Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Trump, Harris Focuses on Key Battleground States; Teamsters Union will Not Endorse Any Presidential Candidates for the 2024 Race; Lebanese People Fear of What is to Come in the Light of Pager Explosions; Fed Rates Cut for the First Time in Four Years; Trump Supporters Gather at the MAGA Boat Parade in Panama City Beach; Amazon Raises Employees Pay Rates, Gifts Free Prime Subscriptions. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 19, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Anna Coren, live from Hong Kong.

Ahead this hour, Trump and Harris battle it out in the battleground states. What new polling tells us about the race?

Another wave of deadly blasts across Lebanon as people there fear what's to come. Israel vows a new era of war.

And the Fed makes a jumbo rate cut. What it means for you and the global economy.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Hong Kong, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Anna Coren.

COREN: We are now just 47 days away from the U.S. presidential election. New polling is giving us greater insight into which way voters are leaning in three critical battleground states. According to a set of post-debates Quinnipiac University polls, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is leading her Republican rival Donald Trump among likely voters in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Her one-point lead in Wisconsin is within the margin of error.

On Wednesday, both nominees sought to get their messages out. Harris was in Washington where she slammed Trump's immigration proposals, while Trump criticized his Democratic rival at a campaign rally in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's time to stop the lies, stop the hoaxes, stop the smears, stop the law fare or the fake lawsuits against me, and stop claiming your opponents will turn America into a dictatorship. Give me a break. Because the fact is that I'm not a threat to democracy. They are. VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS (D), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: While

we fight to move our nation forward to a brighter future, Donald Trump and his extremist allies will keep trying to pull us backward. We all remember what they did to tear families apart. And now they have pledged to carry out the largest deportation, a mass deportation, in American history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Both candidates also reacted to the move by the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates for the first time in four years. Harris called it welcome news, while an adviser in the Trump camp called it a political decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I guess it shows the economy is very bad to cut it by that much. Assuming they're not just playing politics, the economy would be very bad or they're playing politics one or the other. But it was a big cut.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Well the economy remains top of mind for many voters. The Quinnipiac poll shows Trump has a slight advantage on that key issue.

Well the Teamsters Union has announced it's not endorsing anyone in this year's U.S. presidential race. This marks the first time in nearly three decades the Teamsters have withheld an endorsement and those since have been in support of the Democratic nominee. Despite that, the Harris campaign is touting the endorsement of local Teamsters chapters in several key battleground states.

A Republican rival, meantime, is cheering survey data from the union, indicating about 60 percent of its members supported him over Harris. Donald Trump claims that amounts to an endorsement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Earlier today I was honored to receive the endorsement of the rank-and-file membership of the Teamsters. I love the Teamsters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: But the president of another major union, the United Auto Workers, had this response to Trump's claim.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAWN FAIN, PRESIDENT, UNITED AUTO WORKERS: It's not a Trump endorsement. I believe their union, just like our union and most other unions I know of in this country, are going to vote heavily for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Well Trump's comments on Wednesday come as the Republican nominee took his campaign to New York.

CNN's Alayna Treene is there with the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Donald Trump spent his Wednesday evening in Uniondale, New York. A surprising choice that many people kind of raised their eyebrows out, given New York is not a battleground. Donald Trump actually lost this state both in 2016 and in 2020 by 20 percentage points.

So, despite all that, Trump on Wednesday argued he believes that he could win New York, even while acknowledging that some people, including his allies in Washington, D.C., questioned him why he was choosing to come to such a blue state so close to the election. Take a listen to how he put it.

[03:05:09]

TRUMP: When I told some people in Washington, yeah, I'm going up to New York, we're doing a campaign speech. They said, what do you mean New York? You can't ever, nobody can win. Republicans can't win. I said I can win New York and we can win New York, we're going to win New York.

TREENE: Now, when I talked to Donald Trump's senior advisors about this decision, they argued that a lot of the reason he came to New York, to Long Island specifically, is because it is steeped in personal history for Donald Trump. He grew up in New York and he's always wanted to do a large-scale rally in a New York arena. And this was kind of checking off that box for the former president.

