he's going to stick to any playbook that his attorneys put before him.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then, I mean, whenever there is a case, we know that there is a history involving Trump where they will appeal. The judge has already rendered a decision and said that this company is, you know, culpable in inflating assets. Now it's an issue of how much should they pay, what will be the fine. Will they be barred from doing business?

If the judge, you know, decides on a particular figure and does indeed bar them, wouldn't the Trump family, the Trump Organization appeal and thereby, you know, escape immediately paying anything or having to pack up and leave New York any time soon?

MARIOTTI: There certainly will be an appeal. No question about that. That will take some time. The question really is what will be stayed pending appeal? In other words, what provisions of this judgment are going to go into effect before the end of the appeal process, the appellate process. And that is something the judge will ultimately have to decide. But I just would say regardless of that, Donald Trump is obviously in a very difficult position.

Most of my clients, you know, companies facing something like this, this would be like a bet the company pays, like everything is on the line for the company. And for Donald Trump, this is not even the most important trial he's going to have this year. I mean, he's facing criminal indictments in four different jurisdictions. So he's got a lot on his plate and he's facing a very difficult situation.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Hence, it's complicated, which is why we'll be looking you a lot over the next few months.

Renato Mariotti, thank you so much.

MARIOTTI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, Israel is defending its air strikes against Hamas despite the mounting casualties and escalating humanitarian crisis. Our team is live in the region.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:29:04]

WHITFIELD: We're seeing protests erupt around the world this weekend as thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters demand a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Turkish police were forced to intervene after protesters broke down barricades and attempted to storm a U.S. air base in southern Turkey. Police officers used teargas and water cannons to disperse the large crowd. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has just arrived in Turkey.

And in London thousands of demonstrators packed into Trafalgar Square carrying signs that read, quote, "Stop Bombing Children." Protesters also marched through the streets of Paris. French President Macron says France will organize a humanitarian conference in Paris later this week for aid relief to Gaza.

And here in the United States, crowds in the tens of thousands marched in Freedom Plaza near the National Mall demanding for the U.S. to end its aid to Israel. No arrests were made last night after a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators covered some of the White House gates with red handprints. Speakers at the demonstration previously accused the Biden Administration of having blood on their hands.

And scores of dead and injured are arriving at one Gaza hospital, after a deadly blast last night at the Al-Maghazi refugee camp. The Israel defense forces say that it's looking into the circumstances around the explosion.

We want to show you scenes from the aftermath of this explosion, but a warning these images are very graphic. CNN's Nada Bashir is in Jerusalem. Nada, what are you learning about the blast?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, Fredricka, we have heard from health officials inside Gaza. They have accused Israel of carrying out yet another air strike, this time focused on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp. Dozens of people are said to have been killed, including children. This is being described, by officials on the ground and medics on the ground, as a massacre.

And, of course, as you mentioned, that the Israel defense forces say they are still looking into the cause behind this incident. But the videos, the images that we have seen, coming out of this attack, are shocking to say the least.

This isn't the first time we have seen civilian areas coming under attack. As you'll remember, the Jabalia refugee camp also coming under attack several times by Israeli air strikes. These camps, of course, are now urban communities, very densely populated.

And the fear is that we will continue to see that death toll rising with many believed to be buried beneath the rubble still. And a warning to our viewers, some of the images and videos in this report are deeply distressing. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): At this hospital in central Gaza, another day of seemingly unending horror. Bodies, some tiny, arriving in their dozens. No one is spared the devastation of this war.

Journalist Mohammed Alu (ph), seen here at Gaza's Al-Aqsa hospital, not to report on this latest attack, but to identify his children amongst the dead.

MOHAMMED ALU (ph), JOURNALIST (translator): I saw my son, Kana (ph), and my daughter, Rahaf (ph), and my sons, Ahmed (ph) and Kias (ph). I saw my three siblings killed. I saw friends who were at my house all killed.

