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Polaris Dawn Splashes Down Off Florida; Harris and Trump Campaign in Battleground States; Ukraine Pushes Permission to Use Western Weapons Inside Russia; 206 Troops Heads Home after Ukraine- Russia Prisoner Swap; CNN Gain Access to Ukrainian Medical Evacuation Train; Polaris Crew Exits Capsule; Trump and Harris Ad Wars Heat Up; El Salvador: From Murder Capital to Safe Space. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired September 15, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

We begin with breaking news. The Polaris Dawn crew successfully splashed down just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And there you can see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And you see there, they splashed down off the coast of Florida after they completed a historic boundary breaking mission. The civilian crew of the SpaceX rocket lifted off on Tuesday, looking to a new era in commercial space travel and exploration. They've been farther from the Earth than any human since the Apollo astronauts more than 50 years ago. They walked in space, advanced the technology, and now, returned home safely.

I'm joined live now by Daniel Dumbacher, CEO of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, you know, from where I was watching, it seemed like a picture- perfect re-entry and splashdown. Nothing, of course, is simple when you're hurtling through Earth's atmosphere at thousands of miles an hour. Talk us through what you saw.

DANIEL DUMBACHER, CEO, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS: Well, like you saw, like you said, it was -- it looked really well done and everything seemed to work according to plan just as they wanted. And the re-entry looked good, the chute deployment all looked good, the splashdown, the recovery right per plan, and that's the way you like to have it. Just the SpaceX team has done a fantastic job.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, concretely, what happens now next for the astronauts?

DUMBACHER: They'll get them out of the capsule. Then they'll -- on the boat, get them back to land give them a chance to get re- acclimated to 1G gravity. And then there, I'm sure there will be a lot of interviews, a lot of discussion about what worked, what didn't work. What can we learn? What can we do better next time? And as they go through all of that, obviously, a large amount of celebration for the historic accomplishment of the Polaris Dawn mission.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, compared to some of the astronauts on the International Space Station, they didn't spend a lot of time in space, but still there are effects on the human body. Walk us through that. What will they be testing them for?

DUMBACHER: Well, and like you pointed out, every mission is different. They're going to be particularly interested since they went outside the Van Allen belt and the radiation protection to see what kind of radiation environment they might have been subjected to and what the reaction to that will be. Obviously, with the opening up of the spacecraft and the spacewalk, any effects from that and see how it compares to the rest of the information we have from all the years of space flight.

Did we see anything new? Did we -- did SpaceX learn anything? Is there some new information that we can gather out of this mission?

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So, on that, I mean, it was -- you know, the major accomplishment, of course, was the space walk. What do you think came out of that? What do you think that they will learn from that experience?

DUMBACHER: Well, number one they learned an awful lot as they were preparing designing the system, operating the system, the training of everyone from the ground all the way through the astronauts for that mission. And then they'll be able to stand back and look at the -- with a little bit of objective eyes, be able to look back at how did it all work? And are there any changes we need to make? Any improvements that need to be made? And that's just the natural evolution.

This is a historic accomplishment. They want to -- every mission that you take up there, you want to learn and see if there's anything new because human beings, despite all the flights since 19 -- since the Gemini, Mercury, Apollo days, every mission is a learning mission and we want to learn as much as we can in preparation because as humans extend the neighborhood further and further out, we will continually be learning. That's why we call it exploration.

[04:05:00]

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and on that, the fact that it was so far, and you mentioned Apollo, this was the furthest that humans have traveled since the 1972 Apollo mission to the moon. So, what else came from this trip, do you think?

DUMBACHER: Well, one of the big things that comes from this trip is the clear demonstration that we are evolving from the government doing all of it and being the prime driver to now that we understand physically how to go about these kind of things and do this kind of exploration, private enterprise, taking it over and extending it further and further, and with this private enterprise mission like Polaris Dawn, we're going -- eventually, we'll be opening up space to everyone. And this is the beginning of it.

We're at the very beginning of what's going to be a long, fruitful, hopefully, economically advantaged opportunity to extend the human neighborhood further into space.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And in terms of the future of commercial space flights, it's certainly a successful counterpoint to some of the problems that we've been seeing with the Boeing program.

