Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
VP Harris Continues Debate Prep Ahead Of Tuesday's Showdown; Trump Holds Rally In Battleground Wisconsin; Community Gathers After Four Killed At Apalachee High; Interview With Manuel Oliver; Israeli Protesters Demand Hostage Deal, Mark 11 Months Of Gaza War; CIA Director Says Last 90 Percent Of Deal Agreed To, Netanyahu Says "There's No Deal In The Making"; Boeing Starliner Lands Back On Earth Without Its Crew; Justice Department: Terror Attack On New York City Foiled. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired September 07, 2024 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:01:10]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.
In just about 72 hours, Vice President Kamala Harris will meet face to face with former president Donald Trump in their first presidential debate together.
It will be a pivotal test for Harris as she attempts to win over undecided voters and prove she can prosecute the case against her Republican rival.
Right now, she's in Pittsburgh with a small team of advisers where she's been in debate prep since Thursday.
That's where we also find CNN's Eva McKend, who's been traveling with the vice president.
Eva, how is the vice president preparing for this debate?
EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: So Jess, largely the strategy has been to hunker down here and huddle with a key team of trusted advisers.
No doubt she's probably going through anticipated questions, maybe combing through the president's -- the former president's rather her past statements.
But also key to their strategy, Jess, is anchoring herself here in Pittsburgh in this battleground state, so that she can get key facetime with voters ahead of the election.
She visited a spice shop today where she gave hugs and shook hands. One woman got very emotional, tearing up at the opportunity to meet her.
And then she also addressed this recent endorsement from Dick and Liz Cheney. Take a listen to how she's thinking about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: 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 it's not important and to put country above party. And I'm honored to have their support.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKEND: So Jess, though she is largely behind closed doors doing this preparation, you can see there how -- why they chose to be here in Pittsburgh because in her downtime, she can have that time with battleground voters.
Pennsylvania -- President Biden only won this state in 2020 by about 80,000 votes. And it is one of the states that the vice president will need to win come November.
DEAN: Yes. At this point, Eva maybe no state more important than Pennsylvania in terms of a tipping point there. And so while Harris is in Pennsylvania, her running mate, Governor Tim Walz, is expected to speak at the Human Rights Campaign annual dinner in Washington, D.C.
Right now, pro-Palestinian protesters are outside of that event. What more can you tell us about that.
MCKEND: Well, this has sort of become a staple of their appearances. Sometimes its dozens, sometimes less than that, of protesters calling for the elevation of Palestinian human rights. They're deeply concerned about what is happening in Gaza.
Sometimes the vice president addresses it, sometimes the governor addresses it as well. And it just brings into focus, Jess how this is something that they are going to have to continue to confront. That this is top of mind for voters as we head towards November.
And certainly top of mind for President Biden, who is reportedly obsessed with coming to some sort of deal here before the end of his term, Jess.
DEAN: Eva McKend for us from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania tonight. Thanks so much for that reporting.
And while Harris prepares for the debate there, Trump taking a different approach. He held a campaign rally in the battleground state of Wisconsin, of course, another key battleground state that he needs to win likely if he wants to take the White House.
CNN's Alayna Treene was at that rally and has more details for us.
[17:04:50]
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Jessica, Donald Trump spoke for nearly two hours here in Mosinee. And he actually didn't talk about the debate that much. He only brought it up once and that was to ask people in the crowd if they were going to be watching.
But what he did do is actually he made some news today. He said for the first time, I haven't heard this before from him, that he would look into modifying the 25th Amendment.
I want you to take a listen to what he said and then I'll break it down for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And finally I will support modifying the 25th Amendment to make clear that if a vice president lies or engages in a conspiracy to cover up the incapacity of the president of the United States, if you do that with a cover up of the president of the United States, it's grounds for impeachment immediately and removal from office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: Ok. So as you heard him say there it'd be grounds for impeachment or immediate removal from office.
Of course, this is part of Donald Trump's effort to paint Kamala Harris as being responsible for what they are arguing is Biden's inability to serve as president.
But to move away from that, I want to give you more insight into why he was in Wisconsin today.
First of all, we know how important of a battleground state this is, not just for Trump's campaign for, but also for Kamala Harris'.
