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Global Leaders In New York For General Assembly; Deadliest Day Of Israeli Strikes In Lebanon Since 2006 War; Lebanese Health Ministry: At Least 274 People Killed Monday. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired September 23, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
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ERICA HILL, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome to our viewers from around the world. I'm Erica Hill in New York.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom this hour, deadly strikes, Israel warning civilians to leave parts of Lebanon, as it steps up attacks on Hezbollah. We are live with the very latest. Plus, the suspect in the second apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump back in court this hour, as prosecutors reveal new details about the alleged plot. And a razor thin race, new polling shows just how close things are in some key battleground states, just six weeks out now from the U.S. election.
Israel unleashing its fiercest wave of strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in nearly two decades.
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Lebanon's Health Ministry says at least 274 people have been killed today alone, women, children and paramedics among them. More than 1,000 others wounded. Israel is urgently warning people to evacuate areas where Hezbollah operates. Many residents in the south are fleeing, you see this here, the cars, the wait there, many desperate to reach safer ground. Lebanon's Prime Minister, meantime, asking the world to intervene, saying that Israel plans to, in his words, destroy towns and villages, accusing the country of conducting a quote, "war of extermination".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just releasing a new message from IDF headquarters, where he says he is following through on the vow he made to change the security balance in the region. Take a listen.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (Interpreted): For those who have not yet understood, we want to clarify Israel's policy. We do not wait for a threat. We anticipate it, anywhere, in any arena, at any time. We eliminate senior officials. We eliminate terrorists. We eliminate missiles. And there is more to come. Whoever tries to hurt us, we will hurt them even more. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Meantime, leaders from around the world gathering here in New York today for the United Nations General Assembly, a number of them hoping to use this time in the U.S. to meet with either Vice President Kamala Harris or her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump. This will be the last major UN meeting for Joe Biden during his presidency. His top priorities, well, they're expected to be the war in Gaza and also Israel's fight with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, set to speak to the General Assembly later this week.
Joining me now, Nic Robertson is in Jerusalem. Richard Roth is at the UN.
Nic, I first want to begin with you in terms of what we are seeing in terms of this escalation today. What more we're hearing from Israel about more strikes to come?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. 272 people killed so far, according to the Ministry of Health in Lebanon. More than 1,000 injured. The IDF now saying that they fired more than 800 targets inside Lebanon -- struck 800 targets inside of Lebanon. They say 165 missiles have been fired by Hezbollah into Israel. The sirens have been going off in the northern port city of Haifa this afternoon, sirens and impacts in other parts of Israel, in the Lower Galilee area. There have been impacts there. There have been impacts on the Golan as well.
So, this is now really escalating into what, in any other sense, you would call a war. So, it seems like this escalation has reached that level. The Minister of Defense as well as the Prime Minister warning people, warning Israelis, to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command. They're saying, follow it with full obedience and discipline. This is the only way they say that we'll get through these, what they're implying are tough times to come. It does seem that the leadership in Israel is expecting Hezbollah to continue to respond to their strikes even deeper into parts of Israel.
So, for civilians, citizens here in Israel, this conflict with Lebanon that had really just been affecting only those 60,000 or so people who were evacuated along the border region with Lebanon, this is taking a much greater turn and significance, and for the people in Lebanon, a massive, massive escalation of the force landing on them. So many people have been seen taking to the roads in Lebanon today, trying to drive south towards the north.
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And Daniel Hagari, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesman, was warning people in the north of Lebanon today to move away from their houses if they thought that Hezbollah was close. This was this warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DANIEL HAGARI, IDF SPOKESPERSON (Interpreted): We are preparing to
strike terrorist targets in the Bekaa Valley region soon. This warning is focused on the villages in the Bekaa Valley. I urge the Lebanese residents of the villages in the Bekaa Valley, who are inside or near houses where rockets and weapons are stored, to move away immediately.
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ROBERTSON: So, to just give you a sense of how precise the IDF is carrying out these warnings, they say that the strikes are precise, that they're acting on precise intelligence. That warning you just heard from Daniel Hagari was given local time, three o'clock this afternoon. That was three hours ago. It was a two-hour warning for people to leave their houses, almost two hours to the minute the IDF was striking in the Bekaa Valley.
So, the warnings that Israel is giving Lebanese civilians to leave their houses where Hezbollah may be close or believed to be close, these are very real. This is a major, major escalation from where we were even just a couple of days ago.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. Nic, really appreciate it. Thank you.
