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Harris And Walz Kick Off Campaign At Philadelphia Rally; Hamas Names Yahya Sinwar As Head Of Political Bureau; U.S. Arrests Pakistani National For Alleged Plot To Kill Trump; Harris, Walz to Visit Seven Battleground States; Israel's Far Right Reaches Further; U.S. Stocks Bounce Back after Monday's Selloff; Paris Olympics Day 12; Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Vying for Women's Gold Medal; Colombia Scientists Use Lab-Grown Insects to Fight Dengue. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired August 07, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:25]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm John Vause. Coming up here on CNN Newsroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM WALZ, U.S. DEMOCATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know it. You feel it. These guys are creepy and yes, just weird as hell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Harris taps Walz as her running mate, the Minnesota governor who ran who rose to prominence two weeks ago after calling Donald Trump weird.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: No one should escalate this conflict.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: No one should, but it seems they're all planning to. Iran, Hezbollah warned strikes on Israel are coming. Israel considers limited, preemptive attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I want to shy away from calling it what it is, far-right thuggery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It is ongoing across the UK. Hundreds have been arrested, thousands of police deployed, and more violent far-right protests expected in the day ahead. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with
John Vause.
VAUSE: In just two weeks, the two-term governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota has gone from relative obscurity to national prominence, an incredible rise, thanks in part to his description of Donald Trump as weird, a criticism, which seems to have stuck.
On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris officially named Tim Walz as her running mate. And with that, the Harris walls campaign kicked off a five day-tour of seven battleground states, starting in Philadelphia. Walz is a former high school teacher, football coach. He served more than two decades in the Army National Guard.
As governor, he expanded medical and paid family leave. Abortion rights were codified into state law. Last year, he signed a law which provides free breakfast and lunch for all public school students, regardless of family income.
Sources say Harris was won over by his authenticity and appeal to voters who have drifted away from the Democratic Party towards Donald Trump. Our reporting this hour begins with CNN MJ Lee in Philadelphia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORESPONDENT: This was an incredibly raucous and energized political rally, the first formal introduction of the Harris wall ticket. And we saw from this evening how much the Harris campaign is going to be leaning into that contrast between Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, both of them, as he took the stage really talking about the biography of Tim Walz, they were trying to introduce him to so many people around the country that don't have a great sense of who he even is.
His Midwestern group, the fact that he was born in Nebraska, the fact that he was a football coach and a teacher and served in the Army National Guard. These are all factors that the Harris campaign is hoping will make him an appealing person on the Democratic ticket, particularly in the critical blue wall states. Here's a little bit of how the vice president introduced her new running mate in Philadelphia. Take a listen
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: To those who know him best, Tim is more than a governor. To his wife, Gwen, he is a husband. To his kids, Hope and Gus, he is a dad. To his fellow veterans, he is Sergeant Major Walz. To his former high school students, he was Mr. Walz and to his former high school football players, he was coach.
LEE: And of course, one of the biggest reasons that the Harris campaign decided to choose Tim Walz as the Vice President's running mate is because they also think that he is successful at sort of prosecuting the argument against the Trump dance ticket on the other side of the political aisle.
And in fact, in this room, in this arena, some of the biggest applause lines that Tim Walz got tonight was when he specifically went after Donald Trump, including his recent conviction. Take a listen to that.
WLZ: He mocks our laws. He sows chaos and division, and that's to say nothing of his record as president. And make no mistake, violent crime was up under Donald Trump. That's not even counting the crimes he committed.
LEE: And Harris and Walz will be traveling more together, traveling to a number of battleground states, trying to introduce themselves together as that joint ticket, and to that end, as they are trying to capitalize on the momentum the campaign did announce Tuesday evening that they have raised at least $20 million since the moment that Harris announced her new running mate pick. MJ Lee, CNN in Philadelphia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:05:00]
VAUSE: Ross Morales Rocketto is the lead organizer of White Dudes for Harris. He is with us now from Washington. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us.
ROSS MORALES ROCKETTO, LEAD ORGANIZER, WHITE DUDES FOR HARRIS: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: OK. So one of the reasons, apparently, why Harris tapped Governor Walz, a middle aged white guy, as her running mate. I was meant to reassure middle aged white guys like you that it's OK to vote for a woman of color for president, because at the end of the day, a white man will not be too far away from the Oval Office. So apart from being patronizing, racist and sexist, is it relevant?
ROCKETTO: I don't think it is. I think Governor Walz and Vice President Harris had a meeting. They got along super well. I've heard it reported multiple times that she found his authenticity to be delightful. He brings a lot of joy to the ticket. He's, you know, he's a happy warrior, and he also brings an energy to the ticket that I think few other people would be able to provide. He's just like Vice President Harris in this election. He's a real breath of fresh air.