It's even more important though now that Harris is the one at the top up of the ticket.
Prior to Joe Biden ending his campaign over the summer, Trump's campaign was very confident about his chances of securing the state, even though he had lost it to Biden in 2020.
They really see this as being key to his pathway to securing 270 electoral votes come November. But now recent polling, including our own recent poll, released last week shows that Harris has actually doing better than Donald Trump.
It's very close, of course, but she has made up a lot of ground here. So you're going to see a lot more of Donald Trump in the weeks to come.
And one other notable thing from today, Jessica, is that Donald Trump spent a lot of time talking about the economy. We know that not only does Donald Trump believe that it is the most important issue to voters, but that he's also polling better than Harris on the issue.
We actually saw him on Thursday, walk through for the first time the specifics of what his economic policy would look like if elected. He talked about gutting regulations, about lowering the corporate tax rate further to 15 percent, about imposing sweeping tariffs on imports.
Although I will note that during that speech, he did not necessarily address some of the implications of those policies, including how many economists argue that such tariffs would create inflation.
But again, the economy is such an important issue for Donald Trump. He talked about that a lot today here in Wisconsin and you're also going to hear a lot of those same messaging points on Tuesday on the debate stage, Jessica.
DEAN: Alayna Treene, thanks so much.
And joining us now is "Washington Post" White House bureau chief Toluse Olorunnipa.
Toluse, always great to have you on. Thanks so much for being here with us.
You were also in Pittsburgh where we just talked to Eva McKend, where Vice President Kamala Harris is preparing for her debate. We're going to get to that in just a moment, but we just heard from our colleague, Alayna Treene, of course, Trump campaigning in Wisconsin today, back in a swing-state.
We've seen him go to places just like new jersey over the summer, not necessarily battleground state. What does it tell you that he's back in Wisconsin and do you think he had effective messaging there at his very long rally today?
TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, WHITE HOUSE BUREAU CHIEF, "THE WASHINGTON POST": It was a very long rally. The former president is trying to carve out a path to 270. He realizes that going to places like Montana and New Jersey is not going to really help him.
So he is focusing on swing states. His aides say he's getting much more serious about the effort to win another term in office and we're going to see how serious he is when he gets on the debate stage with Kamala Harris, whether or not he will prosecute a message that is clear and concise; or whether or not hell go off on tangents, a lot of which he did today during his rally.
That is going to be a big question about whether or not he can put together the kind of coalition that he's going to need to defeat Kamala Harris.
So far, it seems like he is vintage Trump playing to his base, not really expanding the tent. And whether or not he is able to go beyond that on the debate stage, I think is going to a big question for how the rest of the campaign looks.
DEAN: Yes, it is going to be such an interesting thing to watch unfold, the demeanor and the strategy coming from both of these candidates. "The New York Times" was reporting that -- well, Hillary Clinton told them rather that she thinks that Kamala Harris should -- should bait him and not be baited by him.
What do you know about her preparations and how she's getting ready for this.
OLORUNNIPA: Well, she's spending a lot of time behind closed doors doing preparations since she got here to Pittsburgh on Thursday. She's only really left the hotel once and just for a short period of time to meet with voters.
[17:09:51]
OLORUNNIPA: She is really intensely trying to prepare for anything that Trump may throw at her. That means being prepared to talk about policies, being prepared to answer questions from the moderators about why she's changed her positions on a number of different issues.
And also being prepared to deal with the format. There are going to be muted mics which means that a prosecutor -- the prosecutor that she is, she's not going to be able to speak up when she hears Donald Trump saying things that she doesn't like or saying things is that she thinks is false.
She's going to have to wait her turn. And so she's preparing in a way that will allow her to sort of simulate what it's going to look like on the debate stage in real life with mics turned off, with someone playing Donald Trump who has his own on physical presence that he shows up with on the stage.
And so they are trying to have a mock version of this debate so that she could be as prepared as possible for facing think Trump for the first time.
We have to remember that she has not come face-to-face with Donald Trump before. This will be her first time meeting him on the stage.
DEAN: Yes. And such a key thing to remember as well.
