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CNN International: Democrats Benefitting From Power of Abortions Politics; Poll: Trump Narrowly Leads Biden in Hypothetical Rematch; Foreign Ministers from G7 Countries Gather in Tokyo; Crowds Use Limited Corridor to Evacuate to Southern Gaza; Egypt's Important, Complicated Role in Middle East Conflict; Coral on Great Barrier Reef Begins to Regenerate. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired November 08, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

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

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Max Foster. An update on the U.S. election results in deeply conservative Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Bashir won reelection after defeating a Republican challenger with close ties to former U.S. President Donald Trump.

NOBILO: Democrats in Virginia swept the legislature hanging on to the Senate and taking control of the House of Delegates. In Ohio, voters legalized recreational marijuana, becoming the 24th state to do so.

FOSTER: Ohio voters also delivered a strong rebuke to Republicans determined to restrict abortion access. They've now enshrined abortion rights into the state constitution.

NOBILO: And that's become one of the big takeaways from Tuesday's election. Abortion rights matter to many voters in crucial swing states. CNN's Jeff Zeleny explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: For the next year, as Republicans try to win the Senate, keep their narrow majority in the House and indeed win back the White House, abortion will be front and center in their strategy. The lessons of Tuesday night's elections in Virginia, in Ohio and in Kentucky certainly serve as a reminder that abortion is still a very potent issue and now it has become a motivating factor for Democrats.

Of course, since the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade with the Dobbs decision a little more than a year ago, there are so many examples now, election after election where Republicans are largely on the losing side of this argument. We are going to see much of this discussion at a Republican presidential debate here in Miami on Wednesday.

There has been a difference of viewpoint to some degree about the way forward on abortion. Nikki Haley, for example, the former South Carolina governor, has tried to strike somewhat of a middle ground. Now Donald Trump, for his part, will not be participating in the debate. But he has tried to not dwell on abortion. He believes it's a losing issue, in the words that he has spoken to some of his advisers.

But look for Democrats to try and turn this to their advantage over the next year. In fact, it could be one of their big motivating factors. So there is no doubt as Republicans try to win control of the Senate, hold their narrow majority in the House, and went back to the White House, abortion will be front and center.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Andrew Rudalevige is a professor of government at Bowdoin College and a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He's joins us from Cambridge. Thank you so much for joining us. Obviously, Trump, always a theme in these elections, Biden also a theme, perhaps his age, but those abortion rights as well. How do you think this is going to play into national elections next year?

ANDREW RUDALEVIGE, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, BOWDOIN COLLEGE: Yes, well, clearly, Democrats and Republicans both were looking at this as some sort of proxy vote for the national party platforms next year and perhaps as a harbinger of how a Trump Biden rematch might play out.

You know, if you're the Democrats, obviously, you're pretty happy. As you just reported, Democrats did well across the board on abortion where that was on the ballot directly or where it was even a proxy vote, not just in Kentucky and Virginia, but Pennsylvania perhaps. You saw the pro-choice position do very well indeed, and that's been a consistent theme since the Dobbs decision last year.

You know, so if you're the Democrats, you're looking at Joe Biden's pretty core recent polling results and thinking well, but we can reshape this election around perhaps a more popular social agenda.

As you already noted, former President Trump is trying to distance himself from the new Republican push to criminalize abortion. But this is going to be difficult, he promised in 2016 that he would appoint only judges who -- to the Supreme Court and beyond, frankly, who would vote to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision.

[04:35:00]

He kept that promise, and indeed that's what occurred. So it's going to be hard for him, I think, to change that position very strongly without alienating the voters that he needs in the first place -- on the evangelical side.

NOBILO: How do you explain that discrepancy between President Biden's weak polling and the democratic success we saw in these local elections? Is it purely because of the leaning into the issues?

RUDALEVIGE: Yes, well, in part I think -- remember these kinds of elections are a little bit of a tribute to American federalism in the U.S. We have policy making at the state and very local level, that really is not paralleled in other countries around the globe. You know, we're a very decentralized nation in some ways. And of course these local races turn in some part on what's happening where you are.

And so if you're blaming Joe Biden for inflation or for being old, right, that's not necessarily going to reflect itself in how you come out to the polls in these local issues. But again, Democrats looking to nationalize these issues are going to look at things like abortion rights. They might look to Andy Beshear in Kentucky, right? A Democrat who won reelection in a very Red State, a state that Trump won, I think in 2020 by close to 30 points. And thinking about ways, you know, they can borrow from that kind of more localized agenda. Almost to take, you know, the attention away from the top of the ticket. Now that's difficult in a 2024 election year.

I do think Democrats will be thinking, OK, well, maybe some of this polling is something of a protest vote. Our young voters, as the CNN poll just show, breaking practically half and half for Trump and Biden, that would be inconsistent with the results we're seeing here. So I think Democratic strategists will be thinking that, you know, even with an unpopular Biden, maybe they can beat an even more unpopular Trump and the platform that he's going to represent.

