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Trump Says No More Debates While Harris Wants Another; 33,000 Boeing Union Members Go on Strike; Fighting Wildfires in California; UNRWA: Deadliest Single Incident for Staff Since October; Powerful Testimony as Gisele Pelicot Takes Stand. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired September 13, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our members rejected the contract by 94.6 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Union members rejecting a proposed four-year contract even though union leadership had described it as the best it ever negotiated.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I believe we ought to have another debate. Right. We owe it to the voters.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There will be no third debate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A race against time, fighting extreme wildfires along multiple fronts in Southern California.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a life-saving mission.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you able to see what it looked like at that time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An infernal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Max Foster. It is Friday, September the 13th, 9 a.m. here in London, 1 a.m. in Tucson, Arizona, where Donald Trump said earlier at a rally he will not take part in a second debate against Kamala Harris.
Both candidates are back in battleground states in the hours ahead. Harris heads to Wilkes-Barre, that's Pennsylvania, whilst Trump is expected to go to Las Vegas in Nevada. All of this comes amid polling that shows two important snapshots of how voters feel. Who they think won the recent debate and where the candidates stand head-to-head nationwide.
Two polls, one by CNN, the other by Reuters/Ipsos, shows a majority of registered voters who watched the debate think Harris had the better night. Reuters says its numbers do not add up to 100 percent, as nearly a quarter replied neither had won nor or didn't answer, actually.
Now, polling also shows that Harris is widening her lead slightly over Trump nationwide, 47 percent to 42 percent. CNN's Harry Enten gives a little context to those numbers.
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HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: We have a new Reuters/Ipsos poll that came out after the debate. It has Harris up by five points, but that's in fact not much of a change from where we were last month when it was Harris by four. I think the general picture you're looking at in the polling here is, yes, Harris is doing better than she did when she got on the race.
In terms of post-debate versus pre-debate, I think there's been a little bit of movement across the different metrics that I'm looking at. But the bottom line is not that much movement, which I guess is not so surprising in a 50-50 country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: More now on how each is making the most of the debate. CNN's Steve Contorno is on the campaign trail with Trump in Arizona. But first, let's hear from CNN's Eva McKend in North Carolina with the vice president.
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EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Vice President Harris eager for another matchup with former President Donald Trump. She believes the debate showed clear contrast and illustrated in her view that Trump is unfit for the presidency.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Two nights ago, Donald Trump and I had our debate.
(CHEERING)
HARRIS: Did you watch it? Did you watch it?
(CHEERING)
HARRIS: And look, I believe we owe it to have another debate.
(CHEERING)
Right? Because we owe it to the voters. Because here's the thing, in this election, what's at stake could not be more important. On Tuesday night, I talked about issues that I know matter to the families across America, like bringing down the cost of living, investing in America's small businesses, protecting reproductive freedom --
(CHEERING)
HARRIS: -- and keeping our nation safe and secure.
(CHEERING)
MCKEND: And Democrats believe North Carolina is in play this cycle for a number of reasons. There are nearly a dozen historically Black colleges and universities in this state. We know the campaign has been doing direct outreach to those communities.
They've seen more than 160,000 North Carolinians request early ballots to vote early. The vice president referencing that early voting in particular. And they believe that the Republican candidate for governor is especially weak and that he'll bring down the entire ticket.
[04:05:00]
So it is for those reasons and the strength of their argument that they believe they have on reproductive rights that they are investing so heavily in this state.
Eva McKend, CNN, North Carolina.
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STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Donald Trump on Thursday visited Tucson, Arizona, for his first campaign event since Tuesday night's debates. On the stage, he attacked the debate moderators, put his own positive spin on the events, and suggested that it was rigged. However, he also made clear that he will not participate in another debate.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: So, because we've done two debates and because they were successful, there will be no third debate. It's too late anyway. The voting's already begun. You got to go out and vote.
CONTORNO: Trump's speech on Thursday was billed as an address on housing and the economy. He unveiled a new proposal to get rid of taxes on overtime wages. But he spent most of his time here talking about immigration.
It's one of his top issues and it's an issue that they believe will resonate here in Arizona -- a border state.
A recent CNN poll showed that Trump wins on this issue by a 17-point margin over Vice President Harris.
TRUMP: People said that I was angry at the debate. Angry. I was angry. And yes, I am angry because he allowed 21 million illegal aliens invading our communities. Many of them are criminals.
