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Trump Says No To Debate Harris Again; Ohio NAACP Leaders Urge Springfield Residents To Vote; Biden Hosts Quad Leaders At Summit In Delaware; New Wave Of Strikes Launched Against Hezbollah; Sheriff Accused Of Killing Judge Set To Be Arraigned Next Week; Company In China Specializes In Erasing Memories For Divorcing Couples. Aired 3- 4p ET

Aired September 21, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he tried his best. But they overruled him and they voted 3-2 so unless there's some judge that gets in the way and blocks this between now and election day, this is what will happen in Georgia. So buckle up -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: OK, we're all buckled up. OK. Meantime, the FBI now says it's investigating suspicious packages that were sent this week to election offices in more than 20 states. What have we learned?

COHEN: You know, disturbing developments here. One by one, these states came forward throughout the week to say that they got envelopes that were mailed to them that contained some substance that they thought was concerning. Some places had to be evacuated. The FBI so far has said that it seems to be relatively innocuous, but it's got people rattled and worried.

This is what we're talking about when we say over and over that election workers are facing threats like never before. Thankfully, no one got hurt and the FBI is looking into it to try to figure out who was responsible but, you know, officials from both parties have said that this is just making it harder for them to do their jobs -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Marshall Cohen, thank you so much.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

All right. Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we're following major new developments in the race for the White House. Just moments ago, former president Donald Trump rejected another debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. This after Harris accepted an invitation from CNN to debate Trump on October 23rd in Atlanta. This would be their second meeting on a public debate stage and would have taken place in the final few weeks of the campaign.

All of this unfolding as Trump is campaigning right now in the battleground state of North Carolina where Trump handpicked Republican candidate for governor and who is also caught up in a major scandal involving a string of lewd and racist comments that he made years ago on a pornographic forum.

CNN's Steve Contorno is at that Trump rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he announced to everybody that he sees no need in participating in yet another debate with Harris -- Steve.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. Donald Trump took the stage and really wasted no time addressing our invitation for him to debate once more. He said that Harris wants to debate because she's, quote, "losing badly." And he said it's too late to do another debate saying, I'd love to in many ways, but it's too late. The votes are already out there.

Now I will point out that Donald Trump in past campaigns did participate in debates much later than this. He had an October 22nd debate in 2020 against Joe Biden, and he had two October debates against Hillary Clinton back in 2016. So I'm not sure why it was too late now, but not too late then. But that is the position that he is taking. He doesn't want to go up against Harris once more.

He said he's already been made twice. He's debated Joe Biden, he's debated Vice President Harris, and he doesn't see the need to debate her once more -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Steve Contorno, keep us posted there from Wilmington, North Carolina.

All right. Also new this hour, the Ohio NAACP leaders are rallying people in Springfield to register to vote in response to former president Trump's false claims about Haitian immigrants in that city.

CNN's Rafael Romo is joining me right now.

Rafael, community leaders are, you know, encouraging people in Springfield to stay positive and to register to vote.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's the push that the NAACP made today and it's been really difficult for folks in Springfield, and just to give you an idea, Fred, of how hard it's been there, according to Mayor Rue, so Friday the city of Springfield has received more than 35 threats of violence, including bomb threats stemming from false statements made by former president Donald Trump during the September 10th debate.

That's why earlier today state and local NAACP representatives rallied the Springfield community, urging continued resiliency and offering support and telling them they need to respond by going to the polls this November.

In another development, two colleges that closed their campuses will reopen for in-person learning on Monday. Clark State College closed its campuses and move to virtual learning last week. Wittenberg University canceled in-person classes since Monday after receiving two e-mails last weekend, including one containing a bomb threat.