DUMBACHER: Well, every mission is different and every system is different and each one's learning. And, you know, there were -- as you go through test flights, you will find -- and every system on its initial test flights has some kind of challenge to overcome. And we will continue to learn from each of these. Boeing will continue to learn, NASA will continue to learn, SpaceX will continue to learn, and we'll continue to make it better.

We roughly -- kind of a rough analog is that the commercial space industry today is in a similar state of evolution as what commercial air travel was back in the '30s, '40s and '50s. So -- of the previous century. So, lots of learning to come, but it's -- and it'll take time, but we will eventually open up the space neighborhood for everyone.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. We're still far away from that. But it was notable that their mission marked the highest number of humans in Earth's orbit. So, what does that say about the renewed interest in space right now at this moment?

DUMBACHER: Well, that's one of the great advantages with what you see with the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, with all the work on the International Space Station, the great emergence of this private enterprise space economy is you're seeing the beginnings of human beings living and working in space and it'll eventually -- we'll go to the moon, we'll extend it further to Mars and into deep space.

SpaceX wants to put millions of people on Mars. And we're at the beginning, and it's rather exciting to be here and to be part of the generation that is going to get this all started and in preparation for generations to come.

BRUNHUBER: We just want to signal to the viewers, we're seeing live pictures right now. The Polaris Dawn capsule just being loaded onto the recovery vessel. So, just fascinating to see this process as they're doing that. You know, just take us through what you think, again, will happen right now with this capsule that they're loading on to the recovery vessel.

DUMBACHER: Oh, SpaceX will certainly take that capsule home. They will look at this state of it. How -- you know, how does it -- how did it perform? Is there anything we need to prepare? I would suspect there will be a discussion about, do we reuse it or do we save it for historical purposes? That's all SpaceX's call down the road. But again, this -- I am confident that that the engineers and everyone at SpaceX will be going through the hardware, looking for what they can learn and how they can make the next one better and safer.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and we're just waiting for the hatch to open. That'll be certainly a significant moment. In the meantime, you were talking about the future of deep space exploration and, you know, people have been talking sort of about how these new design suits that they were wearing might one day, some iteration of those, we might see those on Mars. How far away are we from that?

[04:10:00]

DUMBACHER: Well, we have a fair amount of time and effort to get to Mars. It's not a trivial matter by any sense. Going to the moon is a quarter of a million miles and getting to Mars is 30 million miles plus. So, it's quite a different long trip to get there and also a different environment to live in.

And it's going to be all dependent upon the steps that we take along the way and how fast we progress through that along with where the investment comes from. And it'll take time, but I am confident that the children in classes today from kindergarten through high school are going to be the generation that take us to Mars and even beyond.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, it's so interesting. We saw Sarah Gillis, you know, playing the violin in space and seeing, you know, kids sort of -- in orchestras playing along with her. I mean, how much more interest are you sensing right now in the next generations? It kind of waned for a couple of decades there. Do you sense that there's more excitement around space now?

DUMBACHER: Oh, there certainly is more excitement. When I -- when we go around and we work with teachers and students in kindergarten through high school, as well as -- even into to the university level and beyond the enthusiasm, the passion for taking advantage of these kinds of steps that you saw taken today and over the last several days, it is growing.

More and more people want to be involved. And it's people of all colors, of all economic backgrounds. This is inspirational to everyone. And I think it's bodes well for the generations to come. As I see it, working with the students in the elementary school to the university level, all extremely bright, all extremely passionate. And I'm very confident that the future will -- is extremely bright for what we're going to see the next generations accomplished. And I'm really looking forward to it.

It's -- and I know they are. They certainly talk about it. I get calls all the time from students of -- from across the age group and they just -- they're ready to go.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Well, listen, as we wait for the hatch to open on the Polaris Dawn, that's just been loaded onto the recovery vessel, we'll leave it there right now, but we'll certainly rejoin when we see more action there. Really appreciate you talking through us all this historic moment. Daniel Dumbacher, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

DUMBACHER: My pleasure. Thank you, Kim. Have a great day.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, as we watch the four astronauts there, as we await to see them get out of the capsule, and it'll be such a joyous moment for so many people that have been waiting for them to get back to Earth. So, we'll rejoin that moment when it happens.

