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CNN International: IDF: Hostage Abducted by Hamas Rescued from Tunnel in Gaza; Zelenskyy Says He Intends to Present Kyiv's Victory Plan to Biden in September; RFK Jr., had Long History of Disparaging Trump before he Endorsed Him; Democrats Defend Harris Over Interview Attacks; Study: Increasing Amounts of Microplastics in Brain Tissue; British Rockers Oasis Announces 2025 Reunion Tour. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired August 27, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Rahel Solomon, live in New York. I want to get straight to our breaking news this hour, after nearly 11 months in the hands of Hamas an Israeli hostage is back with his loved ones today. A Forum of Israeli hostage families calling it nothing short of miraculous.
Israel's military says that commandos rescued 52-year-old Qaid Farhan Alkaid from a tunnel in Southern Gaza, and what it caused a complex operation. This was Alkaid a short time ago in a hospital in Israel with his clearly overjoyed brother by his side. His family ran to greet him after they got the news that they had been desperately hoping for. An Israeli military spokesman giving details about the rescue operation a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL HAGARI, SPOKESPERSON, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES: Israeli commandos rescued Qadi Farhan Alkadi from an underground tunnel following accurate intelligence. His medical condition is stable, and he will undergo examination in hospital. His family had been waiting 326 days to receive the news they did today, but there are still 108 hostages whose families are still waiting to hear news that their loved ones are home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Let's go to our Jeremy Diamond live in Tel Aviv with more. Jeremy, what more can you share with us about Alkadi? What more do we know about him?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, he was working as a security guard at a factory in Kibbutz Magen, about five kilometers away from the Gaza border on the morning of October 7th, when Hamas terrorists stormed that area and took him and several 100 others captive. He is a 52-year-old father of 11, and for the last 326 days, he has
been held captive by Hamas in Gaza. According to the Israeli military, he was rescued from an underground tunnel in a successful Israeli military rescue operation. And after that, he was taken to a hospital where he was assessed to be in good medical condition, and he was finally able to meet with his family, including his brother, who you can see in this video, is just overjoyed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's better than being born again a man that God bless, we say thank you to everyone. And we hope that Farhan is good and healthy. We're very happy we're getting this news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: And the Hostages and Missing Family Forum, as you said, calling this rescue operation miraculous, but underscoring a key point that is well understood in Israeli society, and that is to say that even though he is now the eighth person to be rescued alive by the Israeli military in Gaza, the overwhelming majority of the hostages rescued released so far.
And those who would likely be released in the future will not come through Israeli military operations, but rather through a hostage and ceasefire deal. The details of which are still being negotiated in Cairo, Egypt right now, although a lot of uncertainty about whether or not there will actually be a breakthrough.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And Jeremy, how do you put this in perspective, in terms of the logistics of this hostage operation, an underground tunnel apparently being used, compared to some of those others, as you pointed out, seven other hostages who had been released previously?
DIAMOND: Yeah, this is the first time that the Israeli military has successfully rescued a hostage from an underground tunnel. This operation, according to the IDF, was carried out by Shay at 13 Commandos, who are the equivalent of Israel's Navy SEALs.
They rescued him from that tunnel, according to the IDF, we then saw video of him in what appears to be a building inside of Gaza with the commander of Israel's -- top general of Israel's Southern Command meeting with troops. He appears to be in good condition, although he does appear to be to have lost quite a bit of weight from when he was first captured.
But this is only the fourth time that the Israeli military has carried out an operation to rescue hostages alive from Gaza. So, it is a quite a rare achievement. And it is an achievement, of course, that is being widely celebrated in Israel across the political spectrum, by government officials, by the Israeli military as well, including by the Israeli Prime Minister, who is touting this and saying that all of the hostages will be brought home one way or another Rahel.
SOLOMON: Jeremy Diamond, live for us there. Jeremy, thank you. I want to continue this conversation and bring in now Steven Cook. He is a Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also the Author of "The end of ambition: America's past, present and future in the Middle East". Stephen, thank you for joining us as always.
Let me ask how you read this event. Obviously extremely positive news for this man's family, but in terms of the likelihood of also a simultaneous ceasefire deal also happening in the midst of this. I mean, how do you read this event?
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STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EAST STUDIES, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Well, it seems clear that the Israelis aren't waiting for a ceasefire to try to get their people back. The few of the case for Prime Minister Netanyahu and his advisers is the combination of military pressure with negotiations for ceasefire are the best way to get hostages back.
But it doesn't seem that we're anywhere close to a ceasefire, despite what American officials keep telling us over weeks and weeks and weeks.
SOLOMON: Yeah. I mean, we've heard Netanyahu say that, essentially, you can do both simultaneously. You can sort of try to get these hostages out through military operation while also pursuing this path. I mean, the likelihood that this would, in any way convince Yahya Sinwar or in any way sort of speed up these conversations walk me through that?