As you can imagine. Fred, there are many people who are deeply concerned especially in the Haitian immigrant community as one of its leaders told us this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VILES DORSAINVIL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HAITIAN COMMUNITY HELP AND SUPPORT CENTER: The anxiety and the fear are still around, especially with the bomb threats, even though they say that they are not legitimate, but anyway, they are bomb threats. People are still concerned for their life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:05:04]

ROMO: Meanwhile, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue is trying everything he can to keep the city moving forward. On Friday, he visited a Springfield high school to offer support and encouragement to students, teachers, and staff as he prepares for what could be a visit from former president Donald Trump in the near future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ROB RUE, SPRINGFIELD, OHIO: If a presidential candidate was going to come and bring a message of coming together, trying to work through problems, talk about the real concerns that why we're in the middle of this debate, immigration concerns and immigration reform, that would be great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Fred, you've got to check this out. The cat at the center of this crisis is alive and well on Friday. A CNN producer took these pictures of Miss Sassy, that's her name. that was in Springfield. The cat's owner, Anna Kilgore, gained national attention earlier this week following a "Wall Street Journal" story saying Kilgore had filed a police report in August stating that her pet might have been taken by her Haitian neighbors. The cat was discovered safe and sound a few days later, doing pretty well as far as we can see.

WHITFIELD: Looks like a pretty happy cat.

ROMO: Yes.

WHITFIELD: But what about Anna Kilgore? Is she saying anything? Is she expressing regret, sadness?

ROMO: We were only given the opportunity to take the pictures of the cat. So far she hasn't said anything publicly at least. But as you can imagine, if there was any sort of relationship with the neighbors after everything that's happened and after the firestorm that this created, I don't think there's any going back there.

WHITFIELD: All right. Rafael Romo. thank you so much.

All right. With me now is a board member of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center. Aaron Earlywine. Aaron, good to see you. Glad you could be with us, and you know,

apologies has to be under these kind of circumstances because nobody, right, nobody welcomes what has happened. So you just saw from Rafael Romo, my correspondent here to my right, showed us the picture of the cat at issue, and that it actually belongs to a person with a name.

What are your feelings about, you know, what should be said? Would it be helpful to hear from the cat owner who's report of this kind of got this all started?

AARON EARLYWINE, BOARD MEMBER AND VOLUNTEER, HAITIAN COMMUNITY, HEALTH AND SUPPORT CENTER: Right. For sure. I think any type of apology would be appropriate, right, so from that from the cat owner or from anybody who's continued to spread the rumors, right? Because, you know, these -- and these unfounded rumors are really difficult because really these rumors oftentimes will dehumanize any kind of immigrant, but especially specifically in this case our Haitian immigrants.

And it's that dehumanization that allows hatred to rise up. It allows that hatred to grow. And so I think any type of an apology would do a great bit of benefit to the community at large.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And you're directly involved with the community there in Springfield and that feeling of dehumanization. I mean, talk to me about, you know, what your neighbors, you know, have told you about how this has made them feel, you know, and that this has taken a life, you know, of its own, and how it's led to the closure of schools. There have been bomb threats. All of that, but then talk to me about those members of the Haitian community there. how they have felt dehumanized.

EARLYWINE: Yes. Well, I think that there's growing anxiety when something like this happens. And so I think, you know, when we talk about the dehumanization, right, we're really talking about the ability for oftentimes hate groups to rise up and for hate groups to kind of, you know, step into the narrative oftentimes. And so I think that's been one of the most difficult things because our Haitian neighbors haven't experienced that before, right. That's not something that has occurred.

And so there is some anxiety, you know, anytime we go through an upset like this, right, our nervous system really just explodes. And so that kind of fear brings about anxiety for our Haitian friends and neighbors oftentimes. You know, they're feeling frustrated about the -- you know, the bomb threats, sometimes feeling as though that it's because of them that the bomb threats are occurring and happening. And so yes, it brings up a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress on our Haitian friends, which is really unfounded.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it's really serious. I mean, there really is nothing funny about all of this. You know, but just yesterday Republican representative from Ohio, Warren Davidson, was on CNN and actually made light of these rumors in this way.