Also, we have this news of not only Liz Cheney, of course, a Republican congresswoman endorsing Kamala Harris, but Dick Cheney, the former Republican vice president, that's the second vice president that has come out and said Trump is a threat. Mike Pence being of course, the other one.
What -- just as someone who covers politics, covers the White House, to see Dick Cheney come out and support a Democrat, Toluse, what does that say to you and give people context around -- around that?
OLORUNNIPA: It is extremely strange bedfellows. It was very strange to have a former Republican not only a Republican vice president, but someone well like Dick Cheney, who has been reviled by Democrats, who has been a conservative over the course of his entire life, who has never backed a Democrat in the past come out in favor of Kamala Harris.
One, it shows how much Trump has failed to unify his party, how much Republicans are still divided around his candidacy, how much there are Never Trump Republicans that are still out there.
But it also showcases that Kamala Harris is trying to broaden her tent. She is trying to make outreach to some of these Republicans, while also unifying and keeping Democrats behind her.
And so she said today that she was honored to have Dick Cheney's endorsement, which was sort of a strange moment hearing that from a Democratic candidate. But it's clear that she is trying to turn the page on Donald Trump. She used those words exactly.
She's trying to present the country with a path forward that would allow them to say, we can go back to our normal Republican versus Democratic battles, but we have to leave Trump in the back, in the dustbin of history and allow this candidacy of Kamala Harris to turn the page from the Trump era.
And that's what she's trying to do. And she's really embracing these endorsements even as they're coming from people that Democrats typically have not been so fond.
DEAN: All right. Toluse, thanks so much, again, for us there in Pittsburgh as well. Great to see you. Thanks so much.
And you can follow CNN for complete coverage and exclusive analysis before and after Tuesday's debate.
The ABC News presidential debate simulcast starts Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
And still ahead, the community of Winder, Georgia is still reeling from Wednesday's mass shooting at Apalachee High School. We'll tell you how the community is remembering those four victims. We're also going to talk with the father of a boy who was killed in the Parkland school shooting about his ongoing fight to stop gun violence.
Plus new information about an alleged foiled terror plot against Jewish people in New York on the anniversary of the October 7 attacks.
And Boeing's Starliner capsule finally home from space, but it returned to earth with an empty cabin. What's next for Boeing's space program. We'll discuss with a former commander of the International Space Station.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
[17:13:38]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: Three days after the school shooting that killed four people at Apalachee High School, the small community of Winder, Georgia is still trying to process that tragedy.
Last night, people gathered at a vigil to mourn the two students and two teachers murdered when a 14-year-old student opened fire inside the school Wednesday morning. This morning, more than 100 motorcyclists rode to the school to show support for the students and the community.
It is not yet clear when Apalachee High School will be ready to open its doors to teach its students again.
In the meantime, Rafael Romo is joining us now from Winder with more.
Rafael, still more details emerging. What do we know about what's happening with the alleged shooter, but also his father?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jessica.
Barrow County district attorney Brad Smith says, it is very possible 14-year-old Colt Gray will face additional charges.
They're only waiting for victims who are still in the hospital to get well enough to speak with them before they can decide what those charges will be.
Both Colt Gray, the 14-year-old accused of the shooting, and his 54- year-old father, Colin Gray, made their first court appearance here in Barrow County. Colin Gray was arraigned on four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
But this Saturday has been a day for the community here in Winder to mourn, pray, and show support for the school, Apalachee High School.
[17:19:48]
ROMO: We only have a handful of people here now, but earlier today hundreds gathered around the flag, the flagpole behind me right there where the flag is flying at half-mast in honor of the deceased people.
They made a large circle holding hands and a minister said a prayer for peace and solidarity. Most of the people around the circle where bikers who had organized a memorial ride to honor the four people who were killed here on Wednesday.
But we also saw police officers, teachers, current and former students, members of the Little League team, and others who came down to pay their respects.
We asked a couple of people who gathered here why it was important for them to show up. And this is what they had to say. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMBER DAVIS, BIKER: As a biker community, that's what we do. We rally around our neighbors. Our kids go to school in the school system. We want to be here to support, you know, all the kids' families, first responders, just to show up for them in this time.