Also with us this hour, CNN's Senior United Nations Correspondent Richard Roth. Richard, all of this, of course, playing out, we have the backdrop now of the United Nations General Assembly this week. How much is this figuring into or perhaps even dominating what will we see in terms of these meetings, these conversations?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's one of the worst periods in UN history, two major wars going on, a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia, invading another UN country, and here in the Middle East, the strongest violence to date involving Israel and its neighbors. The United States Ambassador to the UN, well aware of these issues, told CNN this morning, New York time, what she was hoping for at this year's general assembly meeting.
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LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Our message is, let us get to a cessation of hostilities in Gaza, and that will hopefully bring an end to all of this. Hezbollah has been supporting Hamas. Everyone needs to put their efforts behind bringing us to a final cessation of hostilities that will get the hostages out, allow for more assistance to get to Palestinian people in Gaza.
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ROTH: Now, that's on the Middle East. Now, we have said that Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly. The timetable keeps getting pushed back. He was supposed to arrive on Tuesday. Now, it may be Friday. He can, of course, speak any day through next Monday. He does hate the UN but he loves speaking to the world from the rostrum of the United Nations. We shall see. He is not meeting with President Biden, and he is not meeting with the UN Secretary General of the United Nations, who he has not spoken to since the war broke out October 7th. Erica.
HILL: Which are both notable. This will also be President Biden's last UNGA as President. What are we expecting to hear from him?
ROTH: Well, he is definitely, again, going to push for countries operating, working together for the benefit of the world. For the diplomats, that's fine, but they're more worried if President Trump gets elected again. They know what the erratic behavior regarding international treaties and NATO funding happened in the first Trump term. So, we'll have to see what happens on Election Day.
HILL: Yes, we are. We are all waiting to see what happens on Election Day, or perhaps it will be a few days after when we finally know.
Richard Roth, always good to see you. Appreciate it.
Joining me now is Norman Roule, a CIA -- former CIA Divisional Chief, currently with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. It's great to have you here, as we walk through what is happening between Israel and Hezbollah at this hour, and in fact, where that could go. Looking at what has happened, as my colleague Nic Robertson was just laying out, these warnings that were given by the IDF to evacuate, to leave your homes, and then almost two hours to the minute afterwards, the strikes began, what more do you anticipate in the coming hours?
NORMAN ROULE, SENIOR ADVISOR, CSIS TRANSNATIONAL THREATS PROJECT: Good morning. We are watching what is -- appears to be a well thought out campaign by Israel drawing upon a vast amount of intelligence data. The Israeli government has released briefing material that clearly shows that they know the placement of many Hezbollah missiles inside of fake residences, inside of residential neighborhoods. The airstrikes by Israel will continue, will likely number in the hundreds, and will be accompanied by perhaps drone strikes and even missile strikes. But, Israel does appear to be uninterested in a ground war at this point because of the long-term consequences.
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HILL: As you're watching this, an extensive part of your career, of course, was focused on Iran. We heard from a spokesperson for the Foreign Minister a short time ago, who warned of, quote, "dangerous consequences here". Where is your focus, as you're watching not only Iran's response, but of course, any Iranian-backed groups?
ROULE: Well, first, Iran's modus operandi with all of its proxies is to place them within civilian populations. In doing so, civilians become a shield, and their death in any conflict becomes a propaganda point. We've seen this with the Houthis, with Hamas, and now we see this with Hezbollah. Iran's massive response will likely be constrained by the placement of significant U.S. military capacity in the region. But, Iran will support the Hezbollah, Hezbollah proxies with rhetoric, with cyber operations, and will try to supply it with any sort of munitions it might be useful. The problem is, Israeli operations will not just be limited to Lebanon. They will also take place in Syria against Iranian weapons routes, experts and intelligence personnel assisting Hezbollah.
HILL: So, to that point, given that you anticipate operations from Israel would extend far beyond, what do you think the threat is from either Hezbollah or Iranian-sponsored terrorism or acts when it comes to not only Israeli targets, but perhaps others, including the United States?
ROULE: Well, the Houthi capacity to be a strategic threat has been severely degraded by the United States and its partners. The Houthis are capable of firing periodic missiles and drones, but this is not a strategic threat to Israel. The Hamas -- Hamas has been eradicated as a strategic threat, but obviously military operations continue in Gaza. Hezbollah has had an unprecedented strike against its leadership and its weapons locations, which is putting their group in some chaos. And the Iraqis have limited capability, but will likely fire drones and some missiles. So, there is a limited role for these proxies in this regard.