[15:10:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. WARREN DAVIDSON (R-OH): Some of the cat memes were hilarious. People got a laugh out of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Haitian community is not laughing there, is it?

EARLYWINE: No. No, definitely not. You know, it is -- I've seen that. I've had friends, colleagues that have had a cat jokes, you know, we see it on late-night television. And I think for a lot of people it's become a rather, it's become a joke, but it's an insensitive joke ultimately because those people that are at the heart of those jokes just really don't find those memes, find those jokes or anything like that funny at all.

WHITFIELD: And adding or actually is it adding salt to the wound for the Haitian community or for all of their advocates there and beyond Springfield to hear that the former president Trump, you know, still is expressing a desire to visit Springfield? What would that do?

EARLYWINE: For sure. I think it's disappointing. I agree. I think we're -- you know, we're adding salt to the wound or we're just continuing to allow this story to fester. You know, one of the things, and I really want to bring this up because I think this is important to note, too, is that at the support center and I think throughout most of Springfield, we're seeing people that are just coming out of the woodwork who are in support of our Haitian friends, people who are, you know, donating their time, donating resources.

People who drive, you know, I recently talked there was a pastor who stopped by yesterday who had driven from Maryland just to express his love and his gratitude for the Haitian people. So, you know, I really feel like we're on a good track. You know, we're in the process of healing, we're growing in this. There's a lot of people who are learning on the fly when it comes to these things.

And so it's really, I think it would take us back a little bit if we did get more in terms of that. I don't think it's going to stop, right. I think we're going to continue to grow. We're going to continue to support, we're going to continue to help one another. And I think that's the most important piece.

WHITFIELD: All right. Healing and lessons learned. That's the optimism from which you speak.

Aaron Earlywine, glad you could be with us. Thank you so much.

EARLYWINE: Yes. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ahead this hour on the CNN NEWSROOM, Israel says it is extensively striking southern Lebanon after uncovering plans for Hezbollah rocket attacks. And we're live on the ground from Beirut. Plus officials in Georgia have just approved a controversial new voting rule that some say could delay election results. The changes they're calling for and why both Democrats and Republicans say this fight is far from over.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:48]

WHITFIELD: Right now President Biden is hosting the leaders of Australia, India, and Japan in his home state of Delaware. Biden wants to cement the Quad Alliance, making a final diplomatic push to counterbalance China's influence and hoping his efforts will outlast his presidency.

This weekend kicks off a diplomatic sprint for the administration. World leaders head to New York next week for the United Nations General Assembly.

CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz is in Delaware.

Arlette, what is hoping -- what is Biden hoping to do?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, President Biden at any moment now is expected to start welcoming the leaders of India, Australia, and Japan here in Claymont, Delaware, as he's set to kick off this Quad summit.

The Quad Alliance between these four countries has really been at the cornerstone of President Biden's efforts in the Indo-Pacific. And the White House will try to argue that this Quad Alliance is not about any one country, but there's no denying that one of their chief concerns is China. Beijing and its aggressive moves in the South China Sea are expected to be key features of the discussions between these leaders today.

It comes at a time when the president is really trying to cement his foreign policy legacy. But also trying to ensure that this alliance has staying power beyond his administration as they are hoping that the U.S. can continue to find ways to counter China's growing influence in the region.

Now, the leaders are set to announce a few deliverables at this summit. That will include announcing the first ever joint emission between each country's coast guard. The U.S. will actually be hosting that first mission with the counterparts of other coast guards boarding their ships for a period of time. They will also be talking about ways to preposition resources in the Indo-Pacific to address to humanitarian and disaster relief operations.

And then there's a very personal component of this summit as they are set to make a major announcement relating to the fight against cancer. The president here in the U.S. has the Cancer Moonshot, which is working to fund research to try to end cancer. They're going to take that plan global and have this new partnership with the Indian, Australian, and Japanese leaders to try to reduce the cervical cancer rates specifically in the Indo-Pacific.

