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Harris to Deliver High-Stakes Economic Speech; Fallout for Republican Candidate Mark Robinson Embroiled in Scandal; Georgia High School to Reopen After 4 Killed in Shooting; Concerns Over Widening Conflict in Middle East; Record Rins Cause Devastation in Parts of Japan. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired September 23, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kamala Harris says she will lay out her economic vision in the coming days.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both of them, if they are to really prosecute their case, they need to establish a gap here and neither of them really have.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The top campaign staff to Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson are resigning from his campaign en masse.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If Hezbollah didn't get the message, I assure you, they will get the message.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to do everything we can to keep the wider war from breaking out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live for London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Max Foster. It's Monday, September the 23rd, 9 a.m. here in London, 4 a.m. in Pennsylvania, where Donald Trump is set to rally supporters in the key swing states.

The rally comes amid a new NBC News poll that shows Harris at 49 percent amongst registered voters and Trump at 44. That number reflects Trump's lowest level of support in a poll that meets CNN's standards since Harris replaced Biden in this race. However, that same poll also shows Trump ahead on major issues like the economy, immigration and inflation.

The U.S. vice president says she will lay out her economic vision in the coming days. She'll push what she refers to as an opportunity economy for voters. Take a listen to what pollsters are saying.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUSTIN WALLIN, REPUBLICAN POLLSTER: First and foremost is the economy. And I think that both of them, if they are to really prosecute their case, they need to establish a gap here. And neither of them really have.

I mean, I think Harris has done an incredible job curating her brand up until now. And if she wishes to create a sort of a gap that's beyond a numerical gap, that's actually a statistical gap, she's going to really need to elucidate some of these items. And Trump hasn't done a better job either.

They're both in this kind of stasis where one needs to break away and make that point or make that case that neither is really made in a meaningful way.

TOM BONIER, DEMOCRATIC POLLSTER: The fact that the vice president is bearing down on this issue, I think, is a positive sign in terms of the traction they see her getting on the issue and the potential to really improve her numbers even more.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, meanwhile, Harris is urging Trump to join her again on the debate stage after CNN's invitation for another face off. But the Republican nominee says it's too late to do so because early voting would have already begun.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. 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)

FOSTER: And although the election isn't over yet, Trump is already fielding questions on what he would do if he doesn't win in November.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: No, I don't. No, I don't. I think that 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)

FOSTER: Well, several top operatives for the embattled Republican in North Carolina's governor race have stepped down. A senior adviser for Mark Robinson reaffirmed that he and several other officials have exited the campaign. Robinson is facing fallout after CNN reported he'd 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.

Robinson has denied the claims.

Here's South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham weighing in on the state of Robinson's candidacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I think what's going to happen here is that he deserves a chance to defend himself, Mark Robinson. The charges are beyond unnerving. If they're true, he's unfit to serve for office. If they're not true, he has the best lawsuit in the history of the country for libel.

This is hanging over his campaign. Trump won in 2016 and 2020 when the governor candidate lost both times.

[04:05:00]

I don't think this hurts Trump, but as to Robinson, he's a political zombie if he does not offer a defense to this that's credible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Worth noting that Robinson, whom Trump had supported, had even called, quote, Martin Luther King on steroids, was noticeably absent from Trump's North Carolina rally on Saturday.

The U.S. Speaker of the House laying out a plan he hopes will avert a government shutdown. Meanwhile, Mike Johnson has unveiled a short-term spending bill that would fund the government until December the 20th.

He said whilst it's not the preferred solution, it's what he calls the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances. The trimmed down bill includes $230 million in Secret Service funding, but it excludes an election security proposal Donald Trump is pushing hard for. The SAVE Act would require people to show proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, despite the fact that it's already illegal for non-citizens to cast a ballot. Top Democrats say they're ready to pass the stripped down stopgap measure.

