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Israeli Protesters Demand Hostage Deal, Mark 11 Months Of Gaza War; Soon: Former President Trump Holds Rally In Battleground Wisconsin; Harris Campaign Releases New Attack Ads Tying Trump To Overturning Roe; Former GOP VP Dick Cheney Announces He Will Vote For Harris; Troubled Boeing Starliner Returns From Space Without Crew. 32 Million Under Alerts As Heatwave Bakes The West; Heads of U.S., U.K. Intelligence Agencies Make Rare Joint Appearance To Address Global Concerns; Sources: Iran Transfers Ballistic Missiles To Russia; DOJ: Russia Funded U.S. Media Company Linked To Right-Wing Social Media Sites; U.S. Drivers See A Dip At The Pump; Eagles & Packers Thrill In NFL's American Debut In South America. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired September 07, 2024 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:01:43]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour in the Middle East, where right now we're seeing more protests across Israel. Demonstrators are demanding a hostage deal to put an end to the war in Gaza, as the country marks 11 months since the horrifying Hamas attacks on October 7th.

CNN's Matthew Chance and Julia Benbrook are tracking all the latest developments. Matthew, you're there at the protest in Tel Aviv. There are a lot of people there. It's very noisy. What can you tell us?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is very noisy, Fredricka, and there are thousands of people that have turned out here in the center of Tel Aviv to show their support, first and foremost, of course, for the hostages, the 101 Israelis that are still being held inside Gaza. Not all of them, of course, alive. 35 of them, I believe, at least to be dead already.

But that kind of protest, that kind of rally in solidarity of the hostages and their families, that takes place every week. And the main bit of that rally is actually somewhere elsewhere. This is much more political for thousands of people, who have turned out here at this particular rally, which is just outside the Israeli Defense Ministry.

They're calling for Netanyahu to, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, to change his strategy. They do not believe, and I've spoken to many people here over the course of the past couple of hours, they do not believe that the Israeli Prime Minister is following the right strategy to get those people out. They think he's prioritizing the war over the release of the Israeli citizens being held in the Gaza Strip. And so, I think, you know, to a person, that's what many of these people believe.

Do you speak English at all? Yes? What do you -- do you think Netanyahu is following the right strategy to get those people out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Most of the people that are here don't think so.

CHANCE: What do you think he should do now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only thing, he has to die.

CHANCE: Tell me, you speak here, what do you think Netanyahu should do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has to die. Mr. Netanyahu has to die. (INAUDIBLE). He has to die.

CHANCE: OK, OK. Thank you, sir. So that slightly extreme opinion there by one of the protestors. You get the sense, don't you, that people here are sort of fundamentally opposed to the strategy of pursuing the war over and above a negotiation to get the hostages out that is being pursued by Benjamin Netanyahu, and they want that to change.

And as they keep on shouting, they want that to change now, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Matthew, if you can hear me, and it's not -- the issue is not just about the hostages and as ceasefire, right, but it's also about the death of American Turkish activists there who was just killed this week. What are you learning about people's sentiment there?

CHANCE: Well, you know, I can tell you that people's sentiments right here at this protest that they're not focusing on that. I do know that the Israeli Defense Force, the IDF, the Israeli military are saying they're looking into the circumstances around the death of that Turkish American activist in the West Bank.

[13:05:02]

And, you know, unfortunately this is, you know, become all too routine when it comes to Palestinian supporters, you know, kind of confronting or, you know, being on the other side of the lines, as it were, to the Israeli military. So the Israeli government say, the military say that's something they're looking into.

But, again, the overwhelming sense amongst the people here is that their focus is on the plight of the 101 Israelis inside the Gaza Strip. They're not, you know, kind of lamenting the death of a pro- Palestinian activist here. Let's face it.

They're calling for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to change tactics and to get those 101 people out of Gaza, no matter what the cost, no matter how many Palestinians in prisons, in Israeli jails have to be released, they want those people out as soon as possible, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, that makes a lot of sense there. Matthew Chance, appreciate that.

