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Israel Launches More Strikes on Hezbollah; Examining the Key Issues in Sun Belt Swing States; Trump Holds Rally in Must-Win State of Pennsylvania; Harris Campaign Weighs Visit to U.S.-Mexico Border; Robinson Losing Republican Support in North Carolina Governor Race. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired September 24, 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)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Do you think Springfield will ever be the same? I don't think -- the fact is, and I'll say it now, you have to get them the hell out. You have to get them out. I'm sorry.

MERYL STREEP, ACTOR: A bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not. And a woman may not in public. This is a suppression of the natural law.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I have a message for the people of Lebanon. Israel's war is not with you. It's with Hezbollah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're clearly walking into a much wider war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from 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 is Tuesday, September the 24th, 9 a.m. here in London, 11 a.m. across the Israeli-Lebanese border, where Israel has begun another round of airstrikes, according to Lebanon's national news agency.

The Lebanese health ministry says nearly 500 people, including dozens of women and children, were killed in Monday's wave of strikes. An Israeli official says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his security cabinet his aim is to cut Hezbollah from the war with Hamas. The official also says the cabinet has agreed to raise the level of military operations each day.

The Israel Defense Forces says it hit 1,600 Hezbollah targets on Monday, and today Israel says it hit dozens more in southern Lebanon after the Iran-backed militant group fired multiple rocket barrages into northern Israel overnight. And amid the violence, civilians in southern Lebanon are fleeing their homes and seeking safety. Israel's Prime Minister says the Lebanese people are not their target.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I have a message for the people of Lebanon. Israel's war is not with you. It's with Hezbollah.

For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields. It placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garage. Those rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities, directly at our citizens. To defend our people against Hezbollah strikes, we must take out those weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN's Paula, Hancocks joins me now with more. Just bring us up to date first, Paula, on the latest barrages coming from both sides.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Max, so we certainly have seen a lot happen in the early hours of Tuesday as well. The Israeli military saying dozens of rockets came from Hezbollah into northern Israel. They say there were no injuries as far as they can tell, but they are putting out a number of fires where some of those missiles were not intercepted and did hit open ground.

And we also know that they have said that they have been carrying out strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and also in Baalbek. Now, we understand from the Israeli military that they have been telling Lebanese citizens to move away from any areas where they believe that Hezbollah operatives are in the process of firing against Israeli towns and air bases in northern Israel. They also say that they are concerned that Hezbollah is hiding ammunition, is hiding missiles inside civilian infrastructure, inside civilian homes.

There was a briefing from the Israeli military and they did show some photos of this. We also heard more details from the spokesperson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAELI MILITARY SPOKESPERSON: Let me be clear. Hezbollah is responsible for this situation. This is Hezbollah's plan to turn southern Lebanon into a battlefield for its attacks on Israel. We cannot accept terrorist groups storing weapons inside people's homes, using them to fire at other civilian communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: The Israeli military also saying that it is planning for the next phases. There will be more details on that shortly, according to the chief of staff.

[04:05:00]

Now, when it comes to the Biden administration, they are very concerned with what is happening at this point. They have been working for months to try and ensure that the war in Gaza was not going to expand, that there wouldn't be a widening conflict. We've heard from one U.S. official telling CNN, quote: We are the

closest we've been to spiraling to a regional war since October 7th.

And now the U.S. official also says that the Biden administration believes that Hezbollah has been significantly weakened over the past week, of course, not just the strikes that are happening at the moment, but also the pagers and walkie talkies belonging to Hezbollah exploding last week across the country.

And so what the U.S. is doing at this point, we understand is working feverishly behind the scenes to try and prevent this from expanding further and trying to convince Israel not to carry out a ground invasion. At the moment, this is aerial bombardment that we are seeing in Lebanon.

And it is not just Hezbollah operatives that have been killed. We understand from the Ministry of Health that almost 500 have been killed, but dozens of those have been women and children -- Max.

FOSTER: Paula, thank you.

Iran has warned Israel of dangerous consequences following Monday's deadly airstrikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta spoke to CNN about the escalating conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEON PANETTA, FORMER U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, Iran has always been at the heart of the problem because they have, in fact, been supplying these proxy forces that do their dirty work. And they've been doing it for a long time. And Iran has stated very clearly that they're going to continue to support Hezbollah.