BASHIR: Hospital officials tell CNN the latest disaster was caused by yet another Israeli air strike. Among the numerous bodies, countless women and children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translator): Fifty-two killed and more than 70 injured. Most of those killed and injured are children, women and elderly. And still a large number are buried under the rubble.

BASHIR: In the now shattered Al-Maghazi refugee camp, once home to 10s of thousands of Palestinians, residents search desperately for any sign of survivors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE.)

BASHIR: 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 air strikes have proven unrelenting.

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

BASHIR: 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 (translator): I saw all my sisters screaming. Then I saw my father. When I found myself alive, I looked to see who was 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.

BASHIR: Gaza's hospitals are overwhelmed. (INAUDIBLE) 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASHIR (live): And, of course, as we've been hearing for weeks now, hospitals across the Gaza strip are facing intense pressure. Not just the shortages of medical supplies, but they are now seeing blackouts, power cuts across several hospitals.

And, now, as we've learned in the last couple hours, another total communications blackout. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society saying that they have lost all contact with their teams on the ground. And the fear is that we could see yet another intensification of Israel's air strikes on the Gaza strip.

[16:35:02]

BASHIR: And, of course, as is always the case with these air strikes, another increase to the civilian death toll inside Gaza -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes, wow, those images are definitely hard to see. All right, Nada Bashir, thank you so much.

Anti-Semitic incidents have also soared around the world. In Austria, the Jewish community has been targeted in an incident that is a disturbing echo of the past. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Valuable teras (ph) scrolls and prayer books reduced to ashes, after an arson attack on this ceremonial hall in the Jewish part of Vienna's main cemetery.

The last time this very hall was set on fire was almost to the day 85 years ago by the Nazis on Kristallnacht (ph), chief rabbi, Jaron Engelmayer, tells me.

(on camera): How big is the damage, not just -- not just in terms of -- obviously the room itself, but spiritually for you, for the Jewish community here?

JARON ENGELMAYER, CHIEF RABBI, IKG VIENNA: I think it takes us back to times where the books were burned. And it is an attack on spiritual values of the religion and of humanity which happened here.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): A swastika on the outer wall leaves few questions about the anti-Semitic nature of the attack.

ENGELMAYER: It should worry us, all of the people in the free world, about what's going on in the streets right now. And that these particular attacks are just the top of what's going on.

PLEITGEN: Since Hamas's October seventh attack on southern Israel, murdering more than 1,400 people and kidnapping hundreds, and Israel's military response in Gaza which has also caused many casualties, anti- Semitic incidents have skyrocketed by about 300 percent in Austria, the head of Vienna's Jewish community tells me.

OSKAR DEUTSCH, HEAD, JEWISH COMMUNITY OF VIENNA: We are anxious. We are -- people are thinking about their life. The first thinking is, is Jewish life possible in Austria? The second thinking is, is Jewish life possible in Europe or in the world?

CROWD: We (ph) free Palestine.

PLEITGEN: With pro-Palestinian anti-Israel demos sweeping across the continent, Jewish groups say anti-Semitism is not only getting more prevalent, but uglier. From plastering stars of David on Jewish homes in Paris, to a Molotov cocktail attack on one of the main synagogues in Berlin, and near-daily assaults and insults in various European countries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then, we've see evidence of --

PLEITGEN: Today, just hours after the cemetery attack, Vienna's Jewish community hosted Israelis whose relatives were killed or kidnapped by Hamas on October seventh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was cousin --

PLEITGEN: Ital Ursurans (ph) family, four murdered, seven kidnapped. Ital (ph) lives in Europe, but while he's publicly advocating for the hostages in everyday life, he feels he has to hide his Jewish identity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not to be associated with anything written in Hebrew. Not to speak Hebrew. Not to consider going to places where are considered Jewish, like a synagogue or things like that.