KYLE RICH, BIKER: I mean it's just devastating for the whole community, really people can't wrap their minds around it still today, I don't think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: Set to open -- the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security agency announced Friday that a community recovery center is set to open here in barrow County on Monday to support those affected by the shooting, Jessica.
DEAN: All right. Rafael Romo for us, thank you so much for that reporting.
And the Apalachee High School shooting was the 45th -- the 45th school shooting so far this year in 2024 raising the question again, of what can be done to stop this deadly violence against children sitting in classrooms.
I am joined now by Manuel Oliver, the father of Joaquin Guac Oliver, one of the 17 people killed in the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida five years ago. Manny and his wife Patricia have founded the group Change the Ref, aimed at giving kids a voice and also the tools they need to fight gun violence in schools.
Manny, thank you for being here with us to talk more about this. I know you and your wife were in Washington D.C. talking about school violence, school gun violence when the Georgia school shooting happened.
Tell us about that moment. And I don't even want to say irony, but the very sad irony that you were talking about preventing something like this and it happened at that moment.
MANUEL OLIVER, SON WAS KILLED IN PARKLAND SHOOTING: Well, I think that has happened more than once because we actually work every single day on trying to stop these kind of things from happening. And that day was just a public news.
So what I'm trying to say is that I know what I was doing. I know what Patricia was doing while these happened. The question is, what is everyone else doing?
We have a great response. I was just listening to how the community's getting together. But you know what, it's too late. We are great from the aftermath of the shooting and it's time to be supporters before the shooting happens.
DEAN: And Manny, I covered the Hill for a couple of years and unfortunately, over those couple of years, there were school shootings and most often we would go to the lawmakers and say, well, what are you going to do now, there has been a push for changes in the laws.
And there was one bipartisan law that did make it through and was signed by President Biden. But aside from that, the kind of it was everyone is really dug in on their sides. And so much of changing any law, it comes out of Congress.
Do you ever get frustrated or want to like bang your head against a wall that it is so entrenched?
OLIVER: Every day. I don't think we're doing enough. I never thought that package of laws will be enough and everybody knows that. I'm ok with it, but it's not enough.
Now we need dramatic messages here. Do it. I will say, let's call for a national educational strike until they pass a ban on assault weapons. The president cannot ban assault weapons today unless congress passes that bill.
But let -- you know what, we have President Biden for the next couple of months so we keep on talking about who's going to be the next president. I want to talk about who's the president now.
I voted for Biden. Let's get pressure on Congress. They can pass this bill and save lives. Biden is ready to sign it. We just need to react right now as a collective, as a community.
DEAN: And the day after this Georgia shooting, the Republican vice- presidential nominee, J.D. Vance, made these comments. I just want to play them and then get your reaction to them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You've got some states with very strict gun laws and you've got some states that don't have strict gun laws at all. And the states with strict gun laws, they have a lot of school shootings and the states without strict gun laws, some of them have school shootings too. So clearly strict gun laws is not the thing that is going to solve this problem.
What is going to solve this problem -- and I really do believe this is look, I don't like this. I don't like to admit this. I don't like that this is a fact of life.
[17:24:49]
VANCE: But if you're, if you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that our schools are soft targets. And we have got to bolster security at our schools so that a person who walked through the front door -- we've got to bolster security so that if a psycho wants to walk through the front door and kill a bunch of children, they're not able to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Manny, is security enough to fix this problem?
OLIVER: No. It's not. Not at all. I mean, we have not tried the one thing that will be enough and that is going after the guns.
These guys have mental problems. Yes, they have mind that is not ok. But they also have access to guns. And that is a big lie, the one about states having gun laws or not.
And it's ok anyone's lying but of someone that is trying to run for the vice presidency is lying, that is really risky and we cannot take that risk. So that is a lie and I'm not in any way I'm going to think that securing schools is the solution. That is not the normal.
DEAN: And so what would you say to vice president -- to Senator Vance or somebody like him who says, listen, all we need to do is further secure these schools and get mental health access. It's not the guns.
What would you say to them?
OLIVER: Well, I will I will say that you should look at other nations on what they have done. But they don't have anyone fighting for the gun manufacturers. They have leaders fighting for the people and for the kids. So we haven't tried that. Again, it's a myth that we need more guns and more security.