CONTORNO: Trump also continued to suggest that migrants are eating pets and stealing geese. He continues his West Coast tour on Friday with events planned in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Steve Contorno, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.
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FOSTER: Many voters want to know if age and mental acuity are now factors for Donald Trump, like they were for President Biden before he dropped out of the race. The answer appears to be, well, maybe. A majority of registered voters in the Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted after the debate said that Donald Trump stumbled and didn't appear sharp.
Only 21 percent said the same about Kamala Harris. Analysts are weighing in on the age factor.
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ERIN PERRINE, FORMER DIRECTOR OF PRESS COMMUNICATIONS, TRUMP 2020 CAMPAIGN: People already have the baked-in notion about Donald Trump. His name ID, people, their belief in him, where he stands. People have a really firm understanding of that.
And with that comes his age. The only reason it could be a detriment or it could work in Kamala's favor is if she somehow begins to pull away the mantle that she is the change candidate, that she is the one that will be the change vote in the election.
LULU GARCIA NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I disagree. I think Republicans are now in the position that the Democrats were in when they had ahead of the ticket that really couldn't prosecute the case. And I think the real implications of this last debate is that for the first time you saw these two candidates side by side, and one was able to very articulately argue the case for Democrats and really prosecute the case for Democrats, which is something they've been craving.
And Donald Trump was simply unable to do it. And so I really think that people are now seeing a different Donald Trump. Donald Trump is in decline and age only goes one way. You don't get sharper with age, unfortunately. And so I think this is something that Republicans are going to have to come face to face with.
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FOSTER: Aerospace giant Boeing facing the first strike at the company in 16 years. About 33,000 of its union members are hitting the picket lines this morning. They rejected a proposal, a proposed four-year contract, even though union leadership had described it as the best it has ever negotiated.
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JON HOLDEN, PRESIDENT, IAM DISTRICT 751: This is about respect. This is about addressing the past. And this is about fighting for our future. Our members rejected the contract by 94.6 percent.
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FOSTER: Union official Jon Holden went on to explain some of the issues that members had with this proposal.
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HOLDEN: While there were many important things that were in this offer, it didn't make up, it didn't bridge the gap for 16 years from 2008 and going through two extensions and the threats of job loss, you know, stagnated wages, cost shift on health care and many other issues and especially relocation of thousands of jobs for, you know, other programs leaving the state.
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FOSTER: Well, the strike comes after a series of problems at Boeing, of course, including layoffs and the shifting of some work from unionized assembly plants to the company's one non-union factory. Boeing is also dealing with quality issues with its planes and its Starliner spacecraft, the walkout will virtually stop commercial airplane production at Boeing.
Earlier, CNN spoke with Geoffrey Thomas, the editor in chief and managing director at AirlineRatings.com. He talked about the impact this could have on the public.
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GEOFFREY THOMAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, AIRLINERATINGS.COM: From the travelling public's perspective at the moment, it will have no impact at all because it doesn't affect aircraft that are in service, obviously. But deliveries of new aircraft to airlines around the world and around the United States will be impacted if it's a prolonged strike. And the last strike they had lasted 57 days, that's two months. And that will have a profound impact on deliveries, which will impact on the travelling public, particularly again getting up towards the festive season. So airlines will not be getting the aircraft that they were promised.
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FOSTER: Well, Boeing issued a statement saying: We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our employees and the union and we are ready to get back to the table to reach a new agreement.
Now, authorities in California have charged a man with arson in connection with the Line Fire. It scorched roughly 150 square kilometers in San Bernardino County. It's one of several large wildfires in that state. The blaze got so intense it created its own fire clouds, which eventually matured into a full-fledged thunderstorm. NASA captured an image of this massive cloud rising from the flames. Another blaze, the Airport Fire, has burned almost 100 square kilometers in Orange County and it's 5 percent contained. Evacuation orders are still in effect. Firefighters hope Friday's cooler and calmer weather will help them get a handle on the fire.
CNN's Michael Yoshida brings us the latest from New Orleans.
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MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dramatic rescue caught on camera. When ER nurse Miles Crawford saw another man stuck in a truck submerged in floodwaters, he sprang into action. After running to his home to get something to break the truck window, Crawford waded into the flood and helped pull the man out.
MILES CRAWFORD, ER NURSE: I wasn't really thinking about my safety. I knew I'd be safe and I knew that the officer was right there behind me in case we needed to get anybody else to come rescue me or anything.