Whether or not there's an opportunity with the new president in Iran to try to see whether at least you can begin some kind of dialogue, I don't know. But that's probably worth an effort. But I think right now, to be truthful, we've crossed a threshold here between a war that tries to apply some restraint and a wider war.

We're clearly walking into a much wider war. And that makes it much more difficult for any of the parties to agree to any kind of solution.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, world leaders kick off the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly today, featuring what will likely be U.S. President Joe Biden's final address to the group. It comes amid a request from France's foreign minister for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to address the Israeli strikes in Lebanon. The group already has one meeting on the books for today amid the start of the U.N. General Assembly with Ukraine's president for a featured speaker.

Well, CNN's Richard Roth previews what else to expect over the coming days. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Once again, it's a General Assembly high level meeting overshadowed by wars and crises around the globe. Take Gaza and southern Lebanon, Israel involved in both. The Israeli ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, defended his country's attacks on Hezbollah.

DANNY DANON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: We don't want to escalate the situation. We don't want a war today. Or if we will not have other choice, we will push back Hezbollah.

It will be painful for the Lebanese people in southern Lebanon, but we don't see any other choice.

ROTH: Jordan and Egypt have requested a Security Council meeting on the latest fighting, but little is expected. There have already been dozens of meetings since the war began October 7th.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to be giving a speech here at the General Assembly Friday morning, but his appearance keeps getting delayed and there's still a possibility he may not appear at all due to developments back home.

Iran's new president lashed out at Israel asking for United Nations help to stop Israel's aggression.

MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, IRANIAN PRESIDENT: The end of occupation, the cessation of apartheid in Palestine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza are prerequisites for global development and peace. The Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to work with other countries to achieve common global goals.

ROTH: President Zelenskyy of Ukraine is one of the speakers this week. He will meet with President Biden, Vice President Harris and former President Trump, though not necessarily here in the building. President Zelenskyy addressed the U.N. Summit for the Future, which was agreed upon Sunday. However, it's not enforceable. For Zelenskyy, he has what he's called a victory plan that he's going to show President Biden in Washington.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I invite all leaders, nations to continue supporting our joint efforts for a just and peaceful future.

ROTH: It will be President Biden's final General Assembly appearance. He's likely to stress unity once again.

[04:10:00]

But the way these crises in Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine are going, a lot more will be needed to make any progress.

Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE) FOSTER: There's still no clear overall leader in the race to the White House. However, new polling from The New York Times and Siena College show that Donald Trump is doing slightly better than Kamala Harris in three key swing states in the so-called Sun Belt. He's leading the U.S. vice president by five points in Arizona and remains ahead, but within the margin of error in both Georgia and North Carolina.

When looking at the country's overall choice of president, CNN's latest Poll of Poll shows the vice president ahead by three points. But it's the electoral college, not the popular vote, that determines who becomes the president.

CNN's John King breaks down the issues driving voters' decisions in these three key battleground states.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Let's look at the top issues in these three states. Again, forgive me, I just want to stretch this out. The economy is the number one issue in all three states, not by huge margins, but 26 percent, 28 percent, 25 percent -- Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina.

Immigration second in Arizona, abortion third. Immigration and abortion kind of trade almost in a tie for second and third when it comes to the other battleground states.

So the issues, economy and immigration, we know they're Trump's issues, and abortion is a Harris issue. So voters were asked in this poll, what candidate best represents you on your issue? So it could be the economy for many voters. It might be something else. Just generically, who's the candidate you trust on your top issue? And look at this.

Again, I'm just going to stretch this out. On just the generic top issue question, it's narrow, but Trump leads in all three states, right? So people are saying, I'm with him, he's best for me on my top issue.

Here's what's even more damning. We know issue number one is the economy. And just look at this. And we've seen this. Again, this is only one poll. Don't overinvest in any one poll. But we have seen this data in other polls. This is a constant problem for the vice president.