In the meantime, we are just a little more than seven weeks away from Election Day here in the U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump are ramping up efforts in battleground states. Harris will campaign in the Blue Wall, states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin in the coming days, while Donald Trump will focus on Michigan, New York, and the swing state of North Carolina.

Their running mates, Republican J. D. Vance and Democrat Tim Walz, are also hitting the campaign trail with both scheduled to rally in North Carolina.

Now, Trump was campaigning in Nevada over the weekend. He met with local law enforcement officials in Las Vegas, where he once again stoked fear of migrants. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you denounce the bomb threats in Springfield, Ohio?

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know what happened with the bomb threats. I know that it's been taken over by illegal migrants, and that's a terrible thing that happened. Springfield was this beautiful town, and now, they're going through hell. It's a sad thing. Not going to happen with me, I can tell you right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: So, as you heard, Trump refused to denounce the bomb threats that triggered evacuations at two schools and the City Hall in Springfield, Ohio last week. Now, the threats came after Trump and his campaign made false and offensive claims that Haitian immigrants were eating pets in Springfield. Police and local officials have said there is no truth to those claims.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris spoke at an event hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington Saturday alongside President Joe Biden. She warned that a second Trump term would pose a profound threat to the future of the nation. CNN's Eva MckEnd was there.

[04:15:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The Vice President applauding members of the Congressional Black Caucus for their vision as she outlined her vision for a Harris administration. Talking about the economy, reproductive rights, healthcare, needling the former president, arguing that Democrats have a plan for healthcare, not just concepts of a plan. That, of course, was a comment that the former president made during the debate.

But ultimately, Harris using the platform as a call to action, leaning on members of the CBC and their allies to do all they could to turn out the vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: Generations of Americans before us led the fight for freedom and for the future. And now, the baton is in our hands.

I truly believe that America is ready to turn the page on the politics of division and hate. And to do it, our nation is counting on the leadership in this room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: And the Vice President picks up with an aggressive campaign schedule this week in a tour of the Blue Wall States. She'll make stops this week in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Eva McKend, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The remnants of what was Hurricane Francine continue to affect parts of the southeastern U.S., threatening to bring heavy rain and flooding to a number of major cities in the region. Widespread rainfall totals of more than six inches are possible. More than 5 million people across four states are under flood alerts, with Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee expected to get the bulk of the rainfall through the next few days.

And there's a new disturbance just off the southeast coast that could bring high wind and heavy rains into the Carolinas starting late tonight.

Meanwhile, in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, Storm Boris continues to bring the heaviest rain in decades to the region. The storm has already dumped a month's worth of rain onto several cities, causing rivers in Poland the Czech Republic to burst their banks.

Red alerts, the highest level of warning have been issued across several countries. Four people have died in Romania where the rain fall left hundreds stranded. Authorities warn they've recorded the heaviest rainfall in a century over the past 24 hours.

Ukraine is pushing for permission to use western supplied missiles to conduct deep strikes inside Russia. And the next effort to convince its hesitant allies is set to begin in a matter of days. That's ahead.

Plus, a CNN exclusive. We'll take you on a Ukrainian military medical train whose operation has been wrapped in secrecy until now. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. and Britain are keeping their cards close to the vest over Ukraine's request to use western-supplied missiles for strikes deeper inside Russia. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Keir Starmer didn't make any announcement about the issue after their talks in Washington on Friday, but as CNN's Kevin Liptack reports, the discussions are far from over.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN LIPTACK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Biden is expressing new openness to allow Ukraine to fire western long-range missiles deep into Russian territory. This is a step that he has long resisted. But the fact that he is open to it now really speaks to the enormous amount of pressure that he is facing, not only from the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but also from senior members of Congress here in the United States, including some Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to ease some of these restrictions that the president has placed not only on American weapons but also weapons from the United Kingdom and France.

And this was a topic of discussion between President Biden and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer here at the White House on Friday. When you talk to American officials, they do say they still have some concerns about taking this step. Some of the concerns are practical. You heard this from the defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, who said that a number of high value Russian targets have already been moved out of range of these missiles. You also hear concerns about escalation, and certainly, that has been at the front of President Biden's mind every time a new capability comes on the table when it comes to Ukraine.

And certainly, we have heard the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, ratcheting up his rhetoric, saying that if President Biden takes this step, it would mean that Russia is directly at war with NATO.

