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Harris-Walz Tandem Begins Campaign in Seven Battleground States; Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Austria Canceled by a Supposed Terror Attack; Thousands Gathered in the U.K. for a Counter Protest Against Racism; Republicans Attacking Tim Walz' Record of his Relations and Trips to China; Team USA's Quincy Hall Wins Men's 400m Gold in Paris; Starliner Astronauts Still Stranded, May Return to Earth Next Year. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 08, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello, welcome to our viewers in the US and around the world. I'm Max Foster live in London. Ahead on "CNN Newsroom."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We were doing so much better when Donald J. Trump was president of the United States.

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS (D), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to beat him in November. We're going to beat him in November.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Kamala Harris and her choice for V.P. rallying crowds in battleground states whilst team Trump tries to slow a democratic momentum by trolling J.D. Vance.

Taylor Swift's Eras tour concerts canceled in Vienna details on the foiled terror plot and what Austrian officials say about the suspects.

And thousands march in anti-racism protests across the U.K. in a clear message against recent far-right anti-immigrant violence.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from London, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Max Foster.

FOSTER: We begin with the U.S. presidential race where the road to the White House runs through seven key battleground states. And Democrat Kamala Harris is campaigning in five of them this week, whilst Donald Trump remains at home in Florida with an event scheduled for Friday in Republican stronghold Montana. Some of his supporters turned out to heckle Harris in Michigan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: He intends to end the Affordable Care Act. You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I'm speaking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Harris introducing voters to her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. She's hoping his Midwestern roots will add to the campaign's momentum and win over undecided voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: These ideas that they're putting out there, they are weird as hell. No one's asking for it.

HARRIS: And look, as we move our nation forward, Donald Trump intends to take our nation backward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, Harris and Walz will campaign in Phoenix, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada in the next few days.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more on the presidential race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: We cannot go back. Ours has to be a fight for the future and a fight for freedom.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over0: The new Democratic ticket on the road as Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz barnstorm battleground states 90 days before the November election.

WALZ: I couldn't be prouder to be on this ticket to help make Kamala Harris the next president of the United States.

ZELENY (voice-over): One day after making a Philadelphia debut, Harris and Walz visiting Wisconsin and Michigan as a bitter battle with the Republican rivals take shape.

VANCE: What Kamala Harris is telling all of us by selecting Tim Walz is that she bends the knee to the far-left of the Democrat Party.

ZELENY (voice-over): Senator J.D. Vance taking the lead in the furious scramble to define Walz, attacking his record as governor and his service in the Army National Guard.

VANCE: He has not spent a day in a combat zone. What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you're not.

ZELENY (voice-over): Vance accused his rival of ducking his service to Iraq when Walz left the National Guard and ran for Congress in 2005. But Walz actually retired two months before his unit received alert orders for deployment.

WALZ: At 17, I joined the Army National Guard. For 24 years, I proudly wore the uniform of this nation.

ZELENY (voice-over): The 2024 race is now fully joined, with Harris and Walz crisscrossing the country together this week, and itinerary Vance is closely shadowing. Tropical Storm Debby interrupting plans for the candidates to visit North Carolina and Georgia.

Their paths, or planes at least, cross today on a tarmac in Wisconsin.

VANCE: I just wanted to check out my future plane, but I also wanted to go say hello to the vice president.

ZELENY (voice-over): Former President Donald Trump spent the day away from the campaign trail, calling into a Fox News program to try and diminish Harris and Walz.

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Nobody knew how radical left she was, but he's a smarter version of her.

ZELENY (voice-over): A full look at the Minnesota governor complicates the liberal brush Trump and Vance are seeking to paint him with. A social studies teacher and football coach, elected to a Republican- leaning congressional district, and now in a second term as governor, where he's defending his progressive agenda.

WALZ: Mind your own damn business. I don't need you telling me about our health care. I don't need you telling us who we love, and I sure the hell don't need you telling us what books we're going to read.

[03:05:05]

ZELENY (voice-over): The spotlight on vice presidential hopefuls will soon give way to the top of the ticket and back to a debate over debates. Trump signaled a new willingness to meet Harris on a network other than Fox.

TRUMP: We'll be debating her, I guess, in the pretty near future.