But they also acknowledge that they don't necessarily believe that New York is going to turn red in November. Now a few notable things that Trump spoke about on Tuesday. One is that he addressed an endorsement from a major union group, the Teamsters Union.

Actually, I should say a non-endorsement from the union group. However, Donald Trump falsely claimed that they had endorsed him. I'll note that their decision not to endorse this cycle is a big deal. They have been going, they have endorsed the Democratic presidential nominee for the last several election cycles, every election cycle really since 1996.

Trump also vowed Springfield, Ohio, of course, the place where both he and other Republicans have been spreading baseless rumors about Haitian migrants eating pets. He said he wanted to go visit that city as well as Aurora, Colorado, another place where he has claimed that Venezuelan gangs are taking over the city, something that officials on the ground argue is grossly overstated. So a lot of harsh rhetoric on Wednesday night and again, not necessarily in a state that is crucial to the election come November.

Alayna Treene, CNN, Uniondale, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COREN: Officials in Lebanon are worried the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could escalate following twin attacks involving booby- trapped devices targeting the militant group. The Lebanese Foreign Minister tells CNN he fears the consecutive attacks could signal a quote, "introduction to war."

Well scores of walkie-talkies exploded across the country on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people and wounding more than 450 others. It comes a day after hundreds of pagers blew up nearly simultaneously across Lebanon in an unprecedented attack which wounded about 2,800 people. The death toll rose to 12 on Wednesday. Israel's defense minister tacitly acknowledged his country's role in the exploding devices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOAV GALLANT, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): I believe that we are at the start of a new phase in the war and we must adapt. This is true for everyone.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I have said it before, we will return the citizens of the North to their homes safely. And that's exactly what we are going to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: An Israeli source tells CNN Israel carried out the Pager attack after it believed Hezbollah had discovered the device's capability. The U.S. says it was not involved in the operation.

Elliott Gotkine is following developments from London. Elliot, as we know, Hezbollah is reeling from these multiple attacks, not just the death high number of casualties and then on top of that, this is completely humiliating for Hezbollah.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: It is a humiliation, Anna, and as you say, its members will be not unreasonably wondering what devices, what other devices, gadgets, gizmos they have in their homes, workplaces, cars, on their persons, which could also have been booby-trapped. So there's a kind of psychological warfare element to this.

And as you say, this death toll by our counts, something like 33 Hezbollah members, according to releases by the militant group, have been killed since the Pager attacks on Tuesday. We don't know specifically how many were killed in those Pager attacks, but certainly this is the biggest loss of life for Hezbollah since last October, since hostilities began between Hezbollah and Israel when Hezbollah began firing on the country in support of the Hamas terrorist attacks of October the 7th.

So there's a psychological element, there's the physical element, the deaths and injuries to its members. There's also, of course, the damage to its ability to communicate, its ability for its fighters to communicate among themselves, not least since Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah earlier this year, told them to effectively bury their cellphones for fear of them being hacked or surveilled and encouraging the use of pagers. Nasrallah, by the way, due to speak later on today.

We do know, of course, that Hezbollah has vowed retaliation, its main backer, Iran, whose ambassador to Lebanon was also wounded in Tuesday's attack, although he's said to be recovering.

[03:10:01]

So there are concerns that tensions are heating up, and we know that just as another indication of that and concerns for a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah, which has been the main fear for months now, Lloyd Austin, the U.S. defense secretary, having three calls with his counterpart, Yoav Gallant, in Israel.

Since Tuesday, the Americans were aware that Israel was planning an operation in Lebanon against Hezbollah, but weren't aware of the specifics. But as you say, after Tuesday's attacks on those pagers, Wednesday's walkie-talkies, there are concerns and questions and wondering as to what is coming next. What could happen on Thursday? What could happen in the days ahead? Anna?

COREN: Elliott Gotkine in London. Thank you for the update.

Joining me now is Seth Jones, Senior Vice President of the International Security Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Seth, thank you for joining us. Let's start with the impact of this attack. Extensive casualties, obviously, but also the psychological damage that this has done.

