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Harris Leads Trump on National Polling; Israel Conducted Extensive Strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon; Rising Middle East Tensions, White House Concerned; President Zelenskyy to Attend United Nations General Assembly. Interim NYPD Commissioner Says FBI Searched His Homes; Record Rains Cause Devastation In Parts Of Japan; Police Believe Deadly Alabama Shooting Was A Targeted "Hit"; Democrats Gain In Parts Of Michigan Seen As Trump Country. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired September 23, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNA COREN, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to all our viewers watching in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Anna Coren live from Hong Kong. Ahead on "CNN Newsroom." Closer and closer to election day in the United States. Vice President Kamala Harris has a slight lead in national polling. Her opponent, former President Donald Trump, is already hinting at what he will or won't do in the next election cycle.

Israel carries out more strikes on Lebanon. Why the escalation of violence is worrying the White House?

And deadly floods hit Japan in an area that's still recovering from a devastating earthquake.

Well, there's just over six weeks left in the race for the White House. And in the latest CNN poll of polls, Kamala Harris is holding 50 percent support to Donald Trump's 47 percent. The results suggest a slight shift in Harris's favor since the ABC News presidential debate almost two weeks ago. But that difference is just inside the typical margin of area for a national poll.

The Democratic nominee says she will lay out her economic vision in the coming days. Harris will push what she refers to as an opportunity economy. Her plan will address the aspirations of voters while tackling the challenges that they face.

Well, this race is far from over, but Donald Trump is already fielding questions on what he would do if he doesn't win the U.S. presidential election in November.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARYL ATKINSON, HOST, FULL MEASURE: If you're not successful this time, do you see yourself running again in four years?

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: No, I don't. No, I don't. I think that will be -- that will be it. I don't see that at all. I think that hopefully we're going to be successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: The Republican nominee also says no deals have been made over positions in his next administration if he is elected. Well, Donald Trump is once again peddling election-related conspiracy theories in his attempt to get out the vote. The Republican nominee urged Minnesota voters in a tele rally hosted by the state GOP to vote early, saying, quote, "We're going to make this one too big to rig and rehash the false claim that election fraud was behind his loss in 2020." Take a listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

TRUMP: We are 43 days away from the most important election in the history of our country, and early voting in your state is underway right now at this moment. It's underway. So I'm asking you to get your friends and get your family, get everyone you know, and make plans to vote for Trump. Go out and vote for Trump. We're going to save our country. Our country is in big trouble. And you can do it by mail or early in-person or on election day but make sure your ballot counts and check it. You can check it because you know bad things go on and bad things went on the last election.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COREN: Well, meanwhile, Donald Trump is being challenged to a second debate by the U.S. Vice President after she accepted CNN's invitation to participate in another face-off.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Join me on the debate stage. Let's have another debate. There's more to talk about and the voters of America deserve to hear the conversations that I think we should be having on substance, on issues, on policies. What's your plan? What's my plan? And we should have another one before Election Day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Well, Trump has said it's quite too late to have another presidential debate because early voting would have already begun. The debate is scheduled for October 23rd.

Several top operatives for the Trump-backed candidate in North Carolina's governor race have stepped down. A senior adviser for Mark Robertson reaffirmed that he and several other officials have exited the campaign. Robertson is facing fallout after CNN reported he had made a number of inflammatory comments on a pornographic website and in response to his staff upheaval he says, "I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign and I wish them well in their future endeavors. I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days."

The U.S. Speaker of the House is laying out plans to avert a government shutdown, but it involves cutting an election security proposal Donald Trump wanted included.

[02:05:00]

Mike Johnson has unveiled a short-term spending bill that would fund the government until December 20th. It provides $230 million in Secret Service funding but excludes the SAVE Act, a proposal that would require people to show proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, despite the fact that it is illegal for non-citizens to cast ballots. Top Democrats say they're ready to pass the stripped-down measure.