PLEITGEN: While many European leaders have come out strongly against the rising tide of anti-Semitism, the head of the European Jewish Association says, it's not enough.

MENACHEM MARGOLIN, RABBI CHAIRMAN, EUROPEAN JEWISH ASSOCIATION: We know exactly when we are in dangerous. And we are now in dangerous. European leaders, we need you right now to act. Never again is now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. It's now.

PLEITGEN: But as much as there is fear, there's also a sense of defiance. Rabbi Engel Meier, himself, painting over the Nazi slurs on the cemetery wall, eager to show his community will not be intimidated by anti-Semitic attacks.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Vienna.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: New polling in the U.S. showing President Biden slipping in the polls in key battleground states, in a hypothetical 2024 election match-up against former President Trump.

[16:39:22]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Today marks one year from the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and fresh polling numbers out of several key battleground states show former President Trump beating President Biden among registered voters. And you can see here, Trump leads Biden in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona and Michigan. But we should note with the margin of error factored in, there is no clear winner in a Pennsylvania or Wisconsin match-up.

And even though we're a year away from Election Day, it's already on the minds of many Arab American voters, especially as tensions escalate in the Middle East. CNN's Dianne Gallagher explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can't ignore history.

DIANE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not a statement Iman Hamud (ph) ever thought she'd make.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I voted for Biden.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And are you going to vote for him again in 2024?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, if you would have asked me a month ago, I would have said, absolutely 100 percent. No doubt about it. But, honestly, the past few weeks have changed everything and I don't know anymore.

GALLAGHER: The Michigan immigration attorney is one of a growing number of Muslim and Arab Americans who say they are reconsidering their support for President Joe Biden, due to his response to the humanitarian crisis and rising death toll in Gaza.

ABBAS ALAWIEH, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: The Democratic Party risks losing a generation of young voters and multiple generations of Arab American and Muslim voters.

GALLAGHER: Perhaps nowhere is the sentiment more pronounced than here in Dearborn, which has been called the Arab capital of North America. We sat down with Democrats who helped elect Biden.

LEXI ZEIDAN, PALESTINIAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I did vote for Joe Biden in 2020.

GALLAGHER (on camera): Do you plan to vote for him in 2024? ZEIDAN: I do not.

[16:45:00]

HUSSEIN M. DABAJEH, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: I will gladly turn in an empty ballot.

SAM BAYDOUN (D), COMMISSIONER, WAYNE COUNTY: If the election were to be held today and President Biden is on the ballot, and we have to go out and vote today, I can't promise you that he will get five votes from Arab Americans in the city of Dearborn.

GALLAGHER: Adam Abusalah, a Palestinian American, worked on the 2020 campaign as a Biden fellow doing outreach to the Arab community.

ADAM ABUSALAH, FORMER BIDEN FELLOW: The man that I went out and knocked on doors for, I feel guilt and I absolutely do regret what I did on the Biden campaign. When we thought that he would be somebody that could lead with humanity and compassion, we were wrong.

GALLAGHER: Some are prepared to boycott Biden, even if it means potentially handing the election to the current Republican fronter runner, former President Donald Trump.

ABDULLAH HAMMOUD, MAYOR, DEARNORN, MICHIGAN: We are no longer going to consider the lesser of two evils.

GALLAGHER: The White House has, both publicly and privately, pointed to recent reach-outs with the Arab, Palestinian and Muslim communities, as well as the call for a humanitarian pause.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- it aid out and to continue to work to get people out safely.

GALLAGHER: And announcing an effort to combat Islamophobia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That kind of hate has no place.

GALLAGHER: Efforts dismissed by the people we spoke with is damage control, adding the only way to maybe save their votes is by calling for an immediate cease fire.

BAYDOUN: Enough is enough. We need a cease-fire.

GALLAGHER: Michigan is second only to California in residents who identify as Middle Eastern or North African, according to the U.S. Census. In 2020, Biden won the state by nearly 155,000 votes. Emgage, a national organization dedicated to getting out the Muslim vote, says 145,000 Muslim Michiganders voted in 2020.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud says Democrats can no longer take his community's vote for granted.

