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CNN Coverage of "Israel at War."; IDF Conducts Significant Strikes on Gaza; U.S. Secretary of State Going Around the Middle East for Diplomatic Visits; Third Communication Blackout Hits Gaza; Israel Hits Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp; Israeli Ambassador Denies Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza; Donald Trump to Testify in New York; Trump Leads Biden in Polls. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 06, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church live from Atlanta with our continuing coverage of the Israel- Hamas War. And we begin in Gaza as the war between Israel and Hamas is about to enter its second month. The Israeli military says it's carrying out a significant strike right now on the territory.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

An IDF spokesperson says the strike was quote, "very extensive" and targeted Hamas infrastructure both above and below ground. The IDF also says its soldiers have now reached Gaza's coast in an effort to cut off the northern part of the enclave. This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again rejected calls for a ceasefire saying all hostages must first be released.

Meantime, an intense diplomatic push is underway to prevent a wider conflict in the region. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Turkey Sunday night. And the director of CIA is also traveling to several countries in the Middle East to meet with, quote, "multiple intelligence counterparts and country leaders."

The latest communications outage in Gaza cut off contact between several humanitarian aid groups and their teams on Sunday. The World Health Organization said it was very concerned about the blackout, along with the continued airstrikes from Israel. The U.N.'s main relief agency in Gaza, as well as the Palestinian Red Crescent, both said they lost contact with teams inside the enclave. It is the third communications outage reported in Gaza since the conflict began last month.

And for more, we want to go to journalist Elliott Gotkine who joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Elliott. So, these aid organizations are worried, obviously, for their workers after losing contact with them due to the massive Israeli bombardments. What more are you learning about that and of course, these significant strikes currently underway on Gaza?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Rosemary, as far as these strikes are concerned, by some accounts, this was the heaviest night of bombardment on the Gaza Strip since Israel started striking the enclave in the wake of the terrorist attacks from Hamas on October the 7th. The IDF saying in the last hour or so that it hit over the last 24 hours 450 targets and that it also took control of a Hamas military compound which included it says observation posts, anti-tank missile posts and also underground tunnels as well as killing several of the militants themselves.

And as you were saying Rosemary, what Israel has also succeeded in doing is bisecting the Gaza strip in two saying that essentially now there is a northern Gaza and a southern Gaza. It also says that it succeeded in surrounding Gaza City, which has been one of the focal points for its operations on the ground inside the Gaza Strip because it sees that as one of Hamas's main strongholds in the Strip and perhaps Israeli troops were expecting them to go into the city in the coming days.

As far as the rest of what is going on inside Gaza, we're talking about this communication blackout, the third one since October the 7th, obviously causing great concern and anxiety among families inside the Gaza Strip who can't communicate with one another to let them know that they're safe or that they're even alive and also of course with their friends and family outside of the Strip.

As far as the humanitarian organizations are concerned, this is also hampering further their efforts to provide aid and assistance to the people of the Gaza Strip. Indeed, we've had the head of the World Health Organization weighing in, saying that yes, he's very concerned and saying specifically that without connectivity, people who need immediate medical attention cannot contact hospitals and ambulances. All channels of communication must be restored, he says, immediately.

Now, I reached out to the IDF for comment. They said they didn't have anything to add for now. We're obviously hoping to get more information on that. In those previous communication blackouts, service has been restored seemingly without any need for repairs, which would imply that it is a deliberate communication blackout on the part of the IDF. But as I say, Rosemary, for now, we don't have any comment from them on that.

[02:05:00]

CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Elliott Gotkine joining us live from London. Appreciate it.

Well, all of this comes as dozens of people were killed in a blast at the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza. That's according to an official at a nearby hospital. He says it was the result of an Israeli airstrike. The IDF says it's looking into the circumstances around the explosion. Nada Bashir is following this developing story. A warning though, her report includes graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (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 Muhammed Alaloul, seen here at Gaza's Al-Aqsa hospital, not to report on this latest attack, but to identify his children amongst the dead.

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

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

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

BASHIR (voice-over): In the now shattered Al-Maghazi refugee camp, once home to tens of thousands of Palestinians, residents searched desperately for any sign of survivors, many digging frantically with their bare hands. This residential community is located in one of the zones deemed safe to evacuate to by the Israeli military. But Israel's airstrikes have proven unrelenting.

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

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

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now is Andrea Di Domenico, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory. And he comes to us from Jerusalem. Thank you so much for joining us. And the world is watching these just horrifying and heartbreaking images. And of course, this coming as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. How would you describe conditions facing most Palestinians right now?