Students in Georgia will begin the process of returning to Apalachee High School today. That's where two 14-year-old boys and two teachers were killed on September the 4th. The campus will open back up in phases with an open house first, then classes resume on Tuesday. As Tina Kim reports, whilst Apalachee tries to get back to normal, the nation is seeing a rise in school shooting threats.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TINA KIM, CNN JOURNALIST (voice-over): Almost three weeks after the deadliest school shooting so far this year, the students of Apalachee High in Winder, Georgia, will return to the campus where two teachers and two students were gunned down. Their first names and photos fill the front page of the school's website, which also details how the kids will come back.

An open house Monday. Classes resume on a half-day scheduled Tuesday. Full classes set to start in mid-October. Counselors, therapy dogs, and more officers will be in place, while J-Hall, where the killings took place, will be shut down for the rest of the school year.

Student Armando Martinez said he's already been back for school practices.

ARMANDO MARTINEZ, APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: It was hard even being there myself, you know, given the fact that I was in that room where I was practicing, where I was in that room whenever it happened, and just to be in there in that moment, you know, it was scary, but to know that we have a strong community.

KIM (voice-over): That strong community seen on full display online. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson posted video of members of Apalachee's football team visiting the Atlanta set where he is currently working.

But as Apalachee tries to move forward, the number of threats of school shootings have been on the rise across the nation. Reportedly, more than two dozen children have been arrested for alleged threats. That includes in Florida. An 11-year-old now faces a felony for allegedly saying he would commit a mass shooting. The local sheriff issued this warning for future offenders.

SHERIFF MICHAEL CHITWOOD, VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: Your little cherub, we're going to start publishing his face and doing perp walks with him when we take him into custody. And then we're going to show pictures of you, the parents.

KIM (voice-over): I'm Tina Kim reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The Israeli military says it's conducting what it calls extensive strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon right now, adding that it struck 150 targets. The strikes appear to be the widest in geographic range, simultaneously carried out by Israel in nearly a year. Lebanon's state-run national news agency reports that a shepherd was killed and two of his family members were wounded in the Israeli strikes.

The IDF is urging Lebanese civilians to get out of areas where Hezbollah operates, warning that more strikes are coming. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant briefed his U.S. counterpart on the country's military operations against Hezbollah on Sunday. He said he gave U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin an assessment of Hezbollah threats. The two officials also discussed the wider regional situation and the threats posed by Iran and its proxies. U.S. officials are urging Israel to de-escalate tensions with

Hezbollah, but the attacks across the Israeli-Lebanese border continue to intensify. Here's what U.S. President Joe Biden had to say on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, are you worried about rising tensions in the Middle East?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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)

FOSTER: Joining us now, Paula Hancocks. She's in Abu Dhabi. And, you know, there are some warnings going out to people across Lebanon from the IDF, apparently.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Max. They're telling civilians to move away from areas where they know that Hezbollah operatives are. They're also accusing Hezbollah of hiding weapons and ammunition in civilian homes and telling those civilians that they should move away as well.

Now, for the first part, it could be quite tricky for some civilians because Hezbollah is or was known for its secrecy.

[04:10:00]

That was obviously violated last week by the Israeli military. But people would not necessarily know if they are living next door to Hezbollah operatives.

But certainly what we're hearing from the Israeli military and we heard from the IDF chief of staff is that they are prepared for the next steps and they are planning to take them in the next few days.

So it certainly does not appear that this is going to be calming down any time soon. It appears as though Israel does have a plan. And we heard that plan briefly from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, talking about trying to get tens of thousands of civilians back to northern Israel where they have been evacuated.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Over the past few days, we have struck Hezbollah with a series of blows it didn't imagine. If Hezbollah didn't get the message, I assure you, they will get the message. We are determined to return our citizens in the north to their homes safely. No country can tolerate incoming fire against its citizens, incoming fire against its citizens. And we too, the state of Israel, won't tolerate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, we also heard from Naim Qassem, the effective number two of Hezbollah, speaking at the funeral of a number of Hezbollah commanders that had been killed by Israel, saying that this is a battle without limits, acknowledging that Hezbollah has been damaged by Israel with recent attacks, but that this will continue and they will continue to retaliate for those attacks.

