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Israeli PM Faces Mounting Pressure and Demands from Protesters; U.S. Seizes Plane Used by Venezuelan President Maduro; Polio Vaccinations in Gaza Sees a Strong Turnout; Pope Francis Arrives in Indonesia for the First Leg of His 12-Day Asia Tour. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 03, 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)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead.

Contrition and defiance from Israel's Prime Minister apologizing for the deaths of six hostages in Gaza but insisting he won't cave in on a key issue that could lead to a deal to return the remaining hostages.

Venezuela's president has been accused of stealing elections, but now Nicolas Maduro is dealing with a loss of sorts. How his plane ended up in the U.S.?

And we'll hear from former political prisoners in Bangladesh who say they suffered abuse and torture at the hands of the previous government.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing to exact a heavy price on Hamas over the killing of six hostages in Gaza, as he faces mounting pressure and major protests at home to secure a ceasefire deal to bring the remaining hostages home.

Organizers say hundreds of thousands of protesters return to the streets across Israel for a second straight day as a general strike Monday brought the country to a near standstill, all of it fuelled by anger over the hostage deaths and the failure to secure a deal.

Protesters outside one of Mr. Netanyahu's private residences lit fires chanting, you are the leader, you are guilty. Despite the growing pressure, Netanyahu says he won't make any concessions. Meanwhile, Hamas is warning any further rescue attempts by the Israeli military will lead to more hostages being killed.

Netanyahu is also facing criticism from Israel's closest ally with U.S. President Joe Biden flatly saying the Israeli leader has not done enough to secure the hostages release. On Monday, Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris huddled with U.S. officials who've been working to secure a deal. The U.S. president says he is close to presenting a final deal to negotiators.

And CNN's Paula Hancocks is following developments and joins me live from Abu Dhabi. So Paula, what is the latest on the impact of these massive protests and of course the mounting pressure on Netanyahu?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Rosemary, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is really digging in, he gave that statement on Monday, really the first time that he had spoken publicly since the weekend and the news of those six Israeli hostages being killed in Gaza. So he has said that it is up to Hamas to make concessions when it comes to the ceasefire-hostage deal.

And he really did appear unwilling to make any concessions of his own. He gave quite a detailed presentation of where exactly he wants to keep Israeli troops along the border between Gaza and Egypt, the Philadelphia corridor, which does appear to be a quite substantial sticking point in trying to agree to this deal, pointing out that if the Israeli military leaves that particular area, then Hamas will be able to rearm and become a threat to Israel in the future.

The anger though against the Israeli Prime Minister is palpable on the streets of Israel. For a second day we saw hundreds of thousands coming out onto the streets calling for him to make that deal. We also saw many going to his homes to give the message very clearly, chants of shame and you are the leader, you are guilty. There was also a nationwide strike which shut down the airport effectively for a couple of hours, no flights going in or out.

But as of now, the Prime Minister appears to be withstanding that pressure, as he has for months now. He has had criticism though, as you mentioned, from his closest ally, the United States. We heard from the U.S. President Joe Biden being asked whether Netanyahu has been doing enough to secure that deal, and it was a very blunt response. Let's listen to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Do you think it's time for Prime Minister Netanyahu to do more on this issue? Do you think he's doing enough?

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:05:10]

HANCOCKS: And he was also asked how the deal could possibly be different in the future. And he said, quote, "hope springs eternal." Now, we know that the United States is trying to hammer out a final deal, a final proposal that's being called. We had the US president meeting with his security officials in the Situation Room. The Mossad chief, David Barnea, from Israel, has gone to Doha to talk to mediators there. And we know that Biden administration officials are on the phone

trying to create space for this final deal. But we also know that a source familiar with these negotiations is criticizing Benjamin Netanyahu for being so blunt and blatant in saying there cannot be a deal without the Israeli military on the Philadelphia corridor saying, quote, "this guy torpedoed everything in one speech."

Now it is an issue that we know Hamas would not agree to. The Israeli Prime Minister has drawn a line in the sand now saying it has to be part of this deal. So it does make it very difficult to see where the talks go from here. Certainly we have heard and seen a draft proposal of the deal back in May, which Israel and Hamas both claim to have agreed to. And there was no mention of the Philadelphia corridor in the draft that we saw in the Israeli media.

So still both sides, Israel and Hamas, blaming the other for a deal not having been done. But it is very clear that the pressure at this point, both inside Israel and outside Israel is focused on one man, the Israeli Prime Minister. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Paula Hancocks, in Abu Dhabi. Many thanks for that report. I Appreciate it.

