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Israeli Defense Forces Agree To Pauses During Invasion Of Gaza To Allow Civilian Evacuations And Humanitarian Assistance Into Gaza; Tens Of Thousands Take To London Streets Demanding Ceasefire In Israel-Hamas War; Democratic Candidate For Congress In Maryland Joel Rubin Interviewed On Criticism Of Biden Administration's Support For Israel In Its Invasion Of Gaza; New Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson To Unveil Plan To Prevent Government Shutdown; Man Who Believed His Daughter Was Killed By Hamas Militants Now Informed She May Be Alive As Hostage In Gaza; FBI Agents Seize Devices From New York City Mayor Eric Adams As Part Of Investigation Into Campaign Fundraising; Senator Joe Manchin Announces He Will Not Run For Reelection To West Virginia Senate Seat; Rise Of Antisemitism In America Since Hamas Terrorism Attack On Israel On October 7th Examined. Aired 2-3p ET.

Aired November 11, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's do it.

Hey, everyone. Thanks for joining me. I'm Omar Jimenez sitting in for Fredricka Whitfield. We start with Israel's war against Hamas. Hospitals in Gaza are facing a critical situation as there are growing calls for an end to the bloodshed. The Red Cross says that Gaza's healthcare system is past the point of no return. Many of Gaza's hospitals are now out of services amid Israel's ongoing ground operations. Fighting is intensifying across the enclave, including near one major medical center, according to the IDF.

Earlier today, Israel opened another evacuation corridor, allowing thousands of Gaza civilians to safely move south. But those small breaks in the war aren't enough for some. In an emergency summit today in Saudi Arabia, Arab and Islamic leaders demanded a complete ceasefire. Opposition to the war is also being expressed on streets around the globe. Today, we're watching pro-Palestinian protests in London, Brussels, Paris, and even near President Biden's home in Delaware.

So let's get right to CNN's Oren Liebermann on the ground in Israel near the border with Gaza. Oren, lots of activity there today. What are you seeing?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Very much so. From our vantage point here in the city of Sderot which is on the northeast corner of Gaza, it has been a very different night. We have seen and heard intermittent artillery strikes and the explosions behind us. There was also an explosion by Iron Dome of a suspected UAV that was launched from Gaza several hours ago. But in terms of what we're seeing, it is much more intermittent than it has been on previous nights. Whereas last night, it was a skyline behind us that lit up fairly regularly, now very different. We don't see the explosions. We don's see the flares being dropped to the ground below.

Still, we know, of course, there is intense fighting in Gaza City, including around the hospitals. The director general of the Hamas- controlled Ministry of Health says Shifa hospital, one of the largest, rather, the largest in the Gaza Strip, is surrounded by the IDF as it treats 400 patients and has another 20,000 people who have taken refuge there. The director general says the hospital itself hasn't been struck but some of the outer buildings, the maternity clinic and external clinics, have taken damage in the intense fighting there. Meanwhile, at the same time there are bodies piling up there because they cannot get out to bury them.

According to the Ministry of Health there, the generator there also took damage, and that shut down the incubators in the neonatal intensive care unit. As a result, earlier today, the ministry said that three babies had died in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Meanwhile, the IDF has responded to some of those claims, saying there is no siege or surrounding of the hospital, that the east side of the hospital is open for those who want to come in and go out. In fact, the IDF says they're in touch with hospital officials and tomorrow will expedite babies from the pediatric unit coming out of the hospital. At the same time, the IDF acknowledges ongoing fighting around that hospital and in that area, blaming Hamas for taking up positions that force fighting the streets, the densely populated and packed streets of northern Gaza around the hospital.

We know, of course, from our previous reporting that many other hospitals in the Gaza Strip have already shut down and are in desperate need of supplies, of food, and essentially of help. We have heard that call from many different places within Gaza. The IDF says they've taken over 11 Hamas outposts in Gaza, and meanwhile, there was another humanitarian corridor today that was open for seven hours with the expectation that another corridor will be open tomorrow as well. Omar?

JIMENEZ: And Oren, with even some of these allotments and corridors, we still have seen loss of life on the civilian side of things. And all of this, of course, not happening in a vacuum. We also heard a strong unified statement from Arab and Islamic leaders during an emergency summit in Saudi Arabia. What did they have to say about this ongoing crisis in Gaza?