ZELENY: A new ingredient in the Democratic ticket, enthusiasm from rallies like this here in Detroit. Vice President Harris, Governor Walz arriving here after being in Wisconsin, of course, on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

Those three states, of course, are critical cornerstones of their electoral strategy, that blue wall they need to defeat Donald Trump. This race now feels fully joined with former President Trump, Senator J.D. Vance aggressively trying to really brand their opponents as too liberal for office. But the Democratic ticket trying to keep this momentum alive, the Democratic convention less than two weeks in Chicago.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Detroit.

(END VIDEOTAPE) FOSTER: U.S. President Joe Biden says he believes Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will not accept the outcome of the election if he loses. In an interview on CBS that airs on Sunday, Mr. Biden also warned that Trump is installing his supporters as local election certification officials.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT COSTA, CBS NEWS CHIEF ELECTION AND CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT: Are you confident that there will be a peaceful transfer of power in January 2025?

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: If Trump wins, no, I'm not confident at all. I mean, if Trump loses, I'm not confident at all. He means what he says. We don't take him seriously. He means it. All the stuff about if we lose, there'll be a bloodbath, there'll have to be a stolen election. Look who they're trying to do now in the local election districts where people count the votes. Elected are putting people in place in states that they're going to count the votes. Right. You can't love your country only when you win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Thomas Gift, the director of the Center on U.S. Politics at University College London. He joins me now from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Thank you so much for joining us. And certainly we see this momentum, don't we, behind the Harris campaign. But you should never underestimate Trump either going on past experience. Why do you think he appears to be lying low? I'm not saying he is, but it feels like that when you've got both the candidates out for the Democrats and only one of them out for the Republicans.

THOMAS GIFT, CENTER ON U.S. POLITICS DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Well, it's great to be with you, Max. Thanks for having me. And this election has a totally different feel to it from just a couple of weeks ago. You're absolutely right. It wasn't long ago that Trump had emerged defiant from the assassination attempt.

There was excitement about who his V.P. pick was going to be. Then there was a GOP convention where Trump was welcomed almost as a messianic figure.

Trump's campaign was talking about putting money into states that Republicans hadn't competed in in years.

Now it's a totally different story. He's complaining that he's having to beat two candidates, Joe Biden and now Kamala Harris. Harris' rollout of her campaign, her endorsements, the way she's consolidated support, all of it has been really impressive. And I think Trump just knows that the limelight is not with him right now.

And so he'd rather spend money and energy after, kind of, this honeymoon period is over. I think we're going to see a lot more of Trump after the Democratic convention. But meanwhile, he's really kind of lacking energy and struggling to keep on message. FOSTER: Yeah, they've got a message, haven't they, on Walz, which is

questioning his military record. Do you think they'll get some momentum with that? Because, obviously, Walz has made a big thing about his service to the country.

GIFT: Yeah, it's certainly an issue that J.D. Vance was making on the campaign trail the last couple of days. I think the story there is a little bit ambiguous. We have seen some parallels in the past, if you remember, with John Kerry and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

There was a lot of concern about sort of what his record looked like. I think that they're kind of using the same playbook here. But really, Walz' story with respect to his military service is not as straightforward. I think, as Republicans are making it really, Republicans need to focus on the issues. I think they're trying to paint Walz and Kamala Harris as just too far-left, just too progressive and not representative of where mainstream Americans are at the moment.

FOSTER: They're working hard in these swing states. There's a strong base, isn't there, for Kamala Harris, if you look at the polling. But many of the groups that she appeals to don't always turn out at elections. So a big question for them is, they might have the support, but can they actually get the votes?

GIFT: Yeah, no, absolutely. I think turnout is what elections are all about now in the United States. And it's one reason, maybe, why Kamala Harris did choose a candidate who is perceived as maybe further to the left than some of the other alternatives that she was looking at for vice president, because she really needs to make sure that the base turns out.

[03:10:02]

I mean, if there's one thing that we know about Donald Trump, he always galvanizes the base. He has this floor of support, huge amount of enthusiasm. They're going to come out. So under Joe Biden, there was just a lot of concern that many Democrats are almost looking at a loss as a foregone conclusion. Now there's been some energy re- injected into the campaign.

And ultimately, I think you're right. In states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, it's all going to be about the base.

FOSTER: What did you make of Biden's comments on Trump not accepting the election result if he loses a lot of people assuming that will happen. But why did he use that interview to emphasize that Biden?