VAUSE: Well, I want you to listen to Governor Walz. You've already heard this, because this is actually governor Walz talking on a fundraising call with your group. He's talking about, you know, defeating Donald Trump. Here he is.
WALZ: How often 100 days do you get to do something that's going to impact generations to come? And how often in the world do you make that bastard wake up afterwards and know that a black woman kicked his ass and sent him on the road? And you know that's something that guy's going to have to live with for the rest of his life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: This is really shaping up to be unforgettable 90 something days. You touched on this. He does have a good Zinger. He does have a good sense of humor. But apart from that, what does he bring to this campaign?
ROCKETTO: I mean, that got me just as fired up the night, it got me fired up just as much right now as it did the night of. You know, he brings something really special to this ticket. He talks like real people talk. He won in a congressional district that was heavily Republican. He knows how to have conversations with real people, and he's also not afraid of the fact that he has progressive values.
He comes out of the Paul Wellstone School from Minnesota politics, and he's honestly, he is one of the more special candidates I've seen in a really long time. We're really, really excited about him.
VAUSE: Well, your group, in just a matter of days, White Dudes for Harris has made quite a buck on its own, raising millions of dollars for the Harris campaign. Enough of an impact, it seems to have your Twitter account shut down, not once, but twice. Here's one of your tweets. I'm over here getting white supremacist memes in my feed, and when I report them, I'm told they didn't violate policy. But The Dudes for Harris account gets throttled because maybe they're afraid.
So, is there any other explanation for shutting down the account other than fact that Elon Musk is supporting Donald Trump, who, by the way, he plans to interview on Monday on Twitter. So is there any other explanation, apart from Elon is in the tank for Donald?
ROCKETTO: You know, I can't get into Elon Musk's brain, nor would I -- nor do I particularly want to. I would say it's quite suspicious when, you know, myself and some of the other organizers the call are have white supremacists in our feeds. They get reported all the sudden our Twitter account gets throttled for no reason.
You know, our Twitter account is good, wholesome fun. Sure, it's political, but it really does feel an awful like censoring political speech on behalf of Elon Musk.
VAUSE: Just very quickly White Dudes for Harris was born, what, fellow two weeks ago, and yet it has now become quite the movement. So, what do you attribute that to? And where do you go from this point?
ROCKETTO: I think there's a real hunger among non-MAGA white men out there. They, you know, for a very long time, the Democratic Party has been seating these folks and not really talking to them at all, and most of them don't really like Donald Trump.
And so part of the purpose of this call is to create a space for them to feel like they're welcome in the Democratic Party, in our big tent. And I think the fact that we had 200,000 people on the live stream the night of and over 150,000 people watch it afterwards, shows that there's just a real desire out there among white dudes to have some sort of alternative to Donald Trump.
And I think what makes this even more powerful is the fact that they're organizing and giving money and volunteering on behalf of Vice President Harris, who will be the first black woman, the first South Asian woman, the first woman president.
VAUSE: Ross Morales Rocketto, great to have you with us. Thank you, sir.
ROCKETTO: Thanks for having me.
[01:10:00]
VAUSE: Less than a week after the political leader of Hamas was killed in a suspected Israeli assassination, the Gaza based militant group has announced his replacement. Yahweh Sinwar considered the main architect of the October 7 attack on Israel. Sinwar has spent months hiding in a vast network of tunnels deep beneath Gaza, but is believed to have been regularly consulted about ceasefire and hostage talks.
The main negotiator at those talks Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a bomb hidden in his room in a government guesthouse while visiting Tehran last week. To Northern Israel now, where cross border attacks with Hezbollah intensified Tuesday, according to Israeli officials, a swarm of Hezbollah drones injured a number of people. The Hezbollah rocket sparked several fires.
The Israeli military says it targeted a building in southern Lebanon used by the Iran backed group, killing five people.
For days, Israel has been bracing for retaliation from both Hezbollah and Iran after two high profile targeted killings by Israel last week. On Tuesday, Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General Hezbollah said retaliation is coming, but he refused to give any indication of when.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN NASRALLAH, LEADER OF HEZBOLLAH (through translator): The week long wait for Israel is part of the punishment, part of the response, part of the battle, because the battle is a psychological and moral one that requires nerves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The sonic booms were heard over Beirut Tuesday, ahead of the speech by Hassan Nasrallah. Israeli jets flying low over the Lebanese capital broke the sound barrier three times, reportedly in 30 minutes, sending many running for cover.
Foreign Ministers from several Islamic countries are set to meet Saudi Arabia later, choose later today, rather to try and ease tensions across the region. Harel Chorev, a senior researcher with the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, Tel Aviv University. Thank you for staying up and being with us.
HAREL CHOREV. SENIOR RESEARCHER, TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY: Hi, John.