LIEBERMANN: Worth noting, this extraordinary summit in Riyadh that these are Arab and Islamic leaders that are often at different ends of the spectrum and find each other at odds. So the fact that they united on this point is, in and of itself, fairly significant here. And in a joint statement that came out in unified fashion at the end of this summit, they said, accused Israel of war crimes and barbaric, brutal, and inhumane massacres in Gaza, demanding an end to the war, essentially, an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian aid. We've already seen Israel's leadership reject that, saying if you want a ceasefire, release the 240 hostages, about 240 hostages that are being held in Gaza. Omar? JIMENEZ: That of course, remains, one of the central sticking points from the Israeli side, of course. We will see as developments move forward and see if these humanitarian corridor allotments make a significant difference. Oren Liebermann, thank you so much.

Around the world, people are protesting Israel's war effort in Gaza and calling for a peaceful resolution to the fighting. CNN's Clare Sebastian has more from London.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In our millions, in our billions!

CROWD: We are all Palestinians!

[14:05:03]

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Organized and in one voice, tens of thousands of people took to London streets demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

CROWD: Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now!

SEBASTIAN: This march is beginning now in central London, but the final destination is the United States embassy in south London. And that is the key here. The anger that we're hearing is mostly directed towards western governments, and in particular, the United States for its support of Israel.

The conflict now in its second month has seen Gaza under unrelenting Israeli bombardment in the weeks since Hamas launched its October 7th attack on Israel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In one month, it's over 4,000 children die. This is not normal.

SEBASTIAN: And as people got ready to march in solidarity with Palestinians, others were marking a second historic war.

Armistice Day, the date commemorating the de facto end of World War I. As crossover some branded as insensitive. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak initially attempted to stop the pro-Palestinian rally from going ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Armistice Day is supposed to be about the end of the war, and this is exactly what people are here for. We want to see an end to the war in Gaza, and this is what we're supporting.

SEBASTIAN: A heavy police presence had been promised in London Saturday, and they did face challenges. Far right counter protesters disrupted a two-minute silence observed for Armistice Day before clashing with police in central London. Police say they detained dozens of those counter-protesters following scuffles.

For the pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathering outside the U.S. embassy at the end of their march, emotions were starting to show. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to say I'm Jewish, and I fully

support this march and everything that's going on today. Why can't we all stand up for Palestinians?

SEBASTIAN: So despite the controversy in the lead up to this event, it has remained very organized. Pretty peaceful, but the scale of it reflects what we're increasingly seeing, this growing public mood that despite the horrific attacks of October 7th, the response may have gone too far.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

JIMENEZ (on camera): Now, not only are there growing protests abroad, but here in the U.S. as well over the Biden administration's continued support for Israel's war effort in Gaza. Today, demonstrators are rallying in protest near Biden's Delaware home. In New York City last night, demonstrators marched through the streets, snarling traffic as they demanded a ceasefire in Gaza.

And in a notable shift in language on the rising civilian death toll in Gaza, America's top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said Friday that, quote, "far too many Palestinians are being killed," and it comes as CNN has just obtained a cable from the U.S. embassy in Oman to the White House, saying the U.S. is losing badly on the messaging battle space.

CNN White House reporter Kevin Liptak is in Wilmington, Delaware, for us. So Kevin, what can you tell us about this protest, for starters, near Biden's home?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, it's hundreds of pro- Palestinian protesters near where Biden lives here in Delaware. And it is rare to see protests of this size here in Delaware for the president's frequent visits on the weekend. So it does tell you and it does illustrate that growing discontent among certain parts of the American population about how this is being handled. And certainly, the president has seen that at various points over the last several weeks, including in Illinois where he was this week, protestors on the street. He's also been interrupted during a few of his speeches from people calling for a ceasefire. And so this pressure is building on President Biden on his handling of this.

We did also hear earlier today from the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who said that there was no justification for the Israeli bombing of Gaza and calling on other leaders, including in the United States, to join him in that call. We did see earlier this week, a majority of the Democratic caucus in the Senate writing to the White House asking about the president's request for $14 billion in emergency assistance for Israel and asking for guarantees that that would not be used to violate international humanitarian law.

And that is been something that the president has been calling for really since the start of this crisis, is for Israel to avoid killing civilians, to adhere to those international laws after war. And we have seen something of a shift. The president talking with more caution to Israel, to encourage the country to think through what it's doing, to protect civilian lives. And we did hear from the top diplomat, Antony Blinken, saying this week that too many civilians had died and that more needs to be done to protect civilian life.