And I would also say that Iran is not interested in a conventional war at this moment in its history. It is interested in keeping pressure on Israel and the United States and maintaining this diplomatic quagmire that the region is in.
HILL: In terms of that diplomatic quagmire, I found some of the comments from over the weekend interesting, from Biden aide, specifically Jake Sullivan, calling the risk of escalation real, but saying that he still believes there is a path to a cessation, right, and a durable solution that would make both sides feel secure. We just heard from the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations saying that really what we need here is a ceasefire in Gaza, because that will ultimately have the biggest impact. While the President and his aides do say publicly they remain hopeful, do you believe there is still a path forward to a ceasefire at this point?
ROULE: It has been months since we have seen any public information that there is any likelihood of a ceasefire in Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government appear to be focused on winning the war over the release of the hostages, and Yahya Sinwar is focused on survival, vice release of the hostages in a ceasefire. There is very little evidence that a ceasefire is likely. But, diplomacy is conducted in the shadows, and it is -- it remains a possibility, but an unlikely one.
HILL: What are you -- we talked about what you were watching in terms of what we'll see in terms of the ground, what's happening there in Israel and Lebanon. On a broader sense, where is your focus this week?
ROULE: Well, what we're looking at in Israel remains the goal of returning its people to the north and ending Hezbollah attacks. We're watching this massive campaign by Israel, which, in fairness, takes place after almost 11 months of failed diplomacy, during which it endured 8,000 rocket strikes. It's yet unclear as to how these operations will succeed in achieving Israel's goals of the return of its people and the ending of these attacks. Hezbollah has got to demonstrate that it remains a potent force, that it will continue its strikes, and it will be able to continue strikes from the north as well, which is why you've seen Israel threaten to strike in the north.
I think you're going to see a long-term campaign of airstrikes roll out. What could change? This might be the death of Yahya Sinwar. What could change? This might be the death of significant Hezbollah personnel. This is unpredictable, and I think we're sort of off the map, because this event has got to roll out, this campaign has got to roll out before we're going to be able to predict where it will end up.
HILL: Yeah. We'll be watching it. Really appreciate your insight, your expertise. Thank you for your time today.
ROULE: You're welcome.
HILL: Still to come here, brand new polling shows the race for the White House shaping up to be one of the tightest in history.
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More on those new numbers from key battleground states just ahead. Plus, the suspect in the second alleged assassination attempt on Donald Trump back in federal court today, along with new information from prosecutors. We have a live report.
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HILL: 43 days now until America picks its next President, and a new poll shows Donald Trump leading in one critical battleground state, no clear leader in two others. The New York Times/ Siena College Poll putting Trump ahead by five points in Arizona, as you see there. The survey also shows him with a narrow lead in Georgia, the same in North Carolina. The differences, though, are within the margin of error there, while this race is clearly neck and neck in a number of key states. Harris is challenging her opponent to go head to head one more time, accepting a CNN invitation for a second presidential debate on October 23rd. At the moment, Donald Trump says he is not in.
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KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Join me on the debate stage. Let's have another debate. There is more to talk about and that 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.
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HILL: The Harris campaign, in addition to agreeing to that debate, announcing a fundraising milestone, $27 million at an event in New York City held on Sunday. That's the largest one-off haul for the campaign since the Vice President took over as the Democratic presidential candidate. For his part, former President Donald Trump and his running mate turning their attention today to some crucial swing states. Trump will travel the battleground Pennsylvania, J.D. Vance making his way to North Carolina. Trump also spent time in the Tar Heel State over the weekend. His
pick, though, for North Carolina Governor, Mark Robinson, was noticeably absent from the Trump rally. And in fact, the former President has yet to speak publicly about Robinson, who is facing fallout after CNN reported he had made a number of inflammatory and disturbing comments on a pornographic website. Trump did, however, double down on his immigration proposals.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Here in North Carolina, migrant crime is totally out of control. Today, I'm announcing a new plan to end all sanctuary cities in North Carolina and all across our country. We will get them out of North Carolina. 45 days from now, we're going to win North Carolina. We're going to defeat Kamala Harris.
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HILL: CNN's Alayna Treene is covering the Trump campaign. Eva McKend has the latest from the Harris camp.