Alon Pinkas is a former Israeli Consul General in New York. He joins me now live from Tel Aviv. Thank you so much for being with us. Massive protests calling on Israel's Prime Minister to make a deal and bring the hostages home after six were found dead in a Hamas tunnel in Gaza. They blame Netanyahu for failing to make a deal, but he's now vowing to make a must pay and says Israel will never give up control of the Philadelphia corridor. What does this signal to you about the chances of a deal going forward?

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Good morning Rosemary. Well it's very simple, I mean tragic but simple. As long as Mr. Netanyahu is prime minister there won't be any deal. There won't be a hostage deal, there won't be a ceasefire, this war will not end. He has a vested interest in prolonging this war. He has been doing so for months. And it's pretty surprising, Rosemary, that the American administration's learning curve is so flat.

I mean, he's been doing it again and again and again, deceiving and lying and manipulating and diverting attention. But he's basically doing the same thing. There won't be a deal as long as he is the prime minister. And that was evident yesterday. But what he did yesterday, if I may add one more sentence, what he did yesterday was far worse.

It wasn't a policy question. It wasn't even a military tactical question. He basically and essentially condemned the remaining hostages to death. And that is something that the Israeli public realizes viscerally and cerebrally.

CHURCH: Yeah, and the U.S. President Joe Biden now saying Netanyahu is not doing enough to bring the hostages home. But is the U.S. doing enough to pressure Netanyahu to do that, and if so, what more should they be doing? Because they're working, as President Biden just pointed out, they're working on this final deal. So this is the last chance to make a deal. So what more should the U.S. be doing?

PINKAS: Well, you know, Rosemary, if you and I had a dollar for every time we heard this is the final chance or the last chance for a deal, we'd be in Vegas, you know, gambling all that money.

I'll tell you, you asked about the American administration. Look, they were always mitigating circumstances and contextual or circumstantial explanations on why they haven't done enough. It was the war. They supported Israel. Israel was isolated.

Let's just finish this military operation in Gaza. Let's just finish the military operation in Rafah. But ever since President Biden presented his postwar plan that Mr. Netanyahu reluctantly ignored, and ever since he presented his, on the 31st of May, his plan for the hostage and ceasefire deal, the three-phase deal which Netanyahu dismissed candidly.

[03:10:00]

The U.S. hasn't really applied any pressure. Now what can the U.S. do? Well it could blame, it could point to Mr. Netanyahu publicly, not just saying no, blurting a no like President Biden did yesterday, which obviously expressed a lot of emotion and aggravation and frustration, but it's not yet a policy. They can make a speech and point fingers.

In fact, they warned they would do that. They could go to the Security Council. They could talk to the defense minister, Gallant, about what they most likely could do is hold conversations with the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, the head of the Mossad, the head of the General Security Service, the Shabbat, the head of the Chief of Staff of the IDF, Lieutenant General Halevi, and press them. Because if those gentlemen do not press Netanyahu, they become complicit in what he's doing. And that is undermining the deal.

CHURCH: I want to look at these protests, because it is really quite extraordinary when you look at the images there. How different. of these protests, the previous demonstrations, and could sufficient pressure from the people of Israel result perhaps in pushing for new elections?

PINKAS: Yes, it could. I was at the demonstration and it was huge by I mean 350,000 people in Tel Aviv, which is the equivalent of almost two and a half million Britons or almost 12 million Americans in one demonstration in one place over one issue.

But the key here, Rosemary, is obviously could this be sustained? Because if it was one demonstration followed by a general strike that took place yesterday and then next week it'll all dwindle down to a sporadic, small scale demonstrations then nothing has been achieved. But the anger, the pure, the aggravation is real. The dejection is real, and the disgust with Mr. Netanyahu. I'm talking about the general public and it's evident in polls. This is not me expressing an opinion. 70 percent in three different polls want him to resign.

It could become a tipping point politically if it is combined with what we've spoken a moment ago about the Americans. If the heads of the Israeli negotiating team come forth and accuse Netanyahu of jeopardizing the deal, if the president of the United States does so, and if there are two, three more demonstrations, maybe not 350,000, but even 150,000, that would create intolerable pressure for him. Don't forget, he's extraordinarily unpopular. Don't judge him by a speech he made or a tough guy's stance that he pretends to make. He's not.

CHURCH: Do you think Netanyahu ever intended to bring the hostages home, to make a deal to do that?

PINKAS: No. I don't think so. There was the first deal in which several dozens were freed last November, November 2023. But ever since he's been invested in one thing, Rosemary, that is prolonging the war. He needs a war atmosphere. Don't forget, he said total victory. He said toppling Hamas, eradicating Hamas, will never relent, and we will never relinquish control.