ANDREA DE DOMENICO, HEAD OF OFFICE, UNOCHA IN THE OCCUPIED PALETINIAN TERRITORY: Simply horrific and terrible. I think that you have seen over and over images from reporters on the ground. The death toll has reached more than a thousand, almost 10,000 people, and 4,000 of those are children. I really think that humanity has to beg itself a question, where is the limit for humanity to become inhumanity or dishumanity?

CHURCH: Yes, I mean it must be difficult for the people that work for your organization on the ground seeing this and understanding all of these difficulties that people are facing there. I wonder if you could take us through what humanitarian assistance is getting into Gaza right now and talk to us about what's needed in addition to that.

DE DOMENICO: So, we have worked a lot, I would say, relentlessly in the last four weeks to scale up the humanitarian assistance that is required. The UNRWA colleagues are the forefront of the response and they've been heroes.

[02:08:58]

You know, 77 as of yesterday have been killed already during the bombardments, either during services or while they were at home.

The big effort at the moment is really to provide water, food and medicines and of course, other basic relief items that are essential for surviving when you leave your home, leaving everything behind. So, hygiene kit, water, mattresses, blankets, you know, it's really a gigantic operation. We have 1.5 million displaced people. UNRWA is taking care of 700,000 of those. That means that there are another 700,000 that we have to cater as a system and we are trying to do our work, you know, most effort to be able to respond to those needs.

CHURCH: Yeah, and explain to us that process of how you get trucks in, how far they go in, and what's entailed in their actual arrival, and then of course the whole process of distribution, ensuring that all of those suppliers get to those most in need. And I'm sure at this stage, that's pretty much everyone.

DE DOMENICO: Absolutely correct. Today we are launching an appeal asking for 1.2 billion for three months of operations, exactly to core (ph) these needs. The process as of now is a joint effort between the Egyptian Red Crescent on the Egyptian side, they are coordinating with U.N. agencies and member states and NGOs bringing supply into Gaza and then colleagues from UNRWA and the Palestinian Red Crescent are helping the distribution within Gaza.

Fuel is an essential commodity that is essential for us to deliver. We understand that there are security concerns related to that, but we have also demonstrated that we can deliver and we can use that fuel safely without being diverted to armed groups because that's the real concern. But this is essential for us to maintain not only our operations, but also bakery, desalination plants, hospitals running.

I was reading yesterday night there are 43 infants in incubators. If we do not provide electricity, those children will simply die. So, it's a gigantic effort we're doing and we are, you know, committed to stay and live to support all civilians wherever they are.

CHURCH: On Sunday, the IDF did tell CNN that there had been moments where humanitarian aid was able to go in, a pause in essence, and of course it gets down to what you define as a pause. Have you been able to discern any type of pause that allowed humanitarian aid to go in over the course of Sunday or Saturday?

DE DOMENICO: So, it is true that there has been ability to bring in assistance, but that has been also the day before. I never seen a post. My colleagues have always been nearby bombardment. Yesterday they have tried, and the day before, the Israeli has declared unilaterally a corridor to allow people from the north to move to the south. The problem is unless a corridor is agreed by both parties, the risks for civilians are still there.

And, in fact, what we saw is resumption of fighting in and around the area that was supposed to be that corridor and that has put at risk civilians. But let me say that despite the known pause of the bombardment, humanitarian action has continued every day. So, of course we hope and we wish for humanitarian ceasefire. That will be absolutely important for us to, you know, scale up and reorganize better our assistance system. But it's not our decision and we will still deliver even if bombardment keeps going on.

CHURCH: Which makes it very brave work for your organization and those people on the ground getting that humanitarian aid into Gaza. Andrea Di Domenico joining us live from Jerusalem. Many thanks. Appreciate it.

DE DOMENICO: Thank you.

CHURCH: Donald Trump spent his weekend on the campaign trail in Florida, but in just a matter of hours, the former president will be in a New York courtroom testifying in a civil fraud trial that could end up costing him many of his businesses. We'll take a look at that just ahead.

Plus, despite a mountain of legal troubles, including criminal charges and civil lawsuits, new polling has Donald Trump leading Joe Biden in some key swing states ahead of next year's presidential election. We'll look at all of that on the other side of the break. Do stay with us.