Let me bring in Julia now. Julia, we've seen major roadblocks with the latest ceasefire negotiations. What is the White House saying about the latest efforts to try to reach a deal?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While the President and his top aides have persistently expressed hopes to get a deal across the line, significant complications have shifted the mood in recent days. And some in the White House have questioned whether a deal can be done before the end of Biden's presidency.

U.S. officials have said that they've become increasingly skeptical if Hamas may be open to an agreement and have accused the group of complicating negotiations after the execution of six hostages in Gaza. Now, earlier in the week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly said that a deal is not close, and he's arguing for a permanent Israeli presence in southwestern Gaza despite international pressure, including from the U.S. to eventually fully withdraw.

Now, in London earlier today, CIA Director Bill Burns acknowledged the difficulties of getting the final details of a deal addressed. He also emphasized just how high the stakes are here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BURNS, CIA DIRECTOR: I cannot tell you how close we are right now. It is a fact that if you look at the written text, 90 percent of the paragraphs have been agreed to, but in any negotiation I've been involved in, the last 10 percent is the last 10 percent for a reason, because it's the hardest part to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, if a ceasefire deal failed to materialize in the coming months, it would be an enormous foreign policy disappointment for Biden, who has spent a huge amount of time, effort, and political capital over the last year, pushing for an end to this war.

Now, sources say that he has grown increasingly focused on this in the last few weeks since he ended his reelection bid. In fact, a top Democrat close to the White House simply said that Biden was obsessed with the issue as of late.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Benbrook, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much. And to Matthew Chance as well.

All right, now to the race for the White House, we're just three days away from the much anticipated presidential debate. Today, both candidates are in battleground states. Vice President Harris is in Pennsylvania preparing for the debate with her team. She also just picked up the support of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney who announced that he will vote for the Democratic candidate over Donald Trump in November. Meantime, former President Trump is in the swing state of Wisconsin today, where he will hold a rally in the next hour.

We've got team coverage of the race for the White House. CNN's Eva McKend is covering the Vice President in Pittsburgh. Let's begin with Alayna Treene at that Trump rally in Wisconsin, what, just about an hour away. Alayna, what is expected there?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Fred. He's about to -- he's slated to speak around 1:00 p.m. Central time, local time Wisconsin. And look, there's already a huge crowd here. We're on a tarmac and we're in Mosinee, Wisconsin, pretty central to this state.

And this is really an important state for Donald Trump. This has long been one of those states that Donald Trump's team has viewed as must win. They view the blue wall as a key pathway to getting the 270 electoral votes needed to win in November.

Now, this is an interesting say. Remember, Donald Trump won it in 2016 but lost it to Biden in 2020 and they had been very confident about his chances of taking Wisconsin back come the fall, but some of that has changed since Kamala Harris has topped the ticket.

Now we've seen in recent polling, including a CNN poll published last week that Kamala Harris is gaining ground. She's also currently polling higher in this state than Donald Trump. Of course, it's very close, so things could still change. But it's part of why he is here today.

[13:10:04]

Now, a key thing I'm told Donald Trump's remarks will focus on is the economy. We know that that is the number one issue for voters. And, Donald Trump really wants to try to hammer Harris on those policies and try to tie her to those policies of the Biden administration. Similar to what we heard him do at a speech on Thursday to the Economic Club of New York.

During that speech, we actually heard Donald Trump, for the first time, really get into some of the specifics about what his own economic policy plans would look like. He talked about wanting to slash regulations, to impose sweeping tariffs on imports, as well as lower the corporate tax rate to 15 percent among other things.

Of course, during those remarks, he did not address some of the potential implications of what those plans could mean, including that many economists warn that such big tariffs could actually create more inflation.

Now, Fred, one really big thing to keep in mind about this speech today is, of course, the timing of it. We are just three days away from that crucial debate in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. And Donald Trump really is viewing these kind of speeches, these remarks, as a way for him to prepare. I think a lot of the remarks you'll hear today, you'll hear some of the same talking points he'll try to mirror on Tuesday during that debate. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Alayna Treene there in Wisconsin. But you know what? We're looking at live pictures out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Atlanta, because Vice President Kamala Harris is making a stop there. We've said that she is in Pittsburgh preparing for the debate three days away.