YOSHIDA (voice-over): Scenes like this played out across parts of Louisiana as Francine made landfall in Terrebonne Parish Wednesday as a Category 2 hurricane. With it, more than a month's worth of rain to New Orleans within hours causing a rare flash flood emergency. Travelling became dangerous and water rushed into homes.
The Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office said they pulled 26 residents, many from their flooded homes Wednesday night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We even had our protective dam up. We even had the sandbags up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden we saw water starting to come in from all different areas of the house.
YOSHIDA (voice-over): Hundreds of thousands are without power in Louisiana and Mississippi after windfall and trees ripped down power lines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's certainly worse than we anticipated.
YOSHIDA (voice-over): In Houma, Louisiana, the winds were so strong the roof of this flea market was torn off. As the storm moves inland, more than 10 million people from Arkansas and Tennessee to southwest Georgia and the Florida panhandle could see flood level rainfall.
In New Orleans, I'm Michael Yoshida reporting.
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FOSTER: Russia goes on the offensive at home trying to retake territory captured by Ukraine. But as Moscow claims progress, the U.S. says the operation so far is not much to worry about. That's just ahead.
And dramatic testimony in France in the trial of a man accused of drugging and raping his wife. Plus an Israeli strike on a shelter in Gaza killed 18 people,
including six U.N. workers. Now the Israeli military is accusing some of those U.N. employees of being Hamas members. We'll have the latest in a report from that region.
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FOSTER: Now, Moscow is putting on notice that it should think twice before -- being put on notice. They should think twice before letting Ukraine strike deeper inside Russia with Western-made weapons. On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin issued one of his strongest statements on the subject.
He said: If Ukraine gets NATO's go-ahead, that'll mean the alliance is at war with Russia and that Moscow has the right to respond.
But U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, visiting Poland, indicated that the permission is on the table. And here's what he said.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Look, a hallmark of what we've done from day one, in fact, even before day one, the Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2022, was to try to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs when it needs it to deal with that aggression. And as what Russia's doing has changed, as the battlefield has changed, we've adapted.
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FOSTER: Meanwhile, Kyiv is confirming that Moscow has launched a counterattack to try to regain territory captured by Ukraine and Western Russia. Moscow claims it has already taken back 10 settlements, but the Pentagon is describing the Russian operation as marginal so far.
Now Israel's military is defending its actions after a strike on a large shelter in central Gaza killed at least 18 people, including six U.N. employees.
The Israel Defense Forces claims that three of the six UNRWA staff were members of Hamas, but didn't immediately provide any evidence. At least 44 other people were wounded, though. The IDF claims to be carrying out Wednesday's strike on the U.N. school-turned-shelter where thousands of displaced people have been seeking refuge.
Israel's military claims Hamas was using the location to plan and execute terrorist attacks. The U.N. says the three people accused by the IDF were, in fact, teachers.
CNN's Paula Hancocks is following developments from Abu Dhabi, and as ever, it's difficult to get the exact circumstances figured out here.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Max, and it's not the first time that we've had two very differing accounts from Israel and also from UNRWA about what exactly has happened. This is an accusation that Israel has made in the past as well.
Now, this was a compound, a facility that used to be used as a school. It's currently, according to the U.N., housing about 12,000 displaced Palestinian civilians. We did hear from UNRWA, they gave the names of the six who had been killed, of their employees, saying that they were all teachers before the war.
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They were now helping those, excuse me, those displaced Palestinians on the ground.
Now, one of the colleagues of those killed said that they had been distributing aid earlier in the day and that they had just sat down to lunch when the bombs hit. She specified, though, no resistance fighters existed or operated from the school. What Israel is claiming is an unacceptable lie.
Now, what we've heard from Israel is they say that they were targeting Hamas terrorists within the compound, saying that they were planning and directing attacks against the IDF and against Israel from within this facility.
Also, as you say, saying that three of those UNRWA employees were actually Hamas members as well. They didn't give specific evidence for their allegations. It's been rejected by UNRWA saying that they have a list that Israel has given them of employees that they believe are also affiliated with Hamas. And those three names were not on that list.
Now, this attack has been condemned by the U.N. Secretary General and his spokesperson was specifically asked about the Israeli allegations.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Israel's coming out and again saying that several of the six UNRWA staff members were combatants or fighters were part of Hamas. Do you have any evidence of that?
STEPHANE DUJARRIC, UNITED NATIONS SPOKESPERSON: We've heard what they said, and I referred to it in the statement. We have no way of, we're not in a position to confirm it, to deny it. Our focus is on humanitarian help.