COOK: Well, it doesn't seem clear to me at all that Yahya Sinwar is actually interested in a ceasefire, just as Prime Minister Netanyahu's partners in government aren't interested in a ceasefire. So, it seems unlikely that this operation, or any other operation to rescue hostages, is going to be mentioned otherwise.
The sticking points though, for the negotiations in Cairo, at least what we know so far is one the Israelis insist on maintaining a military presence along the Philadelphi Corridor that is the border between Gaza and Egypt. The Egyptians in particular, do not want that. They say it's a violation of the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, and they want the Israelis to withdraw from that area.
The other sticking point is that the Israelis want to maintain freedom of action in the Gaza Strip, as well as a corridor called the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects the Gaza Strip east to west, dividing the strip in in north and south. That is a non-starter from the -- from the Hamas side of things.
So, despite the fact that American officials are talking about that, the sides are talking nuts and bolts. These are very big issues. Shinwar and Netanyahu's partners don't really want it. And there are these sticking points about Israel's continued presence in the Gaza Strip.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And I mean, as you point out, there seems like they're still pretty far apart on some big issues, and yet, Antony Blinken has been to the region, I want to say, eight or nine times in the last 10 months. I mean, clearly this is top priority, at least for American officials.
I mean, walk me through how you imagine these conversations are taking place with their so much with such a big gap, apparently, on some of these big issues?
COOK: Yeah, Secretary Blinken has been back and forth to the region nine times. And each time, there is an expectation that he will clinch a deal between the parties. These obviously very, very difficult negotiations, and the Israelis Delegation is under a significant amount of political pressure because of the maximal demands of prime minister's coalition Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition partners.
On the Hamas side, there's a significant division as well. The Hamas political office based in Doha has not been on the same page as Yahya Shinwar, who is running the show in Gaza. Now, Shinwar is in charge of the entire organization, and he, up until this point, hasn't demonstrated much interest in a ceasefire, and in fact, there really isn't a Hamas Delegation at these negotiations.
SOLOMON: We'll leave it here. Steven Cook, we appreciate your time today and insights. Thank you.
COOK: My pleasure.
SOLOMON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that he needs U.S. support to carry out what he calls Kyiv's victory plan. This as the country prepares a response to Russia's blistering attacks over the past two days. Rescue operations are underway in several areas hit by Russian strikes since Monday.
Ukraine's Air Force says that it shot down 5 out of 10 missiles and 60 out of 81 drones launched earlier today, at least five people have been killed and more than 10 wounded in Tuesday's attacks, which followed what Ukrainian officials called the biggest air assault by Russia since the start of the war on Monday.
Here you see the aftermath for a missile attack. This is on a hotel in the central city of Kryvyi Rih. President Zelenskyy says that he intends to present a victory plan over Russia to U.S. President Joe Biden, next month, during his visit to the U.S. Zelenskyy says that the success of his four-stage plan depends on America's support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Every leader, every partner of ours, knows what strong decisions are needed to end this war and to end it. There should be no restrictions on the range of weapons for Ukraine, while terrorists have no such restrictions, defenders of life should face no restrictions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: More fallout over the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in Paris last week and Russia's Foreign Minister says that relations with Paris are now at their quote lowest point. He calls Telegram a secure platform and accuses France of trying to gain access to encryption codes.
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But French President Emmanuel Macron says that the arrest is in no way a political decision. CNN's Chief National Security Correspondent, Alex Marquardt, has more details now on the arrest.
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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): He's been called the Mark Zuckerberg of Russia. Tech Billionaire Pavel Durov, the creator of the globally popular messaging app Telegram.
PAVEL DUROV, TELEGRAM CEO: 12 billion messages delivered daily.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Now in custody in France after French police arrested him at a Paris airport. French authorities say the Durov's arrest is part of an investigation of charges that Telegram was allegedly complicit in aiding money laundering, drug trafficking and distributing child pornography.
French prosecutors also say that Durov refused to comply with demands to help intercept potentially illicit communications. In a statement, the company said, Durov has nothing to hide. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.
DUROV: I truly believe that privacy of our users and what they trust to us and our responsibility for them is the most important thing in our business.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Durov was flying to Paris from Azerbaijan, where Russian President Vladimir Putin also visited last week. The Kremlin has denied that Putin and Durov met. Durov had also created the Russian app VKontakte known as Russia's Facebook. He fled the country in 2014 after refusing to turn over user data from the app to the Russian government.
Russia tried to ban Telegram in 2018 but lifted the ban in 2020. With 900 million users worldwide, Telegram is used by everyday people, governments and companies to send official messages, but the app's encryption also makes it popular among criminals and terrorists. In France, it was found on the phones of the terrorists who attacked the Bataclan Concert Hall in Paris.
