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CNN International: Israeli Jets Fly Over Beirut as Hezbollah Leader Speaks; Harris to Speak at Reproductive Rights Event in Georgia; Germany Tests EU Unity with new Border Controls; Several People Killed after New Israeli Airstrikes Hit Gaza; Republican North Carolina Candidate for Governor Made Dozens of Disturbing Comments on Porn Forum; Police Pups Charm Crowds at Annual Chile Military Parade. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired September 20, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and this is the CNN Newsroom. Just ahead, a stark warning Hezbollah says there will be a reckoning following attacks in Lebanon, we'll have a live report from the region.
Shocking comments from a Trump backed candidate for Governor in North Carolina. What CNN has learned about Mark Robinson's internet posts. And Vice President Kamala Harris visits the battleground state of Michigan. Her thoughts on democracy from the event Oprah Winfrey hosted.
And we begin in the Middle East, a region very much on edge as Israel shifts its focus to the Northern Front and the Leader of Hezbollah vows retaliation. Lebanon's National News Agency says Israel has launched more air strikes today that after -- that after the IDF carried out one of its heaviest bombardments on Lebanon in the past year, with the IDF saying it hit 100 Hezbollah rocket launchers inside of Lebanon on Thursday.
Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah condemned the electronic device attacks in Lebanon this week, calling them massacres. And the IDF says dozens of rockets have been fired into Northern Israel from Lebanon today. The UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting later on today to discuss the escalating situation. CNN's Ben Wedeman is joining me now from Beirut. Ben, good day to you. What is the very latest on this tense situation that seems to be getting worse with each passing day?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly escalation is the order of the day. What we're seeing is this morning that Hezbollah has, according to the Israelis, launched more than 130 projectiles into Northern Israel, and we've seen continued Israeli air strikes along the border area.
People are really afraid that. You know, we've been on the brink so many times since last October here in Lebanon. However, this time, people really are braced for the worst. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Final prayers for Hezbollah militant, one of many killed in the spate of pager and walkie talkie blasts across Lebanon, linked to Israel. Outside others pay respects to the family. The blasts killed dozens, including children, and wounded thousands.
WEDEMAN: This is a memorial and graveyard for Hezbollah fighters killed in action. And what the group has seen since the beginning of this week is its highest death toll since the start of hostilities with Israel last October.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The group supporters, however, are putting on a brave face. The enemy is terrified of us Beirut resident Meriam (ph) tells me. They're afraid. They attack us with planes. We fire back with rockets and bullets. But there's no denying the attacks have taken the serious toll. Surgeon Ghassan Abu Sitta has treated the war injured across the Middle East, most recently in Gaza.
GHASSAN ABU SITTA, SURGEON: So, the problem is we don't have enough equipment because of the sheer number, and more importantly, these are surgery -- these are injuries that will need between 5 and 12 surgeries in the next few years.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): In a televised speech, Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah conceded the group had suffered a major unprecedented blow, and called it a mass terrorist event. While the speech was broadcast, Israeli war planes roared over Beirut, adding perhaps insult to injury.
Yet Nasrallah insisted Hezbollah is unshaken. I say to Netanyahu, Gallant the enemy army and the enemy entity he declared, you will not be able to bring the residents back to the north. He vowed, Hezbollah will stop firing on Israel when Israel stops its war in Gaza, and then Israeli war planes returned, breaking the sound barrier twice over the Lebanese capital.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN (on camera): And what we've seen is that it appears the Israelis are really trying to pressure Hezbollah to stop firing on to Israel and to allow those residents of Northern Israel to return to their homes.
[08:05:00]
But certainly, if you look at the amounts of rockets fired from Lebanon this morning, it doesn't appear that that tactic has really had much success, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Ben Wiedemann, thank you so much. And this morning video that we're about to show you very disturbing. We're getting word that the Israeli military is investigating soldiers for throwing bodies from a roof in the occupied West Bank. Here's the video. It shows Israeli soldiers standing on a rooftop. They can be seen
pushing a body over the edge of the building. The Palestinian government says this happened during an IDF incursion that left seven dead. Let's get right to CNN's Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi. Paula, I mean what's the Israeli military saying about this?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka. What they've said so far is that they will be investigating what has happened. This is in an area called Qabatya, which is just in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military has been present in much of the northern part for weeks now, undergoing operations, and we understand that seven Palestinians were killed on Thursday.