Stopping the war because of a hostage deal would necessarily mean a de facto end of the war. So he construes, he interprets a cessation of hostilities as one step before the end of the war. So he has a vested interest in prolonging that war. And he, by the way, is not making the connection between escalation in Lebanon with Hezbollah or even with Iran and the war in Gaza. He thinks these are all, this is all one front, and he needs this to go on.

No, the short answer, I'm sorry, I went too long, but the short answer to your question is no, he did not, he never intended to do any kind of hostage.

CHURCH: Well, clearly the people of Israel have had enough of the war they want to see those hostages brought home. Alon Pinkas, joining us live from Tel Aviv, many thanks, I Appreciate it.

PINKAS: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: The U.S. military says Houthi rebels in Yemen have attacked two more oil tankers in the Red Sea. It says the tankers, one from Saudi Arabia, the other from Panama, were hit with ballistic missiles and drones on Monday. The Houthis only claimed responsibility for one of the attacks. This comes more than a week after the Iran-backed militants struck a Greek vessel which has been burning and leaking oil ever since. The Houthis have been carrying out attacks in the Red Sea since November, claiming they're protesting Israel's war in Gaza.

Russian airstrikes have killed three people in Ukraine overnight. Two of the victims, a mother and her eight-year-old son, were killed in Zaporizhzhya when a missile hit a hotel complex.

[03:15:08]

One man was killed in the Dnipro region. Ukrainian officials say they shot down dozens of Russian drones. These new deadly attacks come the day after another wide-ranging Russian air assault which wounded four people on the day Ukrainian children returned to school for a new term. Salma Abdelaziz joins me now live from London. Good morning to you

Salma. So what more can you tell us about these overnight strikes?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so as you mentioned there Rosemary, yet another barrage of missiles and drones fired by Moscow towards cities and towns across Ukraine. It is this week that children began returning to school. So it is amid that environment that these explosives are raining down. The latest victims of this Russian assault is a family in Zaporizhzhya that were staying in a hotel. A mother and child, an eight-year-old son, killed a father and daughter, now wounded and in hospital.

And as this assault comes in, you have to remember that there was a major uptick in Russia's attacks towards Ukrainian civilian infrastructure just a few weeks after Ukraine entered Russian territory with that surprise assault into Kursk. The stated goal of that Ukrainian officials say was to divert Russian forces away from areas where Ukrainian troops are outmanned and outgunned, particularly in the Donbass, a strategy that so far President Zelenskyy admits has yet to play out on the battlefield. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Yes, the Kursk operation is fulfilling its tasks. It is going according to plan. Regarding the difficulties at the Pokrovsk and Toretsk front sections, yes, we do believe that the Kursk operation could also influence these sections, and that there could be a lessening in intensity of fighting, due to fewer Russian troops being there. However, as of now, we see that it remains difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: So, President Zelenskyy is still holding out hope that could shift the strategy, but only the other day, President Putin was speaking on this as well, and he even said, I acknowledge that Ukraine was trying to divert me, trying to distract me away from the Donbass. That will not happen. I will not play Ukraine's game.

And Ukrainian officials are admitting, Pokrovsk is an extremely difficult front, that if things continue at pace, it could potentially fall in a matter of weeks. And in the meanwhile, you have all of these Ukrainian towns and cities, including of course subjected to this massive barrages every morning by Russian forces.

That's why Ukrainian officials are pleading with Western counterparts to allow them to use long-range missiles to strike deep inside the heart of Ukraine. Ukraine's foreign minister says that the restrictions put in place on those long-range missiles is like fighting with our hands tied behind our back. It was only last week that Ukrainian officials were in D.C. pleading with the White House again for those restrictions to be lifted.

But for the U.S.' part, they believe that this strategy, the long- range missiles hitting deeper into Russia, will not necessarily shift things, that valuable assets are too far from the range of those missiles. Still, Ukraine continues that strategy just in other ways. They carried out their largest drone strike on Russia since the beginning of the conflict over the weekend. President Zelenskyy very much focusing on hitting Russia on Russian territory.

CHURCH: Salma Abdelaziz, joining us live from London. Many thanks for that report.

And still to come here on "CNN Newsroom", Venezuela responds after the US seizes President Nicolas Maduro's plane. or take a look at the accusations being leveled by Caraccas.