DUROV: They were also using iPhones and Android phones and microchips kind of misleading to say that we're responsible, or any other tech companies responsible for that.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Durov's arrest has revived questions about the responsibilities of social media companies to moderate their content and assist law enforcement versus protecting their users' privacy and freedom of speech. French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement on social media,
France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, and that the arrest is in no way a political decision. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: All right. We want to turn our attention now back to the war in Ukraine and bring in Salma Abdelaziz, who joins us live from London. Salma, as we were saying, it appears that Russia is stepping up its bombing campaign. What more can you share with us?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. So, for a second day, Ukraine has just endured this massive air assault from Russia. President Zelenskyy says that the country's air force has been able to repel some 230 attacks from Russia, still, of course, drones and missiles are getting through. They are causing damage. They are wreaking havoc.
And they are, of course, impacting the country's power grid, because that is the target here. That is the strategy here from Russia, to hit civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. But you have a very mixed battlefield picture Rahel. You have, of course, this massive assault from Russia, which begins to shift the narrative.
But you also have Ukrainians who have been able to continue to advance in Russian territory in Kursk. So, President Zelenskyy, while addressing this assault, was also quick to point out that victory take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENSKYY: I think it has started to show Russian society that it is more important for Putin to capture city in Ukraine that he has never heard of, just to satisfy his ambitions than to defend his territories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: So, you're hearing him there bring you that mixed battlefield picture that to those two sides going on. He's saying President Putin is not defending Kursk as Ukrainians continue to push through Russian territory, but at the same time, Russians are advancing inch by inch closer to Pokrovsk in Eastern Ukraine, with Ukrainians outmanned and outgunned there and simply unable to stop that advance.
President Zelenskyy is also appealing for more help, particularly when it comes to the attacks on civilian infrastructure, he's asking the west to lift requirements, to lift restrictions on the use of long- range missiles and on the use of air defense capabilities so he can take the fight to Russia.
SOLOMON: And Salma as we said, I mean, Zelenskyy says that he intends to show Biden Kyiv's victory plan over Russia. What's the latest there? ABDELAZIZ: Yes. So, he outlined very, very broadly, of course, this is something that would be behind closed doors, but very, very broadly, a plan that began with an invasion into Kursk. So, he said, look, that's already done. The rest of the steps that he wants to present to President Biden include the possibility of peace talks. Of more economic sanctions of trying to ramp up that pressure on President Putin.
[11:15:00]
What he is preparing for, of course, is the possibility of a meeting in September around the UN General Assembly, but right at the top of that list will be the request to use those weapons further and deeper into Russia. You can expect, of course, that White House officials President Biden, will be hesitant on that.
They absolutely do not want to aggravate this conflict further. They do not want to escalate tensions with President Putin. But at the same time, they are desperate for a win.
SOLOMON: Salma Abdelaziz reporting there from London. Salma, thank you. And coming up for us, the top issue for many American voters right now is the economy. Just ahead, we'll look at a new Harris campaign app that's focused on just that. Plus, he was once called and once called Donald Trump, a threat to democracy and a terrible president. So why is RK Jr., endorsing him now what CNN's K-File has uncovered?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Welcome back. Seems there is a new chapter in the debate over the U.S. presidential debate. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are scheduled to face off two weeks from today on ABC. But Trump appears to be injecting new doubt into whether it will happen at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Shouldn't say this, because if there is a debate, it would be nice to surprise you with that one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: The Harris campaign, meantime, responding by trolling the former president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why not debate her?
TRUMP: No way. But because they already know everything. Trump's not doing the debate. That's the same thing. I mean, right now I say, why should I do a debate? I'm leading in the polls.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Meanwhile, a senior adviser to the Harris campaign says that the vice president will agree to an interview very soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IAN SAMS, SPOKESPERSON, HARRIS CAMPAIGN: As the vice president said, and I think you all know, she said that she's going to schedule an interview by the end of the month. I think everybody can look at a calendar, but I think it's also important. I know it's lost sometimes in the discussion about an interview, the vice president's been taking questions from reporters who are covering her on the campaign trail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: OK, with more now from both campaigns, let's turn to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez and Alayna Treene. Priscilla, let's begin with you. The Harris campaign launching a new ad focus on the economy. It's part of this push, it seems, from the campaign to really lean into her economic message.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Of course, the campaign knows that the economy is a key issue for voters heading into November. And the way that Democrats in the campaign has talked about this before can often fall on some vague terms and assurances by the administration that the economy is getting better, despite what some people are feeling.
And what I've heard from sources close to the vice president is that she wants to start to speak to the individual experience. Again, understanding and acknowledging that people may not see the positive indicators for the economy the way that the administration talks about it, and to try to meet them where they are.
And is what we have seen in a spate of ads that they have released over the last several days talking about three issues, in particular.
[11:20:00]
The economic opportunity and her, as you see there, sort of presenting that plan, and then as well as how to drive down costs and how she would do that. And lastly, her own background and how she comes from a middle-class working family, and how that informs her policy. So, the campaign here is clearly trying to convey their economic message and fine tune it to continue to campaign on this over the next several weeks.