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[02:15:00]

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. In just a matter of hours, former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to take the stand in his civil fraud trial in New York. It'll be a high-stakes day of testimony that could determine the fate of his New York business endeavors. Trump could ultimately be forced to sell off his properties after a judge ruled that he and his company committed fraud for years while building his real estate empire. Joining me now from Los Angeles is Jessica Levinson, a Professor of

Law at Loyola Law School and host of the podcast, "Passing Judgment." Good to have you with us.

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Good to be back.

CHURCH: So, court resumes in the coming hours with former President Donald Trump expected to take the stand, the first time he will have testified under oath in any of his legal battles. What can we expect to come out of this historic moment during his New York civil fraud trial?

LEVINSON: Well, legally, what we're really looking at is whether or not he can say, not it. I was not the one to prepare these financial statements. I was not the one to direct anybody else to inflate property values because we know that the judge in this case has already found that there was fraud, that it was committed by Trump and the Trump Organization.

[02:20:04]

And so, the question legally for his testimony is the other six counts of liability that are still on the table and the potential remedy in this case and how closely the judge will draw a line between actions that Trump took and those financial statements that he's already found to be fraudulent. Now, of course, what we're also looking at is to see how he answers the questions, whether or not he becomes agitated. And of course, key is whether or not he makes admissions that hurt him because we've seen him do that in other cases like the E. Jean Carroll case.

CHURCH: And of course, Donald Trump's sons, Don, Jr. and Eric, testified last week. His daughter Ivanka is expected to be called on Wednesday. How critical will the testimonies of the former president's children likely be in the end, do you think?

LEVINSON: So, it's all important. Ivanka Trump, we know, is not a defendant in this case because a judge ruled that the claims against her were too old and therefore barred by the statute of limitations. When it comes to his adult sons, Don, Jr. already said, you know what, I relied on lawyers. I relied on accountants. I wasn't intimately involved in the financial statements. We'll see if the judge thinks that's credible.

Of course, there's no jury here. This is a bench trial. And then we will see whether or not Eric says the same thing, which is essentially, you know what, I wasn't the one who was intensely involved in listing these valuations. I defer to other people.

CHURCH: So, how significant is this civil fraud trial compared to all Trump's other legal woes? And how do you think this and the other cases that he faces will likely play out for him?

LEVINSON: Well, he obviously thinks this case is significant. He's attended about seven days of trial. And I think that's because this goes to such a big part of his persona, which is a successful businessman. And in fact, the judge finds no, the emperor has no clothes, essentially, that he's just inflated his values, the property values, to the tune of almost, I believe, $3.6 billion at times, that he engaged in insurance fraud, that he engaged in banking fraud, that he cannot do business in New York anymore. That would really cut against the Trump brand.

Now, having said that, the other cases are criminal cases. So, we're not talking about having to pay money or being barred from doing business in New York. What we're talking about is potentially being incarcerated. So just by virtue of the fact that the Georgia state case and the two federal cases, the election interference case and the Mar-a-Lago case are all criminal cases and potentially carry with them the possibility of incarceration, those are more serious.

CHURCH: How likely though, do you think in the end is it that a former president of the United States would end up going to prison?

LEVINSON: You know, I have to be honest that it's hard for me to imagine both options, given the charges against him and given the evidence that we already know that's in the public record. It's hard to imagine that any person would not face some repercussions. And I mean criminal repercussions. By the same token, it's hard to imagine the former president of the United States, the current Republican nominee sitting in a federal prison. And so, both are difficult. I know that's a non-answer, but that's why this is so unprecedented.

CHURCH: And eventually, of course, we'll all find out. Jessica Levinson, many thanks for joining us. Appreciate your analysis.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

CHURCH: And with a year to go before the election, Trump seems to hold an edge over President Biden in several key swing states. New polling has him leading in some states where Biden won the vote back in 2020. White House reporter Priscilla Alvarez has more.

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

It's notable because President Biden won those states in 2020 and striking because former President Donald Trump faces a series of criminal charges. Now, the Biden campaign is downplaying this poll, saying in a statement, quote, "0President 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."

The campaign goes on to say, "We'll win in 2024 by putting our heads down and doing the work not by fretting about a poll." Now the campaign also cited the 2022 midterm elections where Democrats had a grim outlook there and did better than was expected. But there is still a long road ahead and the president fanning out across the country to sell his economic message to voters who are still dissatisfied with the economy and who still have doubts about the president's age and his ability to steer the country.

[02:25:03]

And the president too is facing risks within his own party about the handling of the Israel-Hamas war. So, several headwinds ahead on the domestic and international front as the president goes into the next year going into November of 2024. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, traveling with the president.