But in this moment, and maybe we can listen in. She's actually stopped in on a little shop there, and people look so excited to be meeting her. Let's listen in for a little bit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's good work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I have a picture?

HARRIS: Yes, we could. Come on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Got it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get the parents in there.

HARRIS: Come on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Thank you so much.

HARRIS: We're doing it together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he's a teacher.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HARRIS: You are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes, yes.

HARRIS: What level?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seventh grade geography, Social Studies.

HARRIS: Bless you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HARRIS: Good, good.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

HARRIS: And you know, Tim Walz --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. That's great.

HARRIS: Come on. Let's take a family picture. Come, come, come.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look right here. I think everyone (INAUDIBLE). Awesome.

HARRIS: Thank you, guys.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you.

HARRIS: Thank you. We're good. I'm counting on your leadership, OK? Yes? We have an agreement? OK. I'm really, I'm serious. I'm really counting on you.

OK. Good. Have a good weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

HARRIS: Today is Saturday, I believe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.

HARRIS: OK. I'll see you later. OK? All right. Go, Yellow Jackets. See you later.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Madam Vice President, (INAUDIBLE).

HARRIS: Of course.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you. Just flip it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Look right here.

HARRIS: Here we go. I'll see you later.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, some nice spontaneous moments there in Pittsburgh at this little shop where Vice President, now presidential Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris there spending some time, taking some pictures, talking and inspiring that one little girl that she is one of the next leaders, and Kamala Harris saying we're counting on you.

Eva McKend is there in Pittsburgh. Perhaps you didn't, you know, catch her leaving outside the hotel where she's been prepping, but now she's taking a moment or two with potential voters.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this was the whole point, Fredricka, of her coming to Pittsburgh. Yes, she had to hunker down and strenuously prepare with a small group of key advisers ahead of this consequential debate. But she also wanted to be in a battleground state and make the most of the time that she has left in the closing days before the debate and before the election. So she's at a spice shop right now out in Pittsburgh in the community getting that critical face time with voters. And it comes at a time when we have seen the campaign shift in strategy a little bit. On the airwaves, for the most part, we have seen ads that have leaned into the personal biography of the Vice President.

But now they're up with their first abortion focused ad, and they're using former President Donald Trump's own words against him. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He told us who he was.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should abortion be punished.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There has to be some form of punishment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then, he showed us.

TRUMP: For 54 years, they were trying to get Roe v. Wade terminated, and I did it. And I'm proud to have done it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, Fredricka, that is part of a $370 million digital and TV ad buy from Labor Day through Election Day. As for the Vice President, we could see her pop up in other places as well before getting back here to the Omni to continue these vigorous preparations. Fred?

WHITFIELD: OK, vigorous preparations with just three days to go before the debate, which will -- on ABC, which will be simulcast right here on CNN as well at 9:00 p.m.

Eva McKend there in Pittsburgh who let us know what else happens today.

[13:15:08]

All right, still to come, after months of questions about safety, Boeing's Starliner capsule has successfully returned to Earth, but its crew remains in space.

And later, extreme heat out west. 32 million people are under heat alerts. We'll have a look at the forecast.

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[13:20:04]

WHITFIELD: All right, we just showed you moments ago that Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, is in Pittsburgh, where she's preparing for the debate, which is just three days away. She's also stepped out of her preparation confines and is now mingling with people.

She's in a spice shop in Pittsburgh and she's just responded to a question to her about getting the support now from the former vice president, Dick Cheney, who said he's voting for her this November. Listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dick Cheney have endorsed you, what do you think of that?

HARRIS: I'm -- actually, I'm honored to have their endorsement. And I think that what they both as leaders who are well respected are making an important statement that it's OK, and if not important, to put country above party. And I'm honored to have their support, and I think it's an important statement right now.

A lot of what I think is happening, and I was just talking with some folks here in Pittsburgh about it, is that people are exhausted about the division and the attempts to kind of divide us as Americans. And them stepping up to make this public statement, I think, is courageous, but also for people like the folks I was just talking with, it really reinforces for them that we love our country and we have more in common than what separates us, so.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Vice President --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you ready to face Donald Trump?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And when she's referring to they, she's talking about the former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney. She, too, also has thrown her support behind Kamala Harris.