GIFT: Well, I think that this is a big part of the Democratic story against Donald Trump and Republicans more generally, which is that they don't respect the elections. And if you look at what happened in 2020, I think Joe Biden certainly has a legitimate case here.

At the same time, I'm not sure if this democracy is at stake message is ultimately resonating with voters. When Joe Biden was the nominee or presumptive nominee, he was really struggling to gain traction on that. So you can only take that so far.

I think ultimately this election is going to be about some of the issues and it's going to be a referendum on Trump, whether Americans want to go back to the chaos and the drama and everything involved in his presidency. So I think we can expect to hear much more about sort of democracy being at stake both at home and abroad in the next week or two. But Democrats need to get back to the issues, health care, the economy, education and so on.

FOSTER: OK, Thomas Gift, as ever, thank you so much for joining us.

GIFT: Thanks, Max.

FOSTER: Now, singer Taylor Swift has canceled a weekend of concerts in Vienna in Austria after police foiled an alleged terrorist plot targeting the stadium where she was scheduled to perform.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout following developments from Hong Kong. Thankfully, it was foiled, Kristie.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, thankfully it was foiled. As we heard from Austria's chancellor, tragedy has been prevented. You know this after Taylor Swift's three concerts in Austria were abruptly canceled and prompted that was when Austrian police arrested two people on suspicion of plotting a terror attack. Now, Taylor Swift was scheduled to perform three shows in Vienna today, August the 8th, August 9th and 10th as well.

And police said that they were expecting about 65,000 people attending each show and up to 15,000 additional people outside the stadium without tickets. And that fed security concerns on social media. We heard from Barracuda Music. This is the promoter for Taylor Swift's concerts in Austria. And they issued the following statement. They said this quote "With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Hoppe Stadium. We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone's safety," unquote.

Now, Swift's official Website says all tickets for the shows will be automatically refunded.

Now, let's get to the arrests. On Wednesday morning, police arrested a 19 year old Austrian citizen who pledged allegiance to Islamic State. This arrest took place and I believe we have the map for you. It took place in Ternitz, which is located south of Vienna. And it was there that's where officials found chemical substances at the suspect's home. And that signals a possible link to bomb making.

Now, later on Wednesday, they detained another person in Vienna. And police say that the two suspects, both of them, were radicalized by the Internet and that they were taking, quote, "concrete measures for a terror attack." The assumed target here, events in the greater Vienna region. Now Austrian police, they say, and this is interesting, they said that further detentions have been made in relation to the alleged plot and they've also increased surveillance. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERHARD PURSTI, PRESIDENT, VIENNA STATE POLICE (through translator): The concrete danger has been minimized, but there is an abstract increased danger. We have therefore increased surveillance to the extent that we will, in any case, carry out increased searches, both on site and during access controls.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: We are awaiting word from Taylor Swift. She has yet to comment on the cancellations to her 283 million fans on her official Instagram account. Max, back to you.

FOSTER: Kristie in Hong Kong. Thank you.

With Israel bracing for retaliation from Iran and its allies, it appears Tehran's most powerful proxy, Hezbollah, may strike first.

With sources telling CNN the Lebanon-based militant group could launch a direct attack on Israel in the coming days, regardless of what Iran intends to do. Israel has been anticipating some sort of attack in response to its killing of a top Hezbollah military commander in Lebanon last week. Israel is also widely believed to have assassinated the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran and officials say Iran still appears to be planning its response.

[03:15:04]

Journalist Elliott Gotkine following developments for us, joining us from Manchester. Elliot, is there a disconnect here between Hezbollah and Iran? You would assume they'd be coordinating.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: You would assume that they would be coordinating and even if Hezbollah does go it alone, you would assume that Iran would be very much kept abreast of what Hezbollah is planning on doing. And we heard just a couple of days ago from Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, saying that making Israel wait for any retaliation was, in his words, part of the punishment, and saying that Hezbollah would respond to the assassination of its top military commander Fu'ad Shukr in South Beirut last Tuesday, in his words, regardless of the consequences.

And now, as you say, we get word from two sources familiar with the intelligence telling CNN that Hezbollah may go it alone regardless of what Iran is doing, because, of course, we still don't know what Iran is planning either. But the difference is that obviously Iran certainly seems to be pondering its response more so. But on top of that, Hezbollah, of course, being on Israel's doorstep, can carry out responses with little to no notice.