CHURCH: The U.S. Secretary of State is on a whirlwind diplomatic tour through the Middle East. We will have details on his surprise visit to Iraq and what he's hoping to achieve on his current stop in Turkey.

Plus, India's residents, tourists and even World Cup athletes are struggling to cope with the country's toxic air. And officials warn it could last four weeks. Back with that and more in just a moment.

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CHURCH: The head of Amnesty International says Israel's war against Hamas is a quote "campaign of violations of international law." Agnes Callamard telling CNN that the horrific Hamas attack on Israel was itself a massive violation.

[02:30:00]

But she says Israel has responded with relentless bombing, forcible displacement and collective punishment of Palestinians. Kalamata says the rules of war have been obliterated. She is calling for a truce a ceasefire a humanitarian pause whatever it takes to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza.

Well, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to meet with Turkish officials in the coming hours to discuss Israel's war with Hamas as he wraps up the Middle East leg of a World Wind diplomatic tour before heading to Turkey.

Blinken made an unannounced visit to Iraq where he met with the country's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani call for a ceasefire and the reopening of border crossings to keep the humanitarian crisis from worsening. On Saturday, Blinken found himself at odds with Arab Leaders calling for an immediate ceasefire. Instead voicing support for humanitarian pauses which he reiterated Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think everyone would welcome humanitarian pauses. There's no doubt about that. There are obviously different views, including on the question of the ceasefire. But there's no doubt from my conversations with all of our colleagues who are in Amman yesterday that everyone would welcome the American pause because again, it could advance things that we're all trying to accomplish. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's State Department Reporter Jennifer Hansler is traveling with Secretary Blinken. And she joins us now live. Good to see you, Jennifer. So what is Secretary Blinken hoping to achieve in all on his trip to Turkey?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, good morning, Rosemary. Blinken is hoping to consult with his Turkish counterpart here in Ankara, about how to respond to the humanitarian catastrophe we are seeing in Gaza, as well as how to stop this conflict from spreading.

And these have been brutalized throughout this trip in the Middle East. We saw him start in Tel Aviv on Friday for discussions with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu. He pushed him on the knee to protect civilians to allow assistance to come in and to try to institute these so called humanitarian pauses.

Netanyahu just hours after that meeting came out publicly and rejected the idea of any sort of pause or ceasefire in this conflict. And as you mentioned, on Saturday, he met with his counterparts here in the Arab World to talk about, again how to get assistance into Gaza.

This is something that has been a key focus of leaders in the region, they have strongly condemned the Israeli offensive, and the humanitarian toll it is causing. They have called for an immediate ceasefire.

Yesterday, we saw Blinken go to Ramallah to meet with the Head of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas and also talk about how to stop this from spreading? How to respond to the situation on the ground in Gaza?

So today, this is expected to be a key theme of his conversations with the Turkish Foreign Minister here. He is not expected to meet with President Erdogan. But he will be pushing him for those commitments to try to advance this caused and of course, stop this from spreading to the wider region.

This is something the U.S. is incredibly concerned about. And it's something that Blinken spoke to you last night, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLINKEN: 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)

HANSLER: So Blinken will be discussing this with the Turkish Foreign Minister. Of course, Turkey does host some of Hamas' leadership. It is unclear if Blinken will press them to remove the leaders from being allowed to stay here. But he has said that that there cannot be a return to the status quo with Hamas after those October 7th attacks on Israel. So a lot at stake for this morning's visit Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Jennifer Hansler, many thanks for that live report. And we have just received word from the Government of Thailand that it has seen proof that Thai hostages taken by Hamas are alive. The country's Prime Minister says there is photographic evidence, but he did not specify whether he had seen one or multiple images or exactly how many hostages were shown. Thailand says 24 of its citizens were taken hostage by Hamas during its attack on Israel last month.

Well, coming up millions of people in India are on high alert as air pollution reaches hazardous levels. We will look at how it's affecting New Delhi. That's just ahead.

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[02:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS, HEAD OF CATHOLIC CHURCH: Please stop in the name of God ceasefire. I hope that all will be done to avoid the conflict from widening that the injured will be rescued and aid will arrive to the population of Gaza where the humanitarian situation is very grave. Hostages must be freed immediately among them many children and returned to their families.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Pope Francis once again voicing his concerns over the Israel Hamas war at the Vatican on Sunday urging both sides to halt the fighting so that aid can get to those who need it. His urgent pleas come out as more pro-Palestinian rallies are being held in cities around the world. And he will -- we will take a take a look at some of those demonstrations a little later this hour.