In his meeting with Keir Starmer, President Biden reacted to those comments. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you say to Vladimir Putin's threat of war, Mr. President?

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't think much about Vladimir Putin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now, neither leader emerged from those talks with a decision or an announcement, and we had been told ahead of time that that wasn't expected. But we did hear from Keir Starmer later that a decision could be coming within a matter of weeks. He said this was a discussion that would be continued at the United Nations General Assembly talks later this month. And we do know that President Zelenskyy will meet with President Biden on the margins of those talks.

Of course, looming in the backdrop of all of this is the American election and Former President Trump's stance on Ukraine. He was asked at the debate last week whether he would support Ukraine, and he declined multiple times to say that he was committed to Ukrainian victory. And when you talk to officials in Europe and the United States, they make clear that they want to do everything they can possibly do to position Ukraine for victory before November's election.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, The White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: More than 200 soldiers on both sides are back home after the latest prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine. Kyiv says more than 100 Ukrainians released on Saturday had been held captive since the early months of the war. Among them are soldiers who fought in the brutal three-month battle for the City of Mariupol more than two years ago. They were exchanged for the same number of Russians who were captured in Ukraine's recent incursion into the Kursk region. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is crediting that operation for bringing the Ukrainian troops home.

[04:25:00]

All right. We now want to show you how some wounded Ukrainian soldiers make their way from near the front lines to hospitals. CNN gained exclusive access to one of Ukraine's medical evacuation trains. It operates in complete secrecy. So, we can't reveal its route or the full names of the people who work there. CNN's Christiane Amanpour went aboard and spoke with some of the wounded soldiers

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): On a hot late summer morning, departure time is fast approaching at this railway station in Ukraine. But this is no ordinary train, it's a hospital on wheels, evacuating dozens of wounded military personnel away from the Eastern Front as Russia's brutal offensive grinds on.

Paramedics carefully loading patient after patient, many of them unconscious, onto repurposed carriages. It's a highly organized special operation and it's never been seen before. CNN gained unprecedented and exclusive access to what so far has remained a closely guarded military secret.

Before the train moves off, I meet 35-year-old Oleksandr, wounded by a drone strike, which has caused him to go deaf in one ear. His call sign is Positive, but he doesn't feel it.

OLEKSANDR, UKRAINIAN SOLDIER: Very tired, but hard times, and we must --

OLEKSANDR (through translator): -- keep fighting no matter how hard it is.

AMANPOUR: Do you have enough people, enough weapons to defend?

OLEKSANDR: No.

AMANPOUR: You don't have enough?

OLEKSANDR (through translator): No, enough. No. There aren't enough people, and there definitely aren't enough weapons.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): As the train rolls on, we make our way to the intensive care unit, where several soldiers are on life support. Bed after bed of broken and battered bodies, lives shattered in an instant. 90 percent of the wounds being treated here are from shrapnel.

And yet, many of these patients know they'll be patched up just to be sent back to the front as soon as possible. This train and its cargo sum up Ukraine's state of military affairs. Mostly ordinary citizens who've answered the call. Outmanned, outgunned by Russia, and yet, still putting up a hell of a fight.

Nurse Yulia makes this journey twice a week.

AMANPOUR: How do you feel being in here with these very badly wounded soldiers? How does it make you feel?

I'm an empathetic person, so it's difficult, she tells me. But you have to switch off your feelings at the moment of work, and later you can reflect.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. We just want to interrupt that report to bring you the live pictures here now of Polaris crews exiting the vehicle after the splashdown, which happened just moments ago. So, we're bringing you live pictures now as hopefully we'll be seeing the crew exiting the capsule.

So, we'll just -- oh, they've just already exited, I see. All right. So, we'll just bring you up to speed here. A few minutes ago, we saw, as the capsule was hauled onto a vessel while they were still on board, and the civilian crew of the SpaceX rocket, as you will remember -- oh, now we've seen them celebrating as they're exiting. And exiting the vehicle, getting hugs there from SpaceX team members as they're celebrating this very successful mission that's heralding a new era in commercial space travel and exploration.

As you can see, just thrilled as they'll now be taken and have their health assessed. Obviously, a lot of jubilation there at the SpaceX headquarters as they've been watching this happen.