Now what we see in this video, which is shocking -- and its -- we should give you a warning that you may find it disturbing. We see one body being pushed over the edge of a building by Israeli soldiers that are on the roof of that building. A foot is caught in cables before a soldier dismantles those cables, and then you see the body falling.
Now there's a second body you see as well, where one soldier takes the hands, another takes the feet, and the body is swung over the edge of the building. A third Palestinian body is then seen pushed over the edge by an Israeli soldiers' feet. Now, CNN has no way of knowing for sure that these men, of these individuals, were deceased, although they do appear motionless and lifeless.
Now the Israeli military has commented, I want you to listen to the statement they have given. Quote, this is a serious incident that does not coincide with IDF values and the expectations from IDF soldiers. The incident is under review. Now, under international law, militaries are expected to treat the bodies of soldiers, of the enemy soldiers or enemy combatants with respect. They're also expected to return those bodies to the families.
Now the Israeli military does have a history of confiscating bodies. We've certainly seen that in the past. And the Governor of Jenin says that four of those Palestinians killed, the bodies have been taken by the Israeli military. They say the other three that were killed, they will have funerals this Friday, taking place.
Now, Israel has said that they are carrying out these operations, as they call them, in the occupied West Bank, because they are trying to root out Hamas and other militant groups that have been planning or directing attacks against Israel. And we have seen since October 7th of last year, some around 700 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank. And we know that from official figures, from the Palestinian medical officials there, that more than 150 of those have been children Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Paula Hancock, thank you so much. All right, back in the U.S. Former President Donald Trump is being challenged over his support of a North Carolina Gubernatorial Candidate. Republican Mark Robinson is currently the state's Lieutenant Governor who has long been endorsed by Trump.
Well, now CNN is reporting that Robinson made shocking remarks on a porn site messaging board more than 10 years ago. The CNN investigation found Robinson describing himself as a quote black Nazi and calling for slavery to be reinstated. Robinson denies the allegations. Trump has backed Robinson for governor, even comparing him to Martin Luther King Jr., during campaign stops in North Carolina over the past several months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is Martin Luther King on steroids. I think you're better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two. One of the great stars of the party, one of the great stars in politics, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson.
I'm a great supporter of his. Your incredible Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is a hot politician. He's a hot politician. Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson. A real star great guy, friend of mine Mark Robinson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Daniel Strauss is joining us now from Washington with more on this. Daniel, so how is the Trump campaign responding now?
[08:10:00]
DANIEL STRAUSS, CNN REPORTER: The Trump campaign and the party at large is sort of, I would say, taken aback by this and moving cautiously. These are really damaging remarks at a very late point in the American presidential cycle. So, it's not ideal at the same time, though, what we've learned by recent events and just past elections in the past decade or so, it's that you never really know how controversial comments how long they'll last in a presidential race.
And this, in this case, Robinson is no stranger to outlandish and inflammatory rhetoric here, so it's possible that some of his report supporters will stay behind him at the same time, though, we've seen major Republican Party figures in North Carolina like Senator Thom Tillis intimate that this is the line and that Republicans in the state should focus more attention on more viable candidates at this point in the race.
WHITFIELD: All right. Daniel Strauss, thanks so much. All right, as early voting begins in several U.S. states, Kamala Harris leans on star power in the battleground state of Michigan. Talk Show Queen Oprah Winfrey hosted the "Unite for America" virtual rally on Thursday.
Harris discussed a variety of things, including abortion ban. Family members of a Georgia woman whose death was linked to the state's restrictive abortion law was in the audience and talked directly with Harris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're looking at a mother that is broken, the worst pain ever that a mother that a parent could ever feel. Her father and myself and the family you're looking at it.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Amber's mom shared with me that the word over and over again, in her mind, is preventable. These abortion bans have been passed that criminalize health care providers in a couple of states, prison for life, Oprah. Prison for life, in a couple of states for a doctor or nurse who provides health care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Kevin Liptak has more from Washington, from the White House. Hello to you. Good morning. What were the main takeaways from Oprah's virtual rally?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and that was probably the emotional high point of the entire event, really trying to focus on this issue of abortion, and specifically these restrictive abortion laws that have been passed around the country. You saw her there with the family of Amber Thurman, who had an incomplete medication abortion.