HAMMOUD: We're not here to prostitute ourselves to the lowest bidder, in order for us to be recognized and for our humanity to actually be seen. (on camera): Well, the Biden campaign sent CNN a statement, saying, in

part, President Biden knows the importance of earning the trust of every community, of upholding the sacred dignity and rights of all Americans. President Biden continues to work closely and proudly with leaders in the Muslim and Palestinian communities in America to listen to them, stand up for them and fight back against hate.

But the people I spoke to in this community say that if Democrats think they'll forget by next November, that they are wrong. This is not political for them. It is personal. These are their friends and family members they are talking about, not just something they're watching on television.

Their congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib, posting, on Friday night, a video where she echoes their sentiments. Writing at the end, Biden support a cease-fire now or don't count on us in 2024.

Dianne Gallagher, CNN, Dearborn, Michigan.

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WHITFIELD: Still to come, Jordan's Queen Rania speaks to CNN about the Israel-Hamas conflict. Why she says the Biden Administration's position on a cease-fire in Gaza is short sided, next.

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WHITFIELD: All right, despite increasing calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, Israel remains defiant against those calls until Hamas releases all hostages. U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, echoed the rejection, saying it would only give Hamas more time to regroup and attack Israel again. But he did reiterate today, on a surprise visit in Bagdad, that he is still pursuing a humanitarian pause, Blinken that is.

The queen of Jordan says a stance against a cease-fire is ill-advised and will not bring peace to the region. CNN's Becky Anderson is in Doha, Qatar and spoke with Queen Rania earlier today.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, we've seen consistent and united calls for a cease-fire across this region, including from Jordan's Queen Rania. Israel has flatly rejected those calls.

And when Arab leaders met with Antony Blinken in Imam on Saturday, the U.S. secretary of state reaffirmed the U.S. position that a cease-fire will only enable Hamas to commit more attacks like the one on October the seventh. Well, Queen Rania said that position was shortsighted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANIA AL-ABDULLAH, QUEEN, JORDAN: 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, disregards to U.N. resolutions and international law. If we do not address these root causes, then you can kill the combatant, but you cannot kill the cause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: She went on to say that the death of civilians will only further the cause of Hamas and not bring peace to Israel. But Israel has insisted that it is doing its best to protect civilians and blames Hamas for using them as human shields.

Queen Rania cited how Israel has used its evacuation orders on why she doesn't think that those claims stand up. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL-ABDULLAH: Never mind that evacuation orders are sent online or on television, knowing that there's no electricity in Gaza since the beginning of this war. These evacuation orders I do not believe are for the benefit of the Gaza civilians. They are not the target audience. The rest of the world. It is Israel's attempt to try to legitimize their actions.

And when it comes to human shields, I think we need to defer to international law. Of course, the use of human shields is criminal. But even if one side use -- puts a civilian in harm's way, that civilian is still entitled to full protection under international humanitarian law.

[16:55:00]

AL-ABDULLAH: That is the global standard and no nation is exempt.

In a place like Jabalia, which is one of the most crowded corners of Gaza, Gaza being one of the most densely populated spots on earth, civilian death is not incidental -- it is not accidental. It is a forgone conclusion and that makes it a war crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Jabalya is the refugee camp in Gaza, where civilians have been sheltering in U.N. schools. It's been hit on multiple occasions, including this weekend.

And at the end of the conversation, Queen Rania had a really poignant message for those standing behind Israel. She said that if you are an ally to Israel, you need to give them the uncomfortable truth that they have crossed the line. That is queen Rania's position, and it really speaks the frustrations that you hear across this part of the world, the Arab world, that we have been reporting on now for weeks -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Becky Anderson, thank you so much, in Doha.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta in a moment.

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