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[03:20:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Venezuela's government accuses the U.S. of piracy and escalating aggression for seizing President Nicolas Maduro's plane. The U.S. says the jet was acquired in violation of sanctions, among other criminal issues. CNN's Oren Liebermann has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This jet was in the Dominican Republic for maintenance when U.S. authorities seized it. FBI agents flew it from the Dominican Republic to Florida. There you can see video obtained exclusively by CNN as it landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and was taxiing around there.

It's not quite the 747 jumbo jet that the U.S. uses as Air Force One, but it is, according to two U.S. officials, Venezuela's version of Air Force One, used by President Nicolas Maduro to fly around to meetings and to other events there.

According to Garland, it was purchased for some $13 million by a shell company before it was illegally flown out of the country.

Now, the U.S. and Venezuela have long had a frosty relationship. That's only gotten worse, perhaps even almost outright hostile since the July presidential election. The U.S. not recognizing the claimed results of that election.

According to Maduro's own regime, he won with some 51 percent of the vote. The U.S. not recognizing that as a free and fair election. In fact, many other countries not recognizing it as well. It is because of the results or claimed results of that election that the U.S. reimposed sanctions on Venezuela's oil and gas industries. Venezuela said the seizure of that jet was, quote, "piracy."

Oren Liebermann, CNN in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris says U.S. Steel should remain an American-owned company despite a takeover bid by Japan's Nippon Steel. Harris campaigned in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Monday with current President Joe Biden hoping to win over union members. CNN's senior White House correspondent Kayla Tausche has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris appearing on the campaign trail for the first time since Harris ascended to the top of the ticket. President Biden delivering a forceful defense of his one-time running mate who is now running to succeed him as president, celebrating the work that they've done for the last three and a half years, particularly when it comes to organized labor.

BIDEN: I made a lot of progress, and Kamala and I are going to build on that progress, and she's going to build on it. I'll be on the sidelines, but I'll do everything I can to help.

TAUSCHE: While the two exhibited their characteristic and stylistic differences, they were in lockstep on much of their message that the Democrats running for office this year are the ones who have a platform that will promote and provide more benefits for those who are members of unions.

Donald Trump and J.D. Vance on the Republican side, they say, have no platform that would do the same. But they did have one area of agreement in particular where the two were in lockstep, and that was the endorsement of American ownership for iconic Pittsburgh-based company U.S. Steel. currently at the center of a $15 billion takeover by a Japanese rival.

Shareholders have approved the deal, but union members have voiced their opposition. And today, Vice President Harris echoing President Biden's own opposition, which he staked out in Pittsburgh last April.

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS (D), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Everywhere I go, I tell people, you may not be a union member, but you better thank unions for that five-day work week. Thank unions for sick leave, thank unions for paid family leave, thank unions for your vacation time. Because when wages go up, everybody's wages go up. When union workplaces are safer, all workplaces are safer. When unions are strong, America is strong.

TAUSCHE: It's a singular issue, but it's emblematic of the debate in middle America. That is resisting the control of foreign interests and foreign ownership and keeping American manufacturing wholly owned and strong going into the future.

[03:25:08]

There's just 64 days left before the election, and this is a message that is going to be carried throughout the heartland. President Biden will be campaigning and making official visits in Michigan and Wisconsin. Vice President Harris will be visiting New Hampshire, where she'll be delivering a speech rolling out the next phase of her economic plan.

Kayla Tausche, CNN, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Larry Sabato is the director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. He joins me now from Charlottesville. Always a pleasure to have you with us.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS: Thank you so much, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So Larry, with just 63 days to go before Election Day, we saw Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden spend the Labor Day holiday campaigning in the must-win state of Pennsylvania and courting crucial union workers. So it is the first time that they've appeared together in a campaign event since the DNC. How crucial is President Biden to Harris' success in these battleground states?

SABATO: Well, I don't know that he would help in every battleground state, but he certainly helps in Pennsylvania because he was senator for so many years from Delaware, right next door to Pennsylvania. And he has said over the years that he has been Pennsylvania's third senator.

I don't know whether that's true or not, but it's a good place for him to go. It's a strong union state, and labor unions have always been attracted to Joe Biden's record, and he has always argued for them. So I think for Kamala Harris, it was a good way to start out the final phase, the post-Labor Day phase of the campaign, with somebody who can actually help.

It was also a good way to reintroduce Biden to the campaign. Because after all, even though his numbers have gone up since he withdrew from the campaign, he's still in the low 40s. So he can only be so much help to her in so many places.

CHURCH: And the latest polling from ABC-Ipsos shows no real bounce for Harris coming out of the DNC. But she is enjoying a slight lead on rival Donald Trump, although it's within the margin of error. What does that reveal to you and what could that mean for voters in critical battleground states?