Well joining us now out of Washington is Jacob Rubashkin. He is Deputy Editor of "Inside Elections." Jacob, great to have you with us. Well, less than six weeks until Election Day. Tell us, how do you think both candidates are faring?

JACOB RUBASHKIN, DEPUTY EDITOR, INSIDE ELECTIONS: Look, Vice President Kamala Harris is the one with all of the momentum as we enter the final stretch ahead of election day. And really, you know, election day in America, no longer just a day, we're already in election day. We're in election season. Voters in North Carolina, voters in Virginia, voters in more and more states across the nation are casting ballots already every single day.

And so the more that Kamala Harris can do to improve her position right now, when she already has the lead, the better she will do on election day, because she is already banking those votes every single day that goes on. And former President Trump is really struggling. He has been on his back foot ever since Democrats swapped their nominee, and he just hasn't found a way to regain control of the narrative.

We saw that with the debate performance. We saw that with his embrace of conspiracy theories about Haitian migrants in Ohio. He just has not been able to reestablish himself in the position that he was when he was running against Joe Biden.

COREN: Let's talk about Harris' lead because obviously the latest polls show her ahead, but how much do you read into that?

RUBASHKIN: Look, we know that polling can be an inexact science. We saw that in 2020. We have seen that in other elections as well, but the fact remains they're still our best tools for understanding the behaviors of large groups of people. And so, look, I think that the data that we have from the polling is incredibly important and at the moment it all pretty much lines up with our expectations, which is that Harris has a narrow but clear and consistent lead in the nationwide polling by about three percentage points.

And in those battleground states, the seven or so that will determine the actual results of the election in the electoral college, she's much closer, she's very much tied. And when I look at this polling, I try remain skeptical and understand that of course there's the chance for a polling error like we've seen in previous years. But more generally in a close race, all the numbers can really tell us is that it is close and that in those key battleground states, the seven toss- ups that will determine the election, either Harris or Trump has a clear path to win. COREN: Jacob, Donald Trump has ruled out a second debate with Harris

and after his first debate performance surely that doesn't come as a surprise.

RUBASHKIN: No, not at all. Look, this has been a very odd cycle for presidential debates. It's the first cycle in 40 years where it was not organized ahead of time by the Commission on Presidential Debates, which is a nonpartisan entity that both campaigns typically work with. They schedule three presidential debates, one vice presidential debate, and they all conform to the same kinds of rules. This has really been the Wild West of debates this cycle.

Both candidates independently negotiating with a variety of news networks and each other to set up the debates. We had that incredibly early debate back in June that kicked off the whole set of events that led to Joe Biden's stepping down as the Democratic nominee. That was not supposed to happen. Nobody expected that to happen. So, the fact that Donald Trump is refusing to debate Kamala Harris a second time isn't the least expected thing to happen in this election cycle.

However, of course, he said it's too late. The reality is we've had debates later in the election cycle than the October 23 suggested date from Harrison's CNN. Just in 2020, Joe Biden and Donald Trump's final debate of that cycle was actually a day further than the October 23 would be this year. So it's not unprecedented, but clearly given the results of that first debate in September, unsurprising that Trump isn't really interested in sharing a stage with the vice president again.

COREN: Jacob Rubashkin, great to get your insights. Thanks so much for joining us.

RUBASHKIN: Thanks.

COREN: The Israeli military says it is conducting what it calls extensive strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon right now. The IDF is urging civilians in Lebanon to leave areas in which Hezbollah operates, warning it will soon conduct precise strikes against the Iran-backed militant group across the country.

[02:10:04]

Hezbollah has fired over 8,000 rockets towards Israel since October 7th, that's according to the Israeli ambassador to the U.N. He says about 70,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in northern Israel, quote, "becoming refugees in their own land." CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Beirut with the latest developments.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has been six days of skyrocketing tensions between Israel and Lebanon. And there aren't any signs either side, Israel or Hezbollah, is prepared to back down. Early Sunday, Hezbollah launched the first of three volleys of rockets deeper inside Israel than any time since the beginning of hostilities last October.