VAUSE: OK, so here's the U.S. Secretary of State on the new leader of Hamar, Yahya Sinwar, who replaces Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated just last week. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLINKEN: He has been and remains the primary decider when it comes to concluding a ceasefire. And so I think this only underscores the fact that it is really on him to decide whether to move forward with a ceasefire that manifestly will help so many Palestinians in desperate need.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Hamas has ever shown any real concern for the people of Gaza. So put that to one side. What's it for Sinwar to agree to a ceasefire now?
CHOREV: Well, you see, at the end of the day in Israel, the people who recommend about assassination of someone like Haniyeh would be the security establishment. Now they are the same people who deal with the hostages deal.
So if it would contradict each other, they wouldn't do that. And the reason is so here is because Haniyeh was counterproductive more than he was useful for the hostage deal, absurdly, probably, it seems that Sinwar was probably some -- is probably someone who is easier to do business with, as it seemed now, as odd as it sound, but it has some advantages that indeed, as Secretary Blinken mentioned, he's the one who will concentrate the whole thing.
VAUSE: Right now Israel is facing not just a possible strike by Iran in retaliation for Haniyeh's death, but also by the Iran-backed military Hezbollah, which are based in Lebanon. I want you to listen a little more now from the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, whose deputy was also killed last week in an Israeli air strike. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NASRALLAH (through translator): After the assassination of the martyr leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran finds itself obliged to respond, and the enemy is waiting in a great state of dread and confusion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: This almost seems uncharted territory here for Israel. If there is a coordinated strike on Israel, Iran and Hezbollah together will be firing not just short range missiles, but you know, which could easily be shut down by the Iron Dome, but also drones and ballistic missiles, which Iron Dome is not designed to deal with.
So have Israeli air defenses, just from a military point of view, ever faced a potential threat like this?
CHOREV: Well, yes, it worked very well last time, of course, with the assistance of the allies, with the, of course, the Americans and the British and other Arab Air Force in the area, it worked perfectly well. But not only that, but also the three layers systems of Israel, including the arrow system and, of course, the David slingshot, not just Iron Dome and not to mention other experimental devices that were probably used at that time.
So, you can see the reflection on the Israeli. There not hysterical these days. They are OK. They trust their security establishment and they trust their allies.
[01:15:03]
So in that sense, I think it's not worrying the typical Israelis. It's more about how this thing can deteriorate, of course.
VAUSE: Just sort of in comparison to what happened last time when Iran did fire more than 100 ballistic missiles, you know, at Israel, that was just Iran by itself. This time, it could be Hezbollah joining in. And also, last time, it seems the Iranians really telegraphed their punches, giving Israel a lot and the Allies time to prepare. Seems a lot different this time.
CHOREV: You're absolutely right, John, that it is challenging. And I must say something that I think most of the viewers are not aware of. It's not about they don't want to retaliate about the killing of Haniyeh and Shuker (ph), who, by the way, killed 241 U.S. Marines in 1983, it's not about this. It's a much more strategic goal, which is to stop the war in Gaza without a hostages deal, and by that, of course, stopping Israel from destroying Hamas. And the next stop, which is, of course, Hezbollah.
So the whole thing is very challenging, but I think -- and we heard that between the lines today at the Nasrallah's speech, that they are seriously concerned because of two things. One, it seems that the allies are, you know, will defend Israel again, and it would be efficient. And the second thing is that Israel made it clear that this time, the retaliation of Israel won't be just one missile that will hit its target, as it did last time, but a much stronger message.
VAUSE: Harel Chorev, you so much for being with us. So really appreciate your insights as well as your time. Thank you.
CHOREV: Thank you, John, thank you for having me.
VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN, Britain braces for another day of far-right protests as the new prime minister struggles to control more than a week of angry clashes. Also, troubling testimony from Boeing employees of a door plug blow out on a 737 Max plane. More on the investigation in a moment.
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VAUSE: Britain newly elected prime minister is promising tough, decisive action, 10 days of violent protests, which looks set to continue in the hours ahead, with reports immigration centers and law firms will be targeted by far right extremists.
The protests began after the stabbing murder of three young girls last week in the coastal town of seaport in England. The teenager accused of the murders was wrongly identified by far right groups as an Islamic migrant. Many Muslims in the U.K. say they are being demonized and are now in fear for their safety.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I feel threatened, scared to come out of my house because Muslim people, we're not terrorists. That's how I feel like I feel like we're being threatened. It's not safe.
[01:20:05]
What we do as Muslims, we just pray five times a day. You know, we're not terrorists. That's against our religion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: We have the very latest developers now from CNN's Nada Bashir.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here in Rotherham in northern England, there is still a feeling of unease following Sunday's unrest, which saw violent, racist far-right rises targeting this hotel behind me, a hotel which was reportedly housing asylum seekers.
We were speaking to members of the community on Tuesday, many of whom told us that they were feeling afraid. Some told us they were too afraid to leave their homes on Sunday. Others say they are fearful for further riots that could take place here in Rotherham.