Look at what happened to Donald Trump. Do you think there was a place more secure than that one? When someone came with an AR-15 and shot him, he went there to kill him. Isn't that enough to understand that the problem is that easy access to guns.
So this guy is lying. I'm telling you the truth but I'm not running for vice president. So people need to listen to what he's saying and make the right decision on November.
DEAN: All right. Manuel Oliver, we're going to leave it there, but I really do appreciate your time. Thanks so much.
OLIVER: Thank you. It was a pleasure talking to you.
DEAN: We're going to be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:31:32]
DEAN: Tonight, protesters filling streets in Israel, rallying to pressure their government to agree to a hostage deal with Hamas.
Anti-government demonstrators and hostage families joining together, demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seal the deal.
Today marks 11 months since the October 7th attacks. Despite significant pressure, both sides appear no closer to finalizing a plan to end the fighting in Gaza.
CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us now with more.
Julia, what is the latest on these ceasefire negotiations?
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, the president and his top aides have persistently expressed hope that they can push the deal across the line.
But significant complications have shifted the mood in recent days, leading some in the White House to question whether they'll see the end to the Israel-Hamas war before the end of Biden's presidency. Now, U.S. officials have said that they've grown increasingly
skeptical that Hamas may actually want an agreement.
And earlier in the week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a deal is not close and is arguing for a permanent Israeli presence in southwestern Gaza despite international calls, including from the U.S., to eventually fully withdraw.
Now CIA Director Bill Burns, a lead negotiator for the U.S. on this, spoke earlier today and he said that he hopes to have a more detailed proposal in front of Israel-Hamas negotiators in the coming days.
But he stressed that its success will come down to political will on their part.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL BURNS, CIA DIRECTOR: I cannot tell you how close we are right now. It is -- it is a fact that if you look at the written next, 90 percent of the paragraphs have been agreed to. But in any negotiation I have been involved in, the last 10 percent is the last 10 percent for a reason. Because it's the hardest part two do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BENBROOK: If a ceasefire deal fails to materialize in the next few months, it would be an enormous foreign policy disappointment for Biden, who has spent a huge amount of time, effort and political capital pushing for the end of this conflict over the last year.
In fact, sources say that he has become even more focused on this in the last few weeks since he ended his reelection bid -- Jessica?
DEAN: All right. Julia Benbrook, thank you so much for that reporting.
And we're joined now by Andrew Miller, former deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, who resigned earlier this summer after disagreements with the Biden administration's approach to Israel.
Andrew, thank you so much for being here with us.
I just want to piggyback on what our colleague, Julia, was just reporting on. The CIA director, Bill Burns, saying it's that last 10 percent.
It feels like they've been kind of circling around that part for a while now, with the secretary of state saying earlier this summer they were on the 10-yard line but it's that last bit that's the hardest to go.
Do you think it is within the realm of possibility to get a deal done before President Biden is out of office?
ANDREW P. MILLER, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ISRAELI- PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS: Well, thanks for having me. Just very quickly, I didn't resign over disagreements. I resigned to spend more time with my with my family, who I haven't seen in eight months.
So just to clarify that and --
(CROSSTALK)
DEAN: Good. I'm glad you clarified and I'm glad you've gotten to be with your family.
MILLER: Thank you. I appreciate it. I'm very glad as well.
At least I hope, turning back to the topic, there still is a real chance of achieving a ceasefire and hostage deal before the end of President Biden's presidency, whether before the election or during the lame-duck period between the election and inauguration.
[17:35:09]
The substantive issues at the heart of the negotiation are not unbridgeable.
The two primary issues, as we understand it, remaining to be resolved are the Israeli presence along the Philadelphi Corridor, which is the border between Gaza and Egypt.
And the number of Palestinian prisoners who would be released in exchange for Israeli hostages.
Both of those issues by -- according to the experts who have been -- who have been involved in these negotiations, say that there is a zone of agreement where both sides can live with it.
The problem -- and the director of Central Intelligence Burns indicated this -- is a political one. There is a lack of political will, or at least a lack of demonstrated political will.
And it's not Hamas and Israel as a whole. It's primarily Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas, and Prime Minister Netanyahu themselves, who seem to be the primary obstacles.