Hezbollah claimed the targets included the Ramat David airbase and a defense factory outside Haifa. But it appears those rockets that weren't intercepted hit other areas causing a few injuries and some damage to property. While Israel continues to strike targets in southern Lebanon, more than 300 between Saturday and Sunday.

In Beirut, Hezbollah held a funeral for Ibrahim Akhil, one of the group's senior commanders killed along with more than a dozen other militants in an Israeli airstrike on southern Beirut Friday. The strike also killed more than 30 civilians, including women and children.

At the funeral, Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem vowed that Hezbollah's strikes deep inside Israel were an installment in what he called a battle without limits, and said despite the pager and walkie- talkie attacks and Friday's strike on Beirut, the group will continue to fire into Israel.

Israeli officials are making equally dire threats towards Hezbollah, with Israeli army chief of staff Herzl Halevi saying, our strikes will intensify. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Beirut.

COREN: As fighting escalates between Israel and Hezbollah, the United States is growing increasingly concerned about the prospects for an easing of tensions in the region. The view from the White House on what role Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are playing, that's next on CNN.

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[02:15:00]

COREN: The Ukrainian president kicks off a busy week in the U.S. leading up to an appearance at the U.N. General Assembly in just a few days. On Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy began his visit at a Pennsylvania manufacturing plant that makes munitions for his country. The Ukrainian leader says he's reached an agreement to expand cooperation on that front.

Zelenskyy is also set to visit New York and Washington, where he'll unveil his victory plan against Russia to U.S. President Joe Biden. He has expressed a desire to fire long-range weapons into Russia, but it's unknown if that's on the list of topics Zelenskyy and Mr. Biden will discuss.

In the coming hours, world leaders will gather in New York for discussions focused on our world's future and how the U.N. will help it develop. That's part of the two-day Summit of the Future, centered around a document called the "Pact for the Future" which world leaders adopted on Sunday. It's been seen as a blueprint on how to address critical issues in the world like conflicts and climate change. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this type of summit was needed given the current state of the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERESS, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I called for this summit because our world is heading off the rails and we need tough decisions to get back on track.

Conflicts are raging and multiplying. From the Middle East to Ukraine and Sudan with no end in sight. Our collective security system is threatened by geopolitical divides, nuclear posturing, and the development of new weapons and theaters of war. Resources that could bring opportunities and hope are invested in death and destruction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Well, two weeks before the first anniversary of the October 7th attacks by Hamas, Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging their most intense fire of the war so far. And right now, the U.S. government is trying to figure out how to handle the escalating violence. Julie Benbrook has more from the White House.

JULIE BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a series of interviews, White House Security Council spokesperson John Kirby is stressing that it's the White House's view that military escalation does not help Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government reach its goal of returning to a sense of normalcy. He also said that the U.S. is not giving up on trying to secure a hostage and ceasefire agreement, but he acknowledges that the Hamas leader is a big obstacle when it comes to those talks.

When President Joe Biden arrived back at the White House on Sunday, he told reporters that he is concerned about the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Are you worried about rising tensions in the Middle East?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Yes, I am, but we're going to do everything we can to keep the wider war from breaking out. And we're still pushing hard. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: This as Biden prepares for a week focused on foreign relations. Both he and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to meet with the president of the United Arab Emirates here in Washington on Monday. They're expected to talk about the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the crisis in Sudan, and a number of other bilateral and regional topics.

Biden will then travel to New York where he will participate in the United Nations General Assembly. He's expected to address the group on Tuesday, meet with various leaders and discuss a wide range of topics including international peace efforts.

[02:20:03]

Now, even as Biden is keeping this busy schedule, some world leaders are already looking to Harris and or former president Donald Trump as they plan for the future and trying to hold meetings there. Now, as of right now only one leader is meeting with both Harris and

Trump and that's Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he makes an urgent appeal to both candidates along with Biden for sustained help in combating Russia's invasion. At the White House, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

COREN: Well, joining me now is Jasmine El-Gamal, a Middle East analyst and a former Middle East advisor at the Pentagon and she joins us from London. Jasmine, thank you very much for joining us. Israel threatening to intensify their strikes. Hezbollah saying its latest barrage is just the beginning. Where do you see this all heading?