Eva, I'm going to kick things off with you. We've got that big fundraising haul. This consistently tight polling, though, the Vice President now promising there will be some more specifics this week about how she is going to address the voters' number one concern, which is the economy. So, what can we expect?
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EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, we're pushing for details. We haven't gotten them yet. But, listen, what she has done is focused narrowly on the cost of living. That is, of course, the most persistent issue that we hear from voters. She calls it the opportunity economy. And in the plan thus far, she has focused in on affordable housing, on cutting taxes for middle class families, and just making life more affordable overall. We suspect that it is going to be more in that vein, and then also playing up her personal biography as someone who understands what it is like to grow up in a middle class family, grow up in a working class family, and have these persistent challenges.
HILL: Also, given what we've seen, I know there is already a tightly packed schedule that includes a number of battleground states, but given this most recent round of polling, any change from the campaign in terms of where they'll be?
MCKEND: So, they know with this compressed timeline, it's easy to forget that she has just been the candidate for a couple of weeks here, and the campaign really just launched in earnest this summer. But, they understand that they have to get before every available voter, and I think there has been a lot of frustration from us, because we want to be able to sit down with her and ask her about her evolution on some key policy matters. But, the campaign thinks that their time is best spent having these large rallies and then also having these more intimate events with voters in battleground states, where she is getting some one-on-one time with voters doing these off- the-record stops in shops and community spaces.
And so, that is what we are getting from her this week. She is going to be in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, followed by a tour of the West Coast states as well.
HILL: All right. Eva, appreciate it.
As I mentioned, Alayna Treene also with me. So, Alayna, in terms of Donald Trump, we know a little bit about where his energy will be focused, specifically starting with Pennsylvania. What more can we expect? Does this polling in any way influence that campaign's plans?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, I could just to address the polling, I mean, Donald Trump's campaign is very happy with this latest New York Times/Siena College Poll, particularly because, honestly, from what I've seen, it is the strongest polling we've seen yet for Donald Trump in the Sunbelt states, in Arizona, Georgia, you see him leading Harris, and North Carolina as well, a slim lead within the margin of error, but still reason for them to celebrate. You've seen some of his advisors, like Jason Miller today, touting these polls on social media.
But, look, we are going to see Donald Trump today. He is going to Pennsylvania. He actually has two stops there. Tomorrow, he'll be in Georgia, Wednesday, North Carolina, later this week, Michigan, of course, all battleground states. This is going to be what his schedule will look like between now and November. This is a far more aggressive schedule than we are used to seeing Donald Trump do. He normally would, in the past, give about two rallies a week, if that. He has really ramped this up between now and November. They recognize they need to get out there and try to rally as much support as they can.
Now, I do want to say, just going back to the polling numbers, when you look at particularly Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, about in each of them, this poll showed that about 15 percent of voters are still undecided in each of those states, which means that there is still time for voters to change their minds. We know that many people or many states have already begun early voting. We're already -- like, Election Day has already begun, essentially. But, there is still enough time now for them to gather more support. That's what I consistently hear in my conversations with senior Trump advisors that they recognize that every moment counts between now and November, with just 43 days left. So, you're going to see him really fanning the airwaves on this and going out to every place that they can.
Now, for North Carolina, specifically, just bringing up Mark Robinson, I want to note, it was very notable that we did not see him there on Saturday when Donald Trump was in North Carolina, and about all, most, if not all, I should say, of his recent rallies in North Carolina, Robinson has been there. Remember, Donald Trump had endorsed him. He has praised him repeatedly. Of course, now, Donald Trump's campaign is trying to distance the former President from Robinson as much as possible. And one thing I've been hearing in my conversations with them in the aftermath of this KFILE investigative reporting dropping last week is that Robinson was already doing poorly in his own governor's race. However, the stakes are still very, very high for Donald Trump. They
recognize that North Carolina is vital to his chances. He won it in the last two elections that he ran in, but a Democrat has not won it since 2008. But, Harris is doing well there, and she is continuing to make up ground. And so, I'd keep that in mind, as you see him back in North Carolina on Wednesday.
HILL: And really quickly, while he would like to take advantage of every opportunity, apparently, for Donald Trump, another debate here on CNN, not seen as an opportunity?
TREENE: For now. I mean, look, Donald -- it really depends on Donald Trump's mood when it comes to the debates. For now, he has kind of been convinced by his team that another debate, particularly so close to the election, is not a good idea.