So, that was the last astronaut to exit. They've certainly been on a historic mission here. They've walked in space. They've advanced technology. Now, return home safely. Once again, we were just seeing there, the last astronaut exiting this -- the Polaris Dawn capsule and celebrations all around there for SpaceX.

All right. We're going to come back with more news right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

All right. More on our top story this hour as we get closer to election day in the U.S. The campaign ad war between Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is also heating up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Is about two very different visions for our nation. One, focused on the future, and the other focused on the past. When the middle-class is strong, America is strong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Another day under Bidenomics. Morning coffee costs 65 percent more. Gas for getting to work costs doubled.

HARRIS: Bidenomics is working and we are very proud of Bidenomics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pleasant dreams.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Those are just two of the ads flooding the airwaves in certain parts of the country. In fact, if you live in one of those all-important battleground states, it might seem like ads are about the only thing on the air at times. But follow the money, see who's spending what and where, and you get a sense of the party's priorities.

Republicans have matched Democrat's dollar for dollar in Pennsylvania, with both sides reserving more than $70 million in airtime there this fall. The same goes for here in Georgia, to the tune of $40 million. Elsewhere, Democrats are poised to far outspend the Trump campaign. The Harris team is reserving twice as much airtime in Michigan, three times in Wisconsin, and nearly four times in Arizona.

All right. To shed some light on this, I'm joined now by Jeff Gulati. He's a Senior Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Political Science at Bentley University, and he joins us from Wellesley, Massachusetts. Thank you so much for being here with us. I really appreciate it.

[04:35:00]

So, you know, no surprise. We're seeing so many ads at this point in the race, especially in swing states like here in Georgia. I mean, we're just inundated with these ads. What are you noticing this year in terms of themes that stand out as being perhaps different from the last election?

JEFF GULATI, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, BENTLEY UNIVERSITY: Well, one thing that's very interesting is how the two candidates have tried to tell the story about themselves. So, any good ad campaign starts with a candidate being able to answer the most basic question, why do I want to be present? And they have to be able to tell a story about them -- themselves. And the two candidates are doing that and -- but in a different way.

So, Kamala Harris, it's telling a story about herself that she's, you know, the embodiment of the American dream. She's fighting for the middle-class and fighting for our freedoms. You know, we're not going back is what she's saying. And she's trying to position herself as a candidate of change in a very subtle way because she can't distance herself that much from the Biden administration.

The Trump campaign is very different. He is a challenger, but he also was president for four years. But what he's done, instead of giving a rationale for his candidacy, he has told a story about why we should not elect Kamala Harris. She's one that is dangerously liberal, is some -- is a flip flopper, someone that we can't trust, and is a is a part of a very unpopular administration.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and certainly as we saw from the ads that we played there, the economy is certainly a theme that will resonate for folks. Do you think that will sort of be central to the Trump campaign?

GULATI: Oh, absolutely. You know, it gets a little bit off message with the focus on immigration, but that is another topic that Americans care about and also see as Republicans better able to handle that issue. And so, what Kamala Harris has tried to do is to go on offense and say that not only has -- that Donald Trump opposed a border security bill, but she's the only candidate who is a member of law enforcement who has tackled human trafficking rings and organized crime.

But the economy is still the number one issue. And you see how Kamala Harris is, again, trying to separate herself from President Biden, saying there's a lot -- understanding that people are hurting and there is still much more that needs to be done to bring that economic security or that economic freedom. And she calls it her opportunity economy to the American people.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, they're obviously both trying to get these things to resonate. Historically, what has actually been proven, if you can use that word to work?

GULATI: Well, you'll be surprised that -- or your viewers will be surprised that with all the millions and millions of dollars spent on ads, and you noted some of the figures being spent this time around, political scientists have found that in a presidential election, that these campaign ads really have very little effect on the outcome of the election. The effects tend to be short-term, very minor.

And there's -- I'll give you a few reasons for that. One is we know most of the -- we know the presidential candidates. There's not much more we can learn about Donald Trump. So, Kamala Harris is a little different. She got into the campaign a little late. And you can see both candidates are trying to tell a story about -- an alternative story about Kamala Harris.

Another reason is that these ads are targeted toward these persuadables. There are not many of these persuadables left. But to try to reach someone, to get someone to change their mind about a candidate, it takes someone six times to be able -- they'll have to watch an ad six times before they really process it and maybe change their thinking.