[15:20:10] They'll do that with more screenings, better treatment, and also more vaccinations. Now, the presidents throughout this weekend is trying to put these personal touches as his aides have long argued, and that he stresses that just like politics is personal, foreign policy is personnel. He is having this summit here in his home state of Delaware. He welcomed each of the leaders for a personal meeting at his home in Wilmington.

And in fact, the site that we are at right now where the summit is taking place is where Biden went to high school. So this has a lot of personal significance for him, but really he is approaching this summit as another attempt to try to put an imprint on the alliances that he has fostered while he is in office and really trying to prepare things to hand off to the next this is ministration.

WHITFIELD: OK. Arlette. And what about for next week? Because it will be a busy one for this administration and for the U.N.?

SAENZ: Yes, the president is really in this full-on foreign policy sprint. He has long loved foreign policy and that is something that his team has said he really wants to lean into in these final months in office. In addition to this Quad summit here in Delaware, on Monday, he will be hosting the president of the United Arab Emirates at the White House.

Vice President Kamala Harris will also be meeting with him. That will give them an opportunity to talk about the situation in the Middle East. Then Biden heads up to UNGA for his final appearance at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. He'll be giving a major speech on Tuesday, really outlining the United States foreign policy views going forward. He has more meetings there in New York on Wednesday.

And then on Thursday all eyes will be on the White House when President Biden hosts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy has said that he wants to present Biden with a plan. Zelenskyy has been pushing the administration to allow Ukraine to use Western made weapons deeper into Russia. So these are all things that will likely come up in this meeting on Thursday.

But for President Biden, his aides have insisted that he wants to have an all-out sprint in these final months in office, and that includes in foreign policy.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz, thank you so much.

All right. Straight ahead, Israel and Hezbollah exchanging fire again today. We'll go live to Lebanon next for the latest after a week of intensifying attacks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:26:50]

WHITFIELD: All right. New this hour, Israel says it is launching another wave of extensive attacks against Hezbollah targets. It follows strikes on 180 targets across southern Lebanon today. Earlier projectiles launched from Lebanon caused fires but no casualties when they landed in northern Israel.

Joining me right now is Firas Maksad, senior fellow and senior director for Strategic Outreach at the Middle East Institute.

Great to see you again. So after this week's attacks on Hezbollah, how do you gauge the threat of escalation?

FIRAS MAKSAD, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: I think it's very real we're in unchartered territory. Not since the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel did we see the kind of military activity that we're witnessing today.

The question here, Fredricka, is, will this remain under the threshold of an all-out war where, you know, apartment blocks have been flattened in Beirut, and Hezbollah is retaliating, taking down buildings in Tel Aviv and infrastructure in Israel.

I think there's an interest in both sides to try and keep this below the threshold of an all-out war, although still expanding, broadening and intensifying the campaign. But in a war, it's anybody's guess and things get out of hand.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, you actually spoke with Biden administration officials this week, right, about the situation. What are they telling you that you're able to share?

MAKSAD: Yes. I mean, listen, the Biden administration's strategy, whether in Gaza or in Lebanon, has just completely collapsed in the last three days. Clearly there's not going to be a ceasefire in Gaza for various reasons. I think the local parties are not there and certainly not Sinwar, the leader of Hamas after executing six of the hostages. And Bibi Netanyahu, too, has a day of reckoning after the guns fall silent.

And so you can take a horse to water, you can't force it to drink. And I'm hearing a lot of frustration in the administration just kind of throwing their hands up in the air about this. Lebanon very interlinked with Gaza. Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran had made a deal in Lebanon to end that cross-border fire contingent on a ceasefire in Gaza. So we're stuck in a vicious circle of violence there.

WHITFIELD: You know, you wonder, you mentioned Yahya Sinwar and a senior adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN that Netanyahu is floating the idea of allowing the Hamas leader Sinwar to be safely exiled out of Gaza as a key component of a potential ceasefire deal. Do you think that's a realistic scenario?