[11:25:00]
Donald Trump continues to insist publicly that he thinks he won that September 10 debate with Harris. But, of course, a lot of his allies and people within his own campaign will admit privately that they do not agree, that they think that he could have done a better job, and there are questions of whether would another debate help him. As of now, the answer is no. But, I do think that really when it comes down to it, Donald Trump is the person who decides it. And so, if he ends up feeling like he wants another chance at this, if he has enough allies, I know people like Senator Lindsey Graham are on his -- in his ear, saying that he should do another one, if that ends up swaying him ultimately, we could potentially seem agreed to one. But, for now, the answer is no.
HILL: OK. Alayna, appreciate it. Thank you.
The suspect in the second alleged assassination attempt on former President Trump is due in court -- in court, actually. Ryan Wesley Routh was captured, of course, shortly after that incident at Trump's Florida golf course. Prosecutors today revealing new evidence, including a witness who reports a box that Routh dropped off at his home contained a letter from Routh that said, quote, "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you." There, of course, has not yet been a plea entered for the two gun charges that Routh is facing.
CNN National Security Reporter Zachary Cohen joins me now with more from Washington. So, we were expecting some more detail from prosecutors, some more evidence. What more have they revealed today?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Erica. Prosecutors saying before today's hearing that they've obtained a handwritten letter from Ryan Routh that was delivered to a witness months before he was arrested on September 15 outside of Donald Trump's golf course. And this letter, as you mentioned, states very clearly, it seems, what Ryan Routh's intentions were. It says, quote, "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump." It goes on to say that he would offer $150,000 to anyone who could complete the mission for him. He apologizes for failing, essentially, and says -- outlines a series of grievances, including opposition to Donald Trump's foreign policy as it relates to Iran, as sort of the reason, the motivation, for being at Donald Trump's golf course that day.
Now, this is just one piece of new evidence that prosecutors revealed in this memo prior to today's detention hearing, and it's something that they're going to argue shows that Routh should remain behind bars as he awaits a trial. Now, he is only facing those two gun charges, a possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and the possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Those are simply gun charges that prosecutors say should be enough to hold Routh until a trial happens. But, we also know from our sources that federal prosecutors are trying to build a bigger case and bring more serious charges against Routh, stemming from this -- what they believe was an assassination attempt in this letter that it appears to state clearly or at least speak to what Routh's intent was.
Now, the other piece of evidence that prosecutors revealed today include a box of items that they found -- that were delivered to the same witness in addition to this letter, and they found ammunition, metal pipes. They also found handwritten notes that showed or outlined a series of venues that Donald Trump was either going to or has appeared at, or was going to appear at, scheduled to appear at, between August and October 2024. Cell phone data that prosecutors have examined shows that he was actually in the area of Donald Trump's golf course for about a month before he was ultimately arrested. And also, one of the cell phones that they recovered from Routh's car contains a Google search that's searching how to get to Mexico from Palm Beach County, which obviously is where Routh was ultimately arrested.
So, we're going to see if the judge in this case ultimately agrees with prosecutors and says that Routh has to remain behind bars. But, it does seem that prosecutors have made some progress in building that bigger case revolving around the assassination attempt claims.
HILL: Yeah. Zachary Cohen, appreciate it. Thank you.
Also joining me this hour, Jeff Swartz. He is a former judge in the state of Florida, Professor at the Thomas Cooley Law School. Look, you've worn many hats as both a prosecutor and also as a criminal defense attorney. So, as we look at everything that's being laid out here today, Jeff, this, I guess, small insight into the evidence that has been gathered just in the short time of this week or so since all of this happened, what, in the evidence this has been revealed, sticks out to you the most? Is it that letter?
JEFF SWARTZ, FORMER MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COURT JUDGE: Well, the letter kind of is problematical to me, because if it was written months ago, how did he know he was going to fail and delivered it and all of these things. There is something not quite right going on here. There was also an indication that apparently it's some -- the idea that he wants somebody else to finish the job makes it seem to me like he was kind of still scoping out the situation, as opposed to really intending to try to kill Trump on that particular day.
[11:30:00] And I think that the prosecutors are having a problem with that, because unless they can show he really had the intent, then they really don't have an attempt, and attempt is all they can charge him with. So, they're really having a problem putting this case together. That seems readily apparent.
HILL: So, given that, what do you think the chances are then of additional charges? Because just to remind everybody, the only charges, the charges that he is facing at the moment are possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He did not fire that gun, as we know, and we are told that he actually was not in line of sight of the former President when he was spotted by Secret Service.