And of course, there have been warnings of further riots planned across the United Kingdom, and we have seen those riots taking place in various cities across the country.
On Monday, Plymouth was targeted by yet more violent riots. And of course, in Belfast, we have seen serious unrest, petrol bombs, bricks being thrown towards police officers, family homes being vandalized and targeted. One man in his 50s was also attacked by rioters.
Police say that rioters had stamped on his head and have described him as being in a serious condition, and there is a huge amount of concern, but also a huge amount of pressure on the British government to take tougher action against these rioters. Take a listen to this message from the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
STARMER: We've seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric. So no, I won't shy away from calling it what it is, far-right thuggery.
BASHIR: The Prime Minister himself has vowed to use the full force of the law against rioters. At least 370 people involved in these riots have been arrested so far. The Crown Prosecution Service has said that it has already charged around 100 people.
But again, there are huge concerns around the potential for more riots to take place across the country. The government has said it is stepping up police presence across the country and preparing additional security measures as a precaution. Nada Bashir, CNN in Rotherham, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Pakistani man with ties to Iran has been charged with his alleged role in an assassination plot targeting former U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as other current and former U.S. officials. 46- year old Asif Merchant is accused of traveling to New York and working with a hitman. The assassinations were allegedly planned for later this month or early next month.
A law enforcement official says there's no evidence the plot is linked to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania last month.
The tough questions are expected to keep coming for Boeing in the hours ahead, with federal Transport Officials holding a second day of hearings, a remit, air door, plug blow out on a 737 MAX. On Tuesday, Boeing employees painted a grim picture of chaos and dysfunction at the aerospace company. CNN's Leigh Waldman has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's day one of two of the public hearings held by the NTSB, testimony revealed that workers on the Boeing 737 told investigators they felt pressure to do their work too fast to avoid mistakes. This is just the latest part of the investigation in what was almost a tragic incident 16,000 feet in the air.
WALDMAN (voice-over): A long awaited investigative hearing into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, began with a stark promise from National Transportation Safety Board Chair, Jennifer Homendy.
JENNIFER HOMENDY, NTSB CHAIR: We will not leave until all questions are asked.
WALDMAN (voice-over): Seven months ago, panic in the skies after the Boeing. 737 9 MAX's door plug shot off, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the aircraft.
HOMENDY: This was quite traumatic for the crew and the passengers, and injuries we can't see, which we often don't talk about, can have profound, lasting impacts on lives and livelihoods.
WALDMAN (voice-over): A preliminary investigation by the NTSB found the plane left a Boeing factory in October missing four bolts needed to secure the door. In late June, Boeing said a lack of paperwork was to blame.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're cutting corners. You are eliminating safety procedures. You are sticking it to your employees.
WALDMAN (voice-over): That same month, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun faced harsh criticism from elected leaders and families of victims who died in Boeing 737 MAX eight plane crashes during a heated subcommittee hearing.
DAVE CALHOUN, CEO, BOEING: I apologize for the grief that we have caused.
WALDMAN (voice-over): This week's hearing brings renewed scrutiny to the embattled aerospace company. Homendy accused them of using Tuesday's testimony for self-promotion.
[01:25:03]
HOMENDY: This isn't a PR campaign for Boeing. This is an investigation on what happened on January 5.
WALDMAN: We know there is a shakeup in leadership happening at Boeing, with the current CEO, Dave Calhoun, stepping down Wednesday at the conclusion of this hearing, it was previously announced that he would be leaving at the end of the year. Kelly Ortberg, the former CEO of an aerospace supplier company, will be taking the top job over at Boeing. In New York, I'm Leigh Waldman reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: In a moment, Kamala Harris picks a running mate. It's Walz for the win as Democratic ticket charts a course for the White House. Reaction from Donald Trump is just moments away.
Also had, a senior member of Israel's coalition government uses publicly over allowing millions of Palestinians in Gaza to starve to death, meaning it might just be morally justified.
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VAUSE: Welcome back everyone. I'm John Vause, and you're watching CNN Newsroom. Democratic presidential nominee Carmel Harris will take her campaign to Wisconsin today, ahead to be joined by her just announced running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The campaign says it raised more than $20 million since Harris called Walz on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALZ: Hi. This is Tim.
HARRIS: It's Kamala Harris. Good morning, Governor.
WALZ: Good morning, Madam Vice President.
HARRIS: Listen, I want you to do this with me. Let's do this together. Would you be my running mate, and let's get this thing on the road?
WALZ: I would be honored, Madam Vice President, the joy that you're bringing back to the country, the enthusiasm that's out there. It would be a privilege to take this with you across the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: In addition to two terms as governor, Walz was a congressman for 12 years. The former school teacher and National Guardsman joined Harris at a Tuesday in Pennsylvania. They now plan to visit Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, all in just the next five days.