She suffered sepsis and she wasn't delivered care in an emergency room in suburban Atlanta for 20 hours before she eventually passed away. And this story is one that Harris is going to seize on today in Georgia. She's traveling down there specifically to talk about this case and to talk about her pledge to restore the protections that were included in Roe V Wade.
And it just gives you a sense of how critical the Harris campaign thinks abortion will play in this year's election. Now, there was another interesting moment in that event with Oprah last night when Harris talked about her ownership of a gun. Listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: -- was so powerful at the convention, when you -- when you said you have guns no at the debate.
HARRIS: I'm a gun owner. Tim -- is a gun owner.
WINFREY: I know that.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: It's not that -- my husband getting shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: You know Fredricka, I didn't know that Kamala Harris owned a gun before the debate. She had mentioned it when she was a candidate in 2019. We have learned that this gun, it's a small handgun. It's about the size of a gun that would fit in a purse. She keeps it at her home in Los Angeles, that's under lock and key.
And what people around her say is that it was not actually that uncommon for prosecutors to carry firearms. And of course, she was a prosecutor, ultimately, the Attorney General of California. She put away some pretty tough criminals, and this was, of course, I guess, a layer of protection against that, but it does give you a sense of how she's trying to diffuse the issue of guns in this election.
Of course, she is a proponent of tougher gun control laws, of an assault weapons ban, but by using this personal story, she's trying to tell voters, I'm a gun owner, and I'm not going to be taking away your guns if I was president.
WHITFIELD: And then today, where is the Harris campaign headed?
LIPTAK: Well, she's going right down there to where you are in Georgia. And this is an important moment, I think. This trip was scheduled relatively last minute after this report in ProPublica about Amber Thurman, the woman who died. Because she wasn't delivered medical care as a result of Georgia's very restrictive six-week abortion ban.
[08:15:00]
This is something that Harris has done as vice president, trying to rapidly respond to some of these stories in real time, and she will be addressing this issue while she's down there. But of course, that moment last night that you played in the intro with the family of Amber Thurman, so powerful and really kind of putting a face on these restrictive bans.
You know, the way these have gone is that it takes a few years, I think, for the results of some of these bans to be fully known, just by the way that they're examined and by the medical boards and by the hospitals the requirements to submit the information.
And so, we are starting to learn more about how exactly these have affected women and deadly effect as well there in Georgia and certainly, Kamala Harris wants to put a very high degree of emphasis on this as she looks to make abortion a central part of her candidacy.
WHITFIELD: All right. Kevin Liptak, at the White House thanks so much. So, the race for the White House also continues to heat up across the media landscape. The Harris Walz campaign is seeing a digital push by a grassroots network called "White Dudes for Harris". The group plans to spend up to $10 million running the following ad in crucial blue wall states.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I doing my own research and decided to check out Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. And before you jump down my throat, they're actually talking to guys like us. No lectures, no BS, just real solutions to protect our freedoms and help us take care of the people who matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Meanwhile, the Trump Vance campaign launched a new ad Thursday in Michigan targeting auto workers, a key industry in the must win battleground state.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tension auto workers. Kamala Harris wants to end all gas-powered cars. Crazy but true. Harris's push requiring electric only is failing big. And Michigan auto workers are paying the price. Massive layoffs already started. You could be next.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And it must be said that Harris does not have a plan to ban gasoline powered cars. The ad comes despite the fact that Harris won the endorsement of the United Auto Workers in July. The union had previously endorsed then candidate Joe Biden.
All right, still to come, Germany does a shocking U-turn on migration. Why it could be harder for visitors trying to cross land borders next? Plus, a relief for Europe as Storm Boris finally fizzles out, we'll take a look at some of the cities still battling the floodwaters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen arrived in Kyiv on Friday in a show of support to Ukraine as it prepares for winter. The International Energy Agency says the coming months will be the toughest test yet for Ukraine's power grid. Russia has ramped up its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in recent weeks.
[08:20:00]
And right now, the system is so battered that power blackouts are a part of daily life. The Energy Agency says those disruptions could become severe when temperatures drop and demand for heat rises.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FATIH BIROL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY: Because of the previous attacks under Ukrainian energy infrastructure, two thirds. Two thirds of the power generation capacity of Ukraine was lost. And we are coming to winter, as you know, when the temperatures drop, energy demand increases, and this could be a major issue for electricity and for heating in Ukraine.
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: 80 percent of Ukraine's thermal plants have been destroyed and a third of the hydropower capacity. So, this is where we will concentrate our repair efforts with the aim to restoring 2.5 gigawatts of capacity this winter, that is approximately 15 percent of Ukraine's needs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The European Union will contribute more than $100 million to accomplish that goal. Among other things, Lithuania will dismantle one of its thermal power plants, which will be reassembled in Ukraine.
Germany doesn't about face in its policy on migration. It has introduced new controls on all its borders. In the last decade, it had a more migration friendly approach. Recently, the government has been under pressure to tackle the problem, but as Fred Pleitgen reports, the move is putting European unity on the line.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Cars lining up at a border crossing, where they normally breeze through, but Germany has brought back document and vehicle checks, not just here in Frankfurt an der Oder, the border with Poland, but at all of its borders with EU countries. Officer Tom Keene (ph) says they regularly find people trying to enter Germany illegally.
It's daily business here that people don't meet the entry requirements for Germany, he says, and perhaps even for the Schengen area, and then have to be subjected to further police measures. Germany's problem, many people from around the world continue to flee to Europe, and many of them want to come to Germany, even though they should register in the countries where they first crossed into EU territory. But those countries Berlin says aren't doing enough to stop migrants from moving on to Germany.
PLEITGEN: The new border checks are extremely controversial with other European Union member states, the Germans are saying they absolutely need to do this to stop the threat of terrorism, but also illegal migration. Other European countries, though, say that this destroys the very essence of a unified Europe.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The wave of mass migration to Germany started in 2015 millions of people fleeing the wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, crossed into the EU welcomed by then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who boasted that Germany would manage the huge influx of people from abroad.
But after nine years, many Germans are saying enough, following a string of attacks carried out by former asylum seekers, leaving several people dead, voters are flocking to the right-wing alternative for Germany Party AFD, that promises to stop migration and start mass deportations of migrants. Severely sliding in the polls German Chancellor Olaf Scholz now says he's getting tough.
We will utilize all possibilities to carry out entry refusals within the framework of the law, he says, and we've put a concept for effective entry refusal on the table where we are prepared to do this with the opposition. While the right-wing anti migration Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban gleefully posted on X quote, Germany has decided to impose strict border controls to stop illegal migration -- Scholz, welcome to the club.
Other European Leaders have vowed to combat Germany's new border regime. This type of action is unacceptable from the Polish point of view, Poland's Prime Minister said, after all, I have no doubt that it is the internal political situation in Germany which is causing these steps to be implemented, and not our policy towards illegal immigration on our borders. And some migration experts believe Germany is not only putting itself
at odds with the EU, but that these checks will do little to stop illegal border crossings.
RAPHAEL BOSSONG, GERMAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND SECURITY AFFAIRS: I don't think the effect is going to be dramatic. I mean, it's mostly a political signal now to show obviously, that the government is doing something, and also to other European countries that they should shoulder a larger part of the responsibility.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Whether or not the measures work, they're already having a big political effect in Europe, putting the EU's unity to the test. Fred Pleitgen, Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[08:25:00]
WHITFIELD: Storm Boris, which has been battering Europe for the past week, will finally fizzle out on Friday. The storm has brought months' worth of rain to parts of Central and Eastern Europe. These images here show the flooding in Northeastern Italy this morning after a night of heavy rain.
And this right there is the scene outside Hungary's parliament. You can see how high the river lover -- river levels are. In Poland, military helicopters have been deployed to patrol flooded areas and reinforce the river banks in badly impacted areas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. PIOTR CIECHAN, COMMANDER, POLISH SPECIAL OPS AIR UNIT: You know, military aviation is prepared to fight with the opponent in combat missions, however, many of them are similar. We're trained in rescue flights, landing flights, and transporting heavy loads, as in this case, those skills are being used. So, they're similar here additionally, it is related to human health and lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, let's get straight to CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Derek, good to see you this morning. So how does the situation look for the Eastern European countries affected by this recent flooding.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Fredricka. Now the big cleanup effort is underway, and many of the rivers remain swollen. I mean, you showed footage of the Danube River in Budapest in the Capital of Hungary, which remains at flood stage or higher. I'll show you that in just one moment.
But look at these just incredible very saddening scenes coming out of Italy. This is again from Storm Boris, which has traversed, basically stalled out, meandered whatever adjective you want to use to describe what it's done over the past week. But what it's certainly done has created this path of destruction, namely in the form of flooding. And again, now the big cleanup commences.
I want you to see this, because this is a hydrological forecast for the River Danube in Budapest. This is in Hungary. And I want you to see how the river levels have really peaked or will peak through the course of the weekend. Just incredible to see it. This is -- you know days after Hungary was impacted by the heaviest rainfall from Storm Boris.
Again, remember, Boris moved south and then brought the flooding rains to Italy. Here it is. This is the storm system that churned across the Adriatic and into the Mediterranean. This is really interesting, too. The satellite loop, the area that was most impacted by flooding was Northeastern sections of Italy, just outside of Bologna.
This is all driving in moisture from the Adriatic Sea right here. And we look closely at this and water temperatures here are above average, so there's some fuel for this storm to pick up the moisture and create the additional capacity, at least, to hold heavier rainfall, and certainly it unleashed that torrential rainfall in portions of Northeast Italy.
So, here's Bologna. They received 115 millimeters in the past three days for the month of September, they averaged about 68 millimeters, so we're talking nearly double their monthly average. Very impressive rainfall totals in other locations, just south of Bologna. So, this was an impactful storm to say the least.
The good news is, you alluded to it Fredricka, that conditions are clearing out for this part of Europe, Central Europe, especially into Italy. Rain showers coming to a quick end as Boris kind of fizzles out, loses all of its available energy.
And we don't see rain on the forecast for the next few days, there is an approaching storm system that could bring some additional showers by Monday, but that time we should start to get that opportunity to dry things out. But boy, it has been a very difficult past week for Eastern and Central Europe.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, that's incredible. I know they don't want to see any rain of any sort, not even if it's just a little bit on Monday at this point. All right. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much. All right still to come, we're learning new details about the deadly explosions of pagers and walkie talkies in Lebanon as the investigation unfolds. Stay with us. Plus, Hillary Clinton weighs in on the Israel Hamas war with the Former U.S. Secretary of State told our Fareed Zakaria, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:00]
WHITFIELD: Israel and Hezbollah are ramping up their fighting in the wake of the twin device attacks in Lebanon earlier in the week. The IDF claims it hit 100 Hezbollah rocket launchers inside of Lebanon on Thursday, and Hezbollah said it launched at least 17 attacks into Northern Israel. Tensions have been soaring since the pager and walkie talkie attacks that killed at least 37 people. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has new details on how the devices were rigged to explode and where they came from.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A militant group proud of their discipline and secrecy over 24 hours, torn up by two waves of thousands of exploding low tech devices, walkie talkies, causing much bigger blasts than the pagers.
CNN has obtained a copy of the ICOM device bought by us openly in India, 40 of which blew up in Hezbollah areas. Wednesday, discontinued ancient there's a big battery at the back, probably where explosives were hidden. The company who designed them said they are widely counterfeited.
WALSH: ICOM even released a guide as to how to discern a counterfeit model, showing where holograms are on Genuine Articles, and also warning that with counterfeits, there is a risk of leakage, fire or explosion of the battery.
WALSH (voice-over): The director unable to be clear whether these were genuine, though.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a period of time when we didn't add holograms. So, if this device comes from that time, we cannot eliminate the possibility that it may be our product.
WALSH (voice-over): Beirut is awash with counterfeit products shipped in huge volume, often to ports effectively controlled by Hezbollah, so there would be opportunity to insert booby trapped fakes once the model Hezbollah used was clear.
Another complex infiltration required for the thousands of pagers seen here in a promotional video that detonated Tuesday when they received a message a global affair. Taiwan's Gold Apollo said the AR924 design was licensed to BAC Consulting in Hungary, their offices closed, and Hungary's government said the reference devices have never been in Hungary.
Instead, a Bulgarian company the possible recipient. Yet Bulgaria's State Agency for National Security said the devices never came through Bulgarian customs, either. Shell after shell, making their source so tough to divine someone clearly wanted to hide it.
Israel struck with sophistication before killing an Iranian nuclear scientist here, apparently with a facial recognition activated machine gun, and killing Hamas' lead negotiator in this Tehran guest house, apparently planting a bomb. But the Lebanon blasts on another scale in terms of the innocence hit and the months of meticulous preparation involved Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And while attention has shifted to Israel, operations across the border with Lebanon, military operations have continued in Gaza. Several people were killed in multiple airstrikes across Gaza in the past 24 hours. At least six people were killed in an air strike on a residential building in Gaza City just before midnight on Thursday, according to Gaza Civil Defense.
[08:35:00]
And eight people, including three children, were killed in an air strike on the Nuseirat Refugee Camp early on Friday. CNN's Fareed Zakaria recently sat down with Former U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, during their wide-ranging discussion, Clinton talked about the war in Gaza and where she believes it might be heading.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN ANCHOR: Secretary Clinton, when you look at the situation in the Middle East right now, what do you think is the -- is the principal driver of this, of what's going on -- you know the fact that you have Israel in a war in Gaza, the escalation, or seeming escalation in the north. How do you -- you know -- what -- would give us a sense of how you understand that conflict?
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Yeah. Well, it's -- tragic. The attack last October 7th on Israel was outrageous, and they had a right to defend themselves, as I think anyone who understands what happened would agree. And I've also made it clear that Hamas is a terrorist organization.
Israel does have that right to defend itself, but Israel has to abide in so far as possible by the -- you know the laws of war. And this conflict has been so intractable for several reasons. I think on the one hand, you have Hamas, especially under the leadership, the continuing leadership of Sinwar that has not wanted a ceasefire.
I've tried to follow this very closely. They have been betting on a larger conflict. They thought they might trigger a larger conflict. The timing of their attack, I think it's fair to say, was meant to send a message to Saudi Arabia about the potential normalization.
So, Hamas is not just continuing the war because they are on their back heel and they are worried about what will happen to them, the Hamas leadership and fighters, but because they are hoping to spark something bigger. And then Israel, which has been -- you know waging a ground invasion, in large measure because of these tunnels, which I was surprised by.
I mean, we knew when I was Secretary of State that you had to keep an eye out for tunnels coming from Egypt that were bringing in contraband goods, even weapons. But 450 miles of tunnel and places that are staging grounds, command and control, obviously hiding places. It's very difficult for the Israelis to figure out how the war can end if they have a couple thousand Hamas fighters still hiding in the tunnels.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And you can see the full interview with Hillary Clinton this Sunday on Fareed Zakaria, GPS, that's 10:00 a.m. in the morning, Eastern Time, 03:00 p.m. in London. All right, still to come, one U.S. presidential campaign is riding high this morning the other is tied up in a scandal details, straight ahead. And the U.S. Secret Service gears up to face reporters later on today, it's under heavy scrutiny. We'll have a preview of the news conference.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:40:00]
WHITFIELD: All right, as one U.S. Presidential Candidate gets a sprinkling of stardust, the other tries to shrug off links to a scandal. The star power effect has hit the Kamala Harris campaign. Talk Show Queen Oprah Winfrey hosted a virtual rally with guests like Julia Roberts and Ben Stiller.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump is under pressure over his relationship with North Carolina's Republican Candidate for Governor, Mark Robinson, after CNN discovered disturbing racist remarks, Robinson made online. North Carolina is a crucial must win swing state in the presidential race.
The last time a Democratic Candidate won the state, Barack Obama in 2008. But recent polling shows a tight contest now, with Kamala Harris at 49 percent to Donald Trump's 46 percent all within the margin of error. Will turmoil in the governor's race have any impact on the presidential vote in that state this after CNN is reporting of Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson's remarks on a pornographic website message board a decade ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARGARET HOOVER, CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, POLITICAL STRATEGIST: A lot of Republicans, especially in these other states. This has happened in Georgia. This has also happened in Arizona. They will leave Trump off the top of the ticket and vote down ballot for Republicans. They will also likely sometimes do the opposite. So, I don't think we should necessarily think that Donald Trump is toast here, because the terrible Republican Candidate for Governor is on his way to being toasted.
AISHA MILLS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Donald Trump, at the top of the ticket, has actually been found liable for sexual assault. Donald Trump has said a lot of really off the wall things that are not dissimilar from what this guy has said. So, the fact that they're bedfellows, really is, you know, I'm excited to see that the Kamala campaign is actually making that connection, because this is not an isolated incident North Carolina. This is symptomatic of who the Republican Party is right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. Joining me right now is Senior Correspondent for the Hill Amie Parnes, great to see, you Amie. So, Mark Robinson Amie talked to CNN's Andrew Kaczynski and denied the comments blaming artificial intelligence among other things. So how might this overall impact the gubernatorial race?
AMIE PARNES, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, THE HILL: Well, I think it does impact. It obviously. I mean, North Carolina voters are very loyal, obviously, to the former president. I don't know how they -- it might correlate, or it might not. It might -- I think the Trump campaign is obviously trying to distance itself right now, even though he has supported Robinson so much in the past.
I've talked to people, Republicans close to the campaign, who say, yeah, it's not a good look, especially when the race is so tight. And so, I think that they might try to continue to distance themselves in the final weeks, but it remains to be -- it remains to be clear, if this will actually -- you know affect the campaign.
WHITFIELD: So, what do you mean? How will they distance themselves meaning the Trump campaign?
PARNES: I think that you're going to see the president kind of move away from it a little bit talk more about himself and what he's going to offer -- you know but I think the Kamala Harris campaign is obviously going to come back and try to tie the president to Robinson as much as possible. They're already starting to do that Fredricka. And I think you can see them in this race that is neck and neck right now, trying to do that a little bit more.
WHITFIELD: And Kamala Harris campaign, I mean, she has been to North Carolina a lot. So, it's clear -- you know she and her campaign recognize that North Carolina is a must win. One has to wonder -- you know even though the deadline has passed at midnight for Robinson too willing to leave withdraw from the race.
How much him staying in the race is going to impact the choice of voters -- you know on how they vote down ballot? How him staying in the race influences whether they change their minds about their U.S. presidential pick?
PARNES: I know. And that's going to be up to his campaign to kind of make the case. They're trying to obviously undermine what's been reported and say -- you know that it wasn't him. It wasn't -- so I think you're going to try to see them do that a little bit more, because they have no choice at this point.
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And you're -- I think you're going to see the Trump campaign try to -- he's obviously not going to tout him as much, or maybe he will. I mean, that's what's so unpredictable about the former president. He could say, oh, this is fake news, and try to gaslight people and try to say that this isn't real. And so, anything can happen at this point Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. Isn't that crazy? That's kind of every day -- our everyday existence right now, isn't it? So, you know, is this election of the next U.S. Presidential -- President riding on North Carolina. How must win is it in your view?
PARNES: It's -- it can be must win. I mean, the thing is, if Kamala Harris loses Pennsylvania, she has to win either Georgia or North Carolina, and has to win some states out west. And so, it is pretty must win. But, and that's why you're seeing her spend time in Georgia, which she'll be in today, and why she'll be in North Carolina more.
Because they are -- they do consider it very much a winnable state. And he has it -- and Democrats haven't won there since Barack Obama, but they think they can do it again. They think it's very much in play. And so that's why you'll see the vice president there in the coming weeks.
WHITFIELD: All right. And it 16 electoral votes, right North Carolina?
PARNES: Yes, yes.
WHITFIELD: All right.
PARNES: Pennsylvania, obviously the one that they're eyeing, but North Carolina, very important.
WHITFIELD: All right. Amie Parnes, great to see you. Thanks so much. And we're watching for a U.S. Secret Service news conference in the coming hours, it's expected to give an update on the July assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Gunfire wounded the former president and by being struck in the ear during a rally.
The incident sparked scrutiny of the Secret Service, and we're also now expecting questions over the apparent attempt on Trump's life last Sunday in Florida at his golf course. This comes as the U.S. Justice Department tries to build an attempted assassination case against Ryan Routh, the man accused of lesser charges in that incident, mostly gun related. But they're trying to also make the correlation by building a case.
CNN's Katelyn Polantz is joining us live from Washington, D.C. now. Katelyn, great to see you. So, the U.S. Secret Service, it's under a lot of pressure these days. At the same time, won a lot of praise for being able to avert what could have been a horrible, truly horrible incident last Sunday?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yeah, by the book, trying to get that man, Ryan Routh, out of Mar-a-Lago before he was able to fire any shot. And there is a case that is coming together as the FBI and the Justice Department continue to investigate and see what they can do in court as he remains in jail.
But on the other side, the U.S. Secret Service, so a totally different agency. They are looking at their own folks, the people who protect federal officials, including the former president, current president, vice presidents, and they are saying that they need more money. Right now, their budget is $3 billion a year, and they have about 7000 employees.