JASMINE EL-GAMAL, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST: That's right. Good morning. The Israelis are basically trying to increase the pressure on Hezbollah to make it more costly for them than not to be involved in this war with Israel. As you know, Prime Minister Netanyahu for months now has been under intense pressure domestically because of the large number of Israeli citizens who've been displaced from their homes, you know, their lives completely unended, basically, over the last few months, and they want to go back home.

And so that's what you see trying to -- Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu trying to do here. He's trying to increase the pressure on Hezbollah to let them know they really don't want this war. They really don't want to be involved in what they've been involved in. He wants to bring people back home and he wants to release some of that pressure on himself domestically.

COREN: As we just heard from President Biden, he's obviously very concerned about this escalating, but is doing everything possible to stop it from escalating into a full-scale war. Talk to us about the diplomatic efforts behind the scenes to bring both parties back from the brink, and I guess, is either side listening.

EL-GAMAL: Well, that's a great question. I mean, is either side listening? They don't seem to be. President Biden and his team have been engaged in intense diplomacy over the last several months, trying to get the parties to back down from their positions and so far, have not been successful.

Now, initially what the Biden administration was trying to do was try to take the route of peace in Gaza first, ceasefire first, and then that will have a ripple effect throughout the region in terms of getting these other organizations to back down like Hezbollah, like the Houthis, and of course you know, behind the scenes of it all, Iran, and that hasn't seemed to be working.

At one point or the other, one of the two parties either Hamas or the Israelis have not wanted to really signed that dotted line and commit to a ceasefire. Both parties are absolutely and completely to blame for this. And the fact that the U.S. pressure hasn't been working, there has been criticism of course that the U.S. hasn't really been applying all the leverage that it has vis-a-vis Israel to try to get Netanyahu to sign that dotted line to commit to a ceasefire.

On Hamas' side, you have the Qataris and the Egyptians trying to put that pressure on the organization as well, but so far, again to your question, they don't seem to be listening.

COREN: Jasmine, talk to us about the capacity of Hezbollah's arsenal and also its desire and probably more importantly Iran's desire for all-out war, especially, you know, in the wake of the shock and trauma of last week's attack.

EL-GAMAL: Absolutely. So Iran has never -- Iran doesn't really want an all-out war with Israel. It cannot afford it. It knows that it wouldn't be able to survive that war militarily, particularly if the U.S. were to come to the defense of Israel, which it would do and has said that it would do. And so Iran has long thought that if it could just bleed Israel out slowly, then that would be the way to weaken it.

And we've heard Iranian officials over the last couple of days basically calling on Muslim countries to join this fight against Israel, to try to join in and help you destroy it essentially, but not in the way that, you know, most people would normally think of a war. That's why Iran rely so heavily on proxy groups across the region like Hezbollah, like the Houthis, like Hamas.

And so this these attacks against Hezbollah have really not just weakened the organization itself both militarily and psychologically with this pager attack that has really struck at the heart of Hezbollah, its means of communication, it's you know -- the sense of invincibility that it's always tried to uphold in Lebanon.

[02:25:02]

So it hasn't only struck Hezbollah as a local Lebanese organization in its resistance against Israel but it's also struck the wider quote, unquote "resistance infrastructure" around the region going to Iran and telling Iran that you can no longer rely on these proxies. We are going to stand up to them and we are going to take the fight to them.

Now of course, there's been a lot of collateral damage that we've seen in Lebanon, the amount of fear and the panic from people that I am speaking to in Lebanon not really knowing what's about to happen. And as you know, the Lebanese have just dealt with massive difficulties and pressures over the last few years. So nobody really wants to see this escalate any further, neither the Lebanese, neither the Americans.