We'll continue to keep tabs and watch about all the things going on on the campaign trail.

All right, the Boeing Starliner capsule is finally back on Earth three months now after it initially went into orbit. The spacecraft landed just after midnight eastern time without its two person crew. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams thought they would only spend a few days at the International Space Station, but NASA says they won't be able to return to Earth until February at the very earliest.

Joining us now, Retired Astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield. His novel, "The Defector" is available in bookstores right now. Good to see you.

COL. CHRIS HADFIELD (RET.), FORMER ASTRONAUT: Good to see you as well, Fredricka, and a very nice landing last night.

WHITFIELD: Very impressive. What kind of sire relief do you believe comes with that landing? HADFIELD: Well, they learned a few more things. They had some stuff fail on the way down. But to have the vehicle back, that's the huge thing. Now, they have all the sort of forensics they can do and dig into it and figure out what the specific problems are so that they can modify the next vehicle and safely start using this as an operational way to get people to the space station and back.

So it wasn't perfect. And there were some really serious early problems, but it was an excellent conclusion.

WHITFIELD: An excellent conclusion too because it did land on Earth as opposed to ordinarily these kind of returns, it's in, you know, the vast ocean. So how do you measure progress? How important is this moment?

HADFIELD: Well, for most of the time that I flew in space, we only had one way to get to the space station and back, maybe two. But that means if one of the vehicle malfunctions, you can be truly stranded. Now we're in a much better situation. We already have two other vehicles that take people there and back.

Getting another one available just increases the safety and assurance of people living on board a spaceship. So this step, although they learned a whole bunch like you do on first test flights and it sure didn't go perfectly. Suni and Butch are healthy and doing fine up on space station. They'll come back after Christmas.

Boeing got a big step forward. They got their vehicle back. They're going to learn a bunch working with NASA. So -- and most of the mission objectives got done. I mean, the vehicle landed, it docked, it launched, it flew around, but they got to fix helium leaks and they got to figure out what's going on with the thrusters and then move forward.

It's a tough business.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HADFIELD: I'm really pleased for NASA, for the crews, and for Boeing to have that vehicle safely plunked itself back down into the New Mexico desert.

WHITFIELD: And so by the time these astronauts, as you refer to them, you're able to refer to them as Suni and Butch, when they return in February. It will have been eight months after they were initially, you know, set to come home.

As someone who has spent a lot of time in space, how do you think the crew is handling? What could be that -- I mean, they look so jovial and having a blast right there in the video, but this does take a lot on the body and mentally. What do you suppose their experience is like right now? How are they enduring all of this uncertainty?

[13:25:04]

HADFIELD: Well, Butch and Suni are super experienced. They've both been part of the National Astronaut Corps, NASA's Corps for over 20 years. They've both already lived on the space station for, you know, half a year at a time. They know what they signed up for.

And actually, this is the ultimate great reward for an astronaut --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HADFIELD: -- to get a long duration flight up in space, not just stuck here on Earth. So for them, it's a wonderful opportunity. Also, remember, they've served in the astronaut corps longer than almost anybody. This is almost guaranteed to be their last space flight. So what a wonderful way to go out to get a full, complete flight to contribute.

I've heard some rumors. Maybe they'll even get a chance to do a spacewalk while they're up there and do some useful work outside. Really be a contributing part of the crew. And they're, you know, they'll be back in February. That time's going to go by real quick reunion with their families and then the rest of their lives after that.

So, I think everyone has made all the right decisions along the way for crew safety. Starliner is back, the crew's healthy. And we'll continue moving forwards in exploring and settling outer space.

WHITFIELD: And before I let you go, I wonder if we could, you know, delve into some of the decision making here. You know, some of the NASA experts who helped render this decision remember the 2003 Columbia disaster intimately. And they are still living, you know, with that trauma. So, you know, does this kind of underscore the importance of having a good mix of seasoned and experienced with new innovation?