[14:10:03]

What you have heard the White House call for is these humanitarian pauses in Israel to allow aid to go in and allow civilians to flee. The White House did announce that Israel would be doing daily four- hour pauses to allow these things to happen, but when President Biden was asked about that earlier this week, he did say he had hoped that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have agreed to those sooner. Omar?

JIMENEZ: We will see. Kevin Liptak, thank you, as always.

I'm joined now by Joel Rubin. He is a former deputy assistant secretary of state for the Obama administration for legislative affairs, he's also a Democratic candidate for Congress in Maryland. So Joel, good to see you.

I want to start a little bit of where Kevin left off. What do you make of the administration's change in language and tone towards Israel, in particular, Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comments saying that too many Palestinians in Gaza -- to many civilians, I should say, are being killed?

JOEL RUBIN, (D) MARYLAND CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS: Yes, Omar, it's great to be with you. And this language is not exactly different from the beginning either. President Biden has consistently called for there to be protection for civilians. And I think what Secretary Blinken pointed out yesterday is that this is at the top of the administration's concerns.

But the administration has been very clear that it supports Israel's right to defend itself. It supports Israel's right to root out Hamas from Gaza. And so I don't think these two ideas are at odds with each other, and we see that in the way the Biden team is talking about it. They're talking about the need for an end state, a process for a two- state solution, the idea that civilians are not to be blamed for Hamas' actions. So all that's coming together. But clearly with the secretary saying it vocally yesterday, the administration is trying to make sure that that message gets out to audiences aboard, to the Arab and Muslim world in particular.

JIMENEZ: Of course, especially as many leaders in the Arab and Islamic world have been meeting over the course of the past 24 hours. And along some of the, of what you were mentioning before, the president has been pushing Israel to expand humanitarian pauses in the war, but they've been reluctant to call for a ceasefire outright. Do you support that policy?

RUBIN: Yes, I do support the policy as it's being executed right now. I think calling for a ceasefire by the United States has the potential to undermine what Israel is engaged in right now, which is truly rooting out Hamas fighters. And that does not mean that Israel should not take care of regarding its targeting, and it does need to take care. I think that's why you see Secretary Blinken talking about civilian casualties.

But look, there are hostages right now, Israeli hostages that are still sitting in tunnels in Gaza that Hamas has not let go despite multiple diplomatic efforts. Israel needs to continue to protect its southern border. There are children hostages, nearly 20 of them sitting underneath Gaza and being used as ransom. So what's the end state for Hamas? Hamas is clearly sending rockets into Tel Aviv, as well, holding the hostages, preventing Palestinians from getting to safer zones. And so that's why a ceasefire right now would be problematic until there's a real definitive military victory against Hamas in particular in the northern part of Gaza.

JIMENEZ: And obviously words are being closely monitored in every public statement that goes out, and so "pause" versus "ceasefire." I think, just from a layman's term standpoint, are pauses not essentially small ceasefires that would have to be agreed on by both sides in a sense? Is there a diplomatic difference in the terms here?

RUBIN: Look, Omar, you're really bringing up the core point here, is that first there was a ceasefire up until October 6th, and then Hamas broke it and invaded southern Israel. And a ceasefire also implies that both sides participate. And Hamas has not been actively pursuing a diplomatic process or a peaceful process with Israel. So these pauses are designed to enable humanitarian assistance to get in, to ensure that the Palestinian civilians are moved out of harm's way.

But once a ceasefire, if that were to be called and enacted, that would create a new, permanent, de facto baseline. It would not be something that could be moved into and out of like these pauses. But Hamas is not hitting the ceasefire button. They are fighting, and they are fighting in manners that, as you saw in the earlier reporting, are putting Palestinian lives at risk. And so a ceasefire right now would be further problematic and would not prevent Hamas from continuing in its murderous ways as it's doing right now.

JIMENEZ: Obviously, the Israeli -- the country of Israel, but obviously the Israeli Defense Forces, have a mission in trying to eradicate Hamas, as they have said many times. But we've also seen protests in places across the world over the civilian casualties and for some of the Palestinians. Do you worry at all that the global and even U.S. support for Israel will erode if the civilian death toll continues to rise, and if there's a perception that Israel isn't doing enough to avoid some of those casualties?