MAKSAD: Not at all, Fredricka. And in fact, it's not new, it's been flooded before. Obviously, Yahya Sinwar, very conscious of his image and where he fits in the overall narrative of Palestinian history, is not going to accept such an offer. Where things are stuck right now and, again in talking to senior administration officials, one component of a ceasefire negotiation is the hostage, the framework for the hostage and prisoner exchange.

The formula there has completely come apart after Hamas executed six of the Israeli hostages and then the Philadelphi Corridor, that border between Gaza and Egypt, where Bibi Netanyahu is adamant in staying despite some views from his security establishment that they can maintain the security and end weapons smuggling just not having to be there, that there are various ways to do it. So it's only in the account of these two things that the ceasefire negotiations have completely come apart.

[15:30:12]

WHITFIELD: Does the Biden administration have any leverage with Netanyahu?

MAKSAD: You know, the answer is yes. I mean, the partnership and the alliance is vital. America is Israel's most important partner, and certainly its number one exporter of the bombs that come from the United States. I think the question is one of political will. And I think Benjamin Netanyahu knows Washington better than any Israeli leader and understands that we're in election season, and so the administration is not willing to make some of the hard decisions that will enable it to have leverage, whether it's on the Israeli side or on the Lebanese side where again I think that things are out of their hand at this point.

WHITFIELD: All right. Firas Maksad, thank you so much. Good to see you again.

MAKSAD: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: All right. Up next, Donald Trump turns down another debate with Vice President Kamala Harris after she accepted the invitation from CNN to debate him. But could either Trump or Harris benefit from another debate?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:55]

WHITFIELD: All right. Just in the last hour at a campaign rally in North Carolina, former president Donald Trump rejected a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. Today, Harris accepted the invitation from CNN to debate Trump on October 23rd in Atlanta. This would have been their second meeting on a public debate stage and would take place in the final few weeks of the campaign. Again, Kamala Harris has accepted the invitation Donald Trump has rejected the invitation.

I'm joined now by Katie Frost. She is a Republican strategist.

Great to see you again, Katie, So the former president says that it's simply too late in the game because voting has already started. Is this a wise choice to not do another debate?

KATIE FROST, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I mean, if I was in charge of advising President Trump, I would accept a debate on CNN, especially in Atlanta, because look what happened the last time CNN hosted a debate in Atlanta with President Trump. He absolutely dominated that and his opponent had to drop out of the race. So he definitely does well on the debate stage, although I can see why his campaign is concerned about a debate in light of what happened last time.

There was a lot of pushback in the aftermath about how that debate was handled, although I believe CNN certainly proved --

WHITFIELD: Oh, no, I hope that signal --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Well, Katie, the signal is freezing up there, so maybe you can hear me even though we can't really see your image that well.

So the conditions would be very similar to the debate hosted by CNN than what Trump experienced with Biden. So all of that would remain the same. So in your view, what was his calculus? Why would he feel that this would not be beneficial if especially he thought the debate with Biden was beneficial to him?

FROST: Well, frankly, we see after the debate between President Trump and Vice President Harris that these polls don't really have that much of an impact. It gives people like you and me a lot to talk about, but the debates don't really the impact voters as much as people think. Because at the end of the day this race is going to come down to a couple of those key swing states.

And a lot of the people who are going to determine this election are the people that all of the grassroots are out there trying to make sure knocked on their doors and remind them to go vote. And if these people have to be reminded countless times by volunteers knocking their doors and making phone calls to get out and vote, are they going to be the ones who are tuning in for a presidential debate? No, they're not going to be watching it.

So there are not going to be a lot of undecided voters watching this debate especially in those key swing state, you know, (INAUDIBLE), in politics you don't win debates, you can only lose a debate.