I should also point out that the simmering tit-for-tat strikes that we've seen over the past 10 months was continuing. Yesterday Israel was saying that Hezbollah launched 10 projectiles and three drones towards it and that it responded by taking out a rocket launcher and also by taking out, by dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure. So still very much on edge for, you know, whatever Hezbollah's response will be. And also, of course, what Iran's might be, Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Elliot, we'll wait and see. Thank you.

Now, we'll trade racist for refugees. Just one of the slogans from the latest U.K. rally is how these protests has prevented further violence ahead.

Plus, two U.S. astronauts are stuck on the International Space Station. There's a safety issue with the Starliner spacecraft that was supposed to take them home. I will have details on what happened there.

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[03:20:00]

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FOSTER: Tropical storm Debby has made its second landfall in the U.S. on the South Carolina coast. The storm poses a major flood threat for parts of North and South Carolina, as well as Virginia. Debby's impact is being felt across the southeast, spawning at least 10 reported tornadoes so far, along with sustained flooding. Nearly 41 million Americans are under heat alerts as well, raising concerns for customers with no electricity due to the storm.

In Juneau, Alaska, more than 100 homes have been damaged by flooding from a so-called glacial lake outburst. A rush of water was unleashed by a melting glacier on Tuesday, which in turn caused a river to swell to record levels. It comes almost exactly a year after a similar disaster occurred.

After days of violence, anti-racism protesters appear to have prevented a new round of riots in the U.K. Thousands fanned out across more than a dozen British cities on Wednesday to stand up to the far- right agitators behind days of anti-immigrant violence. Police beefed up their presence as well. Most of the right-wingers didn't show up at the immigration and visa processing centers that were thought to be the targets here.

Now this comes after the U.K.'s worst bout of anti-immigrant violence in more than a decade. Over the weekend, rioters clashed with police and damaged public buildings.

There are reports the app Telegram has been used to organize the riots. The platform says its moderators are now removing calls to violence. A misinformation campaign set off all of the outrage in the first place after a stabbing attack left three children dead in northern England, and police have made hundreds of arrests.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ROWLEY, METROPOLITAN POLICE COMMISSIONER: Whether you're in this country committing crimes on the streets or committing crimes from further afield online, we will come after you. Being a keyboard warrior does not make you safe from the law. (END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Anand Menon is the director of U.K. in a Changing Europe. He joins us now from London, and it really was a big turnaround, wasn't it, last night? And a lot of people really heartened by the response from everyday people just wanting to reclaim their streets effectively.

ANAND MENON, DIRECTOR, U.K. IN A CHANGING EUROPE: Absolutely, yeah. There was a big change in tone, a big change in mood. There was a palpable sense of relief in the country that violence had been avoided. And as you say, the people on the street last night were predominantly, for the most part, anti-racism protesters.

I mean, that being said, I think we need to avoid too much mutual backslapping, because clearly we've seen some unacceptable scenes this week that we've got a lot to think about, whether it's the role of social media in generating violence, whether it is the vulnerability of some of these places where asylum seekers are being housed. We've come out of this with plenty to think about. But on balance, after last night, I think we can feel a lot more positive than we did earlier.

FOSTER: Yeah, and it's early days, as you say. You know, those right- wingers haven't gone away. Well, a few of them have, because they're being locked up with pretty severe sentences. This is part of the government's strategy. But the sentiment is still there, and it could flare up again. I mean, some people arguing that, you know, this was a Thursday. Perhaps people weren't drinking as much, so they'll leave it to the weekend. I mean, what's your feeling about what might happen from here?

MENON: I mean, you know, I can't predict what's going to happen. It seems to me that, yep, weekends seem to be times when people go out and drink far more. So obviously, dependent on the weather, the forecast for this weekend is bright and sunny, so that will make a difference. And I think also, you know, above and beyond the sort of immediacy of the protest, we need to think about the fact that, you know, there is a small minority in this country that is significantly dissatisfied with immigration policies, asylum policies, and things like that.

[03:25:02]

And those flames have been fanned, I think, by years of pretty irresponsible political rhetoric that, you know, it's very noticeable that some of the anti-immigrant protesters on the streets were chanting, Stop the boats, which was precisely the slogan of the Sunak government. So, again, there are things to reflect on here above and beyond the immediacy of the riots and the protests.