HADFIELD: If the -- when the Columbia vehicle killed its crew back in 2003, part of the problem was in a different orbit than the space station. It didn't have a safe haven to go to like Butch and Suni had. If it had, boy, it would have gone up and docked with the station and the crew would have stayed there indefinitely. And we would have figured out a whole good plan to keep everybody safe.

So having the space station, having multiple vehicles, it's given us the whole level of safety beyond what we had with the space shuttle for Columbia. And that's just part of the process. You learn, your vehicles get better. Things become safer, more reliable and primarily trying to explore the universe and try and keep the crews safe. And that's job number one.

And that's what's going on right now. And sort of -- they're a punctuation point of it of Starliner safely banging itself back into Earth yesterday.

WHITFIELD: All right. All right. Always a pleasure. Colonel Chris Hadfield, thank you so much.

HADFIELD: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:31:54]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, Americans may be dreaming of pumpkin spice, fall leaves and football, but out west, many are still feeling summer's grip.

Thirty-two million people remain under heat alerts for much of southern California, including Los Angeles, eastern Washington, Oregon and northern Idaho.

In one southern California neighborhood, some families who lost power because of the heat were forced to sleep in their cars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just came out to get some sandwiches, some coffee. And we're charging her phones. And we've been here since last night.

We have the A.C. here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, that is hot when you're doing that.

Our Meteorologists Elisa Raffa is here.

So are they getting close to being out of the woods yet.

ELISA RAFFA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It lasts through the weekend for Los Angeles. We still have these excessive heat warnings for parts of southern California through today, through tomorrow, even into parts of Monday.

You could see with that advisory, from Washington and Oregon -- Oregon. But the heart of the warnings are still in effect for that L.A. area.

Records that were set yesterday mean it was 114 degrees for parts of California. Downtown L.A. hit 112. The airport hit 102 degrees. Temperatures up around 98 degrees as well for parts of Oregon and Washington, again, tying and breaking records.

As we go through the next couple of days, we're still looking at temperatures well over 100 in Las Vegas. The streak continues in Phoenix as well.

Temperatures nearing 110 degrees the next three days. And temperatures nearing 112 for parts of both Palm Springs. Temperatures continuing to stay hot.

Now, Los Angeles, downtown Los Angeles hit 112 degrees yesterday for just the third time in its history since 1877. That was one degree shy of the all-time record, which sits at 113 degrees. That was also set surprisingly in September of 2010.

They're continuing to be forecast to be at 100 degrees or hotter through Monday. An average for downtown L.A. for this time of year is 84 degrees. So, yes, southern California gets hot, but not this hot, especially this late in the season.

Phoenix is on a streak of 103 days, consecutively, above 100 degrees, which shatters the previous record of 76 days set back in 1993.

So just incredible the amount of heat that we've seen. And we know from this product here that it was more likely due to climate change.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness, this is a -- that's a tough fall.

All right, thank you so much, Elisa Raffa.

[13:34:21]

All right, straight ahead, an unprecedented joint appearance from the heads of the U.S. and U.K. intelligence agencies. What the CIA and MI6 chief said about their Gaza ceasefire efforts and other global issues, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, new today, history in the making as the heads of two of the world's most powerful intelligence agencies spoke in public for the very first time.

CIA Director Bill Burns and MI6 Chief Richard Moore speaking at length today in London at a joint appearance. They discussed a wide range of significant threats facing the world, including Russia, tensions in the Middle East, and the need to work together to maintain global security.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BURNS, CIA DIRECTOR: This is a moment when those partnerships, in a very complicated and contested world, that matters more than ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining us now, former communications director for the U.S. National Intelligence, Shawn Turner.

Shawn, great to see you.

SHAWN TURNER, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Thanks, Fred. Good to be with you.

[13:39:59]

WHITFIELD: All right. This joint public appearance comes at a very volatile time in the world. What kind of message do you think the CIA and MI6 are sending by doing this? TURNER: Yes, Fred, I have to say at the outset that everyone should

understand that it's very rare to see the head -- the director of CIA and the head of British Intelligence Services sit down together like this to talk about the global threaten and some of the challenges we face around the world. So this really was somewhat unprecedented.