NOBILO: Andrew Rudalevige, thank you very much for joining us.

RUDALEVIGE: Pleasure. Thanks.

And still to come on Egypt's important diplomatic role in the war between Israel and Hamas and why the government is playing a difficult balancing act.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Foreign ministers from G7 countries have wrapped up their meetings in Tokyo. The group discussed several issues, including reiterating their support for Ukraine amid Russian aggression.

FOSTER: The Chinese supported humanitarian pauses in Gaza to support the movement of assistance and civilians, as well as to facilitate the release of Hamas hostages. And U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken escalated his opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza.

CNN's Marc Stewart joins us now from Beijing to discuss this. Marc, do you think that this unanimous call from the G7 nations for humanitarian pauses and corridors to support the citizens -- civilians living in Gaza is going to have any impact on Israel?

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you look at the G7, Bianca, these are nations that are economic superpower. So to an extent their words have some weight. So this decision to call for humanitarian pauses and not necessarily a ceasefire is significant. Especially as we have been reporting, many of the G7 Arab counterparts have been pushing very firmly for this idea of a ceasefire. This is at odds with that. That is a contrast. Yet the G7 feels this will still allow for humanitarian aid to reach

civilians in need, and it will also give Israel the opportunity to perhaps free its hostages. Let's take a listen to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He spoke just a short time ago from this G7 Foreign Minister gathering in Tokyo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: When it comes to post conflict governance in Gaza, a few things are clear and necessary. One, Gaza cannot be -- continue to be run by Hamas. That simply invites a repetition of October 7th and Gaza uses a place from which to launch terrorist attacks.

It's also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza. Now the reality is that there may be a need for some transition period at the end of the conflict, but it is imperative that the Palestinian people be central to governance in in Gaza and in the West Bank as well, and that again, we don't see a reoccupation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: Some bold words from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Almost laying out a blueprint for the future of the entire region. So just exactly how will this by be digested by the United Nations? And, of course, in the Middle East, we are going to have to see. It is daybreak in many parts of the world. So we are going to have to see exactly how this news is digested in the hours ahead -- Max and Bianca.

NOBILO: Marc Stewart, thank you so much.

FOSTER: Well on Tuesday, schools and Palestinians fled south from northern Gaza by foot, taking advantage of a corridor opened by the IDF. One of Garza's primary highways was open for four hours for people to pass through.

NOBILO: They carried little to nothing with them and some waved white flags or held government ID's as they moved, hoping for safe passage.

FOSTER: CNN's Melissa Bell joins us from Cairo with more on that. This idea of than what having to walk through their own land with these flags. But there have been, of course, attacks beyond the north, haven't there?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Max, that's right. In fact, the ferocity of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza hasn't shown any sign of letting up. Quite the reverse. Nor has the total siege that was imposed on Gaza in the wake of the October 7th attacks. Which you have seen, as you mentioned a moment ago, those humanitarian corridors being opened up for four hours. They once again today, civilians are being urged to take that road and head further south, as they did yesterday and there are thousands. As you say, many of them on foot and carrying what little they have and white flags.

That effort on the part of Israel to open that corridor, at seeking to rid, to empty northern Gaza of its civilians, since it is now, says the IDF, an active battlefield, has a couple of consequences, Max and Bianca. First of all, of course, the huge humanitarian strain on southern Gaza.

It is now 70 percent of the territories population that's been displaced. Most of those have headed south with all of the weight and problems of that humanitarian strain on a part of the world that frankly didn't have the means to support it.

But it has a second consequence. And that is increased pressure on Gaza's southern border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[04:45:00]

BELL (voice-over): For a month now, Israel's war on Hamas has mostly focused on the North of Gaza, splitting the enclave in two and forcing civilians south, even on foot. With 70 percent of Gazans now displaced, the pressure around the Rafah crossing is growing. So too are Egyptian fears over an influx of refugees.

NABIL FAHMY, FORMER EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The assumption was the south is safer, and now the south is also being bombed. And of course, from the south, they will be asked to go out -- since we're still looking for combatants, you need to move out, and move out means move into Egypt. I don't know a case in history where the Israelis have allowed Palestinians to go back.

BELL (voice-over): Egypt has from the start of the conflict, played a key role, opening up its airports for international aid, setting up field hospitals for the most severely wounded Palestinians, and giving foreign passport holders a desperately needed way home.

SUSAN BESEISO, PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN EVACUEE FROM GAZA: It's like, you die or you leave. What do you choose between? Your childhood memories, your home, your land, or being alive?

BELL (voice-over): But the numbers and nature of those getting out of Gaza have been carefully controlled by Cairo.

TIMOTHY KALDAS, TAHRIR INSTITUTE FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY: The Egyptian authorities have had a lot of concerns about that border area for quite some time, but also have cooperated with a really painful blockade on the Gazan population for much of the last 17 years.

BELL (voice-over): A complicated history with Israel and Gaza have fueled Egyptian caution, but so too have domestic issues.