SETH JONES, SR. VICE PRESIDENT - INTERNATIONAL SECURITY PROGRAM, CENTRE FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Yeah, I think this attack has had at least two major effects. One is it's actually killed and wounded a number of individuals connected directly to Hezbollah and then even some innocent individuals. The second, it has had at least a short-term psychological impact. There's just a sense of, for Hezbollah right now, whether it's pagers, walkie-talkies, potentially even cell phones, that they're vulnerable.

COREN: As you say, first it was the pagers, now walkie-talkies. I mean, what else could have been compromised?

JONES: Well, I mean, any technology right now, I mean, I think there are other options. Hassan Nasrallah has already encouraged Hezbollah members not to use cell phones. Some of them use computers. So I think there's still a range of other technology options that I think Hezbollah has to be a little bit concerned about now.

Where Hezbollah is at now is in some ways where Al-Qaeda ended up being at including Osama bin Laden which is having to resort to couriers to pass information along because any kind of technology was too dangerous. It could either retract or it could be weaponized like what we've seen.

COREN: This is obviously highly embarrassing and humiliating for Hezbollah. How do you expect them to react?

JONES: Well, I think there are three options. These aren't mutually exclusive, but one is Hezbollah is an international organization. It conducted attacks against Israeli embassies, Israelis and others around the globe in Latin America, in Africa, in Europe, in Asia. So one option is there's a retaliation somewhere else around the world.

Option number two is Hezbollah has between, by our count, 120,000 to 200,000 standoff weapons, including short-range ballistic missiles that they could fire on Israel.

And then a third is Hezbollah, partly through its Iranian connection, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, has allies across the region in Syria, in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, we could see some kind of coordinated activity as well. Again, these aren't mutually exclusive, but I think there are a range of ways Hezbollah could respond now.

COREN: Hezbollah, we understand, believe that the Israelis had developed technology to hack into phones, activate microphones and cameras spy on users. Ironically, the Israelis had opted for an old school basic tactic in catching Hezbollah completely off guard. I mean, what do you make of Israel doing this and doing this now?

JONES: Well, I think what's interesting is we're at a period right now where the Israelis are starting to wind down the war in Gaza. It's not over. It's not going to be over in at least the short term.

But Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, have said repeatedly that they are going to turn their attention to Lebanon and to Hezbollah's firing of anti-tank guided munitions and other standoff weapons from south of the Litani River, north of the blue line, an area that has caused the Israelis to evacuate individuals into hotels that I was in recently when I was in Tel Aviv.

So this is really the Israelis starting to focus on both direct strikes aircraft and other drones that they've been firing in Lebanon. And now these sort of unconventional, irregular types of activities, covert action.

[03:15:10]

So I think what we're really seeing is this combination of the Israelis, I expect Hezbollah will do the same, of varying both conventional and very unconventional attacks against each other.

COREN: Seth, we heard from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying that the US had no knowledge of these attacks, had nothing to do with them. He said that the United States is trying to work for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, not escalated. I guess I ask you, what has taken place Israel doing this to Hezbollah? How can it not escalate tensions in that region?

COREN: Yeah, I think since October 7th, we've seen the war, I'm going to call it a war between Israel and Hezbollah, creep up the escalatory ladder. There have been thousands of standoff weapons fired from both sides at each other, killing both civilians and military officials.

I think this is just another step up the escalatory ladder, but it is still well below a full-scale war. 2006 was the last real case where the Israelis put some boots on the ground, including in southern Lebanon. We haven't gotten to that stage yet. If we do look out for a lot more weapons flying at Israel from Lebanon and probably also Syria and potentially Iraq and even Yemen, and then on the other hand, I would expect to see the Israelis really pummeling parts of -- of Lebanon, including Beirut. So there's more rings up the escalatory ladder if they continue to go up. Not quite there, but it is concerning.

COREN: Seth Jones, we appreciate your analysis. Thanks for joining us.

JONES: Thank you very much.

COREN: Still to come, big news for the US economy with the first interest rate cut since the start of the pandemic. It's the first of several to come.