They have their own political strategic reasons for proceeding more slowly. If it we're up to others within the Israeli government or within Hamas think, it's very likely we would have had an agreement by now.
DEAN: And, Andrew, do you think that the Biden administration could be doing anything differently? Would you be advising them differently at this point?
MILLER: I think there is a need for the utmost urgency precisely because, with each day, the probability of returning hostages decreases, the number of Palestinian civilians who are killed increases, the risk of a regional war breaking out increases. And the incentives for an agreement had been laid out in the agreement
itself. Both Hamas and Israel would stand to benefit in different ways from reaching a ceasefire.
What hasn't been fully explored are the pressure points, both in terms of the threats that could be used for either party if they are unwilling to agree to the deal. But also in terms of creating a more pressurized environment.
Burns and others have done yeoman's work trying to negotiate this. But it may be time for shuttle diplomacy at the highest level.
As the correspondent reported, the issue is of the highest importance to President Biden. He recognizes that he's going to be leaving this issue to his successor, whether that's Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.
And as a responsible public leader, he wants to put them in the best possible position.
It is time for the president to consider going out himself and potentially shuttling between Israel, Egypt and Qatar to create the pressure-cooker environment in which it might be easier to get both sides to make the necessary compromises.
It's difficult, given that Sinwar is in Gaza and difficult to reach. But he still would be in a position to move between the Israelis and Qataris and Egyptians, as the mediators, and seek to mobilize as much pressure on them to come to a decision.
And it's much harder to say no to the president of the United States, when he's standing in your presence, than it is saying no to a sheet of paper that is disconnected from the White House.
So in his last months in office, one of the greatest contributions he could make is using his remaining political capital, using his prestige and putting them on the table in service of a ceasefire so that we can move on to a different phase.
And hopefully, rebuilding both in Gaza and rebuilding more generally in the region.
DEAN: All right, it sounds like you're saying turn up the pressure a little bit.
All right, Andrew Miller, thanks so much. We appreciate it.
MILLER: Thank you very much.
[17:39:11]
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: After three months in orbit, the Starliner is finally coming back to earth. The Boeing capsule undocked from the International Space Station last night, leaving behind its crew of two NASA astronauts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NASA ANNOUNCER: Touchdown. Starliner is back on earth. That landing coming at 11 -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: The Starliner landing just after midnight Eastern time in New Mexico, making it the first made-in-the-USA capsule land on the ground instead of splashing into the ocean.
Let's talk more about this with retired International Space Station Commander and NASA astronaut, Colonel Terry Virts.
Good evening to you. Thanks so much for being here with us.
Now that the Starliner has safely landed, we still have Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams up in space. Is that the right call?
COL. TERRY VIRTS, RETIRED INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION COMMANDER & FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: You know, I wasn't in any of those meetings. I left NASA a few years ago.
But I know they were primarily focused on safety. And I think everybody fully expected the Boeings capsule, the Starliner, to come back to earth safely.
But there was a little bit of nagging doubt about these small thrusters that, by the way, aren't even made by Boeing. They -- there were some questions with those. So they were really trying to be safe.
[17:45:02]
I fully expected the capsule to land well. It did. This is, by the way, the third successful landing of this capsule in an unmanned configuration. They've done three tests.
So hopefully, they can fix it and move on to the next -- the next steps.
DEAN: Yes. Until -- what does happen next? What are the next steps in -- for NASA and for Boeing moving forward here?
VIRTS: Well, the big hurdle to cross is -- the final exam is getting this capsule certified. Once it's certified and NASA can use it to launch and return astronauts just on a normal rotational basis.
And so in order to certify it, they're going to have to prove that these small thrusters will not have the problems that they had. And they think that they know exactly what the problem was. They think that they know what the fix is.
It's going to be a question of how long that takes and how much money they have to spend a fix it. Both NASA and Boeing have said they're going to press ahead. So hopefully, they can get this thing redesigned and fixed. And the
next flight will be with astronauts on a normal operational mission. But that's still to be determined.
DEAN: And we know that the SpaceX flight is going to bring Butch and Suni home. It will arrive in a few weeks. What is -- I'm just thinking about that they've been up there a while now, several, I believe, months at this point.