FOSTER: Yeah, it's an interesting point you make because, you know, it has been noted that, you know, we talk about places like France, you talk about the rise of the far right, you know, there's a similar right-wing movement here in the U.K., but it's effectively mainstream because centrist governments are adopting right-wing policies like Stop the Boats.

MENON: Yeah, I think you're absolutely spot on that actually too often we congratulate ourselves because, you know, populist parties aren't in power while forgetting that in some places center-right parties adopt the policies of the populist right so effectively, you know, their agenda is in power.

It's worth putting it into context. I mean, we're talking about a relatively small minority. I mean, one of the things that is striking about the United Kingdom at the moment is over the last sort of seven or eight years since our referendum on E.U. membership, overall public opinion on immigration has become significantly more positive than it was then.

This isn't a country where the majority of people think immigration is a massive problem, but there is a very vocal minority, some of whom we saw on the streets, for whom it is the priority issue and who want to cause trouble about it.

FOSTER: It's been interesting how the government and the police have, you know, it's a new government obviously, but clearly the new Home Secretary is pretty well respected by the police forces. They've been a very close coordination. The police have got what they wanted. They came out in force. They were pretty restrained, weren't they, when they needed to be as well.

And they're looking at major punishments, you know, extended court hours so people are sent to prison straight away if they're found guilty with severe sentences. But I was also very interested in this other punishment they're looking at, which is banning these thugs from football matches. Just explain the link between the game and many of these people who are being arrested.

MENON: Well, it's a complicated link. But of course, traditionally, historically, we used to get a lot of violence at football matches and police used to monitor suspected football hooligans. And football was a channel for a lot of this anti-racism, sort of anti-immigrant hatred and racism. So in a way, I think this is logical because another obvious way, the football season in this country starts again on Saturday.

I think a logical way in which some of these anti-immigration protesters might decide to continue their struggle is via football matches at the weekend. So I think it's a sensible step by the police to say, OK, we've identified these people involved. And while we're at it, we're going to stop them going to football and causing trouble as well.

FOSTER: Yeah. OK. And Anand Menon, we'll be watching it very closely. Thank you for your insight today.

The Democratic nominee for U.S. vice president is facing questions about his dozens of visits abroad. Tim Walz and the China connection, just ahead.

Plus, Ukraine turns the tables on Russia and sends its troops across the border. Now Moscow is forced to play defense at home.

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[03:30:00]

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MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us, our top stories.

Officials in Austria have arrested two people for an attempted terror plot on Taylor Swift's Eras tour concerts in Vienna. The suspects were allegedly radicalized online and one claims to be an ISIS sympathizer. Organizers have canceled all three of the Vienna shows.

Thousands of anti-racism protesters took to the streets here in the U.K. on Wednesday as a message of solidarity for migrant communities to counter far-right anti-immigrant sentiment and violence.

And Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz hit the campaign trail across the U.S. Midwest. The two made their debut in Wisconsin and rallied their largest crowd of supporters in Michigan as part of a battleground blitz which is going to carry on through this week.

Walz' sudden rise to national prominence is bringing scrutiny from Republicans looking to attack his record, and that includes his long history with China. The GOP is seizing on his dozens of visits to the country over the past 35 years, taking students on school trips and even going there on his honeymoon.

CNN's Will Ripley has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the summer of 1989, about two months after China's military massacred pro- democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, Tim Walz, an American teacher fresh out of college, traveled halfway around the world to China, paying respects in Beijing, where so many people died.

TIM WALZ (D), THEN-MINNESOTA REPRESENTATIVE: I felt it was more important than ever to go, to make sure that story was told and to let the Chinese people know we were standing there, we were with them.

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS (D), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Welcome the next Vice President of the United States, Tim Walz!

RIPLEY (voice-over): 35 years before becoming the Democratic nominee for Vice President, Walz volunteered to spend a year in China, teaching English and American history to mainland Chinese students. The Nebraska native later telling his hometown newspapers he was treated like a king, and there was no anti-American feeling whatsoever.

Walz moved to Minnesota, teaching high school there for years. He got married on June 4, 1994, the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. He wanted to have a date he'll always remember, his wife told a local paper at the time. They spent their honeymoon taking students on a two-week tour of China, Hong Kong and Macau. Those student trips became a summer tradition.