Now look, when I -- when I look at this, I see a couple of things. The first is this really was a full-throated defense of democracy and democratic values. And I think that that was part of the intent here is these two individuals sit down together.

But I also think that they wanted to send a very clear message that when it comes to the threats that we see facing world order that the United States and the U.K. stand together.

They talked a lot about our intelligence sharing efforts and our sort of joint understanding of what needs to happen to bring more peace and stability around the globe.

I think also, you couldn't miss the fact that there was a direct message to Vladimir Putin in a lot of the discussion today. OK, I think that I was a little struck by the specificity with which they discuss some of our capabilities.

And I think the message was, if Putin thinks that the United States and U.K. are going to tire of his war with Ukraine or that we're going to back off of -- off of it, that they're just it's simply mistaken. That's not going to happen.

WHITFIELD: And then sources are telling CNN that Iran completed a delivery of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to use in their war against Ukraine. Burns and Moore, we're asked about what that would mean.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: Should Iran ship ballistic missiles of whatever kind, close range or other kinds, it would be a dramatic escalation of the nature of that defense partnership.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But it hasn't yet?

BURNS: All I'll say is that it would be a dramatic escalation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So do we have as --

(CROSSTALK)

RICHARD MOORE, MI6 CHIEF: Just to say, just on -- on the -- it's really important to remind ourselves, with the drones, that we definitely know are there.

I mean, if stuff goes onto the battlefield, Rula (ph), it will become very obvious very quickly. I mean, the stuff lands, it explodes, it kills Ukrainian civilians, it destroys the electricity infrastructure.

And that's the -- you have to be reminded, this is what Iran is choosing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And what do you hear in the CIA director when he says it would be a dramatic escalation?

TURNER: Yes, look, you know, Bill Burns is someone who knows how to be direct. And what I took from his comment is that Iran is on very thin ice as it relates to these reports that they could be attempting to support Russia in this way.

Look, I think that when we look at the unprecedented nature of this discussion, a part of it was deterrence. A part of it was to -- is to say, we know who you are and what you're up to, and to send a very clear message that if you move forward with these types of activities, that the United States and the U.K. stand together and we will respond to that.

Now, of course, what that response might be, there are a number different ways that could happen. But the important thing is that Iran gets the message that this is not something the United States and the U.K. are going to tolerate.

WHITFIELD: I also want to get your thoughts on another topic. The Justice Department alleging that Russia funded a U.S. media company, Tenet Media, which is linked to right-wing social media influencers, some of them with millions of followers.

How significant is it for the DOJ to make these charges and alleged that there were hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, that were exchanged for this kind of influence and input?

TURNER: Yes, Fred, you know, this is particularly noteworthy. Because this is the first time we've seen Russia funding misinformation operations here in the United States through what was essentially a legally established company and using Americans to create the misinformation.

So I think that this was the right move by the Department of Justice because this really is a significant escalation in Russia's aggression when it comes to misinformation.

We're accustomed to seeing misinformation operations that originate from the GRU in Russia that are designed to sow discord here in the United States. But we've not seen anything like this.

And I think that this was the right thing to do to get this information out. I think everyone should pay attention to the scope and scale and really think about what this means when you've got a company here in the United States that's trying to do this.

WHITFIELD: Yes, when I was reading through the information that the DOJ revealed, it alleges that one of the influencers, an American, was paid upwards of $400,000 a month to help create some of this content.

[13:45:03]

TURNER: Yes, you know, and, Fred, and I know that they have suggested that they we're victims here. But when we really think about the fact that, look, this company Tenet Media, created more than 2000 videos that we're distributed on social media and through other channels.

When we look at the substance of those videos, we're talking about videos that focus on immigration, the inflation, the economy, taxes. In other words, Fred, issues that drive people's decision-making when they go to the ballot box.

So that's why this is a particularly concerning escalation. And for those individuals who are involved, even if they were victims, look, this is the time to stop and to think about what they were doing and the influence that they may be having on our election.

WHITFIELD: All right. Shawn Turner, well leave it there for now. Thanks so much.

TURNER: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:50:28]

WHITFIELD: Gas prices are falling. As of Friday, A reported the price of a gallon of regular unleaded was $3.29. Drivers in 10 states are currently paying, on average, less than $3 a gallon.