Who's best on the economy? Trump by 14 points leads in Arizona. Trump by 12 points leads in Georgia. Trump by 13 points leads in North Carolina. It's the top issue. And Trump has a huge edge. That's a problem for the vice president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well a source tells CNN that Trump plans to return to Butler, Pennsylvania, the town where he was shot back in July in less than two weeks. Trump also made several stops in Pennsylvania on Monday, where polls show him neck and neck with Harris. During a rally in the town of Indiana, Trump claimed he's a protector of women and tried to downplay the abortion issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Because I am your protector. I want to be your protector as president. I have to be your protector. I hope you don't make too much of it.

The country's falling apart. We're going to end up in World War III. And all they can talk about is abortion. That's all they talk about. And it really no longer pertains because we've done something on abortion that nobody thought was possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, Trump also took swipes at Harris over her handling of immigration. CNN's Danny Freeman picks up that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Former President Donald Trump spoke for just over an hour and a half at a rally here in Indiana, Pennsylvania, this area of western Pennsylvania, really crucial to the campaign in case he hopes to carry the great Commonwealth once again in 2024. He won this specific county about an hour east of Pittsburgh, both in 2016 and in 2020. So if he hopes to carry the state, he really needs to boost his numbers in the specific more rural areas of Pennsylvania.

Now, the rally was a relatively normal Trump campaign event. The former president stuck to the teleprompter a good amount in the beginning of his remarks. He focused on the economy, on the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan and hit on fracking, of course, an important issue here in Pennsylvania.

But he did drift off topic as well, at one point lamenting Johnny Carson, no longer being the host of The Tonight Show, complaining about the moderators of the last debate and also criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris for her interview with Oprah recently.

But the supportive crowd here, they really ate up a lot of what the former president was saying here, including when he spent time talking specifically about immigration. Take a listen.

TRUMP: She's been in office for three and a half years. She's saying what she's going to do if she becomes president. But she's been there almost four years.

She hasn't done anything except destroy our country with millions of people that shouldn't be here.

Whether she was the border czar or just the person in charge of the border, it's been the worst thing ever. Maybe one of the worst things ever to happen to our country. Look at what's happening in Springfield, Ohio.

FREEMAN: Now, earlier in the day, former President Trump participated in a round table with Pennsylvania farmers where he discussed the economy. He also made a rare off the record stop at a local grocery store to meet and greet with some voters.

And I also note that on Monday evening, we learned from CNN's Alayna Treene that former President Trump intends to return to Butler in early October.

Butler, Pennsylvania, of course, the place where former President Trump was shot at a campaign rally back in July.

Danny Freeman, CNN, Indiana, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:15:00]

FOSTER: Meanwhile, we're hearing Harris and her campaign are considering a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border later this week whilst the vice president is in Arizona. This could mark an opportunity to shore up her credentials on immigration, an issue in which Trump is leading, CNN's Priscilla Alvarez explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Harris campaign officials are weighing a potential visit by the vice president to the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday when she is set to visit the battleground state of Arizona. The reason, sources tell me, is that they are trying to narrow the gap in polling. Of course, former President Donald Trump has held a lead in polls when it comes to the issue of immigration.

But while some campaign officials remain concerned about that lead, they also see an opportunity to close the gap.

Now, one source telling me that no final decision has been made. And of course, the vice president has visited the U.S.-Mexico border as vice president, as well as California senator and as attorney general in that state.

But a visit to Arizona would also come at a time where former President Donald Trump is leading in the polls, and as border crossings remain low, the lowest they've been since 2020. But Republicans have tried to cast the vice president, falsely so, as the border czar, solely putting her responsible for border security.

Well, that hasn't been the case. Instead, she has been focused on the root causes of migration in Central America. Border visit would offer the opportunity, campaign officials say, for her to deliver her message on this issue. One, where she has been talking about her work as attorney general, tackling transnational gangs, but also saying that the former president is unserious about the border for tanking that bipartisan border bill.

All the same, the vice president is slated to visit Arizona later this week. That will later be followed by Nevada, two important states that she is trying to gain a lead on former President Donald Trump ahead of November.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, two storm systems developing this hour. First, Hurricane John made landfall earlier off the southern coast of Mexico as a Category 3 storm. The National Hurricane Center says life-threatening storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding. The storm will also bring heavy rainfall, flash floods and mudslides to the region.