SABATO: It just means it's very, very close and everything we've seen in all seven of the battleground states has it close. Either Kamala Harris is up by a few or she's down by a couple. But all of them are going to be very competitive. If I could just add a word about that bounce, because I've heard this constantly across many networks, we haven't had a good convention bounce since 2000.

Al Gore and George W. Bush each got eight points out of their conventions. We have had nothing in 2016, nothing in 2020, and Donald Trump didn't get a bounce either. It isn't just Kamala Harris in the conventions this year. So the bounce means nothing. There was a bounce before the convention as she was rolled out as the new nominee. So that doesn't signal anything and shouldn't signal anything to anybody. CHURCH: Right. Yeah, very important point. So with only about two

months to go, what do you think the 4-6 percent or so of undecided voters are waiting to hear from the candidates before they make their choice?

SABATO: Well, they will wait for the debate. That's on the 10th of September, because they remember CNN's debate on June 27th, which actually sent an incumbent president packing, which has never happened before in American history. So no one can say that debates don't matter. Now, whether this one will matter coming up on September 10th, we'll have to see. But I'll bet it draws a very, very substantial audience. That is what we were waiting for.

CHURCH: And generally, what is the polling and the support to bounce from debates if someone is perceived as the winner of a debate?

SABATO: Well, it can be the end of the campaign effectively. Now, we don't know whether there's going to be another debate after that. They both kind of left it up in the air, as Harrison and Trump have. So it's possible there'll be another one. We know there'll be a vice presidential debate, but as always, the numbers will fall dramatically for the V.P. debate. So we don't know about another debate, but this one will matter. And if one candidate clearly wins, it could be the bounce that lasts all the way to November 5th.

We need to remember voting is starting even at the end of this week in North Carolina. And the many states, including my state of Virginia, vote by the end of September. I think we start September 20th. So everything matters after the 10th and therefore the 10th and that debate on the 10th is very, very important.

[03:30:00]

CHURCH: And meantime, former President Donald Trump says he had every right to interfere in the last election. His campaign says he misspoke when he said that. But what does it reveal to you and why does he not appear to be doing the amount of campaigning that we're seeing from the Harris team?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS: Well, Trump very definitely did misspeak in the sense that no one has the right to interfere in a presidential election, especially one that was called by the unit within the Department of Homeland Security as the safest and most secure election in American history in 2020. He made up the entire voter fraud allegation.

So this is just an insult to the people who run campaigns, and it's an insult to the people of America, frankly. So nothing surprises us about what Donald Trump says or doesn't say. And he's simply preparing the way to claim there was voter fraud again. Even if he wins, he'll say, oh, I actually won by millions more than all these illegal immigrants showed up to vote. It's just complete nonsense. But that is pretty much what you get from Donald Trump.

CHURCH: Larry Sabato, we thank you for your analysis. I Appreciate it.

SABATO: Thank you very much.

CHURCH: And still to come, health officials in Gaza say they are seeing a strong turnout for the U.N.'s polio vaccination campaign. We will have the latest as the final day of phase one gets underway soon.

Plus Pope Francis begins a 12-day tour of Southeast Asia, arriving in the world's largest Muslim-majority country. We'll have a live report on what's next on his agenda in Indonesia.

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CHURCH: The third day of a U.N.-led polio vaccination campaign will soon begin in central Gaza. The Ministry of Health in Gaza says nearly 159,000 children have received the vaccine in the first two days of the campaign, with a strong turnout from residents. The next phase will take place in southern Gaza starting on Thursday. UNRWA, the U.N.'s main agency in the enclave, is hoping to vaccinate 640,000 children. Israel has agreed to a series of pauses in fighting during the vaccination campaign.

And for more, we want to go to CNN's Nada Bashir, who joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Nada. So what more are you learning about the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza entering its final day of phase one?

[03:34:58]

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, this vaccination campaign is hugely dependent on all parties respecting this call for a pause in fighting. These are area-specific pauses in fighting as you mentioned phase one is focusing on central Gaza and so far we have seen that pause in fighting being respected.

We've heard from you when representatives describing the first two days of this vaccination rollout as a success as you mentioned, more than 158,000 children under the age of 10 have been vaccinated so far according to the U.N. agency for Palestine refugees and the Palestine Health Ministry. And of course, this is a huge challenge ahead for U.N. workers on the ground.

They are aiming to vaccinate some 640,000 children across the Gaza Strip. And this will take place over three phases, each phase lasting three days between September 1st and September 12th. Now today is the final day of phase one. This brings the end of the vaccination rollout in central Gaza.

It will then move to southern Gaza, focusing on the Khan Younis governorate and then that third and final phase will focus on northern Gaza. Now we have seen a significant turnout. On the first day we saw lines and lines of families queuing up outside the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital waiting to have their children vaccinated.

Yesterday, we saw U.N. workers visiting families tent-by-tent around central Gaza going into U.N.-run schools that have become shelters now for so many civilians to offer the vaccination to children there and they have said positive turnout from families. Because there's a hugely desperate situation in Gaza.

The first case of Polio confirmed in over 25 years, according to UNICEF. So, certainly a lot of pressure on aid workers on the ground to get this vaccination campaign completed as soon as possible.

The hope is of course that those pauses in fighting are respected throughout this process both in Southern Gaza and in Northern Gaza. We have heard urges of peace on all sides from Hamas and Israel, of course, from the U.N. reiterating that need for a pause in fighting. But again, today is the third and final day of that phase one.

So it remains to be seen how that will be carried out. And of course, important to remember that not all of these medical points and all of these vaccination points are taking place in what is being described as humanitarian zones. The first day was within a humanitarian zone, the second day not so much.

So that makes it even more challenging for these relief workers on the ground, having to coordinate safe routes and safe access, not only for their aid workers on the ground, but also of course, families waiting to have their children vaccinated. So this is a hugely complex operation, but so far proving successful.

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Nada Bashir bringing us that live report from London.

Ukraine's successes, with its incursion into Russia's Kursk region and its setbacks in the Donetsk region, are bringing the world's attention back to the war. And local businesses are reacting with urgency. CNN's Christiane Amanpour takes a closer look at a factory in Kyiv that's ramping up its efforts to help Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): The evidence keeps growing. Even here in Kyiv, far from the front, memorials occupy ever more space. And since Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region, the war has returned to the cities with a vengeance.

Last night, ballistic missiles hit Kyiv, destroying infrastructure, tripling the energy grid, raising fears.

Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk tells me it's been a trade-off.

NATALIYA GUMENYUK, UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST: There is no discussion whether the Kursk was right, but the question is how much we lose in Pokrovsk, in the Donbass. It boosted the morale among the military. It showed that Ukraine can do something.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): Just outside Kyiv there's an urgent race against time in this factory that's building unmanned vehicles or land drones, because aerial drones make the front lines ever more dangerous for soldiers on both sides. Here's CEO and former Special Forces officer, Oleksandr Biletski. OLEKSANDR BILETSKI, CEO, SHERP: That's why we should have technologies

to kill more Russians with the purpose of using the new technologies, like using drones, using robots. That's it.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): And these all-terrain, all-weather drones are meant to save more Ukrainians. On the front, they can be controlled from as far as three kilometers away.

Here, we follow along behind. They can deliver everything from ammunition to water and also remove the wounded from the front lines. Their production has ramped up since the full-scale invasion of 2022. And the company insists Ukraine must develop more technologically advanced systems for asymmetrical warfare to counter Russia's overwhelming manpower.

[03:40:03]

And they want to be much more self-sufficient for the long haul. 30 months into this grinding conflict with the prospect of international support fading. Are Ukrainians now ready to negotiate an end to it all?

GUMENYUK: It's really a matter of survival. We can't allow them to control our territory. And what they suggest is unconditional capitulation, unconditional surrender or occupation.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): And here Natalia quotes her friend and Ukraine's Nobel laureate. who warns that occupation is not peace, it's just a different way of war.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Pope Francis has begun a marathon 12-day tour of Southeast Asia. He touched down in Jakarta, Indonesia earlier today. It comes as the Catholic Church seeks to grow and strengthen its presence across Asia. The Pope is set to meet with Indonesia's President and other officials on Wednesday before continuing his trip to three other nations.

And CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me now live from Hong Kong. Good to see you again. So Kristie, it is a challenging tour for the Pope with this first stop in Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population. So how does he plan to cement the church's position in the region?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Rosemary, this is a marathon trip and it signals how the 87-year-old pope has no plan to slow down his outreach. The pope's 12-day visit to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific is fully underway. Earlier today, 11:30 a.m. local time, he arrived in Indonesia and he was greeted by Indonesian children on the tarmac, as well as honor guards and local Catholic leaders.

And Pope Francis, later after Indonesia, will visit Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. And this visit overall will be a challenge for him. It is his longest and farthest trip ever. It is one of the longest foreign trips for any pope, and it will test his strength and fortitude. Pope Francis, again, is 87 years old. He's using a wheelchair and he's been battling health problems.

Now, the pope will not have any public events today on Tuesday. He will rest. But his first official events will take place tomorrow. And on Wednesday, he will address political leaders in Indonesia. And then on Thursday, he will visit Jakarta's Istiqlal Mosque. This is a vast mosque that has this very interesting, symbolic underpass that links it to a neighboring Catholic cathedral.

So Pope Francis, he will have an interfaith meeting at this mosque, and then he will visit that underpass, this 28 meter long tunnel known as the Tunnel of Friendship.

Indonesia is a secular state. It has a total population of 280 million. Nearly 90 percent are Muslim, and many Muslim Indonesians welcome the Pope. Listen to this.

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ELDY (through translator): Frankly, I have a different religion, but I like it. It means being together, the union. It means mutual respect. That's what I like. I'm okay that he's coming to Indonesia. I like it.

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LU STOUT: And although this visit is a strong symbol of friendship, Indonesia does have a patchy record when it comes to religious harmony. Minority religions there still face discrimination. But this visit will allow the pope to highlight that issue, to highlight inter- religious dialogue, which has been a key theme for him and his pontificate. Now, Vatican watchers, they also say that this visit highlights a critical tilt or shift toward Asia, where churches here in this region have a growing voice. Back to you Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Kristie Lu Stout joining us live from Hong Kong with that report.

Still to come, Bangladesh is picking up the pieces following the recent mass protests, which led to the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Now political prisoners are speaking out about the horrors they faced under her regime. We'll have a live report.

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[03:45:00]

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CHURCH: A renewed sense of hope in Bangladesh after the ouster of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She resigned and fled the country last month following weeks of deadly anti-government protests. Critics say her 15 years in power were marked by a stifling of civil freedoms and using harsh measures to crush dissent. Now, as the country begins a new chapter, political prisoners are coming forward sharing stories of abuse and torture at the hands of Hasina's government.

And CNN's Anna Coren met with some of those former prisoners and she joins me live from Hong Kong. So Anna, what did these former political prisoners tell you about the horrors they endured?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Rosemary, they are incredibly courageous and resilient. But you know, so much has happened in the past month since Sheikh Hasina's government was overthrown. Bangladesh now coming to terms and looking for accountability for its dark history and human rights abuses. We recently traveled to Bangladesh and met with student leaders who are pivotal to the protests. They say they were tortured by security services under orders by Hasina.

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COREN (voice-over): The fresh faces of the future against that of the past. Shoes hanging in the face of Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the ultimate insult and show of defiance in a country where people on the streets achieved the unthinkable.

What began as a student-led protest against government quotas in early July morphed into a mass uprising. After Hasina, who'd been in power for more than 15 years, ordered police to open fire on the crowds.

Over the following weeks, hundreds of people were killed while thousands were arrested.

NUSRAT TABUSUM, POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT: They came to my house, they broke three doors took me with them and, oh my God, the physical torture that was that was miserable.

COREN (voice-over): Nusrat Tabusum, a 23 year old political science student says she was beaten for hours on end. Her face repeatedly hit, some of her teeth now loose, her right ear drum burst.

TABUSUM: Without hearing aid, I can't listen in my right ear.

COREN (voice-over): After five days in custody, Nusrat was paraded in front of the cameras. The only female in the group of prominent student leaders forced to make an apology.

For fellow student Iftika Alam, his detainment was even more sinister. Snatched from his home before dawn, he was blindfolded, handcuffed, and believes he was taken to a notorious military intelligence facility in Dhaka where over the years hundreds of Bangladeshi considered anti-state have been disappeared.

IFTIKA ALAM, LAW STUDENT: It was like there is no escaping from this and my life will end here and no one will know.

The law student says for hours he was beaten with a metal rod breaking bones in his feet. A burning cigarette was then pushed into his fingers and toes as part of what they called their little game.

ALAM: When I closed my eyes. I remember that I went to that horrible day. COREN (voice-over): Once released, he discovered Hasina had resigned

and fled to India.

ALAM: The people of Bangladesh, it is the people's country.

COREN (voice-over): The capital, now awash with colorful murals, has a very clear message. There is no going back.

[03:50:05]

As the U.N. investigates the hundreds of protested deaths, the people have entrusted interim chief Nobel Prize winner Mohammed Yunus to bring about desperately needed reform.

COREN: The call of the government has unleashed a spirit that has electrified every level of society. It has given a voice to everyone, from students to doctors, even rickshaw drivers, as they take to the streets to make their demands.

COREN (voice-over): But change doesn't happen overnight, especially in a country of 170 million people where the iron fist ruled and corruption and cronyism reigned.

TABUSUM: My country is sick, but our people, we stand together. I believe there will be sunshine in the future.