I don't actually believe Hezbollah wants this to escalate because they know that they're going to be dragged into a war that they can't win, but they're trying to save face and they're trying to, you know -- both Hezbollah and Israelis, almost a game of chicken trying to see who will back down first and who will be able to impose more cost on the other party.

COREN: Jasmine El-Gamal, we certainly appreciate your analysis. Thank you so much for joining us from London.

EL-GAMAL: Thanks for having me.

COREN: Federal authorities execute a search warrant on the homes of New York City's interim police commissioner. What Thomas Donlon says they took. Those details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Welcome back. The New York Police Department's interim commissioner says federal authorities searched his homes just over a week after he took the position.

[02:30:00]

Thomas Donlon says agents seized materials he's had for decades. CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more details from New York.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it remains unclear why federal investigators took the remarkable step of searching the homes of Commissioner Donlon on Friday. But our law enforcement sources tell us that this search warrant is related to documents that Donlon might have held on to from his previous jobs in law enforcement. We're also told that this latest search warrant is not related to any of the four other investigations that are currently ensnaring city hall.

Now, Commissioner Donlon did release a statement on Saturday evening confirming much of this information, saying in part that federal authorities took materials that came into my possession approximately 20 years ago and are unrelated to my work with the New York City Police Department. This is not a department matter, and the department will not be commenting.

So there's a very specific effort in that statement by the commissioner to separate this latest search warrant and any other investigation. And that's important because one of the four investigations that is currently unfolding does involve the NYPD.

Now Tom -- Thomas Donlon has a long career in law enforcement including a specifically as a special agent with the FBI. He was also director of the New York Office of Homeland Security, and he helped run the Joint Terrorism Task Force here in New York City.

So the question is if authorities are searching for documents that may have been classified, that he came in contact with during that period of time. What's less clear to us right now is why this is happening, right now.

Now, city hall has not said much about this. They did release a statement saying that they expect all their employees to follow the law, but this is certainly adding to a series of questions for Mayor Eric Adams, who continues to face scrutiny about these for federal investigations involving his campaign and senior members of his staff.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: New details emerging about the hours leading up to the shocking death of an eastern Kentucky judge allegedly at the hands of his own sheriff. The community gathered at a high school gym on Sunday for the funeral of Judge Kevin Mullins, who was allegedly gunned down in his own chambers on Thursday by Sheriff Shawn Stines. Investigators are still looking for a motive in the killing, but we have since learned the two men had lunch just hours before the shooting.

Circuit Court Clerk Mike Watts says he saw them shortly before noon on the day of the shooting. Watts describes Mullins and Stines is, quote, joking around about national politics than they went down the street to eat lunch. Stines is facing a first-degree murder charge and is expected to be arraigned this week.

Well, faith leaders are calling for an end to the lies about the Haitian community. Multiple faith leaders came together for a prayer vigil in Springfield, Ohio, on Sunday. It follows Donald Trump and J.D. Vance's repeated telling of a debunked conspiracy about Haitian immigrants eating neighborhood pits, which prompted several threats against the community prominent civil rights leader, Bishop William Barber said, people should be focusing on important issues like poverty, homelessness, and the need for health care.

Record rains are hammering coastal Japan causing widespread flooding and devastation. Those details after the break.

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[02:37:02]

COREN: A costal area in Japan has been drenched with record rains while still recovering from a devastating New Year's Day earthquake. Well, deadly flooding and landslides in Ishikawa prefecture on Saturday, at least six people are dead and thousands evacuated after 16 area rivers burst their banks. The storm has caused widespread flooding and cut power to thousands of households.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery joins us now live from Tokyo.

Hanako, what is the latest?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and as you described it, this region was hit by a very massive earthquake on January 1st, a horrible way to start the New Year. And now it's reeling from the heaviest rainfall that it's experienced. If you take a look at some of the footage, you can see entire rivers and roads just completely flooded people are having to wade through their businesses, their stores, their homes, and just waist deep floodwater.

And some of these flooded homes, Anna, are actually temporary shelters that people were evacuated to after that a deadly January 1st earthquake that killed hundreds of people were actually in the Noto region after that earthquake. And we saw how it had completely collapsed and devastated entire homes. We saw roofs caved in and people were stuck underneath this rubble.