Now, I will note that the ads that we have seen over the last three days are part of a $150 million August paid media buy. We will see a lot of that over the next several weeks. We already know that they're setting aside some $300 million between Labor Day and Election Day to hit the airwaves and digital advertising again, to take up as much space as possible to get their message out, not only on the economy, but on several issues.
But of course, this being a critical issue. It is one that is also front and center as she heads to Georgia battleground, Georgia, where the economy, according to multiple strategists on the ground, is top of mind for multiple voters there who are going to be important for her to win over come November.
SOLOMON: And talk to us a little bit more about how the Democrats see the State of Georgia. We heard Senator Lindsey Graham on the Republican side say it's hard to see how Trump gets to 270 without Georgia. Democrats saying, we think it's in play. I mean, how are they viewing the state?
ALVAREZ: Yeah, I actually was just speaking to a Democratic Strategist in Georgia about that exact point. Now they say that there's a chance here, depending on which route they take. They want to Democrats want to emulate what Warnock did in December of 2022? What he did was the traditional winning over the metropolitan areas of Georgia, but also rural and rural and middle Georgia.
So essentially, where she's going tomorrow with her Vice-Presidential Nominee Tim Walz says a lot about the way the campaign is viewing Georgia. Because they are going to be visiting South Georgia, not just Atlanta, as we've seen them do before, and as we saw President Biden do.
They are trying to basically drive down, or even narrow the margins, shave off some of the voters that Republicans can get to have a fighting chance in some of these precincts and counties. And so, all of that to say that there needs to be a very clear strategy for Democrats in particular, to keep this state in play.
A state by the way that President Biden won by less than 12,000 votes in 2020 and the way they're trying to do that is to reach voters that traditionally voters -- Democrats have been unable to do. But they saw that opportunity with Warnock, and they're trying to do that again in 2024. So again, Rahel, where they're going tomorrow, South Georgia. It says a lot about how they're trying to strategize in this state. It's not just that stop in Atlanta, as we have seen Democrats do before.
SOLOMON: Yeah, Priscilla, it's such an interesting point. Watch not only what they say, but watch where they go. It could tell you a lot about their thinking. Priscilla Alvarez, live for us in D.C. Priscilla, thank you. For more on the Trump campaign let's bring in CNN's Alayna Treene. Alayna, there's some new reporting on Trump and Kennedy exchanging some pretty harsh comments over the years. What's going on here?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: That's right, and this is great reporting from our K-File team here at CNN. Look, I -- you know, RFK Jr., has long been very critical of Donald Trump. Not totally surprising, because we've seen them exchange barbs over the past year, especially because they were, of course, competing against one another.
But some of the critiques and the criticisms we had uncovered in this K-File reporting are pretty stunning, particularly given the praise you saw RFK Jr., heap on Donald Trump on Friday when he made that announcement endorsing him. I want you to take a listen to some of what they found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I think Donald Trump was a terrible president. He wasn't training this one. He was turning the government over to corporate pirates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the problem is, number one, he's a bully. And -- you know I don't like bullies, and I don't think America -- you know that that's part of America's tradition.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The easiest thing for a political leader to do is to appeal to our bigotry and our hatred and xenophobia and prejudice and point to people who are unlike us and say they're the ones who are damaging our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: Now Rahel, as you could see there, some of these attacks came from when Donald Trump was president was in office. But they also came as recently as early July last month, I should say. And so pretty much a 180 from where RFK Jr., was to what he is saying now.
And remember that Donald Trump, as well, has also been very critical of RFK Jr. Over the past year now, we saw the Trump campaign really create a playbook to attack the Kennedy and try to describe him as a radical liberal.
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I remember one adviser had told me that he was a liberal in conservative clothing trying to tell viewers, don't be fooled by RFK Jr. He is not an independent. He is very progressive. So now to hear them saying, not only we welcome his endorsement, but the Trump campaign is also having RFK Jr., campaign for him on the trail to be a surrogate, and I've also been having discussions over a potential role for him in a future Trump Administration.
We actually heard RFK Jr., yesterday he did an interview with Tucker Carlson. He said that the Trump team has actually asked him to be part of his transition as well if Donald Trump were to win in November. So again, just very different from kind of what we're seeing right now.
But I think at the end of the day, the bottom line here is that this is politics. We've seen this before where people, I mean, even J.D. Vance, Donald Trump's own running mate has been very critical of Donald Trump in the past. I think the key thing here is that both RFK Jr., as well as Donald Trump and his team believe now that joining forces, having that support from him really is going to be beneficial.
And I can tell you from my reporting that they didn't always think that. There had been questions for months over whose campaign the Democrats then President Joe Biden or Donald Trump's campaign. Which campaign would be hurt more by his candidacy?
Once it became clear that Biden ended his campaign and Harris was going to be the one at the top of the Democratic ticket, I'm told that that's really when the Trump campaign viewed his endorsement as being beneficial to him, particularly in some of those swing states where RFK Jr., support, even though it's much smaller than the support that we see Harris and Trump having it could potentially make a difference on the margins in a race that is expected to be very, very close Rahel.