CARA ROMHILDT, FORMER STUDENT OF MR. WALZ: I would go back in a heartbeat, in a heartbeat, because it wasn't political for us. It wasn't any of that. It was an educational trip with one of our favorite teachers.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Cara Romhildt says she and her classmates still talk about their trip to China with Mr. Walz in 1998.

ROMHILDT: It felt very, very comfortable. And we went all over, you know, train rides, a whole bunch of different places, just seeing a different culture and having respect for it while seeing it, knowing that it's different, but knowing that that's OK, too.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Since entering politics in 2006, Walz has consistently criticized China's human rights record. In Congress, he co-sponsored a resolution condemning the arrest of Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo. He also met with the exiled Dalai Lama in 2016.

TIM WALZ (D), THEN-MINNESOTA GOVERNOR: Nieman Hama, Governor Tim Walz here. Happy Chinese New Year.

RIPLEY (voice-over): All the while advocating empathy for everyday Chinese people. Supporters say his understanding of the country could lead to more informed, pragmatic policies.

[03:35:09]

Critics, like Republican Richard Grenell, a former Trump ambassador to Germany, label Walz pro-China.

And on China's tightly controlled Internet, some question Walz' reasons for traveling to China the same year as the Tiananmen protests.

1989, great timing. The years he was in China make him suspicious. Comments untouched by government censors.

RIPLEY: But they are censoring CNN's live signal inside China. Earlier, when this report aired, they went to bars in tone the minute that we started talking about Tiananmen Square. And this illustrates the challenge that China will face in portraying Tim Walz. Yes, he made around 30 trips to China. He humanizes the Chinese people. He knows how things work over there.

But he's also co-sponsored a series of resolutions supporting human rights in China and Hong Kong and has been a fierce critic of the Chinese government.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE) FOSTER: Moscow says hundreds of Ukrainian troops have crossed the border and launched an incursion into Russia's Kursk region. Ukrainian forces have pushed several miles into Russia as Moscow scrambled troops and fighter jets to hold them back. That appears to be the largest cross-border attack since the war began, reportedly also involving tanks and armored vehicles.

For more, we're joined by Clare Sebastian here in London. It does feel like the game has changed here.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Max, this was a really significant moment, if you believe the Russian accounts. Of course, Ukraine is still saying absolutely nothing about this cross-border incursion, but the Russian accounts seem to suggest that this was not some kind of motley group of pro-Ukrainian Russian citizens, as we've seen in the past, but the actual Ukrainian regular army.

Though having said that, the fog of war is very much in view here. Even the Russian accounts have somewhat differed from each other. The defense ministry at one point saying that some 300 Ukrainian personnel were involved. Then we heard the head of the armed forces claiming there were 1,000, and they say that they've managed to push them back, although we are seeing some accounts this morning suggesting that fighting at ground level continues.

As to why Ukraine would want to do this, well, I think that is a significant point to look at. We've seen, of course, that Russia has been able to launch a new front across the border in recent months in the Kharkiv region from the north. This is just a few hundred kilometers west of that where this raid seems to have taken place. This incursion, so it could be from a military perspective that Ukraine is trying to get in front of Russia doing something like that again and push across the border to try to hit military or weapons installations there.

That is one thing to look at. They are, of course, facing questions around this. Why would they want to deploy more resources in this new offensive when they are really on the back foot on the eastern front facing increasing Russian pressure, Russia inching forward towards key towns like Pokrovsk?

But, of course, as I said, Ukraine not saying anything about this. What they are talking about as of Wednesday, though, is another incident where Ukrainian defense intelligence appears to have attacked. It's called the Tendra Spit, which is a sort of strip of land off the coast of southern Kherson. It is occupied by Russia. Defense intelligence also releasing video of this. It looks like a sort of choreographed attack using multiple small boats.

Russia, though, the Russian appointed governor of Kherson, this is the video, you can see it there, says that Russia managed to sink three of those boats. They saw them coming. The rest retreated. So do two different accounts there. But I think the picture that we're building up here is that Ukraine in the absence of resources and certainly manpower is using its ingenuity to try to hit in different ways, not just on that front line where they are struggling to hold Russia back. FOSTER: Thank you, Clare.