WHITFIELD: OK. Katie, I think we've lost your signal with real clarity. So we appreciate your input thus far on all that we were able to hear. Thanks so much, Katie Frost. Appreciate it.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:53]

WHITFIELD: All right. Still no motive in a disturbing case that's rocked an eastern Kentucky community. Sheriff Shawn Stines allegedly shot Judge Kevin Mullins in his own chambers and now Stines is set to be arraigned next week on multiple murder charges. Meanwhile authorities have released a police dispatch recording that references shots being fired inside the courthouse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 36-33, needs to be enroute to the Letcher County Courthouse. Got shots fired on the second floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I'd like to bring in now CNN's Gloria Pazmino who's following this for us.

Gloria, preliminary investigation revealed there may have been an argument between the two men before the shots were fired?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Fred, that is part of what we have learned so far. Authorities say that sheriff for the Letcher -- the sheriff county, Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines walked into the chambers of District Court Kevin Mullins, and that the two men appeared to have an argument. That's when the sheriff drew his weapon and fired multiple shots killing Judge Mullins.

[15:45:00]

Now, we don't know exactly what the nature of this argument was about, but we do know that at the very least the two men were known to each other. In fact, in Kentucky sheriffs are responsible for the safety and security of judges.

Now, here's what we do know about Sheriff Stines. He shot Mullins after an argument inside the judge's chambers. We know that he turned himself in and he was arrested shortly after the incident, and that there were no one else that was injured in this shooting, and that he has been charged with one count of first-degree murder.

Now, Fred, Letcher County is a very small community in Kentucky, 1700 people live in the county. And that means that these two men were very prominent figures in the community. The law enforcement community certainly knew and worked with them. In fact, the commonwealth attorney for Letcher County has said that he will recuse himself from this case because he worked and knew both men and he cited family ties to Judge Mullins as well.

Now the sheriff, Sheriff Stines, is expected to appear in court next week. He has been transferred to another location about 100 miles away from Letcher County. The courtroom where he would have had to appear for this arraignment is of course the place where this crime allegedly took place.

And the judge that would have presided over this proceeding, Fred, is Judge Mullins. In the meantime, a retired judge will be taking over that courtroom for now until a new appointment can be named to replace him -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Pretty incredible. All right. Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

We'll have much more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [15:51:27]

WHITFIELD: All right. Live pictures right now out of Claymont, Delaware. That's where President Biden is hosting the leaders of Australia, India, and Japan in his home state of Delaware. Very shortly we'll all see the leaders gathering together for a group photo. Biden wants to cement the so-called Quad Alliance, making a final diplomatic push to counterbalance China's influence and hoping his efforts will outlast his presidency.

CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz is in Delaware there.

Arlette, so tell us more about what they've been talking about, what they hope to accomplish.

SAENZ: Well, Fred, President Biden is trying to use this final summit of the Quad partnership really to try to cement part of his foreign policy legacy. The Quad partnership has been a key piece of his efforts in the Indo-Pacific, as he is trying to find ways for the U.S. to act as a counterbalance to China's growing influence in the region.

Now, this summit is taking place at Archmere Academy, which is the private high school Biden attended while he was growing up here in Delaware. He has already welcomed two of the leaders here to the school. You had Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is also set to leave office this month. He arrived. President Biden embraced him, kind of pointing to the personal relationship that he's developed with some of these leaders.

The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also arrived on site and we are waiting for President Biden to greet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Now, Biden had hosted each of these leaders for personal meetings at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, earlier today. His aides have pointed to the fact that he really wanted to add some personal touches to this summit as he is set to sit down with these leaders to talk about the next steps forward for the Quad Alliance.

Now, White House officials would argue that this Quad partnership is not about trying to push back on any one country. But the issue of China is expected to be at the top of the agenda. That is also already something that Biden has spoken with the leaders about in his one-on- one meetings. It's expected that Beijing and also its aggressive posture in the South China Sea will be high on the agenda for these leaders as they're meeting today.