SOLOMON: Certainly, all the margins count in all the states. It seems like Alayna Treene. But one thing I think is always fascinating, is always interesting to see foes become friends in politics or frenemies, as they call it. Alayna Treene live for us there. Alayna, thank you.
Let's come discuss this further. I want to welcome in my panel. Lance Trover was a Spokesperson for the Doug Burgum's 2024, presidential campaign. We also have Antjuan Seawright, who was a Democratic Strategist. Good to see you both. Antoine, I want to start with a clip from a new ad from Harris, from the Harris campaign that they just rolled out. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will fight for a law that cracks down on these practices. We will end America's housing shortage by building 3 million new homes and rentals. We should be doing everything we can to make it more affordable to buy a home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: So, Antjuan, it's interesting to see her leaning in on this issue that voters, at least in polls, tend to side with Trump on the economy, on inflation. Your thoughts on the strategy?
ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I think the vice president continues to build on the progress she and President Biden made together. No one can argue with 16 million jobs lowest African American unemployment rate on record, closing the racial wealth -- racial wealth gap.
The economic success and the strong economic bill of health from a micro perspective that she and Joe Biden were able to do together. So now the pivot, or the focus, is to build on that and turn to the micro aspect of the economy. So, my personal economy and leaning in on housing, which is an artery issue in this country, certainly not a partisan issue.
And it's an issue that crosses many demographics, geographics, and I think it's smart to talk about housing and frame that as an economic standpoint. And all of her economic policies, both she's worked on before, and the things she's focused on towards the future, speak to folks where they are, kitchen table, barber shop, beauty salon, bread and butter issue, and I think that's so important for her to horn her focus.
SOLOMON: Lance your thoughts. I mean, these are issues, that everyday Americans care about, but they're issues that some feel like the Biden Administration didn't necessarily do the greatest job on. I mean, how do you see it? LANCE TROVER, SPOKESPERSON FOR DOUG BURGUM'S 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Prices are up over 20 percent during the Biden Harris Administration. So, I'm as confused as probably most voters are out there when they see ads like this, because this is the same person as Joe Biden's vice president who told us that Bidenomics was working as the cost of eggs and milk and gas soared over the last three years.
So yeah, it's no wonder voters' side with Donald Trump on this because they were not paying nearly as much three years ago. And the fact of the matter is, she's got a lot of work to do on this issue. But again, I think voters are confused.
But if she would start taking and doing interviews and sitting down with reporters, these are questions that could be asked, well, do Bidenomics not work anymore? Did they not work the last three years? Do they work now? What exactly are you telling us? But she won't sit down and take do interviews with reporters, so none of us really know.
SOLOMON: And --
SEAWRIGHT: Well, last respectfully, we've seen "The Financial Times" come out and indicate by where they're serving that voters' trust Kamala Harris over Donald Trump. When it comes to the economy, we've seen traditionally in this country, the economy does better under Democratic leadership, particularly presidential leadership. So, that's number one.
And number two the one thing Vice President Harris has done is she showed up with empathy. In Atlanta she talks about the fact that while things have been have recovered strongly and no one can argue with that, there's still more work to be done.
[11:30:00]
And that's why her message towards the future is about the things that we need to do to further strengthen the economic bill of health in this country to make sure we build an economy from the bottom up and the middle out. And when you compare that to Donald Trump's lack of an economic plan with no substance or even no style to it, I think this contrast election is what the conversation Democrats want to have.
SOLOMON: Well --
TROVER: You go out to the voters out there. I mean, you talk some good numbers there, Antjuan, but the fact of the matter is, voters don't feel that way. The prices are through the roof. They are still climbing. They may not be climbing nearly as much, but the fact of the matter is, and I look there's a lot of different polls out there.
The majority of them show voters are very unhappy about the direction of the country, particularly when it comes to the economy, and that's because they are paying an exorbitant amount for everyday household goods out there.
SOLOMON: Well, I think, and let me just get in here, and then we'll switch gears here. I think the question will ultimately be, come November, is who they blame for that, Biden Harris or Trump? And if there's a difference between Biden and Harris. But let me turn to the debate, because we could debate that for quite some time.
But let's talk about the debate, about the actual debate. How likely is it Lance, that Trump skips this debate? It seems clear that he will need more than just his base to win in November. So how does even flirting with this idea of maybe not doing it? How does that benefit him?
TROVER: There's going to be a debate. I we have this discussion. The debate about the debates is how, you know, we're in the throes of a real campaign. There will be a debate. And if you're the Trump campaign, if you're an average voter out there, you want there to be a debate?
Because, let's be honest, the Harris campaign has a strategic plan to not do anything that is unscripted or that is not have her in front of a teleprompter. This is going to be one of the very few opportunities over the course of the next 70 days to hear directly from her where she stands on some of these issues, like the economy, like Bidenomics, like the border wall, these are all things.