Meanwhile, an area of thunderstorms in the Caribbean expected to develop into Hurricane Helena later this week. The National Hurricane Center says it's intensifying over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico to potentially gain hurricane strength by Wednesday and then slam into the U.S. Gulf Coast later in the week.

Ahead, growing calls for scandal-plagued Republican Mark Robinson to quit the North Carolina governor's race and they're coming from members of his own party now.

And Boeing raises its offer to workers hoping to shut down a strike that brought production to a near standstill.

Plus, sometimes words just aren't enough. Luckily, new emojis will be making their way to your keyboard next year. We'll explain what they mean ahead.

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: U.S. Senate Republicans are turning on their party's nominee for North Carolina Governor Mark Robinson after a CNN investigation shed light on offensive posts that he once made on a porn website. Here's some of what the senators told CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): If you're not wrong, he's toast. If he can't credibly rebut these accusations, he's a zombie.

SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): Of course, he should step aside. It's outrageous, disgusting, vile. And his efforts to say it wasn't him need to show a good deal more substance than just saying it's not me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Robinson remained defiant on the campaign trail, though, on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ROBINSON, REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FOR NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR: While this country is literally facing a crisis situation on the world stage, while our border is wide open, while our businesses are struggling, while folks are dying from fentanyl, while crime is spiraling out of control, you folks want to focus on tabloid trash. And quite frankly, I am sick of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Meanwhile, the Republican Governors Association announced it's cutting off funding for Robinson's campaign, marking a massive blow in a state that Donald Trump needs to win. CNN's Tom Foreman has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBINSON: In order to put the people first, we've got to concentrate on this campaign. And that is exactly what we're going to do.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a mild day in North Carolina, Republican Mark Robinson is a man in a hurricane after CNN's K-file unearthed a history of him posting graphic and sexual comments on a porn website supporting the reinstatement of slavery and calling himself a Black Nazi, all of which he calls salacious false lies.

ROBINSON: We are not going to let CNN throw us off of our mission. Our mission is to win this race.

FOREMAN (voice-over): But the accusation seems to have former President Donald Trump's team on high alert. He did not mention his handpicked candidate while visiting the battleground state this weekend, even though Trump had enthusiastically endorsed Robinson.

TRUMP: I said, I think you're better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance's take on Robinson's denials.

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), U.S. REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I don't not believe him. I don't believe him. I just think that you have to let these things sometimes play out in the court of public opinion.

FOREMAN (voice-over): It's certainly playing out among Robinson's campaign staff, where several key players have resigned and in Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign, which has rolled out a new ad scorching Trump's ties to the controversial Robinsson.

ROBINSON: Abortion in this country is about killing the child because you aren't responsible enough to keep your skirt down.

TRUMP: I've been with him a lot. I've gotten to know him and he's outstanding.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Democratic gubernatorial contender Josh Stein says it's all proof his opponent isn't fit for office.

JOSH STEIN, DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR: Robinson exists because Donald Trump has lifted him up throughout. [04:25:00]

FOREMAN (voice-over): And North Carolina's senior senator Tom Tillis has posted: If the reporting is a fabrication, Robinson should take immediate legal action. If the reporting is true, he owes it to President Trump and every Republican to take accountability.

FOREMAN: Polls had Robinson well behind before this story broke, and it's a little early to know how it might affect him or Trump right now. But we do know this. Trump's team says he needs to win North Carolina to win the White House. And this won't help.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The man who killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, in 2021 will spend the rest of his life in prison. On Monday, a judge sentenced him to 10 consecutive life sentences without parole. That ruling came just hours after a jury rejected the gunman's insanity claim and found him guilty of first degree murder.

The judge heard from more than a dozen family members of the victims before sentencing. They spoke of how the shooting and the loss of their loved ones impacted their lives.

Still to come, Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to address global leaders and ask for their help on the battlefield. Why the U.S. president is vital to his plan for defeating Russia.

Plus, new details on the latest assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Prosecutors reveal what's known about the suspect's plans and how close he came to the former U.S. president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Israel's military says it struck dozens of targets in Lebanon after Hezbollah launched multiple barrages overnight. An Israeli official says the security cabinet has agreed to continue to raise the level of military operations in Lebanon every day. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hezbollah is the target, not the Lebanese people.

[04:30:00]