Now some of those rescued survivors were sent to these temporary evacuation shelters and when we spoke to them, they had no idea when they get to go home because they literally had no homes to return to. Now some of those very same survivors are now having to experience and lived through a second disaster just months later. Here's what one resident had to say about the double disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AKEMI YAMASHITA, RESIDENT (through translator): The earthquake occurred on January 1st and again, the city became like a scene out of a moving in September. I cannot help thinking the Noto region might be cursed or something. I'm shocked that so many unbelievable things happened in one year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: Now, Anna, these people are exhausted. They've spent the past few months trying to rebuild and reconstruct their neighborhoods and towns. And now some of them have had to start all over again.

And according to local government officials, the damage that were seeing from these floods could have been exacerbated did by that deadly earthquake earlier this year, particularly because of the damage we've seen to flood banks and revetments. Now, the Japanese government has dispatched self-defense forces and members of the police force, and firefighters to try to find and rescue any remaining survivors.

They're also there trying to assess just the extent and of damage, but really the mental toll that this double disaster has taken on the local residents. It's just something you cannot measure. They're really -- I mean, just devastating and completely crippled by the devastation that they're seeing -- Anna.

COREN: Yeah, such a such a challenging year for these communities. Hanako Montgomery, we appreciate the update. Thank you.

Well, parts of Europe are still reeling from deadly flooding after record rainfall in the region.

[02:40:05]

Floodwaters have receded in Poland showing extensive damage in a mountain town. A dam bursts, ripping the walls of some buildings and leaving the streets covered in mud and debris. Residents in one Hungarian town resorted to using boats to get around the floodwaters and say they plan to stay around to protect their homes as long as conditions remains safe.

Well, this was how swollen the Danube River was on Sunday in Budapest. The river was expected to hit record levels, but fell short of the 2013 record.

Turning now to Iran, where at least 51 people are dead and 20 injured after a gas explosion in a coal mine on Saturday. That's according to state media. Iran's interior ministry says search and rescue operations are still underway and could last until Monday. The blast marks one of Iran's deadliest work accidents in years. Iran's supreme leader and president both expressed their condolences to the victims' families. In Germany, the social democrats of Chancellor Olaf Scholz won an election in the eastern state of Brandenburg, but just barely. The SPD narrowly defeated an effort by the far-right alternative for Germany party. Projections give social Democrats 30.7 percent of the vote, with the AFD getting 29.4 percent. AFD later told cheering supporters it is the party of the future. The party is strongly anti-immigrant and pro-Russia.

Well, this narrow loss comes just three weeks after AFD became the first far-right party to win a German state election since World War II.

I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. "WORLD SPORT" is next for international viewers. Stay tuned for those in the U.S. and Canada.

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[02:45:42]

COREN: Welcome to our viewers in North America. I'm Anna Coren.

Well, four people are dead and 17 others hurt after multiple shooters opened fire on a crowd in Birmingham, Alabama. The scene same was chaotic Saturday night at a crowded entertainment district in the city. Police believe one victim was the focus of a targeted hit and that the other victims were caught in the crossfire.

CNN's Rafael Romo has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: CNN has obtained video showing what the scene was like here Saturday night, just moments after the shooting. Before we go to the video, we need to warn our viewers that it may be disturbing for some people.

As you can see, the video captures the scene in a panic and shows at least three people lying on the ground as police lights flash in the background.

There are several key details that officials have revealed so far. First, Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond says several individuals showed up in a car shortly up to 11:00 on Saturday night, got out of the car and opened fire, leaving three people dead here at the scene. Those victims were two men and a woman, a fourth victim was pronounced dead later at the University of Alabama hospital.

Another key detail is that police believe this was a targeted hit on one person and the other victims were caught in the crossfire. Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said, his officers found around 100 shell casings here at the site of the shooting.