What is clear to us is that no one in this conflict and all parties, and I do mean all parties, should never use civilian infrastructure as a place from which to launch attacks, to target attacks. The use of human shields has been condemned and we will continue in that direction.
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HANCOCKS: But in answer to those Israeli allegations, UNRWA does deny that Hamas was within or operating within that compound -- Max. FOSTER: Paula in Abu Dhabi, thank you.
Now, an Israeli intelligence commander who critics say played a role in failing to prevent the terror attacks on October 7th is stepping down from his post. Israeli media published excerpts of his resignation letter.
Brigadier General Yossi Sariel writes: On October 7th at 6:29, I did not fulfill the task as I expected of myself. Those at my command and commanders expected me and the citizens of the state I love so much.
In May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted there were political and military failures around the attack. Meanwhile, one of the two U.S. carrier strike groups in the Middle East has departed the region after extended deployment. The USS Theodore Roosevelt had stayed in the region longer due to heightened tensions between Israel and Iran in recent weeks.
The trial of Frenchman Dominique Pelicot, accused of drugging his wife and recruiting 51 men to rape her, is expected to resume on Monday. His wife Gisele, who insisted that the trial should be public, has taken the stand and has made a very powerful statement.
CNN senior producer Saskya Vandoorne joins me now with more. Obviously, you know, as this trial has gone on, the more the world has been captivated but also horrified by what happened. Just take us over the details we've learned so far.
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Yes, well, as you said, I mean, I do think France has been deeply shocked by this. And I think what sets it apart is just the sheer scale and horror. As you said, over 50 men have been accused of raping Gisele Pelicot.
Now, Dominique Pelicot was meant to take the stand this week, but we've been told that he's too sick to attend. And that's why they've now suspended the trial until next week.
Now, I've been in touch with a lot of family members of Gisele Pelicot's and they tell me that they are very frustrated that he didn't speak because, you know, they've been preparing themselves psychologically, mentally to hear him, to perhaps have him offer some context to his acts. And now they're just going to have to wait.
Now, as you mentioned, Gisele Pelicot, she did testify last week, very powerfully.
FOSTER: And she didn't have to do it publicly.
VANDOORNE: She didn't have to do it publicly. And I think that's really important. You know, she very bravely waived her right to anonymity.
Why? Because she says she has nothing to be ashamed about, Max. She says that the shame should be firmly placed on her husband and on those 50 men who are accused of raping her. Now, when she took the stand, she spoke about, you know, these videos which show the alleged rapes. She said that the men treated her like a rag doll in the videos.
FOSTER: She was drugged, right?
VANDOORNE: And she was drugged by her husband of 50 years, for 10 years. And he's admitted this.
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He crushed up sleeping pills, put them in her drinks, and invited men, strangers, to come and rape her in her bed.
FOSTER: From what I've read, she thought she had this very happy marriage, very happy life. She was completely unaware that this was even going on. So the shock to her to see these videos must have been extraordinary.
VANDOORNE: A complete shock to the system. And they've been painting this picture of a man who was a loving father, very involved in the children's education, a loving partner. So she doesn't understand.
They keep talking about a split personality. She doesn't understand what happened, how he became a monster. And I think it's worth talking about, Max, how the case was uncovered, because it was by accident.
There were two women in a supermarket who made a complaint to a police officer, saying that Mr. Pelicot had taken pictures up their skirts. And it was only then that the police went, seized his laptop, and discovered all of this harrowing footage showing the rape.
FOSTER: Just explain the other men involved here. How did that happen?
VANDOORNE: So we're hearing -- we're getting a lot more details about the other men. Some of them have admitted guilt. Others are saying, well, we thought this was a menage a trois. We thought that this was a game. But, you know, we know that they're aged between 20 and 60.
A lot of them have families. A lot of them have jobs. One's a nurse, another's a journalist. But apparently, according to court documents, they were all given the same strict instructions. They were to get changed in the kitchen, not in the bedroom, because they didn't want to leave -- Dominic Pelicot didn't want them to leave any clothes behind. And they weren't allowed to wear any aftershave because that could make Gisele Pelicot suspicious.
FOSTER: And we'll get the result when?
VANDOORNE: We'll have to wait until the end of December. That's how long the trial is meant to go until.
FOSTER: OK, thank you, Saskya.
After the break, CNN talks to voters in the crucial swing state of North Carolina following the presidential debate. What they're saying about Trump and Harris now.