Now, we've heard also from the Biden administration concerns that this could break out into a wider conflict. This has long been a concern.

Let's listen to John Kirby.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: We're watching with concern the escalating tensions in the region and across that border here in the last week or so. And we don't believe, continue to not believe that kinetic action, military action by either side is really in either side's best interest. Certainly not in the interest of what the prime minister says he wants to do, which is get families back to their homes. There's a better way forward here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: So we are not getting any kind of indications that this will be calming down soon from either side and no sense that there will be a pullback. In fact, we heard from the head of Israel's Northern Command saying that we have significantly harmed Hezbollah and we will continue and deepen the blow. We are at a point of change -- Max.

FOSTER: Yes, OK. Paula, thank you.

Our Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is kicking off a busy week in the U.S. leading up to an appearance at the U.N. General Assembly. On Sunday, Zelenskyy began his visit at a Pennsylvania manufacturing plant that makes munitions for his country. The Ukrainian president 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.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This fall will determine what comes next in this war. Together with our partners, we can strengthen our positions as needed for our victory, our shared victory, for a truly just peace. In the United States, Ukraine will present its plan for victory and the U.S. president will be the first to see it in full. (END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The Ukrainian president has alluded to multiple stages of his plan but hasn't revealed it all publicly just yet.

Now, record rains are hammering coastal Japan, causing widespread flooding and devastation. We'll have details after the break.

Plus, the site of a nuclear disaster in the U.S. will power Microsoft data centers to support AI. What this means for the environment next.

And as the U.S. election draws closer, the threats against election workers are growing more dangerous. Why some of those tasked with overseeing the vote are worried for their lives? That's next.

[04:15:09]

FOSTER: Parts of Europe are still reeling from deadly flooding after record rainfall in the region. Floodwaters have receded in Poland, showing extensive damage in this mountain town. A downburst ripping the walls off some buildings and leaving the streets covered in mud and debris.

Residents in one Hungarian town have resorted to using boats to get around in the floodwaters. And say they plan to stay around to protect their homes as long as conditions remain safe.

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.

The coastal area in Japan has been drenched with record rains while still recovering from a devastating New Year's Day earthquake. Deadly flooding and landslides hit Ishikawa Prefecture on Saturday. At least six people are dead and thousands have been evacuated as 16 area rivers burst their banks. The storm has caused widespread flooding and cut power to thousands of households.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery is live for us from Tokyo. And this is, you know, really compounding issues that they've already got in those areas.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Max, as you might recall, this region was hit by a devastating earthquake on January 1st. A horrible way to start the new year. And now this region is reeling from the heaviest rainfall that it's ever seen.

If you take a look at some of the footage, Max, you can see how entire roads and rivers have completely flooded. People had to wade through their stores, businesses and homes just waist deep in this flood water. And some of these homes, Max, that have flooded are actually temporary shelters that people were evacuated to after that deadly January 1st earthquake, which killed hundreds of people.

In fact, we were in the area just a day after that deadly earthquake. And we saw how it had completely collapsed homes and buildings. Roofs were completely caved in and people were trapped underneath this rubble.

[04:20:00]

And now some of the people that were evacuated to these temporary emergency shelters said to us how they had no homes to return to because the earthquake had completely devastated their neighborhoods and towns. And now some of those very same survivors, Max, have had to deal with a second disaster just months afterwards. Take a look at one of the residents who spoke about this 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 movie 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: These residents are exhausted, Max. For the past few months, they've had to try to reconstruct and rebuild their towns and their neighborhoods. And now some of them have had to start all over again.

Now, according to the Japanese government, self-defense forces have been dispatched to the region. Police forces and also firefighters are trying to find any remaining survivors. Fortunately, good weather in the past few hours have helped recovery efforts. They're now able to fly these helicopters and get key supplies to these more isolated regions.

But again, just the double disaster, the mental toll that that has taken on these local residents has been completely devastating and very catastrophic for these residents -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Hanako, thank you so much for bringing us those images.