Now, Donald Trump, in a fundraising email, claims Tim Walz would be the worst vice president in history. He'd be unleashing hell on earth. More now on the Republican attacks, CNN's Kristen Holmes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump's team wasted no time trying to define Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. They are looking at his progressive record as governor and really trying to double down on it to say that he is a radical liberal.
Remember, that has been a main talking point about Vice President Kamala Harris, that she has far left of President Joe Biden. And take a listen to this ad that they released just after Tim Walz announced.
[01:29:38]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tim Walz will be a rubber stamp for Kamala's dangerously liberal agenda. Like allowing convicted felons to walk free, embracing anti-American green new deal policies, and giving up control of our southern border to criminal aliens and violent drug cartels.
HOLMES: So clearly they are doubling down on this narrative. We saw Donald Trump himself posting that the two of them were the most radical duo in American history. You're going to continue hearing that narrative.
But one thing that cannot be denied is what we saw in Philadelphia, which was a lot of energy, a lot of crowd cheering, a big crowd for the two of them, Harris and Walz as they took the stage.
That is going to be something that Donald Trump has to contend with. Remember, they had been planning on a race against President Joe Biden. And even though they said they were prepared for anything to happen, obviously, this has changed the dynamics moving forward.
They are looking at new talking points, new rhetoric as they move forward and head towards November.
Kristen Holmes, CNN -- Philadelphia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Earlier I asked Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, just how effective are these attacks by Trump?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS - UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: I don't think it's working for Trump because we're all too used to it. I mean, it's been quite literally nine years of this from the time he first announced. It's its novel in the beginning but after you go through ten tweets a
day for 8.5 to 9 years, everybody can predict what he's going to write in those tweets.
Now, the word "weird" was very smart of Walz to employ because I think that word more than anything else is what caught Kamala Harris' attention.
For one thing, Democrats think it really fits both Trump and Vance. They are strange in many ways. Vance in particular, I think even more than Trump.
So this, this helped a guy that nobody would've picked to be on the ticket a few months ago to come out of nowhere and become part of history.
VAUSE: And the Harris campaign also turning some of Trump's greatest hits onto him in a tweet comparing campaign schedules for the week ahead and describing Trump. If you look at that -- low energy.
On the one hand, it seems kind of schoolyard name-calling. But this seems to be something which could be very, very effective for Harris.
SABATO: Well, remember, the main line against Joe Biden was how old he was. Well, it turns out, now that Biden is essentially on his way to retirement, it's Donald Trump who would be the oldest president in American history.
He would be older at this point in the term, were Trump elected this year than Biden was this year. So our oldest president turns out to be potentially Donald Trump.
And you know he has a lot of word challenge and he mixes up names and dates and places and it's easy to see why some might question his cognition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A senior minister within Israel's coalition government has said publicly, it may be morally justified to allow the population of Gaza, more than two million people to stop to death.
Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich speaking at a conference Monday, also equated the civilian population with militant fighters, saying Israel quote, "cannot fight Hamas with one hand and give them aid with another".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied repeated allegations that starvation is being used as a weapon of war. But Israel is facing a lot of criticism from aid groups for restricting humanitarian access to Gaza.
Live now to Tel Aviv and Gideon Levy, a columnist for the "Haaretz" newspaper and former advisor to the late Israeli president and prime minister, the great Shimon Perez.
Gideon, thanks for being with us.
GIDEON LEVY, COLUMNIST, HAARETZ: Thank you for having me.
VAUSE: So on Monday, the finance minister, the well-known anti-Israeli bigot (ph) Bezalel Smotrich told a conference this, "We bring in aid to Gaza because there is no choice. No one would let us cause 2 million civilians to die of hunger even though it might be justified and moral until our hostages are returned."
So to sort of understand how anyone can think that way, here's an earlier statement from Smotrich on Twitter. "Our war is against human monsters who are capable of murdering old men and women who are just walking down the street. A war of absolute evil and cruelty against absolute good. And the good must win and destroy the bad."
[01:34:42]
VAUSE: So when someone thinks in terms of themselves as being the absolute good and the others as being the absolute evil, does that sort of explain where we get to this point where he thinks, you know, starving 2 million innocent men, women, and children to death, could ever be considered morally right?
LEVY: Absolutely. And it sounds very familiar from recent history those kind of expressions.
I think the problem is not what Smotrich says. The problem is the legitimacy that expressions like this get in Israel today between indifference and even agreement.
Smotrich is not alone. Smotrich in any other democracy would have been labeled as a neo-Nazi, not less than this in Europe for sure. People like him couldn't be in any government. I mean, they would be boycotted from the political games.
And in Israel, you can make a career, be accepted, be legitimate and that's the main problem. How within the last few years, Israel went into very, very dark places with not only support on the part of the Israelis but legitimacy of both of them.