So, yeah, there's going to be a debate. I have no question about that. It's going to happen. And I think we need one, because it's one of the few times we're actually going to hear from her on some of these issues.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And to that point, Antjuan, I mean the GOP, as I'm sure you have seen, likes to draw attention to the fact that Harris has not done a sit-down interview since Biden dropped out of the race. I want to play for you just a montage of some of what we've heard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), 2024 VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You are interviewing me, Dana, because I respect the American people enough to sit down --
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I appreciate that.
VANCE: Kamala Harris has been the nominee for three weeks. She hasn't sat down for a real interview.
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): She's stuck to the teleprompters pretty carefully, as you've noticed since she was coronated, as we noted, she's not done a serious interview, and she's not submitted to questions from the media.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., FORMER INDEPENDENT PERSIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No policies, no interviews, no debates, only smoke and mirrors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: So, Antjuan, my question is, her campaign says she will do interviews. Her campaign says she's ready for the debate. So, when she does sit down for these interviews, when she does do the debate? Do you worry that at this point, expectations are so high that she doesn't have a lot of time for missteps or mistakes at this point, with just 70 days left until the election?
ANTJUAN: Well, let me say a couple things. One, she's the sitting Vice President of the United States. There's a traveling press pool with her at all times, including campaign reporters who are covering this campaign, so they have the luxury of asking her whatever they want to on a daily, regular basis.
Number two, the most important interview she continues to do is with the American people, and that's why you see former Bush alumni, and that's why you see -- what, 70,000 plus Republicans, and the large segments of the population gravitating towards Kamala Harris, because she's speaking directly to the people who would decide whether she gets the job or not, that's the American people.
And so, I don't get caught up in this idea that doing the interview is a must, not a plus. In fact, I think she should continue doing what she's doing, meeting folks where they are. But on the subject of the debate, let's be very clear, Donald Trump has 99 problems. He does not want debating with Kamala Harris to be one, barring words from that Hip Hop Philosopher Jay Z.
And that's why you see these distraction tactics to try to ease out of the debate or find a reason not to do the debate because he does not want to have this conversation of prosecutor versus prosecutor, policymaker versus political performer.
SOLOMON: Well, let me ask. Listen, I love a Jay Z reference. So, Lance, I'm going to try to keep it going. Stick with me here --
TROVER: I don't have a Jay Z reference, but I love it --
SOLOMON: Democrats are raising some reasonable doubt about whether this is actually an issue. You like what I did there, Antjuan.
ANTJUAN: Yeah --
SOLOMON: Take a listen to some of what we've heard from the Democrats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): Well, I think sometimes you all over exaggerate what the importance of it. She knows what she's going to have to do. She's going to have to spell out her vision and talk about policies more.
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): From reproductive rights to lowering costs, she's been very specific, and as this campaign goes on, she'll be sitting for more interviews, she'll be engaging in debates.
[11:35:00]
GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): The truth is that she's answered questions along the way. You've seen her do that when she's getting on and off of Air Force Two. Does she need to sit down for an interview? Of Course, and they've said they'll do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: So, Lance, my question is, I'm a reporter, obviously I think that she should be doing it, but it's not about what I think she should be doing. It's about what the American people think. How much do you think her not doing interviews as until now? How much has that really hurt her?
I mean, you look at her fundraising, you look at her polls, how much do you think that, that has really hurt her so far?
TROVER: Putting my strategist hat on, I completely understand the strategy that they are employing right now, and they are writing in a pretty good clip right now. I think the American people, though, don't really know a lot about her. She's doing well in the polls, but I'm thinking that is pretty soft support at the end of the day, post Labor Day.
I think voters are I don't think I know voters are going to start really keying in on this election and really wanting to hear about the issues. And I do believe there is an expectation from the majority of voters out there that their candidate for president, the current vice president, who is seeking a promotion to the top job, should sit and talk specifically about the issues and be straightforward, not just by a teleprompter, not just with TV ads, but to talk and have a discussion on the issues.
That is one thing Donald Trump does do. He does not shy away from press conferences. He does not shy away from reporter interviews. So, I do think at some point the voters are going to key in and say, Look, we would like to hear more directly from her, not by a teleprompter.
SOLOMON: We're going to leave it here. Antjuan, I see you have something to say, but fortunately for you, my friend, we have 70 more days, so I'm sure I will see you again. Lance over, the same. Thank you both so much. And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN "Newsroom". I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Let's get back to our breaking news this hour, using what the Israeli military called an exact piece of intelligence, a 52-year-old hostage held by Hamas has been rescued from a tunnel in Southern Gaza.