Think about today how viewers watch television through streaming platforms and on-demand services, it's just very hard to reach people.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

GULATI: And furthermore, they're just not many persuadables left out there. And I'll just say one last thing. You know, I've said that that these ads don't really make a difference, but there is no candidate that's going to take a chance and start spending their money elsewhere. So, both candidates are spending this extremely high amount of dollars, and those messages are canceling each other out.

And so, you might see a very effective ad by Harris, and then that viewer sees a very effective ad by Trump. And so, the net result is you see very little movement. But, you know, if an election that is this close, just that tiny, tiny movement could make all the difference in a couple of these swing states.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. And you talked about sort of the need for repetition and the need for people to see ads a couple of times. But the chances of that happening on -- strictly on television is very slim because people, you know, don't watch TV as much as they used to. Obviously, a lot of that money is flowing now to social media. Do ads work differently in different media?

GULATI: Absolutely. So, ads on national television are geared toward, as I mentioned, persuadables. But look at how many wasted dollars that they are. There are many people who are watching those ads that have already made up their mind.

So, with social media, a campaign has the opportunity to target voters. So, they know -- based on the issues that they care about. So, if the -- and also, it is about mobilization, not necessarily about persuasion. So, the candidates have identified which voters have the greatest probability to vote for them and which ones have -- you know, are a little bit less enthusiastic.

And these ads are meant to be able to get people excited or angry about the campaign based on an issue that they care about. So, you can get very targeted ads on just abortion, just on the economy, just on immigration. So, the key here is to make sure that the people that, you know, are going to vote for you are going to vote. They're going to tell a friend to go and vote and maybe help them get to the polls. And more importantly, they're going to donate money, which then could be used to buy more television ads. BRUNHUBER: Yes, it sounds like it's a heck of a lot of money spent for very little gain. But as you say, the margins so thin might make the difference in the end. We'll have to leave it there.

GULATI: Absolutely.

BRUNHUBER: Jeff Gulati, thank you so much for being here with us. Really appreciate it.

GULATI: Thank you for having me.

BRUNHUBER: Immigration from El Salvador to the United States is dropping and some Salvadorans who've lived in the U.S. are now returning home. Look at why after the break, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:45:00]

BRUNHUBER: As El Salvador's president continues his crackdown against gang violence. He's sparked an outcry from rights groups over his authoritarian tactics. But the country has also become safer and more prosperous, leading to a drop in the number of Salvadorans migrating to the United States. CNN's David Culver has more now in the second part of his report on the transformation of El Salvador.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the U.S. southern border, we've seen the desperation and determination of folks trying to get into the U.S. Often fleeing the unimaginable.

DIEGO MORALES: Sometimes you go to sleep and you never know if you're going to wake up.

CULVER (voice-over): Diego Morales dreamed of a better life, escaping the horrors of El Salvador's brutal civil war.

MORALES: I like United States. I've been here for almost 30 years. So, I can say, you know, also this is my country.

HIRO (PH): I'm Hiro (ph).

CULVER: Hi, Hiro (ph). I'm David. Nice to meet you.

CULVER (voice-over): He's made Houston, Texas home, starting a business and a family here. But Diego now noticing fewer Salvadorans following his path.

MORALES: Now, it's safe, you know, so people staying over there.

CULVER (voice-over): Less than a decade ago, El Salvador was labeled the murder capital of the world. Gangs were essentially in charge.

CULVER: But in the past three to four years, this country has seen a radical transformation. Locals tell us that they finally feel safe enough to be outside.

CULVER (voice-over): Which may explain the sharp drop in migrants from El Salvador attempting to enter the U.S. CBP data shows a 36 percent decrease in Salvadorans crossing the southern border from 2022 to last year, with numbers expected to fall even further this year. But the data only tells part of the story.

We meet Blanca Flores and Victor Bolanos. They fled El Salvador in 2003, leaving their three college age sons behind.

CULVER: From all the people you worked with.

CULVER (voice-over): Planning to eventually bring them to Colorado. At least that was the plan.

CULVER: They were able to get their kids through schooling and everything through. their work in the U.S.

CULVER (voice-over): But after 15 years, the couple lost their asylum claim and was forced to accept a so-called voluntary departure back to El Salvador.