We're also expecting them to roll out a series of deliverables that will include announcing the first ever joint mission between each of the countries' coast guards. They are also trying to preposition and boost resources in the Indo-Pacific region to respond to humanitarian and disaster relief operations. The U.S. actually will be able to store supplies on a -- in cargo areas in various vessels and planes belonging to various countries in the Indo-Pacific.

That's something they'll be announcing today. And then there's a very personal component to all this relating to the efforts to eradicate cancer. Biden here in the U.S. has long promoted the Cancer Moonshot. It's something that he has started back as vice president after the death of his son Beau Biden from brain cancer. And today the four leaders will announce a new collaboration called the Quad Cancer Moonshot.

They will try to a boot screenings, boost vaccinations, and also enhance treatment specifically for cervical cancer in the Indo- Pacific. So these are all very personal items for President Biden that he is going to talk about with these leaders. Now, U.S. officials have expressed confidence that this Quad partnership will last beyond the Biden administration. President Biden had actually elevated this partnership to the leader level.

[15:55:04]

But before that, Trump had invested in the Quad alliance as well. They had had foreign ministerial meetings among each of the countries. Their expectation, the U.S. expectation is that there will be bipartisan desire going forward for this alliance.

But then there are very big questions about how the next administration would handle it, whether it is Harris or Trump. And so for many of these world leaders, they will also be trying to figure out how to chart out the next steps as they are expecting to work with a different U.S. president come next year.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz there in Claymont, Delaware. Appreciate that.

All alright. As they say, breaking up is hard to do. That doesn't stop couples from calling it quits especially in China where the divorce rate is surging and it's a big business, especially for one company that specializes in erasing memories?

Here's CNN's Marc Stewart.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a factory complex about 60 miles outside of Beijing. It's fueled in part by the business of breakups.

(Voice-over): Divorced couples send their mementos to Liu Wei and his team, paying to destroy the evidence of their marriage.

For Chinese families, photos like these are a big part of their home on full display for friends and family to see.

(Voice-over): But these photos are pretty much indestructible, made out of hard acrylic boards. The team spray paints faces 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.

This entire process is recorded on video. Customers want proof the deed has been done. (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.

Where did you even get the idea to have a business like this?

LIU WEI, CO-FOUNDER, BEIJING ZHONGTIANJIE COMPANY (through translator): 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 their 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 (through translator): 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, Longfeng, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Ouch. That's a harsh breakup.

All right. The new CNN Original Series "TV ON THE EDGE: MOMENTS THAT SHAPED OUR CULTURE" will examine the most impactful moments in television history exploring how key cultural events influence a generation of viewers. The four-part series premieres tomorrow. Here's a preview.

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DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: So in the summer of 1992 in the heat of this presidential election, between Washington and Quayle, and Clinton-Gore, Vice President Quayle goes to Trenton, New Jersey, and visits a school and a child is spelling on the chalkboard potato and the vice president steps in to correct the spelling with the incorrect spelling.

DAN QUAYLE, FORMER REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENT: You're right phonetically with -- what else? There you go. All right.

MARK MCKINNON, POLITICAL ADVISER: So Dan Quayle kind of became a Mr. Potato Head of politics. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The vice president of the United States spelled

potato wrong yesterday. What do you think of that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What an idiot.

LISA SCHIFFREN, FORMER SPEECHWRITER FOR VP DAN QUAYLE: The potato incident that was just a self-inflicted wound.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And everyone focuses out and said this defines who Vice President Quayle is and how his mind worked, and that's nonsense.

QUAYLE: Well, let me just say to all of my critics and to you and to all the American people, I stand before you unbowed, unbroken and more determined than ever to stand up for our values.

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WHITFIELD: And be sure to tune in, "TV ON THE EDGE: MOMENTS THAT SHAPED OUR CULTURE" premieres tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

All right. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, the CNN NEWSROOM with Jessica Dean starts right now.