SWARTZ: Well, they're going to rely -- the government, if they're going to file attempt charges, they're going to rely upon the idea that he needed to be in dangerous proximity to success of the thing that he was going to be attempting. Was he really in dangerous proximity? Nobody has ever said whether the weapon was loaded or not. And so, therefore, if it wasn't loaded and he was just kind of scoping the situation out, it just seems to me that they know that they've got a defense here that they are going to have a hard time defeating, which is why, even to this point, they haven't filed a complaint for these charges.
As you pointed out, the only thing that he is charged with are weapons charges, and these are normally bondable offenses. So, they're trying to pile on evidence that he is a danger to the community is a basis to keep him in pretrial detention. I don't know how far that will go in the Southern District of Florida. I know people don't want to see him released. They think he is a danger. So, it's going to be an interesting hearing, to say the least.
HILL: He has not yet entered a plea on those charges. Does that surprise you at all, or is that what you would have advised him, were he your client?
SWARTZ: Well, he hasn't been indicted yet. And so, therefore, entering a plea is not really what you do until there is an indictment. Then you're brought into an arraignment and you enter your plea. So, at this point, he hasn't had to say, guilty, not guilty, whatever he is going to do. I think they're going forward with the bond hearing, the defense, trying to find out what it is the government has, and the government is going to have to put a whole lot of things on to try to convince a district court judge that, in fact, he should continue to remain in custody because he is a danger to the President of the United States -- or the former President, I apologize.
HILL: We'll be watching to see what else is revealed in terms of evidence that prosecutors say they have found. Former Jeff Jeff Swartz -- Judge, pardon me, Jeff, always good to see you. Thank you.
SWARTZ: Nice to see you, Erica.
HILL: Still to come here, we are very closely following what is now the deadliest day of Israeli strikes on Lebanon since the 2006 war. We're going to take you live to Beirut, just ahead. Plus, wrongfully held for eight years in a notorious Iranian prison, CNN exclusively hearing from American Siamak Namazi one year after his release.
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HILL: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Erica Hill in New York today.
Back now to our top story. Lebanon's Prime Minister, at this hour, accusing Israel of unleashing a war of extermination on his country and urging the world to intervene. The Lebanese Health Ministry says at least 274 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes today, 21 children among them. More than 1,000 people have been injured. Israel says it is conducting extensive strikes and warning people to evacuate areas where Hezbollah operates. Roads in the south of Lebanon are jammed with large numbers of people trying to get out by car.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, making a statement alongside his top military commanders, saying he is carrying through on his vow to change the security balance in the region, and warning Israelis that they could face what he called complicated days ahead.
Joining me now, Ben Wedeman, who is live in Beirut at this hour. So, Ben, as we look at this, most of the strikes so far have been in southern Lebanon. Just bring us up to speed on what you are seeing and what you are hearing from your vantage point at this hour.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erica. They're mostly in southern Lebanon, but by no sense, in no sense, are they exclusively in southern Lebanon. What we've seen us is, several hours ago, an IDF spokesman warned the inhabitants of the Beqaa Valley to the east of here to leave their homes or any buildings in which they think that there might be Hezbollah munitions, leave as we get about 1,000 meters away or take shelter in nearby schools. And what we've seen since then, those strikes, extensive strikes have begun not only in the Beqaa Valley, but also north of Beirut, in areas that have never been struck before. According to the Israelis, up to now, there have been at least 800 strikes on targets in Lebanon.
Now, we did hear the Firass Abiad, the Health Minister of Lebanon, announcing the latest death toll, and this is -- the numbers are preliminary, at best at this point. He said 274 people have been killed so far today, including 21 children and 39 women. Now, they don't give a breakdown of whether there are Hezbollah fighters among them. Normally, Hezbollah does put out the names and numbers of those who have been killed, but they haven't done that today.
That number, 274, is significant when you take into account, that is well above the number of people killed on the August 4, 2020 Beirut port blast. And if you look at the casualty figures from last Tuesday when those pager explosions happened and the things that have happened since then, the number of injured in Lebanon is almost 5,000 with around 350 dead. Now, as a result of the strikes in the south and the fact that the Israelis are sending messages on phones and also broke into Lebanese radio station to warn people to leave the south, we are seeing a mass exodus of people leaving southern Lebanon. The roads are jammed with people, both sides of the highway, coming north, trying to reach safe ground.