I want to turn to India now where parts of the country are yet again dealing with hazardous smog. Schools in New Delhi will remain closed this week as the Capital continues to grapple with the toxic air quality. Residents, tourists and one of the country's favorite pastimes are all suffering from this persistent pollution, which government officials warn could stick around for a while. CNN's Michael Holmes has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): India's iconic monument almost lost in the smog in the City of Agra. It's not the site tourists nor do the businesses which depend on them want to see.

NIRANJAN SINGH, PHOTOGRAPHER: We are facing difficulty and taking pictures of the Taj Mahal due to pollution. Taj Mahal is not clearly visible. Tourists are also facing issues.

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

PRAKASH TOKAS, DELHI RESIDENT: The situation is very bad here. There is a lot of coughing, colds and a burning sensation in the eyes. The kids are also sick. We could not take the kids out and we also step out far less than we used to because of this pollution.

[02:40:00]

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

And it's even affecting one of the country's favorite pastimes; India is currently hosting the Cricket World Cup with Bangladesh set to play Sri Lanka in a match in Delhi. But the air quality is so poor some players are wearing masks and both teams have canceled training sessions. The coach of Bangladesh's team says the conditions have not been ideal.

CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA, HEAD COACH, BANGLADESH CRICKET TEAM: Our doctors keep a close eye on players even for practices we are very consciously train what we have to train and they go back into the dressing rooms.

HOLMES (voice-over): Unfortunately for cricket fans and Delhi residents' alike officials say pollution levels are expected to be high for the next two to three weeks. Michael Holmes CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church for our international viewers World Sport is up next and for our viewers here in the United States and Canada I will be back with more CNN Newsroom in just a moment. Stay with us.

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[02:45:00]

CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers in North America. I'm Rosemary Church. Pro-Palestinian rallies drew thousands of people in cities around the world over the weekend. In Washington D.C. crowds waved signs that red stop the massacre and let Gaza live.

Some pushed up against the White House gates and covered them with red handprints. During the rallies speakers slam the Biden Administration for failing to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Some marchers said they would not vote for him again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My message to President Biden is I voted for you and I regret it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you vote for him in 2024?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Now CNN's Senior Political Analyst and Senior Editor for "The Atlantic" Ron Brownstein. Appreciate you joining us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi Rosemary.

CHURCH: Good to see you. So pressure is building on President Biden with massive pro-Palestinian protests across America one on Saturday in D.C. accusing the Biden Administration of having blood on its hands for failing to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, how politically risky is President Biden's continuing support for Israel and its war as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens by the day?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, this is an issue that genuinely does divide Democrats. And we saw on a National Poll by Quinnipiac University this past week, the Democrat -- about 50 percent of Democrats supported military aid to Israel, very different than the three quarters of Democrats who support aid to Ukraine.

This is dividing the Democratic coalition. The Democratic coalition does not have a lot of trust in Bibi Netanyahu as identified very closely with the Republican Party in the U.S. for a matter of decades. And I think the President, you know, does genuinely have competing interests in his coalition.

I think what he has to hope for is that however long this fighting goes on, it will be over long before the 2024 election. And that he I think we can be assured is going to put enormous pressure on Israel at that point to begin something that looks like a renewed negotiation for a two state solution, because that is probably his only path toward even reducing the tensions you see inside his own coalition.

CHURCH: Yes. Let's talk about that. Because at what point does President Biden's support for Israel's war impact policy and of course, the pressure that he doesn't need to apply on Prime Minister Netanyahu to show restraint and find that political solution that two state solution to this complex issue? Because the longer this drags on, the more damaging it is certainly for President Biden, and indeed for Israel too because the world is turning against Israel.

BROWNSTEIN: Well look, I mean, I think Israel expected that when this began. And I think they are fully expecting that they will go beyond in essence, the tolerance of world public opinion, if that's what it takes, in order to fulfill the military mission of degrading and weakening Hamas.

Look, I think President Biden is giving Israel more leeway, and then say President Obama might, but not nearly as much as President Trump would. And that is, of course, the conundrum here for all of those forces inside the Democratic coalition that are saying they would never support Biden in 24 as a result of what he's doing.

Muslim American Activist, Arab American Activist, I mean, the reality is, if the choice is with Trump, it will be Biden or Trump, who would -- Trump would A, probably give Netanyahu more leeway to use force in Gaza than Biden has done and B, Trump has already explicitly declared that he will impose a broad range of severe and overtly discriminatory immigration policies including a renewed Muslim ban.