Now, parts of Mexico could see some devastating rain of their own as Tropical Storm John forms in the eastern Pacific. The storm is about 150 miles off Mexico's coast right now. It has maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour. The center of the system is expected to move closer to the southern coast over the next few days, picking up some strength before making landfall. Forecasters predict John will bring between six and 20 inches of rain to some coastal areas.

Shoppers in California will soon have to bring their own if they want to use plastic bags. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law on Sunday banning all plastic shopping bags starting in 2026. California had already banned thin shopping bags, but customers could buy thicker ones that were billed as being recyclable. When the law takes effect, shoppers will only be asked if they want a paper bag.

A state study found the average person threw away five kilograms or 11 pounds of plastic shopping bags in 2021. Turning to Iran, where at least 51 people are dead and 20 injured

after a gas explosion in a coal mine on Saturday, according to state media. Iran's interior minister says search and rescue operations are still underway. 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.

Three Mile Island, the Pennsylvania power plant that was the site of the worst nuclear disaster in the U.S., is reopening to power Microsoft's data centers. CNN's Bill Weir has more on this, and scientists' grim report on what's dubbed the doomsday glacier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: A couple of major climate stories this week showing the power of nature and the power of the markets. The first one being that Three Mile Island Microsoft story. Rather stunning for this generation to realize that the most notorious meltdown site is being brought back to life, thanks largely to the voracious energy demands of A.I. computing. A lot of folks thought, you know, Bitcoins took a lot of juice, but A.I. is off the charts. So even Amazon has secured nuclear energy from another plant in Pennsylvania, Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan, behind a plan to revive nuclear there. A real renaissance for this energy source that was demonized by environmentalists.

But now we realize that the damage to folks, to life and health was minimal in places like Three Mile Island and Fukushima. And meanwhile, fossil fuels are having a much harder effect on earth and life on it. As a result there, there is such a race to find clean, abundant energy to meet this new demand.

A lot of questions about this deal with Three Mile Island. It used to serve 800,000 homes. Now they're getting huge tax incentives to serve one customer.

A lot of regulation problems would take about four years and over a billion dollars to bring it back. But a huge statement about human energy demands at this moment in time.

And it is a timed test because meanwhile, we got this new report out of the Antarctic Ice Survey. These are scientists from the U.K., U.S., all around the world, taking torpedo like robots to the bottom of the biggest glacier in the world, the Thwaites Glacier. This thing is the size of Florida, a mile thick, size of the United Kingdom, a mile thick. And it's been melting for the last 80 years, accelerated in the last 30. But now they say it could all be gone by the 23rd century. That glacier alone would raise sea levels by two feet. But if that part of Antarctica goes and it releases like a cork, the inland ice could raise sea levels by 10 feet.

[04:25:00]

This may be baked in. It is physics. It's hard to stop this. The best humanity can hope for, the scientists say, is prepare.

Bill Weir, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The surviving co-founder of OceanGate is set to testify later today as the U.S. Coast Guard continues to investigate what caused the Titan submersible to implode last year. Authorities say the craft experienced a catastrophic implosion less than two hours into its dive, killing all five people on board, including one of the company's co-creators. The man set to testify left OceanGate a decade before the dive. Experts say the accident marks the first time a man's deep ocean submersible has ever imploded.

Still to come, the U.N. chief calls for action to get the world back on track. Hear more from the secretary general as leaders prepare to talk about global issues at the U.N. General Assembly.

Then our Fareed Zakaria sits down to chat with Hillary Clinton. Why the former presidential candidate says she's so excited about this year's election and why she feels so much is at stake. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us here are some of today's top stories.

The Israeli military says it carried out extensive airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon today. The two ramped up cross-border strikes over the weekend leading to renewed concerns about a wider conflict in the region.

Several senior officials have stepped down from Mark Robinson's campaign. He's the embattled Republican candidate for North Carolina governor. Robinson is facing fallout after CNN reported he made inflammatory comments on a pornographic website over a decade ago. He is the current lieutenant governor of North Carolina.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris says she'll deliver a speech this week focusing on her vision for the economy, which is consistently a top issue for voters.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump -