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CNN International: DOJ Charges Six Hamas Leaders in October 7 Terror Attack; Russia Ramps Up Its Air Assaults on Ukraine; Ukraine's Foreign Minister Tenders Resignation in Government Reshuffle; Diplomatic Sources Say There Will Be No Deal in Ceasefire Talks as Long as Philadelphi Corridor is Unresolved; Harris to Unveil Small Business Tax Breaks Today; Trump and Vance Campaign in Pennsylvania and Arizona; Britain's Grenfell Tower Inquiry Blames Government Failure and Construction Firms; Former Aide to Two New York Governors Charged With Acting as Chinese Agent; Pope Francis Warns Against Religious Extremism, Violence; Nicolas Maduro Decrees Christmas Will Start in October; Tiafoe to Face Fritz in All-American U.S. Open Semifinal; Lightning Strikes Ancient Roman Monument; Orange Lobster Rescued and Released Into the Sea. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired September 04, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: -- one of the reasons for that is because one of the folks who is listed in this political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh. He was actually murdered in Iran earlier this year. And so, they essentially tried to keep these charges sealed in an effort to try and arrest some of the Hamas leaders who are listed in this. But after that murder and after a number of things that have happened, they decided they no longer needed to do that. We'll continue watching this space because Garland did say --
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. Welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is "CNN Newsroom." Just ahead, Ukraine's foreign minister offers to resign as part of a major government reshuffle as another Russian strike turns deadly. The U.S. files criminal charges against six senior Hamas leaders over the October 7th attacks. And you may be surprised by what the latest CNN poll suggest about the state of the U.S. presidential race.
We begin in Ukraine where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says they need new energy and is directing a major cabinet reshuffle. The country's foreign minister has offered to step down. It is Kyiv's biggest government shakeup since Russia's full-scale invasion began. Ukraine's parliament approved the resignations of several members of the government today, but did not take up Dmytro Kuleba's. In his daily address on Tuesday, the president outlined the reasons for the reshuffle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The (inaudible) will be extremely important for Ukraine and our state institutions must be set up, so that Ukraine achieves all the results we need, all of us. To do this, we need to strengthen some areas of the government, and we have prepared personnel decisions. There will also be changes in the office. I'm also counting on a slightly different weight (ph) for certain areas of our foreign and domestic policy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: So, this reshuffle comes as Russia continues its relentless air assaults on Ukraine. Earlier, Moscow launched an attack on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, killing at least seven people. CNN's Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour joining me now from Kyiv with the latest. Hi, Christiane. I know you just spoke with the foreign minister, I guess before he offered his resignation.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yeah.
WALKER: What did he tell you?
AMANPOUR: Well, listen, obviously nothing about that move. He did tell me that there had been cabinet meetings, obviously about the state of the war, but also other such meetings. And I do know that two of these ministers now who I've interviewed over the last two days, have both tended their resignations. One, we understand will be moved into a defense department position and we wait to see what happens with Kuleba. But we understand that the system here demands that whenever there is an impending reshuffle, then all the ministers tendered their resignation. It is sort of a formality. And then the parliament and the president, they did side who they're going to reshuffle, who will resign permanently, and who will be reassigned and -- or who will stay in their positions.
So the fact that Dmytro Kuleba, the most well-known and high-profile after the president, basically ambassador for Ukraine's narrative and its needs has resigned, does not mean he is out of a job, at least not yet. So let's see what happens. In terms of the attacks, this week has seen a mark step-up of Russian attacks all across this country and they are three-pronged, it is ballistic missiles, it is cruise missiles. It is very heavy Shahed drones. They are attacking a number of different installations. For instance, in Lviv, we understand, although it fell in downtown Lviv, it was very close to the train station and to the railway station. As you know, the railways are key transportation hubs, not just the people, but for war material as well.
In Poltava, yesterday, just as I was talking to the foreign minister, there was this massive ballistic missile attack on a military academy, those young recruits being trained to fight the war. We also know because winter coming, that the Russians are stepping up their attacks on infrastructure including energy infrastructure, because they want to demoralize the population, disable the population, and plunge this nation again into this deep freeze, which is essentially what every winter here is. So that is what is going on.
Now, I asked Dmytro Kuleba what message they need to send -- they are sending to the United States? And he said, A, we are sending the message that we need more weapons, everything that has been promised to us, we need them now, and especially sophisticated anti-missile defenses that can take down things as ferocious as ballistic missiles. On the issue of the Ukrainian incursion and central cross-border invasion into the Kursk region of Russia, I asked him what the strategy behind that was. Here's what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DMYTRO KULEBA, FORMER MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF UKRAINE: Now, we've showed everyone we defeated -- not only we defeated the Russian army in course, we defeated the arguments so popular in among our partners that there was a stalemate.
[08:05:00]
Because now everyone sees that when -- everyone sees what we've been talking about all the time. When Ukraine has everything it needs, we do not like courage and military skill to advance and win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: Again, Amara, this incursion was not accidentally timed. It comes at a time when as Kuleba told me and others told me that the Western governments and various allies began to sort of -- you could feel the sort of fatigue setting in and perhaps a little bit of disillusion in Ukraine's ability. So, this was a sharp demonstration according to the Ukrainian government of what they can achieve when they do have the equipment and that is their message right now, especially as a new essentially school year, so to speak, a new autumn of this war is imminent. And this government is sending representatives to the Biden Administration to try to convince them of their needs and also to leave and raise the restrictions on the weapons that they have right now. Amara?
WALKER: All right, notable developments. Christiane Amanpour, good to see you. Thank you so much. And we are learning that the U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges back in February against Hamas' top leader is accusing them of terrorism, conspiracy to murder, and more, to charges kept under seal until now, where Washington's first lead he goes step to hold people accountable for the October 7th attacks in Israel. Three of the men who are charged are now dead, including Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader who was killed in Tehran. Also indicted the architect of October 7, that would be Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' current leader in Gaza, seen there in the middle of your screen. And the head of the Hamas diaspora office, Khaled Meshaal.
We are covering all angles of this story. Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv, Israel, but let's begin with Kylie Atwood in Washington, D.C. Kylie, break this down for us and the significance of these charges.
ATWOOD: Well listen, as you just said, this is the first step by the Department of Justice to hold those leaders of Hamas who were involved in October 7th, criminally accountable for those actions. They're facing multiple charges, as you said, terrorism, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals, just being two of those charges. Significantly here, what we heard from the Department of Justice yesterday is that these actions are not going to be their last. They are still investigating Hamas' actions, their murders of other U.S. citizens. For example, the U.S. citizen who is included in the murder of the six hostages over the weekend by Hamas.
So, this is the beginning of the steps that we expect DOJ to take, but certainly not the last. And as you said, these charges were actually filed back in February. The reason that they were sealed until now is because the Department of Justice wanted to see if they could actually arrest some of these leaders who are listed here. After the death of Ismail Haniyeh earlier this year in Iran, they made the determination after there are a number of events happen following that, that they no longer needed to keep this indictment sealed. And so, it is now been released to the public.
The question of actually getting U.S. hands on these leaders of Hamas is a big one, that is certainly not something that will be easy to do. Yahya Sinwar, as you noted, the leader of Hamas who is listed here, the architect of October 7, the person who is still calling the shots when it comes to their operations and also the answers that they give back-and-forth with the negotiators in Israel, trying to reach a ceasefire and hostage release agreement. He is listed here, his exact whereabouts is not even known, somewhere probably in the tunnels under Gaza.
So, this is a space we will continue to watch as the Biden Administration is saying that they're going to be doing two things simultaneously, trying to hold Hamas accountable for the deaths particularly of the American citizens, but also trying to clinch that ceasefire and hostage release agreement. That is not something that is simultaneously easy to do, but that is what they're setting out to do here, making it very clear that they're not going to hold back their fire against Hamas even as they are trying to come to an agreement with Hamas to release the rest of the hostages that are in their possession.
WALKER: All right. Thank you so much for that. Let's talk about those talks that are ongoing as these anti-Netanyahu protests, really just the anger seem to be spilling out into the streets there in Israel. What's the latest in terms of any hope that a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal could be released -- could be reached?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli prime minister really has extinguished many of those hopes that a hostage deal could be reached any time soon by holding this press conference the other night and making very clear that he is not budging despite the pressure being brought to bear by the United States, by the hundreds of thousands of people who have poured into the streets over the last few days.
[08:10:15]
And he is going to stay firm and not be flexible as he said, on this issue of the Philadelphi Corridor, which has become the main sticking point in these negotiations as the Israeli prime minister continues to insist that Israeli troops must retain control of that critical stretch of land between the Gaza-Egypt border during the first phase of a ceasefire agreement. Hamas is insisting that Israeli troops withdraw from that very same area. And it is important to note that the Israeli prime minister only began making that demand after Israel and Hamas had an initial framework agreement in early July, based on that framework that President Biden talked about at the end of the month of May. And there has been considerable reporting in Israeli media today about the Israeli documents in late July that listed a series of new demands, many of which we have reported on before including, for example, checking Gazans who would be going from southern Gaza to northern Gaza. That was obstacle number one that the prime minister through in the way of a deal.
And then there was this issue of the Philadelphi Corridor which he is very much still sticking to. I spoke yesterday within his Israeli source familiar with the talks, who told me that the moment that Netanyahu began insisting on keeping troops in the Philadelphi Corridor during the first phase of this deal, it was clear that he was throwing up an obstacle to this agreement, and unless and until Netanyahu moves on that position, it seems quite clear to all the parties involved that there will not be a deal. And that's because Hamas is showing no signs of budging in the other direction, insisting that Israeli troops do withdraw from that area as per that initial framework agreement from early July.
So for now, talks are at a standstill. There is no real sense of possibility of movement here, even as the United States continues to work on this and prepares to present somewhat of a final proposal to the two parties. But, hostage families and the protesters that we have seen, they are planning to continue to raise their voices, hoping to go for a fourth straight day of protests in central Tel Aviv and in other key areas across the country. Last night, we saw them appear, albeit in smaller numbers than the previous nights, but still in the thousands of people banging drums, lighting bonfires, and making their voices heard.
WALKER: There are more than 100 hostages still being held, 60 some of them believed to still be alive. Jeremy Diamond, Kylie Atwood, thank you both for your reporting.
All right. Still to come, a brand new CNN poll finds exactly where the flight for the White House is being waged right now. The true toss-up states, when we come back. Plus, Trump and Harris both hit the campaign trail in battleground states, we'll have the details right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:15:15]
WALKER: With less than one week until the first presidential debate, a new set of CNN battleground polls finds the presidential race is still a toss-up. CNN and SSRS surveyed voters six of the key swing states in late August. The poll found Kamala Harris with a small but significant lead in Wisconsin and Michigan. Trump has a similar lead in Arizona. But the race is virtually tied in Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. It all means that the most likely paths to victory for each candidate are through Pennsylvania and Georgia. Let's get some analysis on all of this.
We are joined by CNN Political Director David Chalian. David, hello there.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, Amara.
WALKER: We have to start with this path to victory, right? I mean, what do these polls tell you about what states Trump and Harris absolutely need to win to gain the White House?
CHALIAN: Yeah, as you saw in what you just showed, Harris has this slight edge outside the margin of error in both Wisconsin and Michigan, the top two results there you see. If she were to add Pennsylvania to that and win all three of those so-called blue wall states, the northern tier of battleground states around the Great Lakes, she'd be just one electoral vote away from victory. So that is her clearest most direct path. But as you see, the Pennsylvania numbers there, it is a dead heat. So Pennsylvania becomes a critical state. It is also the largest electoral prize, 19 electoral votes of all of these battleground states.
For Trump, you see here how competitive Georgia is, 48 percent to 47 percent, no clear leader. That's basically a tie margin of error race there between the two candidates. If he -- if Trump can hold everything he held in 2020 and just flip back Pennsylvania and Georgia, he would be the next president of United States. So, you're going to see a lot of focus on Pennsylvania and Georgia from now through Election Day over the course of these next 62 days.
WALKER: David, I also found it interesting that an average of 15 percent of likely voters said that they have not decided their choice. I mean, that's -- that could be significant, just a few thousand voters really swaying the election.
CHALIAN: Yeah, that number jumped out to me too, it was a little higher than I had anticipated. We define these movable voters as people who tell us they may change their mind or who have not made a choice. They don't have a first choice preference between Harris or Trump. And you see there for in Pennsylvania, Michigan, that number of so-called movable voters goes up to 16 percent. You are right to note, that is a pretty sizable chunk when you're dealing with very close races. That certainly could be determinative at the end of the day.
WALKER: So, what might -- what are the issues then these voters are focused on? Is it abortion? Is it going to be the debate and how the candidate behaves during the debate?
CHALIAN: Well, we certainly know debates do matter, we don't need to dig far back in history for that. Just go back to our June debate and you saw the entire race change after that and Joe Biden's departure from the race because of a debate. So, debates matter and voters will be tuning in. And there's only one debate currently between Trump and Harris on the schedule. But to your point about what are the issues driving voters, well, the economy is issue number one and that is pretty clear across all six battleground states. But look here, when you break it out between Trump supporters and Harris supporters, overwhelmingly Trump's supporters say economy is the number one issue. For Harris supporters, it is not nearly as salient of an issue. In fact, protecting democracy is the number one issue in all six battleground states among Harris supporters. But again, overall, among all likely voters in these six states, the economy is issue number one, and you see both Trump and Harris making economic appeals and pitches to these critical voters in these six states every single day.
WALKER: Interesting that protecting democracy is the number one issue for Harris supporters. But she has not made that the number one issue there --
CHALIAN: Yeah.
WALKER: -- she's been campaigning on.
CHALIAN: Even more so than abortion rights, yep.
WALKER: Exactly. Really interesting stuff. CNN Political Director David Chalian, good to have you. Thanks so much.
CHALIAN: Thank you.
WALKER: From polls to policy, Kamala Harris travels to New Hampshire today, where she will discuss the next part of her economic plan. She plans to unveil tax cuts to benefit small business owners and entrepreneurs. "The New York Times" says the plan will include a thing $50,000 tax break for start-up businesses. The Harris campaign says their plan could create 25 million new small businesses in the U.S. If she is elected.
Let's go to CNN's Kevin Liptak at the White House. Hi there, Kevin. So, why has Kamala Harris chosen to spend her time in New Hampshire today?
[08:20:00]
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. It is a good question and it's kind of a puzzling one. New Hampshire is a state that's voted for Democratic nominees going back about 20 years and I think it's a state that when Joe Biden was the Democratic nominee, Democrats were a little bit worried about, polls had shown something of a softening there for Democrats. Now that Kamala Harris is the nominee, things seem to have firmed up somewhat, but I do think it shows you that she isn't taking any of these electoral votes for granted.
And so when she heads up there, she is very much looking to regain the initiative on the issue of the economy. That's something, as you were talking about with David, that Donald Trump still holds something of an advantage on and she wants to demonstrate this focus very much on small businesses and entrepreneurship. As you mentioned, she plans to announce a plan that would increase by ten-fold the small business tax deduction, allowing small businesses to deduct up to $50,000 in start- up expenses, all with the objective of allowing millions and millions of new small business applications.
And I think what she's trying to do is sort of act as a counterpoint to some of the proposals she unveiled a few weeks ago that some Republicans claimed were overly populist and said they amounted to price controls, when she went after corporations for price gouging on things like groceries. And so, this is all sort of formulating an economic plan that I think taken altogether, Kamala Harris wants to demonstrate a very pro-business approach, particularly when it comes to small business, but also an approach that will help workers and help everyday Americans who are trying to launch these small businesses.
And so, when we see her there in New Hampshire today, she'll be speaking at a brewery. The Harris campaign says this brewery was opened in part by some policies they took advantage of under the Biden Administration. So, it's all this collective approach, trying to announce her own economic policies, but also trying to embrace some of the policies that she helped enact when she was vice president under President Joe Biden.
WALKER: When you look at Kamala Harris and Trump's campaign schedules for the next few days leading up to the debate, Harris' is not as busy it seems as is Trump's. Is that because she's spending a lot of time preparing for this debate"
LIPTAK: Yes, she is. In fact, tomorrow, she's heading out to Pittsburgh, not for a specific kind of campaign stop, but to really hunker down on debate camp with her small team of advisers. And it is interesting, Joe Biden went up to Camp David and we didn't see him for basically a week. We will see Kamala Harris over the next few days. She will venture out from this debate camp to do some local campaign stops. But the focus is very much to narrow down her debate plans and she has a team of advisers with her.
She has brought in someone as a stand-in for Donald Trump during these mock debates. He's the former Hillary Clinton aide, Philippe Reines. He actually played Trump during Clinton's mock debates back in 2016. And the objective for her team is to really sort of narrow down the policy, but also try and develop a plan for when Donald Trump goes on the attack, try and stay cool, try and not to get bogged down, but also look for ways to get under Donald Trump's skin. And then when you talk to Harris advisers, they do say so that she enters this debate as something of an underdog and they point out that no one has more experience in general election debates than Donald Trump. This will be his seventh. That's more than anyone in history.
He's been the Republican nominee for three straight election cycles. And so, they do think that that poses -- puts Harris at something of a disadvantage heading in to this debate in Philadelphia next week. And they very much want to come in as prepared as they possibly can.
WALKER: That's a really good reminder. I didn't realize he had seven -- would have seven debates under his belt already. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much, at the White House for us. Appreciate it -- or in Washington. Donald Trump returns to the campaign trail today, headed to Pennsylvania, one of the most keenly contested swing states, as we were just discussing. He will answer questions at a town hall hosted by Fox News in Harrisburg, while his running mate, J.D. Vance is set to speak in Arizona.
In the meantime, on the legal front, Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the re-worked indictment for his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election CNN's Alayna Treene has more now from Washington. Alayna, Donald Trump has a couple of days off. What can we expect to see from his return to the campaign trail?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, as you mentioned, Amara, this is going to be a Fox News town hall. He is going to be sitting for an hour with Sean Hannity. I want to note that it is pre-taped. Remember, this was actually one of the dates that the Trump campaign had proposed for a debate. It was the September 4th Fox News debate in Harrisburg. Of course, the Harris campaign said we already have a September 10th debate with ABC News in the works.
[08:25:00]
So that never -- this Fox News debate never materialized, but that's part of why Donald Trump is traveling to Pennsylvania today. Now, what I find very interesting is, we know that Donald Trump tends to be a little bit more candid, a little more informal when you he's sitting with people that he is comfortable with, and that includes someone like Sean Hannity. So keep that in mind tonight, for all of our viewers, while they watch this because you may actually hear Donald Trump reveal a little bit more given who he is speaking with.
Now, when I talked to Donald Trump's team about their own debate prep, following off of what Kevin had just laid out, they argue that these type of events, particularly a town hall style event, is Donald Trump's in part his version of debate prep. I think you're going to hear him making a lot of the same criticisms, attacks policy points that they want him to focus on at next week's debate also in Pennsylvania. Now, what is also interesting is just how this comes in light of our new CNN polls today. I know you had David speaking about this earlier, but Donald Trump's campaign really does view this period as the race settling. They recognize that Kamala Harris had had weeks of really surging enthusiasm, of seeing momentum after Biden had ended his campaign and she had clinched the top spot on the Democratic ticket.
But now, they really see this as a turning point, and they recognize that the next nine weeks to election time is go time and that the race is so close that any little change that they can do, any kind of edge they can get on Harris could make a difference particularly on the margins. Now, we saw some of that laid out by Donald Trump's co- campaign managers in a memo that they released yesterday. I want to read for you some of what they said because I think it just underscores their heightened frustration right now.
They wrote that "Three weeks ago, the Democrat's newly crowned nominee -- Kamala Harris -- was leading in Nate Silver's Electoral College modeling. The forecast has since inversed in President Trump's favor. The state of the race is clear -- with just nine weeks until the most consequential election in American history, the Trump-Vance campaign has the momentum." It went on to say that "Despite the bias -- they are referring to the media -- if the election were held today, Donald Trump would be re-elected."
Now of course, they don't know that. We don't know that. But what they're trying to argue is that Harris has had so much momentum, but they really do believe that this point in the race is very pivotal and that they recognize it is very close. And they want Trump to be seen as the one with the momentum. And they also want to try and paint Harris as someone who is the incumbent and tie her to Joe Biden. You're going to see all of that play out on that stage tonight. Amara?
WALKER: It will be very pivotal, as you say. We will all be watching that debate, September 10th, very closely. Alayna Treene, thank you so much. Good to see you.
Still to come. A western Ukrainian city long considered a safe haven is targeted in the latest round of deadly Russian strikes. We'll have all the details. Also ahead, Pope Francis warns against religious extremism as he tries to promote understanding between faiths. We are going to have the latest on his tour of Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:31:00]
WALKER: Less than 24 hours after one of the deadliest strikes on Ukraine since Moscow's full scale invasion, Russia is unleashing a new wave of attacks. The latest targeting the western city of Lviv, which has long been considered a safe haven. Local officials say at least seven people were killed and dozens more injured. Five people were also injured in a Russian assault in central Ukraine. Now, this comes one day after two Russian ballistic missiles hit a military training facility and a nearby the hospital just north of there. That killed at least 53 people.
Let's dive a little deeper. CNN Military Analyst, Colonel Cedric Leighton joining me now from Washington. Colonel, it's good to see you. First off. I just wanted to get your take on this uptick in Russian strikes on Ukraine lately, what is the strike here?
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: So good morning, Amara. Good to be with you. There's, I think, a basic strategy that the Russians have really reinforcing what they've done before and what that is, is to go after both civilian and military targets that are going to affect Ukraine's ability to fight this war. What they're trying do is they're trying to cut out the civilian infrastructure. Plus they're also trying to go after the areas in which the military is growing its new people, it's young people.
So this technical training center that they hit in Poltava is an example of this. This was a center where the communication specialists, kind of like the equivalent of U.S. Army's Signal Corps, gets their training. And that's the kind of thing that will make it very difficult for the Ukrainians to replenish their forces, and it's also a critical specialty that's needed in a war like this. So, it makes sense for them to target these kinds of installations.
WALKER: Obviously, it's a precarious time, especially tactically right now for Ukraine. So then, what do you make of this government shake-up that is underway right now in Ukraine? And also, Dmytro Kuleba, one of the strongest members of Zelenskyy's cabinet offering his resignation, although as Christiane noted, he will likely be reassigned?
LEIGHTON: Yeah, he's of course, a highly effective member of Ukraine's cabinet or its present cabinet. And Dmytro Kuleba has basically been the diplomatic face of Ukraine for this conflict for this part of the war. So, I think that these efforts by President Zelenskyy to re-shuffle his cabinet may have to do with perhaps a new strategy, perhaps in new diplomatic opening. Perhaps he's figuring that new faces will change the way in which Ukraine is perceived in the rest of the world. But it may also signal a change in tactic diplomatically, as well as the change in strategy diplomatically and militarily.
So, what that could mean is that Ukraine is looking for another phase of this war, looking to create another phase of this war. And that could be what is behind all of this.
WALKER: What might that phase looks like then, Colonel, when you read the tea leaves? There was this NBC News interview that Zelenskyy gave and he did talk a little bit about his strategy and why he's holding onto Kursk, which is the land that the Ukrainians seized from Russia. He didn't give a timeline as to how long he's going to hold onto it, but is this part of the grand strategy to use it perhaps as a bargaining chip to eventually end the war?
LEIGHTON: I think that might be part of it. One of the reasons to hold enemy territory is to basically have that as a bargaining chip for a future negotiated settlement. So, there's a chance that a different Ukrainian foreign minister could potentially be more acceptable to the Russians from a negotiating standpoint.
[08:35:00]
And if the Ukrainians have territory that they can bargain for in exchange for territory that the Russians have held, perhaps there's a way forward with that. That might be part of the calculation. I think the territory in question, what was (ph) interest in this particular case with Zelenskyy interview is the fact that Zelenskyy did not give a timeframe, basically making it an indefinite timeframe where he would keep this territory. I think that's an indefinite timeframe pending negotiations or some other type of resolution to this conflict.
WALKER: What kind of requests do you believe Zelenskyy will come with when he meets with President Biden on the sidelines of the UNGA later this month? LEIGHTON: I think it will be similar to the request that his defense minister and the chief of the presidential administration delivered in Washington just a few days ago. And that request is basically unfetter the Ukrainians when it comes to using Western weapons to go after Russian targets that are a bit further into Russian territory. Basically, what the Ukrainians want to do is they want to be able to attack those installations and those weapons systems that are targeting Ukraine and conducting the strikes that you mentioned earlier that affected places like Lviv and Kryvyi Rih and of course, Poltava. So, the idea is to go in and be basically, a real military force that can in essence check the Russians at their point of origin and that I think would be a significant change to the war and could potentially be a game changer for the Ukrainians in their favor.
WALKER: Colonel Cedric Leighton, we'll leave it there. Good to have you. Thank you.
Seven years after London's Grenfell Tower apartments turned into a deadly inferno, the head of a government inquiry has delivered a tragic truth that in his words, the deaths of the 72 people killed in the blaze were all avoidable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIR MARTIN MOORE-BICK, CHAIRMAN, GRENFELL TOWER INQUIRY: The simple truth is, the deaths that occurred were all avoidable and those who lived in the tower were badly failed over a number of years and in a number of different ways by those who are responsible for ensuring the safety of the building and its occupants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: The damning report concludes years of investigations into how the fire became so deadly. It blamed, "Decades of failure by successive U.K. governments and systematic dishonesty from construction companies." The intensity of the fire has been attributed in part to the combustible cladding, which encased the building and helped the flames spread quickly. The survivors and families of the victims said they felt the report marked a significant chapter, but that they do not believe justice has been delivered yet. Britain's prime minister apologized on behalf of the state for the tragedy.
We are going take a short break, back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:40:20]
WALKER: A former aide to two New York governors has been charged with acting as an agent for the Chinese government. Linda Sun and her husband were arrested Tuesday at their Long Island home. Officials say the pair are accused of accepting lavish gifts from such as millions of dollars in travel expenses, special deliveries of salted ducks, and event tickets. New York's governor says she is furious and shocked over the accusation.
CNN's Gloria Pazmino is following the details from New York. Wow, Gloria, what a story. What are you learning?
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Amara, you know, the details in this federal indictment are really quite fascinating. And if this ends up being true, if they are convicted of these charges, this would amount to basically the successful infiltration by a Chinese government agent into the top levels of New York state government. And prosecutors allege that this went on for ten years. Linda Sun held the job not just in Governor Hochul's office, also former Governor Andrew Cuomo's office, and she worked for several state agencies.
Now, here is what they're alleging. They're saying that Linda Sun used her job and her influence in order to work on behalf of the Chinese government and the Communist Party. She did things like write invitation letters on behalf of the governor, which then allowed Chinese officials to travel into United States. She also issued proclamations do Chinese government officials that were unauthorized by the governor. And then, she also made sure that she was blocking the Taiwanese community here in New York City from having access to the governor.
You see, Linda Sun was in charge of essentially being a liaison to the many the Asian American communities here in New York. And in her position, she made sure that the Taiwanese did not get access and even made sure to block Taiwanese cultural heritage week here in New York at one point. This all was done at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party according to federal prosecutor.
Now, in exchange for that, Amara, prosecutors say that she received millions of dollars in kickbacks. Her husband was able to benefit in his personal businesses. They were given special treatment, tickets to events, even at one point, the delivery of a salted duck, a specialty dish that was prepared by the personal chef of one of these Chinese officials and was delivered to the home of her mother. Now, I should say that Sun and her husband both appeared in court yesterday. They pleaded not guilty. You're seeing images of them there, walking out of court yesterday afternoon.
Their lawyers have said that they are looking forward to their day in court and that the charges are nothing more than the result of an overly aggressive investigation. So, we will see how this plays out in the next few weeks as they return to court. In the meantime, Amara, both Governor Hochul and former Governor Andrew Cuomo have tried to distance themselves from this aide, saying that she only worked for them for a short period of time and that as soon as the inappropriate behavior was flagged, they took action and that she was ultimately terminated from her job.
WALKER: Yeah, she worked at quite a high level in the New York state government, really stunning details there. Gloria Pazmino, thank you.
Pope Francis says an upsurge in conflict around the world can be blamed on a lack of mutual respect. The pope is speaking in Indonesia, the first stop on his 12-day tour of Southeast Asia and the Pacific. He also spoke out against religious extremism, saying the Catholic Church would step up efforts to tackle the problem through dialog with other faiths. In Jakarta cathedral, the pope addressed leaders of the church in Indonesia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE FRANCIS (through translator): In various regions, we see the emergence of violent conflicts, which are often the result of a lack of mutual respect of the intolerant desire to let one's own interests, one's own position or one's own partial and historical narrative to prevail at all costs, even when this leads to endless suffering for entire communities and results in wars and much bloodshed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: CNN Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb is in Jakarta. He's joining us now. Christopher, what were the pope's key messages today?
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Amara, it's been an important day for Pope Francis on Wednesday, which has marked the first full day of events, the first day he's given speeches because many people have asked, how is an 87-year-old pontiff going to manage on such a long tour, the longest trip of his pontificate?
[08:45:00]
But Pope Francis has seemed energized. He's been emphasizing the importance of interfaith dialog, of cooperation between Catholics and Muslims and other faiths. That's something he has emphasized at the presidential palace here in Jakarta when he met with political leaders. It's also something he's been emphasizing when he's met with church leaders at the catholic cathedral in Jakarta. He insisted to catholic leaders that they shouldn't try and impose their beliefs, but work with and dialog with the vast array of cultures and faiths that exist in Indonesia, which is of course the world's most populous Muslim country.
Now, opposite the catholic cathedral is a mosque, the Istiqlal Mosque, which Pope Francis will be going to tomorrow. And it's connected by a tunnel known as the 'Tunnel of Friendship'. That kind of embodies what Pope Francis is calling for on this trip, which is greater interfaith cooperation, which he believes can break down barriers of misunderstanding, tackle extremism, and bring greater peace and a way of tackling global conflicts. Amara?
WALKER: A very important message indeed. Christopher Lamb, thank you very much.
Well, Christmas will come early in Venezuela, two-and-a-half months early to be exact. President Nicolas Maduro has decreed the festive season will begin on October 1st. It looks like a bid to shore up Maduro's popularity, but it comes as Human Rights Watch issues a scathing report on post-election violence in Venezuela, saying the killings and detentions have been the worst the country has seen in years. Stefano Pozzebon is in Bogota, Colombia with the latest. Stefano?
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Amara. Well, it may seem quirky news, the fact that Maduro decided to move forward with Christmas by presidential decree. It's actually not the first time that the authoritarian president of Venezuela ordered the celebrations for the holiday to begin in advance. He did it in 2021 as a way to try to boost the local economy. And yes (ph), last year, for example, in 2023, he said that he regretted having Christmas starting only on November 1st.
The Christmas is a serious business in Venezuela with most public employees enjoying reduced working hours, reduced working days, and many fear that Maduro is now using Christmas as a way to try and restore a sense of normality in the country, while the crackdown over the last few weeks has been brutal. Human Rights Watch has documented 11 cases that directly implicate the security forces of Nicolas Maduro in killings of opposition protesters. But that is not just the only novelty about this year. Take a listen to what the human rights researchers told me yesterday.
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JUANITA GOEBERTUS, AMERICAS DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: So, this is particular violence that is also different because it's affecting not only under age, but people in neighborhoods that were usually closer to chorizo (ph), very popular, very poor neighborhoods where historically the regime would not execute that kind of violence. Now, they're doing so. They lost the legitimacy around the country, even in places where they used to have much more popular support. And that's also where they have concentrated this repression.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: So Amara, that is perhaps the biggest legacy of that controversial election on the 28th of July, that Maduro claims to have won with 51 percent of the vote without showing any proof. Biggest (ph) legacy is that Maduro has lost any sort of legitimacy both inside and outside Venezuela and we are now seeing that he is using more and more brutal force to prop up his government. And the Christmas come early, maybe a funny biz (ph) news, but it's actually a dramatic situation inside the country.
Dramatic is also the condition of the opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, whose whereabouts are still unknown after Venezuelan authorities published an arrest warrant against him on Monday. The 75- year-old candidate who claims to have won the election with 67 percent of the vote and has since published tens of thousands of voting tallies to support his claim to have won the contest, has not been seen in public over the last five weeks, and he's currently charged with terrorism and conspiracy. Amara?
WALKER: Stefano Pozzebon, interesting developments. Thank you so much.
Still to come, for the first time in many years, there will be an American in the men's singles final at a tennis grand slam. The details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [08:51:35]
WALKER: For the first time in 18 years, the men's singles final at the U.S. Open is guaranteed to have an American in it. Frances Tiafoe advanced to the semifinals by defeating in Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria on Tuesday. He will play fellow American Taylor Fritz on Friday for a place in Sunday's final. Andy Scholes is joining me now. Andy, this has certainly been a longtime coming for men's tennis in America.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: It certainly has, Amara, and we are in for one fun weekend in New York, no matter what it seems because both Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe winning yesterday to book their spot into the semifinals, it's going to be the first grand slam semifinal between two American men since the 2005 U.S. Open. And Tiafoe's best finish of his career was reaching the semis of U.S. Open back in 2022, so he has matched that (inaudible) beating Grigor Dimitrov last night. Dimitrov actually had to retire due to injury in the fourth set.
Now, this year is going to be the first since 2002 that not one of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer won a major, and Tiafoe says it truly feels like the changing of the guard now in men's tennis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCES TIAFOE, AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER: You put yourself in positions, it's only a matter of matter of time and the game is open. It's not like it once was where you make quarter-finals, you play Rafael, and you're looking at flights. I mean, that's just the reality. Now it's just totally different and no one's unbeatable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Yes, Tiafoe and Fritz, they're actually good friends. They've been playing against each other since they were 14. Fritz holds a 6-1 head-to-head edge over Tiafoe as pros (ph). And last night, Fritz beating forthright Alexander Zverev in four sets to reach a major semifinal for the first time in his career.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR FRITZ, AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER: I feel amazing. I've had a lot of looks at quarterfinals over the past couple years and today, just -- today just felt different. I really felt like it was -- it was my time to take it a step further and I mean, it's only fitting I'm doing it here on this court at the Open in front of the crowd.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Now, on the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka is back in the semifinals a year after losing to Coco Gauff for the women's title. Now, obviously the New York crowd all on Coco's side last year in that final. Sabalenka, she's going to be going up against American Emma Navarro tomorrow in the semis. So, crowd likely not going to be on her side again, but she tried to change that after her win last night. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARYNA SABALENKA, AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER: Drink is on me tonight.
(LAUGH)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait, drink is on you. Is that what you said for everybody?
(CROWD CHEERING)
SABALENKA: Drink on me and please give me some support in the next much.
(LAUGH)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Amara, my question is, how many of those fans in attendance then went straight to the bar and be like, I don't have to pay. It's on Sabalenka.
(LAUGH)
WALKER: Exactly. Oh man, she is like, did I really promise that?
(LAUGH)
WALKER: Andy Scholes, good to see you. Thanks so much.
And a giant ancient Roman arch has been damaged in Rome after it was struck by lightning. The Arch of Constantine was built in the fourth century A.D. There's a piece of it there on the ground. It's sits about 25 meters high and right next to the famous Colosseum. Blocks of stone fell from the arch to the ground after a violent storm hit the Italian capital.
[08:55:00]
And a rare orange lobster was recently rescued from a supermarket and released back into the sea. Clementine was spotted by an animal shelter in a stop and shop in Long Island, New York. They contacted an animal protection non-profit which negotiated the lobster's release and it was released back into the wild. One in 30 million lobsters are naturally born orange.
Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Amara Walker. "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson is next.
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