[14:15:10]

RUBIN: Yes, Omar, I'm very worried about that. And what pains me is watching what's happening here in the United States and the antisemitic language that's being used about Israel, the tearing down of posters of kidnapped Israels, the boycotting of Jewish establishments. This sort of language and the political environment here is getting very toxic very quickly. And that does put pressure, of course, on our government. But the pressure globally is one that it does want to see a stop to

the violence. We all do. But if you have a terrorist state living at your southern border that continues to fire rockets, kidnaps your people and keeps them as ransom, at a certain point, one has to say, and including the Arab League, they need to say, this is what we're going to do to stop Hamas from going further and massacring Israeli.

I think it's worth noting that Syria was at this meeting, too. Assad, he killed several hundred thousand of his own people, and then he was welcomed to this meeting. And that's just the height of hypocrisy. So what is the solution to stop Hamas from invading southern Israel and preventing from continuing to have a massacre ideology at its core? That has to be part of this conversation.

JIMENEZ: Of course, and all of this not happening in a vacuum. As you mentioned, that Arab League summit included the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Syria as well. We've got to leave it there, but Joel Rubin, thank you, as always.

RUBIN: Thanks, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Coming up next for us, a looming government shutdown. All eyes are on the new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to keep the government funded, and given the timetable, less than a week away now, it is a crucial test. Details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:53]

JIMENEZ: We are minutes away from an urgent meeting among House Republicans to prevent a government shutdown. It's a major test for the newly minted Speaker Mike Johnson and his ability to lead a largely divided GOP. Congress has until November 17th, that's coming up very soon, to make an agreement on funding and effectively keep the government's lights on.

CNN Capitol Hill reporter Annie Grayer has more. Annie, it feels like just yesterday, late September, we were talking about potentially figuring out a strategy to avoid a government shutdown. So deja vu, but what is the latest you're hearing about the new speaker's strategy this time around?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN REPORTER: Well, Omar, the speaker has been trying to listen to his conference. Trying to build consensus around an idea about how to keep the government open. But Speaker Mike Johnson is running into the same issues that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy ran into, which is the House Republican conference is very divided on this issue on what's the best plan to fund the government.

Now, at 3:00 today, the speaker is finally going to unveil his plan that's been much anticipated, because as you mentioned, we're running out of time here, about which plan he's going to use to fund the government. Now, there's been two prevailing ideas that have been forming leading up to this call about which plan Speaker Mike Johnson is going to support. One is more from the far right of the party, and this would set up multiple deadlines for government funding, which is very complicated and confusing. A lot of people don't know how it would work. And most importantly, it is dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Then there's another plan pushed by more moderate Republicans in the conference that would just be an extension of government funding that's more in line with what the Senate wants.

Now, whichever plan Speaker Mike Johnson decides to go with will show you which part of his party he is leaning towards, that he's listening more to. This is a huge test for the speaker, Omar, his first big one since winning the gavel after three week of infighting. The speaker does not want a government shutdown. He's been telling that to members. But does he have plan that will actually be able to do that.

JIMENEZ: We will see. And we'll see if he runs into any of the same dynamics that then Speaker Kevin McCarthy ran into, though this feels slightly different than that time around. Annie Grayer, we'll stay in touch with you. Thank you so much.

Now, one father thought his daughter was killed by Hamas militants. Then he got news she may be alive and held hostage. His quest to get her back, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:27:35]

JIMENEZ: There are so many heartbreaking stories we heard from the Hamas terror attack. One family's story CNN has followed closely. The father of an eight-year-old girl told CNN he was relieved when he learned his daughter was killed in the October 7th attack on Israel because he believed her being held alive and hostage would be a fate worse than death. But now, Israeli officials have informed him his daughter was most likely taken and kidnapped, but alive, to Gaza. Here's CNN's Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

THOMAS HAND, HAMAS ATTACK SURVIVOR: From the morning of the seventh until now is a nightmare roller coaster tragedy.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The anguish Thomas Hand is about to describe has left him trembling for weeks. It's a journey of death and a hope of resurrection, he says, is impossible to imagine.

HAND: On the day, it was Russian roulette, whether you made it or not.

LAVANDERA (voiceover): On October 7th, Hamas fighters stormed the Kibbutz Be'eri, killing roughly 130 people and ravaging the community of 1,100 residents. That morning, Thomas's eight-year-old daughter Emily was sleeping at a friend's house. Thomas could not reach her as Hamas fighters took over the kibbutz. Days after the attack, the Irish-born father spoke with CNN's Clarissa Ward about the moment he was told his daughter had been killed. CLARRISA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thomas waited two agonizing days before getting the news.