VAUSE: You say he is not alone and that is true. There's his colleague for one. His fellow bigot, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who's boasted about deliberately making prison conditions worse for Palestinians.
This is a coalition government which considered forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza to somewhere in Africa, like the Nazis considered for the Jews in Europe.
And the far-right elements have been the ones pushing for no ceasefire in Gaza which seems to explain why "Foreign Policy Magazine" describes this current government as Netanyahu's coalition from hell.
Could it get much worse?
LEVY: Yes. It can get much worse when it will turn from talking to actions. And one should ask himself until when will the United States support such a government and continue to talk about the joint values between Israel and the United States and continue to talk about Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East. I mean, how can you?
By the end of the day, Israel for many reasons, we don't have the time to analyze it now, turn more and more to the right in the last year, more and more toward the pull of nationalism and racism. And there's no one to stop it.
And that's the main problem. There is no alternative. Theres no real opposition. There is no resistance. And I'm much more worried by lack of resistance, than by those phenomena because you know, racists you have every way the question is, how does the society treat them?
And Israel, treat them with giving them legitimacy?
VAUSE: You talked about the words are of concern, the actions are far more concerning and on that front, we've seen the expansion of West Bank settlements. We see the anti-Arab hate speech, the attacks on human rights groups and lawyers.
And all this does not go unnoticed. And since the start of the war in Gaza, a war which should have seen Israel have unprecedented international support, support around the world has actually dropped significantly for Israel.
And keep in mind the far-right coalition parties have been pushing for even tougher military action in Gaza.
So the findings which came out earlier this year. "Net favorability the percentage of people viewing Israel positively after subtracting the percentage viewing it negatively around the world dropped globally by an average of 18.5 percentage points between September and December, decreasing in 42 out of 43 countries which were polled."
You know, the only western wealthy country where Israel is still viewed favorably is the United States. So ok, that in itself is not great. But what's the long-term impact of Israel losing such support around the world?
LEVY: Well, first of all, Israel loses support quite an adjusted, by the way, not because of Smotrich. Israel lose support because of its actions, because of its policies.
One video from Gaza tells the whole story. I mean, the reports from Gaza cannot leave Israel as a legitimate country. When you see what Israel is doing there.
One report about (INAUDIBLE) about this concentration camp in the south of Israel (INAUDIBLE) became a daily policy cannot leave Israel with the same reputation.
And maybe it's a good wakeup call for the world. It's not the democracy that you thought it is. It was never the democracy that you thought it is because of the occupation. The occupation defines Israel, not the liberal phase for foreigners and the gay rights and things like this. By the end of the day, Israel is defined by its backyard and its backyard is very, very dark and their reputation is. According to the policy, I don't see how can anyone support a country which is responsible for killing of 40,000 people in ten months in Gaza, most of them innocent civilians, most of them women and children.
[01:39:56]
LEVY: How -- how can such a country have reputation for God's sake?
VAUSE: They are good questions to ask.
Gideon Levy in Tel Aviv, thank you, sir. Pleasure having you with us. Thank you.
LEVY: Thank you.
VAUSE: Global markets tumbled Monday, rebounded Tuesday. Could there be more volatility ahead? We'll have details after the break.
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VAUSE: Global markets appeared to continue to rebound after a meltdown Monday. At this hour, Asia markets are continuing Tuesday's rally. Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea all there in positive territory. Wall Street also bounced back Tuesday after widespread losses a day earlier.
Monday's selloff was triggered by a combination of investor fears over a slowing U.S. economy, rising interest rates in Japan and falling tech stocks.
And CNN's Julia Chatterley has more now on the markets' wild ride.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR, FIRST MOVE: I think you'd be forgiven for feeling a sense of whiplash after seeing green on the screen in Tuesday's U.S. session versus the dramatic losses that we saw in Monday's session.
It's not unusual to see a big bounce after a big fall like this. The problem is it doesn't really give us an indication of where stocks are headed next.
The warning sign perhaps in what we saw in Tuesday's session was despite having recouped more than half the gains for most of the session, we lost ground into the close. So that selling pressure came back.
So got to be a little bit cautious now about how we reopen in Wednesday's trading session that leaves us watching all the same things.
Part of what helped in Tuesday's session was the big bounce-back that we saw in Asia on Tuesday, and that was in part really to do with Japan. But when you seeing at 12 percent collapse one day and a 10 percent rise the next day, you can't describe these as healthy markets.
That needs watching because there'll be blow back to the global markets, if again, we see similar volatility back in Japan, certainly.
Tech stocks today also helped to some degree. I spoke to a big investor who said, look he's hearing more people wanting to buy stocks versus sell. Tentatively a good sign, but again, keep an eye on tech stocks. And I'm talking all over the world.