CNN's Matt Egan explains why experts believe drivers in most states could also be paying less than $3 a gallon by Thanksgiving.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Gas prices are falling fast, and that is great news for consumers. Remember, two years ago, gas prices were above $5 a gallon. That was a nightmare. Thankfully, we are nowhere near that.

In fact, gas prices recently fell to six-month lows. They're about $0.50 cheaper than they were at this point last year.

And many Americans, they're paying even less. Gas is now below $3 a gallon in roughly 41,000 gas stations across the country. That's up from just about 100 at this point last year.

And drivers in 10 states are averaging less than $3 a gallon, including Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee. And analysts say that this trend. It's likely just getting started.

GasBuddy tells CNN that, by Thanksgiving, we could see 35 to 40 states with $3 or less gasoline. That would be very encouraging. As far as why prices are going down, there's a few factors here. One of them is strong supply, especially here in the U.S. Another factor is weak demand, especially in China.

All of this explains why we've seen oil prices recently plunged below $70 a barrel for the first time all year.

The oil market is so weak that OPEC-Plus, the producer group led by Russia and Saudi Arabia, they've had to come to the rescue by canceling plans to add supply.

Now I want to stress that the mood of the oil market can change in an instant. But for now, all things are pointing to lower prices for consumers at the gas pump.

Now, former President Trump, he weighed in on this issue the other day, promising that if he becomes president, he'll get gas prices below $2 a gallon.

Now this may be one promise that Trump hopes doesn't come true, because analysts tell me that to get gas prices that low, demand would have to crash. And that's something that typically only happens in an economic crisis.

So sure, dirt-cheap gas prices sound great but not if it means a global recession.

Back to you.

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WHITFIELD: All right, Matt Egan, thank you so much.

[13:53:11]

All right. Straight ahead. South America loves its football -- just the kind you play with your feet. Last night, they got a taste of cheeseheads and cheesesteaks as the Packers and Eagles introduced them to American football.

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[13:58:04]

WHITFIELD: Brazil loves its football, which is better known as soccer in the U.S. But last night was all about American football as the NFL headed south to kick off its international expansion into South America.

CNN's Carolyn Manno is joining us now with the highlights and a touching moment at the Paris Paralympics.

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CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Fred, the NFL's International Series has been a win for the league for games in Europe this year and now a game in South America as the NFL continues to expand its brand globally, bring the game of American football to new audience.

Sao Paolo an incredible host, 40,000-plus filling S.C. Corinthians Stadium to watch the Eagles and Packers.

They also got to see why Philly made Saquon Barkley is one of the highest-paid running backs in the lead. The longtime New York Giants star stellar in his Eagles debut, scoring two rushing touchdowns and catching another.

Green Bay had a chance later. Down by five in the final seconds, Packers fans avert your eyes. Quarterback Jordan Love going down awkwardly as he was being tackled. He had to be helped off the field with an apparent leg injury. No word yet on how serious that might be.

But the Eagles hold on 34:29, making the nine-hour flight from Philly well worth it.

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NICK SIRIANNI, HEAD COACH, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Man, did Brazil get a great game tonight, or what? I know we -- we converted some people to be big-time football fans tonight.

SAQUON BARKLEY, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES RUNNING BACK: Just the opportunity was amazing. So thankful to the NFL. So thankful, you know, to everyone in Brazil. It was super fun. The energy was amazing. And, you know, I couldn't pitch you in any way better than that.

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MANNO: And, Fred, from Sao Paulo to Paris for the Paralympic games. And what a moment on Friday night for Hunter Woodhall after winning bronze in Rio and Tokyo, Woodhall winning the first Paralympic gold of his career in the men's 400-meter T62 final.

Just after crossing the finish line, flipping his bib around to show the cameras a message he wrote for his late uncle, who passed away from cancer earlier this year.

Then he quickly found his wife, Tara Davis-Woodhall, in the stands, who took gold in the women's long jump at the Olympics just a couple of weeks ago.

Those two going viral in Paris at the Olympic games. And now they are a --