HAND: They just said we found Emily. She's dead. And I went, yes. I went, yes, and smiled, because that is the best news of the possibilities that I knew. She'd be in a dark room filled with Christ knows how many people, and terrified every minute, hour, day, and possibly years to come. So, death was a blessing, an absolute blessing.

LAVANDERA (voiceover): Thomas says leaders of the Be'eri Kibbutz community told him Emily's body was seen in the aftermath. But almost a month after the massacre, Thomas was given news that almost made him collapse. He says the Israeli army told him it's highly probable Emily is alive and a Hamas hostage.

[14:30:06]

How were you told the news that Emily might be alive?

HAND: That was official from the army. With all the information that they have, the intelligence that they have, it's very likely that she has been taken to Gaza.

LAVANDERA (voiceover): Thomas says he has been told Emily's body is not with the remains of victims and that there was no blood found inside the home where she slept the night before. Thomas also says that cell phones belonging to the family Emily was staying with had been trapped inside Gaza.

When you spoke with Clarissa Ward a few weeks ago, you said death would be a blessing in this situation.

HAND: That's how I felt at the time, yes.

LAVANDERA: How do you describe where you are now?

HAND: Extremely worried about her, obviously, what conditions she's being held in. She's more than likely in a -- in a tunnel somewhere under Gaza. Your imagination is -- it's horrible. And it's her birthday on the 17th of this month. She'll be nine. She won't even know what day it is. She won't know what day it is. She won't know it's her birthday. They'll be no birthday cake, no party, no friends. She'll just be petrified in a tunnel under Gaza, that's her birthday.

LAVANDERA (voiceover): Thomas is now flooded with the hope and the despair of what his daughter might be enduring. He prays she can somehow hear these words to her.

HAND: If Emily is watching, just to let her know that we love her, all of us. We're all waiting for her to come back safely.

LAVANDERA (voiceover): The survivors of the Be'eri Kibbutz are temporarily living in a hotel. In the lobby, there's a vigil to all the kidnapped hostages. Now Emily's family says the young girl's photo will be placed next to the others. LAVANDERA: You described as being a hostage as worse than death.

HAND: I believe so. The unknown is awful. The waiting is awful. But that's what we've got to do now, just pray and hope that she comes back in some broken state, but we can fix her. I will fix her somehow.

LAVANDERA: Do you allow yourself now to think about holding Emily again?

HAND: In my head, I can see -- you know, like a beach scene her running to me and me running to her. Just picking her up, never letting her go.

LAVANDERA (voiceover): Ed Lavandera, CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: FBI agents seized devices from New York City Mayor Eric Adams earlier this week in a dramatic escalation of their investigation into campaign fundraising. Officials are looking into whether foreign money was funneled into Adams 2021 campaign for mayor. The seizure came days after agents raided the home of his chief fundraiser. Now Adams's spokesperson says the mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing and is cooperating with the investigation. Now CNN correspondent Polo Sandoval joins me now. Polo, what more can you tell us about this case, especially with this recent escalation?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Omar, even though the mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing, as you correctly point out, this is no doubt an extraordinary development that actually just came to light yesterday, though it actually happened on Monday. According to reporting from our colleague, Gloria Pazmino, Mayor Adams had just wrapped up a speaking engagement here in Manhattan, specifically on the NYU campus on Monday evening, and he was making his way to his SUV. That's when, according to several sources, FBI agents approached the major, asked for his security detail to step out of the way, and then stepped into the mayor's SUV. And that is when they served the mayor with this search warrant requiring Adams to hand over his electronic devices. We understand it was at least two phones and that iPad that he uses to carry out his mayoral duties. A spokesperson for the mayor saying that Adams immediately complied with that order.

The FBI, by the way, declining to comment, though it's important to point out that this seizure happened days after the fundraising chief for Adams's campaign, her home was raided as part of that investigation that you just laid out in the lead, Omar. Sources close to Adams saying that immediately after that seizure happened on Monday, they quickly began to look at their books, to look at all the documents that they had, and even offered to turn over additional electronic devices.