He's joined here by his brother at a hospital in Israel where he is set to be in stable condition. The IDF releasing these pictures of the former hostage meeting with Israeli commandos. Moments after the rescue operation, military spokesman reiterated that Israel's mission is to bring all those in captivity home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAGARI: His family had been waiting 326 days to receive the news they did today, but there are still 108 hostages whose families are still waiting to hear news that their loved ones are home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: The Israeli military described the rescue as a complex operation. Let's bring in CNN'S Jim Sciutto, who is live for us in Tel Aviv.
[11:40:00]
Jim, we know initially details were really limited. Official citing safety concerns. What more can you share with us about this rescue?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: And to be clear, still withholding some details, citing exactly as you say, safety concerns, concerns about the safety of other hostages believed held nearby. But this is what we know. The IDF says that this was an Israeli rescue operation involving commando units that found Al-Qadi in a tunnel.
And that's notable because this is the first successful Israeli military operation to rescue a hostage alive from a tunnel in Gaza, a dangerous network of tunnels under Gaza that house, it's believed not only many of the hostages, but also many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Hamas fighters.
So that's significant. And there was a particular unit involved in this, an elite engineering unit that has been tasked with the job of attempting to penetrate those tunnels. So that's important. It's of course, fundamentally a happy story for Al-Qadi himself and for his family, and some relief for the hostage families who have been waiting for good news for so long.
We're coming up on the one-year anniversary of the October 7th attacks, and even after this rescue, 108 hostages remain, and sadly, it's the belief of Israeli officials that many of them are no longer alive. They haven't said exactly how many. So, time pressure is always growing, because the fear is, of course, the longer that they're held, that the less likely it is.
Many of them, or all of them, will come out, or as many of them as possible, I should say, will come out alive.
SOLOMON: Yeah, and Jim, I mean, what does this mean for the prospects of a ceasefire deal? We heard Netanyahu essentially suggest that both things could be pursued simultaneously, in terms of rescuing hostages, but also pursuing a potential deal. Where are we on that?
SCIUTTO: Yeah. Well, listen, both will proceed. The IDF is constantly hunting for intelligence to find a location of hostages and, if possible, rescue them by military means. But the fact is, successful rescue operations have been few and far between. This is just the eighth hostage to be rescued alive via military operation.
The vast majority who have been released have been released through negotiation, and the negotiations to get these remaining hostages home continue. I was told by a person familiar with the talks just yesterday that they were making progress down to the point where they're discussing the fine details of the names of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel that would be released in exchange for the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
That doesn't mean that they are overall the sticking points or final issues, but they are at least getting to that stage of these negotiations. So, the hope is that they get to the point where they can make a deal and bring the rest of the hostages' home, perhaps before the one-year anniversary. But the one-year anniversary is approaching rapidly.
SOLOMON: Yeah, and those hopes remain high, despite all of the failed efforts thus far.
SCIUTTO: Yeah.
SOLOMON: Jim Sciutto, live for us in Tel Aviv. Jim, thank you. And still ahead, a new study shows an increase of plastics present in the human brain. We're going to take a look at what the health implications are and what we can do. Plus, Apple announcing the date for its next big event. Why iPhone fans are getting excited? We'll be right back.
COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
SOLOMON: Welcome back. A new study shows an increase in levels of microplastics in human brains. Researchers have found evidence of tiny shards of plastic and tissue samples taken during autopsies from brains and other organs such as the kidney and the liver.
The study only shows exposure to plastics and does not establish whether they're causing damage to the brain or other organs. Let's bring in CNN Health Reporter Jacqueline Howard for more on this. Jacqueline, this -- so many questions. One, how is this even possible? And how are plastics apparently able to invade our brains?
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: I know it's definitely concerning, but when you think about it, microplastics are found in some of the foods and beverages that we consume, especially if something's packaged in plastic. Plastic can seep into that food item, and once we ingest it, the microplastic particles can take up residence in our cells, especially our fat cells, and then travel to our organs and the brain itself for how it's 60 percent fat.
So that's likely what we're seeing play out in this new research. I mean, like you said, it's early research, it's a preprint study, but what researchers did, they looked at those tissue samples from autopsies done in 2016 and then autopsies done earlier this year in 2024.
And they found that the brain tissue contained 7 to 30 times more plastic than the tissue samples from the kidney and liver organs. And they found that the samples collected in 2016 contained more plastic than the samples that came from autopsies done earlier this year. So that suggests our exposure to microplastics is increasing over time, and microplastics themselves, they're so small, they're less than the width of the human hair. So that's how tiny these pieces of plastic are that we're talking about in our bodies, Rahel.
SOLOMON: So, they're small, but still.
HOWARD: Right.
SOLOMON: I mean, what does this mean for our health, Jacqueline, if microplastics are indeed being found in our organs?
HOWARD: Right. So, the concern here is that if they're taking up residents in our cells, they can disrupt cellular processes. And there was one previous study that found people who had microplastics in their artery tissues, specifically the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the brain.
They appear to be twice as likely to have a heart attack, stroke or even die in the next three years compared with people who did not have these microplastics in their artery tissues. And here in the United States, the FDA has said it's continuing to monitor research specifically on microplastics in foods and beverages, but something we can all do in our everyday lives to really limit our exposure to microplastics.