CULVER: It's a lot of work.

VICTOR BOLANOS: Yes. 15 years.

CULVER (voice-over): Returning just ahead of the country's pivotal 2019 presidential elections. 37-year-old Nayib Bukele won. And in 2022 declared a controversial state of emergency that is still in effect. Arresting more than 81,000 people and counting. He's consolidated power, tightened his grip of control and essentially eliminated any political opposition.

And yet Blanca sees Bukele more like a concerned father. Two years ago, the Bukele administration introduced financial incentives for citizens looking to return to El Salvador. The government reports nearly 19,000 Salvadorans have moved back under this program.

CULVER: And you think the economy will get better because security is better?

BOLANOS: Yes. I think the immigration can stop. We have a job.

CULVER (voice-over): Human rights groups, though, question Bukele's tactics in cracking down on gangs, alleging widespread abuse and claiming that many innocent people have been swept up in the mass arrests. But the government stands by its actions, as does nearly everyone we meet here.

HAMILTON FRANCO, SAN SALVADOR RESIDENT AND BUSINESS OWNER: You can imagine how afraid I was that one of my sons was going to be recruited for the gang member or killed.

CULVER: And you think President Bukele saved them from that?

FRANCO: That's right. CULVER (voice-over): In some places, the millennial leader and his social media posts are seemingly revered and good for marketing, attracting locals and folks visiting.

JESSICA: I was like, this can't be the same country. There's no way.

CULVER: Is this your family? Is this your mom?

JESSICA: This is my aunt.

CULVER (voice-over): Jessica left as a child with her parents during the Civil War. This is her first time back.

JESSICA: And now, I'm like, kind of sad that I've lost so many years and not have seen my family for like 30 something years.

CULVER (voice-over): Investors also seeing the potential here. We meet up with one of them, a familiar face.

CULVER: Diego, how are you?

MORALES: Doing good.

CULVER: What a place you have, Diego Morales in town with his family checking in on his boutique hotel, which opened a year ago on the land his parents once worked but could never afford to buy. Now, he is the owner here.

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MORALES: They're here. They can stay here alone. Everything is safe, you know.

CULVER (voice-over): While some locals make it clear their land is not for sale, the surging prices along the coast are too good for others to pass up.

CULVER: This used to be gang lookout, basically. They would have scouts who would keep their eyes on --

MORALES: Yes, they call a post, you know. I mean, people were here over there, you know.

CULVER: But now, it's potentially the site of luxury and relaxation.

MORALES: Yes. It's totally different now.

CULVER: During a period of time, the noise that we would hear would be say gunfire.

MORALES: Gunfire.

CULVER: But now, it's construction noise.

CULVER (voice-over): New roads, luxury homes and resorts all coming soon. Diego is not the only one in his family who sees the possibilities here.

CULVER: And you could see building a future here.

HIRO (PH): Exactly.

CULVER (voice-over): His son, Hiro (ph), born and raised in the U.S. An American now looking south for his Salvadoran dream.

CULVER: For a lot of the folks we met in El Salvador, including those who have returned recently from the United States, they're grateful that, security wise, things have seemingly stabilized, but for them to sustain a life there, they say that the economy has to get better next, and it's something Bukele himself has acknowledged.

David Culver, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: And we'll be right back with more on CNN Newsroom after this. Please stay with us.

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[04:55:00]

BRUNHUBER: As you can see, summer has come to an abrupt end for these cattle in the Austrian Alps. Usually, they can graze on top of the mountains until the beginning of autumn, but an early snowfall has forced farmers to bring them to the valley earlier than normal. Now, the process usually comes with a celebration, music, food stalls, and parties in nearby villages. Well, not this year.

Austria's weather service says some two feet of fresh snow, 60 centimeters, fell from Thursday to Friday. That's the highest recorded amount of new snow around this time of year in more than 40 years.

And speaking of 40, Prince Harry is celebrating a milestone birthday today, his 40th. The British prince is estranged from other members of the royal family. He'll mark the occasion at a private celebration at his home in Southern California, where he lives, of course, with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children. Sources say Harry is looking ahead with excitement and has various projects, including another Netflix special, this one about polo.

All right. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more CNN Newsroom in just a moment. Please do stay with us.

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