KALDAS: The standard of living in the country has collapsed. Poverty has risen. Labor force participation has declined substantially, and the result is that people are very frustrated. Inflation in Egypt reached about 40 percent. Inflation on food exceeded 60 percent.

BELL (voice-over): With elections next month, and as the conflict drags on, Egypt's president has taken no chances. ABDEL FATTAH EL-SISI, EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The expansion of the conflict is not in the interest of the region. The region will become a ticking time bomb that harms us all. This is why I'm saying, please, Egypt is a sovereign country and I hope we all respect its sovereignty and status. What I'm saying now is not to brag, but Egypt is a very strong country that shall not be touched.

BELL (voice-over): Egypt striking a delicate balance between meeting the urgent humanitarian needs of Gazans without opening the door too far. Even as it keeps a close eye on those voicing support for the Palestinian people back home in a country all too familiar with the power of the street.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELL (on camera): Of course, with every day that passes, what everyone in the Arab world watching this conflict says is that the fear of unintended consequences grows. Not just over the spillover of fighting of violence. And we have seen, for instance, some drone attacks here in Egypt. There is, of course, what's happening over the border in Lebanon, but also politically. The fear of what this ongoing fighting and the lack of an end game means for the wider region -- Max and Bianca.

FOSTER: OK, Melissa, in Cairo, thank you so much.

Now still to come, showing resiliency in the face of climate change. Parts of the Great Barrier Reef for now, spawning new coral, giving hope to scientists who are trying to protect one of the world's great natural wonders.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Climate scientists have released new data showing 2023 is shaping up to be the hottest year on record. The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that this October was the warmest October on record globally, with an average surface air temperature 0.85 degrees Celsius above the average for the previous three decades.

FOSTER: This graph shows the 2023 monthly temperatures in bright red, despite A slight dip in October each month since June has set a new global temperature record.

And sea surface temperatures are also setting record highs this year, which corresponds with six consecutive months that Antarctic sea ice has remained at record low levels.

Climate change is considered the greatest threat to the world's coral reefs, but parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef are showing some resiliency, with coral now starting to regenerate. It's welcome news for scientists who are lobbying the Australian government to do more to protect this natural wonder. CNN's Ivan Watson reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nighttime on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The sea explodes in an otherworldly spectacle.

This is coral spawning. One of the world's greatest natural wonders is made up of billions of living creatures that reproduce like this each year. And this season has scientists excited.

ABBI SCOTT, CAIRNS-PORT DOUGLAS REEF HUB COORDINATOR: We were out driving until about 11 o'clock last night, looking at the coral spawning, and we were lucky enough to see some of the species spawning. Not all of them, but we saw the soft corals, and they filled up the water with bundles of eggs and sperm, which was really spectacular.

WATSON (voice-over): The spectacular sight is a type of synchronized breeding. Coral polyps release millions of sperm and egg bundles into the water all at once. When two bundles from the same species collide, new life is born. It's a display of nature's resilience, repeated around this time of year across the Great Barrier Reef's nearly 133,000 square miles. But while some parts of the reef remain healthy, other parts are bleaching and dying, killed by temperature rise due to global warming.

ROGER BEEDEN, CHIEF SCIENTIST, GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK AUTHORITY: They're a little bit like Goldilocks. They need the temperature and other conditions to be just right. And if they go outside of those boundaries, then we have this phenomenon called coral bleaching.

WATSON (voice-over): Scientists in Australia are studying ways to boost the chances for successful reproduction. Right now, it is nature that holds the key to the reef's survival.

[04:55:00]

BEEDEN: This process of sexual reproduction, which is what's going on, is also one of the ways in which you get natural adaptations to changing conditions. Now, one of the big challenges with climate change is it's happening so fast that it may mean that with genetic variability isn't able to keep up with it. But nonetheless, it's really important that the process is happening.

WATSON (voice-over): The coral spawning at Moore Reef near the city of Cairns gives hope that this wonder of the world might still be rescued.

The speed at which we transition to green energy and the degree to which our planet warms will determine how much of the Great Barrier Reef can be saved.

Ivan Watson, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE) NOBILO: And finally, Brittney Griner, the American basketball player

who was detained in Russia for nearly 300 days last year, says it will be emotional if she plays in the summer Olympics in Paris in at 2024.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRITTNEY GRINER, TWO-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALISTS: It's just a different feeling. You know, when you're when you're when you're playing with USA at the Olympics representing the whole country, everybody's tuning in. And then there was a lot of times a year ago, you know, a while ago, where I didn't think that I would play ball. I didn't think I would ever wear this jersey again. That moment, watching, listening to our anthem and watching the flag go up. There'll be a lot of emotion and I probably won't be able to hold that one back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The 33-year-old WNBA star was released from Russia in a prison exchange late last year. She won gold at the 2016 and 2020 elections. Elections? We started on the show -- we finished on the show were we began.

NOBILO: Yes.

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

NOBILO: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. "EARLY START" is up next right here on CNN.

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