The wildcard then once again and remains a palpable fear, to what degree were seeing the U.S. economy slow and the only way we answer that question really is by the data. And that's going to take some time to come through.
Right now, the market's pricing a whole host of quarter-point cuts this year for the Federal Reserve. The question is, do we get them? And if we do, we get relief. But it's just going to take some time.
For now relief because we've got green on the screen. But watch Wednesday's market open once again. We're not out of the woods yet.
Julia Chatterley, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:44:51]
VAUSE: Less than an hour now until another day of Olympic events in Paris, day 12 will feature two new events, a mixed walking relay and mixed two-person sailing.
To the medal tally. And the U.S. has pulled ahead of China currently sitting with 24 gold medals. Overall though Team U.S.A. has won 86 medals, nearly 30 more than China, as you can see in second place. Australia there, number 3, how about that?
One of Team U.S.A.'s gold medals was won by sprinter Gabby Thomas in the women's 200-meter race Tuesday.
CNN's Coy Wire has details on her win along with other highlights from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: With gymnastics and swimming complete, athletics have taken center stage here in Paris.
Let's start with one of the most highly-anticipated races of the day. The women's 200-meters, Team U.S.A.'s Gabby Thomas wins her first-ever Olympic gold, a time of 21.83 seconds. She does it all. A degree from Harvard in neurobiology, a master's degree in public health from the University of Texas, volunteers at a health clinic. And now she has three career Olympic medals to her name. She beat out St. Lucia's 100-meter (INAUDIBLE) Julien Alfred and
U.S.A.'s Brittany Brown who medaled in a four-way photo finish for bronze.
Huge upset in the men's 1,500 meters. American Cole Hocker winning gold in the men's 1,500 setting a new Olympic record, 3 minutes, 27.6 seconds.
This race was supposed to be about the rivalry between Norway's Jakop Ingebrigtsen and Great Britain's Josh Kerr. Kurt takes the silver. Team U.S.A.'s Yared Nuguse takes the Bronze. But it's Coal Hocker for the shocker in the gold medal.
All right. For the first time since 2012, the U.S. women's national team is in the gold medal match in soccer. Thanks to Sophia Smith's 95th minute goal and a clean sheet from keeper Alyssa Naeher the U.S. eked past Germany on fire under new head coach Emma Hayes.
They will play Brazil, who shocked reigning World Cup champs Spain. Five minutes into the game, Spain's keeper kicked the ball off her own teammate into her own goal. Gabi Portillo added a goal in the first half, stoppage time, started twerking. 4-2 is the final and Brazil have twerked their way into the final with the U.S.
They'll get their star Marta back, who missed two games after a red card that Saturday at 11 Eastern.
Finally, what a day at women's skateboarding park competition. 22 women from around the world shredding the pavement and it was 14-year- old Australian Arisa Trew taking the gold.
She not only became the first woman to land a 720 -- two full rotations. She became her nation's youngest Olympic gold medalist. Japan's Cocona Hiraki and Team GB's Sky Brown repeat as the silver and bronze medalists. The IOC said they wanted new events like skateboarding to attract younger viewers. Clearly, they've attracted younger Olympians as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: He's having too much fun there in Paris.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has advanced to the gold medal bout in the women's welterweight division.
Many were there to cheer Khelif ahead of Tuesday's fight. She's been under intense scrutiny because of misconceptions about her gender.
CNN's Melissa Bell explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was the match that saw Imane Khelif get through to the women's welterweight boxing final. The controversy surrounding the Algerian boxer appears to have done nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowds who turned out once again to cheer her on.
On the contrary, as the row over her gender has grown, so too apparently has her support as it has for Lin Yu-ting, the Taiwanese boxer, who was also banned from the world championships by the International Boxing Association.
Banned by the IOC after years of governance problems, the International Boxing Association weighed in on Monday with a chaotic and rambling presser. Its Russian president continuing to make insensitive and misleading comments about the two women.
UMAR KREMLEV, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL BOXING ASSOCIATION (through translator): We have tests where the genetic tests showed they are male. We didn't check what's between their legs, that's for medical experts.
If anyone doubts it, whether or not they were born that way, that's what medical experts are for.
BELL: Under the IOC's rules and according to the athletes' passports, both are women.
After a presser that were short on facts, but long on rants against the IOC and the Games themselves, the response from the International Olympic Committee was swift.
MARK ADAMS, SPOKESPERSON, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPICS COMMITTEE: It clearly demonstrates that the sport of boxing needs a new federation to run boxing. If you ever needed any evidence at all that the IBA is unfit to run boxing --
BELL: Khelif and Lin will now advance to the next round, despite the eligibility test the IBA subjected them to in 2023.
MINKY WORDEN, DIRECTOR GLOBAL INITIATIVES, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: It's based on how a female athlete looks, and that's a completely unscientific, degrading, undignified approach for the Olympics.