In fact, we spoke to one man in the town of the city of Tyre in south Lebanon, and he said that the city is being emptied of its residents. He said everyone is fleeing. And as a result of this Israeli onslaught, all classes in Lebanon, universities, schools, everything, have been suspended as of tomorrow. Clearly, there is intense concern that this is just the beginning of what could be yet another war between Lebanon and Israel. Erica.
HILL: Absolutely. Ben, appreciate it. Thank you.
Iran's President is expected to speak at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday here in New York. Ahead of that, an American who spent eight years wrongfully detained in Iran sat down with my colleague Christiane Amanpour. This is Siamak Namazi's first TV interview since his release from Tehran's notorious Evin Prison last year. Namazi also spoke about how he believes the U.S. can deal with hostage diplomacy in the future, saying it's time for Washington to stop playing political chess, and to put the lives of Americans first. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, HOST, AMANPOUR: People say, oh, you should never deal with the regime in any way, form, or fashion. What is your answer to that?
[11:40:00]
SIAMAK NAMAZI, AMERICAN FREED FROM IRANIAN DETENTION: Christiane, I will answer that as a former hostage and tell you, we have a duty to get out our people from foreign dungeons when they have done nothing, and the only reason they're in there is because they carry a blue passport, and their only way out is through a deal. Unfortunately, we have to make distasteful deals to get out our people.
But, I'll tell you something, no one is as angry, no one is as disgusted as the fact -- at the fact that the Islamic Republic, that these -- this horrible regime profited from blighting my life than me and the other hostages in our families. I spent 2,989 days in their dungeon. They took my father. They have done things that I'm not able to tell my therapist yet, and I still, I can't even speak about it. I am upset that they profited from this. But, what other choice is there? Are you just going to let an American rot?
But, we have two obligations, get our people out, even if it means holding our nose and doing these distasteful deals. The second part is, we have to deter hostage-taking to begin with. And I think as grateful as I am, and I can't -- I would really love to shake President Biden's hand one day. I really would. I'm as grateful as I am for this. I have a polarity of emotions going on. We have to do something to stop this, and we don't. There is zero, there is absolutely zero deterrence for hostage-taking.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And you can see the full interview on "Amanpour" right here at 01:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Of course, that's 06:00 p.m. in London.
I want to get you caught up in some of the other international headlines we're watching at this hour. First in Japan, those deadly floods and landslides hitting the country's West Coast over the weekend, record amounts of rain inundating the region, which, of course, is still reeling, trying to recover from a devastating New Year's Day earthquake earlier this year. Japanese media say at least six people have been killed. A number of others are still missing, and tens of thousands were forced to evacuate. The Weather Service noting this was the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the area. Officials still urging people to remain on high alert.
We're also keeping a watch on the fallout from the deadly flooding in Europe, following record rainfall there. Floodwaters are receding in Poland, but you can see the damage left behind there, and it is extensive. Just in this one mountain town, a dam there burst, ripping the walls off of some buildings. As you can see there, the streets left covered in mud and debris. Residents in one Hungarian town still using boats to get around because those flood waters are still there. They say they plan to do that to stay around their homes, because they want to protect them as long as they can. And take a look at the Danube River. This is a shot from Budapest on Sunday. The swollen river there expected to hit record levels, although it did fall just short of a 2013 record.
In Germany, the ruling Social Democrat Party fending off a strong challenge from the far right in an election in the state of Brandenburg on Sunday. Throughout the campaign, the Social Democrats, or SPD, were trailing behind the Alternative for Germany party, or the AfD. But, according to official results, the SPD actually won almost 31 percent of the vote, the AfD getting just over 29 percent.
Ukraine's President is here in the United States now, preparing to speak at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will present his blueprint, or victory plan, as he is calling it, for defeating Russia, to the U.S. and other allies. Mr. Zelenskyy visited an ammunition plant in Joe Biden's hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania on Sunday, where he thanked workers for helping to provide Ukraine with munitions.
The clock is ticking here in the U.S., clicking -- ticking there at the Capitol. The U.S. government has just days before a shortage of funds could, in fact, shut down the government. So, will this deal get done in time? We're live in Washington.