And this has been a very violent here for the city of Birmingham in February. Four men were shot and killed outside a public library, and then in July, a shooting at a nightclub left four for people dead and ten others injured. We spoke with resident of this area downtown, Birmingham who was part of a group of people who stopped by to lay flowers at the site of the shooting to honor the memory of the victims.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is really personal to me. I care about Birmingham. Jesus called us to love each other and to love our city. And we want to be known as a city for love around the world, not for hate.

ROMO: We've also learned the White House is coordinating with federal, state, and local officials here in Alabama as authorities advance in the investigation into the shooting. In a statement, the director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention Stef Feldman said, quote, Americas should not have to live like this and we can't let it become normal.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Birmingham, Alabama.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Well, the mayor of Birmingham is calling for tougher gun laws and more resources from the federal government to help put an end to the city's gun violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDALL WOODFIN, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA MAYOR: I think this requires support of federal partners and a change in laws at the state level. The city of Birmingham and all municipalities in the state of Alabama don't have home rule. And so it takes partnership collaboration, and down in the state house in Montgomery to change laws that are striker and tougher to give Birmingham police to tools to take shooters off the streets prior to an incident like this, but our focus and our priority is literally on capturing the shooter or shooters who committed this heinous crime to make sure we can take them off the street.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: A new crime-fighting tool develops from microscopic particles holds the promise of breaking open cold cases from decades ago. The fluorescent powder illuminates what was previously invisible to the naked eye.

Anna Stewart shows us how it works

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Young PhD student Nick Ross is examining a breakthrough in forensic science, one that could solve some of the oldest crimes and bring what was once invisible to the surface.

NICK ROSS, CHEMISTRY PHD STUDENT: So what we've done, what we've aim to do is create a new powder for developing fingerprints, powders are the most widely used, most successful method for developing fingerprints, but they have lots of issues already in there. There's always room for improvement.

STEWART: The powder dusting method to identify fingerprints has been utilized since the 19th century. But even as the most widely-used method of developing prints, there's only so much this earlier technique can detect.

ROSS: What we're hoping is that we'll be able to get fingerprints that current powders can't get.

[02:50:03]

We should be able to get fingerprints that maybe someone's wash their hands more recently, they've touched something, but they've left residue behind, but were going to be able to get that using a more sensitive powder.

STEWART: Ross, along with other experts, created this luminous substance made from tiny particles of matter, and a sugar found on the exterior of shellfish. Made of natural oils and sweat, fingerprints can sometimes evaporate but the smaller particles and fluorescence in this new powder can light up much smaller details. It can stick to remnants on many surfaces like glass, metals and even more intricate surfaces like bank notes, which can resemble fingerprint details themselves.

ROSS: This image is particularly nice because the fingerprint is so different to the bank itself is so clear the fluorescence of the particles are so strong that there's no chance you mistake the detail for the bank. There's even as you can see, a fluorescent detail in the background, but that fluorescent detail is not strong enough to contrast with the fingerprint has been enhanced.

STEWART: For now, experts can detect prints up to a month after it's been deposited.

ROBERT HILLMAN, CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR: So could we go back and visit cold cases? I would be reasonably optimistic about this. Because there will inevitably be some residue left, perhaps not very much, but we don't need very much.

STEWART: Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: With 43 days until the U.S. election, the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is where it has been for weeks, deadlocked. National polls have ticked up slightly for Harris since her debate with Trump earlier this month.

But CNN's newest poll well of polls shows no clear leader, with 50 percent of those surveyed saying they'll vote for Harris, 47 percent going for Trump.

Well, the race is likely to come down to a handful of battleground states. Michigan is a must-win for both campaigns. Donald Trump narrowly took the state in 2016, but Biden won there in 2020. CNN's Miguel Marquez looks at how things are changing in some parts of

the state for Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What's it like to be a Democrat in a place that is so conservative?

ELAINE MAYER, DEMOCRAT, MENOMINEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN: I really keep a good sense of humor.

MARQUEZ (voice over): Deep in Trump country, Michigan's upper peninsula, something is stirring with Democrats.

MAYER: More people are starting to come out now that they know that I'm Democrat and I throw these signs up. My neighbors who I would have never thought were Democrat would go by and honk the horn, thumbs up. People are starting to step out and say, you know, I'm glad you're doing that. I'm kind of afraid to put a sign out, but I'm for you putting it out there.

MARQUEZ: In the 2024 race, Michigan is again a battleground prize. Donald Trump hoping for a repeat of his narrow 2016 win of the state.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A margin of 10,704 votes,

MARQUEZ: Kamala Harris looking to repeat Joe Biden's victory from four years ago.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Joe Biden will win the state of Michigan.

MARQUEZ: Despite that loss, Trump performed slightly better here in Menomonee County.

Why are Democratic votes in rural Michigan so important to winning the state in November?

PAUL HAUPT, DEMOCRAT, MENOMINEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN: Well, every vote counts. If we get 30 or 40 extra votes in the county here with our work, that possibly could make the difference in Michigan because Michigan's going to be close.

MARQUEZ: You are?

VICKIE KNUTH, CHAIR, DEMOCRATIC PARTY MENOMINEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN: The chairman of the Menominee County Democratic Party.

MARQUEZ: The big, massive Menominee County Michigan Democratic Party.

KNUTH: Yes.

MARQUEZ: How many members now?

KNUTH: We have close to 80, pretty much tripled our membership this year. MARQUEZ: This is a small county, about 12,000 votes at play here. To have 80 active Democrats in the party, what does that say about where things are right now here?

KNUTH: Well, to me it says that there are Democrats in this county that had been hidden for awhile.

MARQUEZ: Hidden no more.

GRACE GORRINGE, DEMOCRAT, MENOMINEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN: Was it President Obama at the DNC, or maybe it was Michelle who said --

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY: Those that around and complain about things, do something.

GORRINGE: -- that has been in my brain, kind of repeating itself over and over since I heard that. Do something.

MARQUEZ: It's like a Democratic coming out.

GORRINGE: I even said, we're coming out. We're putting our Democratic signs out.

MARQUEZ: How popular are Harris-Walz signs?

KNUTH: Well, they're popular.

MARQUEZ: And you don't have any signs.

KNUTH: Well --

MARQUEZ: You have no signs to give.

KNUTH: Yeah, that's true.

MARQUEZ: Do you have a Harris-Walz sign at your house?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we have a hybrid one. It said Biden-Harris and we folded it over and now just says Harris.

MARQUEZ: So this is as good as you can do now?

KNUTH: Yes.

MARQUEZ: And I can see the little made by the Menominee County, Democratic Party.

KNUTH: There it is.

MARQUEZ: Why do places like this matter to what happens in Michigan in the country?

[02:55:03]

MAYER: Well, if people can change here, they can change just about anywhere. (END VDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ (on camera): Look, Democrats seem buoyant and this little corner of Michigan. Two of the things that they are saying that they haven't seen in the past. One, the Trump signs, there are a lot of mount there, but they say they're not as many as there used to be in previous election cycles. The other thing they say is that female voters, whether there Democrats or independents or Republicans, women in this part of Michigan, they say are ready to vote for Democrats.

Back to you.

COREN: Miguel Marquez. thank you.

A rare painting from Belgian surrealist artists Rene Magritte's famous "Empire of Light" series could sell for more than $95 million at Christie's New York this fall. A sum that would break the artists record at auction, would also saw a major win for the auction house after softens sales across the industry. The painting is part of a collection to go up for auction in November. Christie's spokesperson says a significant portion of the proceeds will go toward philanthropic initiatives and so it should.

Well, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Indian Americans in New York during an appearance on Sunday, will not explicitly mentioning the political battle between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Modi notion the voting power held by those who identify as Indian American. The prime minister meets with U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders over the weekend. He's also set to meet with Donald Trump before returning home.

Well, that does it for this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Thank you for your company. I will be right back after this short break with more news.

Stay with CNN.

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