[01:49:51]
WORDEN: These Olympics should be about hope and about cheering athletes, not about tearing them down.
BELL: And whilst calling out her detractors and calling for an end to the bullying Khelif is more determined than ever to win.
IMANE KHELIF, ALGERIAN BOXER (through translator): God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal. And that would be the best response.
BELL: A sentiment shared by those who came here to cheer her on Tuesday in Paris, that's likely to be shared by Lin when she competes on Wednesday in the featherweight semifinals.
Melissa Bell, CNN -- Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Modified mosis (ph) fighting dengue fever. When we come back, how a mosquito-breeding factory in Colombia has proved crucial to stopping the spread of the deadly virus.
Also, "It Ends With Us" a new movie about new love, abuse, and a second chance with a first-love. We'll explain in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Tropical storm Debby has moved off the U.S. East Coast for now. Its center near the Georgia, South Carolina border.
Storm expected to get stronger before making another landfall later this week as it continues to dump torrential rains on the region.
Fire officials in South Carolina report a local dam is holding after concerns it had potential to fall (ph). The state has received more than a foot or 30 centimeters of rain in multiple areas since Debby passed through on Tuesday.
The National Weather Service says some areas could see more than two feet or 60 centimeters of rain.
Scientists in Colombia are using biological, biologically-modified mosquitoes to combat dengue fever. The key to all of this are bacteria injections which boosts the immune system of mosquitoes, helping to prevent the spread of the virus.
CNN's Gustavo Valdes has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These Colombian scientists are at the forefront of the battle to stop the spread of dengue fever.
This lab in Medellin, they're breeding mosquitoes, but not the ones whose bite spread the virus to humans. These are being modified with a special kind of bacteria that boost their immune system, reducing the chances that the flying bugs will contract the dengue virus and pass it on to humans.
Holding a plastic basket with stripes of mosquito eggs, lab assistants begin the process of replacing this particular mosquitoes with those carrying the Wolbachia bacteria.
BEATRIZ GIRALDO, BIOLOGIST: Wolbachia generates a barrier in these mosquitoes that prevents the transmission of the dengue virus.
GALVES: Workers from the World Mosquito Program have released genetically-modified mosquitoes into the wild, which are also resistant to insecticides.
Crucially, they are heartier than those that carry the dengue fever. Health authorities report a 95 percent declining dengue cases in the region of Antioquia (ph), where the modified mosquitoes were released at a time when the virus is surging in Central and South America.
The Pan American Health Organization says dengue has resulted in 4,500 deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean this year. The mosquito modification program was a bit of a hard sell partially because of misinformation.
NELSON GRISALES, BIOLOGIST, WORLD MOSQUITO PROGRAM (through translator): Despite the amount of misinformation that comes our way, we have all the tools and evidence to prove and disprove any of those things.
[01:54:46]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many people did not like the first impact of releasing the mosquitoes. But as the follow up is being done and the proper explanation is being given, they accepted it.
PATRICIA CHICA, COMMUNITY LEADER (through translator): They explained to us how good it was. they told us that if we could let them place a trap here, that it was good for us, good for the community.
VALDES: Bill Gates supported the project which has delivered promising outcomes.
Now, this is a private project from local Colombian authorities, but scientists hope the effort will expand.
Gustavo Valdes, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A popular romantic novel is heading to the big screen this weekend. Colleen Hoover's book, "It Ends With Us", about a woman named Lily who survives a traumatic childhood, only to end up later in an abusive relationship.
Actress Blake Lively plays Lily. She was at the movie's premiere in New York Tuesday night with her real-life husband, actor Ryan Reynolds.
Also on the red carpet was Lively's co-star, Brandon Sklenar, who plays Lively's first love. He comes back right into her life just when she needs it the most.
He ends up in the hot seat with Reynolds during a press event though. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN REYNOLDS, ACTOR: The husband gets to interview his wife's love interest in a film. That's kind of crazy, isn't it?
BRANDON SKLENAR, ACTOR: I don't remember seeing this on the sketch.
REYNOLDS: I did. Shall we?
So I saw you posing in a photo with Mrs. Reynolds. And I'm sorry -- what do you call her? Do you guys have a nickname or something.
SKLENAR: No.
REYNOLDS: Ok. No. Just so this is ok.
Anyway, I saw this photo that was very suggestive. So I'm going to -- I get it.
I'm going to get right to it. How do you explain that? Is that genetics? It's some sort of like low angle, squat routine to pop that region in that way. I mean, what's going on here, man? Are you smuggling pumpkins? Got a couple of small pumpkins there.
Jesus Christ, my heart is beating like crazy right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: "It Ends With Us" in theaters on Friday.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. My friend and colleague, Rosemary Church is in the seat after a very short break.
I'll see you right back here tomorrow.
[01:56:58]
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