During that review, according to Adams's sources, that there was at least one individual within that campaign that apparently acted improperly, though they've declined to say exactly who that was. And then finally, I want to read you a portion of the statement that was released just after yesterday's news broke, as the mayor writing through this statement that, "As a former member of law enforcement, I expect all members of my staff to follow the law and fully cooperate with any sort of investigation, and I will continue to do exactly that." The mayor, of course, a former lawman here in New York City.

But this certainly says a lot, Omar, about this investigation. Again, though the mayor not directly accused in this so far, it certainly makes him a stakeholder now that he was a recipient of one of these search warrants as this federal investigation continues to move forward, a mayor that insists, Omar, that he has nothing to hide.

JIMENEZ: It's a situation people are going to be watching very closely, not just there in New York. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

[14:40:00]

It has been a week filled with challenges for President Biden. Recent polling revealed deep public dissatisfaction with his job performance, growing frustration over the administration's support of Israel, and now West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin's decision not to run for reelection is fueling rumors of another possible third party run for the White House.

So a lot to talk about. Let's bring in Christopher Regan, former vice chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party here. Christopher, for starters, you've known West Virginia politics and Joe Manchin for years. What do you think is behind this announcement here?

CHRISTOPHER REGAN, FORMER VICE CHAIR, WEST VIRGINIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Well, I mean, I think there's two main reasons that Joe Manchin is turning down this race. And the first one, by far the dominant one, is that he was not going to win it. Very, very poor environment for Democrats right now in West Virginia. And if you remember, about six years ago, or five years ago anyway, he defeated Patrick Morrisey only narrowly, just a few percentage points, 25,000, 30,000 votes. And Jim Justice, whether you like him or not, is five times the politician that Patrick Morrisey is. He is universally known. He's quite popular as governor despite some of his troubles.

And the environment for Democrats in West Virginia has only gotten worse. There's a reason that Joe Manchin is the last remaining Democratic statewide officeholder. And I think he just simply didn't want to end his Senate career with what could have been not just a loss, but the significant loss to Jim Justice.

JIMENEZ: And that, of course, is among the dynamics here, because there is a national set of attention and criticism at times on Joe Manchin, but in West Virginia politics isn't necessarily the same as national politics. You answered my questions on whether you think he would have won, but is this a state where you think in the long term, at least in the near future, the Democratic Party may have some issues?

REGAN: Absolutely. Absolutely. When Joe Manchin became governor back around 2004, 2005, there were 70 out of 100 delegates Democrats in the statehouse. Most of the senators, state senators, were Democrats. And almost all the statewide, in fact every statewide, was a Democrat. And now there are only I think nine or ten delegates left. So it's a 90 to 10 chamber against the Democrats over the 15, 18 years that Manchin has been the standard bearer for the party. So he really is the last man.

And the party has a major rebuilding project in West Virginia. It has to rebrand. It has to reconnect with the working class voters that were an incredibly strong base, voting almost 70-30 for Democrats 20 years ago in state races, whereas now it's a 70 percent Trump state.

JIMENEZ: Connecting with working class voters is an issue many Democrats have faced in places across the country. I think West Virginia is a good example of how stark it can actually be and how stark some of those issues can be.

I want to ask about another dynamic here, because you've known Manchin for years. He's put out a statement about why he does not want to run, including traveling the country and listening to people, but it's also fueled rumors of launching a third-party presidential bid. As someone who's known him for a while, do you think that is actually something he's seriously exploring here?

REGAN: Well, I think the exploration of it may be serious. I think he actually intends to go on the tour. There's been some talk of a Manchin-Romney ticket. But I do not think it's ultimately going to result in a third party run for the presidency from Joe Manchin. His best chance to run for the presidency would have been around the 2008 and 2016 cycles when he was still in a great position to compete as a Democrat.

But in terms of a third-party candidacy, you have to remember that Joe Manchin voted to impeach Donald Trump, and he also voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Just those two votes alone are incredibly alienating, each of them, to large swaths of the electorate. So when you talk about building a third-party run, what is the constituency for that run going to be when you have given Republicans, who make up a big share of the electorate, a reason not to like you because you voted to impeach Trump, and you've given the Democrats, who did not care for Kavanaugh being on the Supreme Court and overruling Roe versus Wade, you've given them a reason really not to like you.

So I think ultimately the result of the tour and polling and the research behind the listening tour is going to be that that is not, not likely to lead to any success.