A tense waiting game right now in the Middle East as Israel braces for a possible attack by both Hezbollah and Iran over the assassinations of two militant leaders last week. Two sources tell CNN Hezbollah appears ready to strike Israel first, independent of whatever Iran might do. The Lebanon-based militant group, Iran's most powerful proxy just across Israel's northern border, is moving faster and plans to attack Israel in the coming days, according to those sources.

On Wednesday, there was an emergency meeting in Saudi Arabia by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which held Israel responsible for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, as well as a top Hezbollah commander last week.

Live to Tel Aviv, Ambassador Alon Pinkas, former Israeli consul general in New York. Thanks for joining us. Do you think there's some discoordination amongst Iran and its proxies right now?

[03:40:04]

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL, NEW YORK: Well, you know, it all begins with the question of how much of a proxy it is in the sense that does Hezbollah get marching orders from Iran. Can they do something independently of Iran? Can they defy Iran in terms of their reaction? Or is all this actually directed from and supervised by Iran?

And that has to do, or that affects, rather, the main question that is on people's minds here in Israel, and that is whether or not this is going to be a coordinated attack, meaning from Iran and from Hezbollah.

Is it going to be sequential, meaning it could start with Hezbollah and then Iran will join in contingent on how wide, broad the scope of the Israeli reprisal will be? Or, which you see in the last few days and you alluded to it, could this just be a Hezbollah-Israeli thing and the Iranians will stay outside of this and just wait for the right opportunity or the right target? No one really knows. It's all a game of speculation right now.

FOSTER: And that could be the mission, though, right? To confuse everyone.

PINKAS: Oh, absolutely. I mean, if the idea, I mean, this is the textbook psychological warfare 101, if you will.

Okay, the Israelis are anxious, they are panicking, they are uptight, they are apprehensive, they are uncertain about what's going to happen tomorrow.

It roils their lives. So why should we do this now? Let's wait it out and stretch their nerves. I mean, if that's the tactic, it is working.

FOSTER: Well, what's the atmosphere like in Tel Aviv right now? Because obviously there's always a concern that that would be a target if Hezbollah were to really ramp things up.

PINKAS: Well, not necessarily Hezbollah because, again, the conventional wisdom, which is based on nothing but a combination of guesstimates and wishful thinking, is that Hezbollah will try and limit their response to either military targets or northern Israel, rather than go to Tel Aviv, which would then basically allow Israel or warrant a massive Israeli retaliation in Lebanon. And Hezbollah may not be interested in that.

You know, that is as far as the speculation and the guesstimates go. But you asked about the sense. The sense is anxiety and uncertainty. You know, everyone has a sister or brother or a friend who knows, supposedly, and he said or she said Thursday, and then they said Saturday, and now they're saying the next Thursday. No one really knows. And look, there are some tangible pieces of information here.

There were 132 air carriers that flew into Israel regularly. Now there are only 24. The airport is basically empty.

People are going out less. You can even sense it in the traffic. It's that palpable.

And so the mood is sort of anticipation, expectation, and, you know, and dark black humor.

FOSTER: Yeah. Well, our thoughts are with you in this horrible atmosphere. Ambassador Alon Pinkas, thank you so much for joining us.

PINKAS: Thank you. Anytime. My pleasure.

FOSTER: Still to come, a comeback worthy of a gold medal win. More on Team USA's Quincy Hall and the latest Olympic highlights from Paris after the break.

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[03:45:00]

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FOSTER: We've been watching the first gold medal on day 13 of the Paris Olympics. The women's 10 kilometer marathon swim in the Seine River. And the gold goes to Sharon van Rauwandel of the Netherlands, followed by Australia's Moshe Johnson. It was the first of 27 medal events today. It's a tight race for the most gold medals between Team USA with 27 and China with 25. The Americans have a 29 medal lead on China, though, the most medals of any nation in Paris.

The U.S. probably going with that medal count. Amanda.

AMANDA DAVIS, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, there's always that debate, isn't there? Is it most medals won or most gold medals won? But whatever, whichever way you look at it, the U.S. are certainly having a very successful Games. You hope they're not peaking too early. Of course, their Games is in four years' time in L.A. But it was another incredible comeback on the track with the USA's Quincy Hall from Missouri.