And later Sean Diddy Combs remains in federal custody after losing his appeal for bail. We'll tell you what his attorneys argued in court, after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Here's a look at U.S. futures as we wait for markets to open in the coming hours. As you can see, everything is in positive territory. We are keeping an eye on the major indices to see if there is any further reaction to the big news from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

It announced an aggressive cut to interest rates by half a point. It's the first cut since March of 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Well since then, rates sat at a 23-year high for more than a year. Fed Chair Jerome Powell says the move is a sign of commitment to keep in step with the ever-changing U.S. economy, but it wasn't unanimous, drawing the first dissent from a board member in nearly 20 years. One member wanted to see a smaller cut. CNN's Matt Egan breaks down the Fed's old move.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: This is a major milestone for the economy. The first interest rate cut since COVID and the Fed they decided to go big. The fact that they went with a jumbo size interest rate cut it's telling on multiple levels. First it shows they're not worried about inflation anymore. Fed Chair Jerome Powell he stopped short of declaring victory over inflation but they're all but doing that.

It does also suggest though that they are worried about what they're seeing in the jobs market. Now Powell, he said repeatedly that he's not alarmed with the jobs market. He even said at one point, the labor market is in a strong place. We want to keep it there. But there are some economists who are concerned that the Fed is late and that they need to play catch up before the cracks in the jobs market turn into something more ominous.

So, the Fed has made clear that they've switched the mission. They've gone from fighting inflation to fighting unemployment. Of course, all of this is happening just weeks before this hotly-contested election.

Now, Powell, he stressed politics played no role here and that the Fed only does what they believe is right. And I asked Powell about the idea from former president Trump that the sitting U.S. president should have a say in where interest rates go. And Powell, he made clear he's not a fan of that idea.

JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE: We do our work to serve all Americans. We're not serving any politician, any political figure, any cause, any issue, nothing. It's just maximum employment and price stability on behalf of all Americans. And that's how the other central banks are set up too. It's a good institutional arrangement, which has been good for the public. And I hope and strongly believe that it will continue.

EGAN: The Powell went on to say that the evidence is clear. Independent central banks the ones that have lower inflation.

Matt Egan from the Federal Reserve, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Well joining me now is Ryan Patel, a senior fellow at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. Ryan, as always, great to see you. As we know, the Fed cut a full 50 basis points. Many thought it would just be 25. Tell me, what is your reaction to this?

RYAN PATEL, SR. FELLOW AT THE DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY: Very one word, wow. I mean, this is a Fed that has been very, very conservative over the last two years. And now they come with the first cut to be 50 basis points. So I think two things, it sends a message to Wall Street because we saw, I think you and I were together a handful of weeks ago where it was the Wall Street was not very happy had a hold down week about the information and jobs.

[03:25:05]

And so this kind of helps settle it down. And I also think that now that the focus is really price stability and unemployment. And these are the two things that Jerome Powell was really short from saying that he's still a little bit worried about on what the next decrease in interest rates will come and that he still reserves the right to make a pause.

COREN: Do you see this perhaps couldn't be interpreted as a sign of panic, as I'm sure some economists might read it this way. Do you see that perhaps they are seeing things ahead that are more worrying than many of us mere mortals realize, that the economy is teetering on recession?

PATEL: I mean, I truthfully think that it wasn't that. I actually, even though he said it wasn't, I believe that they missed this, meaning they could have done a 25 basis point in June, inflation was already easing down, they probably had a good sense it was going to continue. And then they would have done another 25 basis points in September, right?

And now, we're back to where we are. I think that there was a little bit of a panic, right, with some of the numbers and with inflation already in the 2 percent and interest rates north of six, there's a big gap that you had to do something.

So I think this wasn't a panic because something was wrong underneath the system. I think it was more of like, you got to start right sizing it now and how do you get there quicker and so, yes, they're still, it's still not solid. I don't think we're still out of the woods because we're still teetering.

I mean, it's a bouncy act when you, you know, decrease inflation and not really kind of have the labor market or unemployment rise in jobs, right? It is still really tricky to play this out.

COREN: What about the market? Because it was pretty much flat rose 3 percent then dropped about 3 percent. I mean, what is that telling you?

PATEL: Nothing. I knew that. I mean, not to say I knew that was going to happen every time there's good news. It just like, okay. But I think part of it is the argument is it was priced in. You would say logic would tell you the 50 basis points. If it was the word everyone is using jumbo, if it was really jumbo, wouldn't the market go crazy? Not really.

And so I think it just took it as, okay. We got direction. What's next? And the market's always looking, what's next? And for me, that's important of like, okay, are you going to do 25 basis points at one cut or two cuts this year? Is it going to line up with four cuts next year?

And so, Jerome Powell and the Fed, this is not the time to not, you know, you have to be really transparent and the numbers of the next month and the jobs numbers are going to be really important to be, you know, what, what's next. And I think that's what the Wall Street always looks at.

COREN: Ryan, the dot plot points to further rate cuts by the end of this year and more substantial cuts in 2025. How will all of this play in the upcoming election?

PATEL: Yeah, I am of the camp that this wasn't a move that the Fed wanted to make in September before the election. I think that's interesting. I think the dot plot is also interesting because I look at, you see the median, you see the majority, but it's clear in the dot plot there's two cuts possibly this year.

And then next year, they're kind of split of three to four. I mean, really the focus should be the best case scenario. This time next year, the interest rates around three to 4 percent in between. And now you're really having relief for middle class, lower middle incomes toward businesses, mortgages. That will be more of an effect than just today of 50 basis points, which in the short term, most people are not feeling.

COREN: Ryan Patel, always a pleasure. Thank you so much for joining us.

Donald Trump is ramping up pressure on Republicans to shut down the government unless they pass a controversial bill targeting non- citizens in the U.S. The proposal, included in a short-term spending plan, requires proof of citizenship in order to register to vote.

But House Republicans were unable to muster enough votes to pass the package on Wednesday. House Speaker Mike Johnson says he'll draw up a new temporary spending bill to keep the government running beyond the end of this month when current funding is due to expire. He did not provide details.

Disgraced movie executive Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty to a first degree criminal sex act in a New York courtroom on Wednesday. Prosecutors announced the indictment last week, but it was not unsealed until Wednesday because Weinstein was too ill to attend court. The indictment stems from an alleged assault in 2006. Prosecutors are looking to consolidate this new indictment with Weinstein's retrial on sexual assault charges related to a 2020 case.

And music mogul Sean Diddy Combs remains in federal custody after a judge denied his legal team's appeal for bail.

[03:30:00]

Combs was indicted on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted on all charges.

CNN's Kara Scannell has more details on Wednesday's hearing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Music mogul Sean Diddy Combs will remain behind bars as he's awaiting trial on racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. A federal judge denying his bail application saying that there were no conditions that made him comfortable releasing Diddy given his danger to the community and his potential for witness tampering.

The judge also rejecting Diddy's proposed bail conditions including having a visitor log, having no internet access and no cell phone access, saying that those were insufficient. Diddy was escorted out of the courtroom by two U.S. marshals. He was headed back into federal detention. His lawyer spoke to reporters after court, saying he will appeal.

MARC AGNIFILO, ATTORNEY FOR SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS: He's ready. He's focused. He has been ready to defend this case since he first found out about this case. Nothing has changed from his perspective. I obviously would much prefer to fight this case with him out of jail and we are going to try to bring that about.

SCANNELL: Combs' attorney telling me after court, I'm not going to let him sit in there a day longer than he has to. He also asked the judge to recommend moving Combs from the Federal Detention Center in Brooklyn, which is known for its quote, "horrific conditions," to a county courthouse in New Jersey. He said they're going to fight this and Diddy is going to trial.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Still to come, the top names in tech gather in Washington to discuss how they're fighting election interference online. What they told lawmakers, just ahead.

Plus, CNN talks to Trump supporters at a MAGA boat parade in Florida, why they think he will win in November.

[03:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Investigators believe Iranian hackers have attempted to tip the scales in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. They are accused of trying to send information stolen from Donald Trump's campaign to officials with Joe Biden's re-election team over the summer.

The campaign for Kamala Harris says the information was only sent to a few staffers' personal emails and that the messages looked like spam or phishing attempts. U.S. authorities say there's no indication anyone replied. Iran denies the accusations, calling them fundamentally unfounded.

Election meddling and misinformation was a key topic on Capitol Hill Wednesday. Leaders from some of the biggest names in tech testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee about what they're doing to keep their platforms under control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): What is your policy if in that critical time period before an election there's deep fake content attacking a candidate for office, which can be demonstrated to be inauthentic, but cannot be decisively attributed to a foreign actor? How will you handle it?

NICK CLEGG, PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS, META: We would label it. We would label it so that users would see that the veracity, the truth of it is under real question. So we would label it.

OSSOFF: What about how it's handled by the algorithm and its amplification or suppression?

CLEGG: We would also make available to us the ability to demote the circulation of it. OSSOFF: Mr. Smith?

BRAD SMITH, VICE CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT, MICROSOFT: Yeah, we don't have the same issue in terms of a consumer platform, but I think that the notification to the public, the labeling, I do think that's the essence of what we all need to be prepared to do very quickly.

KENT WALKER, PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS, GOOGLE AND ALPHABET: And I would add to that we notify the Foreign Influence Task Force so that there was government awareness of the situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: But the leaders also made recommendations on what lawmakers can do to help, including regulations on deep fakes, mandatory labeling of AI content and legislation protecting elections from the deceptive use of A.I.

Meantime Republicans converged on Florida's Panama City beach to show their support for Donald Trump by holding a MAGA boat parade. CNN's Elle Reeve talked to them and has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DARLENE IBANEZ, TRUMP SUPPORTER: We're at the MAGA Boat Parade at Shell Island, which I've never been to. So this is my first time coming. We were in the middle of the parade following the lead boat well decorated with all the flags.

DELORES MACE, TRUMP SUPPORTER: There's a contest who could be the most Trumpian. And I want to win first place.

ALICIA BADGER, TRUMP SUPPORTER: It's a Weed Eater motor. It's a 21 horsepower. It makes a very frozen mudslide quick.

IBANEZ: Trump is pro-American. He loves America, for one. I love America. I serve this country. I love America. We're from the same place in Queens, New York, so that's my homie.

JOE HARNER, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I live in Latitude, Margaritaville.

PRODUCER: What's your most important issue?

HARNER: The economy. Getting the interest rates down. Getting it to where we can afford to live in America. Right now, it's too expensive.

ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, now let me maybe ask a slightly impolite question. But if you can afford a boat, you're not hurting so bad, right, because a boat costs a lot of money, and it's a lot of upkeep.

HARNER: Listen, nobody gave me shit. I earned everything that I've got. I'm retired military, retired power plant, and I am successful and retired with boats, jet skis, because I did it right. And everybody has that chance. Whether they choose or not, that's up to them. REEVE: I would never try to take anything away from you in that way.

But what I'm asking is, groceries are probably a smaller part of your budget than say, you know, someone who's like a little worse off. I think it's interesting that people who are a little bit more comfortable are still so concerned about the economy. Did you see what I'm saying?

HARNER: Because I want my money to go further. I want inflation to go down. I want interest rates to go back down. I want all that. But that covers everybody in the economy. Not just me, not just the poor, not just the rich. It covers everybody.

REEVE: Now something I've heard from some people tell me if this applies to you is like they're worried their kids aren't able to afford a house or a car.

HARNER: I train my kids and talk to my kids properly. They have great educations, and they're both successful in their careers. Actually, they're doing better than me.

REEVE (voice-over): Another woman told us that she had a good retirement, but she worried about others who are having a hard time with higher prices. Whether they were locals or on vacation, everyone we spoke to at the boat parade was in a good mood, but underneath, there was anger about immigration.

[03:40:04]

MARY ZAHASKY, TRUMP SUPPORTER: We need a secure border. We need to do it right. And I like letting people in the right way.

REEVE: Can you give me some specifics on that? Like, how do you see immigration affecting you in your life in Texas?

MARY PROCTOR, TRUMP SUPPORTER: So, I recently retired, but I was in the multifamily business, which was managing and owning apartments. And I see the effects of illegal immigration at my properties.

REEVE: So, you're telling me there have been incidents at your apartment buildings, and you've had to call the cops and talk about it?

PROCTOR: Oh, yeah. So, I've seen it firsthand.

REEVE (voice-over): Most said Trump didn't do well at the presidential debate, though they didn't think it was his fault. And while they were ambivalent about his false claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating pets, they tended to defend Trump for saying it.

DIANE CHUDOBA, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Now I'm not saying they're eating cats and dogs. I think that's a little cuckoo, but they do have a different belief system. They're polite. They're nice. They're not hurting anything or anybody. But it's just I can see the change in the demographics. And not every town can absorb a big influx of population. JASON MORGAN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Do I believe that actually happened or

not? I have no evidence of it. Do I doubt it? I don't know. I can't say a, I can't say thumbs up or thumbs down.

REEVE: Do you think it shows good judgment on Trump's part to talk about it if it's not confirmed?

MORGAN: I think it shows good judgment for every one of us on every side to look into it. I dare all of us to investigate it. And I live there, so I will.

REEVE: Well, the police said they don't have any record of it and the city manager says they don't have a record of it and the governor has now --

MORGAN: Not my governor. My governor.

REEVE: Do I?

MORGAN: No.

REEVE: Do I have to say something about it?

MORGAN: I don't believe that.

REEVE: You want me to look it up?

MORGAN: I'm happy to look it up all by myself.

REEVE: Oh no, let's just Google it if I have service. Google it. That's a trusty one. Ohio, Dwine, Haitian, Cats. This is something that came up on the internet and the internet can be quite crazy sometimes, DeWine told CBS News. DeWine says he trusts city officials who have said they have not received any credible reports of such conduct. Mayor Rue of Springfield says no, there's no truth in that. They have no evidence of that at all. So I think we go with what the mayor says. He knows his city, DeWine said.

MORGAN: Sure. That's a great way to pass the buck.

REEVE: You think Trump's going to win? What do you think?

MORGAN: I think we'll be in the middle of a civil war either way. Doesn't matter who wins. Like you said, it's that polarizing on both sides.

REEVE (voice-over): Elle Reeve, CNN, Panama City Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Coming up, Israel's spy agency Mossad has a long history of targeting the country's enemies in ways big, small and surprising. We take a look at the agency's past ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Welcome back. Well, sources tell CNN the pager attack on Tuesday was a joint operation involving the Israel intelligence officers and the country's spy agency Mossad. Mossad has a long and deadly history of tracking down Israel's enemies, as CNN's Brian Todd explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pagers and walkie-talkies explode throughout Lebanon over the course of two days. The latest in a long line of audacious, lethal, sometimes high-tech operations by the legendary Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

ROBERT BAER, FORMER CIA OFFICER: The Israelis are the best. If you find your name on one of their hit lists, you probably can't get insured.

CHRIS COSTA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE SPY MUSEUM: They have excellent operational security. They don't leak.

TODD (voice-over): This past July, a bomb secretly planted in a Tehran guest house two months in advance is how a source tells CNN Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed, which Iran and Hamas say was done by Israel. Another assassination in Iran of a top nuclear physicist in 2020 was allegedly conducted by an explosion plus a remote controlled machine gun in a car parked nearby. And a Palestinian bomb maker nicknamed The Engineer was killed in 1996 using a cell phone with perhaps just over an ounce of explosives.

BAER: He put it up to his ear, the phone said, hello dad, and then the Israelis remotely exploded the phone and blew the side of his head off. So it was a very sophisticated operation. It was very precise.

TODD (voice-over): In the 1970s, in Baghdad, according to one historian of the Mossad, an Israeli hit squad placed poison in toothpaste used by a Palestinian militant who later died an excruciating death.

But there have also been unsuccessful operations. In 1997, Mossad agents in Jordan sprayed a lethal dose of fentanyl into the ear of Hamas leader Khaled Mashal. But some of the agents were captured. Israel was forced to provide the antidote and to release at least 19 prisoners.

Mashal is still alive today. One of Mossad's earliest successes, in 1960 agents tracked down notorious Nazi Adolf Eichmann, an architect of the Holocaust. He was located and captured hiding in Argentina and spirited back to Israel to stand trial.

COSTA: They managed to grab Eichmann, drug him and send him back to Israel as a patient.

TODD (voice-over): Eichmann was executed in 1962. Mossad also tracked down almost every terrorist who killed Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972. During Operation Wrath of God, suspects were assassinated one by one. But so was a Moroccan waiter in Norway, who in a case of mistaken identity was killed, but turned out not to have been involved. Still, operations like these recent ones against Hezbollah have a lasting effect on Israel's enemies.

COSTA: Psychologically, they're going to turn on one another, who are the informants, how could this happen? They're going to be fearful. They're going to be, in short, disrupted.

TODD: The "New York Times," citing officials and security experts, reports that earlier this year, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah put strict limits on the group's use of cell phones because he thought they were too vulnerable to Israeli surveillance.

Intelligence expert Chris Costa tells us that what Hezbollah will likely have to do now in the wake of these beeper and walkie-talkie attacks is go back to more old-fashioned physical methods of communication, like couriers and dead drops.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: As the region recovers from two typhoons, two new tropical systems are expected to make landfall in Asia on Thursday. Tropical Depression 16 developed off Vietnam's coast, where it is expected to make landfall. Farther north, tropical storm Pulasan has lost strength but is still expected to bring anywhere from 50 to more than 200 millimeters of rain when it comes ashore near Shanghai.

Wildfires raging in Portugal claimed another home on Wednesday. Affiliate CNN Portugal caught the structure exploding live on air. No one was inside the home at the time. 100 fires are burning across Portugal and authorities say 28 of those are significant.

[03:50:05]

5,000 firefighters are working to get them under control. Civilians are stepping in to help, transporting water on tractors and using garden hoses to try to protect homes. At least seven people have died in the fires, including three firefighters.

Amazon warehouse employees have something to smile about. The internet retailer is raising their pay and giving them a Prime perk. That story and more, still ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: A Ukrainian drone strike in western Russia caused an explosion so large it may have created a small earthquake. A Ukrainian security source says the drones destroyed a Russian ammunition depot about 400 kilometers west of Moscow on Wednesday.

Seismologists in Norway later said they detected seismic activity, probably caused by the blast. This before and after video shows the massive plumes of smoke following the attack. A Russian state news agency blamed the fires on fallen drone debris without mentioning what the target was.

[03:55:07]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to meet with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington next week, according to multiple sources. Donald Trump says he'll probably meet with him as well. The Ukrainian leader will also attend the U.N. General Assembly next week in New York. He wants to present what he calls his victory plan to both Harris and Trump as well as President Joe Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today we can say that our victory plan has been fully prepared. All the points, all the key accents, the necessary annexes with details to the plan have been identified. Everything has been worked out.

The most important thing now is determination to implement it. There is no and cannot be any alternative to peace, any freezing of the war or any other manipulations that will simply move the Russian aggression to another stage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: The U.S. is trying to counterbalance the spike in the Russian and Chinese military activity in the northern Pacific. The U.S. Army has deployed part of its unit, known as Arctic Angels, to Alaska's remote Shemya Island. A military statement says the move is meant to show the Army can deploy ready and lethal force anywhere within hours.

Chinese and Russian aircraft have ramped up bear operations in the region. The U.S. intercepted Russian military aircraft flying near Alaska four times over the last week. China and Russia conducted joint air patrols in June.

Amazon workers in the U.S. are getting a raise and new benefits. The company announced Wednesday that it's raising pay rates by at least $1.50 an hour for its more than 800,000 warehouse and transportation workers. That will bring the average starting wage to more than $22 an hour. Workers will also get Amazon's $139 per year Prime membership for free. The pay increase is in line with what rivals UPS, Walmart and Target have done for their U.S. employees.

Well done to them. Well, thank you so much for your company. I'm Anna Coren, in Hong Kong. Newsroom is next with my colleague Max Foster in London. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)