Stephen Miller, the Architect of his Immigration Strategy in the White House has recently been posting on social media pictures of pro- Palestinian demonstrations and declaring in his, you know, in his post, ICE will be busy in 2025, implying broad scale deportation.

So it's understandable that the groups in the Democratic coalition are trying to pressure President Biden because they think he is not listening to their concerns. But in the end, that is the choice they will face whether they will ultimately take actions in the summer and fall of 2024 that would make that world more likely.

[02:50:00]

CHURCH: Yes. And of course, that is the reality, isn't it? We are just one year away from Americans casting their vote for the next U.S. President. And new polls show Donald Trump leading Joe Biden in four key battleground states, Nevada, Georgia, Arizona and Michigan.

The New York Sienna College Polls also show that voters favor Trump when it comes to the economy, immigration, national security and decisions about Israel's war. And of course, this is despite to Trump facing major legal issues. So what is going on here? And how should and could the White House respond to this troubling news, do you think?

BROWNSTEIN: Well look, we have seen for quite a while now that President Obama -- President Biden's approval ratings are in the low 40s. And this is what you get when you have widespread dissatisfaction with the performance of the President.

Democrats can point out correctly, that horse race polling the direct Trump Biden horse race a year out from the election is not terribly predictive. In fact, I was looking at a story today from an "NBC Wall Street Journal" Poll in the fall of 2011, in which the conclusion was that President Obama was no longer the favorite for reelection.

That is, you know, there's a lot of history to that. But there are other findings in these polls that I think are more sticky, more durable, more troubling for President Biden. I mean, they confirm what we have been seeing consistently for months now that somewhere above two thirds of Americans say they believe he is too old to carry out the duties of the presidency for another term.

And the other thing that these polls had today that we've been seeing for months, is that Americans by and large feel that they were better off during the Trump years than they were -- than they have been during the Biden years and that Biden's agenda has not improved their economic conditions were Trump's did. Now many of those same conditions, Rosemary were present in 2022. And more Democrats were able to focus voters' attention, especially in the key swing states, on the specific choice between Democrats and Republicans on issues like abortion and rights and democracy.

They were able to outperform expectations. But there's no question that voters now believe the President -- most voters believe President Biden has not delivered for their interests. And the key question will be whether he can in effect Trump that by appealing to their values and their rights.

CHURCH: Yes. It'll be a long year I wonder. Ron Brownstein thank you so much for joining us we do appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: Law enforcement investigators say they are looking into a hit and run incident targeting an Arab Muslim student at Stanford University as a hate crime. The school is also investigating four other potential hate crimes that have occurred on campus since the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel. CNN's Camila Bernal has more.

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

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

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

BERNAL (voice-over): Fear as a result of what he believes are hate crimes. The University's Department of Public Safety now investigating five incidents since the onset of the Israel Hamas war, four appeared to have targeted Arab students, while one was reported as anti-Semitic vandalism. The most recent potential hate crime incident happening Friday, the University says it was an apparent hit and run crash involving an Arab Muslim student on campus.

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

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

BDAIR: The fact that it's so quickly already turned into something of this magnitude is again scary. BERNAL (voice-over): Other incidents included a group of students being shoved a student being spat on, and someone running over a tote bag which contained a computer and other valuables.

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

BERNAL (voice-over): In the anti-Semitic incident reported -- adorning the door of a Jewish student was removed from their residence. In a statement the school said this removal of a sacred religious symbol is deemed a form of intimidation targeting the Jewish Community.

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Overall, groups representing students on both sides say they're concerned about these incidents, and students like Bdair say they worry about the future.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL (on camera): And authorities are still searching for the suspect in the hit and run. He's believed to have been driving a Toyota four runner. Now in terms of the victim he is still at the hospital told me he's not ready for an on camera interview, but said he wants to advocate for love for understanding and inclusivity. The other students I talked to told me that they agree and support that message but are also extremely concerned.

CHURCH: Buffalo Bills Player Damar Hamlin has set up a youth scholarship program named after the Cincinnati Medical Team who saved his life. He had dinner over the weekend with 10 members of the University of Cincinnati Medical Staff it was 10 months ago of course, when Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during an NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals. At the dinner Hamlin surprised the medical workers with a scholarship named after each of them to support local students.

And I want to thank you for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more CNN Newsroom in just a moment. Just stay with us.

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