Are they in good shape? If you were them -- you know, are you thinking about them? I know they're trained for this sort of thing. But what happens next for them as they wait for the next phase of all of this?
VIRTS: Well, they've transitioned into just being normal run-of-the- mill space station astronauts. Most of these missions are roughly half a year.
On my last mission, I launched -- there was a Russian rocket that exploded and we ended up getting stuck, really unsure if -- for how long. Ended up being a month.
So I went from six to seven months, which isn't too terrible. They're going from eight days to eight months. So that's a little bit bigger -- a little bit bigger of a change.
Now they're astronauts. I'm sure they're enjoying their time in space. You know, they've both flown long-duration missions before, so they know what to expect.
The biggest impact is on their families and it always is. The astronauts get the glory, they get to fly in space, while the families are down on earth fixing the plumbing and getting the grass cut and all of that kind of stuff.
DEAN: Yes.
VIRTS: Yes.
DEAN: Well, what we salute the families at this moment, too.
All right, Colonel Terry Virts, thank you so much. We appreciate it.
VIRTS: Thanks for having me on.
DEAN: Still ahead, an alleged terror plot foiled in New York. What we are learning about an attack that was planned on the anniversary of October 7th aimed at killing as many Jewish people as possible. We're going to tell you more about what we're learning.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:52:24]
DEAN: A terror attack on New York City has allegedly -- has been foiled. The Justice Department charging a Pakistani national with planning a terrorist -- a terrorist attack in New York City on the anniversary of the October 7th attacks in Israel.
Justice Department officials allege the suspect wanted to target Jewish people in New York.
Joining us now, CNN's Gloria Pazmino.
Gloria, what more can you tell us about this?
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica, the name of the suspect as Muhammad Shahzeb Khan. And he had been under investigation, under surveillance by law enforcement officials for a little less than a year before they finally decided to move in and arrested him not far from the U.S.-Canada border.
Now prosecutors in the Southern District of New York allege that Khan was on his way to New York City to carry out an attack and where he wanted to target Jewish people specifically.
He wrote that he wanted to, quote, "kill as many Jewish civilians as possible."
Now, Khan had been communicating on an encrypted messaging app. And while he was using that app, talking to people, he was actually in communication with two undercover law enforcement officers who were tracking his plans, his messages, and his movements.
And the timeline of the alleged -- of the alleged plan to make this attack said that he contacted them back in November, instructed them to obtain guns.
And by August, he was discussing the possibility of coming to New York City and making New York City the place of where this attack would take place.
He specifically wanted to target the Jewish community here, talking about how it is one of the largest in the world.
He also talked about wanting to attack on October 7th, as you mentioned, the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
Now, we have tried to determine if Khan has secured a lawyer. And we're also trying to figure out whether or not he is going to be transferred here to New York to face the charges -- Jessica?
DEAN: All right, Gloria Pazmino, with the latest for us. Thank you so much for that.
This week's "CNN Hero" is an amazing woman from California who is giving at-risk kids and cast-off canines a chance for futures filled with hope and possibility.
Meet Melissa Wolf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MELISSA WOLF, CNN HERO: If dogs know that you're safe and your kind to them, they're going to give back twice as much, just like humans.
Do you guys want to do some warmup with her now?
It turned like five skills each. We bring that information to the kids just the same.
We need your help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sit.
WOLF: We need your help to get these dogs placed into a permanent adoptive home.
[17:55:03]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Treat, treat.
WOLF: Always treat. There you go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sit, stay.
WOLF: He does down, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
WOLF: I feel like it's basic when kids can contribute to giving a dog a second chance at a better life. We see the shift in them. I get goosebumps when I talk about this after 12 years.
There is a vulnerability that the dogs allow to be able to care for them that not only helps the animal but it helps the child to develop a level of compassion and empathy for others.
We serve kids that have great intellect, great creativity, great compassion.
I will just be a crazy dog lady for the rest of my life. But I'm all in it for the kids.
(APPLAUSE)
WOLF: They are our leaders and we need to take care of them.
(APPLAUSE)
WOLF: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Melissa's organization has served more than 450 young people who have helped to place more than 220 dogs in forever homes. You can learn more about her work at CNNheroes.com.
We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