Try to avoid plastic water bottles, don't heat food in plastic containers, because, again, that can lead to the plastic seeping into your food. Use paper or cloth bags instead of plastic bags, and try to keep just your general home environment clean by vacuuming and dusting often. And these are steps we can all take, Rahel, just again, to limit our own personal exposures.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Jacqueline, I was over here taking notes like real news you can use. It's really good to know. Jacqueline Howard, thank you. Good to see you.
HOWARD: You too.
SOLOMON: All right. Fans of the iPhone are getting excited. It's not long until Apple is expected to unveil its new model equipped with artificial intelligence. It could come on September 9th at the company's next public event set for again, September 9th under the motto it's glow time.
Apple watchers are hoping they get to see the iPhone 16, complete with what the makers are calling Apple intelligence. In June, it announced a slew of generative AI features, including a smarter Siri that can answer questions about your schedule and what's in your inbox. Let's bring in seen as Clare Duffy, so what's the story Clare with the September event, and why it's being viewed as a particularly big deal?
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah. Rahel, we do get a new iPhone every September, but this is expected to be a real step up in functionality because of these new Apple intelligence features. This is probably going to be the first iPhone we've ever seen, that is really designed with generative AI features in mind.
And we do have some idea of what to expect from that Apple intelligence event that you mentioned. Things like a smarter Siri that can answer more complex questions. It will draw on your personal data. So, for example, I could ask it what to expect from my day today, and it could look at my calendar and my emails and come back with a really concise answer.
[11:50:00]
People will also be able to create personalized emojis and get help drafting emails, some of these things that we've seen from other AI tools, but it will all be brought together in your iPhone, right in your pocket. There will also likely be some upgrades that consumers can't actually see, but that will make a big difference, like a faster processing chip that will be able to more efficiently handle all the data that these AI features need to function, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Clare, you know, it's always interesting whenever we're talking about Apple. The focus is, of course, iPhone sales, because that makes up such a huge part of their business. The company has said that sales in China, iPhone sales in China had tumbled because of uncertain economic conditions, growing competition.
How might this expect the September launch? How might that change the narrative you think, for the iPhone, in the eyes of shareholders and investors?
DUFFY: There is a ton of pressure on Apple leading up to the September event, because iPhone sales have been sluggish, namely in China, which is such a huge market, but really across the board, Apple hasn't given consumers a really exciting reason to upgrade their iPhone.
In the past few years, we've seen sort of modest changes from each subsequent upgrade. And so, Apple is hoping that these artificial intelligence features are going to be compelling enough to get users to upgrade. And I think it is a big question, because we have seen some of these features elsewhere.
You can do a lot of this on ChatGPT or on Microsoft, Samsung devices. But Apple is hoping that by bringing all of these things together in the iPhone and making it really capable of looking at your personal data in a privacy safe way and using those things to give people better answers, that this is going to give users a big reason to upgrade. But it is a question heading into this September event.
SOLOMON: Yeah, really interesting, Clare, because I thought, as I was reading it, I thought some of those features sounded familiar with some of those other companies, really speaks to sort of the landscape out there right now for Apple. Clare Duffy, thank you.
And then today's one more thing. Never say never. After years of arguing in public, the brothers that make up Oasis. Well, they're reuniting for a new tour. We're going to have the new details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SOLOMON: And before we go, one more thing, some of you may remember this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today is going to be the day that they're going to throw it back to you. By now, you should have somehow realized what you got to do. I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: That is Wonderwall by the British band Oasis, and fans will get another chance to hear that 90s hit performed live. The feuding Gallagher Brothers appear to be setting beside their differences and getting the band back together again for a reunion tour 15 years after they imploded,
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me and him like telepathic -- I mean --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know my brother better than anybody else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When both come together --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: The band posted this video online announcing tour dates next year in the U.K. and Ireland. Stops include their native Manchester as well as Dublin and London's Wembley Stadium, and they say the plans are in the works for shows outside of Europe later next year.
All right, before we go, quick check of the markets, and it is right across the board, although I'm pretty sure the DOW closed at a new record yesterday on Monday.
[11:55:00]
So, taking a bit of a breather today, the DOW's off two tenths of a percent, the NASDAQ and then S&P also off. NASDAQ looks like it's off about we'll call it one tenth of a percent, the S&P, pretty much flat, but still in the red. All right, let's take a look at European markets, which more of a mixed picture there, FTSE closed higher by two tenths of a percent.
DAX, four tenths and CAC 40 off about one third of a percent. And Asian markets also a bit of a mixed picture. Seeing a little bit of a trend here. NIKKEI closing up about half a percentage point. HANG SENG, just about the same. The SHANGHAI COMPOSITE closing lower.
Well, speaking of money, you know your time is money. So, thank you for spending some time with me today. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Stick with CNN. "One World" is coming up next.
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