COREN (voice-over): A future this generation will continue to fight for.

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COREN: Rosemary, in conjunction with that fact-finding mission by the U.N., Bangladesh's interim government will launch a commission into the hundreds of suspected enforced disappearances. Human rights groups believe more than 700 Bangladeshi were disappeared under Hasina's reign and at least three of them have been released from secret prisons in recent weeks speaking out about the horrors they've endured.

The families of the missing obviously welcome this commission of inquiry and it will submit its findings in the next few months. But Rosemary, people within Bangladesh, they are calling on India, which is providing refuge for Sheikh Hasina, for her to be sent back to Bangladesh and face trial for the human rights abuses under her reign. The families want this woman, who led Bangladesh for more than 15 years, to face justice. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Anna Coren, we thank you for that report, joining us live from Hong Kong. And we'll be right back.

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CHURCH: U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer vows to tackle surge pricing after complaints about ticket prices for the first batch of Oasis reunion shows. The Britpop band announced their reunion tour on August 27. Tickets went on sale this past Saturday for their U.K. and Ireland shows and sold out in less than a day. Fans who queued up online for tickets were stunned to see prices soar to as much as 4,000 pounds a piece.

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MICHAEL SCHULZ, BANK CLERK: It's the biggest comeback for me to see this band live again, but I think if I see the prizes going from, I don't know, 100 pounds to 3,000 pounds or more, it's too expensive. But I think I'd go a little higher this time to see them, but I think it's a little too much.

SOPHIE CHANNELL, STUDENT: It was ridiculous. My friend bought some for like 2,500 grand each and she bought four of them. But they were just too much, too expensive.

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CHURCH: British regulators received more than 400 complaints about Ticketmaster, saying advertisements for Oasis ticket prices and availability were misleading.

Well the ghost with the most is coming back to the big screen this week. "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" is the highly anticipated sequel to Tim Burton's beloved 1988 classic.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister spoke with some of the film's stars.

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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three iconic words.

CATHERINE O'HARA, ACTRESS IN "BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE": Nobody should say it three times.

WINONA RYDER, ACTRESS IN "BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE": I'm like, weird about saying it twice.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Three iconic women returning to that ghostly comedy. 36 years after the original. Catherine O'Hara.

O'HARA: I'm trying to capture the perfect primal scream.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): And Winona Ryder.

RYDER: I can't believe I'm doing this.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Reprise their roles in the long-awaited sequel to "Beetlejuice."

WAGMEISTER: It took a long time, but why is now the right time for this?

O'HARA: Jenna had to be born-- JENNA ORTEGA, ACTRESS IN "BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE": Yeah.

O'HARA: -- to become an actress.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Fresh off Netflix's monster hit, "Wednesday", Jenna Ortega plays Ryder's daughter and O'Hara's granddaughter. All three women sat down with CNN ahead of the film's release.

WAGMEISTER: I love sitting with the three of you because it's the three generations of women of this film. Jenna, what did you learn from working with Winona and Catherine?

ORTEGA: First of all, comedy legend.

O'HARA: Yes.

ORTEGA: Everything that she does is absolutely perfect. I feel like Winona has this quality to her that -- that's why you're like the perfect Lydia because you feel like you know her, you feel like you relate to her, but there's still something there that's unattainable and it belongs to just you.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The sequel finds the Deetz family back home where Beetlejuice first haunted them. When Ortega's Astrid accidentally opens the portal to the afterlife, Michael Keaton's Beetlejuice is unleashed all over again.

O'HARA: I honestly did not know that this movie was so loved. They're at the right age, I guess, that the nostalgic sort of value of it really means something to them.

RYDER: There's just nothing like it. It's in its own genre. That is like a testament to Tim.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over):Tim Burton returns to direct the sequel to the 1988 classic.

TIM BURTON, DIRECTOR OF "BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE": It's not a movie that could have been made in like 1989. It's it. It really was the anchor to this, to see three generations of the Deetz.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Burton also made "Wednesday" with Ortega, a natural choice for Beetlejuice, even though she wasn't born when the original came out. She saw it decades later at age nine.

WAGMEISTER: And what do you remember about watching it?

ORTEGA: I remember sweating a lot because I saw a drunk Beetlejuice costume when I was like six years old at a Halloween costume party, and she terrified me.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): As for a third movie, likely titled with those three cursed words,

ORTEGA: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): These generational stars say they could be back for more.

O'HARA: Yeah, I'd like to be alive in about 30 years.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, Los Angeles.

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CHURCH: I'll be watching that. Thanks so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Christina Macfarlane in London.

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