JIMENEZ: And we will see, of course, the dynamics that play out after with him not being in this West Virginia Senate race, not choosing to run for reelection because, as you mentioned, polls have shown up to this point, West Virginia Governor Justice has polled very strongly, and definitely an opportunity Republicans are looking to pick up.

[14:45:00]

We've got to leave it there. Christopher Regan, thank you so much for being with us.

REGAN: Thank you for having me, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

Still to come, antisemitism on the rise across the United States and around the world. We're going to take a look at how Jewish communities are facing the new threats. Channel:

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: As the Israel-Hamas war rages on, antisemitism is rising sharply in America and around the world. Tomorrow on CNN's "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," our Dana Bash takes an in depth look at the disturbing trend. Here's part of her report where she spoke with the special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:50:00]

AMBASSADOR DEBORAH LIPSTADT, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO MONITOR AND COMBAT ANTISEMITISM: Jew hatred, antisemitism is deeply baked into not just western society, but much of the world. It's very hard to eradicate. The antisemitism has been called the longest or the oldest hatred, with good reason. So this sort of let the lid off for many antisemites for quite a few decades.

It hasn't been taken seriously. People have said, well, it's not as serious as racism. It's not as serious as homophobia, it's not as serious as misogyny, et cetera. Or what you'll often find is amongst university administrators, these Jewish kids, they come from well- heeled families. It's almost falling into the antisemitic trope, Jews are powerful, so why are they complaining? Jews are successful, so why are they complaining? So it's using the antisemitism against them.

When you encounter an act of prejudice, call it out for what it is. When George Floyd was murdered, it would have been so inappropriate to say we condemn the racism that was behind this and the homophobia and the antisemitism. But somehow when it comes to antisemitism, it couldn't be called out on its own. It couldn't stand on its own.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: What does the whataboutism do?

LIPSTADT: It dilutes it, and it to a certain degree, rationalizes and/or justifies.

I want to be exactly clear. Criticism of Israeli policy is not antisemitism. But when you question the right of Jews to a national identity, when you question the existence of a Jewish state, you move beyond the political.

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JIMENEZ: And Dana Bash joins me now. Something that struck me that the ambassador just said there is that this hadn't really gone anywhere, antisemitism. But the events of the last month really hit the lid off. Is that what you found over the course of doing this report?

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It definitely hit the lid off, no question about it. And we actually did a similar report in 2022, Omar, and at the time we were trying to expose to the broader public that antisemitism was very much alive and well. It was growing. It was on the rise already. And just, if you look at the Anti-Defamation League, their statistics in 2021, in 2022, each year was the most incidents since that organization had been tracking.

If you look at that compared to what we're seeing now, I mean, it completely pales in comparison. From October 7th until now, the ADL saw a 400 percent, just shy of 400 percent increase. And this isn't just in sort of statements. These are, this is harassment. This is vandalism. And this is violence. And it is absolutely because the notion of antisemitism -- and a lot of people say that word is too fancy, we shouldn't use it anymore, we should just use the term, "jew hate" -- has been swept under the rug in a lot of ways.

When you see it on the right, it certainly has been noticed and condemned. Much more on the left, it has been kind of a slow burn. And that is where you're seeing it explode, particularly, Omar, on college campuses where the notion of anti-Zionism was perceived as political street, and pretty much nobody sees that anymore, or say that anymore. But people are out on the streets saying that they're against Zionism, what they are saying is that they are against the Jewish people.

JIMENEZ: And one of the things for those at home, I know we have to go here relatively quickly, is that these, these hours sometimes take months and months to put together. But as I understand, in a weird way, did you find that this was easy to put together? Did you feel that even just October 7th, you had what you needed to put together an especially devastating one, even so, as this?

BASH: Such an astute question, Omar. The last time we did this in 2022, we took six months to do it because we wanted to get it just right, and because it wasn't as overt. We did this in six days because the material is just overflowing. The hate is overflowing. And it was unfortunately very easy to find, which is why we felt the need to do it and explain it. Not just the what, but the why and how do we find solutions.

JIMENEZ: Dana Bash, I, for one, am very excited to see it and learn a lot, of course, from your always astute reporting. Thank you so much for being with us.

BASH: Great to see you.

JIMENEZ: Great to see you. An all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," one whole hour, one whole story, airs tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific only on CNN.

[14:55:07]

We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: In honor of Veterans Day, President Biden was at Arlington National Cemetery this morning to lay a wreath in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Here's that moment.

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