His profile page said his aim was just to take part here at the Olympics. But he's not just done that. He is now celebrating gold, having taken the 400 meters victory in a personal best time. It was a quick one, the fourth fastest time ever run over the distance. He came from fourth to first to beat the pre-race favorite, Matthew Hudson- Smith.

The fight and the grit, the expressions you can see clear for everybody to see. He was asked how he did it. He said, well, you can't outrun a dog.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUINCY HALL, U.S. OLYMPIC ATHLETE: The race was anyone's at that point. I just wanted to keep doing what my coach told me to do. Just keep driving, keep driving, get home. We do a lot of hard practices and then we focus on coming home at the end of each practice. So that was nothing more than just me trying to go hard, just harder and harder than what I'm used to doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: Yeah, it was quite incredible. We had a rematch of the World Championship battle in Budapest in the final of the women's pole vault. Two athletes who shared gold in that one. This time with Australia's Nina Kennedy taking the victory over her U.S. rival, the defending champion Katie Moon, who finished with silver. Kennedy had missed out on the final in Tokyo three years ago through injury.

She's openly talked about her struggles with depression, but this time she soared to the heights of Olympic gold, giving Australia their first ever gold in the event and more gold than they have ever won at an Olympic Games as well.

Incredibly, just four days left of competition to run here in Paris. Lots of medals on offer. One of the most brutal events, the women's heptathlon. That is kicking off this morning with Belgium's Nafi Thiam chasing history, looking to become the first woman to win three golds in that event. Although world champion Katerina Johnson-Thompson and Team USA's Anna Hall are all hoping to have something to say.

Can Noah Lyles become the first man since Usain Bolt to do the 100-200 double at the Olympic Games? Well, he's unbeaten over the distance in 23 races dating all the way back to the final in Tokyo three years ago. This is the one he sees as his favorite event. He calls it his wife, while 100 is his mistress, his best chance of breaking a world record, as he puts it. But it was his U.S. teammate, Kenny Bednarek, the silver medalist in Tokyo, who posted the fastest time in the heat. And he said, after his 100 disappointment, he is a man on a mission for this one.

[03:50:08]

But following that one on the track, we have the head-to-head that people have been waiting two years for in the women's 400-meter hurdles. The defending Olympic champion, Sydney McLaughlin-Leroy, up against the world champion, Femke Bol. Two athletes whose times are a second and a half faster than anybody else in the field.

They have made the bar their own. They're the only ones to have broken 51 seconds. They are pushing each other further and further. It is, though, going to be a tough night for Bol. Beating Sydney Leroy is being described as the impossible job. But Femke Bol already has one medal to her name for that mixed relay. She's hoping this might be number two, Max.

FOSTER: Amanda in Paris, thank you so much.

Two U.S. astronauts went on a mission to the space station for a few days, but they may be forced to stay there for months. Why they're stuck and what NASA is doing about it after the break.

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[03:54:57]

FOSTER: The Boeing Starliner that brought two U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station still has issues with its thrusters. NASA officials aren't sure how the problems might affect the Starliner on any return flight. Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were scheduled to stay at the space station for just a few days, could be stuck there now for another six months. NASA officials are looking at other contingency plans, including bringing the astronauts back on a SpaceX vehicle this coming February.

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STEVE STICH, PROGRAM MANAGER, NASA'S COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM: We have been working with SpaceX to ensure that they're ready to respond on Crew-9 for a contingency of returning Butch and Suni on Crew-9 if we need that.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, Boeing admits there could be another in-flight disaster from a manufacturing defect on one of its planes, like the door plug that blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. The company's director of quality testified in a hearing before the National Transportation Safety Board. The chair of the agency asked Hector Silva whether he could 100 percent guarantee a similar defect wouldn't occur tomorrow. Silva responded no. After seven months of investigations, neither Boeing nor federal investigators know how the Boeing 737 Max plane was delivered to Alaska Airlines without the bolts needed to keep the door plug actually in place.

Wall Street has been struggling to recover from Monday's massive sell- off. The Dow Jones, Nasdaq and the S&P all closed lower on Wednesday, giving back the gains they made in a slight rebound on Tuesday. CNN's Fear and Greed index, which measures market sentiment, was in extreme fear territory.

Thanks for joining me on "CNN Newsroom." I'm Max Foster in London, back in a moment with more ahead.

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