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[11:45:00]
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HILL: We are just a week away now from a possible government shutdown in the U.S. If you feel like you hear that a lot from us here, well, that's because you do. House Speaker Mike Johnson now laying out his new plan to keep the government funded for another three months. Of course, all part of an effort to avoid a shutdown just weeks before the election. This latest plan includes $230 million in funding for the Secret Service, but excludes the SAVE Act, which Republicans are really pushing hard for. That's a voting measure that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. This, of course, despite the fact that it is already illegal in this country for noncitizens to vote.
For more on this, CNN's Sunlen Serfaty joining me now from Capitol Hill. So, we have this measure now. What are the chances that it is actually going to pass, that we will avoid a government shutdown, Sunlen?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Erica, as of now, it seems very likely, but of course, never say never up here on Capitol Hill. They do have the contours of a bipartisan deal that was worked out with negotiators over the weekend, and that's something that Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, released the details of over the weekend.
Now, as you said, this is a plan that would fund the government until December 20th. That would be avoiding a government shutdown when the funding runs out next week. It provides funding for the Secret Service, $231 million of funding for the Secret Service. That was something that was asked for by many up here on Capitol Hill, giving extra money to the service, especially given the 2024 presidential campaign, and all that they need to protect the candidates by it. Notably, as you noted, it does not include the SAVE Act. That was that controversial provision that was added by Speaker Johnson and pushed by President Trump, that legislation to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote. That is not included in this legislation.
Now, this is something that was brokered over the weekend. We will get our first temperature, Erica, today up here on Capitol Hill, how many in the House, especially the House conservative folks, how they're feeling about this legislation. But, from both sides of the aisle, there is immediate applauding of this legislation, saying that this is the thing that needs to be done before the government runs out of money next week. Erica.
HILL: And in terms of the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, he spoke to GOP leadership. What was his message?
SERFATY: Yeah. His message was really, this is the best that we can do right now. He sent a message, a letter, to his colleagues last night, saying, in part, quote, "while this is not the solution any of us prefer, it is the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances. Shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice." So, no mincing words there. And he also went on to say that this legislation is very, in essence, bare bones, only requires what is necessary here, of course, acknowledging that he could not get what he wanted and what President Trump was pushing for in this legislation, but that they have to do something. They have to do something before the election.
Now, as far as timeline here, Erica, the House right now, it looks like it will be moving to vote on this of Wednesday of this week, and when and if it passes in the House, it will go over to the Senate, and Senate Democratic leaders have already said that they are in support of this. So, potentially, they could have this done if there is no speed bumps by the end of the week.
HILL: All right. We'll be watching for that. Sunlen, appreciate it. Thank you.
Still to come here, after months in space, two cosmonauts and an astronaut heading back home to Earth earlier today. We'll take a look at their journey, just ahead.
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[11:50:00]
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HILL: A new crime fighting tool developed from microscopic particles holds the promise of breaking open some cold cases. It's the fluorescent powder which illuminates what was previously invisible to the naked eye.
Here is Anna Stewart to show 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 aimed to do, is create a new powder for developing fingerprints. Powders are the most widely used, most successful methods for developing fingerprints, but they have lots of issues already in there. There is always room for improvement.
STEWART (voice-over): 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 is only so much this earlier technique can detect.
ROSS: What we're hoping is that we'll be able to get fingerprints the current powders can't get. We should be able to get fingerprints that maybe someone has washed their hands more recently and they've touched something, but they've left residue behind. But, we're going to be able to get that using a more sensitive powder.
STEWART (voice-over): 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 banknotes, which can resemble fingerprint details themselves.
ROSS: This image is particularly nice because the fingerprint is so different to the banknote itself. It's so clear. The fluorescence of the particles are so strong that there is no chance you mistake the detail for the banknote. There is even, as you can see, a fluorescent detail in the background, but that fluorescent detail is not strong enough to contrast with the fingerprint that's been enhanced.
STEWART (voice-over): 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.
[11:55:00]
STEWART (voice-over): Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Before we go, one more thing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are being helped out of the center seat, and there he is. 374 days in space on this flight, waving to the crowd.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut safely making their way back to Earth. Their Soyuz capsule reentered the atmosphere and parachute landed in Kazakhstan. They had undocked from the International Space Station earlier on Monday. They touched down just about four hours ago. NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson spent 184 days in space. The two Russians had been on board the ISS for just over a year. The changeover of the crew here means the ISS also has a new commander, Suni Williams, who arrived on board the troubled Boeing Starliner in June.
Thanks so much for joining me this hour. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Stay tuned. CNN continues with One World up next.
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