They're going to be adding some more employees, but they say it's not enough. They need more money for counter snipers, investigators, armored limousines, for motorcades, ballistic glass. They need to be training more agents. All of this is being detailed by the Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowey Jr., in an interview with "The Washington Post" just yesterday. But he is going to also be trying to make this case moving forward at a press conference and also to Congress. We also know that Congress is looking at potentially helping the Secret Service beef up how they protect presidents, vice presidents, looking at authorizing more there. But there is quite a situation across the country, what really calls a new norm of the rapidly rising violent threats against federal officials in all parts of the government.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, lots at stake. All right, Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much. All right, still to come, photographic proof of wetted bliss in a big deal -- is a big deal in China, but the divorce rate there is up. How one Chinese factory is helping divorced couples destroy the memory of their marriages?
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WHITFIELD: All right, a really big and historic day for the Los Angeles Dodger Slugger Shohei Ohtani. He has become the first major league baseball player to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season. He's insane. The Japanese phenom became the inaugural member of the 50-50 club.
He smashed three home runs, stole two bases on Thursday against the Miami Marlins. Ohtani, who also pitches, has a historic 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers. No wonder why, right? They are in first place in the National League West Division. And Otani is the odds-on favorite to win the league's most valuable player award, hands down.
All right, on to China now. It's common for newlyweds to have large, professional wedding portraits done. However, the country's divorce rate is skyrocketing. And getting rid of those portraits has now become big business as Marc Stewart explains.
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MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a factory complex about 60 miles outside of Beijing. It's fueled in part by the business of breakups. Divorced couples send their mementos to Leo Wei and his team paying to destroy the evidence of their marriage.
STEWART: For Chinese families, photos like these are a big part of their home on full display for friends and family to see.
STEWART (voice-over): But these photos are pretty much indestructible, made out of hard acrylic boards. The team spray paints face to ensure privacy before being placed inside the crusher. It's a better solution compared to just throwing things in the trash. Divorce is still seen as shameful in China.
STEWART: This entire process is recorded on video. Customers want proof the deed has been done.
STEWART (voice-over): It's happening as China's divorce rate is skyrocketing. And as authorities try to avert a demographic crisis by promoting marriage and parenthood. But the slumping economy leaves many young couples feeling stressed out about work, life and relationships.
STEWART: Where did you even get the idea to have a business like this?
LIU WEI, CO-FOUNDER, BEIJING ZHONGTIANJIE COMPANY: This was actually an accidental idea, but it quickly became an obvious business. During my daily contact with some customers, they all had the same thought, because they were troubled by the issue, but there was no way they could destroy them. I had the same thought. I saw that dilemma.
STEWART: A lot of these photos have captions talking about happiness and dreams. These were couples that were once in love. Does this ever make you sad watching this process happen, knowing once happy couples are no longer together.
WEI: I think of myself as a doctor. I see my job as being a witness to the disappearances of all kinds of relationships, love or not, marriage or not, it's all normal, and a divorce might not necessarily be a bad thing. It could be a good thing.
STEWART (voice-over): The cost of this varies up to around $30 depending on what needs to be destroyed. Yet for some people in China, it's a small price to pay for a fresh start. Marc Stewart, CNN, China.
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WHITFIELD: All right. And now to something very cute. Very cute, four legged friends stealing the show Thursday during Chile's military parade. These adorable police pups have been the stars of the annual event for about eight years now. They're known for their exceptional skills and detecting drugs and explosives. 65 puppies marched alongside or were carried by their handlers in some kind of way.
[08:55:00]
They've had extensive training to perform for the crowds of adoring fans along the parade route. They are very cute.
And then a zoo in China is causing some pandemonium. The strange animals and Cute Pets Paradise Zoo have gone viral after painting to Chow Chows, a Chinese dog breed to resemble the country's beloved national animal. The video was posted on a Chinese social media platform on Monday and has now since been shared over 1.4 million times. It seems they can't get enough of these painted pooches, pretty cute there.
And finally, a set of twin baby pandas, the real thing, born at the Berlin Zoo, are making their parents very proud. There is only a month old, but the zookeepers say they have doubled their weight over the last two weeks. You can spot them right there. Oh, so tiny. On Thursday, the giant pandas weighed in at about two pounds each.
The Little Giant Pandas, their mother, Meng Ming, is feeding her babies three to four times a day. The zoo is still keeping the pandas behind the scenes for now. So lucky for you, you get to see it this way. All right. Thank you so much for joining me here in this CNN Newsroom. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "Connect the World" with Eleni Giokos is up next.
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